Patents Examined by Robert Pezzuto
  • Patent number: 10024030
    Abstract: A scraper has an apron, a bowl, a cutting edge, a vehicle attachment, and a pivoting mechanism such that the scraper has a flat position and an angled position. In the flat position the cutting edge is in position to cut into dirt and store the dirt in the bowl, while in the angled position the scraper is rotated such that dirt within the bowl can drop onto the ground in front of the scraper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Inventor: Clayton A Melrose
  • Patent number: 9897429
    Abstract: A harvesting vehicle including a body including a plurality of picking systems configured to be carried over plants growing in one or more plant beds to harvest crops of the plants. Each picking system can include an imaging system and can be configured to (a) determine a height of the picking system over one of the one or more plant beds as the picking system is carried over the plants and (b) provide distance measurement data based on the height. The harvesting vehicle also can include a plurality of wheels each having a vertical position with respect to the body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignee: HARVEST CROO, LLC
    Inventor: Robert Pitzer
  • Patent number: 9888631
    Abstract: A system including a foliage displacement system. The foliage displacement system can include a support structure and two or more surfaces movably coupled to the support structure and configured to move between an open configuration of the foliage displacement system and a closed configuration of the foliage displacement system. The two or more surfaces can be configured to move foliage of a plant toward a center of the plant such that crops of the plant that underlie the foliage are exposed when the foliage displacement system moves from the open configuration to the closed configuration. Other embodiments are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: HARVEST CROO, LLC
    Inventor: Robert Pitzer
  • Patent number: 9879402
    Abstract: A system for seafloor mining comprising a vertical riser anchored to the seafloor; a mining machine to deliver seafloor ore to the vertical riser; a lifting system to pass the ore through the vertical riser; and a transport vessel removably connected to the vertical riser to receive ore from the vertical riser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: NAUTILUS MINERALS NIUGINI LIMITED
    Inventor: Glen Smith
  • Patent number: 9877422
    Abstract: A drawn agricultural machine comprising a carrier frame for carrying processing members, the carrier frame supportable on the ground, at least during transport, by means of a wheel set comprising at least a wheel, a coupling frame for coupling the agricultural machine 1 to the three-point suspension of a tractor, the coupling frame comprising two lower coupling points and an upper coupling point and the coupling frame being rotatable about a vertical axis of rotation relative to the carrier frame. The machine also comprises a drawing element for exerting a force on the coupling frame, wherein the coupling frame, the carrier frame and the drawing element are interconnected in such a manner that a downward force component is exerted on the lower coupling points when the drawing element exerts a force on the coupling frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: LELY PATENT N.V.
    Inventors: Alfonsus Jacobus Van Den Engel, Norbert Van Hemert
  • Patent number: 9856629
    Abstract: A lip shroud may include a front, wedge-shaped portion, an intermediate transition portion, and a rear mounting portion opposite the front, wedge-shaped portion. The intermediate transition portion of the lip shroud may be configured with at least one upwardly and rearwardly inclined transition surface that merges into a front edge of the rear mounting portion. The at least one upwardly and rearwardly inclined transition surface may include two opposite side, upwardly inclined surfaces that extend between rearward side edges of the at least one transition surface and substantially an entire length of each of opposite side edges of the rear mounting portion. The two opposite side, upwardly inclined surfaces may include outer side edges configured to form a smooth, upwardly sloped and outwardly convex-shaped profile merging into the opposite side edges of the rear mounting portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventor: Phillip John Kunz
  • Patent number: 9850641
    Abstract: A coupling for connecting ground engaging tools to a lip of an excavator bucket or similar uses an eccentric rotating lock, whereby rotation of the lock alters the distance between bearing surfaces and thus allows tightening of the lock.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: Talon Engineering SDN BHD
    Inventor: Benjamin D. Hughes
  • Patent number: 9850627
    Abstract: A road finishing machine comprises a chassis, a screw bearing arrangement for receiving a spreading screw, and first and second perforated supports at the chassis to fix the screw bearing arrangement to the chassis. The first and the second perforated supports each comprise first and second hole patterns to fix different screw bearing arrangements to the road finishing machine by means of the first hole pattern or by means of the second hole pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: JOSEPH VOEGELE AG
    Inventors: Martin Seibel, Thomas Schmidt
  • Patent number: 9848534
    Abstract: A harvesting unit with a combine, having a user cab. A harvesting apparatus, advanced by the combine, has a frame and a harvesting assembly on the frame configured to process severed crop over a width between spaced sides of the frame. A fluid delivery system discharges pressurized fluid in discrete streams each directed to at least one of: a) facilitate severance of crop by the harvesting assembly; and b) facilitate advancement of severed crop rearwardly in relationship to the frame for further processing. A user can selectively vary at least one of: a) a volume of pressurized fluid; and b) a direction of pressurized fluid in the discrete streams. A control system has at least one actuator accessible and operable from outside of the cab through a user input to cause the at least one of the volume of pressurized fluid discharged, and direction of the pressurized fluid, in the discrete streams to be varied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: Crary Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Damir Cavkusic, Ben Richard, Daniel Ross, Michael Leach, Mitchell Lee
  • Patent number: 9848535
    Abstract: An agricultural machine includes an engine for power delivery, at least one axle provided with two wheels, a handlebar and a power take-off. The agricultural machine further includes a hydromechanical clutch group interposed between the engine and the at least one axle and a first and a second lever associated with the handlebar controlling the hydromechanical clutch group. The hydromechanical clutch group includes a actuation piston hydraulically controlled by the first and second lever movable between a first raised position, in which the actuation piston imposes to the hydromechanical clutch group the transmission of the motion from the engine to the wheels and to the tool, and a second lowered position in which the actuation piston frees the hydromechanical clutch group by kinematically disconnecting the engine from the wheels and the tool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Inventor: Fabrizio Omodeo Vanone
  • Patent number: 9844179
    Abstract: An agricultural vehicle for picking or harvesting a product includes a motor, a plurality of tires, a transmission mating the motor to the plurality of tires, an accumulator operable to store the product, a module builder operable to receive the product from the accumulator, and a frame supporting the accumulator and the module builder. The frame defines a hatch through which an operator is capable of accessing the motor and/or the transmission. The agricultural vehicle is operable to transition between a first state and a second state. In the first state, the module builder and the accumulator prohibit access through the hatch. In the second state, the module builder and the accumulator are rotated relative to the frame and provide access through the hatch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: DEERE & COMPANY
    Inventors: Kevin J. Goering, Michael J. Myers
  • Patent number: 9845588
    Abstract: A control system for controlling a moveable device includes at least one hydraulic actuator associated with the moveable device, at least one position sensing device to determine the position of the moveable device or the actuator, or both, and a hydraulic control system, including an electronic control unit, for controlling the actuator. For performing a control method, the hydraulic control system is configured to deliver pressurized hydraulic fluid to the actuator, the hydraulic fluid being pressurized at most to a predetermined maximum pressure, and the control system is adapted to regulate the predetermined maximum pressure based on the determined position. According to an example, the moveable device is a boom of a working machine. According to a further example, the actuator is a hydraulic cylinder or motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: JOHN DEERE FORESTRY OY
    Inventor: Marko Paakkunainen
  • Patent number: 9844177
    Abstract: A lawnmower with a plurality of motorized cutting blades may be configured to include a single rear bearing wheel to allow for greater control over the movement of the lawnmower by the operator and may be configured to include environmentally friendly methods through which the motor may be powered rather than through the use of a combustion engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Inventor: Adrienne B. Kaspar
  • Patent number: 9839172
    Abstract: A tillage implement has a gang of rotary spider tines, each spider tine having a center portion and a plurality of teeth forming a peripheral edge of the spider tine. Each tooth is rearwardly curving from the intended direction of rotation and has a curved leading edge and a curved trailing edge that taper to a rounded outward tip. A distal end of each tooth is angled relative to a tooth base to form a flared paddle such that the flared paddle is angled with respect to the tooth base and center portion of the spider tine. A first set of teeth have flared paddles angled in a first direction and a second set have flared paddles angled in a direction opposite said first direction, with the first set being alternately positioned with the second set in a circumferential pattern around the peripheral edge of the spider tine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2017
    Assignee: AGCO Corporation
    Inventors: Joseph Shawn Meier, Jeffrey Scott Hughes, Donald Eugene Bergmann
  • Patent number: 9840828
    Abstract: A lip to be applied to a bucket of excavating equipment for moving ground materials that includes a lip adapted to be attached to an open end of a container of the excavating equipment having a front end facing in a forward direction of the container, the lip defining a substantially horizontal bottom lip portion and side portions extending upwardly from lateral ends of the bottom lip portion, and a multiplicity of like projections extending forwardly relative to the lip from at least one of the portions of the lip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2017
    Inventor: Robert S. Bierwith
  • Patent number: 9834904
    Abstract: A quick-coupler for coupling a tool, including a coupling mount for receiving a first locking part and a locking mount for receiving a second locking part, wherein a securing element, which can be actuated by a pressure medium, is associated with the coupling mount for capturing and/or securing the first locking part in the coupling mount and a locking element, which can be actuated by a pressure medium, is associated with the locking mount for locking the second locking part in the locking mount. The securing element of the coupling mount can likewise be actuated by the pressure circuit for actuating the locking element of the locking mount, with the securing element being connected to the pressure circuit via a switching valve which is controllable by a sensor arranged at the coupling mount for detecting the locking part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: KINSHOFER GMBH
    Inventor: Thomas Friedrich
  • Patent number: 9832921
    Abstract: An agricultural implement system includes a tow bar assembly configured to couple the agricultural implement system to a tow vehicle. The agricultural implement system also includes a toolbar assembly coupled to the tow bar assembly. The toolbar assembly includes a first wing toolbar configured to support a first row unit, the first wing toolbar is configured to rotate about a first axis relative to the tow bar assembly to enable the toolbar assembly to bend in response to variations in a surface of soil, and no ground engaging wheel is coupled to the first wing toolbar. The agricultural implement system also includes an actuator configured to rotate the first wing toolbar upwardly about the first axis while the toolbar assembly is in a raised position such that the first row unit is disengaged from soil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: CNH Industrial America LLC
    Inventors: Brian John Anderson, Scott Allen Long, Johnathon R. Dienst, Michael J. Connors
  • Patent number: 9826681
    Abstract: An expansion device for a bulk goods container includes a frame, a plurality of wall panels that are connected to the frame in an articulated manner to pivot outwardly such that a pivoted-out position delimit an interior space of the expansion device, connecting elements that are connected in an articulated manner to the wall panels at two edges of the connecting elements and first expansion elements that are connected in an articulated manner to an upper edge of the wall panels and are configured to pivot between a position resting against the wall panels and a position that extends the wall panels. The position extending the wall panels, flexible membrane elements are tensioned between the first expansion elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: CLAAS Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbH
    Inventors: Ulrich Claes, Thomas Roewekamp
  • Patent number: 9826686
    Abstract: An gardening tool, such as a mower, includes a main body and a handle rotatably connected to the main body. The main body includes a motor. The handle includes a plurality of telescopic members slidably connected to each other. The mower further includes a operation assembly for being operated by a user to activate the motor and a control system for sending a control signal to enable or disable the operation of motor by the operation assembly when the handle is out of a accommodating state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: Chervon (HK) Limited
    Inventors: Toshinari Yamaoka, Fangjie Nie, Haishen Xu
  • Patent number: 9828741
    Abstract: An apparatus for mounting a tool to a powered vehicle including a support frame, at least one mounting bracket, a threaded shaft, and a carriage assembly. At least one mounting bracket extends from the support frame and is configured to mount to the powered vehicle. The threaded shaft has a first end journaled to the support frame and a second end journaled to the support frame. The carriage assembly has a plurality of connectors and is movingly connected to the support frame and the threaded shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Inventor: Duane G. Shipman