Patents by Inventor Douglas R. Treffer
Douglas R. Treffer has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 10863673Abstract: A windrower with a header has a conveying medium with first and second portions connected with a pivot joint and moveable across a plural rollers configured to receive crop material from the header and direct the crop material to a side of the windrower to form a windrow on the ground to the side of the windrower. In an operational position and with the frame selected to one of the predetermined angular adjustments, the conveying medium discharges the harvested crop material at an angle of trajectory determined by the selected angular position of the second portion. The windrower harvests crop with the header, receives the mowed crop on the conveyor system, adjusts a rate at which the mowed crop is discharged from the conveyor system, and adjusts an angle of trajectory at which the mowed crop is discharged from the conveyor system.Type: GrantFiled: July 27, 2018Date of Patent: December 15, 2020Assignee: AGCO CorporationInventors: Douglas R. Treffer, Daniel S. Jost, Shane A. Bollinger
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Patent number: 10785914Abstract: In one embodiment, a swathboard control system, comprising: a header comprising fore and aft a cutting assembly and a conditioning system; a forming shield assembly; a swathboard located between the conditioning system and the forming shield assembly, the swathboard pivotably adjustable about a transverse axis; a position sensor configured to sense a position of the swathboard; and a computing system operably coupled to the position sensor, the computing system configured to provide an indication of the position of the swathboard based on feedback from the position sensor.Type: GrantFiled: July 17, 2018Date of Patent: September 29, 2020Assignee: AGCO CorporationInventors: Douglas R. Treffer, Brendon C. Nafziger, Dane Austin Mosel, Mark M. Glade
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Patent number: 10506762Abstract: In one embodiment, a system, comprising: one or more pairs of oppositely rotatable, laterally extending rolls, wherein for each pair, at least one of the rolls is moveable relative to the other of the rolls; a hydraulic circuit, comprising: a tensioner circuit comprising: for each pair of rolls, one or more pairs of hydraulic cylinders arranged in parallel, each configured to resist movement of the at least one of the rolls at a respective end of the at least one of the rolls; an accumulator arranged in parallel to the hydraulic cylinders; and plural control valves; and a computing system configured to cause the one or more pairs of hydraulic cylinders to adjust the resistance to movement of the at least one of the rolls of the respective pair of rolls by sending signals to one or more of the plural control valves.Type: GrantFiled: July 17, 2018Date of Patent: December 17, 2019Assignee: AGCO CorporationInventors: Mark M. Glade, Douglas R. Treffer, Brendon C. Nafziger
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Patent number: 10485173Abstract: A windrower includes a header having a crop cutting and a crop conditioning mechanism for conditioning crop material severed from the field and for discharging the conditioned material in a rearwardly directed stream as the windrower moves across the field. The windrower has a crop merger attachment with a conveyor configured to receive crop material from the crop conditioning mechanism and direct the crop material to a side of the windrower to form a windrow on the ground to the side of the windrower when in an operation position or to direct the crop material to the ground beneath the windrower when in a nonoperational position.Type: GrantFiled: November 15, 2017Date of Patent: November 26, 2019Assignee: AGCO CorporationInventors: Brendon C. Nafziger, Douglas R. Treffer, Shane Bollinger
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Publication number: 20190029182Abstract: In one embodiment, a system, comprising: one or more pairs of oppositely rotatable, laterally extending rolls, wherein for each pair, at least one of the rolls is moveable relative to the other of the rolls; a hydraulic circuit, comprising: a tensioner circuit comprising: for each pair of rolls, one or more pairs of hydraulic cylinders arranged in parallel, each configured to resist movement of the at least one of the rolls at a respective end of the at least one of the rolls; an accumulator arranged in parallel to the hydraulic cylinders; and plural control valves; and a computing system configured to cause the one or more pairs of hydraulic cylinders to adjust the resistance to movement of the at least one of the rolls of the respective pair of rolls by sending signals to one or more of the plural control valves.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 17, 2018Publication date: January 31, 2019Inventors: Mark M. Glade, Douglas R. Treffer, Brendon C. Nafziger
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Publication number: 20190021229Abstract: In one embodiment, a swathboard control system, comprising: a header comprising fore and aft a cutting assembly and a conditioning system; a forming shield assembly; a swathboard located between the conditioning system and the forming shield assembly, the swathboard pivotably adjustable about a transverse axis; a position sensor configured to sense a position of the swathboard; and a computing system operably coupled to the position sensor, the computing system configured to provide an indication of the position of the swathboard based on feedback from the position sensor.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 17, 2018Publication date: January 24, 2019Inventors: Douglas R. Treffer, Brendon C. Nafziger, Dane Austin Mosel, Mark M. Glade
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Publication number: 20190014719Abstract: A windrower with a header has a conveying medium with first and second portions connected with a pivot joint and moveable across a plural rollers configured to receive crop material from the header and direct the crop material to a side of the windrower to form a windrow on the ground to the side of the windrower. In an operational position and with the frame selected to one of the predetermined angular adjustments, the conveying medium discharges the harvested crop material at an angle of trajectory determined by the selected angular position of the second portion. The windrower harvests crop with the header, receives the mowed crop on the conveyor system, adjusts a rate at which the mowed crop is discharged from the conveyor system, and adjusts an angle of trajectory at which the mowed crop is discharged from the conveyor system.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 27, 2018Publication date: January 17, 2019Inventors: Douglas R. Treffer, Daniel S. Jost, Shane A. Bollinger
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Patent number: 10091935Abstract: A windrower has a crop merger attachment with a conveyor configured to receive crop material from a crop conditioning mechanism and direct the crop material to a side of the windrower, the crop merger attachment being mounted for adjusting movement between a lowered and a raised position. The windrower has a swathboard mounted for adjusting movement between a fully raised position in which the crop material passes beneath the swathboard for engagement with the merger attachment and a lowered position in which the crop material down to the ground under the merger attachment under the windrower. A control system automatically adjusts movement of the swathboard when movement of the merger attachment is detected.Type: GrantFiled: March 16, 2017Date of Patent: October 9, 2018Assignee: AGCO CorporationInventors: Douglas R. Treffer, Brendon C. Nafziger, Mark M. Glade
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Patent number: 10034426Abstract: A windrower with a header has a conveying medium with first and second portions connected with a pivot joint and moveable across a plurality of rollers configured to receive crop material from the header and direct the crop material to a side of the windrower to form a windrow on the ground to the side of the windrower. In an operational position and with the frame selected to one of the predetermined angular adjustments, the conveying medium discharges the harvested crop material at an angle of trajectory determined by the selected angular positon of the second portion. The windrower harvests crop with the header, receives the mowed crop on the conveyor system, adjusts a rate at which the mowed crop is discharged from the conveyor system, and adjusts an angle of trajectory at which the mowed crop is discharged from the conveyor system.Type: GrantFiled: July 12, 2017Date of Patent: July 31, 2018Assignee: AGCO CorporationInventors: Douglas R. Treffer, Daniel S. Jost, Shane A. Bollinger
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Patent number: 9930824Abstract: A windrower has a first dual-path steering mode, causing a left drive wheel and a right drive wheel to concurrently rotate, wherein the rotation of the left drive wheel is in a direction opposite that of the rotation of the right drive wheel and the position of tailwheel casters are not controlled but are permitted unconstrained rotation. The windrower also has a second tailwheel steering mode non-overlapping in operation with the dual-path steering mode, causing the left drive wheel and the right drive wheel to rotate concurrently in only a same direction and the tailwheel casters are steered based in part on tailwheel caster steer position information received from a sensor.Type: GrantFiled: February 11, 2015Date of Patent: April 3, 2018Assignee: AGCO CorporationInventors: Brendon Nafziger, Daniel J. Soldan, Martin E. Pruitt, Douglas R. Treffer
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Publication number: 20170318744Abstract: A windrower with a header has a conveying medium with first and second portions connected with a pivot joint and moveable across a plural rollers configured to receive crop material from the header and direct the crop material to a side of the windrower to form a windrow on the ground to the side of the windrower. In an operational position and with the frame selected to one of the predetermined angular adjustments, the conveying medium discharges the harvested crop material at an angle of trajectory determined by the selected angular position of the second portion. The windrower harvests crop with the header, receives the mowed crop on the conveyor system, adjusts a rate at which the mowed crop is discharged from the conveyor system, and adjusts an angle of trajectory at which the mowed crop is discharged from the conveyor system.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 12, 2017Publication date: November 9, 2017Inventors: Douglas R. Treffer, Daniel S. Jost, Shane A. Bollinger
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Publication number: 20170280627Abstract: A windrower has a crop merger attachment with a conveyor configured to receive crop material from a crop conditioning mechanism and direct the crop material to a side of the windrower, the crop merger attachment being mounted for adjusting movement between a lowered and a raised position. The windrower has a swathboard mounted for adjusting movement between a fully raised position in which the crop material passes beneath the swathboard for engagement with the merger attachment and a lowered position in which the crop material down to the ground under the merger attachment under the windrower. A control system automatically adjusts movement of the swathboard when movement of the merger attachment is detected.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 16, 2017Publication date: October 5, 2017Inventors: DOUGLAS R. TREFFER, Brendon C. Nafziger, Mark M. Glade
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Patent number: 9736983Abstract: A windrower with a header has a conveying medium with first and second portions connected with a pivot joint and moveable across a plural rollers configured to receive crop material from the header and direct the crop material to a side of the windrower to form a windrow on the ground to the side of the windrower. In an operational position and with the frame selected to one of the predetermined angular adjustments, the conveying medium discharges the harvested crop material at an angle of trajectory determined by the selected angular position of the second portion. The windrower harvests crop with the header, receives the mowed crop on the conveyor system, adjusts a rate at which the mowed crop is discharged from the conveyor system, and adjusts an angle of trajectory at which the mowed crop is discharged from the conveyor system.Type: GrantFiled: April 19, 2016Date of Patent: August 22, 2017Assignee: AGCO CORPORATIONInventors: Douglas R. Treffer, Daniel S. Jost, Shane A. Bollinger
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Patent number: 9480198Abstract: A drawbar hitch mechanism has a fore-and-aft extending receiver, a gearbox assembly coupled to the receiver and a tongue assembly attached to the gearbox assembly. A first pivot mechanism couples the receiver with the gearbox assembly for side-to-side movement about a longitudinal axis of the receiver. A draft arm is configured to disperse draft loads between the tongue assembly and the receiver. A second pivot mechanism couples the gearbox assembly and the draft arm. The second pivot mechanism is oriented such that it pivots about an upright axis such that the gearbox assembly and second pivot mechanism enable pivoting movement of the tongue assembly relative the receiver.Type: GrantFiled: May 11, 2015Date of Patent: November 1, 2016Assignee: AGCO CorporationInventors: Douglas R. Treffer, Martin E. Pruitt, Jeffrey Funk, Shane A. Bollinger
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Publication number: 20160309655Abstract: A windrower with a header has a conveying medium with first and second portions connected with a pivot joint and moveable across a plural rollers configured to receive crop material from the header and direct the crop material to a side of the windrower to form a windrow on the ground to the side of the windrower. In an operational position and with the frame selected to one of the predetermined angular adjustments, the conveying medium discharges the harvested crop material at an angle of trajectory determined by the selected angular position of the second portion. The windrower harvests crop with the header, receives the mowed crop on the conveyor system, adjusts a rate at which the mowed crop is discharged from the conveyor system, and adjusts an angle of trajectory at which the mowed crop is discharged from the conveyor system.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 19, 2016Publication date: October 27, 2016Inventors: Douglas R. Treffer, Daniel S. Jost, Shane A. Bollinger
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Publication number: 20150334910Abstract: A drawbar hitch mechanism has a fore-and-aft extending receiver, a gearbox assembly coupled to the receiver and a tongue assembly attached to the gearbox assembly. A first pivot mechanism couples the receiver with the gearbox assembly for side-to-side movement about a longitudinal axis of the receiver. A draft arm is configured to disperse draft loads between the tongue assembly and the receiver. A second pivot mechanism couples the gearbox assembly and the draft arm. The second pivot mechanism is oriented such that it pivots about an upright axis such that the gearbox assembly and second pivot mechanism enable pivoting movement of the tongue assembly relative the receiver.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 11, 2015Publication date: November 26, 2015Inventors: Douglas R. TREFFER, Martin E. PRUITT, Jeffrey FUNK, Shane A. BOLLINGER
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Publication number: 20150223386Abstract: A windrower has a first dual-path steering mode, causing a left drive wheel and a right drive wheel to concurrently rotate, wherein the rotation of the left drive wheel is in a direction opposite that of the rotation of the right drive wheel and the position of tailwheel casters are not controlled but are permitted unconstrained rotation. The windrower also has a second tailwheel steering mode non-overlapping in operation with the dual-path steering mode, causing the left drive wheel and the right drive wheel to rotate concurrently in only a same direction and the tailwheel casters are steered based in part on tailwheel caster steer position information received from a sensor.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 11, 2015Publication date: August 13, 2015Inventors: Brendon Nafziger, Daniel J. Soldan, Martin E. Pruitt, Douglas R. Treffer