Patents by Inventor Gerald J. Pomerening

Gerald J. Pomerening 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).

  • Publication number: 20200146213
    Abstract: A walk reel mower has a traction frame that carries a telescopic handle assembly to accommodate users of different heights. A pivotal bail on the handle assembly allows the user to slip a traction clutch to temporarily slow the mower down when turning the mower around. The handle assembly has a resilient isolator that acts in shear to permit the traction frame of the mower to maintain the quality and the height of cut when operated by users having a heavy downpressure touch on the handle assembly. A fixed head reel cutting unit or a flex head reel cutting unit can be interchangeably carried on the traction frame using a common mount therefor. Backlapping can be accomplished in situ by using an idler wheel between a driven transport wheel and the reel of the cutting unit to reverse the direction of the reel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 27, 2018
    Publication date: May 14, 2020
    Inventors: Gerald E. Goman, Robert D. Patton, Nicholas J. Sirek, Thomas F. Langworthy, Gerald J. Pomerening, Joseph W. Pfankuch
  • Patent number: 7669667
    Abstract: A walk aerator comprises a frame supported by a plurality of ground engaging wheels, the frame carrying a coring head having a plurality of side-by-side tine assemblies. The wheels define a wheelbase which is substantially equal to or less than the width of a coring swath and the wheels are located in advance of the coring head to keep the wheels from passing over the holes or soil cores left in any preceding coring swathes formed by the aerator. The vertical position of the coring head is adjustable up and down as the ground contour changes to keep hole depth substantially constant. The tine assemblies are reciprocated by a single crankshaft driven by a single pulley, the crankshaft being assembled from multiple crank arms that are splined and bolted together. Sealed bearings connect drive arms that drive the tine assemblies to the crankshaft. The crankshaft can be disassembled to allow the sealed drive arm bearings to be replaced. Integral core deflectors are used on the drive arms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2010
    Assignee: The Toro Company
    Inventors: Walter J. Petersen, Michael J. Gilberg, Gerald J. Pomerening
  • Publication number: 20090107689
    Abstract: A walk aerator comprises a frame supported by a plurality of ground engaging wheels, the frame carrying a coring head having a plurality of side-by-side tine assemblies. The wheels define a wheelbase which is substantially equal to or less than the width of a coring swath and the wheels are located in advance of the coring head to keep the wheels from passing over the holes or soil cores left in any preceding coring swathes formed by the aerator. The vertical position of the coring head is adjustable up and down as the ground contour changes to keep hole depth substantially constant. The tine assemblies are reciprocated by a single crankshaft driven by a single pulley, the crankshaft being assembled from multiple crank arms that are splined and bolted together. Sealed bearings connect drive arms that drive the tine assemblies to the crankshaft. The crankshaft can be disassembled to allow the sealed drive arm bearings to be replaced. Integral core deflectors are used on the drive arms.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 3, 2009
    Publication date: April 30, 2009
    Inventors: Walter J. Petersen, Michael J. Gilberg, Gerald J. Pomerening
  • Patent number: 7293612
    Abstract: A walk aerator comprises a frame supported by a plurality of ground engaging wheels, the frame carrying a coring head having a plurality of side-by-side tine assemblies. The wheels define a wheelbase which is substantially equal to or less than the width of a coring swath and the wheels are located in advance of the coring head to keep the wheels from passing over the holes or soil cores left in any preceding coring swathes formed by the aerator. The vertical position of the coring head is adjustable up and down as the ground contour changes to keep hole depth substantially constant. The tine assemblies are reciprocated by a single crankshaft driven by a single pulley, the crankshaft being assembled from multiple crank arms that are splined and bolted together. Sealed bearings connect drive arms that drive the tine assemblies to the crankshaft. The crankshaft can be disassembled to allow the sealed drive arm bearings to be replaced. Integral core deflectors are used on the drive arms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2007
    Assignee: The Toro Company
    Inventors: Walter J. Petersen, Gerald J. Pomerening
  • Patent number: 7096969
    Abstract: A walk aerator comprises a frame supported by a plurality of ground engaging wheels, the frame carrying a coring head having a plurality of side-by-side tine assemblies. The wheels define a wheelbase which is substantially equal to or less than the width of a coring swath and the wheels are located in advance of the coring head to keep the wheels from passing over the holes or soil cores left in any preceding coring swathes formed by the aerator. The vertical position of the coring head is adjustable up and down as the ground contour changes to keep hole depth substantially constant. The tine assemblies are reciprocated by a single crankshaft driven by a single pulley, the crankshaft being assembled from multiple crank arms that are splined and bolted together. Sealed bearings connect drive arms that drive the tine assemblies to the crankshaft. The crankshaft can be disassembled to allow the sealed drive arm bearings to be replaced. Integral core deflectors are used on the drive arms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2006
    Assignee: The Toro Company
    Inventors: Walter J. Petersen, Jackie R. Gust, Michael J. Gilberg, Gerald J. Pomerening
  • Publication number: 20040200625
    Abstract: A walk aerator comprises a frame supported by a plurality of ground engaging wheels, the frame carrying a coring head having a plurality of side-by-side tine assemblies. The wheels define a wheelbase which is substantially equal to or less than the width of a coring swath and the wheels are located in advance of the coring head to keep the wheels from passing over the holes or soil cores left in any preceding coring swathes formed by the aerator. The vertical position of the coring head is adjustable up and down as the ground contour changes to keep hole depth substantially constant. The tine assemblies are reciprocated by a single crankshaft driven by a single pulley, the crankshaft being assembled from multiple crank arms that are splined and bolted together. Sealed bearings connect drive arms that drive the tine assemblies to the crankshaft. The crankshaft can be disassembled to allow the sealed drive arm bearings to be replaced. Integral core deflectors are used on the drive arms.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 12, 2003
    Publication date: October 14, 2004
    Inventors: Walter J. Petersen, Jackie R. Gust, Gerald J. Pomerening
  • Patent number: 6588191
    Abstract: A plurality of annular collars are provided formed from collar halves. The collar halves are at least partially separable from one another to allow the collar halves to be slipped into and around a groove in a grooved roller for a reel-type cutting unit. The collar halves can then be abutted and secured together to substantially fill in the roller groove. When collars are placed into the last two or three grooves on each end of a grooved roller, a non-shouldered grooved roller is thereby converted into a shouldered grooved roller without having to remove and replace one set of rollers with another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2003
    Assignee: The Toro Company
    Inventors: Dennis J. Berndt, Scott M. Coffin, David S. Klis, Richard M. Olson, Gerald J. Pomerening
  • Publication number: 20030019195
    Abstract: A plurality of annular collars are provided formed from collar halves. The collar halves are at least partially separable from one another to allow the collar halves to be slipped into and around a groove in a grooved roller for a reel-type cutting unit. The collar halves can then be abutted and secured together to substantially fill in the roller groove. When collars are placed into the last two or three grooves on each end of a grooved roller, a non-shouldered grooved roller is thereby converted into a shouldered grooved roller without having to remove and replace one set of rollers with another.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2001
    Publication date: January 30, 2003
    Inventors: Dennis J. Berndt, David S. Klis, Richard M. Olson, Gerald J. Pomerening
  • Patent number: 6470663
    Abstract: A rotary cutting deck has a rear grass discharge outlet formed by a cut-away portion of the peripheral wall of the cutting chamber located in one or more rear quadrants of the cutting chamber. An annular grass discharge channel is formed between an inner concentric shroud and the peripheral wall of the cutting chamber with the rear grass discharge outlet opening into this channel. A grass deflecting ramp is located within the grass discharge channel with a front end of the ramp located in advance of the entrance to the rear grass discharge outlet and a rear end of the ramp located in one of the rear quadrants of the cutting chamber to be adjacent some portion of the rear discharge outlet. The grass deflecting ramp progressively lowers between its front and rear ends to deflect grass clippings generally downwardly towards the rear discharge outlet. The ramp can have a downwardly extending divider vane to promote more even side-to-side distribution of the grass clippings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2002
    Assignee: The Toro Company
    Inventors: Thomas F. Langworthy, Gerald J. Pomerening, Daniel M. Treu
  • Publication number: 20020104301
    Abstract: A rotary cutting deck has a rear grass discharge outlet formed by a cut-away portion of the peripheral wall of the cutting chamber located in one or more rear quadrants of the cutting chamber. An annular grass discharge channel is formed between an inner concentric shroud and the peripheral wall of the cutting chamber with the rear grass discharge outlet opening into this channel. A grass deflecting ramp is located within the grass discharge channel with a front end of the ramp located in advance of the entrance to the rear grass discharge outlet and a rear end of the ramp located in one of the rear quadrants of the cutting chamber to be adjacent some portion of the rear discharge outlet. The grass deflecting ramp progressively lowers between its front and rear ends to deflect grass clippings generally downwardly towards the rear discharge outlet. The ramp can have a downwardly extending divider vane to promote more even side to-side distribution of the grass clippings.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 6, 2001
    Publication date: August 8, 2002
    Inventors: Thomas F. Langworthy, Gerald J. Pomerening, Daniel M. Treu