Patents by Inventor Joshua A. Lesher

Joshua A. Lesher 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).

  • Patent number: 11234373
    Abstract: An agricultural vehicle crop feeder system having housings defining a crop passage, a conveyor assembly, a rotor, a guide plate, and one or more guide vanes extending from the guide plate. The conveyor assembly propels crop material along a feeder flow direction to the rotor. The rotor has inlet vanes that receive the crop material in a receiving region located below the rotor's axis. The leading edges of the rotor inlet vanes travel towards the receiving region on a first transverse side of the rotor axis and away from the receiving region on a second transverse side of the rotor axis. The guide plate is adjacent the receiving region. The guide vane extends into the crop passage on the first side of the rotor axis, and angled relative to the flow direction with its trailing edge closer to the first rotor axis, in the transverse direction, than the leading edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: CNH Industrial America LLC
    Inventors: Shaun A. O'Donnell, Joshua A. Lesher, Frank R. G. Duquesne, Clinton T. Baltz
  • Patent number: 11147213
    Abstract: A threshing section for a combine harvester includes a rotor and a transition cone. The rotor has an axis of rotation, a downstream end, and an upstream end. The upstream end includes one or more blades for moving crop downstream in a direction of crop flow. The transition cone at least partially surrounds the upstream end of the rotor and the blades. An annular space is formed between a swept profile of the blades and an interior surface of the transition cone through which crop is introduced into the threshing section. A cross-sectional area of the annular space, which is measured in a radial direction, is substantially constant along at least a portion of a length of the swept profile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: CNH INDUSTRIAL AMERICA LLC
    Inventors: Benjamin Kemmerer, Joshua Lesher
  • Patent number: 11013181
    Abstract: A threshing system of an agricultural harvester. The threshing system including a rotor cage surrounding a rotor defining a threshing space there between. The rotor cage has a cut crop entrance, a transition cone defining an infeed to the rotor cage, where the transition cone is positioned to direct crop flow toward the cut crop entrance of the rotor cage. The threshing system also includes an infeed ramp positioned between the rotor cage and the transition cone, where the infeed ramp includes guide vanes for guiding the crop flow from the transition cone into the cut crop entrance of the rotor cage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: CNH Industrial America LLC
    Inventors: Joshua Lesher, Eric Veikle
  • Patent number: 10945376
    Abstract: A threshing and separating system for an agricultural harvester includes: a rotor; a rotor cage at least partially enclosing the rotor, the rotor cage including a first flat wall, a second flat wall connected to and angled with respect to the first flat wall, and a curved wall connected to the second flat wall; and at least one vane connected to the first flat wall or the second flat wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: CNH Industrial America LLC
    Inventors: Nicholas Estock, Clinton T. Baltz, Trey Davenport, III, Wayne T. Flickinger, Benjamin D. Kemmerer, Joshua A. Lesher
  • Publication number: 20210045293
    Abstract: An agricultural vehicle crop feeder system having housings defining a crop passage, a conveyor assembly, a rotor, a guide plate, and one or more guide vanes extending from the guide plate. The conveyor assembly propels crop material along a feeder flow direction to the rotor. The rotor has inlet vanes that receive the crop material in a receiving region located below the rotor's axis. The leading edges of the rotor inlet vanes travel towards the receiving region on a first transverse side of the rotor axis and away from the receiving region on a second transverse side of the rotor axis. The guide plate is adjacent the receiving region. The guide vane extends into the crop passage on the first side of the rotor axis, and angled relative to the flow direction with its trailing edge closer to the first rotor axis, in the transverse direction, than the leading edge.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 13, 2019
    Publication date: February 18, 2021
    Inventors: Shaun A. O'Donnell, Joshua A. Lesher, Frank R. G. Duquesne, Clinton T. Baltz
  • Publication number: 20200214215
    Abstract: A threshing section for a combine harvester includes a rotor and a transition cone. The rotor has an axis of rotation, a downstream end, and an upstream end. The upstream end includes one or more blades for moving crop downstream in a direction of crop flow. The transition cone at least partially surrounds the upstream end of the rotor and the blades. An annular space is formed between a swept profile of the blades and an interior surface of the transition cone through which crop is introduced into the threshing section. A cross-sectional area of the annular space, which is measured in a radial direction, is substantially constant along at least a portion of a length of the swept profile.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 3, 2019
    Publication date: July 9, 2020
    Applicant: CNH INDUSTRIAL AMERICA LLC
    Inventors: BENJAMIN KEMMERER, JOSHUA LESHER
  • Publication number: 20190150365
    Abstract: An embodiment includes a threshing system of an agricultural harvester. The threshing system including a rotor cage surrounding a rotor defining a threshing space there between, where the rotor cage has a cut crop entrance, a transition cone defining an infeed to said rotor cage, where the transition cone is positioned to direct crop flow toward the cut crop entrance of the rotor cage, and an infeed ramp positioned between the rotor cage and the transition cone, where the infeed ramp includes guide vanes for guiding the crop flow from the transition cone into the cut crop entrance of the rotor cage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2018
    Publication date: May 23, 2019
    Inventors: Joshua Lesher, Eric Veikle
  • Publication number: 20190133042
    Abstract: A threshing and separating system for an agricultural harvester includes: a rotor; a rotor cage at least partially enclosing the rotor, the rotor cage including a first flat wall, a second flat wall connected to and angled with respect to the first flat wall, and a curved wall connected to the second flat wall; and at least one vane connected to the first flat wall or the second flat wall.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 7, 2018
    Publication date: May 9, 2019
    Inventors: Nicholas Estock, Clinton T. Baltz, Trey Davenport, III, Wayne T. Flickinger, Benjamin D. Kemmerer, Joshua A. Lesher
  • Patent number: 9854741
    Abstract: A threshing system including a rotor cage with a plurality of slots therein, a first bank of vanes and a second bank of vanes arranged within the cage. An adjustable vane control system is coupled to the rotor cage and the banks of vanes. A first and second member are respectively pivotally coupled the vanes in the first bank and the vanes of the second bank through corresponding slots. Linkages couple an arm to the members. The first and second members each having a range of travel defined by the slots. The members each having a surface facing the outer surface of the rotor cage, the surfaces of the first member and the second member each remain tangent to the outer surface of the rotor cage as the first member and the second member are moved within their range of travel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: CNH Industrial America LLC
    Inventors: Benjamin Kemmerer, Joshua A. Lesher, Wayne T. Flickinger
  • Publication number: 20170325406
    Abstract: A threshing system including a rotor cage with a plurality of slots therein, a first bank of vanes and a second bank of vanes arranged within the cage. An adjustable vane control system is coupled to the rotor cage and the banks of vanes. a first and second member are respectively pivotally coupled the vanes in the first bank and the vanes of the second bank through corresponding slots. Linkages couple an arm to the members. The first and second members each having a range of travel defined by the slots. The members each having a surface facing the outer surface of the rotor cage, the surfaces of the first member and the second member each remain tangent to the outer surface of the rotor cage as the first member and the second member are moved within their range of travel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2016
    Publication date: November 16, 2017
    Applicant: CNH Industrial America LLC
    Inventors: Benjamin Kemmerer, Joshua A. Lesher, Wayne T. Flickinger