Patents by Inventor Nicholas John Sirek

Nicholas John Sirek 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: 9974234
    Abstract: A turf groomer is coupled to a reel cutting unit in advance of the cutting reel and is powered by a gearbox having a rotary gear drive that is capable of selectively rotating the turf groomer in opposite directions at different speeds. The rotary gear drive is symmetrical about a plane through the axes of the input and output shafts thereof to permit the gearbox to be inverted to drive the turf groomer from either the left or right sides without requiring that two different models of the gear drive be available. The gearbox is connected to the reel cutting unit only by connecting the end of the input shaft to a shaft of the cutting reel and through a connection to a height adjuster for the turf groomer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2018
    Assignee: The Toro Company
    Inventors: Robert David Patton, Nicholas John Sirek, Gerald Eugene Goman
  • Publication number: 20170258007
    Abstract: A turf groomer is coupled to a reel cutting unit in advance of the cutting reel and is powered by a gearbox having a rotary gear drive that is capable of selectively rotating the turf groomer in opposite directions at different speeds. The rotary gear drive is symmetrical about a plane through the axes of the input and output shafts thereof to permit the gearbox to be inverted to drive the turf groomer from either the left or right sides without requiring that two different models of the gear drive be available. The gearbox is connected to the reel cutting unit only by connecting the end of the input shaft to a shaft of the cutting reel and through a connection to a height adjuster for the turf groomer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2017
    Publication date: September 14, 2017
    Applicant: The Toro Company
    Inventors: Robert David Patton, Nicholas John Sirek, Gerald Eugene Goman
  • Patent number: 9615510
    Abstract: A turf groomer is coupled to a reel cutting unit in advance of the cutting reel and is powered by a gearbox having a rotary gear drive that provides alternately usable first and second drive paths capable of selectively rotating the turf groomer in opposite directions at different speeds. The rotary gear drive includes an axially slidable input gear on an input shaft. An actuator is coupled to the input gear to slide the input gear from one position in which the input gear is within the first drive path to select rotation of the turf groomer in a first direction at a first rotational speed. Alternatively, the actuator can slide the input gear into a second operational position in which the input gear is within the second drive path to select rotation of the turf groomer in an opposite direction at a different speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: The Toro Company
    Inventors: Nicholas John Sirek, Gerald Eugene Goman
  • Publication number: 20160212936
    Abstract: A turf groomer is coupled to a reel cutting unit in advance of the cutting reel and is powered by a gearbox having a rotary gear drive that is capable of selectively rotating the turf groomer in opposite directions at different speeds. The rotary gear drive is symmetrical about a plane through the axes of the input and output shafts thereof to permit the gearbox to be inverted to drive the turf groomer from either the left or right sides without requiring that two different models of the gear drive be available. The gearbox is connected to the reel cutting unit only by connecting the end of the input shaft to a shaft of the cutting reel and through a connection to a height adjuster for the turf groomer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2015
    Publication date: July 28, 2016
    Applicant: The Toro Company
    Inventors: Robert David Patton, Nicholas John Sirek, Gerald Eugene Goman