Patents by Inventor Stefan Birkhofer

Stefan Birkhofer 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: 11382271
    Abstract: Harvesting device, having cutting members (14) for separating the crop material and/or having receiving members for collecting the crop material, having at least one transverse conveying device (19) for delivering the separated and/or collected crop material in a transverse conveying direction (20) running transversely to the harvesting direction, wherein the at least one transverse conveying device (19) is configured as a screw conveyor (21), comprising a trommel (22) and spiral conveying elements (23) sticking out from the trommel (22) in its radial direction. The respective screw conveyor (21) is conical or cone shaped, such that an envelope surface (24) of the spiral conveying elements (23) subtends a cone, which expands in conical or cone-shaped manner looking in the transverse conveying direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: CLAAS Saulgau GmbH
    Inventors: Stefan Birkhofer, Ulrich Boll
  • Publication number: 20200275610
    Abstract: Harvesting device, having cutting members (14) for separating the crop material and/or having receiving members for collecting the crop material, having at least one transverse conveying device (19) for delivering the separated and/or collected crop material in a transverse conveying direction (20) running transversely to the harvesting direction, wherein the at least one transverse conveying device (19) is configured as a screw conveyor (21), comprising a trommel (22) and spiral conveying elements (23) sticking out from the trommel (22) in its radial direction. The respective screw conveyor (21) is conical or cone shaped, such that an envelope surface (24) of the spiral conveying elements (23) subtends a cone, which expands in conical or cone-shaped manner looking in the transverse conveying direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 2, 2020
    Publication date: September 3, 2020
    Inventors: Stefan Birkhofer, Ulrich Boll
  • Patent number: 10314238
    Abstract: A block baling press has a bale chamber and a baling ram moveable in the bale chamber in an oscillating manner to compress bale material. An end face of the baling ram facing the bale material is divided into ram segments separated from one another by needle slots. At least a first needle slot is flanked by ram segments with a profiling transverse to the first needle slot. The profiling brings about a weaker compression of the bale material in an edge region of the ram segments adjacent to the first needle slot than in a region of the ram segments spaced apart from the first needle slot. Bales are obtained in which zones of high compression and low compression alternate across the width of the bale chamber. The bales are held together by twine placed around the zones having low compression.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: Usines CLAAS France S.A.S.
    Inventors: Ulrich Hesselmann, Thorsten Scharf, Stefan Birkhofer
  • Patent number: 10264734
    Abstract: Chopping drum (10) for a field chopper, having a drum body (11), having a blade carrier (12) and having a plurality of blades (13) which are fastened to the blade carrier (12), each blade (13) being fastened to the blade carrier (12) via at least two fasteners (14) which extend through a fastening section (15) of the respective blade (13) into the blade carrier (12), and the fasteners (14) penetrating the fastening section (15) of the respective blade (13) at an angle of between 40° and 70°.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: CLAAS Saulgau GmbH
    Inventor: Stefan Birkhofer
  • Publication number: 20180146623
    Abstract: Chopping blade (10) of a chopping drum of a forage harvester, having a base body (11) which comprises a fastening portion (12) for fastening the chopping blade (10) to the chopping drum and a cutting portion (13) for the harvested crop to be chopped, wherein at least one crop guiding element (15) for guiding the harvested crop is fastened to the inner surface of the fastening portion (12).
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 22, 2017
    Publication date: May 31, 2018
    Inventors: Stefan Birkhofer, Peter Kajtar
  • Publication number: 20180007835
    Abstract: Chopping drum (10) for a field chopper, having a drum body (11), having a blade carrier (12) and having a plurality of blades (13) which are fastened to the blade carrier (12), each blade (13) being fastened to the blade carrier (12) via at least two fastening means (14) which extend through a fastening section (15) of the respective blade (13) into the blade carrier (12), and the fastening means (14) penetrating the fastening section (15) of the respective blade (13) at an angle of between 40° and 70°.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2017
    Publication date: January 11, 2018
    Inventor: Stefan Birkhofer
  • Publication number: 20150282429
    Abstract: A block baling press has a bale chamber and a baling ram moveable in the bale chamber in an oscillating manner to compress bale material. An end face of the baling ram facing the bale material is divided into ram segments separated from one another by needle slots. At least a first needle slot is flanked by ram segments with a profiling transverse to the first needle slot. The profiling brings about a weaker compression of the bale material in an edge region of the ram segments adjacent to the first needle slot than in a region of the ram segments spaced apart from the first needle slot. Bales are obtained in which zones of high compression and low compression alternate across the width of the bale chamber. The bales are held together by twine placed around the zones having low compression.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 3, 2015
    Publication date: October 8, 2015
    Inventors: Ulrich Hesselmann, Thorsten Scharf, Stefan Birkhofer