US 12,610,890 B2Granted

Rake apparatus

AssigneeVermeer Manufacturing Company

InventorsCurt T. Graham, Nathan D. Dockter, Kent Thompson, Grant Hoppes

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A rake apparatus is disclosed. The rake apparatus includes a plurality of material gathering members connected to a continuous conveyor member such as a chain or a belt. A drive sprocket supports the conveyor member at a discharge end of the rake apparatus. An idler sprocket supports the conveyor member at a distal end of the rake apparatus. The material gathering members contact a bottom stripper guard and a top stripper guard as they travel about the raking device to remove crop material from the material gathering members. The rake apparatus may be part of a harvesting machine in which the processing chamber of the harvesting machine has a width that is the same width as the pickup device of the harvesting machine.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A rake for conveying and releasing material gathered by the rake, the rake comprising:

a carrier moveable in a defined path,
at least one material gathering member attached to the carrier to be movable with the carrier in the defined path, each of the at least one material gathering members having a first gathering surface, a second gathering surface, and a tip located away from the carrier, the material collecting on one or both of the surfaces of each of the at least one gathering members as each of the at least one material gathering members is moved along the defined path;
and
a stripper guard proximate the carrier, a first portion of the stripper guard defining a conveying zone of the defined path and a second portion of the stripper guard defining a releasing zone of the defined path, and wherein the at least one material gathering member is adapted to move closely adjacent or in contact with the stripper guard in the releasing zone, to enable the releasing zone stripper guard to promote displacement of the material from the respective first and second gathering surfaces of each of the at least one material gathering members, and wherein the second portion of the stripper guard has a tapered contour for contacting different portions of the at least one material gathering member as the at least one material gathering member is moved through the releasing zone.

1 more element

A method for releasing material from a material gathering members included in a rake, where the rake is coupled to a vehicle wherein the rake comprises a carrier moveable in a defined path, at least one material gathering member attached to the carrier to be movable with the carrier in the defined path, each of the at least one material gathering members having a first side, a second side, and a tip located away from the carrier, the material collecting on one or both of the sides of each of the at least one gathering members as each of the at least one material gathering members is moved along the defined path;

and a stripper guard proximate the carrier, a first portion of the stripper guard defining a conveying zone of the defined path and a second portion of the stripper guard defining a releasing zone of the defined path, the method comprising:
moving the at least one material gathering member closely adjacent or in contact with the stripper guard in the releasing zone, to promote displacement of the material from the respective first and second sides of each of the at least one material gathering members, wherein the second portion of the stripper guard has a tapered contour for contacting different portions of the at least one material gathering member as the at least one material gathering member is moved through the releasing zone.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 18/319,297Filed 17 May 2023 · us provisional application
Priority: 17 May 2022
Published: US 2023/0371433 A123 Nov 2023
Granted: 28 Apr 2026
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

A01D 78/06
Haymakers with tines moving with respect to the machine: with tine-carrying endless chains or belts
A01D 78/001
Haymakers with tines moving with respect to the machine: side-delivery rakes
A01D 89/007
Accessories: devices for preparing the picking-up of the windrow
A01D
Harvesting