# US 2014/0196644 A1 · Seed Delivery Apparatus For A Farm Implement

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- Number: US 2014/0196644 A1
- Document ID: US20140196644A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 14/224,373
- Filed: 2014-03-25
- Published: 2014-07-17
- Earliest claimed: 2011-01-06
- Assignees: CNH Canada, Ltd.
- Applicants: CNH Canada, Ltd.
- Inventors: Terrance A. Friggstad
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140196644A1

## CPC

- A01C 7/20: Parts of seeders for conducting and depositing seed
- A01C 7/125: {with bottom delivery of the seeds}
- A01C 21/00: Methods of fertilising {, sowing or planting}
- A01C: PLANTING; SOWING; FERTILISING (parts, details or accessories of agricultural machines or implements, in general A01B51/00 - A01B75/00)

## Abstract

A seed metering assembly for a farm implement has a meter roller that can be accessed and removed in a relatively quick manner. The seed metering assembly includes a fluted meter roller that is segmented into a number of discrete fluted sections. Each fluted section has an associated flow control member that is selectively operable to impede the flow of granular material from a seed hopper to its corresponding section of the fluted meter roller.

## Claims

### Claim at position 1

1-10. (canceled)

### Claim 11

A seed delivery apparatus for a farm implement, comprising:
a hopper configured to hold a volume of granular material, the hopper having a feed inlet and a discharge outlet;
a bulkhead in fluid communication with the discharge outlet of the hopper, the bulkhead having a set of outlets in fluid communication with a number of delivery runs;
a fluted metering device rotatably mounted to the bulkhead and operative to meter granular material from the discharge outlet of the hopper to the set of outlets; and
a plurality of flow control devices arranged adjacently along a length of the fluted metering device and movable between a first position away from the fluted metering device and a second position adjacent the fluted metering device, each flow control device having a curved end that when placed adjacent a respective portion of the fluted metering device substantially closes a portion of the discharge outlet aligned with the respective portion of the metering device.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The seed delivery apparatus of claim 11 wherein the fluted metering device includes a rotor having a plurality of discrete fluted sections defined along the length of the fluted metering device, and wherein each curved end is sized to substantially match a respective discrete fluted section.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The seed delivery apparatus of claim 12 wherein each curved end is spaced approximately less than 2 cm from its respective discrete fluted section of the fluted metering device when in the second position.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The seed delivery apparatus of claim 11 wherein the bulkhead has a drain port and a door panel for opening and closing the drain port, and further comprising a linkage interconnected with the door panel and the hopper that is operative to move the door panel to open and close the drain port.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The seed delivery apparatus of claim 14 wherein the hopper may be drained of granular material when the drain port is open.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The seed delivery apparatus of claim 15 further comprising rotor mounts coupling the fluted metering device to the door panel, and wherein the fluted metering device is removable from the bulkhead through the drain port when the door panel is moved away from the drain port.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

The seed delivery apparatus of claim 15 further comprising an access opening formed in the bulkhead and an access panel for opening and closing the access opening, and wherein the fluted metering device is removable from the bulkhead when the access panel is moved away from the access opening.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The seed delivery apparatus of claim 17 further comprising a linkage coupled to the bulkhead and the access panel and operative to move the access panel between open and closed positions.

### Claim 19 (depends on 11)

The seed delivery apparatus of claim 11 further comprising an agitator in the hopper.

### Claim 20

(canceled)