Deere & Company

Richard Wayne Hook

Richard David Zaun

Donald Ray Peck

James Thomas Noonan

Jarrod Ray Ruckle

Mark Donald Beeck

Benoit Jocelyn Poutre

James Michael VanAuwelaer

Michael Sieben Egert

Garrett Lee Goins

Benoit Poutré

Stephen Michael Faivre

David Carl Winter

John D Long

Christopher G Kay

Bruce L Warman

Thomas E Sparrow

Dmitry Spivak

Duane Allen Coordes

Mark Guterman

John M Robinson

Gregory M Knott

Jon Ambuehl

Benoit Poutr&eacute;

Steven Russell Hook

John A Madson

James Michael Van Auwelaer

Carl David Winter

A face mask assembly includes a body shell having walls arranged in a three-dimensional configuration having an open back and interior area partially air impermeable. The front wall includes a vent portion permeable to airflow. An outer shell includes walls coupled in a polygonal configuration defining an open back and interior area that receives the body shell. The outer shell walls are permeable to an ambient airflow. A rain shield having moisture impermeable walls has a configuration complementary to that of the outer shell and is releasably coupled to a front surface of the outer shell, such as with embedded complementary magnets or eyelet openings. The facemask assembly includes an ultraviolet ('UV') light assembly in the body interior area adjacent the vent portion, or in the interior of the rain shield and adjacent the vent portion, the UV light assembly producing electromagnetic energy capable of suppressing germs when actuated.

Three-dimensional facemask with ultraviolet light and rain hood

A grain cart or similar device for receiving and moving granular agricultural product from a harvester includes bulk filling structure for directly loading an elongated intermodal container. The cart has a frame supported on wheel structure at generally a constant height relative to the surface of the ground, and a grain tank is fixed to the frame. A lift assembly connected to the cart frame adjacent the tank supports a vertically adjustable high speed filling conveyor above the cart hitch. The filling conveyor is operable at a speed sufficient to throw the material along an arcuate path through a side opening in the intermodal container towards the opposite end of the container. The intermodal container can be filled directly from the grain cart with the end of the filling conveyor located outside of the container.

Grain cart with intermodal container loader

A lift system includes parallel connected cylinder circuits with cylinders mechanically tied together on a first lift wheel arm. The base end of a third cylinder connected to a second lift wheel arm is connected in parallel with the pair of cylinders. The rod end of the third cylinder is constrained for movement with the rod end of a fourth cylinder also connected to the second wheel arm. The rod end of one of the pair of cylinders is connected in series with the base end of the fourth cylinder to thereby constrain the third and fourth cylinders on the second lift wheel arm to move in unison with the pair of cylinders on the first lift wheel arm. Series cylinder circuits move the wing cylinders in unison with the main frame cylinders to keep the implement level. The hydraulic circuit is also plumbed to retract outer wing wheels during wing fold operations to eliminate outer wing wheel interference.

Cylinder synchronization for an implement lift system

A bulkhead suited for constraining a bulk material within a shipping container. The bulkhead is foldable about a hinge feature, providing for easy manipulation and installation of the bulkhead within the shipping container. The bulkhead is suitable for construction with corrugated cardboard made from materials such as paper or plastic. The bulkhead optionally includes additional features such as a ripcord enabling quick and easy bulk material unloading, and an RFID tag enabling electronic identification and tracking of bulk material contents.

Foldable shipping container bulkhead

Sweep retaining structure includes a spring wire retainer with a base supported in a groove on the underside of the wedge support which mates with a stem portion of the sweep. The wedge support is apertured, and a central curved portion of the retainer passes through the aperture and supports a sweep-contacting end above the surface of the wedge support. The end is biased toward a contact area on the sweep to engage the area and eliminate sweep loss problems by preventing the sweep from slipping downwardly from the mounted position. To remove the sweep, a tool is inserted through the slot to depress the retainer end, and the sweep is forced off the wedge support. A raised area on the sweep directs soil away from the retainer and contact area to reduce wear and eliminate depression of the end during operation. The underside of the raised area positions the wire end and provides bend-resisting support for the wire.

Knock-on sweep structure and tools therefor

Sweep retaining structure includes a retainer having a contact end biased towards the sweep. The sweep includes two or more spaced end-receiving areas to accommodate changes in the mounted sweep position. In one embodiment, the retainer is a wire made of spring steel having a contact end biased against the underside of the sweep. In one embodiment, the underside of the sweep includes a series of stepped portions. As the sweep is forced on the adapter on the shank, the contact end springs into retaining position on the stepped portion that aligns with the spring end when the sweep is in the mounted position. The sweep can be attached loosely by hand in an initial position with operating forces moving the sweep to a wedge locked position.

Knock-on sweep structure

A cart for filling intermodal shipping containers with a bulk particulate material, such as grain, includes a hopper to receive the bulk material and a belt conveyor to deliver the material to the container. The conveyor is positioned external of the container and throws the material along an arcuate path to the opposite end of the container whereby the container is substantially filled without the need to extend the conveyor into the container. The cart is supported on wheels to be moved where needed. The cart can straddle a standard truck trailer carrying a container so that the container need not be removed from the trailer for filling. The conveyor height is variable to reach a container on a truck trailer or on the ground. The cart width can also be reduced for road transport.

Cart for bulk filling intermodal containers

An implement frame supported by hydraulically controlled lift wheels includes accumulator structure which is selectively connectable by valve structure to the lift cylinder circuit to control flow between the cylinder and accumulator according to implement status. For transport, the valve structure is opened for absorption of shock loads as the lift wheels move over obstructions and surface irregularities. For working in the field, the valve structure is closed to provide stable lift and precise depth control functions. The valve structure can be operated manually or automatically in response to vertical frame movement. In one embodiment, proportional valves are connected to an implement control unit for active suspension control which varies with changing transport conditions. A similar accumulator structure is provided for the hitch weight transfer system.

Implement suspension with accumulator

A spring trip standard for a tillage implement includes a coil spring freely and solely compressed between an upper spring-abutting surface on the mounting bracket and a lower spring-abutting surface on a casting which is connected by a transverse pivot to the mounting bracket. A tool supporting shank is bolted to the casting and biased downwardly into a ground working position by the spring. The casting includes an integral stop extending forwardly from the pivot. The stop contacts the bottom of the bracket when the shank is in the ground working position so that a tension link between the bracket and casting is eliminated. A spring guide through the coils is also obviated. A relatively high initial trip force prevents unwanted tripping of the shank and prevents looseness in the shank pivot so the lateral position of the tool is maintained. The spring-abutting surface on the casting includes a spring receiving projection to help maintain the spring position relative to the shank. The projection is slotted to receive a special tool for compressing the spring for standard disassembly and reassembly. The special tool also facilitates replacement of a bushing and sleeve assembly in the pivot with only partial disassembly.

Spring trip standard

A spring trip standard for a tillage implement includes a coil spring freely compressed between an upper spring-abutting surface on the mounting bracket and a lower spring-abutting surface on a casting which is connected by a transverse pivot to the mounting bracket. A tool supporting shank is bolted to the casting and biased downwardly into a ground working position by the spring. The casting includes an integral downstop extending forwardly from the pivot. The downstop contacts the bottom of the bracket when the shank is in the ground working position so that a tension link between the bracket and casting is eliminated. A positive upstop limits upward pivoting of the casting to prevent spring breakage or permanent deformation of the spring. Shoulder areas on the casting contact rear edges of the mounting bracket to limit upward pivoting.

Spring trip standard with positive stop

A disk scraper system for an agricultural implement includes a tubular member slidably supported by the implement frame adjacent a gang assembly having a plurality of disks. Scrapers are fixed to the member and project into scraping relationship with the disks to remove dirt and debris from the surfaces of the disks. A hydraulic cylinder is connected between the frame and the tubular member and connected through a pressure control valve assembly to a source of fluid under pressure to bias the member so the scrapers are urged into scraping relationship relative to the disks. The pressure control valve assembly may be remotely adjustable to vary the scraper pressure on-the-go as conditions change. The system maintains the selected scraper bias even as the gang assembly moves vertically and from side to side relative to the frame with changing contour and soil conditions.

Growing community of inventors

West Des Moines, IA, United States of America

Richard Wayne Hook