Dickey-john Corporation

Bunn-o-matic Corporation

Hay & Forage Industries

Gsi Group Corporation

Ingersoll-dresser Pump Company

Victor D Goeckner

Ronald W Steffen

John T Knepler

Thomas G Schrag

David E Steffen

Charles F Hood

Scott A Morton

Jamie Dee Schroetlin

Virgil O Rhodes

Timothy P McDonough

Cloyce Newton

Gary Woodruff

Cloyce D Newton

A beverage making apparatus having structures and methods to facilitate programming of the apparatus with parameters suitable for a pre-determined brewing substances. The beverage making apparatus has a water delivery system for delivering water to a brewing substance holder containing a brewing substance. A temperature adjusting system is provided for adjusting the temperature of water in the water delivery system. A controller is provided for controllably operating the apparatus, the controller further being programmable with characteristics suitable for predetermined brewing substances.

Brewer having a programmable temperature component

A system, apparatus and method for preventing a water tank from overheating. The apparatus includes a water delivery system for delivering water to a reservoir for receiving water. The reservoir includes a level sensor and an associated heater for heating water in the reservoir. The system includes a water dispensing system for dispensing heater water from the reservoir. A controller is provided to control the operation of the system.

System and method for preventing tank overheating

Disclosed is a conductivity detector assembly for use with a beverage preparation apparatus as well as a hot water dispensing apparatus. The conductivity detecting assembly includes a non-conductive spacer for spacing apart a first conductive portion and a second conductive portion. A conductive path extends through the non-conductive spacer connecting the first and second conductive portions. An exterior surface of the non-conductive spacer is provided in a configuration, for example a generally conical shape with sloped sides, for shedding liquid away from the first conductive portion. A conductive circuit is completed when liquid is retained in the reservoir, the level at which contact can be made between the first conductive portion and a corresponding interior surface or conductive portion of the reservoir. When the conductive circuit is broken the conductivity detector provides a signal to a controller associated with the device indicating that the level has dropped below the level at which the first conductive portion is positioned in the reservoir. Also disclosed are methods for use of the conductivity detector assembly and methods for cleaning a beverage preparation apparatus or a hot water dispenser employing the conductivity detector assembly.

Beverage server with beverage detector

A grain dryer for providing a controlled drying process through a housing. The housing has a path for grain to be dried such that the grain is dried as the grain moves along the path. The grain dryer also has a fan and heater assembly for supplying heated air to the path for drying grain in the path. The grain dryer can control the flow of grain along said path and has sensors disposed in predetermined positions so as to detect different fault conditions. The sensors generating corresponding fault signals in response to the detection of fault conditions. The grain dryer also has a controller operatively connected to the sensors, the controller is responsive to fault signals to initiate a predetermined shutdown procedure upon receipt of any one of the fault signals. A memory is operatively connected to the controller for electronically recording and identifying information concerning shutdown procedures initiated by the controller. The grain dryer controller controls the start-up of in a predetermined manner. The grain dryer includes a memory to store identifying information in memory for a predetermined number of shutdowns initiated by the controller.

Grain dryer and control system therefor

A method of controlling the application of power to a plurality of metering devices in a pesticide dispensing system permits operator controlled designation of row numbering, row-specific dispensing quantity of both seed and pesticide, and accurate records of starting and stopping times and locations. The method also permits operation of a large number of dispensing devices with a normal electrical system capacity by controlling the application or sequencing of power, the maximum power required by the system can be reduced at maximal speed and efficiency.

Power sequencing method for electromechanical dispensing devices

A solenoid circuit for particular use in a transmission controller measures the instantaneous current through the solenoid coil with the use of a current switch operating in an on mode to cause the current in the coil to increase and an off mode to cause the current in the coil to decrease so that an average current through the coil is established.

Solenoid circuit

In a rectangular baler provided with a reciprocating plunger that compacts each new charge of crop materials against previously compacted material and incrementally advances the compacted charge toward a restricted discharge opening at the rear of the baler, the compressive load in the connecting rods of the plunger is sensed during each compaction stroke and is compared with a preselected value to determine whether the size of the discharge opening should be increased or decreased in order to maintain the selected load value. A sensor in each of the connecting rods is in the nature of a transducer that causes a change in the frequency of an output signal in accordance with the compressive loading in the connecting rod, such output signal being delivered to a controller which in turn regulates the operation of hydraulic mechanism to increase or decrease the size of the discharge opening.

Baler with load sensor

A transmission controller is provided for use with a vehicle having a transmission including a plurality of gears, a hydraulic pressure controlled clutch, and a solenoid-actuated proportional valve for operating the clutch. The controller comprises a signal generating circuit for generating a controlled current signal for operating the solenoid-actuated proportional valve and a current monitoring circuit for producing a current signal corresponding to the current flow to each of the solenoid-actuated proportional valves. A vehicle monitor produces a threshold signal corresponding to a predetermined point at which the clutch begins to carry torque and a memory retains predetermined information corresponding to the current signals. A correlating control is responsive to the threshold signal for causing the memory to retain calibration information corresponding to the current signal produced when the predetermined threshold signal is produced, such that the retained information corresponds to a threshold value of the current to the solenoid-actuated proportional valve at which the corresponding clutch engages sufficiently to begin to carry torque.

Transmission controller

A hay baler for producing large rectangular bales picks up crop material directly underneath the fore-and-aft bale chamber of the machine as the baler advances across the field and stuffs charges of the picked up hay into the overhead chamber for compaction by a fore-and-aft reciprocating plunger. Sensors associated with the two laterally spaced driving arms of the plunger detect the extent of uneven crop loading into the baling chamber through measuring any differential in compressive loading on the arms and cause a visual display in the cab of the towing tractor which indicates the direction and magnitude of steering correction which is required to reestablish even loading of the baler. A microcomputer receives the outputs from the driving arms, processes the same and appropriately activates the display monitor in the cab.

Reciprocating plunger crop baler having monitoring system for checking

A transmission controller is provided for use with a vehicle having a transmission including a plurality of gears. The transmission controller comprises an automatic gear selection control for developing control signals for controlling automatic selection of one of the plurality of gears. A throttle position sensor produces a throttle position signal corresponding to the position of a manually operated throttle of the vehicle, and an engine sensor produces rpm signals corresponding to the engine speed of an engine of the vehicle. The automatic gear selection control includes a control signal producing circuit responsive to the throttle position signals and to the rpm signals for producing signals for controlling the selection of a lower gear in the event the sensed engine speed comprises less than a preselected percentage of a predetermined no-load engine speed at the sensed throttle position.

A seed monitoring apparatus for use with a seed planting machine includes a seed sensor comprising a housing forming a substantially tubular passageway and mounting a light source and three photosensitive elements arranged substantially in a triangular configuration. The arrangement of the light source and the triangular photosensor configuration is such that a seed passing through the tubular passageway will momentarily obscure the passage of light to the photosensor the apex of the triangle, if at all, before obscuring the passage of light to either of the photosensors forming the base of the triangle. The monitoring circuit includes two signal paths in which different methods of counting are used to produce different numbers of pulses in response to signals from the three photosensors. One or the other of these signal paths is selected automatically in accordance with the rate at which seeds are detected. One of these signal paths includes a delay circuit interposed in the line from the apical sensor while the other includes a one shot circuit interposed in the line from the same apical sensor. Additionally, a bunch detector circuit produces a predetermined number of additional pulses or counts in response to seeds detected substantially simultaneously at the two sensors forming the base of the triangle.

Growing community of inventors

Auburn, IL, United States of America

Victor D Goeckner