The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 24, 2001
Filed:
Sep. 23, 1999
Timothy Arthur Deutsch, Newton, IA (US);
Virgil Dean Haverdink, Ankeny, IA (US);
Michael Lee Pearson, Ankeny, IA (US);
Deere & Company, Moline, IL (US);
Abstract
Cotton accumulator structure includes an upright storage area supported behind the cab of a cotton harvester. A screened upper cover area is supported above the storage area by hydraulic cylinders which move the cover between a raised harvest position and a lowered storage position for reduced transport height. As harvested material is directed through ducts towards the storage area, debris can exit through the screened cover. The lower end of the storage area includes an opening for egress of the cotton. Several shafts having timed projections are journalled for rotation adjacent the opening about parallel axes. The shafts, when not rotating, generally close the lower end and prevent cotton from falling through the opening. To meter the cotton from the storage area to an operating on-board processor, a drive is activated to rotate the shafts. Preferably, the shafts are driven in counter-rotating fashion so that a given shaft rotates in the opposite direction from the next adjacent shaft, and projections on the shaft pull cotton from the storage area. Cotton is uniformly distributed from the storage area onto a belt extending from the processor which preferably is part of a compacting system on a baler or module builder located downstream of the storage area opening. The storage area facilitates continued harvesting during processor unloading and allows the processor to run only as needed to periodically unload the storage area.