Seed meter brushes forming a transport seed puddle

Details Seed meter brushes forming a transport seed puddle Seed meter brushes forming a transport seed puddle

2001-12-18

2003-06-24

Will, Thomas B. (Department: 3671)

Planting

Drilling

Having depositor feature

C111S170000, C111S181000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06581533

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to first and second brushes that are located in a seed meter to prevent the loss of seed from the seed meter when the planting unit is raised on its nose from its horizontal working position to its vertical transport position.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Row crop planters are seeding machines used to plant row crops. Typically row crop planters are provided with a number of planting units. Each planting unit comprises a seed hopper, a seed meter, a furrow opener with depth gauge wheels, closing wheels, and a seed tube. The seed hopper delivers seed to the seed meter. The seed meter, in turn, meters the seed and discharges the metered seed to a seed tube. The furrow opener with depth gauge wheels forms a planting furrow of the correct depth. The metered seed is discharged into the planting furrow by the seed tube. The planting furrow is closed by closing wheels that seal the seed in the planting furrow.
Seed meters may be of a mechanical type or pneumatic type. Pneumatic seed meters include vacuum seed meters wherein a vacuum is used to draw seed to a seed disc and positive pressure systems. A mechanical type seed meter is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,720,233 and a vacuum type seed meter is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,836,412.
Unit hoppers on planting units have also been supplied seed from a main hopper. An example of such a system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,392,722.
In addition, it is also known to seal a seed meter as it is moved from a working position to a transport position. An example of this is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,325,800.
It is also known to pivot planting units vertically on their noses from a horizontal working position to a vertical working position.
SUMMARY
It is an object of the present invention to provide an internal brush assembly in a seed meter that retains seed in the seed meter when the planting unit is pivoted vertically on its nose from its horizontal working position to its vertical transport position.
The planting unit is coupled to a frame having a main seed hopper. The main seed hopper is coupled to the planting unit by a flexible tube. The main hopper supplies seed by gravity to the planting unit through the flexible tube. The planting unit comprises a unit hopper and a seed meter. Seed is metered by the seed meter before being discharged to a seed tube and eventually a planting furrow. Seed from the flexible tube passes through the unit hopper to the seed meter. The seed forms a working seed puddle in the seed meter. As the planting unit is pivoted on its nose from its horizontal working position to its vertical transport position some seed from the working seed puddle is trapped in the seed meter by the first and second brushes.
The first and second brushes extend downwardly and radial inward along the seed disc to define a seed return gap for seed falling from the upper portions of the seed disc.


REFERENCES:
patent: 4137852 (1979-02-01), Pratt
patent: 5058766 (1991-10-01), Deckler
patent: 5170909 (1992-12-01), Lundie et al.
patent: 5325800 (1994-07-01), Wisor et al.
patent: 5720233 (1998-02-01), Lodico et al.
patent: 5740746 (1998-04-01), Ledermann et al.
patent: 6047652 (2000-04-01), Prairie et al.
patent: 6273010 (2001-08-01), Luxon
patent: 6494154 (2002-12-01), Kinzenbaw et al.
Brochure “Semeadora Para Graos Graudos Par 5000/6000/7000 Trans”, date unknown; 11 pp.

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