Planting – Drilling – Having depositor feature
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-27
2001-08-14
Batson, Victor (Department: 3671)
Planting
Drilling
Having depositor feature
C111S077000, C221S254000, C221S263000, C221S166000, C222S352000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06273010
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a singulating brush assembly having two sets of bristles which can be selectively used in a finger pickup seed meter.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Finger pickup seed meters are popular seed meters used in row crop planters. The finger pickup seed meter comprises a rotatable member having a series of radially extending fingers having seed trapping spoons. The rotatable member adjoins a stationary plate having a seed outlet. The stationary plate has a finger pickup side and a conveyor side. A seed puddle is formed adjacent to the finger pickup side of the stationary plate so that spoons passing through the seed puddle are first opened by a camming mechanism and then closed trapping the seed between the stationary plate and the seed engaging spoons. The seed engaging spoons rotate the trapped upwardly out of the seed puddle to the seed outlet. The seed is passed through the seed outlet to the conveyor side of the stationary plate. A belt conveyor receives the seed and transports the seed to a downwardly extending seed tube. The seed tube in turn directs the seed to the planting furrow formed by a furrow opener.
Immediately upstream from the seed outlet is a singulating brush for eliminating extra seed trapped by the seed engaging spoons. The brush knocks off the extraneous seed returning to the seed puddle. The bristles of the singulating brush pass through a brush aperture formed in the stationary plate. It has been found that at higher planting speeds or with smaller seeds that finger pickup meters tend to overpopulate. Brushes having stiffer bristles improve seed meter performance with smaller seeds and higher planting speeds, but stiffer brushes tend under populate with larger seeds and slower planting speeds.
SUMMARY
It is an object of the present invention to provide a singulating brush assembly having two sets of bristles that have corresponding mounting positions so that one set of bristles can be selectively positioned to eliminate extra seed.
A finger pickup seed meter is provided with a rotating member having readily extending fingers with seed engaging spoons. The rotatable member adjoins a stationary plate having a seed outlet and a singulating brush aperture. A singulating brush assembly is mounted to the stationary plate upstream from the seed outlet. The singulating brush assembly comprises a flat carrier having a first mounting position and a second mounting position. The flat carrier is also provided with a first set of bristles and a second set of bristles. The first set of bristles pass through the singulating brush aperture and come into contact with the seed engaging spoons when the flat carrier is mounted to the stationary plate in its first mounting position. Similarly, the second set of bristles extend through the singulating brush aperture and come into contact with the seed engaging spoons when the flat carrier is mounted to the stationary plate in its second mounting position. The two sets of bristles have different stiffness so that one set would be used with smaller seeds and/or higher planting speeds, wherein the other set of bristles would be used for more conventionally sized seed and more conventional planting speeds. The singulating brush is mounted to the stationary plate by a carrier. The carrier is bolted to the stationary plate.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4307822 (1981-12-01), Hardesty
patent: 4449642 (1984-05-01), Dooley
patent: 4450979 (1984-05-01), Deckler
patent: 4793511 (1988-12-01), Ankum et al.
patent: 5058766 (1991-10-01), Deckler
patent: 5784985 (1998-07-01), Lodico et al.
patent: 6176393 (2001-01-01), Luxon
patent: 6216615 (2000-04-01), Romans
patent: 3615189 (1987-04-01), None
Deere & Company Operator's Manual entitled “7000 Max-Emerge 4-Row Narrow, 4-Row Wide, and 6-Row Narron Drawn Planters” OM-A42741 Issue E1, cover and introduction pages and pp. 96-99,j printed in U.S.A.
Deere & Company Brochure entitled Drawn, Integral and Unit Planters, cover page and pp. 9-10, printed in the U.S.A.
Batson Victor
Deere & Company
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