Hay bale accumulator

Claim 1

FOR USE WITH MOBILE HAY BALING MACHINES OF THE TYPE INVOLVING A REARWARDLY DIRECTED DISCHARGE PORTION FOR REARWARD DELIVERY OF BALES ELONGATED IN A DIRECTION PARALLEL TO THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF THE BALING MACHINE, (A) A GENERALLY HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED HAY BALE ACCUMULATOR PLATFORM, (B) MEANS CONNECTING SAID PLATFORM TO THE REAR END PORTION OF A BALING MACHINE FOR COMMON TRAVELING MOVEMENTS THEREWITH, (C) A PORTION OF SAID PLATFORM BEING DISPOSED REARWARDLY OF THE DISCHARGE PORTION OF SAID BALING MACHINE AND HAVING GUIDING MEANS FOR THE ENDWISE RECPTION OF SAID BALES THEREFROM IN HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED END-TO-END RELATIONSHIP, (D) END-TO-END BALE TRANSFER MEANS OF GREATER LENGTH THAN ONE BALE FOR SHIFTING A PLURALITY OF SAID BALES IN SAID END-TO-END RELATIONSHIP ON SAID PLATFORM IN A LATERAL DIRECTION TRANSVERSELY OF DELIVERY MOVEMENT THEREOF FROM SAID BALING MACHINE A DISTANCE AT LEAST EQUAL TO THE WIDTH OF ONE OF SAID BALES, (E) CONTROL MEANS DISPOSED IN THE PATH OF BALES DELIVERED ON SAID PLATFORM INCLUDING A BALE END SENSING ELEMENT RESPONSIVE TO PREDETERMINED END-TO-END MOVEMENT OF TWO REARWARDLY DELIVERED BALES ON SAID PLATFORM FOR CONTROLLING SIMULTANEOUS LATERAL MOVEMENT THEREOF, (F) PLURAL BALE END ENGAGING IMPELLER MEANS CARRIED BY SAID PLATFORM, (G) AND MEANS OPERATIVE RESPONSIVE TO ACCUMULATION OF A PREDETERMINED NUMBER AND ORDER OF BALES ON SAID PLATFORM FOR IMPARTING MOVEMENTS TO SAID IMPELLER ELEMENT RELATIVE TO SAID PLATFORM TO CAUSE SAID IMPELLER ELEMENT TO ENGAGE AND DISCHARGE SAID PREDETERMINED ORDER OF BALES TO THE GROUND REARWARDLY OF SAID PLATFORM AND AT A SPEED AT LEAST EQUAL TO THE SPEED OF FORWARD TRAVEL OF SAID PLATFORM, WHEREBY TO INSURE AND PRESERVE THE ORDER FORMATION OF THE BALES ESTABLISHED ON THE PLATFORM WHEN DEPOSITED ON THE GROUND.