Harvesting device

Claim 1

A DEVICE FOR HARVESTING CROP MATERIAL COMPRISING A MOBILE FRAME ADAPTED TO TRAVEL FORWARDLY THROUGH A FIELD, AN ELONGATED REEL HAVING A CENTRAL AXIS AND CROP MATERIAL ENGAGING TINE MEMBERS, MEANS JOURNALLING SAID REEL ON SAID FRAME WITH THE AXIS OF THE REEL GENERALLY PARALLEL TO THE GROUND AND TRANSVERSE TO THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL OF SAID FRAME, MEANS ROTATABLY DRIVING SAID REEL ABOUT ITS CENTRAL AXIS IN A DIRECTION TO MOVE SAID CROP MATERIAL ENGAGING TINE MEMBERS IN A PREDETERMINED PATH OF TRAVEL DOWNWARDLY AT THE FRONT OF SAID REEL THEN REARWARDLY UNDER SAID REEL AXIS IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE GROUND AND THEN UPWARDLY AND REARWARDLY BEHIND THE AXIS OF SAID REEL, CUTTING MEANS CARRIED BY SAID FRAME AND DISPOSED GENERALLY UNDER SAID REEL REARWARDLY OF SAID CENTRAL AXIS BETWEEN SAID PATH OF TRAVEL OF SAID CROP MATERIAL ENGAGING TINE MEMBERS AND THE GROUND AND OPERABLE TO MOW A SWATH OF CROP MATERIAL SUBSTANTIALLY THE WIDTH OF SAID REEL, A FIXED CROP MATERIAL GUIDING SURFACE EXTENDING UPWARDLY AND REARWARDLY FROM SAID CUTTING MEANS GENERALLY CONCENTRIC TO THE AXIS OF SAID REEL AND IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE PATH OF TRAVEL OF SAID CROP MATERIAL ENGAGING TINE MEMBERS, SAID SURFACE HAVING A REAR TERMINAL EDGE BEHIND SAID REEL AND ALSO IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO SAID PATH OF TRAVEL OF SAID CROP MATERIAL ENGAGING TINE MEMBERS, A PAIR OF PARALLEL CROP CONDITIONING ROLLS HAVING THEREBETWEEN CROP MATERIAL RECEIVING BITE, SAID ROLLS HAVING A LENGTH SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME AS SAID REEL AND COACTING TO CONDITION THE STEMS OF CROP MATERIAL PASSING THEREBETWEEN, MEANS JOURNALLING SAID ROLLS ON SAID FRAME BEHIND AND PARALLEL TO SAID REEL WITH THE BITE OF SAID ROLLS BELOW SAID AXIS OF SAID REEL AND ADJACENT SAID REAR TERMINAL EDGE OF SAID CROP MATERIAL GUIDING SURFACE, SAID CROP MATERIAL ENGAGING TINE MEMBERS MOVING DOWNWARDLY INTO CROP MATERIAL FORWARDLY OF SAID CUTTING MEANS AND THEN COMBING AND SWEEPING SAID CROP MATERIAL REARWARDLY OVER SAID CUTTING MEANS AND THEN UPWARDLY AND REARWARDLY OVER SAID CROP MATERIAL GUIDING SURFACE AND DISCHARGE IT DIRECTLY INTO THE BITE OF SAID CONDITIONING ROLLS, AND MEANS ROTATING SAID ROLLS FASTER THAN SAID REEL WHEREBY SAID ROLLS STRIP CROP MATERIAL FROM SAID TINE MEMBERS.

Claim 2

A DEVICE FOR HARVESTING CROP MATERIAL COMPRISING A MOBILE FRAME ADAPTED TO TRAVEL FORWARDLY THROUGH A FIELD, AN ELONGATED REEL HAVING A CENTRAL AXIS AND CROP MATERIAL ENGAGING TINE MEMBERS, MEANS JOURNALLING SAID REEL ON SAID FRAME WITH THE AXIS OF THE REEL GENERALLY PARALLEL TO THE GROUND AND TRANSVERSE TO THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL OF SAID FRAME, MEANS ROTATABLY DRIVING SAID REEL ABOUT ITS CENTRAL AXIS IN A DIRECTION TO MOVE SAID CROP MATERIAL ENGAGING TINE MEMBERS IN A PREDETERMINED PATH OF TRAVEL DOWNWARDLY AT THE FRONT OF SAID REEL THEN REARWARDLY UNDER SAID REEL AXIS IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE GROUND AND THEN UPWARDLY AND REARWARDLY BEHIND THE AXIS OF SAID REEL, CUTTING MEANS CARRIED BY SAID FRAME AND DISPOSED GENERALLY UNDER SAID REEL REARWARDLY OF SAID CENTRAL AXIS BETWEEN SAID PATH OF TRAVEL OF SAID CROP MATERIAL ENGAGING TINE MEMBERS AND THE GROUND AND OPERABLE TO MOW A SWATH OF CROP MATERIAL SUBSTANTIALLY THE WIDTH OF SAID REEL, A FIXED CROP MATERIAL GUIDING SURFACE EXTENDING UPWARDLY AND REARWARDLY FROM SAID CUTTING MEANS GENERALLY CONCENTRIC TO THE AXIS OF SAID REEL AND IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE PATH OF TRAVEL OF SAID CROP MATERIAL ENGAGING TINE MEMBERS, SAID SURFACE HAVING A REAR TERMINAL EDGE BEHIND SAID REEL AND ALSO IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO SAID PATH OF TRAVEL OF SAID CROP MATERIAL ENGAGING TINE MEMBERS, A PAIR OF PARALLEL CROP CONDITIONING ROLLS HAVING THEREBETWEEN CROP MATERIAL RECEIVING BITE, SAID ROLLS HAVING A LENGTH SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME AS SAID REEL AND COACTING TO CONDITION THE STEMS OF CROP MATERIAL PASSING THEREBETWEEN, MEANS JOURNALLING SAID ROLLS ON SAID FRAME BEHIND AND PARALLEL TO SAID REEL WITH THE BITE OF SAID ROLLS BELOW SAID AXIS OF SAID REEL AND ADJACENT SAID REAR TERMINAL EDGE OF SAID CROP MATERIAL GUIDING SURFACE, SAID CROP MATERIAL ENGAGING TINE MEMBERS MOVING DOWNWARDLY INTO CROP MATERIAL FORWARDLY OF SAID CUTTING MEANS AND THEN COMBING AND SWEEPING SAID CROP MATERIAL REARWARDLY OVER SAID CUTTING MEANS AND THEN UPWARDLY AND REARWARDLY OVER SAID CROP MATERIAL GUIDING SURFACE AND DISCHARGE IT DIRECTLY INTO THE BITE OF SAID CONDITIONING ROLLS, AND MEANS ROTATING SAID ROLLS FASTER THAN SAID REEL WHEREBY SAID ROLLS STRIP CROP MATERIAL FROM SAID TINE MEMBERS.