US3907135A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Apparatus relating to the orientation of elongated elements
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1973-02-28
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Granted: 1975-09-23
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Expires: 1993-02-28
Abstract
Abstract Elongated elements such as sugar cane billets or setts are conveyed from a randomly orientated mass in a storage bin to a receiving station so as to be received with the longitudinal direction of each element extending in a predetermined direction. One embodiment is an automatic sugar cane planter having a bin containing short billets cut by a chopper harvester, an endless conveyor having horizontal flights extending upwardly and outwardly from the bin, and a casing enclosing the downward return run of the conveyor so as to retain the billets which fall from each flight to be supported on the back of the preceding flight. A flapper mechanism in association with the upward run of the conveyor pivotally moves to eject upstanding billets back into the bin, while a lip on the edge of the back of each flight retains only a single billet thereon, any surplus billet rolling out through an aperture in the casing to be guided by a chute back to the return run. The billets lowered in sequence to the bottom of the return run are dropped to be planted by a conventional planter.
Inventors
- 👤 Peter Populin
- 👤 Louis Populin
- 👤 Guiseppe Scalia
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-28 03:12
CPC Classifications
A; A01; A01C; A01C11/00; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S198/00; Y10S198/954
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 7
Claim 1
Independent Claim
484 words
Sugar cane planting apparatus comprising walls and a floor defining a billet-receiving bin, means for mounting the apparatus so that it is supported for movement across a field and along a planting path, billet supply conveyor means having a series of supply elements displacably mounted for movement in sequence through said bin for taking up billets from a mass of billets stored in the bin and moving these billets to a discharge point which is elevated relative to the floor of the bin, means for guiding and controlling the descent of the billets from the discharge point to a planting station disposed generally below the discharge point, the guide means having means for orientating the billets so that on release of a billet at the planting station its longitudinal direction extends substantially parallel to the planting path, the conveyor means comprises an endless moveable member having a forward run extending from the bin towards said discharge point and a return run extending downwardly to said planting station, said supply elements being mounted at spaced intervals on said moveable member, each supply element having a trough-like recess extending transverse to the direction of displacement thereof and dimensioned for accommodating one billet whereby as the supply elements are moved through said bin, a billet tends to be gathered in each troughlike recess, surplus billets tending to ball back into said bin, the moveable meMber comprising a pair of parallel spaced chains adapted to be driven over respective sprocket wheels, the supply elements being mounted at respective ends to the chains, a wall extending immediately behind said forward run, the planting station is below the bottom end of the return run, the conveyor means being adapted to be mounted with each conveyor element being inverted during transition from the forward run to the return run, whereby the billet mounted therein falls onto the upturned reverse side of the preceding supply element and is thereby lowered to be dropped and delivered to the planting station at the bottom of the return run, each conveyor element having the width and depth of its recess dimensioned such that more than one billet may be taken up and initially conveyed in the recess, the return run extending backwardly at an acute angle to the vertical direction and having a casing surrounding at least a portion of the return run, the reverse side of each supply element having a lip extending along its edge remote from the forward run such that only one of the billets received on the reverse side of a conveyor element is retained, the casing having an aperture arranged such that any billet in excess of the billet retained by the lip is maintained upstream of the aperture in a supported condition on the supply element by the casing, which is closely adjacent the lip of each supply element, and any excess billet rolls out through the aperture.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
484 words
Sugar cane planting apparatus comprising walls and a floor defining a billet-receiving bin, means for mounting the apparatus so that it is supported for movement across a field and along a planting path, billet supply conveyor means having a series of supply elements displacably mounted for movement in sequence through said bin for taking up billets from a mass of billets stored in the bin and moving these billets to a discharge point which is elevated relative to the floor of the bin, means for guiding and controlling the descent of the billets from the discharge point to a planting station disposed generally below the discharge point, the guide means having means for orientating the billets so that on release of a billet at the planting station its longitudinal direction extends substantially parallel to the planting path, the conveyor means comprises an endless moveable member having a forward run extending from the bin towards said discharge point and a return run extending downwardly to said planting station, said supply elements being mounted at spaced intervals on said moveable member, each supply element having a trough-like recess extending transverse to the direction of displacement thereof and dimensioned for accommodating one billet whereby as the supply elements are moved through said bin, a billet tends to be gathered in each troughlike recess, surplus billets tending to ball back into said bin, the moveable meMber comprising a pair of parallel spaced chains adapted to be driven over respective sprocket wheels, the supply elements being mounted at respective ends to the chains, a wall extending immediately behind said forward run, the planting station is below the bottom end of the return run, the conveyor means being adapted to be mounted with each conveyor element being inverted during transition from the forward run to the return run, whereby the billet mounted therein falls onto the upturned reverse side of the preceding supply element and is thereby lowered to be dropped and delivered to the planting station at the bottom of the return run, each conveyor element having the width and depth of its recess dimensioned such that more than one billet may be taken up and initially conveyed in the recess, the return run extending backwardly at an acute angle to the vertical direction and having a casing surrounding at least a portion of the return run, the reverse side of each supply element having a lip extending along its edge remote from the forward run such that only one of the billets received on the reverse side of a conveyor element is retained, the casing having an aperture arranged such that any billet in excess of the billet retained by the lip is maintained upstream of the aperture in a supported condition on the supply element by the casing, which is closely adjacent the lip of each supply element, and any excess billet rolls out through the aperture.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
31 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the forward run and the reverse run are parallel and both extend at about 15* to the vertical, the reverse run being angled backwardly.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
35 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the aperture is located in the casing at a position normally above the bin, and a chute is provided for conveying any excess billet back to the bin.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
304 words
Sugar cane planting apparatus comprising walls and a floor defining a billet-receiving bin, means for mounting the apparatus so that it is supported for movement across a field and along a planting path, billet supply conveyor means having a series of supply elements displacably mounted for movement in sequence through said bin for taking up billets from a mass of billets stored in the bin and moving these billets to a discharge point which is elevated relative to the floor of the bin, means for guiding and controlling the descent of the billets from the discharge point to a planting station disposed generally below the discharge point, the guide means having means for orienting the billets so that on release of a billet at the planting station its longitudinal direction extends substantially parallel to the planting path, the conveyor means comprises an endless moveable member having a forward run extending from the bin towards said discharge point and a return run extending downwardly to said planting station, said supply elements being mounted at spaced intervals on said moveable member, each supply element having a trough-like recess extending transverse to the direction of displacement thereof and dimensioned for accommodating one billet whereby as the supply elements are moved through said bin, a billet tends to be gathered in each trough-like recess, surplus billets tending to fall back into said bin, the recess in each supply element being dimensioned for taking up at least one end preferably a plurality of billets, at least one of which tends to lay in the trough-like recess, and ejection means displaceable in a direction transverse to the movement of the supply elements provided at a location normally above the bin for ejecting any surplus billet not lying in said recess whereby the ejected billet falls back into the container means.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
304 words
Sugar cane planting apparatus comprising walls and a floor defining a billet-receiving bin, means for mounting the apparatus so that it is supported for movement across a field and along a planting path, billet supply conveyor means having a series of supply elements displacably mounted for movement in sequence through said bin for taking up billets from a mass of billets stored in the bin and moving these billets to a discharge point which is elevated relative to the floor of the bin, means for guiding and controlling the descent of the billets from the discharge point to a planting station disposed generally below the discharge point, the guide means having means for orienting the billets so that on release of a billet at the planting station its longitudinal direction extends substantially parallel to the planting path, the conveyor means comprises an endless moveable member having a forward run extending from the bin towards said discharge point and a return run extending downwardly to said planting station, said supply elements being mounted at spaced intervals on said moveable member, each supply element having a trough-like recess extending transverse to the direction of displacement thereof and dimensioned for accommodating one billet whereby as the supply elements are moved through said bin, a billet tends to be gathered in each trough-like recess, surplus billets tending to fall back into said bin, the recess in each supply element being dimensioned for taking up at least one end preferably a plurality of billets, at least one of which tends to lay in the trough-like recess, and ejection means displaceable in a direction transverse to the movement of the supply elements provided at a location normally above the bin for ejecting any surplus billet not lying in said recess whereby the ejected billet falls back into the container means.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
81 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the ejection means comprises a pivotal plate mounted in a wall extending adjacent and on the return run side of the forward run, the pivotal plate extending downstream from a transverse pivotal mounting, the plate being spring biased to An outwardly extending position for engaging and ejecting a surplus billet and being displaceable by engagement with a conveyor element to a position substantially flush with said wall as the conveyor element passes the plate.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-09-22 | 1979-03-24 | 1979-09-23 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-09-22 | 1983-03-24 | 1983-09-23 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-09-22 | 1987-03-24 | 1987-09-23 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |