Patent US4044967A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US4044967A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Round bale feeder
Assignee: Individual
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Filing: 1976-10-18
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Granted: 1977-08-30
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Expires: 1996-10-18
Abstract
Abstract A round bale feeder for transporting and unwinding round bales of hay. The feeder includes wheeled frame carried on ground bearing wheels for towing behind vehicle, and tilting frame hinged to wheeled frame for tilting about hinge axis disposed normally to direction of travel. Front, mid and rear rollers journalled on tilting frame for rotation about axes parallel to hinge axis. Front and rear rollers are spaced apart sufficiently to support a complete round bale thereon, and mid-roller is sufficiently close to one of the remaining rollers to support bale when almost completely unwound. Tilting cylinder cooperates with tilting frame so that actuation of tilting cylinder rotates tilting frame to load bale thereon, and to support bale on rollers. Rollers are powered to rotate bale to unwind swath therefrom as feeder traverses distribution area. Rollers have resilient surfaces which deform under load to produce tooth-like projections to increase forces on bale and to reduce accumulation of unwanted matter thereon.
Inventors
- 👤 Lawrence Joseph Charles Guichon
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 20:55
CPC Classifications
A; A01; A01D; A01D87/00; A01D87/12; A01D87/127; A01D2087/128; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S414/00; Y10S414/124
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
224 words
A round bale feeder for transporting and unwinding round bales of hay or like material, the feeder including: a. a wheeled frame carried on ground bearing wheels and adapted to be towed behind a vehicle, b. a tilting frame hinged for rotation relative to the wheeled frame about a hinge axis disposed generally normally to direction of travel of the wheeled frame, the tilting frame having front and rear ends and a loading ramp at the rear end thereof, c. front and rear rollers and a mid-roller positioned between the front and rear rollers, the rollers being journalled on the tilting frame for rotation about roller axes disposed parallel to the hinge axis so as to extend transversely across the tilting frame, at least one of the rollers being powered, the front and rear rollers being spaced apart longitudinally sufficiently to support a complete round bale thereon, the mid-roller being sufficiently close to one of the remaining rollers to support the bale when almost completely unwound, d. tilting means cooperating with the tilting frame so that actuation of the tilting means rotates the tilting frame to lower the loading ramp towards the ground to permit the bale to be loaded onto the tilting frame and to position the rollers relative to each other to permit positioning of the bale on at least two rollers.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
224 words
A round bale feeder for transporting and unwinding round bales of hay or like material, the feeder including: a. a wheeled frame carried on ground bearing wheels and adapted to be towed behind a vehicle, b. a tilting frame hinged for rotation relative to the wheeled frame about a hinge axis disposed generally normally to direction of travel of the wheeled frame, the tilting frame having front and rear ends and a loading ramp at the rear end thereof, c. front and rear rollers and a mid-roller positioned between the front and rear rollers, the rollers being journalled on the tilting frame for rotation about roller axes disposed parallel to the hinge axis so as to extend transversely across the tilting frame, at least one of the rollers being powered, the front and rear rollers being spaced apart longitudinally sufficiently to support a complete round bale thereon, the mid-roller being sufficiently close to one of the remaining rollers to support the bale when almost completely unwound, d. tilting means cooperating with the tilting frame so that actuation of the tilting means rotates the tilting frame to lower the loading ramp towards the ground to permit the bale to be loaded onto the tilting frame and to position the rollers relative to each other to permit positioning of the bale on at least two rollers.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
25 words
A feeder as claimed in claim 1 in which: a. the front and rear rollers are journalled forwardly and rearwardly respectively of the hinge axis.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
22 words
A feeder as claimed in claim 1 in which: a. the tilting means cooperates with the tilting frame and the wheeled frame.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
33 words
A feeder as claimed in claim 2 in which: a. the roller axis of the mid-roller is positioned below a straight line extending between the roller axes of the front and rear rollers.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
57 words
A feeder as claimed in claim 4 in which: a. the mid-roller is journalled on the tilting frame so as to be disposed forwardly of the hinge axis and to be spaced from the forward roller an amount sufficient to support an inner core of the round bale immediately prior to essentially complete unwinding of the bale.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
40 words
A feeder as claimed in claim 4 in which: a. the rollers are of generally equal size and are powered for rotation in either direction, b. one roller is geared to rotate at a higher speed than the remaining rollers.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
48 words
A feeder as claimed in claim 1 in which: a. the wheeled frame is supported on a pair of ground bearing wheels journalled for rotation about a wheel axis extending transversely across the feeder, b. the hinge axis of the tilting frame is concentric with the wheel axis.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
186 words
A feeder as claimed in claim 7 in which: a. the wheels are carried on a transversely extending axle, b. the wheeled frame has a pair of generally similar, laterally spaced, longitudinally extending chassis members having rear ends cooperating with the axle of the wheels, and forward ends cooperating with a towing hitch, the chassis members being spaced apart to permit the tilting frame to swing therebetween, c. the tilting frame includes two generally similar, laterally spaced, longitudinally extending side members, each side member having generally straight front and rear beams inclined at a shallow angle to each other at an apex generally adjacent the wheel axis, at least two transverse connecting members extending between the beams at adjacent ends thereof to provide a frame with open ends and a shallow V-sectioned open base, and a transverse tube extending between the beams at the hinge axis and enclosing the axle to serve as a hinge means to journal the tilting frame on the wheeled frame, d. the rollers are journalled for rotation in bearings carried on the beams so as to extend transversely between the beams.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
73 words
A feeder as claimed in claim 1 in which: a. the loading ramp extends from the rear end of the tilting frame and is disposed so that a forward projection of a major axis thereof passes beneath the hinge axis, so that when the tilting frame is tilted downwardly at the rear, the loading ramp swings downwards and contacts the ground at a relatively shallow angle to facilitate loading of the bale thereon.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
97 words
A feeder as claimed in claim 1 in which each roller is charcterized by: a. a plurality of spaced formers having generally similar peripheries and spaced between ends of the rollers, b. a plurality of stringers cooperating with and spaced around the peripheries of the formers so as to define an open framework having an outer form generally approaching that of a cylinder, c. a flexible membrane enclosing the outer form defined by the stringers and extending between ends of the rollers so as to provide a resilient roller surface which reduces adhesion of unwanted matter thereon.
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) | 1980-08-29 | 1981-02-28 | 1981-08-30 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1984-08-29 | 1985-02-28 | 1985-08-30 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1988-08-29 | 1989-02-28 | 1989-08-30 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |