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  Disk blade scrapers for tillage apparatusUSPTO Application #: 20080000656Title: Disk blade scrapers for tillage apparatus Abstract: A disk blade scraper is used with a tillage implement having rotating disk blades separated by hub spools. In one form, the disk blade scraper has a wide tapered scraper blade positioned very close to the transition of the hub spool and the disk blade. In another form, the disk blade scraper incorporates a round disk having an edge that runs in the transition joint of the disk blade and the hub spool. In yet another form, the disk blade scraper incorporates a round and or square bar that is positioned in such a way that the bar end rubs against this transition joint. In still another form, the disk blade scraper incorporates a flat scraper blade shaped to fit the contour of the backside of the disk blade. The corner of this scraper is positioned very close to the transition joint of the disk blade and the hub spool. (end of abstract)
Agent: Cnh America LLC - Racine, WI, US Inventors: Troy L Cooper, Marvin D. Kuebler, Rickey L. Gerber USPTO Applicaton #: 20080000656 - Class: 172559000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Earth Working, Rolling, Rotating Or Orbitally Moving Tool, With Disk Cleaning Means, Rotatably Mounted Cleaning Means The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20080000656. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This patent application is a Divisional of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/788,624, filed on Feb. 27, 2004 entitled, "Disk Blade Scrapers for Tillage Apparatus" and having Troy L. Cooper, Marvin D. Kuebler and Rickey L. Gerber as the Applicants. STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH [0002] Not Applicable. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] 1. Field of the Invention [0004] The present invention relates to an agricultural tillage apparatus including disk blades. More particularly, the invention pertains to disk blade cleaners and techniques of keeping disk blades and hub spools clean of dirt/residue buildup on both sides of the disk blade. [0005] 2. Description of the Related Art [0006] Agricultural tillage systems including disk blades are widely used. One form of disk blade that is used in tillage systems takes the shape of a dish or bowl. It is used both for cutting trash and for throwing some of the top soil to the side. Typically, a plurality of disk blades are arranged at a relatively close spacing, and they may be mounted on a common shaft with hub spools between adjacent disk blades. When a gang of disk blades is pulled across a field, the soil is tilled, the trash is cut up, mixed with the top soil and some trash is buried. In these devices, to reduce the effect of lateral soil displacement due to complete workage, a second line or gang of disks, facing the other direction, may be placed behind a first line. Other implements also use disk blades, such as listers and bedders. [0007] It is known to use disk blade scrapers to keep the disk blade and hub spools clean of dirt/residue buildup on both sides of disk blade. Current disk blade scrapers only scrape a small area of the concavity of the disk blade and are unable to provide superior blade cleaning performance in all or any one-soil condition. Current scrapers clean the side of the blade; however, under wet sandy loam soils, dirt starts at hub spool/blade transition joint and builds in the corner and continues to build up until dirt fills the total area except where the scraper is located. This may cause the disk blade to ride out of soil. [0008] Therefore, there is a need for a disk blade scraper that provides superior blade cleaning capabilities during field tillage operation in any type of soil conditions. In particular, there is a need for a disk blade scraper that keeps the disk blade and hub spool area from building up with dirt/residue such that the disk blade is kept clean from the disk blade and hub spool area on out to the cutting edge of the disk blade. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0009] The foregoing needs are met by a disk blade scraper according to the invention. The disk blade scraper is used with a tillage implement having a frame, a horizontal shaft suspended from the frame, and a plurality of rotating disk blades arranged in laterally spaced relationship on the shaft. In the tillage implement, a hub spool surrounds the horizontal shaft between at least a pair of adjacent disk blades. A first end of the hub spool contacts one of the pair of adjacent disk blades thereby creating a transition joint between the first end of the hub spool and a surface of the one of the pair of adjacent disk blades. In one version of the tillage implement, one of the surfaces of each disk blade is concave and the other surface is convex, and an annular depression is formed in a region of the concave surface surrounding the transition joint. [0010] In one form, the disk blade scraper includes a bracket connected to the tillage implement frame, and a rotating disk mounted to the bracket. The rotating disk has an axis of rotation and a circumferential edge parallel to the axis of rotation. The bracket is connected to the frame and the rotating disk is mounted to the bracket such that the circumferential edge of the rotating disk is adjacent the transition joint between the first end of the hub spool and a surface of the one of the pair of adjacent disk blades. By way of the rotating disk, the disk blade is kept clean from the disk blade and hub spool area on out to the cutting edge of the disk blade. The circumferential edge of the rotating disk may contact the transition joint or may be spaced 0.4 inches or less from the transition joint. Preferably, an uppermost edge of the rotating disk does not extend above an uppermost edge of an adjacent disk blade, and an outermost edge of the rotating disk does not extend beyond an outermost edge of an adjacent disk blade. In a disk blade with an annular depression in the region of the concave surface surrounding the transition joint, the circumferential edge of the rotating disk may be located within the depression. [0011] In another form, the disk blade scraper includes a bracket connected to the tillage implement frame, and an elongated bar mounted to the bracket. The bar has a longitudinal axis and a scraping surface at an end of the bar farthest from the bracket. The bracket is connected to the frame and the bar is mounted to the bracket such that the scraping surface is adjacent the transition joint between the first end of the hub spool and a surface of the one of the pair of adjacent disk blades. When the bar is mounted to the bracket, an imaginary straight line including the longitudinal axis of the bar would intersect the hub spool if the imaginary straight line were extended beyond the end of the bar. The scraping surface may contact the transition joint, or may be 0.4 inches or less from the transition joint. By way of the bar, the disk blade is kept clean from the disk blade and hub spool area on out to the cutting edge of the disk blade. The bar may have various cross-sectional shapes including, without limitation, a circular cross-section and a square cross-section. The scraping surface of the bar has at least a portion at an angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the bar. In one configuration, the scraping surface is a flat surface perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the bar. In another configuration, the scraping surface is a domed surface. In a disk blade with an annular depression in the region of the concave surface surrounding the transition joint, the scraping surface of the bar may be located within the depression. A second elongated bar may be mounted to the bracket. The second bar has a scraping surface at an end of the second bar farthest from the bracket. A second transition joint is formed between a second end of the hub spool and a surface of the other of the pair of adjacent disk blades, and the bracket is connected to the frame and the second bar is mounted to the bracket such that the scraping surface of the second bar is adjacent to or contacts the second transition joint. [0012] In yet another form, the disk blade scraper includes a bracket connected to the frame, and an integral scraper blade mounted to the bracket. The scraper blade has a first end adjacent the mounting bracket, and a first side and a second opposed side extending downwardly from the first end. The first side is shorter than the second side. There is an opposite scraping end extending between the first side and the second side, and the scraping end and the second side of the scraper blade meet at a junction point. The bracket is connected to the frame and the scraper blade is mounted to the bracket such that the shorter first side of the scraper blade is further from the hub spool than the second side of the scraper blade, and the junction point is adjacent the transition joint. By way of the scraper blade, the disk blade is kept clean from the disk blade and hub spool area on out to the cutting edge of the disk blade. Preferably, the scraping end of the scraper blade has a thickness in a direction normal to an outer surface of the scraper blade not exceeding a cross-sectional thickness of the first end in the same direction. The scraper blade may be flat and the scraping end of the scraper blade may have a tapered or curved edge. The junction point of the scraper blade may contact the transition joint, or may be 0.4 inches or less from the transition joint. The scraping end of the scraper blade contacts the surface of the one of the pair of adjacent disk blades, or may be 0.4 inches or less from one of the pair of adjacent disk blades. In a disk blade with an annular depression in the concave surface, the scraping end of the scraper blade may be located within the depression. [0013] In still another form, the disk blade scraper includes a bracket connected to the tillage implement frame, and a scraper blade mounted to the bracket. The scraper blade has a first end, a second end opposite the first end, and a first side and a second opposed side extending downwardly from the first end. The second side includes a scraping surface, and the second side meets the second end at a junction point of the scraper blade. This form of the disk blade scraper is used on a convex disk blade surface. The scraper blade may be flat and rectangular. The bracket is connected to the frame and the scraper blade is mounted to the bracket such that all of the scraper blade is positioned above the hub spool, the scraping surface is positioned adjacent the convex surface, and the junction point is adjacent the transition joint between the hub spool and the convex disk blade surface. By way of the scraper blade, the disk blade is kept clean from the disk blade and hub spool area on out to the cutting edge of the disk blade. Preferably, the scraper blade is positioned on both sides of a vertical normal line to a center axis of the hub spool. The scraping surface is typically positioned behind the center axis of the hub spool in relation to a direction of movement of the tillage implement. The scraping surface contacts the convex surface. The junction point of the scraper blade is typically 0.4 inches or less from the transition joint between the hub spool and the convex disk blade surface. [0014] In yet another form, the disk blade scraper includes a bracket connected to the frame, and a scraper blade mounted to the bracket. The scraper blade has a first end, a second bottom end opposite the first end, and a first side and a second opposed side extending downwardly from the first end. The second side includes a scraping surface, and the second side meets the second end at a junction point. In this form of the disk blade scraper, the surface of the one of the pair of adjacent disk blades is convex, and the bracket is connected to the frame and the scraper blade is mounted to the bracket such that scraping surface is positioned in contact with the convex surface, and the junction point is adjacent the transition joint. The scraping surface has an inwardly curved edge that contacts the convex surface. Preferably, the scraping surface has a second inwardly curved edge that contacts a crimp on the convex surface adjacent the transition joint. Preferably, at least a portion of the scraping surface is positioned behind the center axis of the hub spool in relation to a direction of movement of the tillage implement. [0015] It is therefore an advantage of the present invention to provide a disk blade scraper that provides superior blade cleaning capabilities during field tillage operation in any type of soil conditions. [0016] It is another advantage of the present invention to provide a disk blade scraper that keeps the disk blade and hub spool area from building up with dirt/residue such that the disk blade is kept clean from the disk blade and hub spool area on out to the cutting edge of the disk blade. [0017] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood upon consideration of the following detailed description, drawings, and appended claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0018] FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a known tillage device. [0019] FIG. 2 is an upper right rear perspective view of a blade disk assembly including a disk blade scraper according to a first embodiment of the invention. Continue reading... Full patent description for Disk blade scrapers for tillage apparatus Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Disk blade scrapers for tillage apparatus patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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