Patent Publication Number: US-2002007622-A1

Title: Harvester shaker pad

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)  
     [0001] A claim is hereby made to the earlier filing date of our pending U.S. Provisional Application number 60/220,415 filed Jul. 24, 2000 and which is herein incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002] 1. Field of the Invention  
       [0003] This invention relates to harvesters. More specifically to shaker pads/heads on nut and fruit tree shakers used in harvesting to shake tree trunks to dislodge the fruit. The invention is directed toward an improved pad filler and cooling arrangement for the pads of a shaker machine.  
       [0004] 2. Description of the Related Prior Art  
       [0005] The majority of the related Prior art is in U.S. class 056. We are not aware of any prior art alone or in combination which can be said to teach or to fairly suggest the present invention.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006] Incorporated herein by reference are the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,467,588; 5,385,006; 4,986,065; 4,932,195; 4,921,073; 4,893,458 and 4,757,674 all naming Ira Compton as inventor. U.S. Pat. No. 4,932,195 shows and describes many features, i.e., a tree shaker harvester, pads, pad mountings, coolant systems and circulation arrangements all aiding in the ready understanding of the instant invention.  
       [0007] The present invention is an improved main shaker pad of a tree shaking harvester, the pad improved by having the aspects of either: 1) an improved filler material within a main chamber of the pad, the filler being ceramic material to supply body and help cool the pad, and or 2) an improved cooling liquid circulation connection fitting to the pad. Improvements 1 and 2 are inventive and novel individually and combined with one another. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0008]FIG. 1 shows an end of a shaker arm with shaker head of a shaker harvester, the padding and a coolant circulation system is also indicated for example.  
     [0009]FIG. 2 a shaker head main pad in cross section and having therein a filler of ceramic members and also having a fitting connected in one end and reaching internally deep in the central cavity of the pad.  
     [0010]FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross section of the fitting of FIG. 2. 
    
    
     BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION  
     [0011] The present invention from one possible viewpoint is an improved main shaker pad  12 , the pad improved by having the aspects of: 1) an improved filler material within a main chamber  28  of the pad  12 , the filler being ceramic material  30  to supply body and help cool or maintain cool the pad  12 , and or 2) an improved cooling liquid circulation connection fitting  18  to the pad  12 . Improvements 1 and 2 are inventive and novel individually and combined with one another. The pad  12  is filled and cooled by aspects 1) and 2) combined or when applied separately. “Filled” does not have to or necessarily mean “100 percent” in this disclosure. The pad  12  can be filled with cooling/lubricating liquid, or ceramic members, or ceramic members  30  with cooling and or lubricating liquid.  
     [0012] The pad  12  is to be used in opposing pairs on a tree trunk shaking harvester, one main pad  12  per each of two opposing shaker arms on a shaker harvester. “Main pad”  12  or “pad”  12  in this disclosure is referring to the elongate deformable pad comprising side walling and end walling, pad  12  which is primarily responsible for separating or cushioning the hard end of the shaker arm  10  from the tree, wherein the retaining sling  14  and slip pads  16  (if used), although rubbery thin sheet material, primarily are for differing functional reasons other than padding as explained in the herein incorporated patents.  
     [0013] The present pad which is generally cylindrical, is made of rubbery or pliable material, including an annular sidewall and two oppositely disposed end walls, the walls define an internal chamber  28  positioned to be in the area of the tree member during shaking, the pad  12  is sealed against unwanted leaking but includes a port  36  preferably having threads  34  thereabout and positioned in an end of the pad  12  so as to not be in the area of the tree member when the tree is grasp and the pad  12  is placed under high compression. The port  36  should be openable and closeable such as with a plug cooperative with the opening in the pad. Threaded walls about the port  36  with threaded walls on the plug function well. Typically the port  36  is a metal insert or tube having threads  34  in the inside bore, and molded or bonded into a hole through the end wall of the pad  12 . The hollow chamber  28  is filled 20 to 100 percent with loose ceramic beads or pellets (ceramic members  30 ) in accordance with the present invention. The ceramic members  30  are in bead or pellet or granular form and loose so as to allow the pad  12  to flex or deform about the tree member when pressure is applied. The advantage of the ceramic material (members  30 ) over plastics, walnut shells and other pad fillers of the prior art is that it will hold-up better under the extreme high heat and pressures (compression) associated with such tree shaking. The ceramic members  30  also dissipate heat rapidly. The ceramic members  30  will not melt or fuse together into a hard clump. Clumps in the prior art pad fillers lead to pad  12  damage and tree damage. Examples of suitable ceramic members  30  include ceramic of numerous chemical make-ups including those from the chemical family of aluminosilicate for example only, but which is available and which functions well at a reasonable price. Also, for example, the ceramic members  30  are preferably round, or somewhat round (smooth or smooth cornered), although they don&#39;t have to be perfectly round in shape, the preferred round shape and smooth outer surface is so the ceramic members don&#39;t lock together too tightly and are able to move around and by one another for better allowing the pad  12  to deform against the tree member, and for reduced friction and the resultant heat. Suitable hard and smooth ceramic members  30  are available for purchase in the U.S., for example only, CARBO CERAMICS of Irving Tex. has a variety of suitable ceramics in bead-like form which are sold as proppants to the oil and gas drilling industry. These proppants will, as one example only, function well or in a superior manner as a harvester shaker pad filler. The ceramic members  30  can be put into the pad chamber  28  through the port  36 , and the chamber  28  can also contain a liquid lubricant such as oil, water soluble oil, silicone lubricant or any other suitable lubricant, liquid or powder, which will reduce friction and thus heat between the ceramic members  30  and the ceramic members  30  and pad chamber walls. The lubricant can also serve as a coolant or a coolant can serve as a lubricant. The coolant can be primarily water, being environmentally safe, and may contain soap, oil or the like additive to provide some lubricating aspects. The ceramic members  30  can be in a wide variety of sizes such as for example in the range of fine sand on upward to as large as will fit through the open port  36  in the end of the pad  12 . While ceramic balls (members) 1.5 inches in diameter or larger (example only) might function well, typically the port  36  opening is smaller than that and prevents the application of such large members. Ceramic members  30  which are small 1-4 millimeters for example only, are available as proppants and will function well, as will ceramic beads in the size range of between about ⅛ and ½ inch in diameter. Ceramic(s) are commonly defined as clay or similar material treated by firing.  
     [0014]FIG. 1 is a view of a main pad or “pad”  10  mounted on the end of a shaker arm  10  of a shaker machine (machine not shown), and shown attached by a retaining sling  14 . In broken lines is shown a slip pad  16 . Secured removably in the port  36  of the pad is a fluid circulation fitting  18  having an inlet tube  20  and outlet tube  22  connected thereto and each connected to a heat exchanger  24  (heat remover) which in this example is an engine radiator such as the engine cooling radiator with cooling fan  26  of the shaker harvester machine. In this example the engine liquid coolant which preferably also includes lubricating qualities cools the shaker harvester main engine and is also circulated through the chamber  28  of the pad  12  to help cool the pad  12  and filler material (ceramics or ceramic members/beads). A fluid pump or just the engine water pump can be used to force fluid flow.  
     [0015]FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of the pad  12  of FIG. 1 showing the chamber  28  filled with ceramic members or beads  30 , and with the circulation fitting  18  having a body  32  with annular threaded portion threadably engaged with the threaded port wall of the pad port  36 . The circulation fitting  18  includes an attached inlet tube  20  attached to body port  20 . 1  with threads  48  bringing coolant to the pad  12  to be directed through an elongate output tube  22  attached to body port  22 . 1  with threads  48  of the fitting  18  and dispensed into the chamber  28  at an point near the far end of the pad  12  by flexible tube  42  open end  44  away from the fitting  18  wherein the fluid (or cool air) travels a substantial distance back through the filler and along the pad walls picking up heat. The fluid travels due to pressure toward the fitting  18  body  32  picking up heat on its way and then to pass through a screen  38  or like excluder  38  for excluding the escape of the filler (ceramic members or beads). The fluid passes through the excluder  38  and enters an outlet area of the body  32  and connected outlet tube to travel back to the heat exchanger  24  (radiator) to release at least some of the heat picked-up in the pad  12  before being sent back to the pad  12  via traveling down the inlet tubing  20  in a continuous circulation or flow. Various materials can be used to structure the circulation fitting  18  and to help avoid crushing a flexible material hose or tubing  42  with open fluid output end  44  in the area where the pad  12  deforms under compression against the tree is preferred. FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view for example of a circulation fitting  18  in accordance with the invention and showing that the screen or excluder  38  can be removably retained on the elongate output tube inside the pad  12  and attached to the body  32 , a collar and set-screw  40  are shown allowing servicing or replacement of the screen  38 . A seal  46  of rubbery material or simply a tight fit is indicated a where the screen excluder engages a fitting such as the body  32  or  40 .  
     [0016] For the sake of clarity, the present invention is an improved main shaker pad  12 , the pad  12  improved by having the aspects of: 1) an improved filler material within a main chamber  28  of the pad  12 , the filler being ceramic material members  30  to supply body and help keep the pad relatively cool, the ceramic member material  30  can be used in a sealed (plug installed in port) pad  12  not having any circulation arrangement but possibly having a fluid lubricant liquid or powder sealed in the chamber  28  therewith; and 2) an improved cooling liquid circulation connection fitting  18  to the pad  12  as herein described and shown which can be used with the ceramic filler material or any other suitable filler or no filler other than the coolant and or lubricant. Improvements 1 and 2 are inventive and novel individually, and combined with one another. The pad  12  is filled and cooled by aspects 1) and 2) combined or when applied separately.  
     [0017] Although we have very specifically described the preferred structures and methods of the invention, it should be understood that the specific details are given for example and are intended to illustrate the invention and not to limit the invention and aspects thereof. Changes in the specific structures/methods described may be made without departing from the scope of the invention, and therefore it should be understood that the scope of the invention is not to be unreasonably limited by the specification and drawings given for example.