Patent ID: 8075377

Claim:
A threshing mechanism for a combine having a supporting structure, the mechanism comprising: an elongated rotor for moving crop materials; an elongated housing for surrounding said elongated rotor and for defining a volume of space between said rotor and said housing, said housing having an outlet; said housing and said rotor mounted in said supporting structure wherein said housing is stationary with respect to said supporting structure and said rotor is mounted to rotate within said housing; a first portion of an outlet end of said rotor having a radial taper; a second portion of said outlet end of said rotor, said second portion having a radially expanding cone, and said second portion abuts said first portion and is positioned adjacent to said outlet to transfer crop material out of the housing; wherein crop material is contained within, and moves through, a substantially annular space between the housing and the first and second portion without any intervening wall between the elongated housing and the first and second portion of the outlet end of the rotor.