Patent ID: RE40604

Claim:
A crop harvesting header configured for attachment to the mobile frame of a harvesting machine, said header comprising: a crop cutting assembly comprising a series of rotary cutters that are rotatable about individual, upright axes and have knives that cooperatively define a laterally extending generally planar cutting zone along which crop material is severed from the ground by the cutting assembly; a pair of laterally extending crop conditioning rolls cooperatively defining a nip therebetween that is spaced upwardly and rearwardly from the cutting zone , ; and said pair of conditioning rolls including a lower conditioning roll having a lower, forward peripheral portion that moves forwardly and upwardly generally toward the rotary cutters during rotation of the lower conditioning roll; and a driveable crop conveying element having at least a portion thereof that moves upwardly and rearwardly between the cutting zone and the nip to convey crop cut by the cutting assembly toward the nip when the element is driven , said conveying element comprising a laterally extending, rotatable conveying roller having an upper forward peripheral portion that moves rearwardly and upwardly generally away from the rotary cutters during rotation of the conveying roller and a lower, forward peripheral portion that moves forwardly and upwardly generally toward the rotary cutters during rotation of the conveying roller, said upper forward peripheral portion of the conveying roller being disposed in front of the lower forward peripheral portion of the lower conditioning roll, and most of the lower, forward peripheral portion of the conveying roller being disposed below the plane of said cutting zone .