Patent ID: 7771261

Claim:
A knife blade ( 162 , 162 ′, 162 ″, 194 ) for mounting on a knife support ( 160 , 160 ′, 192 ) of a chopper rotor ( 130 ) of a combine chopper ( 120 ), the knife blade ( 162 , 162 ′, 162 ″, 194 ) being flat and extending generally in a plane, the knife blade having a mounting surface configured to be mounted on a trailing face of the knife support, the knife blade ( 162 , 162 ′, 162 ″, 194 ) having a first edge configured to extend generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rotor when fixed to the chopper rotor ( 130 ), and having at least one slot ( 188 , 202 ) formed in the first edge, wherein the at least one slot ( 188 , 202 ) extends at right angles to the longitudinal extent of the first edge and divides the knife blade ( 162 , 162 ′, 162 ″, 194 ) into a plurality of members ( 167 , 212 ), wherein each member of the plurality of members ( 167 , 212 ) is generally rectangular, and wherein the slot does not extend completely through the knife blade ( 162 , 162 ′, 162 ″, 194 ) but leaves a narrow web of material at an edge of the knife blade that is opposite the first edge that serves to couple the plurality of members ( 167 , 212 ) together, and further wherein the first edge of the plurality of members ( 167 , 212 ) is configured to cut against a longitudinally extending knife blade ( 152 ) fixed to a chopper housing.