Doffer for a cotton cleaner

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9763387-B2
Application number	US-201514824604-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 12, 2015
Priority date	Aug 12, 2015
Publication date	Sep 19, 2017
Grant date	Sep 19, 2017

Abstract

A cotton doffer structure for doffing cotton snagged on a surface having debris. The cotton doffer structure comprises an extrusion. The extrusion has a longitudinal axis and a periphery with a plurality of radial protrusions. A shaft is coupled to the extrusion for rotation therewith about the longitudinal axis in a forward direction. A plurality of brushes are provided. Each brush has a base end supporting upstanding bristles, an opposing distal end, a leading side generally facing the forward direction, and an opposing trailing side. A plurality of brush support members are provided that have a leading end and a trailing end with an upright flange. The plurality of brush support members securing the base ends of the plurality of brushes against the protrusion with the upright flange located adjacent the leading side.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cotton doffer structure for doffing cotton snagged on a surface having debris, the cotton doffer structure comprising:
a single-piece extrusion comprising a rim and a plurality of radial protrusions, the rim having a longitudinal axis and a periphery with the plurality of radial protrusions integrally extending outward from the periphery;
a shaft coupled to the extrusion for rotation therewith about the longitudinal axis in a forward direction, the rim surrounding the shaft;
a plurality of brushes, each brush having a base end supporting upstanding bristles, an opposing distal end, a leading side generally facing the forward direction, and an opposing trailing side; and
a plurality of brush support members, each of the brush support members having a leading end and a trailing end with an upright flange, each of the plurality of brush support members securing a respective one of the base ends of the plurality of brushes against a respective one of the plurality of radial protrusions with the upright flange located adjacent the leading side.

2. The cotton doffer structure of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of extrusion apertures positioned between the plurality of radial protrusions and a plurality of fasteners positioned through a brush support member aperture of the brush support member and the extrusion aperture to secure the plurality of brush support members to the extrusion.

3. The cotton doffer structure of claim 2 , wherein each of the fasteners is a bolt having threads that protrude away from the periphery preventing debris from accumulating on the fastener, the bolt further comprises a head, and each of the brush support members is sandwiched by one of the head and the periphery of the rim.

4. The cotton doffer structure of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of brush support members have an upper boundary projecting above the base end forwardly of the bristles, thereby protecting the bristles from damage when debris is encountered by the cotton doffer structure, the upright flange also acting to dislodge the debris from the surface.

5. The cotton doffer structure of claim 1 , wherein the radial protrusion is dovetail shaped and receives the base end that is opposingly dovetail shaped.

6. The cotton doffer structure of claim 1 , wherein the leading end of the plurality of brush support members is positioned against the radial protrusion adjacent the radial protrusion contacted by the brush.

7. The cotton doffer structure of claim 1 , wherein the shaft is a first stub shaft coupled to the extrusion and a second stub shaft is coupled to the extrusion.

8. The cotton doffer structure of claim 1 , wherein the radial protrusion is dovetail shaped, for partially receiving the base end that is opposingly dovetail shaped, and has a recess formed adjacent to the periphery of the rim for receiving the leading end of the adjacent brush support member.

9. The cotton doffer structure of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of the radial protrusions comprises a contact surface facing the forward direction, the opposing trailing side of each of the base ends of the brush contacting the contact surface of each of the radial protrusions and a bottom of each of the base ends contacting the periphery of the rim.

10. A cotton doffer structure for doffing cotton snagged on a surface having debris, the cotton doffer structure comprising:
a single-piece extrusion comprising a rim and a plurality of radial protrusions, the rim having a longitudinal axis and a periphery with a plurality of radial protrusions extending outward from the periphery forming a plurality of dovetail-shaped recesses;
a shaft coupled to the extrusion for rotation therewith about the longitudinal axis in a forward direction, the rim surrounding the shaft;
a plurality of brushes, each brush having a dovetail-shaped base end supporting upstanding bristles and respectively received by one of the dovetail-shaped recesses, an opposing distal end, a leading side generally facing the forward direction, and an opposing trailing side; and
a plurality of brush support members, each of the brush support members having a leading end and a trailing end with an upright flange located adjacent the leading side.

11. The cotton doffer structure of claim 10 , further comprising a plurality of extrusion apertures positioned between the plurality of radial protrusions and a plurality of fasteners positioned through a brush support member aperture of the brush support member and the extrusion aperture to secure the plurality of brush support members to the extrusion.

12. The cotton doffer structure of claim 11 , wherein each of the fasteners is a bolt having threads that protrude away from the periphery preventing debris from accumulating on the fastener, the bolt further comprises a head, and each of the brush support members is sandwiched by one of the head and the periphery of the rim.

13. The cotton doffer structure of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of brush support members have an upper boundary projecting above the base end forwardly of the bristles, thereby protecting the bristles from damage when debris is encountered by the cotton doffer structure, the upright flange also acting to dislodge the debris from the surface.

14. The cotton doffer structure of claim 10 , wherein the shaft is a first stub shaft coupled to the extrusion and a second stub shaft is coupled to the extrusion.

15. The cotton doffer structure of claim 10 , wherein every two of the radial protrusions cooperate with the periphery of the rim to form a respective one of the plurality of dovetail-shaped recesses.

16. A method for doffing cotton snagged on a surface having debris, the method comprising:
rotating a shaft in a forward direction, the shaft coupled to a single-piece extrusion comprising a rim and a plurality of radial protrusions, the rim having a longitudinal axis and a periphery with the plurality of radial protrusions extending outward from the periphery;
providing a plurality of brushes, each brush having a base end supporting upstanding bristles, an opposing distal end, a leading side generally facing the forward direction, and an opposing trailing side; and
securing the base ends of the plurality of brushes with a plurality of brush support members, each of the brush support members having a leading end and a trailing end with an upright flange, each of the plurality of brush support members securing a respective one of the base ends of the plurality of brushes against a respective one of the plurality of radial protrusions with the upright flange located adjacent the leading side.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising providing a plurality of extrusion apertures positioned between the plurality of radial protrusions and a plurality of fasteners positioned through a brush support member aperture of the brush support member and the extrusion aperture to secure the brush support members to the extrusion.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein each of the fasteners is a bolt having threads that protrude away from the periphery preventing debris from accumulating on the fastener, the bolt further comprises a head, and each of the brush support members is sandwiched by one of the head and the periphery of the rim.

19. The method of claim 16 , wherein the plurality of brush support members have an upper boundary projecting above the base end forwardly of the bristles, thereby protecting the bristles from damage when debris is encountered by the cotton doffer structure, the uprigh

Assignees

• Deere & Co

Inventors

• Goering Kevin J

Classifications

• A01D46/08 Primary

  of cotton · CPC title