Progressive has filed a patent for a ground/face working apparatus that includes a primary support portion and an accessory body portion. The apparatus allows for the attachment of accessories such as a blade and includes multiple fixed length links that allow for relative movement between the two portions. Control actuators primarily control the rotational and vertical dispositions, while a side shift variable length link affects lateral movement. The patent claim specifies the interconnecting linkage set and operational control linkage set for affecting the relative positional disposition between the primary support portion and accessory body portion. GlobalData’s report on Progressive gives a 360-degree view of the company including its patenting strategy. Buy the report here.
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According to GlobalData’s company profile on Progressive, excavator Quick Couplers was a key innovation area identified from patents. Progressive's grant share as of September 2023 was 52%. Grant share is based on the ratio of number of grants to total number of patents.
Ground/face working apparatus with adjustable accessory attachment and movement
A recently filed patent (Publication Number: US20230287651A1) describes a ground/face working assembly that includes a primary support portion and an accessory body portion connected by an interconnecting linkage set. The interconnecting linkage set consists of at least three links connected at each end to the primary support portion and accessory body portion through joints that allow for angular movement. The accessory body portion can accommodate the attachment of accessories. The assembly also includes an operational control linkage set that affects the relative positional disposition between the primary support portion and the accessory body portion. Additionally, there is a lateral linkage set comprising at least one link connected to the primary support and accessory body portions.
The interconnecting linkage set in the ground/face working assembly is designed to have the links disposed parallel to each other. There are specifically three links in the interconnecting linkage set, arranged in an isosceles or equilateral triangle arrangement when viewed from the front of the apparatus. Two of the three links are connected at or near the base of the accessory body portion. The connections of the links in the interconnecting linkage set are pivotable joints, specifically ball joints with a degree of angular movement of 6° or more.
The operational control linkage set includes at least one variable length link that can be inclined or substantially vertical. These variable length links, which act as actuators, are positioned on either side of the sagittal center line of the ground/face working assembly. Each variable length link is attached at each end to the primary support portion and accessory body portion, with at least one attachment comprising a pivotable joint. The lateral linkage set can include fixed length links or variable length links, depending on the required lateral offset of the primary support portion and accessory body portion. The fixed length link can be replaceable and manually adjustable in length, while the variable length link is adjustable during operation and can be connected with a bush, ball joint, or pivotable joint with a degree of angular freedom of at least 6°.
The ground/face working assembly may also include a yaw controllable linkage set that allows for the variation of the yaw angle of the primary support portion and accessory body portion. This yaw controllable linkage set can include one or more actuators, which are hydraulic in operation. The assembly can be mounted or attached to the arm of an excavator or a complementary mount on a vehicle.
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GlobalData Patent Analytics tracks bibliographic data, legal events data, point in time patent ownerships, and backward and forward citations from global patenting offices. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
