The basic subject matter of this class is limited to machines and methods for removing an object from a position immediately below the surface of the earth or from a position in which it extends partially through the earth's crust by either (1) selectively engaging and the picking or pulling said object in such manner that it is removed from the earth (either with or without any substantial disturbance of the soil) or (2) by excavating said object and portions of the surrounding earth in such manner that said object is separated from said earth portions either during the excavation or subsequent thereto, or, in the case of shallow rooted plants or small stones projecting through the earth's surface, by directly engaging and thrusting, impelling or pushing against said plants or small stones to force them out of the ground. The object must be completely recovered at some instant substantially free of earth, but otherwise in its original condition except that, in the case of plants, portions thereof may have been previously severed from the root. For example, machines which dig root plants are included if the root is recovered substantially intact regardless of whether the plant foliage or tap root is removed or whether the foliage and/or root are retained, subsequently destroyed, or returned to the earth.
Included in this class are railroad ballast cleaners which remove or excavate the ballast from the railroad bed,
separate the fine foreign matter from the coarse stone aggregates and which may return the latter to the railroad bed.
The scope of this class also includes (1) combinations of the basic subject matter with other features where said combination is not provided for elsewhere such as (a) an additional treatment of the object as, e.g., sorting, cleaning or severing said object into parts, and (b) combinations of said basic subject matter with an accompanying soil treating operation, and (2) subcombinations of said basic subject matter not provided for elsewhere.
NOTES TO THE CLASS DEFINITION
(1) Note. The unearthed object is normally (1) a weed or plant root with the vine, stem, or top portion of said plant either connected to the root or severed therefrom, (2) a stone or small rock capable of being handled in a manner consistent with the basic subject matter of this class as set forth in definition A supra, or (3) a foreign object recovered from sand removed from a beach.
(2) Note. Subject matter relating to merely turning a furrow or digging a ditch to invert the earth in such fashion that some or all of a series of earth embedded objects are placed on top of the removed earth is excluded and forms subject matter for the appropriate soil handling Classes 37 or 172.
(3) Note. Implements which are hand supported and have no driven digging or earth separation parts are excluded and are to be found in the appropriate implement classes noted below. (4) Note. Stump and boulder extractors are excluded. See Lines With Other Classes, below.
(5) Note. Subject matter relating to pulling up plant by grasping the stalk or foliage is included (1) where there is a disclosure that the plant root is removed from the ground even where it is not clear from the disclosure whether the plant stalk or foliage is severed or whether the stalk or foliage is capable of pulling the plant root from the ground.
(6) Note. Subject matter relating to partial unearthing of plants or buried objects in the manner provided for by this class has been included because of its similarity to corresponding means which completes the unearthing.
(7) Note. Included in this class are structures and methods disclosed as adapted for the purpose of moving small stones along the surface of the ground to gather or windrow the stones. See (4) Note to subclass 63.
LINES WITH OTHER CLASSES
Stump and boulder extractors are classified in appropriate subclasses in Class 254 and Class 37 as noted below.
Subject matter relating to recovering objects buried in soil located beneath a body of water has been excluded and will be found in appropriate subclasses of Class 37 or in Class 299, subclasses 8 and 9 if objects are separated from the soil subsequent to excavation.
Subject matter relating to recovering objects buried in the surfaces of tunnels, shafts or vertical soil faces or recovering a valuable mineral constituent has been excluded and will be found in appropriate subclasses of Class 299.
REFERENCES TO OTHER CLASSES
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS
37, Excavating, 302, and 303 for boulder or tree stump-type excavators, subclasses 304+ for self-loading vehicles which excavate snow or earth material, elevate it, and dump it into the vehicle, subclasses 307+ for devices excavating beneath a body of water and which may excavate bottom material containing desired objects, and subclass 316 for fork- or rake-type scoops.
47, Plant Husbandry,
73+, for devices adapted to transplant live trees or plants.
56, Harvesters, appropriate subclasses, for machines for severing portions of plants while the plant is connected to an earth embedded root, and
328.1+, for machines which harvest fruit or nuts which may be lying upon the ground.
83, Cutting, for a cutter of that class (83) type which may cut a vegetable.
99, Foods and Beverages: Apparatus, for apparatus for cutting food wherein distinguishable portions of the food are removed.
172, Earth Working, appropriate subclasses for earth working implements which merely form a furrow or disturb the earth without separating an object from the surrounding earth. Such earth working implements may indiscriminately cut roots or other plant material as they proceed along the ground and turn a furrow but they do not act to separate the object from the surrounding turned earth. Class 172 may take that subcombination of a Class 171 apparatus which merely cuts and lifts earth to direct it towards a separating device which separates the desired objects from the earth. Many of the Class 172 devices disclose teeth, blades or other means which
are inherently useful to selectively dig buried objects from the ground while allowing the soil to fall back in place. Where the disclosure of this type of device relates solely to earth working, the patent is placed in Class 172, where the invention is disclosed as useful both to work the earth and to unearth plants or buried objects the patent is placed in Class 171, since unearthing is always accompanied by soil disturbance.
173, Tool Driving or Impacting, appropriate subclass for subject matter directed to driving or impacting a tool, when such subject matter includes features peculiar to tool driving, but which does not include features limiting the subject matter to a specific tool art, such as specific shape of the work contacting portion of a tool, related tools, or an opposed work support, and see particularly
184+, for driving or impacting means mounted on a wheeled vehicle. Class 171 has not been cleared as to subject matter in conflict with this line.
198, Conveyors: Power-Driven, 300+, and 506+ for portable conveyors having means to feed material from a stock or pile onto the conveyor, and see the notes thereto.
209, Classifying, Separating, and Assorting Solids,
233+, for apparatus for separating objects from finer or coarser accompanying material, and subclasses 509+ for apparatus for separating different objects in accordance with their particle size or other physical characteristics. Class 209 takes the claimed subcombination of a specific sorting and/or separation means, whether or not combined with a feeding or discharge conveyor means even when disclosed in a plant or buried object unearthing organization.
241, Solid Material Comminution or Disintegration, for a comminutor of that class (241) type which may cut a vegetable.
254, Implements or Apparatus for Applying Pushing or Pulling Force,
131+, for lever-like implements adapted to lift a plant or other object from the ground.
294, Handling: Hand and Hoist-Line Implements, appropriate subclasses, especially
50.6+, and 86.4+ for hand or hoist-line implements which may be used to lift a plant or other object from the ground.
299, Mining or In Situ Disintegration of Hard Material, appropriate subclass for a process or apparatus for recovering valuable mineral material from the earth and
breaking up hard, solid material in situ, and particularly
7+, for mining or excavating combined with separation of the material into constituent parts.
414, Material or Article Handling, 439, and 440 for draft motion responsive handlers and transporters adapted to pick up surface objects such as bales, shock or golf balls which are not normally disposed below the ground.
460, Crop Threshing or Separating, appropriate subclasses, for apparatus for removing portions of a harvested plant by threshing.
GLOSSARY:
DIGGERS
Devices which are forced into a mass of earth and are then raised to lift an object disposed in said earth and/or to lift portions of the earth itself with objects embedded therein.
EXTRACTORS
Devices which comprise means to engage a portion of a buried or partially buried object and to temporarily fasten itself to said object in order to hold onto the object while it is lifted out of the ground.
IMPALING OR SNAGGING
The act of removing or unearthing an object at least partially imbedded in the ground by an extractor which penetrates through the surface of the object or which passes through or around a reentrant or restricted portion of the object to form a temporary connection between said object and the extractor.
OPEN SEPARATOR
A device which is provided with spaced portions having openings therebetween in which the spaced portions are adapted to retain all objects above a predetermined particle size while finer material passes through the openings.
RECOVERED OBJECTS Articles or plants which were formerly at least partially surrounded by a mass of earth and which have been separated from said mass of earth as distinct objects, substantially free from said earth and available at some identifiable time for any desired purpose which may involve either use or destruction thereof.
SEPARATING DIGGERS
Diggers as defined above which comb through the earth and which are provided with interstices through which the earth sifts while the desired objects rest on the digger and are thus moved through the earth and separated from said earth.
SEPARATOR ELEMENTS
Spaced portions of a separator which support objects larger than a certain size while smaller particles or objects pass through the spaces therebetween.
STONE GATHERING
Moving of small stones and rocks resting on the surface of the earth into piles, rows or collection receptacles.
UNDESIRED OBJECTS
Trash, previously cut tops or foliage or other nonearth material accompanying the objects disclosed as intended to be removed from the earth and recovered.
UNEARTHING
This is the generic term for any of the various organizations for removing an object imbedded in the earth, at or near the ground surface as by digging or picking the object and separating it free from any substantial accumulation of earth, the separation being accomplished either simultaneously with or subsequent to the removal of the object from its position in situ in the ground. UNEARTHING UNIT
An entity which includes all of the apparatus necessary to completely unearth a buried or partially buried object in its path regardless of the presence or absence of additional, similar entities in the same organization.