Alabama Patent of the Month – September 2021
There are many scenarios wherein a level grass surface is required – such as on an airplane runway or a sports field. Levelling these large areas has never been an exact science and typically uses a box blade to gather materials from high spots and drag it along to fill out low spots. This method is often labor intensive and may never yield the desired result. G2 TurfTools, Inc. has designed an improved device capable of achieving the desired landscaping contour for turfed areas.
The turf planer designed by G2 TurfTools uses laser and GPS controls to better direct the grade and achieve the desired cut profile. The turf planer has a rotational cutter with a lift mechanism and two separate blades. This allows for precise height and cut depth to be applied as needed. Through a set of hierarchical controls, the lift mechanism changes the blade height based on the deviation from the desired cut profile. This deviation is tracked using a planer laser beam and GPS guidance system which tracks ground contouring. An autograde device measures the cut height relative to an adjacent profile and the hierarchical controller is capable of determining and minimizing a deviation of the cut height relative to the adjacent profile and controlling the lift mechanism to minimize the deviation of the cut height relative to the adjacent profile.
The system uses a conveyor assembly to transfer the turned ground into a support vehicle for transportation. The primary conveyor removes material from inside the turfplaner and on to an elevator conveyor. It is lifted up to the height of the support vehicle and onto an extension conveyor which allows the support vehicle to move alongside the turf planer.
Are you developing new technology for an existing application? Did you know your development work could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? Even if your development isn’t successful your work may still qualify for R&D credits (i.e. you don’t need to have a patent to qualify). To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.
Who We Are:
Swanson Reed is one of the U.S.’ largest Specialist R&D tax advisory firms. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program, from claim preparation and audit compliance to claim disputes.
Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPAs. For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.
