ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 26 -- United States Patent no. 12,257,861, issued on March 25, was assigned to Tribine Industries LLC (Logansport, Ind.).
"Notched tires to shield planted crop rows" was invented by Ben N. Dillon (Logansport, Ind.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "Machines that plant crop seed generally compact the seed rows with their tires. The solution to this problem is to cut or mold notches into the tire lugs in the area that would pass directly above the planted seeds and adjacent to the planted seeds. Tires could also be molded with the notches in place during the tire manufacturing process. If lateral beaming strength is needed in the tire, ribs can be formed on the inside of the ...