Automated system for in-field storage, traceability and unloading of harvest products of harvested material from a harvesting machine

Abstract

A system for collecting a harvested product is provided. The system may include a continuously constructed flexible container for collecting the harvested product. For instance, the continuously constructed flexible container is a continuous sheet of flexible material such as plastic. A sealing device may be included within the system which is operationally coupled to the continuously constructed flexible container to allow the container to be sealed in discrete increments. Further, the system includes a traceability device operationally coupled to each of the discrete increments of the continuously flexible container to allow the harvested product included within each increment to be tracked. The use of the continuously constructed flexible container allows the harvested product to be collected continuously.

1 . A device for collecting a harvested product, comprising:
 a continuously constructed flexible container for collecting the harvested product, the continuously constructed flexible container being configured as a tube, the tube being formed of a continuous sheet of flexible, plastic material that is capable of being sealed, the harvested product being sealed within a plurality of discrete sections formed by the container such that harvested product sealed within a first discrete section of the container is isolated from harvested product sealed within a second discrete section of the container, the first discrete section being interconnected with the second discrete section; and   a plurality of traceability devices configured for being attached to the discrete sections to allow the harvested product included within each of the discrete sections of the container to be tracked,   wherein the continuously constructed flexible container is configured for being stored on and unwound from a roll, the roll being coupled to a combine harvester, the interconnected harvested product-containing sealed sections of the continuously constructed flexible container configured for being directed from the combine harvester onto a field when the combine harvester is moving in a generally forward direction, thereby providing for in-field storage of the harvested product at a pre-determined rate, wherein the use of the continuously constructed flexible container allows the harvested product to be collected continuously, wherein the device is operationally coupled to the combine harvester.   
   
   
       2 . The device as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the traceability device is at least one of a bar code or radio frequency identification (RFID) tag. 
   
   
       3 . The device as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the continuous sheet of flexible material is capable of being heat-sealed.