Bud Antle, Inc.

Fafco Incorporated

Castle & Cooke Techniculture, Inc.

Errol C Armstrong

David W Cayton

William A Hanacek

Angus B MacKenzie

Richard O Rhodes

Richard Thomas Wipfler

Javier Diaz-Infante

Thorburn S Kennedy

Paul F Hermann

Thomas A Spinetti

James R Thompson

David J Hall

A method for fabricating a solar energy collector assembly of the integral storage type is disclosed herein. This assembly utilizes a specifically designed storage arrangement which is expanded into its final shape from an initial collapsed configuration. In the specific embodiment disclosed, the storage arrangement includes many of its own design features apart from the overall collector assembly and serves as the main structural component of the entire assembly.

Method for fabricating a solar energy collector assembly utilizing a

A machine for automatically removing soil plugs from the densely packed configuration of their growing tray and presenting them serially in a reliable and precisely positioned manner to appropriate plug takeup portions of an automated plug handling system. Broadly, the plug loader and feeder according to the present invention comprises a reciprocating plug ejection mechanism operable to remove a complete row of plugs from the tray, a tray indexing mechanism for incrementally moving the tray, one row at a time, past the plug ejection mechanism, and a carousel feeder which acts first as a receiving station and then as a plug presenting system. The machine further comprises a synchronous drive mechanism for taking motion from any appropriate input drive and generating the timed motions of the above-mentioned components over each machine cycle. A machine cycle is characterized by the ejection of one row of plugs from the tray, the typically downward movement of the tray by one row, and the movement of the carousel by a distance equal to the length of a row.

Automatic soil plug loader and feeder

Apparatus for continuously and rapidly forming trays of highly uniform elastomeric soil plugs comprises means for continuously mixing a water-containing soil slurry with a water-reactive pre-polymer compound, means for supplying the soil slurry and the pre-polymer compound to the mixing means at respective controlled rates, and means for delivering the mixed soil slurry and pre-polymer compound to a dispensing station for dispensing into mold receptacles; the receptacles are disposed in a closed path and carried by transport means seriatim past the dispensing station. Releasable bias means biases a tray mold member against a base mold member within each receptacle so as to extrude soil-pre-polymer mixture into plug-molding cavities of the tray mold member. The bias means is released after the plugs within the tray mold member have cured. The operation of the apparatus coordinates the various steps in the plug-molding process with stages of the chemical reaction between the water and pre-polymer compound to form highly uniform plugs at the maximum rate allowable by the chemical reaction.

Method and apparatus for making soil plugs

A planter is moved through a field to place two rows of four plants on the top of a planting bed between adjacent irrigation furrows. Plants ready for transplant are disposed in trays within polymerized cast soil plugs. Each plug is disposed within the tray in a hole. Each tray has rows and columns of plant receiving holes extending through each tray. The planter carrying the plugs moves in increments and sets the planter mechanism in a stationary position over the top of the planting bed prior to plug planting. The tray carrying the transplants is registered horizontally and vertically to a plug receiving cylinder by respective cams and a supporting chain. Upon registry, polymer plugs containing sprouted plants therein are ejected, typically eight at a time, by ejecting fingers penetrating the plant receiving holes. Ejection occurs with the plants horizontally disposed into receiving concavities defined within a rotating cylinder. Rotation of the cylinder drops the ejected plants into receiving funnels, one for each plant. Upon return rotation of the cylinder, connection of a wind chest to the receiving funnel occurs with an air blast forcing the plug and carried plant downwardly through a tube. Plant downward travel halts at a reciprocating plate. Insertion of the plug into the ground begins with penetration of the ground by a dibble spike followed by circumscribing penetration of a dibble tube around the spike. When the spike is withdrawn, the plant is reciprocated into registry with the dibble tube and the plant blown under pressure down to the bottom of the dibble tube. With the air pressure applied, the dibble tube is retracted, leaving the plant in its wake. Compaction occurs by a soft wheel running over the newly sprouted plant. After planting eight plants simultaneously, the planter incrementally advances, leaving in its wake groups of plants, typically eight lettuce plants on twelve inch centers staggered in approximate 6 inch spacing one from another.

Dibble tube soil plug planter

A machine for transplanting soil plugs with great uniformity and a minimum of manual labor comprising a conveyor having a plurality of soil plug gripping mechanisms mounted thereto, a furrow opening device, and a furrow closing device. The furrow closing device of the present invention is preferably defined by portions of a bed shaper that operates to form the soil into a trapezoidal planting bed. In addition to the normal function of shaping the bed, the bed shaper establishes a ground level with respect to which the plugs are planted, while the rear portions of the bed shaper act to close the furrow, and include adjustable tabs that may be set to control the timing of the closure relative to the plug positioning. Each plug gripping assembly preferably comprises a center opening clip having opposed resilient fingers. The conveyor path is characterized by a lower horizontal path portion that maintains the plugs at the proper planting depth for a significant interval so that the soil may be properly closed around the plugs before the plugs are released.

Transplanting machine

A planter is moved through a field to place two rows of four plants on the top of a planting bed between adjacent irrigation furrows. The tray carrying the transplants is registered horizontally and vertically to a plug receiving cylinder by respective cams and a supporting chain. Upon registry, polymer plugs containing sprouted plants therein are ejected, typically eight at a time, by ejecting fingers penetrating the plant receiving holes. Ejection occurs with the plants horizontally disposed into receiving concavities defined within a rotating cylinder. Rotation of the cylinder drops the ejected plants into receiving funnels, one for each plant. Plant downward travel halts at a reciprocating plate. Insertion of the plug into the ground begins with penetration of the ground by a dibble spike followed by circumscribing penetration of a dibble tube around the spike. When the spike is withdrawn, the plant is reciprocated into registry with the dibble tube and the plant blown under pressure down to the bottom of the dibble tube. With the air pressure applied, the dibble tube is retracted, leaving the plant in its wake.

Growing community of inventors

Salinas, CA, United States of America

Errol C Armstrong