The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 05, 1978
Filed:
Jun. 28, 1976
Leonard Charles Braun, Bartlett, IL (US);
Edward Leonard Benno, Grayslake, IL (US);
Illinois Tool Works Inc., Chicago, IL (US);
Abstract
A planting machine for inserting plants, such as seedlings which have been grown in a cartridge, to a substantial depth in the open ground and substantially absent of any plowing or rocking effect on the plant during the planting operation and while the machine is moving along the ground. In a preferred embodiment the machine comprises a frame which is supported for movement along the surface of the ground. The frame carries a planting mechanism, an operator and a supply of seedling cartridges. The planting mechanism is driven by a ground wheel and is so arranged that as a plant is inserted into the ground to a substantial depth while the machine is moving along the ground, the plant is free of any horizontally directed component of force which may tend to produce an elongated opening in the ground. In a preferred embodiment shown and described, that result is achieved by the use of a parallelogram arrangement which carries the plant with the effective arms of the parallelogram set to produce a minimum horizontal component of movement relative to the ground as the planting mechanism is driven by the ground wheel. Further, the plant is carried on a roller assembly in the parallelogram arrangement so that when the plant begins to enter the ground in the planting operation, the roller assembly can horizontally translate on the parallelogram arrangement to produce substantially no horizontal component of movement of the plant relative to the ground during the planting operation. The machine further includes a set of water nozzles from which water under pressure issues after each planting operation to effectively water-tamp each plant that has been inserted into the ground.