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Plant transfer mechanism

  • US 4,869,637 A
  • Filed: 08/27/1986
  • Issued: 09/26/1989
  • Est. Priority Date: 08/27/1986
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. Apparatus for transferring plants from a high density incubating tray containing said plants in rows to a planted disposition in a transplant location, each said plant including foliage, a stem, and a root bound soil mass, said plants for transfer to a continuously passing line of conveyed planting fingers having the same spacing as said planting in said rows;

  • said apparatus comprising;

    a continuously passing line of conveyed planting fingers, each said finger configured for grasping one of said plants by a stem;

    said continuously passing line of conveyed planting fingers moving from a plant receiving station to a transplanting location,means for oscillating said tray parallel to the direction of said continuously passing line of conveyed planting fingers including a first stroke in opposition to the direction of said passing fingers and a second stroke synchronized to the speed of said passing fingers;

    means for opening a group of fingers in said continuously passing line of conveyed planting fingers for receiving said plants at said stem during the first part of said second stroke, synchronized to the speed of said passing fingers, and closing said group of fingers in said continuously passing line of conveyed planting fingers to grasp said plants at said stem during the second part of said second stroke, synchronized to the speed of said passing fingers;

    means for extracting said incubating tray from said plants in said fingers during said second part of said second stroke, synchronized to the speed of said passing fingers, whereby said plants are transferred to said planting fingers and held by said stem with said root bound soil mass depending from said stem.

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