Seedling tray

• US 8,707,620 B2
• Filed: 01/06/2012
• Issued: 04/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Buckhorn Inc (Myers Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Buckhorn Inc (Myers Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Miller, Daniel R., Panosso, Jose Alessio
• Primary Examiner(s): Parsley, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): CLERKLEY, DANIELLE A
• Application Number:
  US13/344,948
• Publication Number:
  US 20130174481A1
• Time in Patent Office: 844 Days
• Field of Search: 47/665, 47/666, 47/73, 47/77, 47 85- 87, 479/01, D11/143, D11/155, D11/156, D11/164, 206/423, 206/558, 206/562, 206/563
• US Class Current: 47/87
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 9/0295 Units comprising two or more connected receptacles

Abstract

A seedling tray includes a top body member constructed of a rigid solid plastic material having a plurality of planting cells formed in an upper surface with each of the cells converging downwardly and inwardly to define an opening at the bottom thereof. A plurality of air chambers are formed between adjacent ones of the cells which are closed at the bottom by a bottom plate member constructed of a rigid plastic material which is fixedly attached to the body member and which has openings therein corresponding in number and alignment with the openings of the bottoms of the cells which are sealingly engaged with the openings in the bottom plate member.

Claims

1. A seedling tray comprising:

a top body member constructed of a rigid, solid plastic material and having side walls, end walls and an upper surface;

a plurality of planting cells formed in said upper surface, said plurality of planting cells being integrally connected together in rows and columns and extending downwardly from said upper surface and terminating in a common lower plane;

each of said planting cells having walls defining a larger first opening at a top thereof and converging downwardly and inwardly to define a bottom surface forming said common lower plane with a second opening in said bottom surface;

a cylindrical nipple extending downwardly from said bottom surface of each of said planting cells and having a passageway forming said second opening, each said cylindrical nipple having a nipple outer end spaced from said bottom surface of each of said planting cells;

a plurality of air chambers formed between adjacent ones of said planting cells with each of said air chambers being closed at the top thereof and open at the bottom thereof; and

a bottom plate member constructed of a dense solid plastic material and having a top surface which is heat welded to said bottom surface of said top body member at said common lower plane; and

a plurality of third openings said bottom plate member and which correspond in number, and alignment with said rows and columns in said top body member, said plurality of third openings each passing through said bottom plate top surface to a bottom plate bottom surface, each of said nipples extending from said bottom of one of said plurality of planting cells through said third openings, and being sealingly engaged with said bottom plate member adjacent to said third openings in said bottom plate member with said nipple outer end of each said nipple terminating below said bottom plate top surface and at said bottom plate bottom surface, wherein when said open bottoms of said air chambers are sealed closed by said bottom plate member when said top surface of said bottom plate member is heat welded to said common lower plane of said top body member around each of said nipples intermediate an upper end of each said nipple and said outer end of each said nipple, said passageway between said second opening and said third opening will be maintained open.

2. The seedling tray of claim 1 wherein said rigid, solid plastic material has a density of about 1 g/cm^3.

3. The seedling tray of claim 2 wherein said rigid, solid plastic material is a polyolefin.

4. The seedling tray of claim 3 wherein said polyolefin is one of polyethylene and polypropylene.