Abstract:
This invention relates to a growing tray and growing tray system for a rotating hydroponic garden. The growing tray is shaped to hold a standard cube of hydroponic growing media with or without a basket with a cap to cover the top opening in the tray between the plants. The growing tray may additionally include an indentation at the bottom of the growing tray to provide room for root growth expansion.

Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION 
       [0001]    This invention relates to hydroponic gardening and more particularly to a growing tray system for a rotating hydroponic garden. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Indoor gardening systems are designed to enhance growing through controlling the light, temperature, nutrients and water conditions for plants. Plants can be grown indoors in dirt media or hydroponically in solution or in solid media, namely, sand, gravel or rockwool. Growing trays of plants in either dirt or hydroponic medium are laid out on tables, with plants spaced in the dirt or hydroponic media to allow growth. Plants in solution have different growing parameters. An example of a hydroponic growing system is found in U.S. Pat. No. 8,667,734 entitled Hydroponic Plant Container with Highly Oxygenated Nutrient Solution Using Continuous Air Infection and Continuous Coriolis Effect Mixing and an example of a hydroponic growing system is found in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/352159 (publication #20130180172) entitled Rotating Plant Containing Module with Self-Contained Irrigation System. 
         [0003]    In hydroponic gardening it is possible to grow individual plants in individual cubes of hydroponic media and there are standard sizes of such cubes currently widely used. Plants are grown most often in 4 inch×2½ inch cubes of rockwool or baskets of gravel, typically lava rocks. A growing cube of rockwool is self-contained, wrapped or in a container, but lava rocks are in a basket to hold them together. In either case, there is a hole in the top of the cubes or made in the lava rocks, in which a seedling which is itself in its own growing media may be inserted. For example, seeds are typically sprouted in one inch cubes of rockwool hydroponic media. Seedlings in the 1 inch cubes are dropped into the 1 inch cubic space in the top of a growing cube of hydroponic media, for example rockwool or into a hole made in the lava rocks in a basket. 
         [0004]    Given that trays of plants in either dirt or hydroponic media on tables take up a lot of square space just like fields of crops, but are more costly in that the trays are indoors, various space saving measures have been developed to stack or to rotate growing trays. These systems have been adapted such that they still adequately deliver light and water to the plants. 
         [0005]    For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,401,437 and Canadian patents 2,421,389, 2,431,523 and 2,460,465, entitled Rotary Plant Growing Apparatus, describe an adaptation of a rotary drum growing system. Canadian patents 2,401,737 and 2,396,317 describe a further adaptation of a rotary drum growing system, as does Canadian patent 2,343,254. These and other rotary drum growing systems allow plants in rows of growing trays to rotate around a light source. 
         [0006]    In a rotating drum hydroponic growing system, plants in rockwool growing cubes are slid into either end of a growing tray. Plants are spaced along the tray to allow for adequate growth of the particular plant. The growing trays are placed in the rotating drum. 
         [0007]    Growing cubes which are gravel baskets are problematic in a rotating system since the gravel can fall out the top when rotating upside down. 
         [0008]    In between the cubes there are open empty spaces which space varies depending on the desired distance between the plants. A healthy and large root system is very important for a plant in order to absorb water and nutrients. However, in the rotating hydroponic system plant roots are inhibited from growing in the empty spaces between the growing cubes due to exposure to the light. 
         [0009]    A growing tray for a rotating drum hydroponic system for various types of hydroponic media which doesn&#39;t inhibit root growth is needed. 
       SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
       [0010]    In an embodiment of the present invention, there is a growing tray for growing plants, comprising an open ended trough with a bottom, sides and a top comprising an open channel, said channel may be bordered by attachment means for attaching a cap with corresponding attachment means. The cap is capable of partially, non-contiguously or fully covering said channel. The growing tray may additionally comprise an indentation into the bottom of the trough. 
         [0011]    In a further embodiment, there is a growing tray system comprising a growing tray and a cap, said growing tray comprising an open ended trough with a bottom, sides and a top comprising an open channel, and said cap capable of covering the open channel. 
         [0012]    The cap of the growing tray system may additionally comprise two longitudinal grooves and the channel is bordered by two longitudinal tongues whereby when the cap is covering the open channel each tongue is engaged with an adjacent groove. The growing tray system may also additionally comprise an indentation into the bottom of the trough. 
         [0013]    In an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a light resistant cap capable of covering the top of a growing tray for holding plants, said cap comprising a material capable of being cut to provide gaps through which the plants can grow. In this cap the gaps can be holes or alternatively, the gaps can make the cap non-contiguous. In a further embodiment, the cap and growing tray can additionally comprise attachment means for attachment of the cap to the growing tray. 
         [0014]    In an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a basket for holding hydroponic media for use in the growing tray and a basket for use in the growing tray system. 
     
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         [0015]    These and other aspects of the present invention will be apparent from the brief description of the drawings and the following detailed description in which: 
           [0016]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a growing tray of an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0017]      FIG. 2  is perspective view of a cap of an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0018]      FIG. 3  is an end view of the cap of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0019]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a growing tray and cap of an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0020]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a basket of an embodiment of the present invention 
           [0021]      FIG. 6  is an end view of the growing tray and cap of  FIG. 4  with the basket of  FIG. 5 . 
           [0022]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the growing tray, cap and basket of  FIG. 6  with plants. 
           [0023]      FIG. 8  is an end view of a growing tray and a cap of another embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION 
       [0024]    In an embodiment of the present invention there is provided a growing tray for growing plants, comprising an open ended trough with a bottom, sides and a top comprising an open channel. The channel may be bordered by attachment means for attaching a cap with corresponding attachment means. The cap can cover said open channel in full, non-contiguously or in part. In an embodiment of the present invention there is provided a growing tray system comprising the growing tray and the cap. In a further embodiment of the invention the cap additionally comprises two longitudinal grooves and the channel is bordered by two longitudinal tongues whereby when the cap is covering the open channel each tongue is engaged with an adjacent groove. 
         [0025]    With reference to the drawings, the growing tray of an embodiment of the present invention is shown in  FIG. 1  in which the growing tray  10  is an open ended trough comprised of a bottom  20 , first side  30  and second side  32 , first top  40  and second top  42  separated by a channel  50 . Bordering the channel  50  from first end  15  to second end  17  is a first tongue means  60  and a second tongue means  62 . While this growing tray could be used in any system, it is capable of use in a rotating drum hydroponic growing system. In a rotating drum hydroponic growing system, a drum rotates around a light and rows of growing trays line the interior of the drum. Plants in hydroponic media are slid into the trays with the plants facing the light. As such, as the drum rotates, the plants rotate and are always facing the light, but are sometimes upside down. Given the standard size of the growing cubes, the channel  50  is narrow enough to hold the growing cube in so that it doesn&#39;t fall out when rotating and large enough for the plant to grow through. 
         [0026]    In a further embodiment of the present invention the bottom  20  additionally comprises an indentation  70 . If the indentation  70  is not present in the growing tray  10 , the bottom  20  is substantially flat. The indentation may be any shape that functions to create space on either side of the indentation  70  in which roots from a plant can expand into. 
         [0027]      FIGS. 2 and 3  both show a cap of an embodiment of the present invention. The cap  90  is sized to cover the channel  50  of the growing tray  10 , and the cap  90  further comprises first groove  110  and second groove  112 . 
         [0028]      FIG. 4  shows the cap  90  of  FIGS. 2 and 3  on the growing tray  10  of  FIG. 1 . In position, the first tongue means  60  fits within the first groove  110  and the second tongue means  62  fits within the second groove  112 . This is one embodiment of a means for attaching the cap  90  to the growing tray  10 , but other means can be used. In this embodiment with this tongue and groove system, there are various methods of attaching the cap  90  to the growing tray  10 , for example, the first tongue means  60  can be placed within the first groove  110  at the first end  15  and the second tongue means  62  fit within the second groove  112  at the first end  15  and then the cap can be pressed and rolled out towards second end  17 , such that the full length of the first and second tongue means fits within the full length of the first and second groove, respectively. 
         [0029]      FIG. 5  shows a basket  120  of an embodiment of the present invention adapted with first slot  130  and second slot  140 . A basket can be adapted to adjust to the parameters of a growing tray of any embodiment of the growing system of the present invention. The basket can be adapted to fit around any growing tray attachment means to a cap, and any indentation  70  in a growing tray  10 . Depending on the hydroponic media used, the container for the media may vary or may not be even necessary, but when necessary, a basket  120  holds the hydroponic media and the plant in the media. 
         [0030]      FIG. 6  shows the growing tray  10  and cap  90  of  FIG. 4  with the basket  120  of  FIG. 5 . In this embodiment, the basket  120  is resting on the indentation  70  and the first and the basket  120  is adapted with a first slot  130  and a second slot  140  since in this embodiment the second tongue means  60  and  62  comprise protrusions below the first top  40  and second top  42 . The basket  120  is used when the hydroponic media is loose and needs to be contained in a basket or is more manageable in a basket. The basket  120  can be sized to fit snugly within the growing tray  10 . The basket  120  can rest on the bottom  20  or when the bottom additionally comprises an indentation  70  then the basket  120  can rest on the indentation. 
         [0031]      FIG. 7  shows the growing tray  10 , cap  90  and basket  120  of  FIG. 6  with plants  150  protruding from gaps  170  in the cap  90 . The plants  150  are in growing cubes  160 . 
         [0032]    The growing cubes  160  comprise hydroponic media in which plants can grow. If the hydroponic media is a solid cube, then the growing cube comprises that media, but if the hydroponic media is loose, such as with gravel such as lava rocks, then the growing cube comprises the basket  120  with the loose hydroponic media in it. 
         [0033]    In use, the growing cubes  160  can be rockwool or gravel (or other hydroponic media) with or without a container or basket  120  depending on the media. The growing cubes  160 , with or without baskets  120 , are slid into either the first end  15  or second end  17  of the growing tray  10 . The growing cubes  160  are spaced apart if necessary for growth of the chosen plants  150 . A cap  90  is attached to the growing tray  10  by fitting the first and second tongue means  60  and  62  into the first and second grooves  110  and  112 , respectively. 
         [0034]    In order for the plants  150  to grow, it is necessary to have gaps  170  in the cap  90  at the points at which the plants  150  are situated. These gaps  170  can be made by cutting the cap such that the cap is not contiguous, but only covers the portions between plants. Alternatively, these gaps can be merely holes through which the plant can fit through and can be made by punching out a hole in the cap, or slicing right through the cap with a hole-shape in about the middle for the plant to fit through. The material of the cap  90  is such that it can be cut, for example, by a punch, a knife, cutting shears, cutting pliers, box cutter or other cutting tool. 
         [0035]    One method for determining where the gaps  170  should be located is to place the cap  90  alongside the channel  50  on either the first top  40  or second top  42  so that cap  90  can be cut adjacent to the points at which the plants  150  are situated, such that when the cap  90  is attached to the growing tray  10 , the plants  150  protrude through the gaps  170 . Another method is to measure the distance between the centres of growing cubes  160  and measure and cut the cap  90  segments accordingly. Another method is to have the cap  90  precut in segments rather than long lengths. A further method is to have the cap  90  precut with holes and in use the growing cubes  160  have to be positioned in the tray such that the seedling or future plant will be under the holes when the cap is in place. 
         [0036]    There is empty space between the growing cubes  160  in which roots from the plants  150  can expand into. The cap  90  covers these spaces and light is reduced or eliminated from reaching into these spaces. 
         [0037]    In an embodiment of the invention in which the bottom  20  comprises an indentation  70 , the growing cube  160  or basket  120  in the growing tray, rests on the indentation  70 . Thus there is empty space on either side of the indentation  70  in which roots of the plants  150  can expand into. 
         [0038]    Gravity is an issue encountered with any rotating hydroponic system. In particular growing cubes  160  with hydroponic media which is loose in a basket (as opposed to a solid block) can fall out when the growing cubes are upside down. The growing tray and cap system of the present invention has a channel  50  and cap  90  which reduces loose hydroponic media falling out when a growing cube is upside down. 
         [0039]    The cap  90  in an embodiment of the invention is made of polyvinyl chloride (“PVC”). The material of the cap is ideally any material that is light resistant, flexible enough to attach to the growing tray, holds hydroponic media in, and can be cut at the locations at which plants will grow. The cap  90  can be pre-cut in segments or with holes when manufactured, or the cap can be manufactured as long pieces and cut afterwards as needed. The light resistant nature of the cap  90  reduces the light in the spaces between plants where roots can expand into. 
         [0040]    The cap  90  is attached to the growing tray in any manner that would allow for the cap to generally cover the spaces between the plants.  FIG. 8  is an alternative style of cap  90  of a further embodiment of the invention, and various embodiments of the invention are possible. The cap  90  of the present invention can be used with a growing tray that does not comprise a channel  50 , and in such a case the gaps  170  may be adapted so that the cap can provide more coverage since the growing tray is open at the top. 
         [0041]    From the above detailed description, the operation and construction of the invention should be apparent. While there are herein shown and described example embodiments of the invention, it is nevertheless understood that various changes may be made with respect thereto without departing from the principle and scope of the invention.