Seed planter

A seed planter for planting seeds in soil. The seed planter includes a container with opposite open front and back ends and front and rear end caps covering respective ends of the container. The front end cap has a hole therethrough. A gate is slidably mounted on the front end cap. The front end cap has an outwardly extending spout adjacent the hole of the front end cap.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
 1. Field of the Invention
 The present invention relates to seed planters and more particularly
 pertains to a new seed planter for planting seeds in soil.
 2. Description of the Prior Art
 The use of seed planters is known in the prior art. More specifically, seed
 planters heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of
 familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding
 the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been
 developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
 Known prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 1,347,249 by Castillo; U.S. Pat. No.
 4,084,726 by Nicol; U.S. Pat. No. Des. 371,057 by Nicol; U.S. Pat. No.
 2,865,315 by Goldstein; U.S. Pat. No. 4,760,807 by Keller; and U.S. Pat.
 No. 5,493,977 by Maisch.
 While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and
 requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new seed
 planter. The inventive device includes a container with opposite open
 front and back ends and front and rear end caps covering respective ends
 of the container. The front end cap has a hole therethrough. A gate is
 slidably mounted on the front end cap. The front end cap has an outwardly
 extending spout adjacent the hole of the front end cap.
 In these respects, the seed planter according to the present invention
 substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the
 prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for
 the purpose of planting seeds in soil.
 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
 In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of seed
 planters now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a
 new seed planter construction wherein the same can be utilized for
 planting seeds in soil.
 The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described
 subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new seed planter apparatus
 and method which has many of the advantages of the seed planters mentioned
 heretofore and many novel features that result in a new seed planter which
 is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of
 the prior art seed planters, either alone or in any combination thereof.
 To attain this, the present invention generally comprises a container with
 opposite open front and back ends and front and rear end caps covering
 respective ends of the container. The front end cap has a hole
 therethrough. A gate is slidably mounted on the front end cap. The front
 end cap has an outwardly extending spout adjacent the hole of the front
 end cap.
 There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features
 of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that
 follows may be better understood, and in order that the present
 contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional
 features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which
 will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
 In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention
 in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its
 application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the
 components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the
 drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being
 practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood
 that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose
 of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
 As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon
 which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the
 designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the
 several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore,
 that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions
 insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present
 invention.
 Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent
 and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the
 scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar
 with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a
 cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of
 the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention
 of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to
 be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.
 It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new seed
 planter apparatus and method which has many of the advantages of the seed
 planters mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new
 seed planter which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or
 even implied by any of the prior art seed planters, either alone or in any
 combination thereof.
 It is another object of the present invention to provide a new seed planter
 which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.
 It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new seed
 planter which is of a durable and reliable construction.
 An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new seed
 planter which is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture with regard to
 both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low
 prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such seed planter
 economically available to the buying public.
 Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new seed
 planter which provides in the apparatuses and methods of the prior art
 some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some of
 the disadvantages normally associated therewith.
 Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new seed
 planter for planting seeds in soil.
 Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new seed
 planter which includes a container with opposite open front and back ends
 and front and rear end caps covering respective ends of the container. The
 front end cap has a hole therethrough. A gate is slidably mounted on the
 front end cap. The front end cap has an outwardly extending spout adjacent
 the hole of the front end cap.
 Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new seed
 planter that gives a user control over the number of seeds being planted
 to help avoid over-seeding of the soil.
 Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a new seed
 planter that is small enough to be easily grasped in the hand of a user.
 These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various
 features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with
 particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this
 disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating
 advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should
 be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there
 are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
 With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 through 5
 thereof, a new seed planter embodying the principles and concepts of the
 present invention and generally designated by the reference numeral 10
 will be described.
 As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 5, the seed planter 10 generally
 comprises a container with opposite open front and back ends and front and
 rear end caps covering respective ends of the container. The front end cap
 has a hole therethrough. A gate is slidably mounted on the front end cap.
 The front end cap has an outwardly extending spout adjacent the hole of
 the front end cap.
 In closer detail, the seed planter 10 comprises a tubular container 11 with
 has opposite open front and back ends, and a longitudinal axis extending
 between the front and back ends of the container. In use, the container is
 designed for holding seeds 12 therein. The container has a generally
 rectangular transverse cross section substantially perpendicular to the
 longitudinal axis of the container and has a plurality of alternating side
 faces 13 and side edges 14 extending between the ends of the container.
 The ends of the container preferably lie in substantially parallel planes
 to one another substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the
 container. In the preferred embodiment, a first pair of opposite side
 faces of the container lie in substantially parallel planes to one another
 while a second pair of opposite side faces of the container lie in
 substantially parallel planes to one another substantially perpendicular
 to the planes of the first pair of opposite side faces of the container.
 The container has a length defined between the ends of the container. Each
 of the side faces of the container has a width defined between adjacent
 pairs of side edges of the container. Ideally, the length of the container
 is about 3 inches to comfortably fit in the hand of a user and the width
 of each of the side faces of the container is about 3/4 inch to also
 comfortably fit in the hand of a user.
 A generally rectangular front end cap 15 substantially covers the front end
 of the container and a generally rectangular rear end cap 16 substantially
 covers the back end of the container. The front and rear end caps each
 have a generally rectangular cover panel 17 and a perimeter lip 18
 extending around the cover panel of the respective end cap. The cover
 panels of the end caps each substantially cover the associated end of the
 container. The perimeter lips of the end caps each are extended around the
 side faces and side edges of the container adjacent the associated end of
 the container. The perimeter lips of the end caps preferably frictionally
 hold each end cap to the associated end of the container. In use, the rear
 end cap is designed for removal from the container to permit filling of
 the container with seeds through the back end of the container as
 illustrated in FIG. 5.
 The cover panel of the front end cap has a plurality of alternating sides
 and corners. Each of the sides of the cover panel of the front end cap is
 associated with a side face of the container and each of the corners of
 the cover panel of the front end cap is associated with a side edge of the
 container. Each of the sides and corners of the cover panel of the front
 end cap are positioned adjacent the associated side faces and side edges
 of the container. The front end cap has a generally circular hole 19
 through the cover panel of the front end cap adjacent a first of the
 corners of the front end cap. In use, the hole of the front end cap is
 designed for permitting passage therethrough of seeds in the container. In
 an ideal embodiment, the hole has a diameter of about 7/32 inch.
 The front end cap also has a spaced apart pair of substantially parallel
 side rails 20,21 on the cover panel of the front end cap extending between
 an opposite pair of the corners of the cover panel of the front end cap.
 The hole of the front end cap is positioned between the side rails of the
 front end cap.
 A generally rectangular gate 22 is slidably mounted on the cover panel of
 the front end cap. The gate has a pair of substantially parallel sides
 23,24. One of the sides of the gate is slidably mounted to one of the side
 rails and the other of the sides of the gate is slidably mounted to the
 other of the side rails. In the ideal illustrative embodiment, the gate
 has a width defined between the sides of the gate of about 7/16 inch. The
 gate also has a V-shaped end 25 adjacent the first corner of the cover
 panel of the front end cap. In use, the gate is designed for permitting a
 user to selectively open and close the hole of the front end cap to
 control the number of seeds passing through the hole. The gate is slidable
 between first and second positions. The gate substantially covers the hole
 of the front end cap when the gate is positioned in the first position.
 When the gate is positioned in the second position, the gate substantially
 uncovering the hole of the front end cap.
 The gate also has a generally semi-circular extent 26 outwardly extending
 therefrom in a direction away from the cover panel of the front end cap.
 In use, the extent is designed for placing a user's thumb or finger
 thereon to slide the gate between the first and second positions.
 Preferably, the extent of the gate has a plurality of substantially
 parallel and spaced apart lateral ridges 27 for providing a frictionally
 enhanced surface with respect to a smooth surface for aiding the grip of a
 user's thumb or finger on the extent. The lateral ridges are extended
 substantially perpendicular to the sides of the gate.
 The front end cap has a spout 28 outwardly extending from the cover panel
 of the front end cap. The spout is positioned adjacent the first corner of
 the cover plate of the front end cap. The spout has a generally V-shaped
 transverse cross section taken in a plane substantially parallel to the
 cover panel of the front end cap. The spout comprises a pair of generally
 triangular side panels 29,30. In one preferred embodiment, the side panels
 of the spout lie in planes forming an acute angle therebetween. In another
 preferred embodiment, the side panels of the spout lie in substantially
 perpendicular planes to one another substantially perpendicular to the
 cover panel of the front end cap.
 Each of the side panels of the spout has a substantially straight outer
 edge 31 which converge together in an outwardly direction from the cover
 panel of the front end cap to a pointed tip 32. In use, the spout is
 designed for inserting the tip into soil and directing seeds exiting the
 container from the hole of the front cover panel into the soil adjacent
 the tip of the spout. In the ideal illustrative embodiment, the spout has
 a length defined from the cover panel of the front end cap to the top of
 the spout of about 11/2 inches.
 As to a further discussion of the manner of usage and operation of the
 present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description.
 Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and
 operation will be provided.
 With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the
 optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to
 include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of
 operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to
 one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those
 illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are
 intended to be encompassed by the present invention.
 Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the
 principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and
 changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired
 to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and
 described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may
 be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.