TOOL FOR SPACING AND SETTING OUT IN ROWS PROPAGATION POTS

Abstract: Tool for spacing and setting out in rows propagation pots, the tool consisting of a lifting device with grip and crossbar with teeth. When the pots are to be spaced, the teeth of the fork (3a and 3b) are placed between the rows of pots. If two rows of pots are to be spaced, then by lifting the handle (7) towards the grip (1) 3/4 of the pots will be lifted up together with the support (3a). This is made possible by using two crossbars, an upper one (2) and a lower one (4) to which is attached in couples a number of teeth (3a and 3b). The said crossbars with teeth can be moved independently of each other by means of the handle (7) and the grip (1). Further there is on the rear part of the tooth (3a) a part (5) protruding beyond the tooth (3b). This extension of the tooth (3a) at the rear has the function of supporting pots on this part of the group of teeth (3a) when the handle (7) is lifted up towards the grip (1), while only every second pot is left hanging on the foremost part of the group of teeth (3a) when the handle (7) is lifted up towards the grip (1).

Description: - . - Tool for spacing and setting out in rows propagation pots. The present invention relates to a tool for spacing and setting out propagation pots in rows, where the tool consists of a lifting device with grip and crossbar with teeth. •The method of setting out pots in greenhouses is as follows: The propagation pots are filled with earth either mechanically or by hand. There a seedling or a seed is planted in each pot. As the pots are ready, they are moved to a transport-trolley and set side by side close to each other and in layers above each other. This. is done manually. The transport-trolley is then moved to the propagation benches, where the pots are removed to the benches. This is also done by hand. The pots are usually positioned close to each other, or at some distance from each other, depending on the size of the foliage and the rate of growth. It is also possible to remove the pots from the transport- trolley by means of a simple tool. Such a tool is described in the Norwegian Patent No. 138 012. The described tool is shaped like a grip fixed to a crossbar, to which is attached a set of forward-pointing teeth. As the plants grow and the leaves spread beyond the rim of the pot, they need more space and more light. If the pots are ot now moved away from each other, the growth of the plants will stagnate. The spacing is done in such a way that every second pot is removed by hand and placed on another propagation bench, and at a good distance from each other. It is.clear that the handling of the pots in the greennouses is time- and labour-consuming. It has therefore been a ■ long-felt want that the spacing of the plants could not be done mechanically or by means of a suitable tool. The Norwegian Patent No. 136 170 describes a tool well-suited for moving out one row of pots from other rows on a propa¬ gation bench. With this tool every second row of pots will be removed from the bench. The pots, which are removed, are placed on another bench in the same order in which they were removed. The remaining pots on the bench must then be spread by hand in such a way that every second pot is moved diago¬ nally one place into the empty row. However, the abovementioned tool only serves its purpose if the plants are placed at a distance from each other. If they are placed too closely together, the removal of the pots will damage the plants. _Even if the abovementioned tool has to a certain degree rationalized the work of spacing, there have been some objec¬ tions to it owing to the fact that spacing must be done manu¬ ally. The conclusion was that the spacing done by tools up to the present was not good enough. Another thing is that the nurseryman must have both these tools available. In the Norwegian Patent Application No. 810 668, which is prior to this application, a fork is described for spacing and setting out rows of propagation pots of a kind consisting of a lifting device with grip and crossbar with teeth. The said spacing fork is well-suited for small and large pots containing plants, the leaf crown of which is not too de¬ veloped. It is therefore especially useful when propagating plants. In cases where the leaf crowns are well-developed and when the leaf crowns of two or more adjacent plants have inter- .twined with each other, it has been found that the spacing fork has certain drawbacks * , because the plants have to be separated-from each other. This delays the work of spacing with the tool. When removing the pots from the propagatio bench it is most important that this be done as rationally as possible. Id est, that the number of pots spaced per time unit should be as high as possible. For example, one row at a time can be spaced by a long fork, or two rows at a time by a shorter fork. Both times there will be spaced, theoretically, the same number of pots per time unit. However, it is more diffi¬ cult to space with a long fork than with a shorter one, be¬ cause the first-mentioned fork is more difficult for the gardener to manipulate. The inventor has now shown that when the teeth of a spacing fork are shaped in a special way, and that the teeth can by means of a simple operation be arranged in a fixed position above the support, the problem can be solved by a combi-tool for lifting and spacing the pots. The essential feature of the invention is that every second pair of teeth is attached to the lower and • every second pair of teeth to the upper crossbar, where the lower and upper crossbars are independently displaceable in relation to each other. Another feature of the invention is that the teeth have a preferred parallelepipedal cross section, but there are no other restrictions with respect to the shape of the teeth or their location in relation to each other. By lifting and spacing one row of pots the tooth can, for example, have the appearance of a parallelepiped seen from the front to the rear. However, if two pot rows are to be spaced by the same fork, then in accordance with the invention every second pair of .teeth is parallelepipedal and every second pair of teeth parallelepipedal in the foremost part of the tooth and bent aside and-over the second pair of teeth on the rear part of the tooth. The spacing fork has further a preferred performance where it is equipped with a simple device like a grip and a handle. The purpose of the handle, when moved upwards, is to lift every second pair of teeth from the support. The lower cross¬ bar ^ of the spacing fork then remains on the support as a variable heightregulator for the fork. By spacing the plants by means of the spacing fork every second pot will be lifted so high that the leaf crowns will be kept apart from each other. The invention is as described in the claims. For better understanding of the invention reference is made to Figures 1-4 and to the labour saving shown below: Only manual spacing 0% saving 2 tools and manual spacing Appr. 25% saving Spacing fork according to the invention Appr. 75% saving Figure 1 is a drawing seen from above of the said spacing fork, while Figure 2a shows the same in profile along the line A-A. Figure 2b represents a cross-sectional view of the teeth 3a -and 3b along the line B-B. Figures 3 and 4a show pots in rows seen from above and the same in a staggered way. The complete spacing fork for displacing propagation pots is shown in Figure 1. The spacing fork is equipped with a grip (1), upper crossbar (2), and forward-pointing teeth (3), which in the present case are attached. to the bar (2) and a lower -non-visuable bar (4). This detail is more clearly seen in Figure 2a. The teeth are grouped in pairs (3a) and (3b) so that the pair (3a) is attached to the upper crossbar (4), while the toothpair (3b) is attached to the lower crossbar (2). A further feature shown is a disk area (5) above the rear part of " each second pair of teeth (3b). Figure 2a shows a cross section of the spacing fork along the line A-A with the grip (1) and a sliding case (6) to which the handle (7) is fixed. The lower crossbar (4) is in the present execution attached to the lifting device (8). The teeth (3a) and (3b) are attached.respectively to the cross¬ bars (2) and (4). The crossbar (2) is attached to a sliding housing (6) to which the handle (7) also is attached. The handle can be pulled upwards to the grip (1) by which the whole row of teeth (3a) and the ^ crossbar (2) are lifted. On the rear part of the tooth (3a) there is a shaded part (5) above the tooth (3b). On Figure 2b this detail is better illustrated, there being shown a cross section of both teeth (3a and 3b) along the line B-B on Figure 2a. It can be distinctly seen how the tooth (3a) is shaped on the rear part of the tooth with the protrusion (5) above the teeth (3b). In order to describe how this special detail works attention is drawn to " Figures 3, and 4a and b, which show 2 rows of pots in a respectively non-staggered and a staggered manner. The staggering (spacing) is done in such a way that the whole row of teeth is placed between the two rows of pots. By means of pulling the handle (7) upwards towards the grip ( 1 ) , all the pots in the row nearest to the .gardener (Row B, Figure 3), will hang on the teeth (3a), while only every second pot furthest from the gardener (Row A, Figure- 3) will hang on the teeth (3a). The second half of the pots in that row will thus hang on the teeth (3b). The use of the spacing fork as a transportation device If the spacing fork is to be used for moving the propagation pots from a propagation bench to another or out of and into the trolley, the teeth of the spacing fork are placed between the pots, after which the rows of pots are lifted up. The pots will thus remain hanging on the teeth (3). The use of the spacing fork as a spacing device If the fork is to be used to space the pots in rows, the - teeth (3) should be placed between the pots. Then the handle (7) is pulled upwards towards the grip (1), which is indicated with a double arrow on the Figure (2a. The pots are then positioned on different levels. The lower, undarkened layer of pots, the layer hanging on the teeth (3b), when by means of the spacing fork the two rows of pots A and B are lifted, can now be placed on the support. The upper, shaded layer of pots, with the pots hanging on the pair of teeth (3a), can now be pulled out of the lower row of pots and placed on the support, id est, the propagation bench, in a staggered way, as is shown on Figure 4a. Thereafter the spacing fork is pulled backwards so that the foremost part of the teeth mesh with potrow B. Thereafter the "" whole row of teeth (3a) is lifted by means of the handle (7) so that every second pot is left hanging on the row of teeth (3a) and every second pot on the row of teeth (3b), and the same is repeated as mentioned above by the spacing of the first row (Row A) . Using old methods and only manual operation of the pots a great deal of time was taken up in placing them on the . transporttrolley, and from there on to benches, and from the benches again to the trolley or over to another bench before the pots could be spaced. The present invention is not limited-to pulling out and spacing one or two rows of pots at the same time, as an additional extension of the pairs of teeth (3a and 3b) would cause the teeth to mesh with more than 2 rows of pots. The protrusion (5) of the teeth (3a) must then in that case be extended in relation to the length of the teeth. By using a simple lifting device with a number of parallel teeth, it is possible to simultaneously lift a number of pots rowwise into a transport-trolley and on to a bench and from the bench on to the transport-trolley or to another bench. The following spacing of every second pot had then to be done by hand. The timesaving earned by this method is, as shown earlier, appr. 25% of that needed for manual operation. The advantages according to the present invention are there¬ fore that the object of the invention, the spacing fork, can at the same time be used as a lifting device for a number of pots arranged"in rows behind each other and for staggering the pots in the same rows and that the operator can effec¬ tively separate entangled leaf crowns. Studies have been carried out which show that, compared with manual transportation and staggering of pots, appr. 75% of the usual working time will be saved when using the spacing -fork according to the invention.

Claims: Claims 1. Tool, for spacing and setting out in row propagation pots of a kind which consists of a lifting device with grip and crossbar with forward-pointing teeth, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n t h a t the tool comprises both an upper crossbar (2), and a lower crossbar (4) to which is attached a number of teeth (3a and 3b) respectively. 2. Tool according to claim 1, c h>a r a c t e r i z e d i n t h a t the crossbars (-2 and 4) with the teeth (3a and 3b) can be displaced independently of each other. 3. Tool according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n t h a t the teeth (3a and 3b) are parallelepipedal where the parallelepiped constitutes an I and/or an H and/or an L and/or a T and where the teeth (3a) have a pro¬ trusion (5) above the rear part of the teeth (3b). fTTREA

Inventors: GUNDERSEN MARIUS, GUNDERSEN, MARIUS
Applicants: VEFI AS, VEFI A/S
Application year: 1982
Main classification: A01G9
IPC codes: A01G9, B65G59