Abstract:
There is provided a manually operated seeding and tilling device having a tubular feed shaft equipped with a seed retaining chamber, a portal for loading the chamber with seeds, a handle for rotating a shaft about an orbital axis, a tined tilling member positioned at a distal end of the shaft and a seed valve regulating device for regulating the dispensing of seeds from the seed chamber. The tined tilling member serves to churn the soil such as ungrassed patches into a fluffy and uncompacted churned seed bed by rotating the shaft and tined members about its vertical axis with the handle. The rotating tines are then used to churn the seed dispensed from the device into the finished seed bed.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention pertains to a seeding device and more particularly to a seeding device equipped to manually till and seed a seed bed. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Throughout the years a host of manually operated tilling devices have been proposed. In general, such devices are frequently used as tools to separately till and separately seed. In contrast, many power operated seeding devices can simultaneously furrow and seed the furrowed seed bed. The inability to provide hand operated seeders which may be effectively used to till and seed a tilled bed arises, in part, from the arts inability to devise a handy device capable of permitting the manipulative conduct of these two cooperative steps. Current devices often unduly strain and overtax the manipulative capabilities of the operator. Illustrative of manually operated seeding devices adapted to seed or spread seed upon a tilled seed bed may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 1,124,523 to W. J. Reeser which discloses a seed receptacle equipped with an adjustable valve plate. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,760,807 to P. Keller discloses a hand operated seed planter comprised of a hollow upright tube for containing grass seed and a seed transfer plate positioned on the bottom end of the tube. U.S. Pat. No. 4,206,714 to Walsh discloses a manually operated seeding device for separately preparing and then reseeding small bare spots in a lawn. File Walsh seeder includes scarifying teeth designed for separately scarifying a bare spot, an elongated telescoping tubular member, a hopper for holding grass seed, and a check valve assembly which regulates the amount of seed released to the scarified soil. U.S. Pat. No. 4,011,612 to Atkinson discloses a lawn and garden implement having an elongated hollow handle and a furrow-forming and closing head within which dispensed seed is seeded from the hollow handle into the furrowed soil. The Atkinson implement may be provided with various interchangeable tools for performing various gardening tasks. U.S. Pat. No. 1,124,523 to Reeser also provides a hand operated seed planting device equipped with a receptacle or container body, a removable closure cap and an adjustable valve plate. The Reeser valve plate contains a series of circular openings which regulate the quantity of dispensed seed. 
     As evident from the aforementioned, the heretofore planting devices typically necessitate independent tilllng followed by a separate seeding step. Manual devices designed to penetrate the soil and seed are not effective in proper seed bed preparation in that such devices typically rely upon making a compacted furrow, placing the seed in a furrow and then closing the furrow. This leaves much to be desired since effective seed bed preparation necessitates a fluffing, aerating and tilling of the seed bed into a soft, lightly compacted seed bed which in turn is ideally suited for promoting the nurturing and growth of the seeded seeds. 
     The inventor desired a manually operated device which would be capable of tilling a seed bed to a desired texture (e.g., lightly compacted) for seeding as opposed to those devices designed for furrowing and scarifying the seed bed. The tilling and seeding device would desirably be equipped to regulate the amount of seed seeded into the tilled seed bed. A device capable of churning the soil into a suitable seed bed for planting and permit a regulated amount of seed to be dispensed onto the seed bed and then churned into the prepared seed bed would greatly enhance the germination efficacy of the planted seed. A manually operated device which would allow for simultaneously tilling and covering of the dispensed seed within the tilled soil would also greatly enhance the efficacy of manually operated seeding devices. A device capable of simultaneously performing these multiple tilling and seeding operations with ease would be especially beneficial to horticulturists. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The tilling and seeding device of this invention is comprised of a tubular feed shaft equipped with a seed retaining chamber, a portal for loading the chamber with seeds, a handle for rotating a shaft about an orbital axis, a tined tilling member positioned on the distal end of the shaft and a seed valve regulating means for regulating the dispensing of seeds from the seed chamber. The tilling member serves to till the soil in a churning action such as ungrassed patches in a lawn by rotating the shaft and tined members about its vertical axis with a handle. The manually operated tilling and seeding device of this invention allows an operator to till a seed bed to a desired tilled or churned seed bed consistency and to simultaneously release a regulated amount of seed out onto the tilled seed bed while continually tilling and covering (e.g., churning) the seed dispensed by the device into the freshly tilled seed bed. The manipulative tasks of tilling the soil by churning to a desired uncompacted bed, seeding the bed and covering the seed within the bed by churning the soil with the tines can all be effectively conducted with the tilling and seeding device of this invention. The device is easy to operate requiring only nominal strength and skill for its operation. The churning activity of the device provides ideal seed preparation. The ability to regulate the seeding rate and churning of seed dispensed onto the seed bed significantly enhances the emergence of germinated seed from the seeded bed. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a side view of a tilling and seeding device of this invention. 
     FIG. 2 is an exploded side view showing in greater detail the internally disposed tilling and seeding components of the device shown in FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is an elevated side view of the device shown in FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 4 is another side view of the device with the handle shown in FIG. 1 rotated to an outwardly disposed position. 
     FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the device shown in FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 6 is partial cross-sectioned view of the device shown in FIG. 1 showing in more detail the seeding and tilling components of the device. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Pursuant to the present invention, there is provided a tilling and seeding device  1  which allows a horticulturist to manually till by a churning action and seed a seed bed to a desired seed bed consistency. As a result a more complete germination of the seeded seeds is achieved. The seeding device  1 , as illustrated in the figures comprises an elongated tubular shaft  3  having a seed chamber  5  housed within the shaft  3 . The seed chamber  5  is equipped with a seed valve  35  which when activated by activating member  9  releases seed from chamber  5 . Seed released through valve  35  communicates through seed passageway  11  through tine support plate  13  which includes a plurality of tillings tines  15 . The positioning of the seeding dispensing end  3   E of shaft  3  and seed passageway  11  dispenses seed onto the seed bed in a manner which permits tilling tines  15  to churn and fold the dispensed seed into the seed bed. 
     The depicted seeding device  1  includes a seed filling port  17  capped by cap  19  which permits the horticulturist to replenish the seeding chamber  5  with seeds for planting. The seeding device  1  also includes a handle  21  which allows the operator to rotate the shaft  3  about its longitudinal axis. In rotating the device  1 , the operator simply grasps the shaft  3  with one hand so as to permit the hand to function as a journal box to hold shaft  3  in a vertical position with the tilling tines  15  poised in a tilling position while rotating the handle  21  about the longitudinal axis with the other hand which in turn rotates the tines  15  so as to till the seed bed. 
     The rotating tines  15  serve to churn the soil into a churned seed bed of an ideal consistency for planting and germinating the planted seeds. Tine plate  13  is equipped with a plurality tilling tines  15  to permit the tilling or churnings of the seed bed to a desired planting consistency. The depicted tine plate  13  typically includes a sufficient number of tines  15  in a substantially uniform staggered relationship so as to permit effective tilling or churning of the seed bed when handle  21  is rotated about shaft  3 . The number of tines  15  will typically be more than 10, advantageously more than 15 and preferably more than 20 tines  15 . For most applications, effective tilling and churning may be accomplished with tines  15  numbering from about 20 to about 30. 
     The tine support plate  13  may be pre-fabricated from ⅛ inch plate steel (or other suitable materials such as an impact resistant plastic) cut to a sufficient size to support tilling tines  15 . Illustrative is a five (5) inch diameter plate  13  having a {fraction (15/16)} inch shaft aperture  23  for receiving the tubular shaft  3  drilled in the center of steel plate  13 . The tine holes  25  (e.g.  24  holes at {fraction (3/16)} inch) may be drilled into the steel plate  13  in a patterned relationship so as to effectuate uniform tillage. Twenty (20) penny nails measuring {fraction (3/16)} inch×3 inches may be then inserted into the holes  25  and welded to tine plate  13  to provide tilling tines  15 . Similarly, the tine plate  13  may be welded onto shaft aperture  23  at the distal end of shaft  3  while leaving a sufficient protrusion (e.g., ¼ inch-½ inch) of protruding end  3   E  to permit valve  35  to operate while also providing room to weld shaft  3  onto tine plate  13 . Positioning of the site for dispensing seeds at an internally disposed position within tine plate  13  and the positioning field of tines  15  in a staggered and uniform relationship provides an effective means for seeding the seed bed with device  1 . A centrally disposed site within tine plate  13  is most effective for this purpose. A tubular protruding end  3   E  provides a seed dispensing port for dispensing seed into the seed bed within the midst of tilling tines  15 . As may be observed from the figures, protruding end  3   E  of tubular shaft  3  houses a hollow passageway  29  exiting within tine plate  13  and tines  15  provides a particularly suitable opening for discharging the seeds from the seed chamber  5 . By extending seed passageway  29  of protruding end  3   E , at centrally disposed seed discharging site the seeds are discharged at an ideal position for churning the seed within the seed bed with tines  15 . The seeds released may accordingly be simultaneously tilled or churned into the bed with tines  15 . 
     The tines  15  are advantageously of a size and configuration so as to permit the soil to be easily churned. Tines  15  of a beveled or rounded leading edge to slice through the seed bed soil are most effective for this purpose. Beveled or rounded tines  15  or tines  15  with leading rounded or angular edges or surfaces provide a streamlined flow of the soil about tines  15  upon rotation of handle  21 . Such tines  15  provide a leading or cutting edge which upon initial contact with the soil allows the soil to be more effectively cut and swept past the following soil contacting surfaces of tines  15 . The inclusion of a plurality of tines  15  which effectively penetrate and cut the soil permits the seed bed to be more effectively churned into a seed bed of a desired consistency for planting. Tines  15  are preferably of a length and cross-sectional diameter so as to permit device  1  to be used with the minimum of effort. This allows not only the robust operators but also the weaker operators to effectively use device  1  with the minimum effort. Tines  15  of cross-sectional diameter of less than about ⅜ inch and advantageously less than about {fraction (5/16)} inch have been found to be useful for this purpose. For most practical applications, expeditious tilling and churning of a seed without requiring excessive strength or force may be effectively accomplished with tines  15  having a cross-sectional diameter ranging from about ⅛ inch to about ¼ inch. 
     Handle  21  radially extends outwardly from shaft  3  at a distance sufficient so as to provide effective leverage for rotating handle  21  about the longitudinal axis of shaft  3  while tilling with tines  15 . Although extending handle  21  further outwardly increases the churning power of tines  15 , the handle  21  if extended too far can become too cumbersome and difficult to operate. A handle  21  extending outward from shaft  3  at a distance of less than one foot and advantageously less than 7 inches will provide sufficient leverage to rotate tines  15  at the appropriate speed. When tines  15  are sized and configured so as to permit a shorter lengthed handle  21 , handle  21  will typically extend radially outwardly from shaft  3  at about 4 inches to about 6 inches so as to provide sufficient leverage to effectively operate the tilling tines  15  in most planting applications. As well recognized, seed beds can vary considerably in the power required to effectively till the soil. Heavy clay soils typically require more leverage and power to till than lightly sandy looms. By optimizing the number, size and configuration of tines  15  as provided by device  1 , more effective tilling and churning of a seed bed may be effectuated. Accordingly, tine  15  lengths may be designed so as to minimize power or the leverage requirements of the is operational use of device  1 . For most applications, tines  15  will be of a length greater than 1 inch and less than 7 inches. By decreasing either number of the tines  15  or the tine diameter, tine length may then be increased so as to require substantially the same power or leverage to turn device  1 . For a more balanced tilling or churning of the seed bed, tines  15  are preferably more than 1 inch in length and less than 5 inches in length, preferably of a length ranging from about 2 inches to about 4 inches and most preferably at about 3 inches in length. 
     The internal workings of the seeding device  1  may be seen by referring to FIGS. 2 and 6. The device  1  includes valving means (generally referred as  30 ) for discharging seeds from seed chamber  5 . Tubular shaft  3  is a hollow shaft which houses seed chamber  5  and the valving mechanism  30  for discharging seeds onto the seed bed from chamber  5 . The uppermost portion of shaft  3  is internally threaded so as to thread onto upper spring sleeve  34   A  which serves as a stop for top bushing  34  and a housing for spring  37 . The flared end of top bushing  34  rests against the uppermost surface of upper spring sleeve  34   A . The valving mechanism  30  comprises a push rod  31  which extends throughout the entire length of the hollowed passageway  29  of tubular shaft  3 . The distal end of push rod  31  is threaded for receiving valve guide  33  and valve  35  secured to push rod  31  by nuts  36 . Valve guide  33  seats against shaft aperture  23  to seal the chamber  5  from discharging seeds. When valve  35  is pushed to an extended position by pushing rod knob  32 , hollow passageway  29  and seed passageway  11  is opened so as to allow seed to be discharged from seed chamber  5 . When valve  35  is retracted so as to seat against the protruding end  3   E  of tubular shaft  3  then seed chamber  5  is closed. Push rod  31  at the proximate ends includes a push rod knob  32  and a top bushing  34  and a nut  36  for securing the bushing  34  to push rod  31 . Top bushing  34  positioned below top nut  36  and a lower spring bushing  39  serve as stops for spring  37 . Chamber sleeve  39   S  seated against chamber  5  serves as stop for maintaining the spring  37  biased push rod  31  and valve guide  33  in a closed position. When it is desired to release seed from chamber  5 , push rod knob  32  is pushed downwardly causing spring  37  to be compressed between upper  34  and lower bushing  33  forcing push rod  31  downwardly so as to open valve  35  and allow seeds to be released from chamber  5 . When pressure is released front knob  32 , spring  37  decompresses forcing the push rod  31  and valve guide  37  to the closed position. Sleeve  39   S  may be suitably maintained at a distance of about 2½ inches from the top of shaft  3  by divots  39   D  as shown in FIGS. 1 and 6. 
     The seeding rate of device  1  may be regulated by regulating the clearance between valve  35  and its seat against protruding end  3   E . Reducing the clearance between the seat and valve  35  reduces the clearance for seeds to pass therethrough and accordingly reduces the seeding rate. Conversely, increasing the clearance increases the seeding rate. Uppermost adjusting nut  36  which is shown as being adjacent to push knob  32  (e.g., see FIGS. 2-3 and  6 ) affords a convenient means for adjusting the clearance of valve  35 . When uppermost nut  36  is tightened onto threaded push rod  31 , valve  35  clearance is reduced so as to reduce the seeding rate or amount of seed flowing past valve  35 . Conversely, untightening uppermost nut  36  from push rod  31  increases the clearance and flow rate of seed part valve  31 . Adjusting nut  36  may also be used to effectively regulate the seeding rate for different sized seeds. Alternatively, the number of times or duration the operator presses knob  32  to open valve  35  can also be used to increase or decrease seeding rate. 
     Seed filling port  17  comprises a tubular filling port which communicates onto seed chamber  3  affording access for the replenishing of seed chamber  3  with fresh seed. Filling port  17  communicates onto seed chamber  3  at an open passageway  29  site positioned below lower spring bushing  39  thus avoiding closed structure for seeds of the uppermost valving mechanism  30 . Filling port  17  extends radially outwardly and upwardly from seed chamber so as to permit gravitional filling of the device  1  with the desired seed. When it is desired to empty seed chamber  11  of seed, the device  1  may be merely inverted, cap  19  removed thus allowing seed to flow out of seed chamber  3  through filling port  17 . 
     As evident from the aforementioned, the manually driven tilling and seeding device  1  may be equipped with power driven means (not shown) for rotating shaft  3 . Examplary thereof are electrically driven motors (e.g., cord and battery powered cordless) which are equipped to rotate shaft  3 . Similarly, conventional combustion engines may be utilized as a power source for rotating shaft  3 . Since device  1  does not require a substantial amount of power to drive the tilling tines  15 , compact, low powered electrical and combustion engine power sources may be used for this purpose.