Patent ID: 8733259

Claim:
A seed metering apparatus for a seeder, the apparatus comprising: a seed container with a feed opening in a bottom thereof: a feed shaft rotatably mounted in a substantially horizontal orientation and extending substantially from a right side of the feed opening to a left side thereof; at least one feed disc mounted to the feed shaft such that the at least one feed disc and feed shaft rotate together, and a plurality of projections extending from a periphery of the at least one feed disc, the projections forming disc recesses substantially equally spaced along the periphery of the at least one feed disc; a shield plate extending from the right side of the feed opening to the left side thereof in an upright orientation from a bottom edge thereof to a top edge thereof, the shield plate being substantially parallel to, in front of, and adjacent to a front side of the feed shaft, the shield plate defining a disc slot having a width corresponding to a thickness of the at least one feed disc and configured such that the at least one feed disc extends through the disc slot with seeds substantially prevented from passing between edges of the disc slot and the at least one feed disc; wherein the feed shaft, at least one feed disc, and shield plate are configured such that the shield plate substantially seals the feed opening, and such that an intake portion of the periphery of the at least one feed disc is located in the feed opening exposed to seeds in the seed container, and such that an output portion of the at least one feed disc extends forward of a front face of the shield plate through the disc slot; and wherein rotation of the feed shaft carries seeds out of the seed container in the disc recesses such that the seeds drop into a seed receiver below the front face of the shield plate.