Patent ID: 7174839

Claim:
A flexible seed planting system quickly changeable to sequentially plant different types of crops in ground soil comprising a seed selector and a seed distributor; said seed selector including a changeable selector member in the form of a rotatable cylindrical drum, said drum having a hollow interior and a continuous outer surface, said outer surface having seed holding points, said seed holding points arranged in a predetermined array, said seed holding points individually being capable of holding a predetermined seed or seeds and collectively being capable of (a) sequentially selecting a predetermined array of seeds from a seed supply and (b) holding said selected seeds in said array while sequentially moving said seeds circumferentially to a release point where said seeds are adapted to sequentially leave said seed holding points and enter said seed distributor wherein said seeds are adapted to be conveyed to a point where they are sequentially planted in ground soil in a scaled version of the predetermined array of said seed holding points; a fixed partition in said hollow interior of said drum dividing said hollow drum interior into a vacuum portion and a pressure portion, said seed holding points including an opening in said continuous outer surface that extends through to said drum interior, said openings communicating with said drum interior, said drum interior having said vacuum portion in the area (i) adjacent said seed supply where said seed holding points are adapted to select said predetermined array of seeds from said seed source and (ii) in the area where said seeds are adapted to be sequentially moved circumferentially to said release point; and said drum interior having said pressure portion in the area of said release point where said seeds are adapted to be sequentially released from said seed holding points and into said seed distributor.