Patent ID: 7506472

Claim:
Apparatus suitable for use in conjunction with a container in which one or more plants is growing, the container having a associated with it a device for receiving an enquiry signal and automatically responding by transmitting an unique identifier signal wherein the enquiry and identifier signals are radio signals, the apparatus comprising: (a) a workstation at which an operation is automatically performed on the plant or plants or on the growing medium in the container. (b) means for transporting the container to the workstation, said means comprising a plurality of co-extensive storage transporters each providing support for a row of several containers, the storage transporters being disposed adjacent one another to support rows of containers in a horizontally disposed array and to co-operate with a transfer conveyor located adjacent and transversely to an end portion of each storage tranporter; (c) means for transmitting the enquiry signal; (d) means for recording the identifier signal as a digital output; and (e) means for storing the digital output as data in perscribed format in a database for manipulation to afford comparsion of the data related to the container.