Patent ID: 7455019

Claim:
A seed planter for planter seeds in the ground, comprising: a frame adapted for movement over the surface of the ground, a drum including a cylindrical peripheral wall defining a central axis, an inner surface and an outer surface, the cylindrical peripheral wall defining a series of seed passages at circumferentially spaced intervals about the cylindrical peripheral wall, the drum rotatably mounted at the central axis of the drum to the frame for rolling on the outer surface of the cylindrical wall along the surface of the ground, a series of soil punch tools mounted to and extending outwardly from the outer surface of the cylindrical peripheral wall of the drum, each soil punch tool mounted at one of each of the seed passages, a series of seed receptacles supported at and extending inwardly of and movable with the inner surface of the cylindrical peripheral wall in a circular path about the central axis, and each of the seed receptacles positioned at a seed passage and configured for feeding seeds through the seed passages in the cylindrical wall of the drum to one of the soil punch tools, a vacuum seed meter positioned within the cylindrical wall of the drum and supported by the frame for feeding seeds to the seed receptacles, and a drive connected to the drum and the vacuum seed meter for operating the vacuum seed meter in response to the rotation of the drum.