EP0151153A1

EP0151153A1 - Seed sprouting machine

Info

Publication number: EP0151153A1
Application number: EP84902764A
Authority: EP
Inventors: William Lloyd Smith; Robert Bullock Whitson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1983-07-11
Filing date: 1984-07-11
Publication date: 1985-08-14
Also published as: WO1985000269A1; AU3109684A

Abstract

Dispositif de germination de semences (10) comportant une pluralité de plateaux de support de semences (12), chacun des plateaux possédant un sommet ouvert et un fond fermé et déterminant une cavité de croissance de semences à sommet ouvert (44) à l'intérieur, le sommet ouvert de chacun des plateaux étant calibré pour y accueillir le fond d'un autre plateau, chacun des plateaux comportant en outre des piliers de support (50) situés à l'intérieur de la cavité de croissance de semences conçus pour engager et soutenir le fond d'un autre plateau de manière à permettre l'empilement des plateaux les uns sur les autres pour former une pile autoporteuse, le fond de chaque plateau étant situé à l'intérieur du sommet ouvert du plateau inférieur.Seed germination device (10) having a plurality of seed support trays (12), each of the trays having an open top and a closed bottom and determining an open top seed growth cavity (44) therein , the open top of each of the trays being calibrated to accommodate the bottom of another tray, each of the trays further comprising support pillars (50) located inside the seed growth cavity designed to engage and supporting the bottom of another tray so as to allow the trays to be stacked on top of each other to form a self-supporting stack, the bottom of each tray being located inside the open top of the lower tray.

Description

SEED SPROUTING MACHINE I. TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates generally to seed sprout¬ ing devices and more particularly to seed sprouting devices with multiple seed support trays which are periodically wetted to sprout the seeds. II. BACKGROUND ART

Various devices have been proposed for sprouting or germinating various seeds such as beans, alfalfa, grass, and the like. Typically such devices have a housing or cabinet into which trays are positioned which carry the seeds. Water or nutrient sprays are used to periodically wet the seeds to permit them to germinate and grow. Typically the housing or cabinet has transparent sections in it to allow light to reach the sprouted seeds to green the sprouts or an appro¬ priate growing light is provided within the cabinet itself.

One of the problems associated with these prior art sprouting devices is that the use of a housing with removable trays keeps the initial capital invest¬ ment thereof high. Another problem is that the housing and/or trays typically have cracks, seams and other inaccessible places which are difficult to clean and sanitize to the degree required by the food sprouting industry in order that bacteria and fungus growths are minimized. This required time consuming cleaning and sanitizing techniques to be used while also requiring that both the housing and trays be separately cleaned. Yet another problem is that it is difficult to maintain the required fit between the housing and trays while at the same time keeping the trays easy to be removed and returned to the housing. Still another problem is that these prior art devices are labor intensive in use and do not

SUBSTITUTE SHEET lend themselves to assembly line operations for har¬ vesting, cleaning, sanitizing and reseeding. Another problem is that it is difficult to eliminate shadows within the sprouting chambers so that uniformity of sprout growth Is difficult to achieve. III. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

These and other problems and disadvantages assoc¬ iated with the prior art are overcome by the invention disclosed herein by providing a seed sprouting device which is easy to clean and sanitize, which, lends it¬ self to assembly line operations for harvesting, cleaning, sanitizing and reseeding, and which is in¬ expensive to manufacture. The seed sprouting device includes a base on which a plurality of seed carrying trays are stacked on top of each other. The trays cooperate with each other to form a substantially enclosed growing chamber In each tray without requiring a separate cabinet. This design exposes all of machine for easy cleaning and sanitizing when the trays ar.e unstacked. The trays are made with a one piece molded design so that cracks and seams which can harbor bacteria and fungus are avoided. This design further minimizes labor costs in seed sprouting operations since the trays can be unstacked to permit the steps of labor involved in harvesting, cleaning, sanitizing and reseeding to be set up in an efficient assembly line operation with the unstacked trays moving from one station to the next and finally restacked at the end of the line to again make up the machine. This design also minimizes the manufacturing cost thereof. The elimination of the need for a separate cabinet or housing inherently reduces overall machine cost. Moreover, the use of the stackable trays permits the use of high production plastic molding techniques and inexpensive plastic materials to further

SUBSTITUTE SHEET minimize manufacturing costs. The trays are cons¬ tructed of a light transmitting material to trans¬ mit light into the growing chambers to green the sprouts. This material also diffuses the light transmitted therethrough to. eliminate shadows within the growing chambers and promote even sprout growth. A mister assembly is provided with nozzles removably connected to each of the trays to spray a liquid onto the seeds yet can be quickly detached to permit the trays to be unstacked for sprout configurations for the abuttments to support the trays on top of each other so that a space is provided at each corner of the trays to promote air circulation in the growing chambers. An offset is provided in the tray side walls in which the misting nozzles are removably mounted to provide an opening into .the growing chamber through which the misting liquid is sprayed. This serves to induce air into the growing^'chamber and promote air circulation therethrough. The openings provided by these offsets also permit the nozzles to be visually checked, permit access to the nozzle of a wrench to adjust the mist pattern, provide ventilation to the growing chamber, and provide hand clearance to facilitate tray handling.

SUBSTITUTE SHEET IV, BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a sprouting machine incorporating the invention;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevational view of the base unit;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken generally along line 3-3 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of one of the growing trays; Fig. 5 is a top view of the tray;

Fig. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the stack of trays taken generally along line 6-6 in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken generally along line 7-7 in Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken generally along line 8-8 in Fig. 6; and

Fig. 9 is a vertical cross sectional view taken generally along line 9-9 in Fig. 5.

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_SU_BSTITUTE SHEET 4 A WIPO

' V. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

As best seen in Fig. 1, the sprouting machine 10 includes a base unit 11 which supports a plurality of open top trays 12 stacked on top of each other. A mister assembly 14 is provided which is removably connected to the trays 12 so that the seeds can be wetted for growing. A top cover 15 is also provided to cover the uppermost tray 12 in the stack. A layer of seeds is placed in the trays 12 while they are un- stacked. The trays 12 are then stacked on the base unit 11 and on top of each other as seen in Fig. 1. The mister assembly 14 is connected to the trays 12 so that the seeds are periodically wetted and allowed to sprout. After the seeds have sprouted and grown to the desired size, the mister assembly 14 is dis¬ connected from the trays 12 and the trays unstacked so that the sprouts can be unloaded.

The base unit 11 seen in Figs. 2 and 3 serves to support the stack of trays 12, catch the excess liquid drained from the trays 12, house the various components needed to control the wetting of the seeds and as a dolly to roll the trays between the growing and processing areas. The base unit 11 includes a housing 20 which defines a rectilinear peripheral support ledge 21 around the top thereof sized to engage and support one of the trays 12 about the periphery of its bottom as will become more apparent. The support ledge 21 lies in a plane which angles with respect to the horizontal at an inclination angle A, so that the bottom of the tray 12 supported thereon will lie along this angle A, . While the angle A, may be varied as required, an angle A, of 10-15° is typical. The top of the housing 20 is recessed within the ledge 21 to form a sump 2^'2. The sump 22 serves to catch the excess

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SUBSTITUTE SHEET ___ liquids draining from the trays 12 as will become more apparent. The bottom of sump 22 is provided with a drain 24 to drain the liquid from the sump. Each corner of the housing 20 is provided with an outwardly projecting upstanding reinforce¬ ment 25 which serves to reinforce the corners of the housing and also retain the bottom of tray^* 12 on the support ledge 21. The upper ends of the reinforcements 25 project above the ledge 21 and form a right angle retainer 26 at each corner of the ledge 21. The legs of retainers 26 are long enough to engage the bottom corners of the lower¬ most tray 12 In the stack as will become more apparent and keep the tray in place. The trays 12 are made out of a plastic mat¬ erial which has the ability to transmit light therethrough so that the sprouts can be greened when the machine is placed in a lighted area. While any number of plastics may be used, best results are achieved where the plastic has the ability to diffuse the light transmitted there¬ through so that the light density Is about the same throughout the growing cavity. The plastic must be stabilized against ultraviolet degradation either in Its natural state or through the use of appropriate additives. It has been found that natural polyethylene with an appropriate ultra¬ violet stabilizing additive but without opaque additives is ideal for such diffusion. For dura- bilityand rigidity, high density polyethylene is used. Polyethylene is not only an inexpensive plastic but is also easy to work with. The polye¬ thylene Is also not hydroscopic which enhances drainage of the water. Each of the trays 12 includes upstanding

" OMPI - / -

peripheral wall 42 integral with the edges of wall 41 to define an open top growing cavity 44 therein. The trays are designed for the bottom wall 41 to be ^* supported at the inclination angle A, of the ledge 21 on the base unit 11 and is illustrated at about 10° from the horizontal. The upper edge of the peripheral wall 42 has a reinforcing lip 45 formed therein so that lip 45 lies in a plane parallel to the bottom wall 41. As will become more apparent, the seeds in the trays 12 need to be periodically wetted to cause the seeds to sprout and to maintain a constant temperature. The liquid coupling 35 is connected to the supply pipe 36 seen in Fig. 1 to the mister assembly 14 via a solenoid valve 38 shown by dashed lines in Fig. 2. The solenoid valve 38 as well as pump 30 is controlled by a timer 39 also shown by dashed lines in Fig. 2. The pump 30 is typically operated while the seeds are being wetted. The timer 39 can be set for the desired wetting duration and frequency as will become more apparent. The supply pipe 36 is also equipped with a quick dis¬ connect coupling 40 as seen in Fig. 1 so that the mister assembly 14 can be readily disconnected before the trays 12 are unstacked.

The trays 12 seen in Figs. 1 and 4-9 serve to support the seeds while being sprouted, to position the mister assembly 14 for wetting the seeds and to confine the misting liquid used to wet the seeds. All of the trays 12 have the same general overall configuration but with alternate spacing abutt ent configurations as will become more apparent.

Casters 28 are provided at the corners of the bottom of the housing 20 as seen in Figs. 1

_ O PI and 3 and connected thereto through triangular base plates 27 which distribute the load to the upwardly- projecting corners on the housing 20. These casters allow the machine to _ ^ easily moved to the differ- ent locations for seeding, growing and unloading. The drain 24 in sump 22 may be connected directly to an appropriate drain hose for gravity drain or a drain pump 30 as seen in Fig. 3 may be provided. The outlet hose 31 from pump 30 is connected to a quick release coupling 32 seen in Fig. 2 on the back wall of housing 20. An appro¬ priate drain hose (not shown.) is releasably connected to the coupling 32 to direct the liquid to the desired discharge location. The back wall of housing 20 is also provided with an electrical plug 34 to be releasably connected to a conventional power cord (not shown) to supply electrical power to the machine and a quick release liquid coupling 35 to be releasably connected to a liquid supply hose (not shown) to supply liquid under pressure to the machine. When the operator is ready to unload the sprouts from the machine, the liquid supply hose, drain hose, and power cord are dis¬ connected and the machine can be rolled to the desired location for unloading. The peripheral wall 42, however, is substantially vertically oriented as will become more apparent so that the trays 12 will be vertically aligned when stacked. The wall 42 does taper inwardly enough for the bottom of each tray to fit in the top of another of the trays. Thus, when viewed from the side as seen In Fig. 4, the tray 12 has a generally parallelogram shape.

The peripheral wall 42 has a front end section 46 integral with the highest end of bottom wall 41, a rear end section 48 integral with the lowest end of the bottom wall 41 and opposed side sections 49 integral with the angled side edges to the bottom wall 41 and joining -the front and rear end sections 46 and 48. The corners where the sections 46, 48 and 49 join have spacing abuttments 50 formed there¬ in which project out into the growing cavity 44. Each abuttment 50 has an upstanding wider wall 51 and an upstanding narrower wall 52 integral with each other along an upstanding corner together with a top wall 54 which joins the upper ends of walls 51 and 52. The top wall 54 is oriented parallel to the bottom wall 41 and lip 45 but spaced a prescribed distance below the top edge of lip 45 so that the bottom of one tray will just fit in the open top of another tray and the upper tray will substantially close the open top of the growing cavity in the lower tray. It will also be appreciated that the abuttments 50 are hollow so that each defines an outwardly opening recess thereunder. If all of the abuttments 50 were oriented the same way, the top wall 54 of each abuttment in one tray would fit within the recess under the abuttment in the tray stacked on top of this tray. Since the angled construction of the tray forces orientation in a single direction, different trays must have different orientations of the abuttments 50 which vertically align as the trays are stacked. In the trays illustrated, two abuttment orientations are used and the different abuttments are alternated. In one set of trays 12 labelled "A" in Fig. 1, the abuttments 50 are oriented so that the wide wall 51 extends along the sides of the tray while the narrower wall 52 extends along the ends of the tray. In the set

TE SHEET of trays labelled "B" the wider wall 51 extends along the ends of the tray while the narrower wall 52 extends along the sides of the tray. Thus, when a "B" tray is placed on top of an "A" tray or visa versa, a corner of the bottom wall 4 in the upper tray will overlie a portion of the top wall 54 on abuttment 50 in the lower tray so that the upper tray will be supported thereon. At the same, time, a portion of the recess formed under the abuttment 50 in the upper tray will form a ventil¬ ating opening 55 Into the top of the growing cavity in the lower tray.^' This is best illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8 where Fig. 7 shows the "B" tray on top while Fig. 8 shows the "A" tray on top. Thus, where the "A" and "B" trays are alternated, an opening 55 is formed at each corner of the trays,

The bottom wall 41 in each tray 12 has a sub¬ stantially flat primary section 60 which forms the planar primary seed supporting surface 61 on the top thereof. The seed supporting surface 61 is at the angle A,. Raised ridges 62 extend along the higher front edge of section 60 and along the side edges thereof to help retain the seeds and sprouts on the primary growing surface 61 and also channel any excess liquid from the mister assembly 14 that strikes and runs down the peripheral wall 42. The ridges 62 along the side edges of the tray channel the excess liquid down the sides of the tray avoid¬ ing the seeds and sprouts while the ridge 62 along the front edge of the tray spreads out the excess liquid before it seeps over the ridge to minimize disturbance of the seeds and sprouts. The bottom wall 41 also has a secondary section 64 therein spaced forwardly of the rear end section 48 of wall 42 and joining with the primary section 60.

The section 64 defines a secondary seed supporting surface 65 thereon which joins with the rear edge of surface 61 and extends rearwardly thereof. The surface 65 is at a greater angle A₂ than that of the primary support surface to promote draining of the lowermost portions of the seed bed as will become more apparent. The angle A~ is illustrated at about 10-15° greater than angle A, , or about 20-25°. The bottom wall 41 also defines a drain section 66 between the rear edge of the secondary section 64 and the rear end section 48 of wall 42. The drain section 55 depends below the bottom of the tray and defines a pair of spaced apart drain openings 68 therethrough at its lower end so that liquids floxving down the primary and secondary support surfaces 61 and 65 will flow out through the drain openings 68. It will also be seen that the liquids draining from the drain openings 68 in each tray will fall into the drain section 66 of the tray therebelow so that the liquid drained from each tray will not contaminate the seed on the tray therebelow,

A separator member 70 is removably mounted over the bottom wall 41 just forwardly of the drain section 66 which serves as a splash guard for the liquids drained from the tray thereabove and also to prevent the seeds in the tray from being washed into the drain section, especially after the seeds have sprouted^*. The separator member 70 is removable for cleaning. This eliminates any seams or cracks in the tray at this position to facilitate cleaning.

The separator member 70 has a central section with an upstanding wall 71 and a bent lip 72 integral with the upper edge thereof to maintain the wall 71 flat. Opposite ends of the wall 71 is provided with a bendable extension 74 which does not have a lip.so that the- extensions can be bent to effectively vary the overall length of the member 70. The outboard ends of the extensions 74 are shaped to conform to the side sections 49 of the wall 42.

The "A" trays 12 support the member 70 in an upright position between the abuttments 50 and retainers 75 as best seen in Figs. 6 and 8. The "B" type trays 12 are provided with beads 76 formed in the side sections 49 of wall 42 to hold the separator member 70 in an upright position as seen in Figs. 6 and 7. The trays 12 vary slightly dimensionally due to the molding processes and materials used. By having the extensions 74 which can be bent, the members 70 can be made of a standard size and the extensions 74 bent to adjust to each tray. The bottom wall 41 in the tray 12 is formed to support opposite ends of the separator member 70 so that the bottom edge of the wall 71 is spaced above the secondary surface 65 to provide a small opening between the member 70 and surface 65 to allow the liquid to drain therethrough. This opening may be slightly larger than the seeds being sprouted since the seeds tend to cling to the sur¬ faces 61 and 65 when wetted. On the other hand, the opening is small enough to. prevent the passage of sprouts therethrough. As the sprouts grow, they get heavier so that the force of gravity over¬ comes any surface tension in the liquid holding the seeds in place. The separator member 70, then, serves to keep the sprouts along the rear edge of the growing surface from falling over into the drain section. At the same time, the separator

EET OMPI member 70 serves as a splash guard to keep the liquid draining from the tray above from splash¬ ing into the seeds in the tray and washing them out of the tray. The side sections 49 of the wall 42 are each provided with an offset section 80 therein in the upper portion thereof and at about the midpoint of the length of the sections 49. The offset section 80 projects outwardly of the side sections 49 to define an inwardly opening recess 81 therein that extends upwardly through the lip 45 as best seen in Figs. 5 and 9. Thus, when another tray is stacked on top of the first men¬ tioned tray as seen in Fig. 9, the wall 42 of the upper tray will extend down into the top of the growing cavity 44 in the lower tray to span the recess 81. Because the recess 81 opens up¬ wardly through the lip 45, however, a ventilating passage 82 is formed between the offset section 80 and the wall 42 of the upper tray. This allows air to pass down into the growing cavity 44 of the lower tray.

The outer wall 84 of the offset section 80 is generally parallel to the side section 49 of wall 42. A mister mounting hole 85 is provided therethrough to receive a nozzle unit of the mister assembly 14 as will become more apparent. The hole 85 tapers inwardly from its outer end to its inner end so that the nozzle unit can be press fitted therein.

A pair of handles 85 are mounted on the lip 45 so that they span the recesses 81 formed by the offset sections 80 on opposite sides of the tray. Since the recess 81 opens upwardly through lip 45, sufficient hand clearance is provided under

EET the handle 85 to permit the handles to be easily grasped. It will be appreciated that the offset 80 interrupts the lip 45. The handles 85 span the offset to reinforce this interruption in the lip.

The mister assembly 14 includes a pair of side subassemblies 90 with each subassembly 90 adapted to be connected to one side of all of the trays 12. The lower end of one of the subassemblies 90 is fitted with a connector hose 91 and a connector 92 adapted to be removably connected to coupling 40 on the base unit 11. The upper ends of the subassemblies 90 are connected by a cross-over hose 94 so that the liquid from the supply pipe 36 passes up one subassembly 90 and then down the other subassembly 90.

Each of the subassemblies 90 includes a plurality of nozzle units 95, one being provided for each tray 12 in the stack, and hoses 96 connecting each of nozzle units 95 with adjacent nozzle units 95. While the units 95 are connect¬ ed in series by the hoses 96 to form a string of units, the nozzles on the units 95 are connected in parallel with each other as will become more apparent.

Each nozzle unit 95 includes a T-connector 98 with the two inline nipples and a cross nipple 99. Each of the inline nipples is connected to an inline nipple on an adjacent nozzle unit 95 by one of the hoses 96 so that the liquid from the supply pipe 36 passes serially from nozzle unit to nozzle unit along the subassemblies 90. It will further be appreciated that the cross nipples 99 in the nozzle units 95 are all con- nected in parallel to each other. The cross nipple 99 threadedly receives a stepped bushing 100 thereover where the smaller diameter section of bushing 100 can be press fitted into the tapered hole 85 in the offset section 80 in the tray 12. It will thus be seen that the bushing 100 provides a quick disconnect mounting for the nozzle unit 95 on the tray 12. Once the bushing 100 is press fitted into the hole 85, the nozzle unit 95 is fixedly located on the tray 12 so that no separate mounting is required for the mister assembly 14. The cross nipple 99 is internally threaded to threadedly receive a spray nozzle 101. When the bushing. 100 Is press fitted into the hole 85 until the larger diameter section abuts the wall 84 on the offset■ section 80, the nozzle axis will be substantially parallel to the primary seed support surface 61. The spray nozzles 101 illustrated produce a fan shaped pattern so that the nozzles 101 on opposite sides of the tray 12 give uniform coverage over the seed supporting surfaces 61 and 65 without enough spraying force to dislodge the seeds and/or sprouts. The force of the spray from the nozzle 101 passing out of the recess 81 under the upper tray closing the top of cavity 44 servies to induce air into the growing cavity 44 to help with air circulation within the cavity.

The nozzles 101 need to be periodically inspected to insure that they are not clogged while the seeds are being sprouted since growth is depen¬ dent on the seeds being wetted. The ventilating passages 82 formed by the offset sections 80 in the tray walls also serve as visual inspection openings to permit each nozzle 101 to be inspected

^SUBSTITU without having to unstack the trays. Also, a wrench will fit through the passage 82 to permit the nozzle 101 to be rotated until the plane of the spray is parallel to the primary seed support surface 61.

The nozzle unit 95 uses a commercially available tee for the connector 98 which is then internally threaded to receive the nozzle 101. The bushing 100 is fabricated to be press fitted into the hole 85 and internally threaded to be screwed down on the cross nipple 99. It Is to be understood, however, that the connector 98 and bushing 100 can be molded as a single unit. The sprouting machine 10 may be used to sprout any of a variety of seeds such as alfalfa, beans, grains, vegetables, grass and the like. The type of wetting liquid used typically depends on the height to which the sprouts are to be grown. Sprouts for the food industry typically only require water since the seeds contain all the re¬ quired nutrients to grow the sprouts to the height required. Where the height the sprouts are to be grown exceed the nutrients available from the seed, then the wetting liquid should also contain appropriate nutrients to maintain sprout growth. In use, the trays 12 are loaded with seeds while they are unstacked. The seeds are typically wetted and then spread on the primary and secondary seed support surfaces 61 and 65 to the desired depth. The support surfaces 61 and 65 Illustrated have a surface area of about 4-4.5 square feet per tray. A typical loading for alfalfa seeds is about 1 1/8 pounds of seeds per tray and yields about sixteen pounds of sprouts when properly grown. The seeding may be carried out in an assembly line

Pi operation since the trays are unstacked. The trays 12 are then stacked on base unit 11 and on top of each other as seen in Fig. 1 with the cover 15 over the uppermost tray. After the trays have been seeded and stacked, the mister assembly 14 is connected to the base unit 11 and each of the trays 12. The connector 92 on the. end of one of the sub¬ assemblies 90 is plugged into the coupling 40 on the base unit 11. The nozzle units 95, of course, on each of the subassemblies 90 corres¬ pond to the number of trays in the stack. It will be appreciated that nozzle units 95 may be added or removed from the string of each sub- assembly 90 to achieve this correspondence. The subassembly 90 is positioned so that it extends up along the side of the stack of trays and one of the nozzle units 95 is positioned in the offset section 80 on one side of each tray by pressing the bushing 100 into the hole 85. After all of the nozzle units 95 in the sub¬ assembly 90 have been plugged into the trays 12, the cross-over hose 94 is looped over the top of the stack of trays and the nozzle units 95 in the string of the other subassembly 90 are plugged into the offset sections 80 on the opposite sides of the trays 12. Usually the nozzles 101 are oriented in the connector 98 so that the plane of the fan shaped spray there- from is generally normal to the common axis of the inline nipples on the connector. This allows the spray to be generally rotationally oriented about its axis by observing the position of the inline nipples on connector 98. After the liquid under pressure has been

- O PI supplied to the mister assembly 14, the spray from the nozzles 101 can be further oriented by rotating the units 95 in the holes 85 while visually inspecting the spray through the passage82 provided by the offset section 80.

An electrical power cord is connected to - the connector 34, a drain hose is connected to the connector 32 and a liquid supply pipe is connected to the connector 35. Where the liquid is water, a conventional mixing valve (not shown) is used to mix hot and cold water to supply the desired temperature water under typical line pressure to connector 35. Since the sprouting in process is typically exothermic, the water is used not only to wet the seeds but also to cool them. Thus, the water temperature is usually cooler than the temperature at which the growing cavity 44 is to b^*e maintained. A typical growing cavity temperature is about 70- 72°F. The water temperature has to be low enough to cool the seeds and sprouts when they are being wetted and typically ranged from about 60-70°F. The timer 39 is then activated to control the wetting operation. A typical setting has a wetting frequency of about every 30 minutes with a duration of about 1 minute each. The nozzles 101 typically have a flow rate of about 1/8 gpm.

Even though the seed support surfaces 61 and 65 angle downwardly, the low water flow rates from the nozzles 101 coupled with the polar nature of the water will cause the wetted seeds to cling to the primary and secondary support surfaces 61 and 65 so that the unsprouted seeds are not washed down these surfaces under the separator member 70. At the same time, the angle of the primary support

OMPI surface 61 is sufficient to promote drainage • of the water from the seeds, especially since the tray material is hydrophobic. Because the cohesiveness of the water makes it harder to dislodge from the lowermost edge of the seedbed, the greater angle of the secondary support surface 65 causes gravity to exert a greater drainage force on the water along this lower edge of the seedbed to promote good drain- age therefrom. The support surface 65 extends about 1/2-1 inch forward of separator member 70. Any overspray from nozzles 101 that strikes the side sections 49 of the wall 42 flows down these sections and is channeled along the sides of the seedbed by the ridges 62 to help reduce any tendency to wash the seeds. Overspray striking the front section 46 of wall 42 is spread out by the ridge 62 therealbng to reduce any seed movement along the tray. ^'After the seeds have sprouted and the sprouts grow, the get heavier and taller so that the surface tension in the water has a harder time holding the seeds in place. The slope of the primary support surface 61 is usually still low enough so that the sprouted seeds do not appreciably wash down this surface. The greater slope of the secondary support surface 65, how¬ ever, tends to permit the sprouted seeds to move down the surface 65. Because the opening under the separator member 70 is smaller than the sprouted seeds, the member 70 prevents the sprouts from falling over into the drain section 66.

The water draining from the seedbed passes under the separator member 70 and into the drain

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O PI ~" • —^■—- section 66. The water then drops through the drain openings 68 from each tray down into the drain section of the tray therebelow. The separator member 70 in each tray also serves as a splash guard to keep the water draining into the drain section 66 from the tray above from splashing onto the seedbed in the lower tray. This not only prevents washing of the seeds out of the lower tray but also prevents contamination σf the seedbed from the above tray by the water. The water drains from the lowermost tray into the sump 22 to be discharged by the pump 30. Where cross contamination is not a problem, the water in sump 22 may be re- circulated.

The machine 10 is typically kept in a darkened room or area while the seeds are initially sprouted. Where the sprouts are to be greened, the machine 10 is moved to a lighted area or room so that the light is transmitted through the peripheral wall 42 of each tray 12 and diffused into each growing cavity 44. Typi¬ cally, alfalfa seeds are started in the dark for about two days and then transferred to the light for about one day.

After the sprouts have grown, the various connections to the base unit 11 are disconnected and the machine rolled to a processing site. The nozzle units 95 are unplugged from the trays 12 and the trays unstacked so that the sprouts can be harvested. This reduces a tall machine into a series of easily handled and processed trays. After the sprouts are unloaded, the trays 12 are cleaned and then sanitized. The trays 12 can now be reseeded and the growing cycle repeated. The harvesting, cleaning, sani¬ tizing and reseeding steps lend themselves to assembly line operations to minimize labor costs.

Claims

1. A seed sprouting device comprising a plurality of seed holding trays, each of said trays having an open top and a closed bottom and defining an open top seed growing cavity therein, the open top of each of said trays sized to receive the bottom of another of said trays therein, each of said trays further in¬ cluding support abuttments within the seed growing cavity adapted to engage and support the bottom of another of the trays so that said trays can be stacked on top of each other to form a self-supporting stack with the bottom of each tray lying within the open top of the tray therebelow.

2. The seed sprouting device of Claim 1 wherein said trays are constructed so that light is transmitted therethrough into said seed growing cavity and diffused so as to ob¬ tain a substantially even distribution of in- tensity within said seed growing cavity.

3. The seed sprouting device of Claim 1 wherein each of said trays include a plurality of offsets therein adapted to cooperate with the adjacent tray in the stack to define air passages between the trays Into said seed growing cavity.

4. The seed sprouting device of Claim 1 further including a misting assembly adapted to be removably connected to each of said trays to deliver a wetting liquid to each of said seed growing cavities.

5. The seed sprouting device of Claim 1 wherein each of said trays defines a seed support surface along the bottom of said seed growing cavity and further including a separator

SUBSTITUTE SHEET member adapted to be removably mounted in said tray and extending across said seed support surface to divide the seed support surface into different portions, said separator member and the seed support surface defining a space there¬ between to allow liquids to pass therethrough but prevent the passage of sprouted seeds there¬ through.

6. The seed sprouting device of Claim 1 wherein each of said trays includes a bottom wall and an upstanding peripheral wall surround¬ ing said bottom wall and integral therewith.

7. The seed sprouting device of Claim 6 wherein said trays include a plurality of first trays and a plurality of second trays, each of said first trays having said abuttments formed in said peripheral wall with a first configura¬ tion so that said first configuration abuttments project into said seed growing cavity and define an outwardly opening first recess in said peri- pheral wall; and each of said second trays having said abuttments formed in said peripheral wall with a second configuration so that said second configuration abuttments project into said seed growing cavity and define an outwardly opening second recess in said peripheral wall, said first and second configuration abuttments arran¬ ged so that, when each of said second trays is stacked on top of one of said first trays and each of said first trays is stacked on top of one of said second trays, each of said first recesses lies partly out of registration with said second configuration abuttments supporting said first tray to permit air to enter said seed growing cavity through said first recess and

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SUBSTITUTE SHEET O PI each of said second recesses lies partly out of registration with said first configuration abuttment supporting said second tray to permit air to enter said seed growing cavity through said second recess while said abuttments on each of said trays support the tray thereabove.

8. The seed sprouting device of Claim 1 wherein said trays define air passages there¬ between into said seed growing cavity when said trays are stacked and further including misting means adapted to spray liquids into said seed growing cavity, said misting means operatively associated- with said air passages to induce air into said seed growing cavity as liquid is sprayed therein.

9. The seed sprouting device of Claim 1 wherein each of said trays defines a planar seed

^• support surface along the bottom of said seed growing cavity and a drain opening from the bottom of said seed growing cavity at one end of said planar seed support surface; and further including base support means for supporting the lowermost of said trays so that said planar seed support surface angles with respect to the horizontal at a prescribed angle with that end of said planar seed support surface at said drain opening lower than the opposite end thereof so that liquids will drain along said planar seed support surface into said drain opening, each of said trays constructed and arranged so that said planar seed supporting surface of said tray supported on top of said first mentioned tray is located substantially parallel to said planar seed supporting surface of said first mentioned tray.

SUBSTITUTE SHEET

10. A se.ed sprouting tray defining a pri¬ mary planar seed support surface thereon which slopes downwardly from an upper front edge to a lower rear edge at a first prescribed angle with respect to the horizontal, defining a secondary planar seed support surface thereon joining the lower rear edge of said primary support surface and sloping downwardly there¬ from at a second prescribed angle greater than said first prescribed angle; and defining a drain opening therefrom along the lower edge of said secondary support surface so that, when a layer of seeds Is supported on said primary and secondary support surfaces and wetted with a liquid, said second prescribed angle of said secondary support surface is such that the cohesive forces in the liquid tending to accumulate the liquid along the edge of the layer of seeds on said secondary support surface is overcome to insure drainage of the liquid from the layer of seeds.

11. The seed sprouting device of Claim 10 wherein said second prescribed angle is about 10-15 degrees greater than said first prescribed angle.

12. The seed sprouting tray of Claim 11 wherein said first prescribed angle is about 10 degrees.

13. The seed sprouting tray of Claim 10 including a bottom wall defining said pri¬ mary and secondary support surfaces thereon and said drain opening therethrough and further including an upstanding peripheral wall integral with and surrounding said bottom wall to define an open top seed sprouting

SUBSTITUTE SHEET O PI space above said primary and secondary support surfaces.

14. The seed sprouting tray of Claim 13 further Including a separator member adapted to be removably positioned in said seed sprout¬ ing space over said secondary support surface and extend between opposite portions of said peripheral wall so that a liquid drainage space Is defined under said separator member to permit liquid to drain thereby, said separator member including a rigid central section and a pair of bendable sections on opposite ends of said central section so that the effective overall length of said separator member can be adjusted to fit within said peripheral wall by bending said bendable sections.

15. The seed sprouting tray of Claim 13 wherein said tray is made out of a light trans¬ mitting material to transmit light therethrough into said seed sprouting space, the material of the tray further selected to diffuse the light passing therethrough so as to obtain a substan¬ tially even distribution of intensity over said seed support surfaces.

16. The seed sprouting tray of Claim 13 further including abuttment means adapted to cooperate with another of said trays to support another of said trays on top of said tray to substantially close the open top of said seed sprouting space.

17. The seed sprouting tray of Claim 13 further including upwardly projecting ridges on said bottom wall along the side edges of said primary support surface to channel any liquid flowing down said peripheral wall down

SUBSTITUTE SHEET along said bottom wall outboard of the layer of seeds on said primary support surface to prevent the seeds from washing down said primary support surface.

18. A seed sprouting device comprising: a base unit; a plurality of seed sprouting trays adapted to be stacked on top of each other with the stack of trays supported on said base unit, each of said trays adapted to carry a layer of seeds therein for sprouting; and a misting assembly adapted to supply a wetting liquid to the seeds in each of said trays, said misting assembly including a plural- ity of nozzle units, at least one nozzle unit for each of said trays, and flexible hose means connecting said nozzle units to each other, each of said trays defining a. nozzle mounting hole therein and each of said nozzle units including a bushing adapted to be removably press fitted in one of said nozzle mounting holes in trays to removably mount said nozzle unit on said tray so that the liquid spray from said nozzle unit is directed onto the layer of seeds in said tray.

19. The seed sprouting device of Claim 18 wherein each of said nozzle units includes a T-shaped connector having a pair of inline nipples and a cross nipple, said cross nipple mounting said bushing to said hose means con- necting said inline nipples to other said nozzle units, said nozzle unit further including a nozzle and said cross nipple being internally threaded to threadedly mount said nozzle therein.

20. The seed sprouting device of Claim 18 wherein said base unit includes liquid supply

SUBSTITUTE SHEET ^■ ?.E^'X

CM?:

/._ ._ V/IPO control means for controlling the liquid supplied to said misting assembly and quick disconnect means for removably connecting said misting as¬ sembly to said liquid supply control means.

SUBSTITUTE SHEET