Patents by Inventor Frank W. Van Dijk

Frank W. Van Dijk has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Method and apparatus for transplanting plants from one container to another
    Patent number: 5365693
    Abstract: Plant seedlings are transplanted from a germination tray to one or more maturation trays by penetrating the soil plug surrounding the plant and its root system in the seedling tray by means of a rotating spirally coiled shaft, withdrawing the seedling, soil plug and shaft as a unit from the germination tray, inserting the plant, soil plug and shaft unit into the maturation container, and penetrating the soil plug with a needle-like holding implement while rotating the coiled shaft in a reverse direction to withdraw the shaft from the plug and deposit the plug and plant within the maturation container. In the preferred embodiment, a plurality of such coiled shafts are provided on a traveling frame controlled by a microprocessor to enable mass transplantation of plural seedlings to be carried out on a rapid automated basis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 1992
    Date of Patent: November 22, 1994
    Assignee: Metrolina Greenhouses, Inc.
    Inventors: Teunis Van Wingerden, Frank W. Van Dijk