Conveyorized farming system

Claim 2

A conveyorized farming system, comprising a work area and a crop-growing area, an endless conveyor means extending through said areas adapted for carrying crop-nurturing soil around a prescribed route, said conveyor means including soil container means for said soil in a linear arrangement coextensive with said endless conveyor means, the major length of said route constituting said crop-growing area extending over external terrain for exposure of said soil to the sun, said work area including means for planting, watering and fertilizing crops in only that portion of said soil container means which is located in said work area, said work area extending along a minor portion of the length of said route, the length of that portion of said route which extends through the growing area being several times larger than the length of the portion of said route extending through said work area, and means for moving said conveyor means around said route, whereby any selected portion of said soil container means may be moved from a location in said work area to a location in said growing area and vice versa, the arrangement of said soil container means on said conveyor means being such that movement of one portion of said container means into said work area rEsults in a substantially equal but different portion of said container means being moved out of said work area into said growing area whereby said soil container means and the crops therein are kept in said growing area except when they are selected by conveyor operation for location in said work area.

Claim 3

The system of claim 1, wherein said conveyor means comprises a series of interconnected pallets carry ing said soil, crop-protecting covers mounted on said pallets, said covers being selectively actuable to an open position and to a closed position, and means for actuating said covers to and from their open and closed positions, respectively.

Claim 4

The system of claim 2, wherein said conveyor includes a chain interconnecting said pallets, said major portion of said route comprising a series of loop sections, each of said sections including a pair of adjacent trackways and an interconnecting turn area, each of said pallets having supporting wheel means rollable on said trackways, and a sprocket engaging said chain at each of said turn areas, said driving means being drivingly connected to at least one of said sprockets.

Claim 5

The system of claim 3, wherein said trackways of each loop section terminate adjacent its associated turn area, each of said turn areas includes a stationary platform extending radially outward from the sprocket, and anti-friction elements mounted on each of said sprocket and platform for supporting each successive pallet during the interval between disengagement of its supporting wheel means from one of said adjacent trackways upon entering said turn area and its reengagement with the other of said adjacent trackways upon leaving said turn area.

Claim 6

A conveyorized farming system comprising a continuous conveyor extending generally horizontally along a serpentine-like route, a series of pallets carried by said conveyor and located in longitudinally spaced relation therealong, each of said pallets forming an upwardly open chamber for a bed of crop-nurturing soil, driving means for said conveyor, a crop-growing area defining the major portion of said route, a work area defining a minor portion of said route, said work area having stations therein for seeding, watering and fertilizing said soil beds, wherein said conveyor includes a chain interconnecting said pallets, said major portion of said route comprising a series of loop sections, each of said sections including a pair of adjacent trackways and an interconnecting turn area, each of said pallets having supporting wheel means rollable on said trackways, and a sprocket engaging said chain at each of said turn areas, said driving means being drivingly connected to at least one of said sprockets, including crop protecting covers mounted on said pallets, each of said covers being actuable between a closed position on its pallet and an open position thereon, cover actuating means for opening and closing the covers including movable cams located adjacent the trackways, cam-engageable followers carried by the covers, and means for moving said cams into and out of engageable relation with said followers for selectively effecting actuation or non-actuation of said covers to their open or closed positions in response to movement of the pallets along said trackways.

Claim 7

A conveyorized farming system comprising a continuous conveyor extending generally horizontally along a serpentine-like route, a series of pallets carried by said conveyor and located in longitudinally spaced relation therealong, each of said pallets forming an upwardly open chamber for a bed of crop-nurturing soil, driving means for said conveyor, a crop-growing area defining the major portion of said route, a work area defining a minor portion of said route, said work area having stations therein for seeding, watering and fertilizing said soil beds, wherein said conveyor includes a chain interconnecting said pallets, said major portion of said route comprising a series of loop sections, each of said sections including a pair of adjacent trackways and an interconnecting turn area, each of said pallets having supporting wheel means rollable on said trackways, and a sprocket engaging said chain at each of said turn areas, said driving means being drivingly connected to at least one of said sprockets, including crop protecting covers mounted on said pallets, each of said covers being actuable between a closed position on its pallet and an open position thereon, cover actuating means for opening and closing the covers including movable cams located adjacent the trackways, cam-engageable followers carried by the covers, and means for moving said cams into and out of engageable relation with said followers for selectively effecting actuation or non-actuation of said covers to their open or closed positions in response to movement of the pallets along said trackways.

Claim 8

The system of claim 5, wherein said work area comprises a building enclosing a portion of one of said trackways, including a pallet emptying station on said one trackway within said building, a soil conveying means extending adjacent and below said one trackway at said emptying station for receiving soil removed from successive pallets, a crop receiving conveyor belt superimposed over said soil conveying means at said emptying station and having perforations of a size accommodating passage therethrough of the soil from said pallets but preventing passage therethrough of grown crops.

Claim 9

The system of claim 6, including a pallet filling station within said building at which pallets previously emptied at said emptying station are refilled with soil, said soil conveying means extending adjacent and above said one trackway at said filling station for transfer of soil to said previously emptied pallets, said other stations being spaced along the trackway within said building for planting, watering and fertilizing the soil in successive pallets prior to their movement out of the building onto said exterior trackways for the growing of crops.

Claim 10

The system of claim 7, wherein said trackway portion within the building is elevated above the crop receiving conveyor belt at said emptying station, and said pallets are tiltable in a direction laterally of said trackway portion for discharging onto said crop receiving belt the crops and soil contained in each pallet while located in said emptying station.

Claim 11

The invention of claim 8, including conveyor tensioning means in at least one of said turn areas, said tensioning means comprising a support, a sprocket carrying member slidably mounted for movement relative to said support, and means for adjustably shifting said member relative to said support in a direction to increase tension in said chain, said shifting means including means biasing said member in a direction to increase the tension in said chain.