Plant growth system with collapsible rib structure
First Claim
1. A living plant growth support system for controlled growth of plants under ambient conditions which may differ substantially from ideal, comprising:
- one or more a plant growth assemblies, each plant growth assembly comprising;
a root bag having an enclosing material;
a rooting substrate disposed within said root bag for supporting a growing plant;
plant receiving zones disposed within said root bag in abutment with said rooting substrate, for receiving viable growing plant material in the form of seeds therein;
a collapsible foliage bag provided to mate with said root bag, said root bag having stem portals which provide access from said root bag to the interior of the foliage bag, the foliage bag being inflatable such that the interior thereof provides an interior volume within which foliage of the plants may grow, said foliage bag having an enclosing foliage bag material and a plurality of flexible support members such that said foliage bag maintains said interior volume when the interior air pressure is less than external air pressure; and
said plant receiving zones, each include a seed cavity adjacent to one of said stem portals, each seed cavity including a seed retaining means for supporting and retaining the seed and moisture delivered thereto, so as to facilitate germination and early growth of the seed and for urging the plant emerging therefrom to grow through the stem portal, said seed retaining means, said seed cavity and said stem portal cooperating to form an air-tight and water-tight seal between said root bag and said interior of said foliage bag through all stages of plant growth and development.
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Abstract
A living plant growth system (10) for controlled growth of plants under ambient conditions which may differ substantially from ideal, including one or more a plant growth assemblies (240), having a substrate bag (252), a rooting substrate (100) for supporting a growing plant (12), plant receiving zones for receiving viable growing plant material (12). A collapsible foliage bag (244) is provided to mate with the substrate bag (252) such that the stem portals (104) provide access to the interior of the foliage bag (244). The foliage bag (244) is inflatable such that the interior thereof provides an interior volume within which foliage of the plants (12) may grow. The foliage bag (244) has an enclosing material and a plurality of flexible support members (242) such that the foliage bag (244) maintains said interior volume when the interior air pressure is less than external air pressure. The growth system (10) also includes a nutrient bag (260) and sensing probes (262) which can cooperate with a control circuit (150) to optimize levels of nutrients delivered to the plant (12) through all stages of growth.
The growth system (10) also utilizes a pellet (184) of dry powered polymer which cooperates with a thinner plastic portion (266) surrounding the stem portals (104) to provide a water and air tight seal (264) between the foliage bag (244) and the substrate bag (252) throughout all stages of plant growth and development, thus allowing gray water to be used for root irrigation.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A living plant growth support system for controlled growth of plants under ambient conditions which may differ substantially from ideal, comprising:
one or more a plant growth assemblies, each plant growth assembly comprising; a root bag having an enclosing material; a rooting substrate disposed within said root bag for supporting a growing plant; plant receiving zones disposed within said root bag in abutment with said rooting substrate, for receiving viable growing plant material in the form of seeds therein; a collapsible foliage bag provided to mate with said root bag, said root bag having stem portals which provide access from said root bag to the interior of the foliage bag, the foliage bag being inflatable such that the interior thereof provides an interior volume within which foliage of the plants may grow, said foliage bag having an enclosing foliage bag material and a plurality of flexible support members such that said foliage bag maintains said interior volume when the interior air pressure is less than external air pressure; and said plant receiving zones, each include a seed cavity adjacent to one of said stem portals, each seed cavity including a seed retaining means for supporting and retaining the seed and moisture delivered thereto, so as to facilitate germination and early growth of the seed and for urging the plant emerging therefrom to grow through the stem portal, said seed retaining means, said seed cavity and said stem portal cooperating to form an air-tight and water-tight seal between said root bag and said interior of said foliage bag through all stages of plant growth and development. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
Specification
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- Resources
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Current AssigneeYasukazu Takashima
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Original AssigneeYasukazu Takashima
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InventorsTakashima, Yasukazu
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Primary Examiner(s)Carone, Michael J.
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Assistant Examiner(s)Nguyen, Son T.
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Application NumberUS09/079,423Time in Patent Office733 DaysField of Search47/60, 47/61, 47/62 R, 47/62 A, 47/62 C, 47/62 E, 47/62 N, 47/64, 47/74, 47/65.8, 47/59, 47/63, 47/65.5, 47/32.1, 47/48.5, 383/3, 383/104US Class Current47/66.1CPC Class CodesA01G 22/15 Leaf crops, e.g. lettuce or...A01G 31/02 Special apparatus therefor ...Y02P 60/21 Dinitrogen oxide [N2O], e.g...
