Plurality of plant pots for use in cultivating plants, assembly comprising such a plurality of plant pots, as well as a method for cultivating plants

• US 8,800,860 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2007
• Issued: 08/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: E. Van Zanten Holding B.V.
• Original Assignee: E. Van Zanten Holding B.V.
• Inventors: van Zanten, Evert, Dijkshoorn, Lars
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael G
• Assistant Examiner(s): GUDORF, LAURA A
• Application Number:
  US12/746,344
• Publication Number:
  US 20110006111A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,443 Days
• Field of Search: 235375-376, 235/492, 235/454, 235/385, 340/572.1, 47/667, 47/411, 428/34.1
• US Class Current: 235/376
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 9/02 Receptacles, e.g. flower-pots or boxes self-acting watering devices A01G27/00; hanging flower baskets, holders or containers for flower-pots A47G7/00; Glasses for cultivating flowers
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 9/029 Receptacles for seedlings growth substrates in block form A01G24/44
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 9/143 Equipment for handling produce in greenhouses
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 3/0297 including a machine-readable marking, e.g. a bar code digitally marked record carriers in general G06K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 40/25 Greenhouse technology, e.g. cooling systems therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/13 Hollow or container type article [e.g., tube, vase, etc.]

Abstract

The invention relates to a plurality of at least 1000 plant pots for use in cultivating plants. Each plant pot has a side wall and bottom which delimit an interior space for substrate which is open at the top, in which the bottom has a bottom side which is turned away from the interior space. Each plant pot is provided with a tag which has an optically readable code. The tag is arranged on the bottom side of the bottom, and the optically readable code is turned away from the bottom so that it can read from below when the plant pot is upright. The invention furthermore relates to an assembly with these plant pots as well as to a method for cultivating plants.

Claims

1. A method for cultivating plants, comprising:

a) using an assembly for use in cultivating plants, comprising;

a plurality of plant pots for use in cultivating plants, in which each plant pot comprises;

a side wall (2), a bottom (3) and an open top,

the side wall (2) and the bottom (3) delimiting an interior space (6) with plant material substrate (7) containing a plant,

the bottom (3) having a bottom side (4) which is turned away from the interior space (6), the bottom (3) having a hole (15); and

a reusable and removable tag located on a downward facing surface of the bottom (3), the tag provided with an optically readable code, the optically readable code readable by an optical read unit, located below the bottom (3), and directed upward at the downward facing surface of the bottom (3),

the tag comprising a housing (12) in which a carrier (11) is accommodated on which carrier (11) the optically readable code (17) is located, a top side of the housing (12) of the tag (10) provided with a pin (13), the pin (13) being inserted through the hole (15) of the bottom (3) the tag (10) being hand-removable from the bottom (3) by grasping and pulling for reuse with another of said plant pots,

the code of each plant pot is distinguishable from the codes of the other plant pots, and

a computer system having a database in which the codes of the plant pots are stored and which database is designed for storing data for each code which are attributed to said code;

at least one optical read unit for optically reading the code of one or more of the plant pots, which optical read unit is connected, or at least connectable, to the computer system for sending the read-out codes to the database; and

a processing unit designed for attributing data to each said read-out code and storing data attributed to each respective read-out code with said code in the database;

b) reading out the code of the plant pots by said at least one optical read unit;

c) providing the processing unit with data relating to the plant that is grown in the plant pot, the code of which is read out in step b);

d) sending the codes read out in step b) to the processing unit; and

e) using the processing unit, storing the data obtained in step c) in the database with each code received in step d), wherein,

the pin has a width greater than a height thereof,

the pin has plural snap lugs (14) distributed over a periphery of the pin (13),

the pin (13) is inserted through the hole (15) of the bottom (3) with the snap lugs (14) engaged with a top surface of the bottom (3).

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein

reinforcement bodies (5) are provided under the bottom (3) along a perimeter of the bottom (3) to hold the optically readable code (17) a fixed height off a surface upon which the plant pot is placed so that the height of the optically readable code (17) of each plant pot, when passed over the optical read unit, is fixed.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the pin has a width greater than a height thereof.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the pin has a pointed top.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the pin has plural snap lugs (14) distributed over a periphery of the pin (13).

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the pin (13) is inserted through the hole (15) of the bottom (3) with the snap lugs (14) engaged with a top surface of the bottom (3).

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein, during cultivation, the steps b), c), d) and e) are repeated one or more times in order to modify or add data in the database.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein,

the optical read unit used in step b) is directed upwards in order to read a code which is situated above said optical read unit and directed downwards;

and

in which the plant pots in step b) are successively supplied to the read unit upright and in a row and are successively passed upright over the read unit while the code is read out.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein,

in step c) a characteristic of a plant in a certain plant pot is determined, and

in step b), the code of said specific plant pot is read.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein,

the tags are removed from the plant pots when the cultivation of certain plants has ended;

and

said removed tags are attached to other plant pots.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality comprises at least 10,000 of said plant pots.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein,

reinforcement bodies (5) are provided under the bottom (3) along a perimeter of the bottom (3) to hold the optically readable code (17) a fixed height off a surface upon which the plant pot is placed so that the height of the optically readable code (17) of each plant pot, when passed over the optical read unit, is fixed.

13. A plant pot for use in cultivating plants, comprising:

a side wall (2), a bottom (3) and an open top,

the side wall (2) and the bottom (3) delimiting an interior space (6) with plant material substrate (7) containing a plant,

the bottom (3) having a bottom side (4) which is turned away from the interior space (6), the bottom (3) having a hole (15); and

a reusable and removable tag located on a downward facing surface of the bottom (3), the tag provided with an optically readable code, the optically readable code readable by an optical read unit, located below the bottom (3), and directed upward at the downward facing surface of the bottom (3),

the tag comprising a housing (12) in which a carrier (11) is accommodated on which carrier (11) the optically readable code (17) is located, a top side of the housing (12) of the tag (10) provided with a pin (13) inserted through the hole (15) of the bottom (3) the tag (10) being hand-removable from the bottom (3) by grasping and pulling for reuse with another of said plant pots,

wherein the pin has plural snap lugs (14) distributed over a periphery of the pin (13).

14. The plant pot according to claim 13, wherein reinforcement bodies (5) are provided under the bottom (3) along a perimeter of the bottom (3) to hold the optically readable code (17) a fixed height off a surface upon which the plant pot is placed so that the height of the optically readable code (17) of each plant pot, when passed over the optical read unit, is fixed.

15. The plant pot according to claim 13, wherein the pin (13) has a width greater than a height thereof.

16. The plant pot according to claim 13, wherein the pin has a pointed top.

17. The plant pot according to claim 13, wherein the pin (13) is inserted through the hole (15) of the bottom (3) with the snap lugs (14) engaged with a top surface of the bottom (3).

18. A plurality of plant pots for use in cultivating plants, in which each plant pot comprises:

a side wall (2), a bottom (3) and an open top,

the side wall (2) and the bottom (3) delimiting an interior space (6) with plant material substrate (7) containing a plant,

the bottom (3) having a bottom side (4) which is turned away from the interior space (6), the bottom (3) having a hole (15); and

a reusable and removable tag located on a downward facing surface of the bottom (3), the tag provided with an optically readable code, the optically readable code readable by an optical read unit, located below the bottom (3), and directed upward at the downward facing surface of the bottom (3),

the tag comprising a housing (12) in which a carrier (11) is accommodated on which carrier (11) the optically readable code (17) is located, a top side of the housing (12) of the tag (10) provided with a pin (13) inserted through the hole (15) of the bottom (3) the tag (10) being hand-removable from the bottom (3) by grasping and pulling for reuse with another of said plant pots,

wherein, with each plant pot, the pin has plural snap lugs (14) distributed over a periphery of the pin (13).

19. The plurality of plant pots according to claim 18, wherein, with each plant pot, reinforcement bodies (5) are provided under the bottom (3) along a perimeter of the bottom (3) to hold the optically readable code (17) a fixed height off a surface upon which the plant pot is placed so that the height of the optically readable code (17) of each plant pot, when passed over the optical read unit, is fixed.

20. The plurality of plant pots according to claim 18, wherein, with each plant pot, the pin (13) has a width greater than a height thereof.

21. The plurality of plant pots according to claim 18, wherein, with each plant pot, the pin has a pointed top.

22. The plurality of plant pots according to claim 18, wherein, with each plant pot, the pin (13) is inserted through the hole (15) of the bottom (3) with the snap lugs (14) engaged with a top surface of the bottom (3).

23. The plurality of plant pots according to claim 18, wherein the plurality comprises at least 10,000 of said plant pots.