VERTICAL GROWING SYSTEM FOR CAPTURING THREE-DIMENSIONAL SPACE

Abstract

A vertical growing device that uses three-dimensional space effectively, resulting in an inexpensive way to grow plants in a modicum of space. The system is comprised of root bucket (100) with trunk (101) upon the bottom of root bucket (100) and rising out of the lid of root bucket (100.) The part of trunk (101) above the lid has a number of holes which allow the attachment of plumbing fittings, such as street elbows (104) and or other plumbing fittings. Attached to street elbows (104) are branch tubes (103) with grow bays (102.)

Claims

1. An apparatus for growing plants, the apparatus comprising: a hollow tube or solid rod of any practical shape, design, size or material, used to extend a growing bay into three dimensional space, so as to gain said space and or the access to light in said space for the plant and or plants to grow.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, said tube being hollow and allowing the transmission of water to the growing bay from a water source.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, said tube allowing the lifting of a growing bay to gain said space.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, said rod allowing the lifting of a growing bay to gain said space.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, said tube or rod having a belled or otherwise expanded shape at the end to prevent the slippage of any container used as a growing bay; regardless of size, shape, material or the original purpose of said container used as a growing bay.

6. A system for growing plants, comprised of a hollow tube having a wick made from water absorbing material traveling down its length, in order to conduct water to the growing bay at the end of the tube and said wick exceeding six inches at its shortest length.

7. The system of claim 6, and a second water absorbing material traveling from a reservoir of water and or nutrients and then touching said water absorbing material from claim six so as to eventually transfer water and or nutrients to the growing bay.

8. The system of claim 6, extended over a long length and leading directly to the reservoir of water and or nutrients so as to eliminate the need for a second water absorbing material in claim 7.

9. The system of claim 6 without the wicks and the addition of a water pump used to flood the entire trunk, thereby using the force of gravity and or the absorbency of soils, and or any media used to grow plants, to supply a plant and or plants with water.

10. A method for watering plants by flooding a central chamber that the plants and or grow bays are attached to, so as to use the force of gravity to water plants or grow bays and their grow media.

11. The method of claim 10, flooding the chamber with a water pump, said chamber having hollow tubes attached, so as to use the force of gravity to water plants or grow bays and their grow media.

Description

DRAWINGS

Figures

[0043] FIG. 1. Shows the common aspects of the devices.

[0044] FIG. 2. Shows a vertical cylindrical tube containing a plethora of holes and herein referred to as a trunk, prior to the insertion of street elbows.

[0045] FIG. 3. Shows a branch tube with belled end.

[0046] FIG. 4. Shows the branch tube with an attached grow bay.

[0047] FIG. 5. Shows a close up of the grow bay, branch tube and a street elbow attached to the trunk, as used in aspects of the device and called herein a branch assembly.

[0048] FIG. 6. Shows a close up of the branch assembly attached to the trunk, with a branch wick.

[0049] FIG. 7. Shows a first embodiment of the device, including a water pump and related tubing, using the branch wick for providing water to grow media.

[0050] FIG. 8. Shows a second embodiment of the device, including the water pump and related tubing, as used for trunk flooding.

[0051] FIG. 9. Shows a third embodiment using a main wick and branch wicks, without the pump.

Prior Art

[0052] FIG. 10. Shows U.S. Pat. No. 6,612,073, commonly sold as MR.STACKY

[0053] FIG. 11. Shows U.S. Pat. No. 6,840,008, a device using conically shaped plant pockets.

[0054] FIG. 12. Shows Great Britain Patent No. GB988458, a self watering pot using a wick to provide a constant source of moisture for the use of plants therein.

[0055] FIG. 13. Shows Japanese Patent No. JP2009065926, using PET bottles and wicks.

[0056] FIG. 14. Shows US Patent No. US2016/0135398, a device using plant receptors.

REFERENCE NUMBERS

[0057]

TABLE-US-00003 100 root bucket 101 trunk of system 102 grow bay 103 branch tube 104 street elbow 105 branch assembly 106 branch wick 107 pump 108 pump tube 109 pump wires 110 main wick

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0058] The device is made to mimic the actions of a tree and certain descriptive language common to this understanding is used in this description. The device is made from the following materials and these materials are not in any way preferred, except that they are commonly available, inexpensive and rugged. Other materials may be substituted and not leave the spirit of the invention. Further, the lengths, dimensions and capacities are relative to the needs of the user and are not preferred lengths, dimensions and capacities. Lastly, there are multiple iterations of the device, resulting in multiple embodiments. No embodiment is preferred over another embodiment and their use depends upon the requirements of the user.

Common Materials to All Embodiments

[0059] In general, all embodiments use the same system and materials as a base as described below. Small, but important additions and or subtractions are made to enable different embodiments for different needs and each embodiment will be described separately. Below are the elements common to all the embodiments.

[0060] A five gallon bucket, commonly available at a hardware store and sometimes referred to as a five gallon paint bucket is used as a reservoir for water. The bucket has a standard five gallon bucket lid upon it, in which a hole has been created. The bucket is akin to the roots of a tree, providing a stable base and conducting water and or nutrients to the system, just as a tree's root system does. The five gallon bucket is herein referred to as a root bucket 100 and is seen in FIG. 1. as numeral 100.

[0061] A PVC pipe of between 7.62 to 15.24 centimeters or three to six inches in diameter, is cut to a 1.524 meter or five foot length and is inserted through the hole in the lid of root bucket 100. The pipe then comes to rest upon the bottom of root bucket 100. Note that other sizes, shapes and materials may be substituted for the PVC pipe and these are already envisioned in this document. The pipe, regardless of dimensions or materials, is called herein a trunk. The trunk is seen in figure one as numeral 101 and forms the trunk of the artificial tree. In the bottom end of trunk 101 is a hole or holes, depending upon the needs of the user, that allows the easy passage of water back and forth from the interior of trunk 101 to root bucket 100. The portion of trunk 101 above the lid has a plethora of holes drilled in a geometric fashion, not unlike the many home made prior art devices well known to the art. The holes are evenly spaced in shifting rows, each taking advantage of the space left between the row above. The pattern is star like and can be seen in both the prior art and in the FIG. 2 drawing of this document.

[0062] The holes are drilled in a size to accept a standard, 1.27 centimeter, schedule 40, 45 degree PVC street elbows, commonly known as inch, schedule 40, 45 degree PVC street elbows. These are generally available in plumbing and hardware supply stores. These are referred to as street elbow 104 in this document. Street elbow 104 has a female end and a male end. The male end is glued into trunk 101, with the female end pointing upwards. Street elbow 104 is affixed to trunk 101 using commonly available PVC solvent glues, available in plumbing and supply stores. The shifting pattern of street elbow 104 rises to nearly the top of trunk 101. Capping the top of trunk 101 is a standard end cap, commonly found in plumbing and hardware stores. (Note, the end cap is not shown in the drawings.)

[0063] Standard, 1.27 centimeter or inch, schedule 40, PVC pipe comprises the branches of the tree in this system. They can be seen in FIG. 1, branch tube 103 and are seen close up in FIG. 3. Branch tubes 103 are cut to a 10.16 centimeter or 4 inch length, though shorter or longer lengths may be changed by the user and are dictated by the size of a grow bay, as explained farther on. Further, the material of PVC and the diameter are not preferred embodiments and any suitable material and or shape and or diameter may be substituted and is envisioned in this document. One end of branch tube 103 is heated with a hot air gun. The gun can be found in hardware stores and is commonly used in tile removal to melt the bonds of tile and linoleum. Once branch tube 103 becomes softened by the application of the heat, a file handle, broom handle or a wooden dowel with rounded end is inserted into the heated end of branch tube 103. This forces the PVC to flare outward, causing a bell like shape to form in the heated end. Any round piece of wood or other such material with a rounded end and a diameter of an inch or more will work. The size of the bell need not be much, as the bell need only be wider than the mouth of the bottle branch tube 103 passes through.

[0064] Water and soda bottles ranging from half a liter to two liters or larger are cut open on their bottom ends. Once cut, these bottles become grow bays in the system, and can be seen in detail in FIG. 4, numeral 102. Branch tube 103 is inserted into grow bay 102 from the now open bottom of grow bay 102. Branch tube 103 then passes through the mouth of grow bay 102 and the belled end wedges in the mouth of grow bay 102, as seen in FIG. 4. Grow bay 102 cannot then slip off the belled end of branch tube 103. The un-belled end of branch tube 103 is then inserted into street elbow 104. When branch tube 103 with grow bay 102 attached is inserted into street elbow 104, they form a branch assembly 105, seen in detail in FIG. 5. This ends the commonality of the device and specific embodiments will be discussed below.

First Embodiment

[0065] The first embodiment may be seen as FIG. 7 and in addition to the common elements previously mentioned, a pump is at the bottom of root bucket 100. The pump is shown in FIG. 7, numeral 107. Pump 107 is powered by power wires that pass through the lid of root bucket 100. The power wires may be seen in FIG. 7 as numeral 109. When the proper voltage is applied to power wires 109, water will travel up a pump tube, as seen in FIG. 7 numeral 108. The water then hits the trunk cap and trunk 101 sidewalls, cascading back down the interior of trunk 101.

[0066] Strips of water absorbing cloth are cut to roughly 30.5 centimeters or 1 foot or more in length and up to 7.62 centimeters or 3 inches wide, depending upon the user's needs. Cotton may be used, as well as any other hydrophilic or water absorbing material. Common bathing towels were tested and found to be sufficient, but any material that conducts water will work. These strips are called herein branch wicks and referred to as numeral 106 in FIG. 6. Branch wick 106 is inserted into the open bottom end of grow bay 102 and then pushed down the inside of branch tube 103 until branch wick 106 exits the male end of street elbow 104 and into trunk 101. 2.54 to 5.08 centimeters or 1 to 2 inches of protrusion into trunk 101 is sufficient to conduct water and or nutrients along the full length of branch wick 106. Travelling the length of branch tube 103 is helped by pushing branch wick 106 with a wire coat hanger or other stiff device with a bit of give.

[0067] Grow bays 102 are filled with ordinary garden soil, common potting soil or any of the commercially available hydroponic medias. The many different types of soil and medias are referred to corporately as grow media in this document. A seed or seeds are then planted into the grow media near the end of branch wick 106. The seed or seeds will then grow naturally and follow the source of moisture down branch wick 106 and into street elbow 104, emerging into trunk 101. Moisture is maintained in the grow media and branch wicks 106 by applying voltage to pump 107 and causing water to travel up pump tube 108 to the top of trunk 101 and cascade downward upon branch wicks 106. This ends the description of the first embodiment.

Second Embodiment

[0068] The second embodiment is identical to the first embodiment, except that there are no branch wicks 106. The system is instead watered by flooding trunk 101. A drawing of the embodiment can be found under FIG. 8. To flood trunk 101, a small hole and or holes are placed near the bottom of trunk 101. When voltage is applied to pump 107, water rises to the top of trunk 101 and cascades downward. Pump 107 will add water to trunk 101 faster than it drains out of the hole and or holes in the bottom of trunk 101, thus filling trunk 101 to the top. When water rises to top of trunk 101, the pump is shut off. The water then permeates into the grow media directly, soaking it as gravity tries to force the water outward. The density of grow media is sufficient to restrain water spillage and the hole and or holes in the bottom of trunk 101 drain the water away and back into root bucket 100. This ends the description of the second embodiment.

Third Embodiment

[0069] The third embodiment replaces pump 107 and pump tube 108 with a long main wick that runs the length of the trunk and resides upon the bottom of root bucket 100. The main wick is shown in figure nine and given numeral 110. Water entering trunk 101 near its bottom and through the hole and or holes in trunk 101 is absorbed by main wick 110 and travels its full length. Branch wicks 106 then abut main wick 110 as it rises through the trunk. Moisture is transferred to branch wicks 106 and carried up branch tube 103 and into grow bay 102, as previously described in embodiment one. As a variation of the main wick embodiment, a long wick version composed of hydrophilic material running from each grow bay 102, down trunk 101 and all the way into root bucket 100 where it absorbs water, is envisioned.

Operation

[0070] Operation of the device, in any embodiment, is simple. Operation of the three main embodiments is described separately for each main embodiment.

Operation of First Embodiment

[0071] To operate the first embodiment, electricity is conducted to pump wires 109. Generally, a 12 volt pump is used, but other voltages may be applied to varying pumps. A session of 60 seconds of pump time will thoroughly wet the wicks. Electricity is then removed from the system and operation of the first embodiment is complete.

Operation of Second Embodiment

[0072] To operate the second embodiment, electricity is applied in the same manner as in the operation of the first embodiment. Generally, it takes 2 to fill the trunk to the top. As the water fills the trunk, it attempts to work its way out of the trunk by force of gravity, thereby soaking the grow media.

Operation of Third Embodiment

[0073] Operation of the third embodiment is automatic by design. Once filled with water, no further intervention by the user is needed, so long as the root bucket has water.

Advantages

[0074] (a) All three embodiments use common, inexpensive, rugged and available materials to form the embodiments. The costs of these materials is low, especially when bought in bulk. They are easily repaired in the field. If not repairable, glue or even tape can be used to patch the system, leaving the other branches of the tree still useable. There are no parts available only from the manufacturer and therefore no monopoly is formed.

[0075] (b) The system is as easy to maintain in a single instance, as it is in a large, multiple unit, professional growing system. The system uses very little water, needs no additional support in the form of large pumps, mixing tanks and other expensive systems and does not need to be suspended from overhead, though it certainly could be. What water it does use, can be easily replaced using a common water hose or bucket, as in the case of a single unit. Therefore the system is as useable to a person living in a poverty stricken nation as it is to the professional grower in a massive growing operation. The system further eliminates the back breaking labor of a garden, while keeping all of the psychological and health benefits of a garden. Children, the handicapped and the elderly can easily garden now and reap the benefits of fresh food. Transportation loss is ended and the shelf life of produce is greatly increased.

[0076] (c) The system is at just as useable in a greenhouse as it is in a home, outside in a yard or on a patio. Since all water is contained in the system, a corner of the house, a basement or a spare room may become an impromptu greenhouse for indoor growing. And since no external devices are needed, it may be easily concealed. This unique ability means the system and its food are resistant to destruction, theft and confiscation. In areas of the world where food is used as a weapon, this is a considerable advantage. Further, the trunk can be removed from the system, whilst leaving the plants unharmed. Moisture is maintained for days in the grow media and or branch wicks and trunk just by simple evaporation and condensation within the system. This is critical to moving the system in times of war, famine or displacement by natural disasters or if a grower needs to transport systems from an outdoor growing environment to a greenhouse, etc.

[0077] (d) The system, in all its embodiments, is designed to grow from seed to harvest, without the aid of additional devices for seedlings and then juvenile plants. The resulting labor savings and equipment savings is substantial.

[0078] (e) The systems unique design using the branch tubes is the same thinking as the designer of a tree. This artificial tree design approach reaches from the inside outward, not the outside inward. The truly valuable resource to any plant is the sunlight obtained by reaching outward. This then is a total departure from the thinking of previous systems. The prior art feels that the resource of water and or nutrients in the central tube of the system are of the greatest importance. Access to light around the system is at best an afterthoughtif thought of at all.

[0079] (f) The design of this system drastically reduces the need for chemicals of any kind. If they are needed, they are added and contained within the system. No longer will fertilizer, weed killer and insecticides drain into our rivers.

[0080] (g) With some minor modifications, the system could be used in very low to no gravity environments. The moon and Mars are available to usif we can farm there. This system is certainly useable in low gravity environments like the moon and Mars. One may even send an automated version of this system to Mars, ahead of an actual mission and ascertain if Mars can indeed support vegetable life as is. Successive systems could then be designed and sent to Mars, improving upon the design until a sure and stable food system is assured. Future Astronauts will know that the farming systems they bring will not only work on Mars, but will provide the freshest of foods on their long journey.

[0081] (h) Further, the system could be suspended from a central spoke in the center of a spacecraft, not unlike the spokes of a wheel. In zero gravity, the wheel is gently spun. As the rate of spinning increases, so will the gravity in each system. It should then be easy to add grow media to the grow bays and plant seeds in the grow media. With artificial lighting, the entire system is set to provide food for the journey to Mars and back- or to a new home in a foreign solar system. This then allows a dramatic decrease in weight, as the system essentially is an energy to matter converter, taking energy generated from the light of the ship and creating matter in the form of food. Since great deals of heat and electric energy can be generated from a tiny mass, this solves the problem of storing food for a space journey. Biological wastes are then converted back into food, forming a circlejust as it does on Earth.

[0082] (i) The system lends itself to tool assisted harvesting. The branch assemblies are easily pulled away from their slip fit in street elbows with pliers or a custom made tool. Additionally, the entire tree may be pulled from the root bucket and manually or mechanically lifted to a harvesting system for workers. Further, the slip fit design of the branch assembly allows for robotic harvesting, as branch tubes with grow bays attached, may be easily found by a robotic device and lifted from the street elbow, without damage to other plants.

[0083] (j) The system deeply lends itself to mass production methods and ensures that the cost of the system can be kept low. This means that even the poorest of peoples living in near dire circumstances, can afford to have fresh food. This IS the way to prevent malnutrition, even starvation. This IS the way to introduce the best dynamics of capitalism to people who barely have clothing upon their backs. People caught up in wars, government upheavals, famines, disasters that are natural or manmade or simple disruption of transportation networks, will still be able to harvest food from this system. This will see them through the upheaval and to the restoration of normal food deliveries.

[0084] (k) In our modern times, nations are truly vulnerable to a phenomenon known as Electro Magnetic Pulse. EMPs can be naturally generated by the sun or manmade by an atomic detonation in space. This system contains no vulnerable electronics to be destroyed by an EMP event.

[0085] (l) Automated growing is easily accomplished with this system. A solar cell and a simple computer control system may be added. There are many microprocessor devices that can be used to control the system; like the Arduino, Raspberry PI and many others. All are adaptable to this system with simple sensors. Sensors for soil moisture would send a notice of dry grow media before the plant is triggered to stop growing. The system could then trigger the pump, as in two of the embodiments, or notify the user that something is wrong, as in the main wick embodiment. The user may further access these computers wirelessly, checking upon water levels, temperature and many other statistics important to growing.

[0086] (m) It should be noted that if plants face a particularly cold time, such as at night, the water pump can be run continuously during the day, soaking up heat from the sun. The pump can then be triggered to run by the microcontroller in response to cold temperatures, essentially ensuring that a cold snap does not kill the plants. And of course the user may access this data about their plants via the internet. Cameras can even be installed, allowing a user to check the progress of each tree in their forest from a central location.

CONCLUSION, RAMIFICATIONS AND SCOPE

[0087] Accordingly, the reader will see that the device in its embodiment and or embodiments, are plant growing machines that mimic the design of a tree by artificial means. They provide a farmer, grower or gardener with a way to grow in any environment that can support plants with a modicum of water and resources.

[0088] They allow medical and biotech companies a way to grow many plants in a small space while tracking each plant with identification markings on the branch tube or by means of a small RFID device attached to the branch tube or inserted into the grow bay with the plant and or grow media. Since the entire branch tube and grow bay can be removed as a unit, traceability is easily maintained. This ability should not be overlooked, as biotech and agriculture developers need such systems.

[0089] Further, the ability to be repaired with common, inexpensive materials and their construction with these same materials, is a huge boon over existing systems that require materials only available from a particular manufacturer. This also makes the system easy to adapt to various needs and to experiment with. This flexible ability could well see a dramatic increase in experimental growing of plants, as the system can be adapted to large plants and small, by changing the size of the grow bay and the branch tube and by using a larger diameter branch tube. A larger or smaller diameter branch tube can be easily added to the system with a common plumbing adapterwithout switching the size of the street elbow. For instance, a system made in one inch street elbows for large, heavy plants, can be adapted to work with small plants by the simple addition of a reducer bushing. Likewise, a system made with half inch street elbows can be changed to hold longer branch tubes and heavier grow bays with the addition of a simple, off the shelf adapter. These are common plumbing fittings found in nearly any hardware or plumbing supply store. Even in the poorest regions and countries, such materials are still available. This ability should not be overlooked, as it is a major advantage over all other systems.

[0090] Further, the system capacity can be dramatically increased by using Y adaptors that double, even triple the capacity of any given branch assembly.

[0091] The ability to easily repair the system with glues and off the shelf parts, should not be overlooked. If a branch assembly breaks or is otherwise lost, the hole may be plugged or even taped over, without affecting the operation of the rest of the system. This is truly a boon.

[0092] Although the descriptions in this document contain specifications, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments, but as merely providing illustrations of some of the many different embodiments possible with this system. Thus the scope of the embodiments should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than by the examples given.