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US 11,470,764 B2Granted
Wide base capsular planting systems and methods
AssigneeDroneseed Co.
InventorsMatthew Mehdi Aghai, Grant Everest Canary, John William Thomson, Tiffani Manteuffel-Ross
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods and systems are presented for making good use of recently obtained biometric data, for configuring propagule capsules (e.g. containing seeds or spores with growth media and other helpful materials) for deployment via drones so that each has an improved chance of survival, and for configuring drones or piloted craft for safe fleet deployment in remote locations.
Claims15
A propagule growth facilitation method comprising:
- obtaining a multitude of propagules each having a diameter within an order of magnitude of 3 millimeters (mm);
- configuring one or more of the multitude of propagules in a first dry propagule capsule with a thickness between 5 mm and 5 centimeters (cm), a diameter within an order of magnitude of 10 cm, and a footprint larger than 5 square cm and so that a volumetric majority of the first dry propagule capsule comprises growth media, wherein the volumetric majority of the first propagule capsule comprises growth media volumetrically compressed by more than 5% and wherein the growth media primarily comprises at least one of peat or coconut coir;
- loading a multitude of dry propagule capsules including the first dry propagule capsule into a chamber shorter than 1 meter of a planting module of a first drone so as to be supported by the first drone;
- deploying the first drone so as to carry the dry propagule capsules to a vicinity of a first planting site, wherein the first planting site comprises a first microsite smaller than 3 meters across;
- and
- deploying the first dry propagule capsule to fall via a sloped guide such that the first dry propagule capsule lands with a first side thereof oriented downward and above and adjacent the first planting site, wherein the first dry propagule capsule is dry in that less than 2% of a weight of the first dry propagule capsule is available liquid hydration when the first dry propagule capsule is deployed and wherein local hydration several days later causes the growth media to expand volumetrically and thereby causes at least one root from the one or more propagules to grow generally downward out of the dry propagule capsule and take root in the first microsite.
3 more elements
A propagule growth facilitation method comprising:
- obtaining a multitude of propagules each having a diameter within an order of magnitude of 3 millimeters;
- configuring one or more of the multitude of propagules in a first propagule capsule with a thickness within an order of magnitude of 1 centimeter (cm), a diameter within an order of magnitude of 10 cm, and a footprint larger than 3 square cm and so that a volumetric majority of the first propagule capsule comprises growth media;
- loading a multitude of propagule capsules including the first propagule capsule so as to be supported by a first drone;
- deploying the first drone so as to carry the multitude of propagule capsules to a vicinity of a first planting site;
- and
- deploying the first propagule capsule to fall such that the first propagule capsule lands with a first side thereof oriented above and adjacent the first planting site, wherein local hydration later causes at least one root from the one or more propagules to grow out of the propagule capsule and take root in the first planting site.
3 more elements
A propagule growth facilitation system comprising:
- means for holding a multitude of propagules each having a diameter within an order of magnitude of 3 millimeters;
- wherein the means for holding the multitude of propagules includes a first propagule capsule with a thickness within an order of magnitude of 1 centimeter (cm), a diameter within an order of magnitude of 10 cm, and a footprint larger than 3 square cm;
- wherein one or more of the multitude of propagules is held in the first propagule capsule;
- and wherein a volumetric majority of the first propagule capsule comprises growth media;
- means for holding a multitude of propagule capsules including the first propagule capsule so as to be supported by a first drone;
- and
- the first drone, configured to carry the multitude of propagule capsules to a vicinity of a first planting site, wherein the first drone is configured to deploy the first propagule capsule so that the first propagule capsule lands with a first side thereof oriented above and adjacent the first planting site and wherein local hydration later causes at least one root from the one or more propagules to grow out of the propagule capsule and take root in the first planting site.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.