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US 11,690,309 B2Granted
Responsive dispersion from compartment in aqueous solution
OwnerArthur J. Zito, Jr., William R. Zitoinventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention is an apparatus unit that adjusts the dispersion from a compartment to an aqueous solution in response to an independent variable such as an environmental factor, in order to optimize seeding, marking, warning or treatment. The compartment enables any selection of solids, liquids or gasses to be contained and mixed when ready for dispersion. A preferred embodiment is a solar powered pump, self-contained within a buoy over a shallow tidal pool, for the purpose of distributing seeds for marine vegetation under ideal conditions for propagation. The unit provides for sensing and measurement of the environment, then adapting the dispersion for optimum effect.
Claims23
An apparatus, comprising:
- a buoy that floats in a body of water;
- a first sensor to measure a change of an environmental event external to the apparatus;
- a compartment in the buoy that contains seeds or seedlings of seagrasses, the seedlings in the compartment are already germinated, the compartment contains a solution that fosters their growth and a second sensor that determines their size, color, density or a proxy for their maturity;
- a release mechanism to release the seeds or seedlings of seagrasses from the compartment to the body of water external to the apparatus;
- an adjustable aperture nozzle mounted to the buoy and connected to the release mechanism, the adjustable aperture nozzle adjustable through a range of sizes to disperse the seeds or seedlings of seagrasses from the compartment in a rate proportionate to the change of the environmental event as measured by the first sensor to the body of water external to the apparatus, with a quantity of the water from the body of water;
- and
- a control in communication with the first sensor, the release mechanism, the second sensor, and the adjustable aperture nozzle, the control operable to adjust the release mechanism, and the adjustable aperture nozzle to control dispersion of the seeds or seedlings of seagrasses with the quantity of the water from the body of water in proportion to the change of the environmental event as measured by the first sensor, wherein the environmental event is at least one of temperature, pH, oxygen level, carbon dioxide level, or sunlight, and the controller operable to activate the release mechanism to release the germinated seedlings when the measurement from the second sensor is determined to reach a set point.
4 more elements
An apparatus, comprising:
- a buoy that floats in a body of water;
- a first sensor to measure a change of an environmental event external to the apparatus;
- a compartment in the buoy that contains seeds or seedlings of seagrasses, the seedlings in the compartment are already germinated, the compartment contains a solution that fosters their growth and a second sensor;
- a release mechanism to release the seeds or seedlings of seagrasses from the compartment to the body of water external to the apparatus;
- an adjustable aperture nozzle mounted to the buoy and connected to the release mechanism, the adjustable aperture nozzle adjustable through a range of sizes to disperse a quantity of the seeds or seedlings of seagrasses from the compartment in a rate proportionate to the change of the environmental event as measured by the first sensor to the body of water external to the apparatus, with a quantity of the water from the body of water;
- and
- a control in communication with the first sensor, the release mechanism, the second sensor, and the adjustable aperture nozzle, the control operable to adjust the release mechanism and to adjust the adjustable aperture nozzle to control the dispersion of the quantity of the seeds or seedlings of seagrasses with the quantity of the water from the body of water in proportion to the change of the environmental event as measured by the first sensor, the controller operable to adjust the nozzle aperture and to adjust the release mechanism to release the germinated seedlings based on the measurement from the second sensor.
4 more elements
An apparatus, comprising:
- a buoy that floats in a body of water;
- a first sensor to measure a change of an environmental event external to the buoy;
- a compartment in the buoy that contains seeds or seedlings of seagrasses, the seedlings in the compartment are already germinated, the compartment contains a solution that fosters their growth and a second sensor that determines their size, color, density or a proxy for their maturity;
- a release mechanism to release the seeds or seedlings of seagrasses from the compartment;
- an adjustable aperture nozzle mounted to the buoy and connected to the release mechanism, the adjustable aperture nozzle adjustable through a range of sizes to disperse a quantity of the material from the compartment with a quantity of the water from the body of water;
- and
- a control in communication with the first sensor, the second sensor, the release mechanism, and the adjustable aperture nozzle, the control operable to adjust the release mechanism;
- and to adjust the adjustable aperture nozzle to control the dispersion of the material with the quantity of the water from the body of water in proportion to said change of the environmental event and to said determination of the germination.
5 more elements
An apparatus, comprising:
- a buoy that floats in a body of water;
- a receiver to receive measurements from a remote station to determine a change of an environmental event;
- a compartment in the buoy that contains seeds or seedlings of seagrasses, the seedlings in the compartment are already germinated, the compartment contains a solution that fosters their growth and a sensor that determines their size, color, density or a proxy for their maturity;
- a release mechanism to release the seeds or seedlings of seagrasses from the compartment to the body of water external to the apparatus;
- an adjustable aperture nozzle mounted to the buoy and connected to the release mechanism, the adjustable aperture nozzle mechanism adjustable through a range of sizes to disperse a quantity of the seeds or seedlings of seagrasses from the compartment to the body of water external to the apparatus, with a quantity of the water from the body of water;
- and
- a control in communication with the receiver, the release mechanism, the sensor, and the adjustable aperture nozzle, the control operable to adjust both the release mechanism and the adjustable aperture nozzle to disperse the quantity of the seeds or seedlings of seagrasses with the quantity of the water from the body of water in proportion to the change of the environmental event as measured by the receiver and the measurement from the sensor in the compartment, wherein the sensor is operable to sense a size, a color, a density or a proxy for a maturity of the seedlings.
4 more elements
An apparatus, comprising:
- a buoy that floats in a body of water;
- a receiver to receive measurements from a remote station to determine a change of an environmental event;
- a compartment in the buoy that contains seeds or seedlings of seagrasses, the seedlings in the compartment are already germinated, the compartment contains a solution that fosters their growth and a sensor that determines their size, color, density or a proxy for their maturity;
- a release mechanism to release the seeds or seedlings of seagrasses from the compartment to the body of water external to the apparatus;
- an adjustable aperture nozzle mounted to the buoy and connected to the release mechanism, the adjustable aperture nozzle mechanism adjustable through a range of sizes to disperse a quantity of the seeds or seedlings of seagrasses from the compartment to the body of water external to the apparatus, with a quantity of the water from the body of water;
- and
- a control in communication with the receiver, the release mechanism, the sensor, and the adjustable aperture nozzle, the control operable to adjust both the release mechanism and the adjustable aperture nozzle to disperse the quantity of the seeds or seedlings of seagrasses with the quantity of the water from the body of water in proportion to the change of the environmental event as measured by the receiver and the measurement from the sensor in the compartment, wherein the environmental event comprises at least one of current, wind, tide, and wave height.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.