# US 12,290,034 B2 · System for cultivating plants using cultivation shelves having a common liquid collection basin and suction duct, and operation method thereof > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,290,034 B2 - Document ID: US12290034B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/619,349 - Filed: 2020-06-19 - Published: 2022-07-28 - Granted: 2025-05-06 - Earliest claimed: 2019-06-20 - Assignees: Zero Corporation - Applicants: Zero Srl - Inventors: Andrea Alessio; Daniele Modesto - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12290034B2 ## CPC - A01G 31/06: Hydroponic culture on racks or in stacked containers - A01G 9/023: {Multi-tiered planters} - A01G 27/006: {Reservoirs, separate from plant-pots, dispensing directly into rooting medium} - A01G 31/065: {with means for recycling the nutritive solution} - Y02P 60/21: Dinitrogen oxide [N2O], e.g. using aquaponics, hydroponics or efficiency measures - A01G: HORTICULTURE; CULTIVATION OF VEGETABLES, FLOWERS, RICE, FRUIT, VINES, HOPS OR SEAWEED; FORESTRY; WATERING (picking of fruits, vegetables, hops or the like A01D46/00; propagating unicellular algae C12N1/12) - Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS ## Abstract A system for cultivating plants comprising a plurality of cultivation shelves for cultivating plants, support frames structured to support the cultivation shelves so as to form one or more horizontal cultivation planes that develop along a first horizontal direction, an aeroponic feeding system, which is provided with nebulizing devices that are arranged at the cultivation shelves for spraying the liquid towards the cultivation shelves themselves, and a suction duct arranged at the nebulizing devices to suck up the nebulised liquid dispersed by the same. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system for cultivating plants comprising: a plurality of cultivation shelves for cultivating plants, support frames structured to support said cultivation shelves to form one or more horizontal cultivation planes each of which extends along a first horizontal direction, the cultivation shelves are coplanar to each other in order to form respective shared cultivation planes, the cultivation shelves forming said cultivating planes are arranged end-to-end-along the first horizontal direction, with the relative, adjacent sides next to each other, an aeroponic feeding system, which is provided with nebulising devices which are arranged below said cultivation shelves for spraying the liquid towards the cultivation shelves themselves, said cultivation system comprises a suction system that is arranged at said nebulising devices for sucking-up the nebulised liquid dispersed by the nebulising-devices, said cultivation system being characterized in that: said suction system comprises for each cultivation plane: a liquid collection basin common to the cultivation shelves of said cultivation plane, which is arranged immediately below the cultivation shelves that form said cultivation plane so as to extend along a direction approximately parallel to said first horizontal direction and is structured to collect and contain said dispersed nebulised liquid that falls during spraying performed on the cultivation plane, and a suction duct that is arranged below the cultivation shelves of said cultivation plane and extends along the cultivation plane, parallel to the first direction, said suction duct extends inside said liquid collection basin and is designed to suck-up the liquid contained within the liquid collection basin in order to empty said collection basin in a selective way, independently of the other cultivating planes, said suction duct is arranged adjacent to the bottom wall of said liquid collection basin and extends for the entire length of the of the cultivation plane along said first direction, wherein on said suction duct suction through-openings are present, spaced from one another along a longitudinal axis of said suction duct. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The cultivation system according to claim 1, wherein said liquid collection basin comprises a thin layer made of flexible waterproof material. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The cultivation system according to claim 2, wherein said layer is made of material that is not transparent to light in order to prevent it from illuminating the roots of the vegetables. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The cultivation system according to claim 1, wherein the liquid collection basin comprises a flexible sheet made of plastic material. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The cultivation system according to claim 1, wherein said suction duct extends along a longitudinal axis parallel to said first direction, approximately central to said liquid collection basin. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The cultivation system according to claim 1, wherein said suction through-openings are made in the suction duct, on the side of the suction duct adjacent to the bottom of the liquid collection basin. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The cultivation system according to according to claim 1, wherein said suction through-openings are circular and are approximately 6 mm in diameter. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The cultivation system according to claim 1, wherein said aeroponic feeding system comprises at least one delivery duct for the liquid, which extends inside the liquid collection basin along a relative longitudinal axis parallel to said first direction, and a series of nebulising devices that are connected to said delivery duct and are arranged inside the liquid collection basin for spraying the liquid towards said cultivation shelves. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The cultivation system according to claim 8, wherein said delivery ducts and said suction duct are supported inside the corresponding liquid collection basin via support rods that extend transverse to said first direction, below the cultivation shelves and are rigidly fixed with the upper ends on vertical columns of said frame. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The cultivation system according to claim 9, wherein said support rods are arched so as to follow the internal surface of the bottom wall of the liquid collection basin. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The cultivation system according to claim 10, wherein said support rods are provided with snap fastening elements in which the delivery ducts and the suction duct are inserted. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The cultivation system according to claim 10, wherein said support rods support said suction duct below the delivery ducts and approximately close to the bottom of the liquid collection basin. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The cultivation system according to claim 9, wherein said support rods are designed to keep the layer of the liquid collection basin stretched towards the outside. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The cultivation system according to claim 1, wherein said liquid collection basin has two opposite longitudinal sides that are parallel to said first direction and are arranged close to the longitudinal sides of the cultivation shelves of a relative cultivation plane. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The cultivation system according to claim 14, wherein said longitudinal sides are coupled to the frame via opposite, lateral retention guides, which are fixed to the frame and inside of which two longitudinal sides of the liquid collection basin are inserted by sliding. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The cultivation system according to claim 14, wherein said longitudinal sides that form the upper edges of the bottom wall are coplanar to each other and are arranged resting on the lower surface of said cultivation shelves, approximately at the outer sides of the latter so as to prevent the nebulised liquid from coming out of the frame and for collecting the same in said basin. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The cultivation system according to claim 1, comprising a suction assembly that is hydraulically connected to a series of suction ducts joined to corresponding liquid collection basins to selectively suck the liquid contained in the liquid collection basins themselves. ### Claim 18 A method for operating a system for cultivating plants wherein the system comprises a plurality of support shelves for cultivating plants, support frames structured to support said cultivation shelves so as to form one or more horizontal cultivation levels which develop along a first horizontal direction, the cultivation shelves are coplanar to each other in order to form respective shared cultivation planes, the cultivation shelves forming each said cultivating plane are arranged end-to-end along the first horizontal direction, with the relative, adjacent sides next to each other, an aeroponic feeding system, which is structured so as to selectively provide a nebulised liquid towards said support shelves of said cultivation planes, said method being characterised in that it comprises the step of: collecting from the support shelves of each cultivation plane the dispersed nebulised liquid through a liquid collection basin common to the cultivation shelves of said cultivation plane and that is arranged immediately below the cultivation shelves of said cultivation plane and extends an entire length of the cultivation plane, wherein said liquid collection basin extends along a direction parallel to said first horizontal direction, and sucking-up the liquid contained in the liquid collection basin in order to empty said collection basin in a selective way, independently of the other cultivating planes, through a suction duct which extends inside said liquid collection basin along a longitudinal axis parallel to said first direction along the whole length of the same along said first direction, and is arranged approximately adjacent to the bottom wall of said liquid collection basin, wherein on said suction duct suction through-openings are present, spaced from one another along a longitudinal axis.