# US 2014/0196366 A1 · Robotic Plantlet Handling System > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0196366 A1 - Document ID: US20140196366A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/124,957 - Filed: 2012-06-08 - Published: 2014-07-17 - Earliest claimed: 2011-06-08 - Assignees: Nuplant Pty Ltd - Inventors: Robert Dixon Teasdale - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140196366A1 ## CPC - A01G 9/0299: {Handling or transporting of soil blocks or seedlings} - 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 - A01G 9/086: {Devices for repotting} - A01G 9/088: {Handling or transferring pots} - A01H 4/001: {Culture apparatus for tissue culture} - B25J 9/00: Program-controlled manipulators - Y10S 901/02: Arm motion controller - 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) - A01H: NEW PLANTS OR {NON-TRANSGENIC} PROCESSES FOR OBTAINING THEM; PLANT REPRODUCTION BY TISSUE CULTURE TECHNIQUES - B25J: MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES ({manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery A61B34/70; manipulators used in cleaning hollow articles B08B9/04}; manipulators associated with rolling mills B21B39/20; manipulators associated with forging machines B21J13/10; {manipulators associated with picking-up and placing mechanisms B23P19/007}; means for holding wheels or parts thereof B60B30/00; {vehicles with ground-engaging propulsion means, e.g. walking members B62D57/02, B62D57/032; devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials between conveyors B65G47/90, B65G47/91; manipulators with gripping or holding means for transferring packages B65H67/065}; cranes B66C; {manipulators used in the protection or supervision of pipe-line installations F17D5/00; walking equipment adapted for nuclear steam-generators F22B37/006}; manipulators specially adapted for, or associated with, nuclear reactors G21C; {apparatus used for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor H10P72/50}) - Y10S: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS ## Abstract 1. Robotic plantlet handing apparatus including: a workstation having an operator work portion, a material source portion, a material delivery portion and a robot arm; at least one housing located at the material source portion and containing a plurality of plantlet holders each comprising an open-topped container having apertures open to nutrient medium in use and having a handling lug, the housing being closable by a lid having a complementary engagement periphery adapted to mechanically and sealingly engage a corresponding peripheral lip of the housing; at least one said housing located at said material delivery portion and adapted to receive a plurality of said plantlet holders; a plantlet holder manipulator on said robot arm and adapted to engage said handling lug for movement of a plantlet holder between said material source portion, said operator work portion, and said material delivery portion; and a closure manipulator on said robot arm and selectively operable to engage a said closure for removal from and attachment to the housing. ## Claims ### Claim 1 Robotic plantlet handing apparatus including: a workstation having an operator work portion, a material source portion, a material delivery portion and a robot arm; at least one housing located at the material source portion and containing a plurality of plantlet holders each comprising an open-topped container having apertures open to nutrient medium in use and having a handling lug, the housing being closable by a lid having a complementary engagement periphery adapted to mechanically and sealingly engage a corresponding peripheral lip of the housing; at least one said housing located at said material delivery portion and adapted to receive a plurality of said plantlet holders; a plantlet holder manipulator on said robot arm and adapted to engage said handling lug for movement of a plantlet holder between said material source portion, said operator work portion, and said material delivery portion; and a closure manipulator on said robot arm and selectively operable to engage a said closure for removal from and attachment to the housing. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) Robotic plantlet handing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the workstation comprises a workstation enclosure selected from a positive pressure, laminar flow and glove box enclosure. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) Robotic plantlet handing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operator work portion includes one or more work stands adapted to receive and retain a plantlet holder for a worker to operate on the plantlet in the holder. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) Robotic plantlet handing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the work stand includes a handling lug engagement portion adapted to cooperate with a complementary engagement portion on the handling tab of the plantlet holder. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) Robotic plantlet handing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the operator work portion comprises a hinged platform mounting the work stands and movable to permit changing out of a waste and reject holder located beneath an opening in the platform. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) Robotic plantlet handing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the operator work portion includes a plurality of work stands each including operator prompt means adapted to cause the operator to time actions in concert with the robot arm. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) Robotic plantlet handing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the operator prompt means comprises one or more LED indicators operated by control means associated with the robot arm. ### Claim 8 (depends on 3) Robotic plantlet handing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the work stand includes retaining means selectively operable to retain and release a plantlet holder. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) Robotic plantlet handing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the material source portion includes an array comprising a plurality of housings and including location means for the respective housings to assist the robot arm operation by location of the plantlet holders within tolerance of discrete positions. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) Robotic plantlet handing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the material source portion includes a closure locator to allow for storage of a closure removed from a housing and/or spare closures. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) Robotic plantlet handing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the material delivery portion includes an array comprising a plurality of housings and including location means for the respective housings to assist the robot arm operation by location of the plantlet holders within tolerance of discrete positions. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) Robotic plantlet handing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the material delivery portion may include a lid locator to allow for storage of a lid to be fitted to a housing and/or spare lids. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) Robotic plantlet handing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the robot arm comprises a multi-axis robot arm controlled by a robotic controller and terminating in the plantlet holder manipulator. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) Robotic plantlet handing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plantlet holder manipulator comprises a gripper assembly having a pair of jaws adapted to engage the handling tab of the plantlet holder and selectively operable under robotic control by means selected from electromechanical and pneumatically operated actuators. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) Robotic plantlet handing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the closure manipulator on the robot arm comprises a pair of arms having outer ends adapted to engage engagement portions on the closure whereby relative movement of the respective outer arm ends toward each other causes an installed closure to be released by distortion from the housing, the outer arm ends being further adapted to retain the removed closure. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) Robotic plantlet handing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the closure manipulator shares a common actuator with the gripper assembly. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) Robotic plantlet handing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the closure manipulator is integrated with the gripper assembly forming the plantlet holder manipulator to form a gripper/closure manipulator assembly. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) Robotic plantlet handing apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the gripper/closure manipulator comprises a manipulator body mounted on the robot arm, a pair of arms each having a gripper portion disposed at one end of the arm and a closure manipulator portion disposed at the other end of the arm, the arms each being pivoted to the manipulator body between the gripper portion and a closure manipulator portion to form a gripper and a closure manipulator, and actuator means mounted on the manipulator body to work the arms in concert to operate said gripper and closure manipulator. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) Robotic plantlet handing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plantlet holder manipulator and closure manipulator are mounted on the robot arm on a rotatable cuff to enable selective deployment of the grippers and closure manipulator by rotation of the cuff. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) Robotic plantlet handing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein actuators of the plantlet holder manipulator and closure manipulator are selected from pneumatic or electromechanical actuators, and the rotatable cuff includes means to control the spooling of control cables or tubes to enable rotations of more than +/−180°. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) Robotic plantlet handing apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the rotatable cuff includes two or more relatively rotatable cable drums whereby a connecting cable to the actuators is wound from one drum to the other and back as the plantlet holder manipulator and closure manipulator are rotated in assembly. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) Robotic plantlet handing apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the respective drums are separated by a half-speed idler body having low-friction leads or rollers for the laying or playing out of the cables or tubes on or from the respective drums. ### Claim 23 (depends on 1) Robotic plantlet handing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the housing includes integrally formed sealing means adapted to cooperate with the closure to provide the substantially airtight seal. ### Claim 24 (depends on 1) Robotic plantlet handing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the location means comprises a housing holder located in a workstation/robot enclosure at the material source and delivery stations. ### Claim 25 (depends on 24) Robotic plantlet handing apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the housing holder is a plate having apertures for accepting a plurality of housings ### Claim 26 (depends on 25) Robotic plantlet handing apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the plate includes latching means to provide selectively releasable, positive retention of the housing in the housing holder, the housing being formed with nibs formed in a side wall to cooperate with the latching means. ### Claim 27 (depends on 1) Robotic plantlet handing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the enclosure comprises a relatively deep peripheral flange that extends downward and external of the housing lip to define an annular dead space that is not subject to convection mixing with the environment. ### Claim 28 (depends on 27) Robotic plantlet handing apparatus according to claim 27, wherein the peripheral flange extends below a sealing rim of the housing by at least 3 mm. ### Claim 29 (depends on 1) Robotic plantlet handing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the closure has an inner peripheral flange that is spaced inwardly of and extends downward of a housing lip to define an annular drip line for condensation away from the lip. ### Claim 30 (depends on 1) Robotic plantlet handing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the closure has a gas permeable portion formed of a material selected from film material and fibrous material selected to allow exchange of metabolic gases produced or required by plantlets. ### Claim 31 (depends on 30) Robotic plantlet handing apparatus according to claim 30, wherein the material is selected from hydrophobic polyolefin materials. ### Claim 32 (depends on 1) Robotic plantlet handing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plantlet holders have a side wall relieved downward of an upper edge to provide access for a scalpel to trim or excise new plantlets from a plant in the holder. ### Claim 33 (depends on 1) Robotic plantlet handing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the handling lug comprises a cross pin or laterally extending pair of pegs, wherein the handling lug engagement portion of the work stand comprises a pillar mounted to the work station and having a bifurcated top admitting a portion of the handling lug and an upper transverse groove extending either side of the bifurcation of the top and adapted to receive the cross pin or pegs. ### Claim 34 (depends on 1) Robotic plantlet handing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the robot arm comprises computer controlled mechanical handling means including a robotic controller. ### Claim 35 A plant cloning method including the steps of: (i) providing a workstation having an operator work portion, a material source portion, a material delivery portion and a robot arm; (ii) locating in said workstation at least one housing at the material source portion and containing plantlets in a plurality of plantlet holders each comprising an open-topped container having apertures open to nutrient medium in use and having a handling lug, the housing being closed by a lid having a complementary engagement periphery adapted to mechanically and sealingly engage a corresponding peripheral lip of the housing; (iii) locating in said workstation at least one housing at said material delivery portion and adapted to receive a plurality of said plantlet holders; (iv) operating said robot arm and a closure manipulator thereon to engage and remove said lid and deliver the lid to a storage location; (v) operating said robot arm and a plantlet holder manipulator thereon to engage the handling lug of and remove a plantlet holder from the housing at the material source portion and deliver the holder to a work stand adapted to receive and retain the plantlet holder for a worker to operate on the plantlet in the holder; (vi) operating on the plant material to produce one or more product-containing plantlet holders; (vii) operating said robot arm and a plantlet holder manipulator thereon to engage the handling lug of and remove a plantlet holder from a work stand to a said housing at said material delivery portion; (viii) repeating step (vii) to exhaust product bearing plantlet holders on work stands; (ix) repeating steps (v) to (viii) until a said housing at said material delivery portion is loaded; and (x) operating said robot arm and said closure manipulator thereon to engage a lid and install the lid on said loaded housing.