Seed sorting and separating systems
OwnerMichael Menigozinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A device for separating seeds from other plant material may include a front wall, a rear wall, two side walls extending between the front and rear walls, and a bottom wall. The device may include other internal walls to create an air flow path from a first one of the side walls to a second one of the side walls. A fan can induce an air flow along the air flow path. Raw plant material can be fed into the device and allowed to fall through the air flow path, and the air flow can separate seeds in the raw plant material from other plant material.
Claims19
A device for separating seeds from other plant material, comprising:
- a rear wall;
- a front wall;
- a bottom wall;
- a first side wall that extends from the rear wall to the front wall and from the bottom wall toward a top end of the device;
- a second side wall that extends from the rear wall to the front wall and from the bottom wall toward a top end of the device;
- a first drawer positioned within a first bay located adjacent to the first wall and between the bottom wall and a bottom end of the front wall;
- a second drawer positioned within a second bay located adjacent to the second wall and between the bottom wall and the bottom end of the front wall;
- a first opening in the first side wall;
- a second opening in the second side wall;
- and
- a fan coupled to the first side wall, the fan configured to induce air flow into the device through the second opening, through the device from the second opening to the first opening, and out of the device through the first opening at a rate of at least 100 cubic feet per minute.
A method of operating a device comprising:
- a rear wall;
- a front wall;
- a bottom wall;
- a first side wall that extends from the rear wall to the front wall and from the bottom wall toward a top end of the device;
- a second side wall that extends from the rear wall to the front wall and from the bottom wall toward a top end of the device;
- a first drawer positioned within a first bay located adjacent to the first wall and between the bottom wall and a bottom end of the front wall;
- a second drawer positioned within a second bay located adjacent to the second wall and between the bottom wall and the bottom end of the front wall;
- a first opening in the first side wall;
- a second opening in the second side wall;
- and
- a fan coupled to the first side wall, the fan configured to induce air flow into the device through the second opening, through the device from the second opening to the first opening, and out of the device through the first opening at a rate of at least 100 cubic feet per minute,
- the method comprising:
- turning on the fan to induce air flow along an air flow path into the device through the second opening, through the device from the second opening to the first opening, and out of the device through the first opening;
- providing raw plant material including seeds as an initial input to the device;
- and
- allowing the raw plant material to fall through the air flow path;
- wherein the air flow separates the seeds from other plant material, allows the seeds separated from the other plant material to fall into the second drawer, and allows the other plant material to fall into the first drawer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.