Patents Examined by Aaron M Rodziwicz
  • Patent number: 11975851
    Abstract: A hybrid power system for a vertical takeoff and landing (“VTOL”) aircraft including a first power source operable to provide a power output for at least a forward flight mode; and a second power source configured to provide a high specific power output for an altitude adjustment flight mode, the second power source including an auxiliary gas generator coupled to a turbine and a drive system. In other aspects, there is provided a VTOL aircraft and methods for providing power to a VTOL aircraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2024
    Assignee: Bell Textron Inc.
    Inventor: Troy C. Schank
  • Patent number: 11957111
    Abstract: A method for producing poultry at a hatchery includes incubating a batch of eggs in incubating trays in an incubating device during a first incubating period of between about 7 to about 11 days, and then, for each egg of the batch of eggs, determining of gender of the chick embryo, in particular after determination if the egg contains a well-developed or more specifically a living embryo, and based on the gender of a chick embryo, dividing the batch of eggs into at least a male batch portion and a female batch portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: SELEGGT GmbH
    Inventor: Tjitze Meter
  • Patent number: 11950548
    Abstract: Systems and methods herein improve plant growth through a combination of monochromatic laser light and Emerson effect enhancement. A microcontroller can change the frequency of a laser module and an LED array to enhance growth. For example, 663 nm can be used as an energy pump, and a phytochrome effect can be applied at 730 nm during flowering to extend the amount of time a flowering plant can handle light. A racking system can accept slidable LED lights for easy positioning. Additionally, a controller can use one or more scalar wave guides for channeling scalar energy. These can be active or passive. In one example, a controller causes the scalar wave guide to create an electromagnetic cancelation field whereby the device harnesses the fundamental earth Shuman resonance of 7.83 Hz and amplifies it to create anions in a predominantly cation rich environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: ATIRA SOLUTIONS, LLC
    Inventor: Riccardo A. de Wet
  • Patent number: 11944052
    Abstract: A modular vessel assembly configured to hold one or more plants in a cultivation environment is provided. The vessel assemblies may be assembled from multiple components, each component having an identical design. Aspects of the present disclosure allow for high-volume production of a single component that is versatile enough to join with other identical or substantially similar components to form a tower of vessels configured to hold a number of plants during cultivation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: STEM Cultivation, Inc.
    Inventors: Kyle W. Moffitt, Kaylor Moffitt
  • Patent number: 11939982
    Abstract: A system for distributing particulate material from an agricultural machine includes a fan configured to provide an airflow in a supply line for distributing particulate material, a hydraulic system configured to drive the fan at a plurality of fan speeds, and a control system configured to control the hydraulic system. The control system executes a program stored in a non-transient medium operable to: determine a given product application rate for distributing the particulate material; determine a given ground speed of the agricultural machine; determine a fan speed for achieving the given product application rate at the given ground speed; and control the hydraulic system to drive the fan at the fan speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: CNH Industrial America LLC
    Inventors: Rex Ruppert, David Hafvenstein
  • Patent number: 11937562
    Abstract: A method for operating a greenhouse system with block storage, at least one block storage container and at least one vehicle. Each block storage container has a carrier frame and a plant receptacle, the plant receptacle being detachably engaged with the carrier frame, the block storage having at least one first zone and one second zone, and at least one first carrier frame and at least one second carrier frame, the plant receptacle in the first zone being detachably engaged with the first carrier frame; and the plant receptacle being subsequently transferred into the second zone, the plant receptacle being transferred from the first carrier frame to the second carrier frame as part of the transferal from the first zone into the second zone, the plant receptacle in the second zone being detachably engaged with the second carrier frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: JUNGHEINRICH AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Volker Rollwa, Jörg Cavelius, Markus Liebhaber
  • Patent number: 11937570
    Abstract: A pet hammock for placement on a chair's armrests includes a first and a second elongated armrest cover, each having a top, a bottom, a rigid core, and a pair of opposed first and second sides, wherein the top is adapted to temporarily attach to a fabric covering, the bottom is adapted to grip the top of an armrest of a chair, and the first and the second sides are adapted with a plurality of slots encircled by the armrest cover which extend between the bottom and the top of said armrest cover for receiving strings or straps which allows the armrest cover to be secured to an armrest of a chair, and a fabric covering includes a rectangular fabric sheet having a first end and a second end, a topside, and an underside, wherein the first end of the underside is adapted to temporarily attach to the top of the first armrest cover and the second end of the underside is adapted to temporarily attach to the top of the second armrest cover which creates a suspended sleeping area for small pets generally positioned over
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Inventor: Kenneth Logan Dougherty
  • Patent number: 11939075
    Abstract: Systems and methods are configured for power distribution in a hybrid fixed-wing VTOL drone aircraft. A drone aircraft includes two modes of operation. In a first mode of operation, the internal combustion engine is shut off while an electric motor-based VTOL system provides lift and thrust. In a second mode of operation, an internal combustion engine provides thrust while a set of fixed wings provide lift. In the second mode of operation, mechanical power from the internal combustion engine provides for power generation to charge an electrical battery to power the electric motor-based VTOL system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Sierra Nevada Corporation
    Inventors: Hannan Parvizian, Manuel Lopez, Guangyuan Zheng
  • Patent number: 11925146
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a cultivation method of morels and belongs to the technical field of cultivation of edible fungi. After nutrient contents that can be metabolized and utilized by morel mycelia are scientifically matched, sterilization treatment of exogenous nutrients is eliminated, and the exogenous nutrients are directly compressed for forming. Formed exogenous nutrient blocks and spawn is sowed and covered with soil, so as to realize a potential difference between “rich” and “poor” nutrients in a physical space. When the spawn germinate to form a mycelium network, the mycelia will enter a nutrient-rich exogenous nutrient area, secrete various extracellular enzymes to decompose and utilize these exogenous nutrient blocks, and transport them to a nutrient-poor mycelium network for storage, so as to complete nutrient assimilation and absorption, and reserve energy for later sexual reproduction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences
    Inventors: Xiaofei Shi, Wei Liu, Yingli Cai, Fuqiang Yu
  • Patent number: 11917956
    Abstract: A smart drip irrigation emitter provides intelligent features including on-demand watering, sensors and communication links. The emitters are activated by a wireless signal to power and/or control water delivery from the emitter. The emitter includes sensors that gather data pertaining to an individual plant and intelligently determines whether to water the plant. A communication network includes a network of smart emitters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Rain Bird Corporation
    Inventors: John James Wlassich, Janet Marie Reilly
  • Patent number: 11910759
    Abstract: A barrier and gardening tool for forming a safe barrier around the base of a tree, raised garden, plant, or flower area. The tool is an open cylindrical barrier made by fastening two semi-circular body portions or members using stakes. The tool has flag holes for attaching small flags and other decorations thereto. The tool is positioned around a wall for protecting the flower area and in the form of a multi-tiered architecture for protecting trunk and roots of a tree while providing protected space for growing plants, flowers, plants, shrubs and more. The tool is made of non-toxic, durable, and corrosion-resistant material and is used as a temporary or permanent enclosure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Inventor: Kenneth Stackhouse
  • Patent number: 11895954
    Abstract: A farming method may be shown and described. In an exemplary embodiment, plants may begin in a germination phase. Next, plants are brought to a nursery for a period of time before optionally being transplanted to one or more subsequent nurseries. Finally, plants are transplanted to a greenhouse where they may grow until they are ready for harvest. In an exemplary embodiment, the nursery phases may be vertical farms while the greenhouse phase may be a traditional, hydroponic, or other type of farm which may receive sunlight. AI may be implemented to optimize environmental conditions and robotics may be used to harvest the plants. Plants may be indexed to efficiently expedite plant growth and optimize the time and plant density/spacing in each phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: Local Bounti Operating Company, LLC
    Inventors: Travis M. Joyner, Ryan Sweeney, Jeff Leggott
  • Patent number: 11889799
    Abstract: A lighting fixture has an extruded aluminum housing, at least one light source mechanically supported by the extruded aluminum housing, and at least one copper pipe thermally coupled to the extruded aluminum housing to carry a fluid coolant. During operation of the lighting fixture, the fluid coolant flowing through the at least one copper pipe extracts heat generated by the lighting fixture, and the fluid coolant does not contact the extruded aluminum housing. In one example, a copper fluid coolant circuit is thermally coupled to the housing to contain the fluid coolant, and the lighting fixture does not contain any internal seals or internal O-rings for the fluid coolant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: Agnetix, Inc.
    Inventors: Ihor Lys, Nicholas Maderas
  • Patent number: 11882810
    Abstract: A disposable animal cage which can be used in a ventilated or static caging rack system includes a cage top and a cage base. Any corner or edge present in the interior of the cage base or the cage top that is accessible to an animal that can be contained in the cage is defined by surfaces having a conical section which is non-circular to prevent gnawing of the cage. A perforation section including a plurality of small apertures adjacent to one another can be formed in the cage for ventilation and prevention of gnawing by the animals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: Allentown, LLC
    Inventors: John Coiro, Steve Miller, Alastair MacLennan, III
  • Patent number: 11882817
    Abstract: Systems and methods for rearing invertebrates by utilize a plurality of crates (4) arranged into a plurality of stacks (6), each crate (4) in each stack (6) defining an airflow path (80) there through from an inlet opening (48) in a first wall (46) to an outlet opening (48) in a second wall (46) opposite the first wall (46) of each crate (4). The plurality of crates (4) are arranged in a climate controlled chamber (2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: Protix B.V.
    Inventors: Vincent De Gelder, Maurits Petrus Maria Jansen, Kees Wilhelmus Petrus Aarts, Eric Holland Schmitt
  • Patent number: 11877566
    Abstract: An insect larvae rearing system is disclosed. The system comprises a waste management module configured to receive organic waste and to convert the organic waste into a feed for insect larvae and at least one rearing module configured to handle a plurality trays for holding or housing larvae and to provide the feed to the trays. The feed is supplied directly from the waste management module to each of the at least one rearing modules.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: Entomics Biosystems Limited
    Inventor: Fotis Fotiadis
  • Patent number: 11877561
    Abstract: A door for use with a cage for transporting poultry including a door assembly for mounting the door to the cage which is configured to limit vibration associated with the transporting of poultry in the cage and prevent the unintentional opening of the door.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Inventors: Everett Waid, Timothy G. Youngquist, John M. Brown
  • Patent number: 11871706
    Abstract: An inflatable monotub system includes a body having plural surfaces defining an interior cavity. One or more of the plural surfaces includes a pocket disposed within the one or more of the plural surfaces. The plural surfaces define plural side surfaces and a bottom surface of the body. The body includes a first passage extending into at least a portion of one of the plural surfaces and fluidly coupled with one or more of the pockets of the plural surfaces. A first fluid is directed into or out of the first passage. Directing the first fluid into the first passage inflates at least one of the one or more pockets within the first fluid, and directing the first fluid out of the first passage deflates the at least one of the one or more pockets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: Boomer Shroomer, LLC
    Inventor: Ashley Enders
  • Patent number: 11871707
    Abstract: A cooling device according to the present invention includes a housing configured to accommodate fungi. Warm air enters the housing through an inlet located in the housing. The air flows through the housing, which holds fungi. The air exits the housing and can be driven by an exhaust fan. In some embodiments, a HEPA filter is included to purify the air and prevent dispersal of fungal spores.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: The Johns Hopkins University
    Inventors: Radames J B Cordero, Arturo Casadevall
  • Patent number: 11864537
    Abstract: An AI-based system and method for feed monitoring in a land-based fish farm, where the fish farm has a tank containing fish and an effluent pipe that is coupled to the tank where uneaten feed pellets and non-pellet objects flow through the effluent pipe to an exit port. A feed camera is mounted to an effluent pipe for capturing a video feed having images of objects that traverse a field of view of the feed camera when each image is acquired. A special-purpose computer executes a pellet-tracking algorithm that employs a region of interest (ROI) proposal module, an ROI classification module, an ROI tracking module, and a trajectory classification module for at least counting uneaten feed pellets. The computer generates in real time a pellet count based on the pellet trajectories.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: ReelData Inc.
    Inventors: William Stone, Pedram Adibi