Abstract: Facility layouts and configurations for an automated crop production system for controlled environment agriculture. In particular implementations the core of the facility comprises a controlled growth environment and a central processing system. The controlled growth environment includes systems for exposing crops housed in modules, such as grow towers, to Controlled environmental conditions. The central processing system may include various stations and functionality both for preparing crop-bearing modules to be inserted in the controlled growth environment, for harvesting crops from the crop-bearing modules after they have been extracted from the controlled growth environment, and for cleaning or washing crop-hearing modules for re-use.

Abstract: Techniques are described for facilitating use of software components by software applications in a configurable manner. In some situations, the software components are fee-based components that are made available by providers of the components for use by others in exchange for fees defined by the components providers, and in at least some situations, the software components may have various associated restrictions or other non-price conditions related to their use. The described techniques facilitate use of such software components by software applications in a configured manner. Furthermore, in at least some situation, the execution of such software applications is managed by an application deployment system that controls and tracks the execution of the software application on one or more computing nodes, including to manage the execution of any software components that are part of the software application.

Abstract: According to one example, a system comprises a plurality of cooking device systems that are each operable to be used in cooking a food item during a cooking process; a heat source system comprising a plurality of heat sources that are each operable to provide an amount of energy to be used to cook the food item; and a sensor operable to detect information associated with the cooking process. The system further comprises a processor operable to determine an identity of a first cooking device system and determine an identity of a first heat source. The processor is further operable to receive an indication of the detected information; determine whether there is an error in the cooking process based on the indication; and following a determination that there is an error in the cooking process, transmit an indication of the error in the cooking process.

Abstract: Facility layouts and configurations for an automated crop production system for controlled environment agriculture. In particular implementations the core of the facility comprises a controlled growth environment and a central processing system. The controlled growth environment includes systems for exposing crops housed in modules, such as grow towers, to Controlled environmental conditions. The central processing system may include various stations and functionality both for preparing crop-bearing modules to be inserted in the controlled growth environment, for harvesting crops from the crop-bearing modules after they have been extracted from the controlled growth environment, and for cleaning or washing crop-hearing modules for re-use.

Abstract: An automated crop production system for controlled environment agriculture that includes a horizontal-to-vertical grow tower interface between a vertical grow structure that includes vertical grow towers and associated conveyance mechanisms for moving the vertical grow towers through a controlled environment, and a processing system that performs one or more processing operations—such as harvesting, cleaning and/or transplanting—on the grow towers in a substantially horizontal orientation. The present disclosure also describes an automated crop production system for controlled environment agriculture that selectively routes grow towers through various processing stages of an automated crop production system.

Abstract: According to one example, a system comprises a plurality of cooking device systems that are each operable to be used in cooking a food item during a cooking process; a heat source system comprising a plurality of heat sources that are each operable to provide an amount of energy to be used to cook the food item; and a sensor operable to detect information associated with the cooking process. The system further comprises a processor operable to determine an identity of a first cooking device system and determine an identity of a first heat source. The processor is further operable to receive an indication of the detected information; determine whether there is an error in the cooking process based on the indication; and following a determination that there is an error in the cooking process, transmit an indication of the error in the cooking process.

Abstract: Facility layouts and configurations for an automated crop production system for controlled environment agriculture. In particular implementations, the core of the facility comprises a controlled growth environment and a central processing system. The controlled growth environment includes systems for exposing crops housed in modules, such as grow towers, to controlled environmental conditions. The central processing system may include various stations and functionality both for preparing crop-bearing modules to be inserted in the controlled growth environment for harvesting crops from the crop-bearing modules after they have been extracted from the controlled growth environment, and for cleaning or washing crop-hearing modules for re-use.

Abstract: As organizations scale analytics, a challenge is the huge increase in number of analytics pipelines to be maintained by developers. In here, lies an example method and modular software architecture to assemble analytics pipeline from reusable components. (1) Reusable components can be utilities where each utility is versioned and has a collection of programming functions, also known as nodes, that follow “data-in-data-out” convention. As nodes are building blocks of a pipeline, an assembly instruction and human readable configurations can now be created to define a project pipeline from a repository of pipelines and well-versioned utilities. (2) By separating out re-usable functionalities from pipelines and data layers, this layered architecture can now support upgrades of functionalities overtime without re-writing of pipelines.

Abstract: As organizations scale analytics, a challenge is the huge increase in number of analytics pipelines to be maintained by developers. In here, lies an example method and modular software architecture to assemble analytics pipeline from reusable components. (1) Reusable components can be utilities where each utility is versioned and has a collection of programming functions, also known as nodes, that follow “data-in-data-out” convention. As nodes are building blocks of a pipeline, an assembly instruction and human readable configurations can now be created to define a project pipeline from a repository of pipelines and well-versioned utilities. (2) By separating out re-usable functionalities from pipelines and data layers, this layered architecture can now support upgrades of functionalities overtime without re-writing of pipelines.

Abstract: A drive unit in a controlled agricultural environment increases a distance between an alignment element and a drive element in order to receive a plant support structure that is oriented non-vertically so that the plant support structure rests on the drive element or the alignment element. The drive unit decreases the distance between the alignment element and the drive element so that the alignment element or the drive element rests on the plant support structure. The drive element conveys the plant support structure along a direction of conveyance.

Abstract: Automated pickup and laydown systems for an automated crop production system for controlled environment agriculture that includes vertical grow towers. Some implementations of the invention can be used to create a horizontal-to-vertical interface between a vertical grow structure that includes vertical grow towers and associated conveyance mechanisms for moving the vertical grow towers through a controlled environment, and a central processing system that processes (for example, harvests, cleans, transplants, etc.) the grow towers.

Abstract: Automated transplanter assemblies and systems. For example, the disclosure sets forth a plug holder and assembly adapted to transplant plugs into tight-fitting plug holders. The disclosure also conveys a transplanter assembly useful in transplant operations where a plug holder is oriented at a non-perpendicular angle to the surface of a grow tower or other structure that contains the plug holder. The disclosure also provides a transplanter system useful in transplanting plugs into grow towers.

Abstract: A handle for a cookware device contains a power supply that is operative to energize one or more of a processor, transceiver and accelerometer, as well as a memory device. The processor is also connected to a one or more external leads that extend into the handle at least to the connection to a sidewall of cooking device for further connection to a sensing circuit or power harvesting circuit. The end of the handle holds at least the processor but is in removable engagement from the portion with the power supply with a resilient sealing member to form a water proof seal.

Abstract: According to one example, a cookware apparatus includes a vessel. The vessel includes a bottom, and a sidewall surrounding the bottom and extending upward from the bottom so as to form a fluid retaining interior region. The sidewall terminates at a rim. The vessel also includes a channel extending through a portion of the bottom and further extending upward into and through a portion of the sidewall. The channel has an opening positioned in an external surface of the sidewall. The cookware apparatus further includes a thermal sensor positioned within the channel. The thermal sensor extends through the portion of the bottom and further extends upward into and through the portion of the sidewall.

Abstract: Facility layouts and configurations for an automated crop production system for controlled environment agriculture. In particular implementations, the core of the facility comprises a controlled growth environment and a central processing system. The controlled growth environment includes systems for exposing crops housed in modules, such as grow towers, to controlled environmental conditions. The central processing system may include various stations and functionality both for preparing crop-bearing modules to he inserted in the controlled growth environment for harvesting crops from the crop-bearing modules after they have been extracted from the controlled growth environment, and for cleaning or washing crop-hearing modules for re-use.

Abstract: An automated crop production system for controlled environment agriculture that includes a horizontal-to-vertical grow tower interface between a vertical grow structure that includes vertical grow towers and associated conveyance mechanisms for moving the vertical grow towers through a controlled environment, and a processing system that performs one or more processing operations—such as harvesting, cleaning and/or transplanting—on the grow towers in a substantially horizontal orientation. The present disclosure also describes an automated crop production system for controlled environment agriculture that selectively routes grow towers through various processing stages of an automated crop production system.

Abstract: An inference engine titled the Waste, Opportunity, and Risk Engine Query Language or (WORE-QL) that links rules to any business objects in a workplace source system. The rules are constructed from small building blocks of business logic (small rule sets) that operate on information contained in various objects. WORE-QL promotes cultural and engineering principles and values for teams to more quickly deliver high quality while generating textual analyses and recommendations for changes associated with a project or roll up of projects with approximate cost, time, resource, and application-based savings.

Abstract: Features are disclosed for sharing network connections among client devices. A client device may connect to an intermediary system and request content from content provider. The intermediary system may, in addition to opening a connection with the content provider and receiving the content on behalf of the client, create a request profile for the client device regarding likely future content requests. The request profile may be used to assign the client device to network comparing components that have available open network connections to one or more content providers from which the client device is likely to request content. In some cases, a gateway network computing component may route content requests to other network computing components which have available open network connections to content providers hosting requested content. Additionally, the number of active network computing components may be adjusted to increase connection sharing and reuse opportunities.

Abstract: According to one example, a cookware apparatus includes a vessel. The vessel includes a bottom, and a sidewall surrounding the bottom and extending upward from the bottom so as to form a fluid retaining interior region. The sidewall terminates at a rim. The vessel also includes a channel extending through a portion of the bottom and further extending upward into and through a portion of the sidewall. The channel has an opening positioned in an external surface of the sidewall. The cookware apparatus further includes a thermal sensor positioned within the channel. The thermal sensor extends through the portion of the bottom and further extends upward into and through the portion of the sidewall.

Abstract: A system for performing recipe conversion is disclosed. The recipe resulting from the conversion may produce superior and more consistent results for less experienced cooks, particularly when instructions are ported to a cooking system that provides step-by-step guidance with a high level of thermal and time control for critical recipe steps. Further, a converted recipe may optionally include more precise instructions and/or graphic content to assist less experienced cooks. The system analyzes, via natural language processing, an original recipe to identify recipe stages and to determine cooking stages corresponding to the recipe stages. The system correlates the cooking stages to machine instructions, and modifies recipe stages to include enhanced content by using the machine instructions. The system reformats the recipe into a digital file that includes a machine instruction set, which is provided to a device to facilitate the performance of recipe stages when preparing a food item.