Patents by Inventor Michael Stephen Hurst

Michael Stephen Hurst has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 10421618
    Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to systems and methods for emptying and/or cleaning a tray within in an assembly line grow pod. In one embodiment, a sanitizer component for cleaning a tray coupled to a cart in an assembly line grow pod is disclosed. The sanitizer component is coupled to a track such that the cart and the tray are received in the sanitizer component via the track. The sanitizer component comprises a first actuator arm positioned underneath the track and extendable through an opening in the track and an aperture at a bottom end of the cart to contact the tray such that the tray rotates in a first direction. The sanitizer component further includes an actuator motor coupled to the first actuator arm for extending the first actuator arm and a controller. The controller is communicatively connected to the actuator motor in the sanitizer component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2019
    Assignee: Grow Solutions Tech LLC
    Inventors: Gary Bret Millar, Mark Gerald Stott, Todd Garrett Tueller, Michael Stephen Hurst, Alan Ray Bentley, Taylor John Woodbury
  • Publication number: 20180359922
    Abstract: A harvesting system is provided. The harvesting system includes a track, a cart configured to move along the track, the cart including an upper plate configured to support a plant, one or more sensors, a lifter, and a controller. The controller includes one or more processors, one or more memory modules, and machine readable instructions stored in the one or more memory modules that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the controller to: receive information from the one or more sensors, determine whether the plant in the cart is ready to harvest based on the information, and send to the lifter an instruction for tilting the upper plate by a degree in response to determination that the plant in the cart is ready to harvest.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 22, 2018
    Publication date: December 20, 2018
    Applicant: Grow Solutions Tech, LLC
    Inventors: Gary Bret Millar, Mark Gerald Stott, Michael Stephen Hurst, Taylor John Woodbury, Alan Ray Bentley
  • Publication number: 20180359949
    Abstract: A pressure control system includes a sealed area containing one or more carts for growing plant material, the one or more carts movably supported on a track within the sealed area, an air pressure controller operably coupled to the sealed area such that the air pressure controller controls an air pressure within the sealed area, and a controller. The controller includes a processor, a data storage device storing one or more pressure recipes, and a non-transitory, processor-readable storage medium comprising one or more programming instructions stored thereon. The one or more programming instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: identify the plant material in the one or more carts, retrieve a pressure recipe for the identified plant material from the data storage device, and direct the air pressure controller to adjust the air pressure within the sealed area based on the pressure recipe for the identified plant material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 30, 2018
    Publication date: December 20, 2018
    Inventors: Gary Bret Millar, Michael Stephen Hurst
  • Publication number: 20180359939
    Abstract: An assembly line grow pod includes a seeding region, a harvesting region, a track that extends between the seeding region and the harvesting region, a cart including a tray for holding plant matter, and a wheel coupled to the tray, where the wheel is engaged with the track, and a weight sensor positioned on the cart or the track, where the weight sensor is positioned to detect a weight of the plant matter positioned within the cart.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2018
    Publication date: December 20, 2018
    Inventors: Gary Bret Millar, Michael Stephen Hurst, Taylor John Woodbury
  • Publication number: 20180362272
    Abstract: A track system for a cart includes a plurality of curved modular track sections for the cart. Each of the plurality of curved modular track sections includes one or more rails configured to engage with the cart on the track, and one or more reservoir sections configured to receive liquid from the cart. Each of the plurality of curved modular track is tilted relative to ground by a predetermined angle such that the one or more reservoir sections are configured to direct the liquid to a predetermined area. Each of the plurality of curved modular track sections includes a gear system configured to engage with a gear of the cart.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2018
    Publication date: December 20, 2018
    Applicant: Grow Solutions Tech LLC
    Inventors: Mark Gerald Stott, Gary Bret Millar, Todd Garrett Tueller, Michael Stephen Hurst, Alan Ray Bentley, Taylor John Woodbury
  • Publication number: 20180359950
    Abstract: A heat recycling system is provided. The system includes a shell including an enclosed area, an air supplier within the enclosed area, one or more vents connected to the air supplier and configured to output air within the enclosed area, a heat generating device within the enclosed area, a heat insulating element configured to cover the heat generating device and connected to a heat passageway, a heat transfer device connected to the heat passageway, and a controller. The controller determines a target temperature for the enclosed area, determines whether a temperature within the enclosed area is greater than the target temperature, and controls the heat transfer device to transfer the air heated by the heat generating device to an outside of the shell in response to determination that the temperature within the enclosed area is greater than the target temperature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2018
    Publication date: December 20, 2018
    Applicant: Grow Solutions Tech LLC
    Inventors: Gary Bret Millar, Mark Gerald Stott, Michael Stephen Hurst
  • Publication number: 20180359942
    Abstract: A molecular air control system is provided. The system includes a shell including an enclosed area, a cart moving on a track within the enclosed area, an air supplier configured to output air into the enclosed area, and a controller. The controller includes one or more processors, one or more memory modules, and machine readable instructions stored in the one or more memory modules that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the controller to: identify a plant on the cart; determine a target carbon dioxide concentration level for the identified plant based on a molecular recipe for the identified plant; receive a current carbon dioxide concentration level from a carbon dioxide sensor; compare the target carbon dioxide concentration level with the current carbon dioxide concentration level; and adjust carbon dioxide concentration level of the air output from the air supplier based on the comparison.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2018
    Publication date: December 20, 2018
    Applicant: Grow Solutions Tech LLC
    Inventors: Gary Bret Millar, Mark Gerald Stott, Todd Garrett Tueller, Michael Stephen Hurst, Alan Ray Bentley, Taylor John Woodbury
  • Publication number: 20180359970
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are bed seed holders and assembly line grow pods incorporating bed seed holders for growing plants. According to some embodiments, a bed seed holder includes a body having an elevation envelope, at least one seed receptacle extending into the body, where the seed receptacle is adapted to maintain a fluid within the seed receptacle, and a spigot that is adapted to maintain a level of the fluid within the body below the elevation envelope.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 22, 2018
    Publication date: December 20, 2018
    Applicant: Grow Solutions Tech LLC
    Inventors: Gary Bret Millar, Mark Gerald Stott, Todd Garrett Tueller, Michael Stephen Hurst, Alan Ray Bentley, Taylor John Woodbury
  • Publication number: 20180359947
    Abstract: A temperature control system includes a shell including an enclosed area, one or more carts moving on a track within the enclosed area, an air supplier within the enclosed area, one or more vents connected to the air supplier and configured to output air within the enclosed area, and a controller. The controller includes one or more processors, one or more memory modules, and machine readable instructions stored in the one or more memory modules that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the controller to: identify a plant on the one or more carts, determine a temperature recipe for the identified plant, and control a temperature of the air output from the one or more vents based on the temperature recipe for the identified plant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 3, 2018
    Publication date: December 20, 2018
    Applicant: Grow Solutions Tech, LLC
    Inventors: Gary Bret Millar, Mark Gerald Stott, Todd Garrett Tueller, Michael Stephen Hurst, Alan Ray Bentley, Taylor John Woodbury
  • Publication number: 20180359957
    Abstract: An assembly line grow pod notification system includes a status indicator and a cart containing one or more plants therein. The cart includes one or more sensors and a cart-computing device communicatively coupled to the one or more sensors and the status indicator, the cart-computing device comprising a processor and a non-transitory, processor-readable storage medium comprising one or more programming instructions thereon. When executed, the one or more programming instructions cause the processor to receive, from the one or more sensors, one or more signals that correspond to a status of the cart and one or more characteristics of the one or more plants, determine information regarding the status from the one or more signals, and direct the status indicator to output a notification signal that corresponds to the determined information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2018
    Publication date: December 20, 2018
    Inventors: Gary Bret Millar, Mark Gerald Stott, Michael Stephen Hurst
  • Publication number: 20180359959
    Abstract: An air flow control system for an assembly line grow pod is provided. The air flow control system includes a shell including an enclosed area, one or more carts moving on a track within the enclosed area, an air supplier within the enclosed area, one or more outlet vents coupled to the air supplier, and a controller. The controller includes one or more processors, one or more memory modules, and machine readable instructions stored in the one or more memory modules that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the controller to identify a plant on the one or more carts, determine an airflow rate based on an airflow recipe for the identified plant, and control the air supplier to output air through the one or more outlet vents at the airflow rate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 3, 2018
    Publication date: December 20, 2018
    Applicant: Grow Solutions Tech LLC
    Inventors: Gary Bret Millar, Mark Gerald Stott, Todd Garrett Tueller, Michael Stephen Hurst, Alan Ray Bentley, Taylor John Woodbury
  • Publication number: 20180359948
    Abstract: A distributed control system for use in an assembly line grow pod includes a master controller and a hardware controller device. The master controller includes a first processor and a first memory for storing a first set of instructions that dictates plant growing operations and a second set of instructions that dictates a plurality of distributed control functions. The hardware controller device is coupled to the master controller via a plug-in network interface. The hardware controller device includes a second processor and a second memory for storing a third set of instructions that dictate a selected control function of the plurality of distributed control functions. Upon the plug-in connection, the master controller identifies an address of the hardware controller device and sends a set of parameters defining a plurality of tasks relating to the selected control function.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2018
    Publication date: December 20, 2018
    Applicant: Grow Solutions Tech LLC
    Inventors: Gary Bret Millar, Mark Gerald Stott, Michael Stephen Hurst, Kevin Hurst
  • Publication number: 20180362265
    Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to systems and methods for emptying and/or cleaning a tray within in an assembly line grow pod. In one embodiment, a sanitizer component for cleaning a tray coupled to a cart in an assembly line grow pod is disclosed. The sanitizer component is coupled to a track such that the cart and the tray are received in the sanitizer component via the track. The sanitizer component comprises a first actuator arm positioned underneath the track and extendable through an opening in the track and an aperture at a bottom end of the cart to contact the tray such that the tray rotates in a first direction. The sanitizer component further includes an actuator motor coupled to the first actuator arm for extending the first actuator arm and a controller. The controller is communicatively connected to the actuator motor in the sanitizer component.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 20, 2018
    Publication date: December 20, 2018
    Inventors: Gary Bret Millar, Mark Gerald Stott, Todd Garrett Tueller, Michael Stephen Hurst, Alan Ray Bentley, Taylor John Woodbury
  • Publication number: 20180359973
    Abstract: A system for bypassing harvesting in an assembly line grow pod is provided. The system includes a track, a cart configured to move on the track, the cart including an upper plate configured to support a plant, one or more sensors and a controller. The controller includes one or more processors, one or more memory modules, and machine readable instructions stored in the one or more memory modules that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the controller to receive information about the plant from the one or more sensors, determine whether the plant in the cart is ready to harvest based on the information; and transmit an instruction for bypassing harvesting the plant in the cart in response to determination that the plant in the cart is not ready to harvest.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2018
    Publication date: December 20, 2018
    Applicant: Grow Solutions Tech LLC
    Inventors: Gary Bret Millar, Mark Gerald Stott, Michael Stephen Hurst, Taylor John Woodbury
  • Publication number: 20180359974
    Abstract: An assembly line grow system for measuring growth of a plant, includes a rail system, carts moving along the rail system and carrying plants, seeds, or both, weight sensors, a proximity sensor, a camera and a master controller. The master controller is communicatively coupled to the carts, the weight sensors, the proximity sensor, and the camera. The master controller is operable to receive information from the weight sensors, the proximity sensor, and the camera, determine a growth state of a selected plant based on the information indicative of weight, color, height, or a combination thereof, and control a dosage supply component to provide a modified dosage based on the growth state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2018
    Publication date: December 20, 2018
    Applicant: Grow Solutions Tech LLC
    Inventors: Gary Bret Millar, Michael Stephen Hurst
  • Publication number: 20180359941
    Abstract: A method for pressurizing an assembly line grow pod system is provided. The method includes arranging a dual wall including an outer wall and an inner wall, controlling, with an air pressure controller, first air pressure in the first sealed area and second air pressure in the second sealed area, and controlling, with a master controller, operations of the air pressure controller. The first air pressure of the first sealed area is controlled to be higher than pressure of an exterior area to the outer wall by a predetermined amount.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2018
    Publication date: December 20, 2018
    Applicant: Grow Solutions Tech LLC
    Inventors: Gary Bret Millar, Mark Gerald Stott, Michael Stephen Hurst
  • Publication number: 20180359976
    Abstract: Systems and methods for providing an assembly line grow pod are provided. One embodiment of a grow pod includes an exterior enclosure that defines an environmentally enclosed volume, a track that that is shaped into a plurality of helical structures defining a path, and a cart that receives a plant and traverses the track. Some embodiments include a sensor for determining output of the plant, a plurality of environmental affecters that alter an environment of the environmentally enclosed volume to alter the output of the plant, and a pod computing device that stores a grow recipe that, when executed by a processor of the pod computing device, actuates at least one of the plurality of environmental affecters. In some embodiments, the grow recipe alters a planned actuation of the at least one of the plurality of environmental affecters in response to data from the sensor indicating a current output of the plant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 1, 2018
    Publication date: December 20, 2018
    Inventors: Gary Bret Millar, Mark Gerald Stott, Todd Garrett Tueller, Michael Stephen Hurst, Alan Ray Bentley, Taylor John Woodbury, Kevin Hurst
  • Patent number: D855120
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2019
    Assignee: GROW SOLUTIONS TECH LLC
    Inventors: Gary Bret Millar, Mark Gerald Stott, Todd Garrett Tueller, Michael Stephen Hurst, Shane York, Taylor John Woodbury
  • Patent number: D858654
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: GROW SOLUTIONS TECH LLC
    Inventors: Gary Bret Millar, Mark Gerald Stott, Todd Garrett Tueller, Michael Stephen Hurst, Shane York, Taylor John Woodbury
  • Patent number: D869114
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Grow Solutions Tech LLC
    Inventors: Gary Bret Millar, Mark Gerald Stott, Todd Garrett Tueller, Michael Stephen Hurst, Alan Ray Bentley, Taylor John Woodbury, Shane York