WO2017209698A1

WO2017209698A1 - Modular apparatus for crops

Info

Publication number: WO2017209698A1
Application number: PCT/SM2017/000017
Authority: WO
Inventors: Emanuel COLOMBINI
Original assignee: Colombini Emanuel
Priority date: 2016-06-01
Filing date: 2017-05-25
Publication date: 2017-12-07
Also published as: ITUA20164035A1

Abstract

A modular apparatus for crops comprises at least one open container (B) provided with a pierced bottom (F) and lateral walls (W), at the top of which there is a tab (A) shaped to allow the joining and stacking and adjacent positioning and locking together of multiple containers (B) intended to be assigned under any rental or other type of licence for their use in businesses open to the public and private homes, for the treatment of psychological and non-psychological aspects based on giving people responsibilities, by means of containers, which are autonomous and can be re-planted or re-stocked, interfaceable with communications and home automation systems, for crops of plants and animals bred, horizontal, vertical, suspended and micro-terraces or sloping differences in levels, supported by packaging and refills, transportable in any expedition on land, sea, underwater and in space, on vehicles, in extreme conditions and in tents and even in space, long stays in hospitals and recovery communities, being an integral part of cleaning and ionisation of the air, a way of not feeling alone, a way of detaching from virtual social networks, a way of seeing one's results grow and develop. One or more persons of any age or artificial intelligence can grow or breed any crop of plants or animals, aided by infinite geometrical shapes of the containers whose every detail can be printed even privately using 3D printers, and more precisely the place for them is identified as being in the kitchen, the real heart of the home, dedicating to them a piece of furniture that translates on tracks, balls or bearings, the piece of furniture being able to run completely or partly outside through a dedicated door or window, for airing the system or when preparing strong-smelling foods. Thanks to this invention, new crops can be experimented with and hybrids of them created, colonies of insects rich in proteins can be managed, the seeds from one's creations can be stored in case of any sudden climate changes or apocalyptic conditions.

Description

MODULAR APPARATUS FOR CROPS

Technical Field

This invention relates to a modular apparatus for crops of plants and animals bred in various environments, under any rental or other type of licence and for use in businesses open to the public. Said apparatus is constituted of containers, which are autonomous and can be re-planted or re-stocked, interfaceable with communications and home automation systems, designed to be placed in a horizontal or vertical position, or suspended and in micro-terraces or sloping differences in levels, supported by packaging and refills, transportable, and therefore suitable for use even in expeditions on land, sea, underwater and in space, on vehicles and in businesses open to the public and private homes.

Said containers can also be applied on the outside or the inside of businesses open to the public, permanently or temporarily, depending on the material and the means used for supporting and installing them.

The possible uses of such containers for crops are countless and are not limited to the inside of homes, since said containers can also be used by commuters on trains and other public transport, patients in hospitals, and even by hermits and lorry drivers or car drivers who can set up spaces in their cab or in their car. Other possible fields of use of the invention are private and public caving and underwater missions, expeditions in extreme conditions that require the use of tents, and even missions in space, situations in which crops may be useful because they serve the additional function of cleaning and ionising the air. Further benefits for individuals who tend to such crops are the fact that they do not feel alone and the possibility of "detoxing" from social networks and virtual means of communication, as well as the fact that they constitute a way of making people take responsibility and getting them accustomed to taking care of something, as well as providing the person with satisfaction as they see their results grow and develop. Another beneficial effect of such crops is that for car or lorry drivers, who can tend to such crops for alleviating the stress caused by long journeys.

In fact, a person of any age, or artificial intelligence can grow or breed any crops of plants or animals, dedicating time and feelings to it, even supported by home automation interfaced by modern existing communication systems.

The physical and psychological benefits for the user of such a modular apparatus for crops are countless: energy saving, environmentally friendly, purification of the air around the system, knowing for sure the origin of what one is eating (the contemporary term "zero KM"), the possibility of eating food grown without using preservatives, a healthy lifestyle and, finally, the psychological benefit of being able to appreciate the results of one's own efforts. Such rewards, with the resulting psychological benefits for the person, are increasingly difficult to achieve in daily life nowadays. This is a significant aspect, considering that often people work without being shown the daily results of their efforts, except in statistics. In contrast, for some people, for example those staying at recovery communities, it would be essential to be assigned tasks to complete during the course of a day, in order to make the person feel fulfilled.

Another person who benefits is the owner of a business open to the public who rents out spaces, establishing empathy with the client, supplying/system general maintenance being performed by the person who displays the product or by a contractor or automatically. The above-mentioned modular apparatus is constituted of containers that are interfaceable with each other, which can be stacked one on top of another or can be used to create adjacent surfaces by locking them together using the dedicated sides. Finally, such containers may be hung, so as to make use of any space available.

The fact that the containers can adopt infinite geometrical shapes, and the fact that every detail of them can be printed even privately using 3D printers, makes them suitable for any type of crops of plants and animals bred.

Moreover, use of the apparatus is not limited to just the inside or outside of buildings or vehicles, but also to the inside and outside of rooms. More precisely, the most suitable place has been identified as the kitchen, the real heart of the home, dedicating to them a piece of furniture that translates on tracks, balls or bearings, the piece of furniture being able to run completely or partly outside through a dedicated door or window, for airing the system or when preparing strong-smelling foods.

By using that apparatus, an individual, or artificial intelligence, will be able to experiment with new crops, substituting the basic fertilising fabric with gel or other natural fertilisers such as the ancient use of ash, experimenting with new plants and creating hybrids of them, managing new crops such as beekeeping and colonies of insects rich in proteins, storing the seeds from their creations in case of any sudden climate changes or apocalyptic conditions.

Background Art

After the many scandals that have involved fresh, cut, ready-to-eat vegetables, in which, after just 3 days of package exposure to the public, many micro-organisms were found (some of them pathogens), and which involve hardly any end user, responsibility for his or her food, there is a need to go back to our roots, at a time when we do everything we can to remove dirt from our shoes before going inside anywhere, on the contrary it would be useful to bring fertile soil into our kitchen and so into our house.

This invention is intended not just for those people who want to go back to their roots and tend their own vegetables and increasingly scarce kitchen garden, but also for use in treating pathologies of any type, in private and public structures and businesses. In fact, the considerable commitment required in order to grown one's own crops allows a person, whether sick or healthy, to see the results of their efforts grow and to taste the results, irrespective of whether the crop is from a vegetable garden, flowers, spices or insects bred, which many believe will be our food in the future.

The modular apparatus according to the invention is constituted of at least one basic element: a container that holds the soil for cultivating the crop.

The basic container has lateral grooves in such a way that it is modular and can be joined adjacently and locked to other containers, can be stacked or hung or can create a floor, like igloo building units. Depending on the orientation, the containers may be stacked empty to take up as little space as possible or may be superposed and, with the aid of elements such as folding or attachable supporting legs, can be duly spaced from those below.

The prior art already includes growing crops in expanded perlite, used in laboratories for experiments on boosting crops and on new crops that can be stored for a long time.

In such apparatuses, it is possible to use soil, natural earth, peat or liquid protein in which to grow crops, but it is also possible to use all of the alternatives that the person considers appropriate for different crops of plants and animals bred.

The prior art also includes cultivation using coconut fabric or other fibrous, fertilised materials containing seeds. This invention is suitable for all prior art cultivation techniques, even the most ancient such as terracotta osmosis or fertilisers such as Nile silt.

The fabric not only can be combined with a water and fertiliser supply using the T- Tape, or drip system, but can also be printed and made at home using 3D printers. It can even be replaced with a solidifying gel and other systems.

On the market there are known lighting systems of various types such as neon, LED or lamps using the reflecting effect of the parabola, etc., which emulate sunlight, both for photosynthesis and for rapid growth of the crop. This invention uses not just these solutions, but also sunlight, without filters or conveyed using mirrors, by means of varnished tubes, etc.

The choice of the type of light source to be used is left entirely up to the end user of the apparatus.

Said apparatus may even be installed in a suitcase, box, pieces of furniture, kitchen or any shelf or support. The design may be extended not just to include plugs positioned on the supporting tracks for supplying water, air, electricity, but also controlled by home automation, with any communication system, even automatically.

The plugs may be increasingly numerous until they supply the fertiliser or everything that may be necessary for the crop, such as food for the crop of animals bred.

This apparatus is so practical and easy to build and transport that it can even be used in caving, sea, underwater and space expeditions, treating loneliness and aggregation even in a single tent.

But there are other categories of individuals who could benefit from the use of such an apparatus: think of the possible benefit for someone who is ill or an invalid, forced to spend long periods in hospital or in bed, to be gained from use of the container present on the hospital ward or next to the bed. The patient, with his/her own hands or aided by home automation, would not feel alone and would have something to keep them busy.

Finally, consider people with psychiatric illness or youngsters in recovery communities, where the most important aspect is feeling that one has something to do, and being able to appreciate the tangible results of one's daily work.

All of this can be supported by packaging for the individual crop, the single piece and the individual parts. In fact, the container may even house multiple sectors.

The physical form may relate to the product advertised or the logo of the shop or business that sponsors it, such as a shape of a vegetable or a shape of an insect, or other shapes, etc. not necessarily of the above-mentioned type and having various diameters and measurements. Simultaneously, the packaging may have different shapes and different colours.

The shape may also include multiple hollows or holes for adding services (plugs or devices for supplying water, air or electricity) or for varying the liquids and solids that can be supplied. In contrast, without necessarily having the above-mentioned shape, the packaging and the technical and design solutions may have various diameters and measurements, with different shapes and colours and materials.

The shape selected is useful in more than one way, since there is the possibility of replacing the refills, supplied in bowls, tins, etc., so the holes can have other uses, allowing changes in the items, services, other types of service dispensers and recesses for lights.

Moreover, the shape selected is useful in more than one way because, being suspended, it improves the hygiene and healthiness of the service, the shape making daily cleaning easier, and allowing different types of applications and mounting on walls, on posts, on the ground and ceiling, whether vertical or horizontal, with prior art fixing systems, being simple and easy to clean.

Another part of the shape is the suitcase, drawer, piece of furniture, container shelf that can also be replaced by other gadgets, and other gadgets added to the system, services encouraging or discouraging insects or those such as dedicated lights.

The shape of the apparatus is such that it is self-supporting with the aid of additional folding legs or reinforcements. The apparatus does not need mandatory connections, such as electricity and running water, a distinctive feature that makes it even more economical, and can make the crop increasingly autonomous and empathetic.

Other holes and slots in the system are used not just to allow excess liquids to flow out, but also to insert other solids and liquids that can be supplied. There may even be slits and connections for canopies, umbrellas and other types of shading frame-supported fabrics or tension structures, or more simply booths for items with multiple holes.

Alternatively, the shape may vary by including or excluding one of the two main parts or making them suitable for travel, for example hooked to approved carts, like towing hooks, with a trolley that may or may not have a registration plate, having wheels and connectable to vehicles, so that they can be transported anywhere.

A further use aside from the main one dedicated to businesses open to the public, public transport, services inside and outside private homes, is use of the method for scientific research.

In these examples it is always possible to find various different systems of the method in any area, not just limited to the dedicated kitchen, equipped with slides or tracks on bearings, balls or friction, able to allow part of it or just the piece of furniture to move outside but, completely translating outside in order to oxygenate the system or allow.-the cooking of strong-smelling foods. Therefore, the method is not limited to hospital foundations, but also extends to public transport. In fact, train commuters can house or locate on the train their container to be looked after during the journey.

Additional connections are those appropriate, such as lighting points and others, covering the possibility of having multiple plugs and connections in order to have all desired levels, such as water, air, fertiliser, electricity and other things such as gel or heating.

There may also be mirrors present, for better spreading the sunlight or the light from the lighting points that replace it.

It is also important that at the bottom of the row of containers, stacked, free, in drawers, suitcase, furniture, kitchen, shelving, there is a basin or element for collecting the water drained out not just due to the humidity created, but because all of these steps have given the water value and minerals.

Supplying/system general maintenance may even be performed by the nearest business open to the public, or the business owner, through private agreements, even if they are not directly the sponsor.

The above-mentioned physical form of the base has been designed to create a system that is easy to supply/maintain and is ribbed for easier industrial production, as well as being shaped to avoid injuring users and damaging the crops of plants and animals bred.

It is easy to understand how, for example, if a person wanted to grow carrots, the depth of the container would be different to that used for salad. Or a person could choose to force crops to grow in containers self-made using 3D printers, so that they would grow with ambiguous shapes. Moreover, their colours may or may not bring to mind the colour of the logo, the font and anything else linked to the brand, extending that brand to resellers by making them dealers, etc.

A person moving from one activity to another can find a system whereby he/she can recover his/her crop, without being limited just to the supply/maintenance and distribution licences, inside or outside the business.

System supply/general maintenance dynamics are discussed beforehand with agreements and contracts between the distributor and the reseller. Moreover, although the service was created to be personal, in some cases it can be leased and sub-leased, and the same parking zone used for several businesses and cases may be of the paid type.

As is known, on the market there are currently drip irrigation systems that can be independently integrated with the container and standardised lights for crops.

With this type of cultivation, everything can be done at home and in the kitchen, or in the pantry, on the terrace or in the garage. Or in public and private centres set up for that purpose.

With this invention there is no mandatory purchase of an item in order to be able to simply use it.

Another problem attributable to prior art solutions is the fact that they do not use cultivation for therapeutic reasons, nor to stimulate the person's imagination, but this invention does.

The purpose of the invention is to solve the problems described above, by providing a therapeutic cultivation method that is not limited to any object since it includes all of them. Disclosure of the Invention

Within the purpose described above, one particular aim of the invention is to provide a system that allows a desired crop of plants or animals to be grown or bred.

Another aim of this invention is to provide a form for every current and future crop of plants and animals that, thanks to its distinctive features, can provide the widest possible guarantees of reliable and safe use.

Last but not least, an aim of this invention is to provide a promotional system that is easily obtained starting with elements and materials commonly obtainable on sale, and which is also competitive in purely economic terms.

The purpose indicated above, as well as the aims specified and others described in more detail below, are achieved by the system disclosed.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Further features and advantages will be described in more detail in the description of a preferred, non-limiting embodiment of a system intended for assigning various licences and businesses, for treating psychological and non-psychological aspects, based on making people take responsibility, by means of containers, autonomous and that can be re-planted or re-stocked, interfaceable with communications and home automation systems, for crops of plants and animals bred, horizontal, vertical, suspended and micro-terraces or sloping differences in level, supported by packaging and refills, transportable in any expedition on land, sea, underwater and in space, on vehicles, with the aid of the accompanying drawings, in which: - Figure 1 is a schematic perspective partial cutaway view of a container labelled B, having a bottom labelled F, comprising holes labelled Fl, the crop labelled C, the earth labelled Tl, the fabric labelled P, the lower layer of soil labelled T2, and an example of packaging labelled PK;

- Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view of several possible uses of the container labelled B, the height of the bottom labelled F, the tabs for superposing and modular connection labelled A, the adjacent connections labelled IP, the comparison with the standard bottom labelled Fs, and the bottoms selected by the end user labelled Fx, as well as the possibility of creating different containers with different breadths labelled Gx, then adjacently connecting containers with different bottoms labelled Fs and Fx, finally with the possibility of stacking the spaced out containers labelled BI, and preparing them to be put away once they are empty, labelled BR;

- Figure 3 is a schematic perspective view of two different possibilities for connecting the container labelled B to supporting systems in this case being examples shown as a piece of furniture M, or a suitcase labelled V: the container is positioned on slides or guides labelled G, where at the end a female plug of the container labelled SB interfaces with a male plug SS, seen enlarged, in such a way as to receive supplies from the micro-connections labelled MC; the figure also shows the possibility of housing mirrors R in all of the walls of the piece of furniture M, and the possibility of having light sources labelled L in the lid of the suitcase;

. - Figure 4 is a schematic perspective view of two containers labelled B, in both cases with a lid or top labelled T, other possible housings for the light sources labelled L, as well as the possibility of using folding supporting legs, labelled GB and GT, for modifying the gap between the lid T and the container C;

- Figure 5 is a schematic perspective view of the possibility of having in a kitchen labelled K, furniture dedicated to the containers labelled MB, the furniture being able to slide outside thanks to a dedicated door or window labelled I.

Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiment of the Invention

From Figure 1 it may be inferred that the container B therefore comprises a bottom F having holes Fl for allowing water to flow out and, in the case of plant crops, it contains the soil T2 such as expanded perlite, or other material suitable for cultivation on which there sits a fibre or coconut fibre fabric P containing the seeds, covered by the layer Tl of earth or other material suitable for growing the crop C. In particular, Figure 1 shows the possibility of having packaging PK, where the cultivation process is already started, this packaging also containing soil, fabric and earth, or with soil, seeded fabric and earth, ready to be positioned and provided with supplies.

As may be inferred from Figure 2, the container B may have multiple shapes Gx, without this preventing its modularity starting with at least three sides and up to an infinite number, or different thicknesses, identical or different to one another and with different finishes for the latter.

Figure 2 also shows how in the most disparate shapes of the container B, the tabs A allow container stacking BI when they contain crops and, in contrast, allow them to be prepared for putting away BR when they are empty. Moreover, the tabs A allow the modules IP to be interfaced like igloo building units, in such a way as to create floors of crops even if with standard bottoms Fs and different bottoms Fx.

Figure 3 shows how the container B may have multiple housings, may be self- suspended from others by stacking them, suspended from a wall, from a pole, in a piece of furniture M, having slides G, a drawer, suitcase V, where the same structure can house mirrors R for better spreading the lights that replicate sunlight or even connected by pseudo-home automation. In fact, it is enough to make the female plugs SB adhere to the base of the container and connect them by means of sliding to the male plugs SS in order to have water, air, electricity for the light sources L of the container, fertiliser, and any other liquid or solid. The same plug can be found in a suitcase V that has pockets containing water, a battery, fertilisers, air, etc. in order to keep the crop of plants or animals lit by the light sources L in the lid: in this way the person or the artificial intelligence can check the levels using communication systems and adjust their quantities using the home automation present on the system.

From Figure 4 it may be inferred that, thanks to the male and female plugs, the container B may have on the top or lid T, on the bottom F and on the sides adjacent to the bottom, light sources L for illuminating the container below for photosynthesis and for spreading the light of the sides using mirrors present in the structure, furniture or drawer, still leaving the container B module and if necessary the furniture suitable for travel. Moreover, the presence of folding supporting legs GT, GB, respectively joined to the lid T and to the container B, allows a vast range of modifications to the gap between the lid T and the container B.

From Figure 5 it may be inferred that for improved integration with the container B dedicated furniture MB may be built, inside a kitchen K, the real heart of the home, and the module MB, or even the kitchen K, may be made movable, that is to say, thanks to tracks or slides and a dedicated door or window I, so that only the module MB or part of the kitchen itself may be slid outside, for example onto a terrace, in order to supply the system with fresh air.

In the same way, kitchens K may therefore have different positions, even thanks to tracks with bearings, balls or slides and doors or windows dedicated to the system, floating outside completely, not just for airing the system of containers, but also for cooking strong-smelling foods.

The systems applied until now and the possible applications of the containers B, are not limiting, since they may always be updated over time and always be suitable for travel.

This invention may have various optional items such as other dispensers or other connectors for supplying other elements or for sanitisers, soaps, bags, etc. for the possibility of automated payment acceptance if the service is paid for (used in public places).

The set-up described allows other types of shapes and sizes to be foreseen, so as to make them increasingly more convenient for transportation in everyday life.

Moreover, it is possible to foresee other types of dispensers or displays or furniture.

Therefore, as illustrated above, the invention achieves the preset aims and in particular it must be emphasised that an apparatus is provided that is able to protect the user from dirt and any bacteria, preventing exposure to contact with other objects.

Furthermore, the presence of a supporting element such as the piece of furniture is not necessary.

The invention described above may be modified and adapted in several ways without thereby departing from the scope of the inventive concept.

Moreover, all details of the invention may be substituted by other technically equivalent elements. In use, the materials used, provided that they are compatible with the specific use, as well as any ad hoc shapes and sizes, may vary depending on requirements.

Claims

A modular apparatus for crops, comprising at least one open container (B) provided with a bottom (F) with holes (Fl) in it and lateral walls (W), characterised in that the container (B) comprises a tab (A) positioned at the free end of the walls (W), shaped in such a way as to allow the joining and stacking of a plurality of containers (B).

The apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that the tab (A) comprises a horizontal portion (AO) extending along the entire free edge of the walls (W) of the container (B) and a vertical portion (AV) extending along two consecutive sides of the free edge of the horizontal portion (AO).

The apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that the container (B) comprises a manifold (SB), designed to put the inside of the container (B) in communication with the outside.

The apparatus according to claim 2, characterised in that it comprises a piece of furniture (M), internally provided with guides (G) shaped to match the horizontal portion (0) of the tabs (A), in such a way as to allow the container (B) to run on the guides (G).

The apparatus according to claim 3, characterised in that the piece of furniture (M) comprises reflective surfaces (R) reflecting towards the inside of it, in such a way as to spread the light better.

The apparatus according to claim 3, characterised in that the piece of furniture (M) comprises a connecting device (SS) for connecting to the manifold (SB) of the container (B), provided with micro-connections (MC), in such a way as to transfer nutritional substances into the container (B) from the outside of the piece of furniture (M).

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that it comprises a suitcase (V), internally provided with light sources (L), in such a way as to light the surface of the container (B).

8. The apparatus according to claim 6, characterised in that the suitcase (V) comprises a connecting device (SS) for connecting to the manifold (SB) of the container (B), provided with micro-connections (MC), in such a way as to transfer nutritional substances into the container (B) from the outside.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that the container (B) comprises a lid (T), internally provided with light sources (L), in such a way as to light the inside of the container (B).

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that the bottom (F) of the container is externally provided with light sources (L), in such a way as to light the inside of the container (B) below.

11. The apparatus according to claim 9, characterised in that the lid (T) and the container (B) respectively comprise folding supporting legs (GT, GB), in such a way as to modify the gap between the lid (T) and the container (B).

12. The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, or 4, characterised in that it comprises a plurality of pieces of furniture (M) joined to each other and equipped with running tracks (MB) in such a way as to allow them to be transferred from the inside to the outside of rooms provided with dedicated doors and windows (I) and vice versa.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the container (B) may adopt multiple shapes, starting from at least one side or support up to an infinite number, and various depths, identical or different to each other for the two basic components.

14. The apparatus according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that it comprises different types of light sources for increasing or identifying the presence of insects or other types of air, land and water animals.

15. The apparatus according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that it comprises a service, without constraining the user to purchase or subscribe to goods.

16. The apparatus according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that said means for reciprocal use are distributed under any rental or other type of licence for their use in businesses open to the public and private homes or creatable privately using a 3D printer.

17. The apparatus according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that it may have all possible hollow, concave and convex shapes, formed by multiple parts or a single piece, made of all materials known until now.

18. The apparatus according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that said means for reciprocal use do not necessarily have to have a piece of furniture and may be stacked, linked to each other and suspended in any direction and distributed under any rental or other type of licence for their use.

19. The apparatus according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that with this method the person feels less alone in places for travelling and hospital stays, taking his or her own product with him or her or in dedicated locations.

20. The apparatus according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that this method will give rise to new types of crops, the individual or artificial intelligence will be able to experiment with new crops, substituting the basic fertilising fabric with other natural fertilisers such as the ancient use of ash, experimenting with new plants and creating hybrids of them, managing new crops such as beekeeping and colonies of insects rich in proteins.

21. The apparatus according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that the recipe of the soil base or seat and of the related fertilisers contained in the packaging is continually being developed by the reseller and the private user, who can have support available through a call centre.

22. The apparatus according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that the seeds created can be stored in case of any sudden climate changes or apocalyptic conditions.