IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,232,457
Granted Patent B1
US 12,232,457 · App. 18/435,427 · Granted Feb 25, 2025

Robotic transport for grow systems

Inventors: Eitan Marder-Eppstein (San Francisco, CA); Wim Meeussen (Redwood City, CA); Alexander Boenig (San Mateo, CA)
Assignee: HIPPO HARVEST INC.
A01G31/02A01G7/02A01G7/045A01G9/0299A01G9/247A01G9/26A01G25/09A01G25/16A01G27/00A01G27/001A01G27/003A01G27/008A01M7/0089B25J11/00B60P3/30G05B19/042G05D1/0214G06F16/25G06Q10/06315G06Q50/02A01G9/24A01M7/0025G05B2219/23133
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,232,457
App. No.
18/435,427
Granted
Feb 25, 2025
Kind
B1
Abstract

A grow system. The system includes growing plants in grow modules that are individually moveable. The plants grow in trays where roots never touch the water supply. The plumbing to the grow modules is a low flow, one way flow continual drip system that is hands free. A mobile robot can navigate around a growspace, bring any grow module from one location to another, and perform growspace operations. The growspace is a control space with data source zones and a control space manager. The control space manager can collect data and control different variables across different data source zones in order to determine optimal policies and conditions for data source growth and generation.

Claims (38)

1. A system comprising:

a grow module;

a plumbing infrastructure including:

a global water source;

a water transport mechanism; and

a mobile robot configured to perform transport or task automation within a grow space, as well as lift the grow module and transport the grow module to a different location, the mobile robot including:

one or more sensors;

a mobility mechanism;

a processor; and

memory.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the grow module includes a water intake mechanism.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the grow module includes a growing surface.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the grow module includes a top cover.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the grow module includes a grow medium.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plumbing infrastructure includes a one way water transport mechanism.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plumbing infrastructure includes a fertigation system that creates nutrient mixes with a desired nutrient composition on demand.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plumbing infrastructure includes a water transport mechanism using the mobile robot instead of plumbing pipes for transporting water from the global water source to the grow module.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plumbing infrastructure is configured to deliver different nutrient mixes to different grow modules in the grow space.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plumbing infrastructure is further configured to create custom nutrient mixes.

11. A grow space comprising:

a plurality of grow modules;

a plumbing infrastructure including:

a global water source;

a water transport mechanism; and

a mobile robot configured to perform transport or task automation within a grow space, as well as lift one or more grow modules and transport the one or more grow modules to a different location, the mobile robot including:

one or more sensors;

a mobility mechanism;

a processor; and

memory.

12. The grow space of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of grow modules include a water intake mechanism.

13. The grow space of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of grow modules include a growing surface.

14. The grow space of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of grow modules include a top cover.

15. The grow space of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of grow modules include a grow medium.

16. The grow space of claim 11 , wherein the plumbing infrastructure includes a one way water transport mechanism.

17. The grow space of claim 11 , wherein the plumbing infrastructure includes a fertigation system that creates nutrient mixes with a desired nutrient composition on demand.

18. The grow space of claim 11 , wherein the plumbing infrastructure includes a water transport mechanism using the mobile robot instead of plumbing pipes for transporting water from the global water source to the one or more grow modules.

19. The grow space of claim 11 , wherein the plumbing infrastructure is configured to deliver different nutrient mixes to different grow modules in the grow space.

20. The grow space of claim 11 , wherein the plumbing infrastructure is further configured to create custom nutrient mixes.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 25, 2024
From: MARDER-EPPSTEIN, EITAN; MEEUSSEN, WIM; BOENIG, ALEXANDER
To: HIPPO HARVEST INC.
Reel/Frame 066882/0722 →
Continuity (3)
Continuation 17938032 · Oct 4, 2022
Continuation 17182222 · Feb 22, 2021
Provisional Application 62979364 · Feb 20, 2020
References Cited (37)
US 10004187B1 · Van Wingerden · 2018 [cited by applicant]
US 11083126B2 · Richman et al. · 2021 [cited by applicant]
US 11457578B2 · Marder-Eppstein et al. · 2022 [cited by applicant]
US 11925150B2 · Marder-Eppstein et al. · 2024 [cited by applicant]
US 20120297675A1 · Hashimoto et al. · 2012 [cited by applicant]
US 20180365137A1 · Millar · 2018 [cited by examiner]
US 20180368344A1 · Marshall · 2018 [cited by examiner]
US 20190045731A1 · Dixon et al. · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US 20190261566A1 · Robertson et al. · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US 20190281778A1 · Hawley-Weld et al. · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US 20200236878A1 · Millar et al. · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 20210007307A1 · Adams et al. · 2021 [cited by applicant]
US 20210127594A1 · Millar · 2021 [cited by examiner]
US 20210137028A1 · Zelkind · 2021 [cited by examiner]
US 20210259160A1 · Marder-Eppstein et al. · 2021 [cited by applicant]
US 20210259163A1 · Marder-Eppstein et al. · 2021 [cited by applicant]
US 20210259170A1 · Marder-Eppstein et al. · 2021 [cited by applicant]
US 20210259172A1 · Meeussen et al. · 2021 [cited by applicant]
US 20210259173A1 · Meeussen et al. · 2021 [cited by applicant]
US 20230028722A1 · Marder-Eppstein et al. · 2023 [cited by applicant]
US 20230082515A1 · Schoen · 2023 [cited by applicant]
US 20240357983A1 · Meeussen et al. · 2024 [cited by applicant]
CN 108496654A · 2018 [cited by applicant]
CN 110679340A · 2020 [cited by applicant]
EP 2028160A2 · 2009 [cited by applicant]
EP 3476211A2 · 2019 [cited by examiner]
EP 4106516A · 2022 [cited by applicant]
JP S62181149U · 1987 [cited by applicant]
JP 6612536B2 · 2019 [cited by applicant]
WO 2014066844A2 · 2014 [cited by applicant]
WO 2018172490A1 · 2018 [cited by applicant]
WO 2019074549A1 · 2019 [cited by applicant]
WO WO2019222860A1 · 2019 [cited by examiner]
WO 2021168459A1 · 2021 [cited by applicant]
EP3476211 (Year: 2017). [cited by examiner]
International Search Report and Written Opinion, PCT/US2021/019130, Jun. 9, 2021, 21 pages. [cited by applicant]
Marder-Eppstein, Eitan et al.; Canadian (CA) Application No. 317254662; filed Aug. 19, 2022, 109 pages. [cited by applicant]