The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 16, 2014
Filed:
Feb. 24, 2010
Moritz Köhler, Zürich, CH;
Philipp Bolliger, Winterthur, CH;
Benedikt Ostermaier, Uster, CH;
Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, Zürich, CH;
Abstract
The invention relates to a system and method for determining the state, state changes, and/or condition changes of a potted plant and for indicating the determined state of said object to the owner or user thereof, wherein the system and method locally determine at least one physical and/or chemical parameter on top of on the side of or in the immediate vicinity of the plant () to be monitored by means of preferably several sensors or sensing elements (). Said physical and/or chemical parameter is processed into a coded digital parameter signal and transmitted wirelessly, optionally by means of intermediate stages, to a central processor, which determines a statement about the state of the plant () from said coded digital parameter signal and other digital as an optical and/or acoustic indication of the current or prognosticated state of the plant/object (). The sensation of the object is preferably simulated, which aims at triggering emotions in the user himself, for example, by means of language- and culture-independent icons. The data are determined, processed, and transmitted without significant time delay, in other words, in real time in principle. In the central processing, the data can be combined with further information, for example, the requirements profile of the object, historical data, data of similar objects, climate data, or weather forecasts. The user of the system can automatically be contacted if certain events are ascertained for the monitored object, if for example, an unfavorable forecast or a harmful parameter is ascertained. The sensors or sensing elements and further components are preferably placed in a plant container, an 'intelligent flowerpot' so to speak, in such a way that the sensors or sensing elements are undetectable or barely detectable. Said 'intelligent flowerpot' can comprise a “mobile sensor clip” as an essential component in addition to sensors arranged therein or thereon.