Hydroponic growing unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10856479-B2
Application number	US-201715724163-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 3, 2017
Priority date	Oct 3, 2016
Publication date	Dec 8, 2020
Grant date	Dec 8, 2020

Abstract

Various embodiments include a container for hydroponically growing plants. The container has a bottom surface and an open top surface and a fluid reservoir having at least a portion of the volume between the bottom surface and the top surface. A pump is positioned at a bottom portion of the fluid reservoir. A length of tubing connects the pump to a valve that is further connected to additional tubing. A plurality of jets are connected to the additional tubing to spray fluid internal to the fluid reservoir. Further, there is a support structure, configured to fit into the open top surface, that has support components for interconnecting a plurality of openings and supporting the plurality of jets. Finally, a cover plate is configured to fit over the support structure in the open top surface.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A hydroponic growing apparatus, comprising:
a container comprising a bottom surface and an open top surface;
a fluid reservoir within the container;
a pump, positioned in the fluid reservoir, comprising an inlet and an outlet;
a plurality of tubing sections and a valve connected to one of the tubing sections;
a fluid output tube in fluid communication with the pump outlet and the valve;
a plurality of jets connected to one or more of the tubing sections such that fluid flowing through the tubing sections, from the valve, exhausts through at least one of the plurality of jets;
a support structure, configured to fit entirely within the container below the open top surface, comprising support beams interconnecting a plurality of openings; and
at least one cover plate configured to fit over the support structure in the open top surface,
wherein, when the support structure is positioned in the container, the container and the support structure define a plurality of apertures separated from the plurality of openings by the support beams, the at least one cover plate covering at least one of the plurality of apertures, wherein the plurality of openings remain uncovered by the at least one cover plate.

2. The hydroponic growing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the fluid reservoir contains water.

3. The hydroponic growing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of tubing sections is connected to another tube section by each of the plurality of jets.

4. The hydroponic growing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the fluid reservoir comprises at least a portion of a volume between the bottom surface and the top surface.

5. The hydroponic growing apparatus of claim 4 , further comprising: a plurality of holes to support a tomato cage, located around the periphery of the top surface of the container, the holes extending through the top surface towards the bottom surface into the volume formed between the inner and outer surface.

6. The hydroponic growing apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of holes comprises six holes configured to support both three and four post tomato cages.

7. The hydroponic growing apparatus of claim 1 , the container further comprising an inner wall and an outer wall, with a volume between the two, where the inner wall and the outer wall are both circular in cross-section, wherein the inner wall extends from the bottom surface to the open top surface.

8. The hydroponic growing apparatus of claim 7 , wherein a bottom portion of the outer wall is of a greater circumference than a top portion of the outer wall.

9. The hydroponic growing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the at least one cover plate comprises a plurality of cut-outs corresponding to more than one of the plurality of openings of the support structure.

10. The hydroponic growing apparatus of claim 9 , further comprising at least one plug configured to fit into any of the plurality of cut-outs.

11. The hydroponic growing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a repositionable fluid level indicator tube that is positionable in any of the openings in the support structure, the fluid level indicator tube comprising a fluid level indicator.

12. The hydroponic growing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the pump is positioned at a bottom portion of the fluid reservoir.

13. The hydroponic growing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising an electrical cord connected to the pump and a cord cover for the electrical cord, wherein the electrical cord extends from the pump, through the fluid reservoir, to a point external to the container.

14. The hydroponic growing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising at least one basket of a size and shape to fit into any of the plurality of openings in the support structure.

15. The hydroponic growing apparatus of claim 14 , wherein each of the plurality of jets is directed such that fluid exhausted from the jet impinges upon the at least one basket.

16. The hydroponic growing apparatus of claim 1 , the fluid reservoir having a volume sufficient to hold six gallons of fluid.

17. The hydroponic growing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of openings is five openings arranged such that there is one centrally located opening surrounded by four openings.

18. The hydroponic growing apparatus of claim 1 , the support structure further comprising support for one or more of the plurality of jets.

19. The hydroponic growing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of jets are located around a periphery of the fluid reservoir near an inner surface of the container below the support structure.

20. The hydroponic growing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the plurality of jets are configured to be closed off.

21. The hydroponic growing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a drain tube connected to the valve that is positionable to convey fluid entering the valve from the fluid output tube to a location external to the container.

22. The hydroponic growing apparatus of claim 21 , wherein the valve is a diverter valve having at least two positions.

23. The hydroponic growing apparatus of claim 22 , wherein the two positions comprise directing fluid to the plurality of jets and directing fluid to a drain tube configured to convey fluid to a location external to the container.

24. The hydroponic growing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of tubing sections comprises four sections of tubing.

25. The hydroponic growing apparatus of claim 24 , wherein at least two of the plurality of tubing sections are of differing lengths.

26. The hydroponic growing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of jets comprises four jets.

27. The hydroponic growing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising: one or more protrusions located on a bottom portion of the fluid reservoir, the protrusions being located under one or more of the openings in the support structure and being configured to provide support for one or more support posts for plants growing from the baskets inserted into at least one of the openings in the support structure.

28. A hydroponic growing apparatus, comprising:
a container comprising an internal volume for use as a fluid reservoir and an open top surface;
a pump located at a bottom portion of the fluid reservoir;
a support structure comprising support beams structurally connecting five openings located entirely in the internal volume at an upper portion of the container;
a plurality of fluid jets fluidly coupled to the pump and located around a periphery of the container below the support structure;
a repositionable fluid level indicator tube, comprising a fluid level indicator, that is positionable in any of the five openings; and
a cover comprising one or more pieces configured to fit over the support structure in the open top surface,
wherein, when the support structure is positioned in the container, the container and the support structure define a plurality of apertures separated from the five openings by the support beams, the cover covering at least one of the plurality of apertures, wherein the five openings remain uncovered by the cover.

29. The hydroponic growing apparatus of claim 28 , further comprising at least one basket of a size and shape to fit into any of the five openings in the support structure.

30. The hydro

Assignees

• Goodwin Randy M
• Harriman Robert W
• Schultz Bradley A
• Orsi Jennifer D
• Ostman Charles H
• Perkins Jay F
• Cichello Ii John P
• Hgci Inc
• Oms Invest Inc

Inventors

• Goodwin Randy M
• Harriman Robert W
• Schultz Bradley A
• Orsi Jennifer D
• Ostman Charles H
• Perkins Jay F
• Cichello Ii John P

Classifications

• A01G31/02 Primary

  Special apparatus therefor (self-acting watering devices A01G27/00) · CPC title

• Y02P60/21

  Dinitrogen oxide [N2O], e.g. using aquaponics, hydroponics or efficiency measures · CPC title

• Y02P60/216

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic