Systems and methods for deactivating plant material outside of a growing region

{
  "publication_number": "US2016029612A1",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "A1",
  "title": "Systems and methods for deactivating plant material outside of a growing region",
  "abstract": "A system for deactivating plant material outside of a growing region to prevent propagation of designated plant material outside of the growing region includes an imaging sensor configured to remotely detect plant material outside of the growing region, a vehicle including a sampling implement configured to collect a sample of plant material, a plant sensor configured to analyze the sample of plant material, a deactivation device configured to deactivate plant material, and a controller configured to direct the vehicle to the plant material detected by the imaging sensor, cause the sampling implement to collect the sample from the detected plant material, cause the plant sensor to analyze the sample, and, when the sample is determined to be designated for deactivation, cause the deactivation device to deactivate the detected plant material.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A system for deactivating plant material outside of a growing region to prevent propagation of designated plant material outside of the growing region, comprising: an imaging sensor configured to remotely detect plant material outside of the growing region; a vehicle including a sampling implement configured to collect a sample of plant material; a plant sensor configured to analyze the sample of plant material; a deactivation device configured to deactivate plant material; and a controller configured to direct the vehicle to the plant material detected by the imaging sensor, cause the sampling implement to collect the sample from the detected plant material, cause the plant sensor to analyze the sample, and, when the sample is determined to be designated for deactivation, cause the deactivation device to deactivate the detected plant material. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the plant material comprises a plant. 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the plant material comprises a reproductive component of a plant. 4.- 5. (canceled) 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the plant material comprises transgenic plant material. 7.- 10. (canceled) 11. The system of claim 1, wherein the deactivation device comprises an emitter device. 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the emitter device comprises a movable beamed energy emitter. 13.- 17. (canceled) 18. The system of claim 11, wherein the emitter device comprises a movable high temperature emitter. 19.- 21. (canceled) 22. The system of claim 1, wherein the deactivation device comprises a deactivation implement. 23.- 30. (canceled) 31. The system of claim 22, wherein the deactivation implement is configured to physically destroy the plant material. 32. The system of claim 22, wherein the deactivation implement is configured to physically collect and remove the plant material. 33. The system of claim 1, wherein the deactivation device is separate from the vehicle. 34. The system of claim 1, wherein the deactivation device is mounted to the vehicle. 35. The system of claim 1, wherein the imaging sensor is configured to detect plant material responsive to nonvisible light. 36. The system of claim 1, wherein the imaging sensor is configured to detect plant material responsive to visible light. 37. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is configured to detect an expression of a genetic marker of the plant material. 38.- 41. (canceled) 42. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is a ground vehicle. 43. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is an air vehicle. 44. The system of claim 43, wherein the air vehicle is an unmanned air vehicle. 45. The system of claim 1, wherein the plant sensor is mounted to the vehicle. 46. The system of claim 1, wherein the plant sensor is separate from the vehicle. 47. The system of claim 1, wherein the imaging sensor is mounted to the vehicle. 48. The system of claim 1, wherein the imaging sensor is separate from the vehicle. 49. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is a component of the vehicle. 50. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is separate from the vehicle. 51.- 52. (canceled) 53. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a mapping device, wherein the controller is further configured to receive data from the mapping device and plot the growing region. 54.- 68. (canceled) 69. A method of deactivating plant material to prevent propagation of designated plant material outside of a growing region, comprising: establishing a boundary separating a growing region from an exclusion region; designating a type of plant material to be deactivated; remotely detecting plant material in the exclusion region; collecting a sample of the detected plant material; analyzing the sample of the detected plant material; determining if the sample is the designated plant material; and when sample is determined to be the designated plant material, deactivating the plant material from which the sample was collected. 70.- 123. (canceled) 124. A system for deactivating plant material outside of a growing region to prevent propagation of designated plant material outside of the growing region, comprising: an imaging sensor configured to remotely detect plant material outside of the growing region; a vehicle including a sampling implement configured to collect a sample of plant material; a plant sensor configured to analyze the sample of plant material; an emitter device configured to deactivate plant material; and a controller configured to direct the vehicle to the plant material detected by the imaging sensor, cause the sampling implement to collect the sample from the detected plant material, cause the plant sensor to analyze the sample, and, when the sample is determined to be designated for deactivation, cause the emitter device to deactivate the detected plant material. 125. The system of claim 124, wherein the plant material comprises a plant. 126. The system of claim 124, wherein the plant material comprises a reproductive component of a plant. 127.- 128. (canceled) 129. The system of claim 124, wherein the plant material comprises transgenic plant material. 130.- 133. (canceled) 134. The system of claim 124, wherein the emitter device comprises a movable beamed energy emitter. 135.- 137. (canceled) 138. The system of claim 124, wherein the emitter device comprises a movable chemical emitter. 139.- 140. (canceled) 141. The system of claim 124, wherein the emitter device comprises a movable high temperature emitter. 142.- 145. (canceled) 146. The system of claim 124, wherein the emitter device is mounted to the vehicle. 147.- 236. (canceled)"
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "If an Application Data Sheet (ADS) has been filed on the filing date of this application, it is incorporated by reference herein. Any applications claimed on the ADS for priority under 35 U.S.C. §§119, 120, 121, or 365(c), and any and all parent, grandparent, great-grandparent, etc. applications of such applications, are also incorporated by reference, including any priority claims made in those applications and any material incorporated by reference, to the extent such subject matter is not inconsistent herewith.\n\nFor purposes of the USPTO extra-statutory requirements, the present application constitutes a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, entitled SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DEACTIVATING PLANT MATERIAL OUTSIDE OF A GROWING REGION, naming Roderick A. Hyde, Jordin T. Kare, and Lowell L. Wood, Jr. as inventors, filed Jul. 31, 2014 with attorney docket no. 103315-0176, which is currently co-pending or is an application of which a currently co-pending application is entitled to the benefit of the filing date.\n\nNone\n\nPlants of a particular type may grow within a field or other predetermined region. These plants may need to be prevented from spreading beyond the field or other predetermined region, or from intermixing with or contaminating plants outside of the field or predetermined region.\n\nOne exemplary embodiment relates to a system for deactivating plant material outside of a growing region to prevent propagation of designated plant material outside of the growing region.",
  "cpc": [
    "A01M 21/02",
    "A01G 22/00",
    "A01G 7/00",
    "A01M 21/04",
    "A01M 21/043",
    "A01M 7/0042",
    "A01M 7/0089",
    "G01N 33/0098",
    "G05B 15/02",
    "G05D 1/0094",
    "G05D 1/0219",
    "G06V 20/56",
    "H04N 7/183"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "H04N 7/18",
    "A01M 21/02",
    "G01N 33/00",
    "A01B 39/18",
    "A01M 21/04",
    "A01M 7/00",
    "G01C 22/00",
    "G05B 15/02",
    "H01J 40/14"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Elwha LLC"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Roderick A. Hyde",
    "Jordin T. Kare",
    "Lowell L. Wood, JR."
  ],
  "filing_date": "2014-07-31",
  "publication_date": "2016-02-04",
  "priority_date": "2014-07-31",
  "application_number": "US-201414448750-A",
  "family_id": "55178641",
  "cited_by_count": 14,
  "citations": [
    "US5585626A",
    "US5793035A",
    "US20010016053A1",
    "US20020024665A1",
    "US20040034459A1",
    "US20080196909A1"
  ]
}