Patents in suit

US 11,083,142 System and method for growing a plant in an at least partly conditioned environment

5 defendants · 5 suits · updated September 14, 2026

Also cited as U.S. Patent No. 11,083,142 · US11083142B2 · US 11,083,142 B2 · 11083142 · the '142 patent

Spirality LLC has filed 5 patent-infringement suits on US 11,083,142, "System and method for growing a plant in an at least partly conditioned environment" since July 16, 2026, all in the E.D. Tex., against 5 distinct defendants including Artechno Growsystems B.V., Controlled Environments Limited and Local Bounti Corporation. The patent was granted August 10, 2021 on a priority date of October 13, 2008. Its abstract opens: "A system for growing a plant (1) in an at least partly conditioned environment includes a cultivation base (11) for receiving a culture substrate (3) with a root system (4) of the plant therein." The examiner cited 17 references during prosecution.

Assignee
SPIRALITY LLC
Priority date
October 13, 2008
Granted
August 10, 2021
Expires
October 13, 2028
Status
Active
Claims
7 (1 independent)
Inventors
John van Gemert, Martinus Kers, Gerardus Johannes Jozef Maria Meeuws
Full text
Google Patents

The suits

5 cases · E.D. Tex. (5)

Filed Defendant Plaintiff Court Docket
2026-07-16 Artechno Growsystems B.V. Spirality LLC E.D. Tex. 2:26-cv-00587
2026-07-16 Controlled Environments Limited Spirality LLC E.D. Tex. 2:26-cv-00588
2026-07-16 Local Bounti Corporation Spirality LLC E.D. Tex. 2:26-cv-00589
2026-07-16 The Growcer Inc. Spirality LLC E.D. Tex. 2:26-cv-00590
2026-07-16 Urban Crop Solutions BV Spirality LLC E.D. Tex. 2:26-cv-00591

Docket links open the public record on CourtListener. Filing dates are the complaint's.

Independent claims

What is actually asserted, verbatim.

Claim 1

1. A method for producing and harvesting a crop in a daylight-free environment comprising: growing the crop in a culture substrate in a multi-layer daylight-free cultivation system having a number of cultivation shelves above one another, controlling, in each of said cultivation shelves, a photosynthesis of the crop by controlling a light spectrum supplied to the crop from light emitting diodes, controlling, in each of said cultivation shelves, a root temperature of a root system of the crop at a desired value, controlling, in each of said cultivation shelves, carbon dioxide assimilation of a leaf system of the crop by controlling a leaf temperature difference of the leaves compared to ambient temperature wherein, in each of said cultivation shelves, the control of photosynthesis by controlling the light spectrum, the control of the root temperature, and the control of the carbon dioxide assimilation by controlling a leaf temperature difference of the leaves compared to ambient temperature are adapted: to one another, forcing the crop into an intended carbon dioxide assimilation, and controlling an evaporation of said crop via the leaf by regulating a correct amount of energy on the leaf.

Art before the examiner

44 references of record, 17 cited by the examiner.

Everything listed here was before the Office and is what a challenge must go beyond. Art the examiner never saw is where an invalidity search starts.

Examiner-cited

  • US3124903A — Controlled environment room system
  • US3624380A — Lighting arrangement (Integrated Dev & Mfg Co)
  • US4163342A — Controlled environment agriculture facility and method for its operation (General Electric Company)
  • US4291674A — Processes and devices for climatizing greenhouses (Agence Nationale De Valorisation De La Recherche)
  • US4309843A — Cultivating device for plants (Tadaaki Kato)
  • US4543744A — Plant growing chamber (Royster John L)
  • USRE32808E — Plant propagating container and method
  • US5117580A — Heat transfer tube for a seedbed cover (Brown G Marvin)
  • US5269093A — Method and apparatus for controlling plant growth with artificial light (Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.)
  • NL1020694A1 — The use of the microclimate around a crop for the covered crops, as a means for absolute energy saving and as a means for positive cultivation manipulation for the purpose of increasing production, flower formation or plant morphology. (Bernardus Adrianus The Korsten)
  • WO2007105168A2 — Mist greenhouse (Praktijkonderzoek Plant & Omgeving B.V.)
  • US20070260400A1 — Computerized crop growing management system and method (Omry Morag)
  • US20080302004A1 — Multifunction plant cultivation led able to control the growing speed of plants (Lin Yu-Ho)
  • US7472513B2 — Controlled environment system and method for rapid propagation of seed potato stocks (Cets, Llc)
  • US20090025287A1 — Plant growing system (Yu Mei Lee)
  • US7617057B2 — Expert system for controlling plant growth in a contained environment (Inst Technology Development)
  • US8061080B2 — Controlling device for a greenhouse (Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.)
Applicant-cited and other (27)
  • US3063195A — Artificially climatized greenhouse
  • US3124905A — Swim pool wall panel structure
  • US3314192A — Plant growing shelf arrangement
  • GB1402261A — Growing cabinets
  • US4493163A — Hydroponic culture method for animal food and device for carrying out said method
  • US5009029A — Conductive temperature control system for plant cultivation
  • US5174793A — Method of enhancing plant growth using light levels lower than photo saturation intensity
  • US5269012A — Stack memory system including an address buffer for generating a changed address by inverting an address bit
  • US5283974A — Environmentally controlled display cabinet
  • JPH0690614A — How to grow strawberries
  • US5323567A — Plant cultivating apparatus
  • JPH10178899A — Plant cultivation apparatus, cultivation method using the same, and recording medium recording the same
  • US6105309A — Plant cultivation method and apparatus
  • TW421993U — Plant cultivation box using ultra-bright LED as artificial light source
  • JP2001231376A — Seedling raising device and seedling raising method
  • US20030005626A1 — Plant cultivator and control system therefor
  • JP2004141002A — Plant cultivation display device
  • DE202004007633U1 — Transportable racking arrangement of conditioning chambers for plant propagation is of modular construction with individual controls for lighting and air temperature
  • JP2005204565A — Heating system for growing plant/seed and seedling, method for growing plant/seed and seedling, table for growing plant/seed and seedling and method for producing the table for growing plant/seed and seedling
  • EP1574126A1 — Integrated system for the irradiation of photosynthetic organism, in particular plants, with multichromatic light
  • JP2005312444A — Apparatus for raising plant and method for growing plant
  • JP2006262852A — Cultivation system and control method thereof
  • CN1957668A — Method for regulating and controlling blooming period of spring dendrobium stem
  • CN101081001A — Novel planting method of tulip potted plant
  • US20080216398A1 — Indoor greenhouse
  • CN101268750A — Growth method without hibernation period and soil grassplot, and device thereof
  • EP2348814B1 — System and method for growing a plant in an at least partly conditioned environment

Classification

  • A01G9/02primary — Receptacles, e.g. flower-pots or boxes; Glasses for cultivating flowers
  • A01G9/245primary — Conduits for heating by means of liquids, e.g. used as frame members or for soil heating
  • A01G7/02 — Treatment of plants with carbon dioxide
  • A01G7/04 — Electric or magnetic or acoustic treatment of plants for promoting growth
  • A01G7/045 — Electric or magnetic or acoustic treatment of plants for promoting growth with electric lighting
  • A01G9/24 — Devices or systems for heating, ventilating, regulating temperature, illuminating, or watering, in greenhouses, forcing-frames, or the like
  • A01G9/249 — Lighting means
  • Y02A40/25 — Greenhouse technology, e.g. cooling systems therefor
  • Y02P60/14 — Measures for saving energy, e.g. in green houses
  • Y10S47/06 — Plant growth regulation by control of light thereon

Family

  • US11083142B2 — B2 (2021)
  • US20110252705A1 — A1 (2011)
  • US20210321574A1 — A1 (2021)
  • US20150237810A1 — A1 (2015)
  • US10667469B2 — B2 (2020)
  • 42 foreign family members: AP3562A, AU2009304045A1, EP2893800A3, PL2348814T3, EP3997977C0, EG26608A, EP3997977A1, PT2348814E, EP2893800A2, NL2002091C, IL212747A, WO2010044662A1, ES2977416T3, DK2348814T3, AP2011005705A0, EP2893800B1, EP3997977B1, AU2009304045B2, CA2740345C, CY1125869T1, MX2011003918A, KR20110094280A, CN102245012A, JP2012504973A, CA2740345A1, IL212747A0, EP2348814A1, EP2348814B1, EA020928B1, EP3281514A1, ES2935597T3, FI2893800T3, SMT201500153B, ES2540739T3, KR101720354B1, HRP20150630T1, JP6073551B2, PT2893800T, HUE026397T2, SI2348814T1, CY1121951T1, EA201170562A1

Abstract

A system for growing a plant (1) in an at least partly conditioned environment includes a cultivation base (11) for receiving a culture substrate (3) with a root system (4) of the plant therein. Root temperature control elements (12) are provided which are able and adapted to impose a predetermined root temperature on the root system, and lighting elements (20,21,22) which are able and adapted to expose leaves of the plant to actinic artificial light. Leaf heating elements are also provided, which are able and adapted to impose on the leaf of the plant a leaf temperature varying from an ambient temperature. In a method for growing the plant a carbon dioxide assimilation management of a leaf system of the plant is thus influenced, and a supply of actinic light, the root temperature and the carbon dioxide assimilation management are adapted to each other.

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This page is assembled from public records — federal court dockets and the patent's own file — and is updated as the case list changes. It states what the record shows and is not an opinion on the validity or infringement of any claim. Patent data via Google Patents; docket data via CourtListener.