FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a system and method of smart technology-enabled biodegradable plant pot that monitors and filters indoor air, more specifically the present invention relates to indoor air filtration.

BACKGROUND

The problem of air pollution is increasing exponentially. Major causes of air pollution are industries and power plants and transportation. As demand for modernization is increasing day by day therefore more power plants are being set up. For any industry or household main source of transportation are vehicles, vehicles are one of the major cause of air pollution as it uses fossil fuels and emits C02 and other gases. Indoor air pollution is when pollutants from things such as gases and particles contaminate the air indoors, pollutants are any harmful contaminants in the air; therefore, Exposure to indoor air pollution is one of the major sources of health risks in fast-developing countries such as India. In general, indoor air pollution has been ranked among the top 10 health risk factors in developing countries. Numerous types of air pollutants are released in the indoor environments, including criteria pollutants (e.g. PM, S02, N02, CO), and those made up of gases, vapors, and particles consisting of formaldehyde, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), radon, asbestos, and biological allergens. Indoor air pollutants from indoor fuel-burning lead to serious human health problems, such as pneumonia, bronchitis, cancer, heart disease, and asthma. And, since more than half of the population of developing nations has no other method for cooking and heating, it's not surprising that indoor air pollution from indoor fuel- burning kills 1.6 million people each year. Currently, there are many indoor air purification devices currently on the market; however, these devices (e.g. mechanical filters, electronic air cleaners, ion generators, etc.) focus on the removal of airborne particulates only. Further, it is also known that certain house plants support complex biological and bacterial processes within the plant, and also, within the growth medium surrounding the plant roots, within which the plant is embedded, all of which tend to biodegrade various airborne pollutants, especially airborne hydrocarbons and VOCs. The proposed indoor air purification system tries to maximize the air purification properties of indoor plants by building and combining several practical solutions to enable the success of such a solution.

KR100377569(B1) discloses an indoor garden having the air-cleaning function is provided, thereby controlling the indoor air condition and humidity properly. CONSTITUTION: The indoor garden having the air-cleaning function comprises a planter(lO) containing water; a draining plate(20) which is combined with the lower inner side of the planter(lO) and has numerous holes(21); culturing soil(30) which is contained on the draining plate(20) within the planter(lO) and has a plant to be grown; a ventilation means(50) which circulates the indoor air through the culturing soil(30); a water pump(70) which is placed in water and pumps water in a water layer(WL) of the planter(lO); a water-dropping pipe(72) which is connected to a draining pipe(71) of the water pump(70) and supplying water into the culturing soil(30); and a water gauge(60) which detects the water-level of the planter(lO).

US2011094156(A1) discloses a novel apparatus for the treatment, e.g., cleaning, humidifying, filtration, and/or detoxifying, of ambient air, incorporates a plant, soil, roots, and a water reservoir to allow for effective filtration of air over an extended period. In particular, the device is designed with an air impeller system such that external‘dirty’ air is circulated within the device in the proximity of the plant, soil, roots, and/or water reservoir, thereby removing impurities, toxins and other undesirable chemicals from the air. The apparatus and methods of the present invention are readily applicable to several applications where air treatment is desired, e.g., household use. Moreover, by incorporating a plant system, the apparatus serves not only a functional but an aesthetic purpose as well.

The existing inventions are not effective in reducing the number of pollutants in indoor air. In some of the existing systems air purification system controlling the indoor air condition and humidity does not work properly. The present invention overcomes the deficiencies in the prior art. Hence there is needed for the present invention.

OBJECTIVE OF THE INVENTION

The main objective of the present invention is to provide an indoor plant-based air purification system.

Another objective of the present invention is to clean the air from harmful air pollutants present in indoor air.

Yet another objective of the present invention is to detoxifying the indoor air.

Yet another objective of the present invention is to automatically perform the air purification method with the lowest maintenance cost.

Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide whole spectrum air filtration and maintain plant health.

Further objectives and features of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinbelow, in which various embodiments of the disclosed present invention are illustrated by way of example and appropriate reference to accompanying drawings. SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The present invention relates to smart technology-enabled biodegradable plant pot that monitors and filters indoor air. The present invention includes a biodegradable chassis, a smart IoT technology core, a spectrum air filtration, and a fan unit. The biodegradable chassis is designed to operate as a double wall vacuum chamber. Herein the body of the biodegradable chassis is made out of biodegradable composite material. The biodegradable chassis includes an inner wall and outer wall a plant core, and a water core. The plant core is the actual plant pot with a double wall design having the inner wall and the outer wall. Thus the plant core is forming an inner pot of the biodegradable chassis to store plant and soil. The water core is on the base of the plant core and forms a water storage area. The water core is designed for the self watering of the plant through capillary action. The smart IoT technology core is a detachable part that plugs into the plant core below the water core. The air filtration is placed inside the plant core to execute the process of air filtration. The fan unit is attached to the outer wall. The fan unit draws clean air out of the plant core through the tunnel between the outer wall and the inner wall, after filtration. The design of the biodegradable chassis allows the intake of polluted air into the plant core and exhausts of the clean air through the outer wall with the help of the fan unit. Herein, as the fan unit runs the polluted air is sucked into the plant core for filtration through the spectrum air filtration and then the fan unit exhausts the clean air through the outer wall. In the preferred embodiment, the spectrum air filtration includes a plant- based biofiltration unit, a specialized soil matrix, and a mechanical filtration unit. The plant-based biofiltration unit is planted on the specialized soil matrix of the plant core to purify the polluted air through the phyllosphere (leaf zone) and then the rhizosphere (root zone). In the plant-based biofiltration the air is first funneled through the phyllosphere (leaf zone) and then the rhizosphere (root zone) in the plant core. The specialized soil matrix is soil composition that is placed inside the plant core through which polluted air passes to get filtered. The Specialized soil matrix consisting of an artificial lattice structure allows for increased porosity of the soil substrate. Herein, the soil substrate mix is based on a unique mix of growth media and mycobacterial species to increase the efficacy of the air filtration process. The mechanical filtration unit is a thin layer of filter that is placed between the specialized soil matrix and the fan unit. The Mechanical filtration unit consisting of activated carbon filters, prefilter, photocatalytic filter, and HEPA filters are used before the final exhaust of the air through the pot. The polluted air is sucked into the plant core. The polluted air passes through the specialized soil matrix, then gets filtered through a plant-based biofiltration unit. Further, the polluted air is filtered through the mechanical filtration unit. Thus, in the end, clean air exhausts from the outer wall of the plant core through the fan unit. In the preferred embodiment, the smart IoT technology core includes a LED display unit, an air quality control unit, a plant health control unit, an airflow control unit, and a communication unit. The LED display unit displays the various parameters related to air quality, plant health, airflow control, and communication network strength The air quality control unit performs its work by various sensors. The air quality control unit collects the air quality data through different sensors and further sends data to the LED display unit to displays air quality. The plant health is maintained by the plant health control unit through tracking various parameters critical to the life of the plant. These include soil moisture, soil temperature, light levels, soil nutrient levels. Airflow is maintained by the airflow control unit through a specially designed fan unit. The smart IoT technology core communicates with the user's smartphone through the communication unit. The smart IoT technology core communicates with a central cloud server that in turn is connected to the user's smartphone through an app. Herein communication with the user is done through using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth or similar communication protocols. Herein the sensors used are Cox, Sox, NOx, 02, Temperature, Humidity, PM 2.5, PM 10, TVOC, other environmental sensors. An advantage of the present invention is that the present invention effectively provides an indoor plant-based air purification system.

Another advantage of the present invention is that the present invention does not lead to any emission or pollution.

Yet another advantage of the present invention is that the present invention is it cleans the air from harmful air pollutants present in indoor air.

Yet another advantage of the present invention is that the present invention is operationally effective, cost-effective, and easy to operate.

Yet another advantage of the present invention is that the present invention automatically performs the air purification method with the lowest maintenance cost. Yet another advantage of the present invention is that the present invention is very reliable.

Yet another advantage of the present invention is that the present invention provides whole spectrum air filtration and maintains plant health.

Yet another advantage of the present invention is that the present invention does not have any geographical limitations.

Further advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinbelow, in which various embodiments of the disclosed present invention are illustrated by way of example and appropriate reference to accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification to provide a further understanding of the invention. The drawings illustrate one embodiment of the invention and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. Fig. 1 illustrates a cross-section view of the present invention.

Fig.2 Illustrates the plan view of the biodegradable chassis.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Definition

The terms“a” or“an”, as used herein, are defined as one or as more than one. The term“plurality”, as used herein, is defined as two or more than two. The term “another”, as used herein, is defined as at least a second or more. The terms “including” and/or“having”, as used herein, are defined as comprising (i.e., open language). The term“coupled”, as used herein, is defined as connected, although not necessarily directly, and not necessarily mechanically.

The term“comprising” is not intended to limit inventions to only claiming the present invention with such comprising language. Any invention using the term comprising could be separated into one or more claims using“consisting” or“consisting of’ claim language and is so intended. The term“comprising” is used interchangeably used by the terms“having” or“containing”.

Reference throughout this document to“one embodiment”,“certain embodiments”, “an embodiment”,“another embodiment”, and“yet another embodiment” or similar terms means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the appearances of such phrases or in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics are combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments without limitation. The term“or” as used herein is to be interpreted as an inclusive or meaning any one or any combination. Therefore,“A, B or C” means any of the following:“A; B; C; A and B; A and C; B and C; A, B and C”. An exception to this definition will occur only when a combination of elements, functions, steps, or acts are in some way inherently mutually exclusive.

As used herein, the term "one or more" generally refers to, but not limited to, singular as well as a plural form of the term.

The drawings featured in the figures are to illustrate certain convenient embodiments of the present invention and are not to be considered as limitation thereto. The term “means” preceding a present participle of operation indicates the desired function for which there is one or more embodiments, i.e., one or more methods, devices, or apparatuses for achieving the desired function and that one skilled in the art could select from these or their equivalent is given the disclosure herein and use of the term “means” is not intended to be limiting.

Fig. 1 illustrates a cross-section view of the system(lOO). The system(lOO) includes a biodegradable chassis(102), a smart IoT technology core(HO) a spectrum air filtration(114) and a fan unit(116). The biodegradable chassis(102) includes an inner wall(104), an outer wall(106), a plant core(108), and water core(112). The plant core(108) is the actual plant pot with a double-wall design having the inner wall(104) and the outer wall(106). Thus forming an inner pot of the biodegradable chassis(102) to store plant and soil. The water core(112) is on the base of the plant core(108) and forms a water storage area. The smart IoT technology core(HO) is a detachable part that plugs into the plant core(108) below the water core(l 12). A sensor unit(136) of the smart IoT technology core(l lO) is installed into the plant core(108). The fan uni t( 116) is attached on the outer wall(106) and the at least one fan unit(114) draws clean air out of the plant core(108) through the tunnel between the outer wall(106) and the inner wall(104), after filtration. The air filtration(l 14) is placed inside the plant core(108) to execute the process of air filtration. The air filtration(114) includes a specialized soil matrix(130), an mechanical filtration unit(132), and a primary air mesh(134). The specialized soil matrix(130) is soil composition that is placed inside the plant core(108) through which polluted air passes to get filtered. The mechanical filtration unit(132) is a thin layer of filter placed between the specialized soil matrix(130) and the fan unit(116). The primary air mesh(134) is placed between the specialized soil matrix(130) and the mechanical filtration unit(132).

Fig.2 Illustrates the plan view of the biodegradable chassis(102). The biodegradable chassis(102) includes an inner wall(104), an outer wall(106), a plant core(108), and water core(l 12). The plant core(108) is the actual plant pot with a double-wall design having the inner wall(104) and the outer wall(106). Thus forming an inner pot of the biodegradable chassis(102) to store plant and soil. The water core(112) is on the base of the plant core(108) and forms a water storage area. The water core(112) is designed for self-watering of the plant and soil in the plant core(108) through capillary action.

The present invention relates to smart technology-enabled biodegradable plant pot that monitors and filters indoor air. The present invention includes a biodegradable chassis, a smart IoT technology core, a spectrum air filtration, and a fan unit. The biodegradable chassis is designed to operate as a double wall vacuum chamber. Herein the body of the biodegradable chassis is made out of biodegradable composite material. The biodegradable chassis includes an inner wall and outer wall a plant core, and a water core. The plant core is the actual plant pot with a double wall design having the inner wall and the outer wall. Thus the plant core is forming an inner pot of the biodegradable chassis to store plant and soil. The water core is on the base of the plant core and forms a water storage area. The water core is designed for the self watering of the plant through capillary action. The smart IoT technology core is a detachable part that plugs into the plant core below the water core. The air filtration is placed inside the plant core to execute the process of air filtration. The term“vacuum chamber” refers to a rigid enclosure from which air and other gases are removed by a vacuum pump. These results in a low-pressure environment within the chamber commonly referred to as a vacuum. The term“chassis” refers to the outer structural framework of a piece of audio, radio, or computer equipment. The fan unit is attached to the outer wall. The fan unit draws clean air out of the plant core through the tunnel between the outer wall and the inner wall, after filtration. The design of the biodegradable chassis allows the intake of polluted air into the plant core and exhausts of the clean air through the outer wall with the help of the fan unit. Herein, as the fan unit runs the polluted air is sucked into the plant core for filtration through the spectrum air filtration and then the fan unit exhausts the clean air through the outer wall. In the preferred embodiment, the spectrum air filtration includes a plant- based biofiltration unit, a specialized soil matrix, a mechanical filtration unit, and a primary air mesh. The plant-based biofiltration unit is planted on the specialized soil matrix of the plant core to purify the polluted air through the phyllosphere (leaf zone) and then the rhizosphere (root zone). In the plant-based biofiltration the air is first funneled through the phyllosphere (leaf zone) and then the rhizosphere (root zone) in the plant core. This air movement allows for phytoremediation of polluted air by specific plant species, together with their microbiomes (consisting of microorganisms), and leads to a significant improvement in air quality parameters. The specialized soil matrix is soil composition that is placed inside the plant core through which polluted air passes to get filtered. The Specialized soil matrix consisting of an artificial lattice structure allows for increased porosity of the soil substrate. Herein, the soil substrate mix is based on a unique mix of growth media and mycobacterial species to increase the efficacy of the air filtration process. The mechanical filtration unit is a thin layer of filter that is placed between the specialized soil matrix and the fan unit. The Mechanical filtration unit consisting of activated carbon filters, prefilter, photocatalytic filter, and HEPA filters are used before the final exhaust of the air through the pot. The primary air mesh is placed between the specialized soil matrix and the mechanical filtration unit. The polluted air is sucked into the plant core. The polluted air passes through the specialized soil matrix, then gets filtered through a plant-based biofiltration unit. Further, the polluted air is filtered through the mechanical filtration unit. Thus, in the end, clean air exhausts from the outer wall of the plant core through the fan unit. In the preferred embodiment, the smart IoT technology core includes a LED display unit, an air quality control unit, a plant health control unit, an airflow control unit, a communication unit, and a sensor unit. The LED display unit displays the various parameters related to air quality, plant health, airflow control, and communication network strength The air quality control unit performs its work by various sensors. The air quality control unit collects the air quality data through different sensors and further sends data to the LED display unit to displays air quality. The plant health is maintained by the plant health control unit through tracking various parameters critical to the life of the plant. These include soil moisture, soil temperature, light levels, soil nutrient levels. Airflow is maintained by the airflow control unit through a specially designed fan unit. The smart IoT technology core communicates with the user's smartphone through the communication unit. The smart IoT technology core communicates with a central cloud server that in turn is connected to the user's smartphone through an app. Herein communication with the user is done through using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth or similar communication protocols. The sensor unit is installed into the plant core. Herein sensor unit used are Cox, Sox, NOx, 02, Temperature, Humidity, PM 2.5, PM 10, TVOC, other environmental sensors. The term“IoT” refers to the Internet of Things refers to the ever-growing network of physical objects that feature an IP address for internet connectivity and the communication that occurs between these objects and other Internet-enabled devices and systems. The term“cloud server” refers to a virtual server (rather than a physical server) running in a cloud computing environment. It is built, hosted and delivered via a cloud computing platform via the internet, and can be accessed remotely. In an embodiment, the method for operation and monitoring of smart technology- enabled biodegradable plant pot, the method includes: an air quality control unit collects the air quality data through sensor unit and further send data to the LED display unit to displays air quality; based on the air quality data the air quality control unit sends a request to the airflow control unit to control the speed of the fan unit; as the fan unit starts running, the polluted air is sucked into the plant core and the polluted air passes through the specialized soil matrix; then, in the plant-based biofiltration unit the air is first funneled through the phyllosphere (leaf zone) and then the rhizosphere (root zone) in the plant core; further, polluted air is filtered through the mechanical filtration; and thus in end, clean air exhaust from the outer wall of the plant core through the fan unit;

Herein, as the fan unit starts running the pressure difference creates between the plant core and outside environment, the polluted air is sucked into the plant core, then get filtered, and then the fan unit exhausts the clean air out. Herein, in the plant-based biofiltration unit air movement allows for phytoremediation of polluted air by specific plant species, together with their microbiomes (consisting of microorganisms) and leads to a significant improvement in air quality parameters.

In another embodiment, the present invention relates to smart technology-enabled biodegradable plant pot that monitors and filters indoor air. The present invention includes a biodegradable chassis, a smart IoT technology core, a spectrum air filtration, and one or more fan units. The biodegradable chassis is designed to operate as a double wall vacuum chamber. Herein the body of the biodegradable chassis is made out of biodegradable composite material. The biodegradable chassis includes an inner wall, an outer wall, a plant core, and one or more water cores. The plant core is the actual plant pot with a double wall design having the inner wall and the outer wall. Thus the plant core is forming an inner pot of the biodegradable chassis to store plant and soil. The one or more water cores are in the base of the plant core and form a water storage area. The one or more water cores are designed for self-watering of the plant through capillary action. The smart IoT technology core is a detachable part that plugs into the plant core below the one or more water cores. The air filtration is placed inside the plant core to execute the process of air filtration The one or more fan units are attached on the outer wall. The one or more fan units draw clean air out of the plant core through the tunnel between the outer wall and the inner wall, after filtration. The design of the biodegradable chassis allows the intake of polluted air into the plant core and exhausts of the clean air through the outer wall with help of the one or more fan units. Herein, as the one or more fan units run, the polluted air is sucked into the plant core for filtration through the spectrum air filtration and then the one or more fan units exhaust the clean air through the outer wall. In the preferred embodiment, the spectrum air filtration includes a plant-based biofiltration unit, a specialized soil matrix, one or more mechanical filtration units and a primary air mesh. The plant-based biofiltration unit is planted on the specialized soil matrix of the plant core to purify the polluted air through the phyllosphere (leaf zone) and then the rhizosphere (root zone). In the plant-based biofiltration the air is first funneled through the phyllosphere (leaf zone) and then the rhizosphere (root zone) in the plant core. This air movement allows for phytoremediation of polluted air by specific plant species, together with their microbiomes (consisting of microorganisms), and leads to a significant improvement in air quality parameters. The specialized soil matrix is soil composition that is placed inside the plant core through which polluted air passes to get filtered. The Specialized soil matrix consisting of an artificial lattice structure allows for increased porosity of the soil substrate. Herein, the soil substrate mix is based on a unique mix of growth media and mycobacterial species to increase the efficacy of the air filtration process. The one or more mechanical filtration units are a thin layer of filter that is placed between the specialized soil matrix and the one or more fan units. The one or more Mechanical filtration units consisting of activated carbon filters, prefilter, photocatalytic filter, and HEPA filters are used before the final exhaust of the air through the pot. The primary air mesh is placed between the specialized soil matrix and the mechanical filtration unit. The polluted air is sucked into the plant core. The polluted air passes through the specialized soil matrix, then gets filtered through the plant-based biofiltration unit. Further, the polluted air is filtered through the one or more mechanical filtration units. Thus in end, clean air exhausts from the outer wall of the plant core through the one or more fan units. In the preferred embodiment, the smart IoT technology core includes a LED display unit, an air quality control unit, a plant health control unit, an airflow control unit, a communication unit and a sensor unit. The LED display unit displays the various parameters related to air quality, plant health, airflow control, and communication network strength The air quality control unit performs its work by various sensors. The air quality control unit collects the air quality data through different sensors and further sends data to the LED display unit to displays air quality. The plant health is maintained by the plant health control unit through tracking various parameters critical to the life of the plant. These include soil moisture, soil temperature, light levels, soil nutrient levels. Airflow is maintained by the airflow control unit through a specially designed fan unit. The smart IoT technology core communicates with the user's smartphone through the communication unit. The smart IoT technology core communicates with a central cloud server that in turn is connected to the user's smartphone through an app. Herein communication with the user is done through using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth or similar communication protocols. The sensor unit is installed into the plant core. Herein sensor unit used is Cox, Sox, NOx, 02, Temperature, Humidity, PM 2.5, PM 10, TVOC, other environmental sensors.

In an embodiment, the method for operation and monitoring of smart technology- enabled biodegradable plant pot, the method includes: an air quality control unit collects the air quality data through sensor unit and further send data to the LED display unit to displays air quality; based on the air quality data the air quality control unit sends a request to the airflow control unit to control the speed of the one or more fan units; as the one or more fan units start running, the polluted air is sucked into the plant core and the polluted air passes through the specialized soil matrix; then, in the plant-based biofiltration unit the air is first funneled through the phyllosphere (leaf zone) and then the rhizosphere (root zone) in the plant core; further, the polluted air is filtered through the one or more mechanical filtrations; and thus in end, clean air exhaust from the outer wall of the plant core through the one or more fan units;

Herein, as the fan unit starts running the pressure difference creates between the plant core and outside environment, the polluted air is sucked into the plant core, then get filtered, and then the fan unit exhausts the clean air out. Herein, in the plant -based biofiltration unit air movement allows for phytoremediation of polluted air by specific plant species, together with their microbiomes (consisting of microorganisms) and leads to a significant improvement in air quality parameters.

Further objectives, advantages, and features of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinbelow, in which various embodiments of the disclosed present invention are illustrated by way of example and appropriate reference to accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains may make modifications resulting in other embodiments employing principles of the present invention without departing from its spirit or characteristics, particularly upon considering the foregoing teachings. Accordingly, the described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative, and not restrictive, and the scope of the present invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description or drawings. Consequently, while the present invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments, modifications of structure, sequence, materials and the like apparent to those skilled in the art still fall within the scope of the invention as claimed by the applicant.