The Overview of Educational Plant Growing Device - Dissertation Example

Educational Plant Growing Device 2 This paper contains detailed information about the plant growing device designed for the purpose of teaching science (plant growing activity) under UK Curriculum for K2 and3 students. All the vital parts of the device are outlined and adequately explained, with a great emphasis on their functionality for great performance. Some qualities of the plant growing device are highlighted, and suggestions about future modifications are presented in a way that any user could easily identify the areas needing improvements. As a new invention, explanations are provided about the impossibility of securing International Property Rights, Copyright and other professional ethical requirements. Most importantly, detailed explanations are provided about how to utilize the invention within the science classroom with little or no difficulty on the part of the users. Information about future production and utility or market is given. An appropriate conclusion is provided at the end of the paper; and a personal summary about how the entire invention came into existence is also given. 3 Chapter One Introduction The idea of teaching student how to grow plants has been accepted worldwide as an integral part of demonstrating science in the nature (Grant and Littlejohn, 2005). In a way, this is the process of contributing to the survival of the environment. However, the plants need a good plant growing device to grow well (Kaufman, 1983). As a result of this, some important issues to be considered here include: (i) what are the qualities the plant product possesses that would be quite useful to everyone; (ii) what is the current market value of the product? (iii) And what is going to happen to the product in their future? Kaufman (1983) recognizes that the success of any plant growing device largely depends on a number of factors that are broadly described below. Without all these sterling qualities, the product (device) will not be able to grow healthy and good-valued plants. In the light of this, the plant growing device is a single unit which is specifically designed to grow Autotrophic plants such as African Violets and allow users to grown plants from seeds or seedlings. The product has the capability to vary the following according to the plants: amount of sunlight, oxygen, water and nutrient to perform several experiments and compare the output result. The product is compact and suit to use in school classroom environment which is made user friendly to the students. The features of the product that may endanger the lives of students are removed, and the instructions for dealing with unexpected danger are clearly indicated in the users’ guide. 4 The design of the product is not restricted to a certain age group since it will also be used by the teachers to supervise students through their learning process, which cuts across different age groups. But the product is simple enough for the user to operate: in other words, all control buttons are mounted in an accessible position and arranged in a logical sense. Concerning the material for the product, the chosen material is able to withstand the moist conditions under the soil. The product is made from non-toxic material. (material within the contact of the organic plants). The product is packaged with expanded polystyrene holding blocks to provide shock absorbance which is then put in a double-walled card board box. Although the product is intended to be transported with minimal packaging but certain components may need to be packaged in polystyrene bags. However, the packaging cost is kept to a minimum of 5% of the unit cost. The plant growing device is expected to be mainly used in European environment and weather conditions but sales of about 2% unit volume could be expected to the Far East. The primary market for the product is for teachers in secondary schools used in accordance with the National Curriculum. The product is sold for use in science laboratory and would be used by students under teacher supervision. The product is used for school students who are in Key Stage 3 to 4 of studying (age between 11 to 16) in their science subject. The student would be able to carry out related experiments using this product under teacher supervision. 5 The product conforms to relevant British Standards, particularly those associated with safe materials around children and electrical safety. Toxic material is avoided because of soil fertility or special materials will be added to the soil to neutralize any toxicity in the soil. The product is impervious to normal washing up liquids and household cleaners, sand, mud, soil fertility, dirt and dust. However, in the future, the plant growing device is expected to have a unique design that will allow for partially automated production with construction requiring technicians to produce finished product. And the product is required to have a long lifespan and the cost is therefore governed by the need to have adequate durability and strength. The product will have an end-user cost of ?50 or less. And the cost of manufacturing will be less than ?20. The cost of packaging and shipping will be no more than 15% of the manufacturing cost. The product is expected to be on the market for 10 years, and its spare parts will be available for a further 5 years after that. With good maintenance, it is expected that the life span of the product would be increased. And to handle the amount of future demand, the production quantity will be at least 4,000 units per annum. Some future markets for the plant growing device would be kindergartens and elementary schools where kids are introduced to environmental preservation at the earliest age. As the number of schools that adopt this curriculum increases, the need to expand the volume of production will be inevitable and some features of the 6 product would have to be improved to accommodate future changes (Alexander et al., 1999). As the quantity of the product increases, there is every possibility that the cost of manufacturing one unit of the device will be reduced and it will be expressly affordable for even parents of kindergarten kids to purchase. Another area that may need some improvements in the future include the product’s responsiveness to outside temperature and the capability to vary the amount of sunlight, oxygen, water and nutrient in the plant-growing experiment would be highly desirable (Handreck and Black, 2002). With all the newly suggested improvements, it is possible for the product to be accepted in the general market for plant growing devices as well as in new markets explained above. Educational Plant Growing Device (the Product). 7 Chapter Two The Design Process The Design Process Below is a Design Process Flowchart used to manufacture the product: the problem was to find an effective procedure to teach students how to grow plants. Then a research was conducted to determine the specifications, which are used in designing the solution (plant growing device described in this paper). 8 Time Plan Below is the time plan for the entire designing process of the plant growing device described in this paper: Description of activity Period it takes (in months) Researching and specifications 18-24 Generating ideas 8-10 Developing the chosen solution (product) 6-12 Planning and realizing the chosen solution (product) 8-10 Testing and evaluating the chosen solution (product) 4-8 Research The aim of the primary research was particularly to gain an insight into teaching styles for key stages 3 & 4: this is an attempt to address some important issues about what methods are currently in existence and what approaches should be undertaken in order to find out more about how children react to teaching stimuli and absorb the appropriate knowledge about plant-growing. In order to discover these pieces of information, I have 9 also researched other sources by reading various related magazines and looked at some existing similar devices. For examples, I have learnt about Prepare- Power Plant Professional, Aerogarden- Hydroponic Garden. To get a firsthand view of how these devices work, I have also visited the Garden Centre and some suppliers, from whom I have got some valuable information. Concept Design From the research outcomes, it was found that the most important feature for the Plant Device was its functional performance. This may be due to the useful features the device possesses; which include its soil test kits that allow the kids (users) to identify quick changes in the color of the soil as a result of chemical reactions; measuring cylinders help to gauge the amount of water poured into the plant while growing; and, the sunlight filters lids help vary the exposure to sunlight. Research indicates that although it is important to the user, aesthetics are considered secondary; and, as a result of this, the concept of designing focuses initially on identifying what experiment this product should be able to perform. And emphasis is laid on its suitability for the particular curriculum under consideration. 10 Functional Exploration The existing technology was explored initially to find out about the various methods of varying the input elements into the plant: these include the amount of sunlight, the amount of air, the amount of water and the amount of nutrient. Providing the right quantity of these elements in an experiment could increase the rate of success, as students would learn to avoid using excess water when unnecessary; they would also have known the appropriate length of exposure to sunlight that would benefit the plant under inspection. Aesthetic Considerations It is essential to state here that the main focus in aesthetic considerations was the selection of colours and forms, as shown in the images below. Source: http://www.prepara.com/ 11 Products – note simple form and use of colour. Detail Design The pictures below confirm that after selecting the applicable overall concept, the detail of the design began to emerge. The images are constructed through constant update of design features using the CAD model. Different shade lids covering the plants to vary different amount of sunlight. Controllable air valves on the top of each lid to vary the amount of air going into the plant. Water holds with water level indicator at the side to let the user acknowledge the amount of water they are putting in Fertility meter to indicate the nutrient level in the plants NOTE: The design above follows the simple design process flowchart introduced at the beginning of this chapter. The major problem was to discover the appropriate solution (product) that would be compatible with the curriculum, which is about teaching students how to grow plants for the purpose of science, as well as learning the fundamental responsibilities to protect the environment in which they live in. This kind of study has been projected to continue from one level of education to the other as many educational institutions adopt the “green” lifestyle, whereby all activities are conducted naturally—including the planting of trees. 14 Chapter Three Justification of Final Design Solution Performance As stated above, the criteria for measuring the performance of the plant growing device depends on a number of factors. Primarily, it is designed for the key stages 2 and 3 curriculum, and it is expected that the experiment can easily be tied into existing lesson plans that teachers currently use for this kind of science lesson. However, the efficiency of the plant growing device may be due to the useful features the device possesses; which include its soil test kits that allow the kids (users) to identify quick changes in the color of the soil as a result of chemical reactions; measuring cylinders which help to gauge the amount of water poured into the plant while growing; and, the sunlight filters lids that help in varying the exposure to sunlight. Soil test kit The body of the device has been designed with transparency so that children can see the colour changes with the water/ chemical reaction taking place. The tubes are designed to this particular size to assist the user in acknowledging the amount of soil they need to sample the nutrient level. (Particles will only settle with known amount of soil. It will not happen if the soil is too little or too much). On a more advanced form, soil test kit help user 15 to determine the soil profile as the soil layers separate from one another (Blanco and Lal, 2010). Measuring Cylinders Measuring cylinders are designed according to a specific size to prevent the user putting too much water into the plant. When the cylinder sits in the base unit, it stands at the height of 2 cm, allowing more interactive use. The measuring cylinder does not only measure the quantity of water, it is a part of the required specifications. If it is absent, the plant growing device cannot successfully complete its operations (Rajan, 2002). Sunlight Filters lids (3 lids with different shade will be provided in this product) The sunlight filter lids have been designed to one specific plant type – autotrophic plants (because autotrophic plants have the capacity to manufacture their food which is suitable to perform experiment for this product and the size of the plant is small enough to grow in this product). There are three different shade lids that permit varying amounts of sunlight to reach the plant. Since each lid has its photographic quality, it allows only a certain percentage of light at a particular point in time (Klyte and Kleyn, 1996). Extractor Fan The extractor fan has a three-way switch to control the movement of the fan as it comes on and off. The user can program how often the extractor fan comes on. 16 Closed Sunlight Filter makes an airtight environment so when the fan comes on, it automatically lifts the “Air Valve door’’ up to let the air in (Anderson, 2007). The lid volume = 5194000mm3 Which is = 5194 cm3 (cc) Flow rate = 5194 CC / 60 = 86.56 CC/min A minute of the constant fan operation will clear all the air within the lid. And the three-way switch can be set so that the fan comes to operate for different amount of time to refresh not all, but certain amount of air within the lid. (Air within the lid oxygen - because plants product oxygen and need carbon dioxide to do that) (Smith and Darbyshire, 2004). Ergonomics Ergonomics was an important consideration when designing this product Anthropometric. This product was designed to be suitable for use by 95th percentile of 9 – 13 year olds. The students in this age category were analyzed carefully in order to design features of the product that would suit their purposes as they learn how to grow plants. The outer bodies where the planter seats and the sunlight filter were particular area of concern – data such as palm width, length and hand circumference were used to ensure children could comfortably hold such parts (Dul and Weerdmester, 2001). 17 Another consideration was the location fit feature for: the planter, measuring cylinder and soil test kit Material Material research and selection took place in several stages, criteria such as yield strength, shear strength, impact resistance, Young’s modulus, scratch resistance, finishing and manufacturability were all considered before selecting the appropriate material to design the plant growing device (Visnawathan et al., 2005). The main structural material selected of this Plant Growing Device is made from polypropylene 44CB70. It was chosen to be able to withstand the moist conditions under the soil awareness of toxic material (Material within contact of the organic plants) (Damrosch, 2003). ABS HH-112 was also chosen for the lid. It is a transparent material and UV stabilising additive has been processed into the material due to the photovoltaic unit being used in direct sunlight. All other materials and finishes used in this product are suitable in wet environment Environment The Plant Growing Device has been designed to fit into the classroom with ease. The lack of wires makes it easy for the teacher to unpack the product and run simple but effective demonstrations and exercises to teach children. The materials have been carefully picked so that all modules can survive and impacts from up to 3.5m. The basic formula for working out the impact test was: 18 a. Potential Energy = mass x height x gravity b. Potential Energy / Cross sectional Area (smallest on component) Manufacture All components of the Plant Growing Device have been designed for master batch injection moulding. All design guidelines like draft angles and rib requirements and clever design to maximise the efficiency of the tooling have been adhered to. (Moulding Guidelines courtesy of Product information Center (PIC)) The outer bodies where the planter seats are ultrasonically welded using standard geometry for the process and location pins to help align the casings. 19 Costing The product is manufactured in way that it would be affordable for schools that want to purchase them for their students. According to the Bill of Materials from China provided in the appendix, the breakdown of the cost of production is as follows: Total cost of the materials/unit = ?8.0680 Assembly cost/unit = ?0.6970 Transportation (Within China)/unit =?0.1576 Shipping from China to UK/unit = ?0.50 Total Cost of Production/unit = ?9.42 This ensures a retail price of ? 29.99. This is the current price per unit for year1 when this Plant Growing Device will sell 4500 units; however in further years the price per unit will drop based on higher quantities and more abilities to bulk order. Aesthetics/ appearance The overall shape has remained simple due to its nature of function over form and has been styled in a way that will suit the organic form of the plants. However, in other areas like the measuring cylinder and the soil test kit module forms are as important as function so that the users can get accustomed to the components of the device while using it. Colours become strategic identifiers of appearance; for example, using Pantone White as the base colour, different greens for parts of the modules – Pantone 368 were identified. Green has been chosen due to its obvious ties with a ‘’green’’ ethos and general beli 20 Production There are some K2 and 3 schools in the UK with some thousands of students. This product is practically aiming for key stage 2 and 3 school pupils. Schools would buy this product for group use. Production quantity will be at least 4,000 units per annum and the production quantities supply to roughly 15% of the total market per year. Size and weight The product does not exceed 5kg, and it was made in a way that it did not wobble around when it is in use (that is, it is stable). The outside dimensions of the plant growing device did not exceed 500mm for its length, 1000mm for its width, and 1000mm for its height. Disposal/ product life The expected lifespan of the Plant Growing Device kit is around 5 years. The product is not like fashion; it will be evaluated year in year out for key stages 2 – 3 pupils at school to ascertain its efficiency and how to improve its functionality. The parts making up this product require minimum skill to assemble or disassemble; the individual parts can be replaced once its broken or wear down and is designed to enable complete disassembling which can then be separated into material groups for recycling. Competition This Plant Growing Device sits in a gap in the market in teaching equipment with very few competitors, but can also be applied to markets abroad and the toy market for home users. 21 Some of the known competitors are Prepare- Power Plant Professional (left), Aerogarden- Hydroponic Garden (right) Source: http://www.prepara.com/ 22 Chapter Four Professional Issues Intellectual Property Rights Attempts were made to secure International Property (IP) Rights for my invention. IP Rights is said to comprise of series of rights as shown below (Pugatch, 2004). And each right is governed by applicable legislation; in other words, if my invention has contravened any law as far property is concerned, it would be impossible to get it patented (Shippey, 2004). After careful examination of my request for International Property Rights, I received the follow advice from the Rights Organisation: Patents: There are four requirements in order for an invention to be patentable. These are novelty; an inventive step; capable of industrial applicability; and not subject to any exclusions. In order for my invention to be novel it must be new and not already part of the public domain. The public domain includes all of human knowledge. If my invention has already been disclosed it may be considered part of the public domain and thus may not be novel; even if nobody has seen it. It only has to be accessible. There may be times when disclosure will not destroy novelty; an example being an internationally recognised Convention (Stim, 2010). 23 Anticipation is a principle whereby if the invention is already in the public domain any subsequent patent applications may be considered anticipated and may not succeed. This may only apply if the document looked at contains information on how to make the invention. If making the invention would infringe another patentee’s rights then it may be held to be anticipatory and may be invalid for lack of novelty (Barrett, 2008). The inventive step requires that I show advantage over what has already been done. This step will be fulfilled if my invention is not obvious to a person skilled in the art. The person skilled in the art is someone who is a professional within that field; he is unimaginative and unable to piece together the information available in the public domain. My invention was also investigated against the concepts of mosaic and collocation. Mosaic is when all elements of the invention work together. This can be patented. A collocation is when two or more of the technical elements work separately. This cannot be patented. It will be considered obvious if an invention only takes the next step and is deemed as obvious to try. An invention must also be capable of industrial application. A patent in law is not defined by what can be protected; instead by what cannot be. Providing an invention does not fall into any of these categories it may be capable of being patented. Exclusions include, amongst others, presentation of information and the biological reproduction of plants and plant varieties (Zaby, 2010). I was also advised against potential infringement proceedings. Infringement can occur when someone makes, disposes of, offers to dispose of or import the product of 24 another patentee without consent. This entails that the person I bring proceedings against may counter-claim that your patent is not valid; they may be successful and my patent may be revoked. If successful in a claim for infringement there are various remedies available to me; the main one being damages. These can also be brought against me, in which case I could then counter claim. As a complicated process, even though I have a European patent, I was told that I must be aware that although the rules have been harmonised, I will still be at the mercy of the national courts in European countries in their interpretation of the laws (Keeling, 2003). And I was told that I could apply for a patent through the UK Intellectual Property Office. I heard that patents are costly and time-consuming. I was thought about form filing and renewal fees and was also advised to instruct a Patent Attorney to aid me in filling out the forms. An important part of the form is the claims section which determines the scope of my rights. And once a patent is granted it can last up to a period of twenty years. European and international patents have a similar process but different points of entry and fees. Design: To obtain the International Property Rights, the design of the product is also an important factor. There are two design rights available in law; registered design; and unregistered design. Design protects the visuals of a product although I learnt that I do not have to see what is being protected at all times (DeMatteis, 2004). 25 A registered design protects the inventors against any other product that creates the same overall impression as theirs; whereas an unregistered design only protects against direct copying. In order to protect a design through registration it must fall into the definition given by law, be new and have individual character. As regards ‘new’, there must be no other identical design or if one’s design is similar, it must differ in material details. Individual character is the overall impression produced on the informed user (more than a customer but not an expert). The design scope and limitations are taken into consideration. If the product is extremely similar it can still be registered but may attract less protection. Designs are not registerable if defined by their technical functions or contrary to public policy. Again registration of design is through the IPO. It is not as time-consuming and the fees are less, although a comprehensive set of drawings and descriptions of the design must be given. A registered deign right can last up to twenty five years. Unregistered designs are exactly that. There are no filing requirements and therefore no costs. For the right to arise, it must be recorded; for example, through sending it to oneself. An article must then be made and marketed. If contested it must be shown that the design is original, meaning it was independently created with skill and labour. It must also not be common-place, tested by looking at the design field. Unregistered design rights can last up to fifteen years. 26 Copyright: Copyright arises automatically. It protects, for example, the instruction manual of my product. In order for work to be copyrighted it must be original and I must have expended skill, labour and effort. Copyright lasts for the life of the author plus 70 years after their death. However, I was advised against patenting my invention because of some issues arising from its design. 27 Chapter Five Conclusion and Recommendations From all the facts outlined above, the invented Plant Growing Device possesses some great qualities that will make it usable for K2 and 3 stages in accordance with the UK curriculum of teaching science. The features of the product offers many opportunities for the users to grow a plant unit by unit with access to all the materials like sunlight, water, air and nutrients at varying degrees. This gives the users the power to control the variables that would be necessary for the plant’s growth. There are other advantages users can derive by using the product: (i) the affordable price of the device; (ii) the compact or portability nature of the product; (iii) the flexibility of operation of the product. All these factors make the product usable for even kindergarten students without too much difficulty with the assistance of their teachers. However, this is not a perfect product. There are still other improvements that could be carried out on the product. Some of the recommended improvements on the product include but are not restricted to the reduction in the future price of the product; the improvement of the sunlight filters slid that would allow the right amount of sunlight into the plant; the improvement in the impact of the product on the environment; and the research for possible markets for the product outside the UK and Europe. 28 The plant growing device has the chance of becoming a well-accepted product in the world with the expected market share in the Middle East, Asia and Africa. This is because plant-growing activities have become integral part of science taught at schools as governments look for a practical way to encourage kids to be environmentally friendly. This product can also be used on small farms and nursery farms where farmers experiment with some seedlings/seeds before planting them. As a result of this, the product can enjoy widespread application all over the world. Although it is necessary that the language of instructions must be localized so that users in different markets other than the European ones could understand how to use it without much problems. When this is done, the product can be better utilized based on the local curriculum in several countries of the world; this means that it will be easily utilized by the students there with the aid of their teachers. 29 Chapter Six Personal Summary I learnt a lot of things during the invention of the Plant Growing Device. I understood that inventions are usually made to solve a problem or fulfill a need. My product serves to help schools that want to teach their students about the process of growing plants to do so with ease. During the designs of the product, I carried out some investigations that helped me to make the product children friendly, since it will be used at UK K 2 and 3 stages. I also studied about the UK curriculum for students in that categories in order to understand what extent of knowledge should be passed across to them at that age. During this period, I detected the importance of in-depth research for designing parts of an invention. Without these great researches, I would not have known exactly what features would have made the product quite useful for students in categories K2 and 3. I also learnt some management issues during the production of the product. I studied the costing procedures and calculated how much each material would cost me in order to get it affordable in the UK market. I did some researches about how to get my invention patented—the outcomes of such investigations are described in Chapter Four above. Throughout this process, I have gained some useful experiences that I can utilize in the administration of my future inventions. I also discovered some mistakes while 30 designing this product—mistakes that I can easily avoid in future development of other inventions. Personally, I realized that the experience was challenging and educative at the same time. This experience not only equips me with the right mindset to handle the development of inventions, it also makes me understand that being meticulous in every stage of an invention is non-negotiable. I realized that human errors should be eliminated as much as possible for any invention to come out flawless. There are some areas of my research system that I need to refine—(i) I will like to be more patient while researching about the way I could improve upon my invention’s features. I noticed in this invention, I sometimes let my own opinions take a better part of me; (ii) I will like to seek the advice of experts in areas where I am not sure of—I believe this will not only let my invention t o be quickly completed, but it would make it to be of high standard. However, I am happy to confess that this experience has drastically changed my life in a way that I feel like a little achiever who must work hard to do better in the future. 31 References Alexander, T., Kutson, A., and Harrington, M. (1999). The best of growing edge. Duluth, MN: New Moon Publishing , Inc. Anderson, W. (2007). Green up!: An A-Z of environmentally friendly home improvements. London: Green Books. Barrett, M. (2008). Intellectual property. New York: Aspen Publishers Online. Blanco, H., and Lal, R. (2010). Principles of soil conversation and management. New York: Springer. Damrosch, B. (2003). The garden primer. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Inc. DeMatteis, B. (2004). 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