Idaho Patent of the Month – July 2022

1000 Spring Mill, LLC is an Idaho-based, locally-owned company focused on creating and producing products that benefit their community. They use organic and regenerative approaches to agriculture in order to improve soil and seed health.

Recently, the company has developed a solution for preserving and storing seeds long term. Typically, heirloom seeds can only be stored for 3 years in a cool, dark place. Even still, they lose over 50% of their germination ability. If exposed to even a slight amount of humidity, the seed will begin to germinate or mold. 

With 1000 Spring Mill’s design, the seeds can be safely stored even longer than 3 years without molding, rotting, or prematurely germinating. A hermetically sealing process and an inert gas prevent any detrimental effects from oxygen, light, or moisture. Using QR coded data, each container is set up with data about the seeds (i.e. seed type and storage needs) to optimize preservation. The storage containers can be processed using this data to ensure they always have the ultimate climate conditions.

For instance, if a seed needs a dehumidified and inert atmosphere, the seed container will be placed in a vacuum chamber which removes all oxygen and atmospheric moisture. Once this step is complete, the chamber continents are cooled to below freezing and the vacuum process is halted. The chamber is then flooded with gaseous nitrogen to create and maintain a dry atmosphere and the container is sealed. This atmosphere creates an unlimited storage life, regardless of the conditions outside of the container.

Are you developing new technology for an existing application? Did you know your development work could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? Even if your development isn’t successful your work may still qualify for R&D credits (i.e. you don’t need to have a patent to qualify). To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is one of the U.S.’ largest Specialist R&D tax advisory firms. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program, from claim preparation and audit compliance to claim disputes.

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPAs. For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

Recent Posts