Patent ID: 11917989
Assignee: UBIQUTEK LTD.
Field: Other special machines (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 6:
7. A method of using an apparatus to electrically kill a plant or at least attenuate plant growth, the method comprising the steps of:
obtaining an apparatus comprising an electrical energy processing unit, an applicator unit comprising an applicator electrode, and an earth unit comprising an earth electrode, wherein the electrical energy processing unit comprising a converter operable to receive unprocessed electrical energy from an electrical energy source, to convert the unprocessed electrical energy to processed electrical energy having an electrical current and to transmit the processed electrical energy between the applicator electrode of the applicator unit and the earth electrode of the earth unit, wherein each of the applicator unit and the earth unit is electrically coupled to the converter, and wherein each of the applicator electrode and the earth electrode comprises an electrically conductive material;
directly contacting a portion of a plant that extends above the ground with the applicator electrode;
disposing a surface of the earth electrode substantially planar to a surface of the ground or into the ground so as to electrically couple the earth unit to the ground;
supplying processed electrical energy directly to the plant with the apparatus, wherein the processed electrical energy comprises a voltage of at least 1 kV and with an electrical current of at least 10 mA, wherein the applicator electrode directly transmits the processed electrical energy to the portion of the plant that extends above the ground such that the electrical current travels through the at least part of the plant above ground as part of a circuit and the electrical current returns to the earth electrode through the surface of the ground; and
controlling an aspect of the processed electrical energy comprising one or a combination of the voltage, current, and power, the said aspect controlled to be:
maintained substantially at a predetermined value; or
below or above a predetermined value; or
within a particular range, which is determined by a first predetermined value and second different predetermined value; and
wherein the control circuit is configured to control the said aspect of the processed electrical energy by controlling one or more of an amplitude, duty cycle, period, shape, form, frequency, current, power, and on/off of the processed electrical energy.