Root-Zone Temperature Control for Cannabis, Hemp, and Bast-Fiber Crops

Patents available for non-exclusive license, exclusive or field-of-use license (subject to the non-exclusive license included with each copy of the inventor’s book), or outright purchase. Veteran-owned. Inventor-direct.

Request the patent package: charles@saintbrandcannabis.com · (805) 598-3422 (or use the form below)

Who it’s for

• State-licensed medical cannabis cultivators and controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) growers

• Industrial hemp and bast-fiber producers and processors (hemp, flax, jute, kenaf, ramie), including textile, composite, and automotive-fiber supply chains

• Makers of nutrient-solution chillers and of hydroponic and climate-control equipment who want a patent-backed feature

• Universities and research institutions (research licenses)

What it is

COLD-GROW™ controls the temperature difference between a plant’s roots (the nutrient solution) and its shoot (the air) during set growth phases. It uses no added chemicals and no extra lighting. The bast-fiber patents claim holding the root zone at 35–55 °F while the air is above 75 °F, a shoot-to-root difference of at least 20 °F, continuously through the vegetative phase (or through both the vegetative and flowering phases), to reduce bast-fiber diameter.

Why it matters

• Yield and quality: in one small inventor trial described in U.S. Patent No. 9,622,426 (two groups of four genetically identical cuttings), the treated group’s final flower dry weight was 100–180% greater than the untreated group’s. The trial has not been independently replicated, results will vary, and no particular yield, quality, or financial result is promised.

• Fiber fineness: U.S. Patent Nos. 11,957,086 and 12,520,782 claim a measurable reduction in bast-fiber diameter, which matters for premium textiles and composites.

• Retrofit: works with existing hydroponic systems through chiller and HVAC set-points.

Patent status

Patent owner: Charles E. Ankner, the inventor. Status as of October 24, 2026, from U.S. Patent and Trademark Office records.

Patent | Covers | Status | Term ends (if maintenance fees are paid)

U.S. 9,622,426 | COLD-GROW™ method: root/shoot temperature differential for cannabis | In force (granted April 18, 2017) | August 22, 2034

U.S. 11,957,086 | Finer bast fibers in cannabis (hemp) | In force (granted April 16, 2024) | October 4, 2033

U.S. 12,520,782 | Finer bast fibers in flax, jute, kenaf, ramie | Granted January 13, 2026 | (not shown; contact us)

U.S. 12,656,092 | Ballistic delivery system for injectable formulations | Granted June 16, 2026 | April 14, 2037

Pub. 2020/0315114 | COLD-KILL™: pathogen and pest control by temperature differential | Pending (application 16/907,286, on appeal to the PTAB; no patent has issued) | —

App. 19/395,478 (Pub. 2026/0076321) | Bast fibers: hemp, flax, jute, kenaf, ramie | Pending (filed November 20, 2025; under examination; no patent has issued) | —

Expired (now public domain): U.S. Patent Nos. 9,585,867 (expired March 7, 2025) and 10,631,479 (expired April 28, 2024), both for failure to pay maintenance fees.

Patent information is provided for convenience and may not reflect the latest USPTO records. Summaries are simplified; only the issued claims define what each patent covers. We make no promise or warranty that any patent is valid or enforceable, that any product or process does or does not infringe it, or that using the technology will produce any particular yield, quality, revenue, or return. Nothing on this site grants a license or is an offer that can be accepted; licenses and sales are made only by a signed written agreement, and only the warranties written in that agreement apply. Cannabis laws vary and change. Under federal law, marijuana is a Schedule I controlled substance except FDA-approved drug products and marijuana covered by a qualifying state medical-marijuana license, which are in Schedule III (91 FR 22714, effective April 28, 2026) and may require DEA registration. Hemp is federally lawful only within the statutory definition, which moves to a total-THC standard on December 11, 2026. Each licensee or buyer is solely responsible for complying with all federal, state, and local laws, licenses, and registrations that apply to its activities; a patent license does not authorize any activity that is otherwise unlawful. Charles Ankner is not a patent attorney or registered patent agent and does not provide patent or legal services to others.

Claim highlights (plain English)

• U.S. Patent No. 9,622,426 (’426): grow cannabis with nutrient solution at the roots and circulating air at the shoot; set root and shoot temperatures independently; hold a set temperature differential for a set period of vegetative growth.

• U.S. Patent No. 11,957,086 (’086): cannabis grown with nutrient solution at 35–55 °F and air above 75 °F, with a differential of at least 20 °F held continuously through the vegetative phase (or through both the vegetative and flowering phases), which reduces bast-fiber diameter.

• U.S. Patent No. 12,520,782 (’782): the same method for flax, jute, kenaf, and ramie.

How to engage (3 steps)

1. Send an inquiry using the form below (name, company, role, crop or application, interest: license / field-of-use / purchase, approximate scale).

2. Sign a mutual NDA. You get access to file histories, claim charts, maintenance-fee records, the terms of the non-exclusive license included with each copy of the inventor’s book, and trial data.

3. Agree on a term sheet: royalty or lump-sum license, field-of-use exclusivity, or outright assignment.