AU2005211533A1 - Portable Greenhouse Structure for Cultivating Young Plants and Fodders - Google Patents

Description

PORTABLE. GREENHOUSE STRjU CTURE FOR CULTIVATING o YOUNGPLANTS AND FODDERS ClBACKICGROU'ND OF THE INNVENTION Field of the fInyention- The -present in ventionl relates to a greenhouse and more particularlyv to the structure and construction of a porrabl e, transportable and robust greenhouse, for cultivating young plants and fodcers.

'Descripion of the Prior Art.

A grenhouse is a structure which Is intended to foster planit life iC) ad .1rowth) within it by giving shelter, passing appropriate solar or Sdaxltight radliation, to promlote photosynthesis and. providing Ithermal installation Plus conllfled ventilation and adequate water.61) Whilst. there are mnany, types of portalble greenhouses structures known inprior art, to ev hirrsetveojcie and requirens most of which is primarly designedl for easy mobility, sueh designs are ce eralymodular and iightweighbt inl construction to facilitate easy or a io -ka 0n. Mayare constructed such thiat they are collapsi-.fble 4 foldablec andt can be easily packed. Some h11ave eveni Wheels installedI to St in t heir portability. Such inventionms are found In US Pat, No,6536,157., U15 Paz'.6499260, US PIat 6 6 2 242 5, (J5 Pat 614"'19 02-, US Ptit .6098335 US Pat,5$33 293. US Pat. No-4 100698 anid US," Pat, No '96 1442 er due to ther c tructre ii itt wei h consU-truct on hey c are oen e r :lv- m'm robust an~rd fin co lganrge cvon gh to prov~de 3radeou qate shelter an~d stora gte fo'r v amos for a mu-- p en a nent basis.

Ai1 ugl;h; U 1S P at. No, 4 0 516 26, U S 1Pa tNo 5813 16 9 and S P at o l 1 53 (lie stu rsare no doubtm large. re oust, tirinansro.

tIk aire uisu aliv rathe r b ulky, iiot sio easily mnovable as they- are very,h~vandc a s uch wouldf ru~ be so eais shi pted an-d he marketale ~%rteinor he'se Prior art por-ta ole a en oue u ue ould beC C(}r;Sf1Ieted Such that they have to cat er ot iutish to silfnC rug into the Inner Chamber to provide solar radiation to the plants, either 0 through windows, as described in US Pat. No.5101593 where a solar Sgreenrhouse includes walls and roof which together with a floor form a 0 losed chamber, with apparatus for accumulating the solar energy in. the In forn of electrical energy so as to drive irrigation pumps and fans and also in e the hrn!ofthernaal energy to assist in the maintaining of desired c temperatures in the chamber) or through the use of translucent or n transparent roofs as illustrated by in the cases of US Pat. No 4051626 and US Pat. No. 5813169, a To achieve the aim of retaining the heat and maintai.ing the O N temperature within the chamber conducive for plant life and growth some prior art greenhouses have insulated walls to keep the heat within.

In US Pat. No.6594957, is disclosed an Insulated Greenhouse of a frame structure with an outer transparent covering layer and a transparent inner layer with a transparent insulating sheet like material sandwiched in between them, so as to provide retention of heat within the structure whilst allowing light transmaission of solar energy. Such structures are very expensive to construct and manufacture, as the insutlation has to be made of transparent material so as not to block li ght transmittance Another feature of portable greenhouses is that they are usually self contained, as illustrated b:y IS Pat, No 4051626, where along with providing mean for controlling ventilation and means for watering, to take the place of direct sunlight, artificrial lights are used inside the chamber and a control system is included for selectively, artificially stimulating tle plants as a function of ambien Ighting conditions wvith a moisture indicating means incorporated Although in this particular case, there is also a choice as the walls and roof panels comnprises of transparent panels to allow the outside direct sunlight. to shine in whenever it is required.

Tere is a need for a new port ab e greenhouse t mrci re spec ificalt toy1 r culivating young plants and odders that not only lends iselc well to be easily transpored or shipped from place to place, but O also strong, robust, firm and durable in its construction, as well as Q. large, efficient, self contained and also cheap and economical in its manufacture.

ln SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known mCf types in the portable greenhouse structures found in the prior art, the tI present invention provides for a new portable insulated, self contained Greenhouse structure that not only satisfies the condition of being easy iC to transport, moved or shipped from place to place but is also of a very O 10 strong, firm, robustand sufficiently large construction to serve the purpose of fostering plant life and growth within it. It is also very cheap and economical to construct and manufacture.

The general purpose of the present invention which will be described subsequently in greater detail is to provide for a new portable self contained and insulated greenhouse which has many of the advantages of the greenhouses mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new portable greenhouse construction which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested or even implied by any of the prior art greenhouses, either alone or in any combination thereof.

Whilst maintaining the advantages of an insulated self contained portable Greenhouse, and to keep the cost of manufacturing low, in accordance with the present invention, a portable insulated self contained greenhouse comprises of A rectangular Outer Framework of a totally enclosed structure, preferably a used or new Shipping Container with its Door at one end complete with corrugated iron walls and a roof with a floor forming a closed Outer Chamber.

(ii) An Inner Framework of a totally enclosed structure, preferably made of Stainless Steel Aluminum or a non corrosive and rustproof material with a corresponding door, at one end complete with walls roof and floor forming a totally closed Iuner Chamber, all housed within the Outer Framework 4 O (iii) An insulating layer sandwiched in between the Outer CN Framework and Inner Framework, S The insulating layer is preferably made of glass wool or polyurethane foam or any other suitable insulating material and is used to maintain the required temperature within.

Lighting and Heating Means comprising of fluorescent daylight eCf bulbs to provide for the daylight illumination and radiation as a substitute for sunlight and solar radiation to maintain the photosynthesis process within the Inner Chamber along with Ventilation Means and Watering Means built into make the portable Greenhouse a self contained unit. The rectangular Outer Framework is preferably a used or new Shipping Container which is converted to be utilized as the Outer Chamber to house the entire unit. The Inner Chamber of an entire Inner Framework structure is built within with an insulated layer all surrounding it and sandwiched between the two structures.

Shipping Containers are particularly suited for use as the Outer Framework because they have such good basic design in terms of strength, structure, portability and also for providing an overall secure working environment. The cost of utilizing used Shipping Containers which a relatively cheap, are economically sound and ad vantageous, As these Shipping Containers come in standard sizes, usually 6 meters or 12 meters structures and they require minimal modifications to convert them for use as a portable greenhouse. They are also economical to use, especially those used Shipping or Freight Containers that are sold for recycling purposes, They would also be excellent for transporting and shipping as a whole unit, witho ut needing to dismantle and repack.

In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the inverntion in detail it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of the construction and to the 5 o arrangements of the components set forth in the following description illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other 2 embodiments and of being constructed in different ways. Also it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the description and should not be regarded as limiting.

As such those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, e upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a I basis for the designing of other structures for carrying out the C, several purposes of the present invention. It is important therefore that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent construction N insofar as they do not depart from the ambit and scope of the present invention.

It is an object of the present invention to provide new portable greenhouse that is insulated and self contained for the cultivation of young plants and fodders.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new portable greenhouse that can be easily and readily moved, transported or shipped from place to place.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new portable greenhouse construction that is robust, strong, firm, durable and weather -resistant It is an even further object of the invention to provide a new portable greenhouse construction which is susceptible of low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and design which will result in a cheaper and more economical product available to the consumer and to facilitate shipment of the product worldwide.

These together with other objects of the invention, along wilh the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed hereto and forming a part of this disclosure.

For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by it uses reference 6 should be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter 0 in which there is illustrated preferred embodiiments of the jflvion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE

DRAWINGS.

Figure 1 is an isometric external view of the inventnon Figure 2 is a cross sectional plan view of the Invention showing the internal structure with its Doors open Figure 2 is a cross-sectional side view of the Invention in showing the internal structure Figure 2 is an enlarged view of a section of the wall showing n the different layers Figure 3 is the side external v iew of the Invention Figure4 is the front external view of the Invention with its doors open Figure 5 is the back external view of the Invention DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED

EMBODIMENT

Figure I is an isometric view of thre present invention towing the external structure with the door closed. Whereas Figures 2(a) and 2(b) illustrates a cross-sectionai plan view and a cross-scctional side view respectively, of the present invention, showing its internal structure which comprises of a totally enclosed Outer Chamber con'structed on a rectangular Outer Framework i1) made preferably of steel, with an opening at one end 20) covered by two foldi doors and surrounded by corrugated iron sheetnletal, which forms a protecting wall 40) all round it, with a roof (50) on top and a floor (60) at the bottol, all 0of them forning a totally enclosed structure, especially when the doors are closed as depicted in Figure 1. The corrugated iron sheet metal all (40) not only provides rigidity and strength but also helps to provide a better grip for stacking during transportation and shipping.

A

cornpletely enclosed Inner chamb)er (70) constructed on a rectangular Inner Framework (71) with a crrespo ninly smaller opening coinprising of a snmall doorway (80) with a folding door (90) to allow access into the inner Chanmber (70) complete with correspondiig wall 7 roof and floor (61) to form a totally enclosed structure O whenever the door is closed, all housed within the Outer Chamber 0 An Insulating Layer (100) preferably made of glass wool or 0 polyurethane foam or any other suitable insulating material as shown in ti Figure 2 is sandwiched in between the two layers of the Outer Framework (11) and the inner Framework (71) thereby providing the en necessary insulation to keep the heat within and for maintaining the required temperature within the Inner Chamber Figure 3 is the external side view of the present Invention. Figure 4 is the external t front view of the Invention with the doors (30) open showing the front C] view of the Inner Chamber (70) with the access door (90) closed and outlet holes of air conditioner, power supply, water supply and ventilation affixed. Figure 5 is the external back view of the invention,

Claims (1)

1. 4. Al Invention as clained in Claim I wherein the insulating material is made of glass wool An invention as clained in Claim 1 wherein the insulating zn rmaterial is made of nolvurethane fon