WO2013150504A1

WO2013150504A1 - Polytunnel assembly and connectors therefor

Info

Publication number: WO2013150504A1
Application number: PCT/IE2013/000008
Authority: WO
Inventors: Sean Gallagher
Original assignee: Sean Gallagher
Priority date: 2012-04-02
Filing date: 2013-03-22
Publication date: 2013-10-10
Also published as: IE20120165A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a polytunnel assembly and connector therefor. In particular the invention provides a polytunnel comprising of a tubular frame structure with a covering curved into position and fixed to a vertical surface or the ground. The advantage of the invention is that with easy assembly and easy installation of a cover and an integrated watering system that it makes it a neat compact structure for the growing of plants and seeds. The innovative polytunnel design is designed to be easy to assemble by the homeowner while giving the quality and stability of larger more expensive units.

Description

Polytunnel assembly and connectors therefor

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a growing system. In particular the invention relates to a new type of polytunnel with a new assembly apparatus. The invention further relates to connector fittings for use in the framework of said polytunnel.

Background to the Invention

A polytunnel is a structure commonly found in commercial growers premises but they can also be found in homes and gardens where it is used to grow plants that require a higher temperature/humidity than that which is available in the environment. As well as providing humidity and higher temperature for growing plants, they also protect delicate plants for wind, rain, frost and other elements. Polytunnels have a roof, are freestanding and are closed with a door for access and ventilation. When a polytunnel is used in the home garden it is generally placed where the best light is to create the best possible environment for the plants growing or seeds starting inside.

Polytunnels come in different sizes to suit the individual's garden and may be made from steel, plastic or other strong material and is fixed into the ground or onto concrete or wooden surface. However this type and size of polytunnel is not always suitable for the home garden due to the size of the modern garden in most homes, and in some cases may be blocking light and seriously inhibiting the recreational use of the rest of the garden. In some cases the size and positioning of the polytunnel may not be considered an aesthetically pleasing

construction. The cost of said polytunnel may also be a concern for householders as the construction and materials used are expensive. The polytunnel must be constructed in such a way that it is rigid enough to withstand all weather conditions when assembled. Usually the polytunnel comprises of 2 or more semi-circle hoops depending on size, fixed into soil or onto concrete with suitable polythene covering placed over and attached securely. This method of construction in itself would generally not be considered a DIY project and would need contractors to install and with this comes more expense to the owner. Accordingly, there exists the need for a simpler, smaller, and easier to assemble polytunnel design that offers all the same benefits/advantages as those of the more expensive, larger, customized polytunnel, that can be assembled and used in the domestic or private garden by the homeowner to grow plants and extend or start early the growing season while not inhibiting the recreational space or aesthetics of the garden.

Summary of the Invention According to the invention there is provided, as set out in the appended claims, a polytunnel comprising:

A framework consisting of;

A support assembly having a plurality of tubular vertical poles attached to a plurality of horizontal poles by means of a plurality of tee connector fittings and a plurality of 3 way tee connector fittings which is then curved into position to be held by a plurality of hook fixings holding in position which in turn makes it easier to connect the two 3 way tee fittings on the lower part which are attached to two horizontal poles going back to a vertical surface which are attached to two more 3 way tee fittings attached to each other by another horizontal pole running parallel to wall, each of the 3 way fittings at ground at vertical surface are attached to 2 poles running vertical to the two 3 way tee fittings attached to top horizontal pole at top of polytunnel at wall which may be attached to a vertical surface with a plurality of metal hooked fittings and the horizontal pole at bottom of frame attached to bottom of the plurality of vertical poles is also fixed to ground with hooked anchor fittings.

The advantage of the invention is that the whole assembly of the front frame can be assembled on the ground with cover attached using the new assembly apparatus and then when wall and ground anchor fittings are fixed in position the majority of the polytunnel can be flexed into position creating the desired curve and making it easier to finish the assembly of the rest of the parts as described in the preceding paragraph.

The innovative polytunnel design acts as a lean-to green house while not using up much space and also using the thermal mass of the vertical surface if concrete, to capture residual heat in the cooler evenings.

Further, as all the poles making up the framework are hollow and are connected to each other, the framework may also act as a water dispersal system sprays water onto plants through inwardly directing apertures in the tubular framework when a garden hose is connected to a hose connector on the exterior of an upright vertical pole, thus sparing the need of setting up a more intricate expensive irrigation system. The cover may also have a strong support bar built into it which acts as a cross brace when attached to the vertical poles of the framework assembly.

In a preferred embodiment 4 vertical pole sets are joined to 2 horizontal pole sets by means of the connector fittings creating the front/roof part of polytunnel structure.

In one embodiment tubular poles and connector assembly fittings may be coloured in order to aid the assembly process.

In one embodiment the pre-formed moulded cover is attached through preformed eyelets to the front/roof of the structure.

In one embodiment 3 wall anchor fittings secure the polytunnel to the wall or other vertical surface, and 3 ground anchors secure it to the ground. In one embodiment the front/roof part of polytunnel structure with pre formed moulded cover attached is placed into ground anchors and then bent/flexed into shape and placed into wall anchor fittings creating a tight fitting cover held in position by specially designed connector fittings.

In one embodiment each corner of front/roof part of polytunnel is attached to vertical and horizontal poles which when they meet are connected to a horizontal ground pole running the length of the polytunnel parallel to wall and ground.

In one embodiment all fittings may be attached together with grub screws into preformed holes in connector fittings. _x

In one embodiment all fittings may be attached together using a suitable sealant so that the framework may be used as an irrigation system.

In one embodiment both sides of pre-formed cover are attached to upright vertical poles by loops built into the cover, and said sides may also be unzipped to create a doorway in order to gain access to the interior of the polytunnel.

In one embodiment the pre-formed cover will have a horizontal cross brace support attached which will then be attached to the vertical tubular poles.

In one embodiment the humidity can be kept to a desired level by connecting a water hose and allowing water to be sprayed through inwardly directing apertures in the tubular framework and hollow connector fittings. This may also facilitate the watering of plants in the interior of the polytunnel. In one embodiment screw-in spray heads are fitted to the framework to facilitate adjustment of the direction of water spray. In one embodiment the frame may be taken apart if attached with grub screws so as to allow the extension of the polytunnel by adding further tubular poles and connector fittings.

In one embodiment the preformed cover may be extended when the frame is being extended by adding another cover connected to existing cover by a zip which in turn will then be attached to the existing door attached by zip again.

In one embodiment there may be a second polytunnel assembly attached to a first polytunnel in a back-to-back manner thus creating a double sized and wider interior polytunnel which may include the use of 4-way connector fittings. Said polytunnels would share the uppermost horizontal framework tubing.

In one embodiment there may be the option of using the lower parts of the adjustable wall bracket/fixing with hooks to attach a netting apparatus which can contain a variety of sizes of pots, planters and grow-bags suitable for growing plants and flowers.

The invention also comprises a method for the construction of a polytunnel, the method comprising, a) assembling two set of poles to form a pair of spars to run substantially the

horizontal length of the polytunnel to be constructed, b) assembling a set of poles form a number of spars to run largely vertically the height of the polytunnel to be constructed, c) connecting said vertical poles to said horizontal poles using 3 way tees at outer corners and standard tees at inner poles; d) attaching a pre-formed cover to the framework and securing it in place by means of connector fittings; e) fixing brackets to a robust substantially vertical surface and to a horizontal

surface according to specified distances, heights and measurements; f) fixing the uppermost substantially horizontal spar being fixed at a desired height to the robust substantially vertical surface, g) flexing the framework to attain a concave curved configuration, h) securing the lowermost horizontal spar to the ground by means of the brackets positioned therefor during step (c), so as to define the outward wall and roof of a curved inner space; i) optionally further connecting a set of vertical poles extending directly downward from each of the outermost ends of the uppermost horizontal spar to ground level, to a set of horizontal poles running perpendicular to same directly backwards from the lowermost horizontal spar of the framework, by means of corner pieces, and further optionally connecting a horizontal set of poles running between the apices where said downward and backward running pole sets meet, to form an orthogonal brace for the framework; j) tightening the brackets into position; k) attaching the sides of the cover.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The invention will be more clearly understood from the following description of an embodiment thereof, given by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Figure 1 is an elevation view and a side view of a polytunnel structure according to the invention;

Figures 2a, 2b, 2c & 2d are 3D views of connector fittings with cover holders according to the invention;

Figure 3 is a view of a wall anchor fixing according to the invention; Figure 4 is a view of a watering system according to the invention; and Figure 5 is a 3D perspective view of Figure 1. Figure 6 is a 3D perspective view of a polytunnel assembly structure.

Detailed Description of the Invention

Referring now to the drawings and initially Figures la & lb there is illustrated a polytunnel assembly according to the present invention comprising a front/support assembly comprising a plurality of vertical tubular poles (3), a back assembly comprising a plurality of vertical tubular poles (4), and a ground assembly comprising a plurality of horizontal tubular poles (1 ,2). The front/support assembly (1 , 3) comprises tubular poles which may be connected to horizontal tubular poles (2) by means of connector fittings (6, 7, and 8). The design may allow for all fittings and tubular poles to be coloured so as to make the whole assembly process accessible to all user/assembler capabilities and/or to blend into an environment depending on colour chosen.

Referring to Figures la & lb & Figure 5 there is illustrated according to the invention how the cover (14) may be attached to the front/support assembly by means of connector fittings with cover holder (6, 7, and 8). As illustrated in Fig. 6, the frame may then be curved into wall hook brackets (9) to be retained in that position so as to create a curved structure to form a polytunnel.

Referring to Figures 2a, 2b, 2c, & 2d and Figures la & lb, Figures 2a, 2b and 2c show connectors with cover holders 6, 7 and 8 according to the invention which may be connected to outer vertical tubular poles 3 and horizontal tubular poles 1 and vertical back assembly tubular poles 4 and horizontal tubular poles 2 and Figure 2c also shows a tee connector with a cover holder 8 that may be connected to inner vertical tubular poles 3 and horizontal tubular poles 1 wherein all the connector fittings have a designed cover holder as shown in Figures 2a, 2b and 2c.

Referring to Figure 3 which shows a wall/ground bracket 9 according to the invention illustrates how the horizontal tubular poles 1 can be retained in position after the curving of a front/support assembly by an adjustable sliding mechanism 10 which may be held in position by fixings into pre-determined holes and also by the wall/ground bracket 9a fixed part due to the outward pressure of previously curved into position front/support assembly. The wall/ground bracket can also act as an additional cover holder as the polytunnel cover may also be between bracket and horizontal tubular poles 1. The inventive step referred to in the above procedure is an important aspect of the invention as it may make the assembly process more user friendly. The additional hooks 1 1 can also be used to attach a variety of growing systems including but not exclusive to a netting system which can take various different types of pots and planters. Referring to Figures 4a & 4b there is illustrated an integrated watering system according to the invention wherein there can be a non-return water inlet attachment 12 which will in turn allow water to flow through the internal space defined by the hollow polytunnel framework assembly and which then may be dispersed through adjustable self-tapping flow spray heads 13.

Figure 5 shows a 3D perspective view of a polytunnel assembly according to the present invention with outer cover 14 in place to show a fully assembled polytunnel as it may be used in one embodiment. It also shows the cover 14 as it would be before assembly which also can be attached 15 to a new extension cover if the polytunnel assembly is to be extended. The cover 14 may have a horizontal support brace 16 with connecting fasteners 17 which may be attached to vertical tubular poles 3 and then may connect to side fastened door held by loops 18 to the vertical tubular pole 4 which may also act as a hinge.

Figure 6 shows a polytunnel assembly in a basic form to show the general design. In a further embodiment where there may be a requirement for the polytunnel to be assembled in a free standing position where there isn't a vertical surface to work from, wherein a separate cover covers the rear side of the polytunnel that would normally be against a vertical surface. In this instance, extra ground fixings/weights would hold the polytunnel in position. In another embodiment, the frame assembly may have an alternate use as a crop protection apparatus. In this embodiment, a netting cover may be used instead of a plastic cover in order to keep birds and insects away from growing plants.

It will be appreciated that the tubular poles may be made from many different materials. In a preferred embodiment, the poles would be constructed from a lightweight, durable, flexible plastic.

While the invention has been described herein with reference to several especially preferred embodiments, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and not to limit the scope of the invention. Additional embodiments thereof will be obvious to those skilled in the art having the benefit of this detailed description, especially to meet specific requirements or conditions. Further modifications are also possible in alternative

embodiments without departing from the inventive concept.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments hereinbefore described but may be varied in both construction and detail within the scope of the claims.

Claims

Claims 1.

A polytunnel comprising: a framework assembly, the framework defining a substantially square or rectangular 2-dimensional space, said framework comprising; a plurality of tubular poles, said poles forming a plurality of substantially vertical spars and at least two substantially horizontal spars, connector fittings for joining the tubular poles to form the assembly, the connectors comprising 3 way tee fittings and 2 way corner fittings, means for fixing the uppermost horizontal spar to a robust substantially vertical surface, such as a garden wall, and means for fixing the lowermost horizontal spar to the ground, and a cover which fits over the assembled framework, wherein the framework, once assembled, and its uppermost substantially horizontal spar being fixed at a desired height to the robust substantially vertical surface, may be flexed to attain a concave curved configuration prior to fixing the lowermost substantially horizontal spar to the ground, so as to define the outward wall and roof of a curved inner space suitable for horticulture.

2. The polytunnel of claim 1 wherein the means for fixing the upper- and lower-most spars comprise adjustable curved brackets.

3. The polytunnel of claim 2 wherein the adjustable sliding brackets open or close by means of an adjusting screw or nut which facilitate use with various diameters of tubular poles.

4. The polytunnel of claim 3 wherein the brackets have additional hooks on each bracket to take a plurality of sizes of pots, planters and/or grow-bags in order to facilitate the growing of plants.

5. The polytunnel of any preceding claim wherein it may have an interior netting system with a plurality of growing pockets suitable to hold a variety of pots and planters that can be attached to the present invention and a vertical surface or can be used on its own while being attached to vertical surface without the use of a temperature controlled environment.

6. The polytunnel of any preceding claim wherein the frame may be conjoined in a back to back position with a second polytunnel frame in order to create a larger wider polytunnel.

7. The polytunnel of any preceding claim wherein the frame of said structure may be disassembled at either end and extended by adding a plurality of tubular poles in order to make the polytunnel longer.

8. The polytunnel of any preceding claim wherein the plurality of tubular poles and the plurality of connector fittings are coloured or coloured coded to aid the assembly of the structure assembly frame work.

9. The polytunnel of any preceding claim wherein the framework of the structure is entirely hollow.

10. The polytunnel of claim 9 wherein the framework is connected to a water supply, allowing the passage of water through the framework, and wherein said water may be dispersed through apertures directed into the interior of said polytunnel on the inner front and/or roof poles in order to water plants and/or control humidity.

1 1. The polytunnel of claim 10 wherein the framework of said structure pipes through extra cold water in order to lower the internal temperature of the polytunnel or to keep humidity to a desired level

12. The polytunnel of either of claims 10 or 1 1 , wherein the water supply is facilitated by means of a non-return hose inlet connector on the outward side of any tubular pole on the polytunnel framework.

13. The polytunnel of any preceding claim of claims 10 - 12, wherein the frame of the structure carries water as part of a larger integrated irrigation system.

14. The polytunnel of any of claims 10 - 13, wherein the water dispersal holes have a self- tapping detachable spray head.

15. The polytunnel of claim 14, wherein the spray heads have an adjustable water

dispersal mechanism.

16. The polytunnel of any preceding claim wherein the frame assembly is enclosed by a pre-formed cover attached to assembly connector fittings.

17. The polytunnel of claim 16, wherein the cover is further attached to a plurality of front vertical tubular poles by means of support braces that may be integrated into cover by means of a fastener.

18. The polytunnel of either of claims 16 or 17, wherein the sides of the cover are

detachable to allow access into the interior of said polytunnel.

19. The polytunnel of any of claims 16 - 18, wherein the side covers detach so as to allow the attachment of further covers, to facilitate extension of the polytunnel according to claim 7.

20. The polytunnel of any of claims 16 - 19 wherein the cover is constructed from a

substantially continuous sheet of transparent plastic.

21. The polytunnel of claim 20, wherein the cover further incorporates sealable apertures to facilitate ventilation.

22. The polytunnel of any of claims 16 - 19, wherein the cover is constructed substantially of netting.

23. The polytunnel of any of claims 16-22, wherein the cover is held in position using assembly connector fittings that secure the cover in position by means of eyelets on the cover which are attached to a receiving member on the assembly connectors.

24. The polytunnel of claim 23, wherein said assembly connector fittings may have an adaptable cover holder that is movable from one side of the connector to the other.

25. The polytunnel of either of claims 23 or 24, wherein each plain tee assembly

connector has a removable cover holder shaft that can be attached on either side of said connector.

26. The polytunnel of any preceding claim wherein each 3 -way assembly connector has a removable cover holder shaft that can be attached on either side of said connector.

27. A polytunnel as substantially described with reference to accompanying description and/or drawings.

28. A method for forming a polytunnel comprising the following steps; a) assembling two set of poles to form a pair of spars to run substantially the