Portable greenhouse structure and method and apparatus for assembling same

#The present invention relates to greenhouses, and in particular to greenhouses that are portable, structurally efficient, and easy to assemble and disassemble.

#Greenhouses enable both commercial growers and serious hobbyists to produce an artificial environment in which plants can grow all year long.

#Commercial growers and hobbyists alike can use their greenhouses for a variety of purposes, including growing decorative plants such as flowers and shrubs, or growing vegetables for consumption. Most existing greenhouses are permanent structures which vary in size according to their application—commercial growers use enormous greenhouses with elaborate heating and humidifying systems, while hobbyists have smaller ones without the elaborate systems, usually in the back yard of their house.

#FIG. 1A is an isometric drawing of an embodiment of the present inventive greenhouse.

#FIG. 1B is an exploded isometric drawing of an embodiment of the present inventive greenhouse.

#FIG. 2A is a drawing of the panels used to build the base of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1.

#Described below is an embodiment of the present invention, which illustrates a way in which the invention can be implemented. Although the embodiment shown is described in the context of greenhouse, the structure can also be used for other purposes. In the descriptions that follow, like numerals represent like elements in all figures. For example, where the numeral 20 is used to refer to a particular element in one figure, the numeral 20 appearing in any other figure refers to the same element.

#FIGS. 1A and 1B show a first embodiment of the inventive greenhouse 20. FIG. 1A shows the greenhouse in its assembled state. The greenhouse 20 comprises a right-polygonal cylindrical base 22, a hemispherical roof 24 attached to the base, and a polygonal vent 26 at the apex of the hemispherical roof. In the embodiment shown, the greenhouse has an overall diameter of 8 feet and an overall height of 9 feet, although the greenhouse 20 can be built to any size desired.

#FIG. 1B illustrates the components of the greenhouse 20 and how they are put together. The base 22 is a right-polygonal cylinder (i.e., a cylinder whose cross-section is a polygon), and has a top 28 to which the roof 24 is joined and a bottom 30 which can be, but need not be, secured to some sort of permanent foundation, such as a concrete pad or wooden deck. The base comprises a plurality of wall panels 32, a pair of door wall panels 34, and a door 36. The lateral edges 50 of the wall panels 32 and the lateral edges 68 of the door wall panels 34 are joined together along their lateral edges to form the cylindrical shape of the base; details of how the panels are joined are further explained below in connection with FIG. 6. The wall panels 32 are all identical in shape and size, while the door wall panels 34 positioned on either side of the door 36 are smaller so that the door 36 can be accommodated. The door 36 allows access to the interior of the greenhouse and, although only one door is shown, there may be more than one door per greenhouse. In a preferred embodiment, the base (and thus the wall panels and door wall panels) has a height of 5 feet and the cross-section of the base is a regular ten-sided polygon, although a greater or lesser number of sides is possible.