GREENHOUSE

The present disclosure relates to a greenhouse, comprising

- a frame of carrier elements from a group, at least comprising: upright posts; trusses; gutters; and oblique and/or horizontal roof beams, with the frame defining a greenhouse structure and a roof;

- transparent panels in panel slots of carrier elements;

- a roof vent rotatably included in the roof to be selectively opened and comprising netting and at least one netting tensioner therein.

Such greenhouses are known in the art, for example in NL-1041977, NL-2007745, NL- 1003304, and NL-1005291. Additional reference is made here to NL-93 01 836. The prior art publications all comprise elaborate, complex and labour-intense means to prevent netting, when the roof vent is open, from being blown into or out of the greenhouse.

Indicative for the troublesome assembly associated with the prior art is where a greenhouse builder is required to drill a hole at a predefined location in an oblique roof beam, insert a bolt, attach a ring of a netting tensioner thereto and then screw a nut on the bolt. With many hundreds of holes to drill, greenhouse builders often disregard the predefined drilling location, resulting in damage to the netting, because rods of the netting tensioner may extend too far or not far enough, respectively with a risk of piercing the netting or drawing back the netting in the mechanism of the roof vent, when closed. Moreover, drilling takes time and weakens the beams.

Other disadvantages also hamper the prior art.

The present disclosure is directed at alleviating or even remedying the disadvantages of the prior art, to which end the netting tensioner is anchored in one of the panel slots. This allows easy assembly at a precisely predefined location and in some embodiments even a need for screwing can be omitted and the anchors merely need to be inserted into the panel slots.

Preferably, the netting tensioner is anchored in one of the panel slots of a horizontal roof beam at a top of the roof.

In an additional or alternative embodiment, the netting tensioner is anchored in one of the panel slots of one of the oblique roof beams of the roof. In such an embodiment, the netting tensioner may be anchored in the one of the panel slots of the one of the oblique roof beams at a top of the one of the oblique roof beams of the roof.

The netting tensioner may comprise at least one rod having a length corresponding with a size of the roof vent down from the top of the roof. In such an embodiment, the rod may comprise - at one end thereof - a netting coupling and at the other end an anchor. In an additional or alternative embodiment, the netting tensioner may have a form from a group, comprising D-, p-, H-, I-, T-, U-, V-, X- or T-shaped, with anchors at free ends of the netting tensioner directed towards the top of the roof of the greenhouse.

In an additional or alternative embodiment, the netting tensioner may be assembled from a plurality of mutually linked rods, with a connector linking pairs of rods. In such an embodiment, the connector may comprise a helix to define an internal screw thread, dimensioned in

correspondence with a cross sectional size of rods for screwing rods therein. Additionally or alternatively, the connector may be made from spring steel, stainless steel or the like.

In an additional or alternative embodiment, an anchor for anchoring the netting tensioner may be made of wiring of spring steel, stainless steel or the like, bent into a shape that is compressed during insertion in the one of the panel slots, where an extension force of the anchor after insertion into the one of the panel slots prevents the anchor from being extracted from the one of the panel slots.

Additionally or alternatively, the anchor may comprise a component from a group comprising a screw, bolt, block, or the like.

The netting may be foldable and the netting tensioner may engage an in-turned pleat of the netting.

The present disclosure also affords protection for elements / components of the above greenhouse on their own, such as the netting tensioner itself, separate from the greenhouse but with reference thereto. The present disclosure also encompasses in the scope of protection therefore, a method of building a greenhouse, and/or a method of constructing a roof vent with netting and a tensioner, and/or a method of constructing netting with a tensioner, and/or a method of constructing a tensioner.

The present disclosure further comprises exemplary embodiments, which are shown schematically in the accompanying drawing. These are non-limitative exemplary embodiments.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a greenhouse, according to the present disclosure;

Figure 2 is a cross sectional view along II - II in figure 1 ;

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view along III - III in figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view along IV - IV in figure 1.

Figures 1 - 4 schematically show a greenhouse 1 , respectively part or portions thereof.

The greenhouse 1 comprises a frame of carrier elements. The carrier elements are upright posts 2; trusses 3; gutters 4; and oblique roof beams 5 and horizontal roof beams 6, with the frame defining a greenhouse structure 7 and a roof 8. Transparent panels 9 of glass or other transparent material are arranged in panel slots 10 of oblique roof beams 5 and horizontal roof beams 6. At a position where a panel 9 is arranged in the roof 8, as shown in figure 2, the panel slots 10 are occupied. However, at a position, where a roof vent 11 is provided, panels 9 are omitted and panel slots are empty, as is shown in figure 4.

The roof vent 11 in the roof 8 of the greenhouse 1 is rotatably included in the roof 8, indicated by double arrow A in figure 4. The roof vent 11 can be selectively opened, and comprises netting 12 and at least one netting tensioner 13 therein. The netting serves to repel insect and/or other intrusions. The netting tensioner 13 serves to prevent the netting from being blown in or out of the greenhouse 1 through the open roof vent 11. The netting 12 is further foldable, indicated by pleats therein, in figures 1 and 4.

The netting tensioner 13 is further anchored in one of the panel slots 10. Whilst the netting tensioner 13 could be anchored in a slot 10 of an oblique roof beam 5, preferably very near to a horizontal top roof beam 6, in the shown embodiment the netting tensioner 13 has an anchor 14 inserted into the panel slot 10 of the horizontal top roof beam 6 of the roof 8.

The netting tensioner 13 comprises a rod 15, which is essentially as long as the length of roof vent 11 from the horizontal top roof beam 6 of the roof 8. Then, the rod 15 comprises at one end a netting coupling 16 and at the other end the anchor 14 in the panel slot 10 of the horizontal top roof beam 6. The coupling 16 preferably does not pierce the netting 12. To this end, the netting tensioner 13 may have a U-shape comprising three interconnected rods 15, where free ends of the rods 15 of legs of the U-shape of the netting tensioner 13 are directed to the horizontal top roof beam 6. In this embodiment, the netting tensioner 13 is assembled from a plurality of mutually linked rods, with a connector 17 linking pairs of rods 15. The netting tensioner 13 may have another form, such as a D-, p-, H-, I-, T-, U-, V-, X- or T-shape. Other shapes are equally possible. In such embodiments, anchors 14 may be arranged at free ends of the netting tensioner 13 directed towards the top of the roof of the greenhouse, or a selection of such free ends.

The connector 17 comprises a helix to define an internal screw thread, dimensioned in correspondence with a cross sectional size of rods 15 for screwing rods 15 therein. The connector 17 may be made from spring steel, stainless steel or the like, the same or similar as the anchor 14. In an embodiment in which the anchor 14 is made of a wire of spring steel, stainless steel or the like, it may be bent into a shape that is compressed during insertion in the one of the panel slots. In the embodiment of figure 4 the anchor defines a loop 18, but may comprise multiple loops, and may extend also sideways relative to the longitudinal direction of the rod 15, i.e. in or along the length and/or width of the panel slot 10. When the anchor 14 is inserted into slot 10, an extension force of the anchor within panel slot 10 prevents the anchor 14 from being extracted from the panel slot.

Alternatively, the anchor may comprise a alternative component, such as a screw, bolt, block, or the like. According to the above embodiment disclosure, the netting is foldable and the netting tensioner engages an in-turned pleat of the netting. However, alternative configurations may involve the netting being stiff and hard to fold, without damage thereto. The netting tensioner may engage a loosely pliable netting and divide the netting in two portions to fold a packet of each portion when the roof vent is closed.

Such exemplary alternative embodiments illustrate that, evidently, additional and / or alternative embodiments are possible within the scope of protection as defined in the appended claims, and the scope may even encompass obvious alternatives for positively defined features in the claims, at least in some jurisdictions.