US4064648A — Weather responsive insulation system for greenhou…

Claim 1

Independent Claim 350 words

In a greenhouse having a roof, a pair of spaced transverse end walls, and a pair of spaced longitudinally extending side walls, a system for reducing heat loss through the roof during one part of a day and for permitting sunlight to pass through the roof to a growing area within the greenhouse during a second portion of the day, said system comprising: a flexible sheet of insulating material mounted within the greenhouse and arranged for movement between a storage position in which the sheet is stowed along a longitudinal side of said growing area and permits sunlight to pass through the roof to the growing area, and an insulating position in which the sheet is deployed in a generally horizontal plane extending across the growing area between the growing area and the roof; support means engaging the sheet at spaced intervals along its length and supporting the sheet in the storage and insulating positions; deploying means for moving the sheet from its storage to its insulating position; retracting means for moving the sheet from its insulating to its storage position; means providing a seal between each of the opposite longitudinal edges of the sheet and the most adjacent side wall of the greenhouse when the sheet is in its insulating position, said sheet and said means providing a seal substantially preventing heat loss from below said sheet to above said sheet when said sheet is in said insulating position; and, control means operatively connected to and controlling said deploying means and said retracting means, said control means including a snow-ice detection system for detecting the build-up of non-liquid precipitation and having a generally planar, imperforate, horizontal, upwardly-facing accumulation surface arranged to retain non-liquid precipitation incident thereupon and to permit liquid precipitation to spill over the edges thereof, and said control means being responsive to build-up of non-liquid precipitation on said accumulation surface to prevent said deploying means from moving said sheet towards said insulating position and to cause said retracting means to move said sheet towards said storage position when the weight of said build-up exceeds a predetermined level.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 350 words

In a greenhouse having a roof, a pair of spaced transverse end walls, and a pair of spaced longitudinally extending side walls, a system for reducing heat loss through the roof during one part of a day and for permitting sunlight to pass through the roof to a growing area within the greenhouse during a second portion of the day, said system comprising: a flexible sheet of insulating material mounted within the greenhouse and arranged for movement between a storage position in which the sheet is stowed along a longitudinal side of said growing area and permits sunlight to pass through the roof to the growing area, and an insulating position in which the sheet is deployed in a generally horizontal plane extending across the growing area between the growing area and the roof; support means engaging the sheet at spaced intervals along its length and supporting the sheet in the storage and insulating positions; deploying means for moving the sheet from its storage to its insulating position; retracting means for moving the sheet from its insulating to its storage position; means providing a seal between each of the opposite longitudinal edges of the sheet and the most adjacent side wall of the greenhouse when the sheet is in its insulating position, said sheet and said means providing a seal substantially preventing heat loss from below said sheet to above said sheet when said sheet is in said insulating position; and, control means operatively connected to and controlling said deploying means and said retracting means, said control means including a snow-ice detection system for detecting the build-up of non-liquid precipitation and having a generally planar, imperforate, horizontal, upwardly-facing accumulation surface arranged to retain non-liquid precipitation incident thereupon and to permit liquid precipitation to spill over the edges thereof, and said control means being responsive to build-up of non-liquid precipitation on said accumulation surface to prevent said deploying means from moving said sheet towards said insulating position and to cause said retracting means to move said sheet towards said storage position when the weight of said build-up exceeds a predetermined level.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 58 words

The system of claim 1 including further sealing means extending from each end of said longitudinal side of said growing area generally perpendicularly to said side across said area to the opposite longitudinal side thereof, said further sealing means being arranged to sealingly engage the transverse edges of said sheet when said sheet is in said insulating position.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 57 words

The system of claim 1 wherein said sheet comprises a plurality of panels of equal width each having one end thereof secured adjacent one longitudinal side of said growing area and the sides thereof extending generally across said area when said sheet is in said insulating position, adjacent sides of said panels being sealed to each other.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 43 words

The system of claim 1 including heating means for selectively heating said accumulation surface to prevent build-up of snow and ice on said surface during said one part of a day and to permit said build-up during said second portion of the day.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 51 words

The system of claim 1 wherein said support means includes a plurality of overhead supports each extending from adjacent said longitudinal side above said generally horizontal plane and across said growing area, and a plurality of connectors each secured to said sheet and engaging a respective one of said overhead supports.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 51 words

The system of claim 5 wherein each of said overhead supports defines a pair of upwardly-facing support surfaces, and each of said connectors includes a post extending generally vertically upwardly from said sheet and a pair of rollers, each of said pair of rollers engaging one of said pair of surfaces.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 81 words

The system of claim 1 wherein said snow-ice detection system includes a member vertically movable between first and second positions and defining said accumulation surface, said member being biased vertically upwardly towards said first position with a predetermined force and being movable downwardly towards said second position in response to build-up on said accumulation surface of mass having a weight greater than said predetermined force, and said control means is responsive to downward movement of said member from said first position.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 94 words

The system of claim 7 wherein said detection system comprises a support, a beam mounted generally horizontally for limited pivotal movement about a horizontal axis relative to said support, one end of said beam being connected to said member, an electrical contact connected to the other end of said beam, and a second electrical contact mounted on said support, said contacts being arranged to engage each other when said member is in said first position and to be disengaged from each other when said member moves from said first position towards said second position.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 95 words

The system of claim 1 wherein said greenhouse includes therein a plurality of bays, a said sheet is associated with each of said bays and is arranged to be stowed along a side of said each bay in the storage position thereof and to extend over said bay in the insulating position thereof, and said system includes means sealing adjacent longitudinal edges of respective pairs of said sheets to each other and the longitudinal edges of said sheets most adjacent said side walls to said side walls when said sheets are in their insulating positions.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 19 words

The system of claim 9 wherein each said sheet extends substantially the entire length of a respective said bay.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1980-12-26	1981-06-27	1981-12-27	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1984-12-26	1985-06-27	1985-12-27	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1988-12-26	1989-06-27	1989-12-27	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Weather responsive insulation system for greenhouses and the like

Abstract

Inventors

Bibliographic Details

Claims Analysis

References Cited (Backward Citations)

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Assigned Categories & Tags

Assign Category Tag