Movable pergola with planters

Abstract

A movable pergola has four lateral support panels, each of which is connected to and supported by a planter proximate to its base, and a slatted roof structure supported by the lateral support panels. The movable pergola can be expanded with one or more additional expansion sections that include roof structures through use of additional pairs of lateral supports connected to planters. The expansion can be lengthwise and give the appearance of a single uniform roof structure or at a right angle to the existing slatted roof structure. Lateral roof panels connect the lateral support panels and each lateral roof panel can be connected at each of its end by two fasteners. The lateral roof panels and lateral support panels provide support for the slatted roof structure. The planters, which may be filled with a ballast material, provide stability to the movable pergola, and neither the planters nor the support panels need be fastened to the ground.

1 . A movable pergola, comprising: 
 a plurality of lateral support panels;    a slatted roof structure supported by the plurality of lateral support panels; and    a plurality of planters;    wherein each of the plurality of lateral support panels is connected to, and supported by, one of the plurality of planters proximate to a base portion of the lateral support panel.    
   
   
       2 . The movable pergola of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of lateral support panels is comprised of four lateral support panels and the plurality of planters is comprised of four planters.  
   
   
       3 . The movable pergola of  claim 2 , wherein a third and a fourth of the four lateral support panels is adapted for expansion with a fifth and a sixth lateral support panel.  
   
   
       4 . The movable pergola of  claim 3 , wherein the fifth lateral support panel is connected to, and supported by, a fifth planter proximate to a base portion of the fifth lateral support panel and the sixth lateral support panel is connected to, and supported by, a sixth planter proximate to a base portion of the sixth lateral support panel.  
   
   
       5 . The movable pergola of  claim 4 , further comprising: 
 a second slatted roof structure supported by the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth lateral support panels.    
   
   
       6 . The movable pergola of  claim 5 , wherein a first and a second of the four lateral support panels is adapted for expansion with a seventh and an eighth lateral support panel.  
   
   
       7 . The movable pergola of  claim 6 , wherein the first lateral support panel is connected to, and supported by, a first planter proximate to a base portion of the first lateral support panel and the second lateral support panel is connected to, and supported by, a second planter proximate to a base portion of the second planter.  
   
   
       8 . The movable pergola of  claim 7 , further comprising: 
 a third slatted roof structure supported by the first, second, seventh and eighth lateral support panels.    
   
   
       9 . The movable pergola of  claim 7 , further comprising: 
 a third slatted roof structure supported by the second, third, seventh and eighth lateral support panels.    
   
   
       10 . The movable pergola of  claim 8 , wherein each of the first through eight planters is comprised of an approximately identical geometric design.  
   
   
       11 . The movable pergola of  claim 2 , wherein the four planters are filled with a ballast material and the planters provide stability to the movable pergola.  
   
   
       12 . The movable pergola of  claim 10 , wherein neither the four planters nor the four support panels are fastened to the ground.  
   
   
       13 . The movable pergola of  claim 12 , wherein the four lateral support panels rest upon, and are supported by, a bottom of the four planters.  
   
   
       14 . The movable pergola of  claim 12 , wherein the four lateral support panels rest outside of a bottom of the four planters.  
   
   
       15 . A movable, expandable pergola, comprising: 
 a first, a second, a third and a fourth lateral support panel;    a first, a second, a third and a fourth planter connected, respectively, to the first through fourth lateral support panels;    a first lateral roof panel connecting the first and second lateral support panels;    a second lateral roof panel connecting the second and third lateral support panels;    a third lateral roof panel connecting the third and fourth lateral support panels; and    a fourth lateral roof panel connecting the fourth and first lateral support panels;    wherein the first through fourth planters provide stability to the pergola.    
   
   
       16 . The movable, expandable pergola of  claim 15 , wherein the first lateral roof panel is connected to each of the first and second lateral support panels by two fasteners, the second lateral roof panel is connected to each of the second and third lateral support panels by two fasteners, the third lateral roof panel is connected to each of the third and fourth lateral support panels by two fasteners and the fourth lateral roof panel is connected to each of the fourth and first lateral support panels by two fasteners.  
   
   
       17 . The movable, expandable pergola of  claim 16 , further comprising a slatted roof structure supported by the first through fourth lateral support panels and the first through fourth lateral roof panels.  
   
   
       18 . A movable, expandable pergola, comprising: 
 a first pergola section, comprised of:    a first, a second, a third and a fourth lateral support panel;    a first, a second, a third and a fourth planter; and    a roof support structure connecting the first, second, third and fourth lateral support panels; and    an expansion pergola section, comprised of:    a fifth and a sixth lateral support panel;    a fifth and a sixth planter; and    a second roof support structure connecting the third, fourth, fifth and sixth lateral supports;    wherein the first and the second roof support structures give the appearance of a single uniform roof structure; and    wherein the first through sixth lateral support panels are connected to, and supported by the first through sixth planters, respectively, proximate to a base portion of the lateral support panels.    
   
   
       19 . The movable, expandable pergola of  claim 18 , wherein the first through sixth planters provide stability to the pergola.  
   
   
       20 . The movable, expandable pergola of  claim 18 , wherein neither the first through sixth planters nor the first through sixth lateral support panels are fastened to the ground.