Patent ID: 8132532
Filing Date: 2012-03-13
Classification: A01K

Abstract:
1. In combination with an aquarium having aquarium walls, an aquarium curtain for selective deployment and placement over at least one wall of the aquarium to block the entry of ambient light from outside the aquarium to inside the aquarium through a predetermined transparent area of the one wall, thereby inhibiting the growth of algae in the aquarium, the aquarium curtain comprising: a sheet of flexibly foldable material having a substantially opaque area complementary to the predetermined transparent area of the aquarium wall; a frame having frame members movable relative to one-another between a collapsed configuration and an erect configuration; a coupling arrangement coupling the frame with the sheet such that with the frame members in the collapsed configuration the sheet is folded into a compact form for handling and storage, and upon moving the frame members into the erect configuration, the sheet is deployed into a substantially planar form to establish a curtain panel in which the substantially opaque area is placed for juxtaposition with the predetermined transparent area of a corresponding wall of the aquarium; and at least one fastener on the curtain panel for selective attachment of the curtain panel to the aquarium in juxtaposition with the corresponding wall, with the substantially opaque area placed over the predetermined transparent area to block the entry of ambient light from outside the aquarium into the aquarium through the corresponding wall of the aquarium, wherein the frame includes four frame members arrayed in a rectangular pattern having four corners when in the erect configuration, and a resiliently flexible connector at each corner connecting corresponding adjacent frame members such that the frame members are biased by the connectors into the erect configuration, and are movable into the collapsed configuration by folding the frame to place the frame members substantially side-by-side along a diagonal extending from corner to corner of the frame.