Abstract:
An aquarium-maintenance system has a transparent filtering canister ( 1 ) with quick-joint inlet attachment ( 3 ) and quick-joint outlet attachment ( 8 ) to transparent aquarium tubing ( 5, 13 ) together with a handle ( 14 ) to allow quick, convenient and clean replacement and/or back-flow cleaning of filtering members ( 11 ). A system pump ( 12 ) has variable output capacity for filtered water circulation and optionally for aquarium flushing with a cannister bypass ( 19 ), discharge conveyance ( 21 ) to a drain-water disposer ( 22 ), refill conveyance ( 24 ) from a refill-water source ( 23 ) and back-flow conveyance ( 16 ) from a wash-water source ( 17 ). This is a comprehensive aquarium-maintenance system that is adaptable totally or in part to all sizes and types of aquariums ( 6 ).

Description:
1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to cleaning aquarium water and aquariums by removal of contaminants and objectionable material quickly, easily and without making a mess. 
     2. RELATION TO PRIOR ART 
     Keeping aquarium water and aquariums clean has long been and remains a major burden for aquarists. Consequently, there are numerous known aquarium-maintenance devices, systems and methods, but none having the convenience, ease and cleanliness of operation made possible with this invention. 
     An example of a known related but different aquarium-maintenance system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,866,018, issued to Hyde et al on Feb. 2, 1999. Hyde et al taught a vortex aquarium filter which flung particulate in fluid outward radially with vorticity against a cylindrical wall where it became sludge which gravitated down to a tapped outlet. Slightly cleaner and easier to use than some, it still required messy and tedious disposal of aquarium particulate that was flung off and collected. Also known are throwaway filters, reverse-flow cleanable filters, screen filters and other filters that are not part of an aquarium-maintenance system as taught by this invention. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Objects of patentable novelty and utility taught by this invention are to provide an aquarium-maintenance system which: 
     cleans most known aquarium filter components easier, faster and cleaner; 
     provides visual display of cleanliness of aquarium water en route to, from and in a filter; and 
     flushes aquariums selectively and optionally in combination with filter cleaning. 
     This invention accomplishes these and other objectives with an aquarium-maintenance system having a transparent filtering canister with quick-joint inlet attachment and quick-joint outlet attachment to transparent aquarium tubing, together with a handle to allow quick, convenient and clean replacement and/or back-flow cleaning of filtering members. A system pump has variable output capacity for filtered water circulation and optionally for aquarium flushing with a cannister bypass, valved conveyance to a drain-water disposer, valved conveyance from a refill-water source and valved conveyance from a wash-water source. This is a comprehensive aquarium-maintenance system that is adaptable totally or in part to all sizes and types of aquariums. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     This invention is described by appended claims in relation to description of a preferred embodiment with reference to the following drawings which are explained briefly as follows: 
     FIG. 1 is schematic diagram of the total aquarium-maintenance system; 
     FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway side view of a vertical filtering cannister having a screw-on lid; 
     FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway side view of a horizontal filtering cannister having at least one screw-on or snap-on lid between inlet and outlet conveyances; 
     FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway side view of a back-flow filter cleaner having filter bypass for aquarium flushing with a valved waste discharge and a valved refill; 
     FIG. 5 is a partially cutaway first-tube end view of a tubular inlet connection or optionally an outlet connection having a squeeze-release; 
     FIG. 6 is a partially cutaway side view of the squeeze-release to which the first tube is leakproof-affixed; 
     FIG. 7 is a partially cutaway side view of a second tube; 
     FIG. 8 is a partially cutaway side view of the first tube joined to the second tube with the squeeze release shown from a side of bevel rods; 
     FIG. 9 is a partially cutaway side view of the first tube joined to the second tube with the squeeze release shown from a top of a bevel rod; 
     FIG. 10 is a partially cutaway side view of a squeeze-release in squeezed mode for release of the first tube from the second tube with the squeeze-release shown from a side of bevel rods; 
     FIG. 11 is a cross section of FIG.  10  through section line  11 — 11  from a second-tube end view of the squeeze-release in squeezed mode for release of the second tube; 
     FIG. 12 is a partially cutaway side view of an O-ring sleeve to which the first tube is leakproof-affixed for an O-ring-snap-on release; 
     FIG. 13 is a partially cutaway side view of the second tube with a pressurization groove for a grasping-seal O-ring for the O-ring-snap-on release; 
     FIG. 14 is a partially cutaway side view of the first tube joined to the second tube with the O-ring-snap-on release; 
     FIG. 15 is a partially cutaway side view of an O-ring sleeve to which the first tube is leakproof-affixed for a side-spring-snap-on release; 
     FIG. 16 is a partially cutaway side view of the second tube with a spring-pressure groove for a side-pressure coil spring for the side-spring-snap-on release; and 
     FIG. 17 is a partially cutaway side view of the first tube joined to the second tube with the side-spring-snap-on release. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Listed numerically below with reference to the drawings are terms used to describe features of this invention. These terms and numbers assigned to them designate the same features throughout this description. 
       1 . Filtering cannister 
       2 . Cannister-inlet conveyance 
       3 . Quick-joint inlet attachment 
       4 . Filter-inlet portion 
       5 . Drain conveyance 
       6 . Aquarium 
       7 . Cannister-outlet conveyance 
       8 . Quick-joint outlet attachment 
       9 . Filter-outlet portion 
       10 . Circulator conveyance 
       11 . Filtering members 
       12 . System pump 
       13 . Fill conveyance 
       14 . Handle 
       15 . Lid 
       16 . Back-flow inlet-valved conveyance 
       17 . Wash-water source 
       18 . Discharge outlet-valved conveyance 
       19 . Cannister bypass 
       20 . Three-way valving 
       21 . Discharge conveyance 
       22 . Drain-water disposer 
       23 . Refill-water source 
       24 . Refill conveyance 
       25 . Shutoff valve 
       26 . Bevel rods 
       27 . Spring cylinder 
       28 . Ring-side walls 
       29 . Ring washer 
       30 . Washer-backed O-ring 
       31 . Sealing perimeter 
       32 . Base cylinder 
       33 . First tube 
       34 . Resilient tube 
       35 . Radial slide walls 
       36 . Bevels 
       37 . Second tube 
       38 . Ratchet ends 
       39 . Retainment surface 
       40 . Grasping-seal O-ring 
       41 . O-ring-sleeve groove 
       42 . O-ring sleeve 
       43 . End-sealing perimeter 
       44 . Sealing surface 
       45 . Seal-pressurization side 
       46 . Pressurization groove 
       47 . Tube-handle member 
       48 . Side-pressure coil spring 
       49 . Side-spring groove 
       50 . Side-spring sleeve 
       51 . O-ring-sealing perimeter 
       52 . Spring-pressure groove 
       53 . Pressurization wall 
       54 . Sealing end 
       55 . Spring-pressured O-ring 
       56 . Full level 
       57 . Flush level 
       58 . Aquarium contents 
       59 . Removable barrier 
       60 . Supplemental conveyances 
     Reference is made first to FIGS. 1-4. An aquarium-maintenance system has a filtering cannister  1  that is transparent or at least partly transparent for visual observation of cleanness of aquarium water and filtering medium inside of it. The filtering cannister  1  can be oriented vertically as depicted in FIGS. 1-2 and  4  or horizontal as depicted in FIG.  3 . 
     A cannister-inlet conveyance  2  has a quick-joint inlet attachment  3  in fluid communication intermediate a filter-inlet portion  4  and a drain conveyance  5  that is at least partly transparent and fluid communicative from at least one aquarium  6 . A cannister-outlet conveyance  7  has a quick-joint outlet attachment  8  that is fluid communicative intermediate a filter-outlet portion  9  and a circulator conveyance  10 . 
     Filtering members  11  are positioned in a filter portion intermediate the filter-inlet portion  4  and the filter-outlet portion  9 . Preferably, but not necessarily, the filtering members, whether oriented vertically or horizontally, are arranged with increasing fineness of filtering apertures in a direction of the filter-outlet portion  9  as depicted in FIGS. 2-4. 
     A system pump  12  having predetermined pumping capacity and controllable variation of output is in fluid communication intermediate the circulator conveyance  10  and a fill conveyance  13  that is at least partly transparent and fluid communicative to the aquarium  6 . 
     At least one handling member such as a handle  14  is positioned for handling the filtering cannister  1  as appropriate for accessing and/or operating a filtering cleaner such as a lid  15  that can be screwed on or snapped on for quick and convenient replacement and/or cleaning of the filtering members  11 . The handle  14  can be employed to lift either the filtering cannister  1  or only the lid  15  of vertically oriented filtering cannisters  1 . 
     A filtering cleaner on the filtering cannister  1  includes optional combinations of features for either in-place cleaning with back-flow wash water, replacement, or removal for cleaning and reuse. As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 4, in-place cleaning with back-wash water is accomplished with a back-flow inlet-valved conveyance  16  of back-flow wash water from a wash-water source  17  from which the wash water is directed into a top, such as the lid  15 , of the filtering canister  1  which has a discharge outlet-valved conveyance  18  of discharge water from a bottom of the filtering cannister  1 . The quick-joint inlet attachment  3  and the handle  14  shown make occasional replacement of filtering members  11  quick and convenient. 
     As depicted in FIGS. 2-3, replacement or removal for cleaning and reuse of the filtering members  11  is accomplished with quick disconnect and quick reconnect of the cannister-inlet conveyance  2  and of the cannister-outlet conveyance  7  with the quick-joint inlet attachment  3  and the quick-joint outlet attachment  8  for removal and replacement of the lid  15 . 
     As depicted in FIGS. 1 and 4 for back-wash filter cleaning, this aquarium-maintenance system includes a filtering cleaner with optional flushing of the aquarium  6 . For flushing the aquarium  6 , a cannister bypass  19  is connected to the cannister-inlet conveyance  2  and to the cannister-outlet conveyance  7  for bypassing the filtering cannister  1 . The quick-joint inlet attachment  3  and the quick-joint outlet attachment  8  can be used for filtering cannisters  1  having or not having three-way valving  20  at the filtering cannister  1 . 
     Aquarium water bypassing the filtering cannister is discharged through a discharge conveyance  21  for discharge of aquarium drain water to a drain-water disposer  22 . Water from a refill-water source  23  is supplied through a refill conveyance  24 . The discharge conveyance  21  is downstream fluidly from the system pump  12  and the refill conveyance  24  is upstream fluidly from the system pump  12  to drain and to refill the aquarium  6  respectively with fluid pressure provided selectively by the system pump  12 . The discharge conveyance  21  and the refill conveyance  24  can be valved with the three-way valving  20  and connected with the quick-joint inlet attachment  3  and the quick-joint outlet attachment  8  respectively as illustrated. 
     For the horizontally oriented filtering canisters  1  shown in FIG. 3, a shutoff valve  25  in the cannister inlet conveyance  2  and in the cannister outlet conveyance  7  prevent escape of water when the filtering cannister  1  is disconnected at the quick-joint inlet attachment  3  and the quick-joint outlet attachment  8  for cleaning and/or replacement of the filtering members  11 . 
     Referring now to FIGS. 5-17, quick, convenient and yet leakproof, reliable and inexpensive low-pressure and vacuum connections with a selection of the following quick-joint inlet attachments  3  and quick-joint outlet attachment  8  enhance greatly the value and utility of this invention. The quick-joint inlet attachment  3  and the quick-joint outlet attachment  8  are interchangeable and reversible linearly. Description of the quick-joint inlet attachment  3  is description of the quick-joint outlet attachment  8  for a select tubular connection, except for positioning on the aquarium-maintenance system and resulting designation of inlet for inlet-flow connections and outlet for outlet-flow connections. Interchangeableness of inlet and outlet tubular connections includes interchangeableness and combinations of selections of the inlet and outlet tubular connections. 
     As shown in FIGS. 5-11, a tubular connection having a squeeze release employs a pair of bevel rods  26  that are oppositely disposed collinearly on an inside periphery of a spring cylinder  27  that is release-squeezable manually from circularity to ellipticity. The bevel rods  26  are spring-pressured radially inward to sliding contact of ring-side walls  28  of the bevel rods  26  against a ring washer  29  that buttresses a washer-backed O-ring  30  to force the ring washer  29  and the washer-backed O-ring  30  to travel orthogonally to the bevel rods by spring-resilience travel of a cylindrical wall of the spring cylinder  27  from ellipticity for squeeze-release mode to circularity for sealing mode of the tubular connection selectively. 
     The washer-backed O-ring  30  is buttressed against circumferentially inside sealing perimeter  31  of a base cylinder  32 . A first tube  33  has an outside periphery that is leakproof-affixed, preferably with threading and/or adhesive material, to an inside periphery of a first end of the base cylinder  32 . A resilient tube  34  is positioned circumferentially intermediate the inside periphery of the spring cylinder  27  and an outside periphery of the base cylinder  32 . The base cylinder  32  has radial slide walls  35  with which sides of the bevel rods  26  have backup-sliding contact intermediate the squeeze-release mode and the sealing mode of the tubular connection. The resilient tube  34  has radial apertures through which the bevel rods  26  are extended inward radially from the spring cylinder  27 . 
     The ring-side walls  28  of the bevel rods  26  have bevels  36  with predetermined bevel angles of preferably less than seven degrees from bevel-rod axisymmetry to bevel-drive the ring washer  29  from oppositely disposed sides against the washer-backed O-ring  30  circumferentially. The washer-backed O-ring  30  is rubberlike sealing material that requires circumferential backing for uniform sealing contact with the inside sealing perimeter  31  of the base cylinder  32  and/or for uniform sealing contact with an outside sealing surface of a second tube  37  having a sealing end proximate the inside sealing perimeter  31  of the base cylinder  32 . 
     The bevel rods  26  have polygonal cross sections with the ring-side walls  28  being parallel to remaining sides for support portions of the bevel rods  26 . The ring-side walls  28  have internal ends that are beveled with the bevels  36  to bevel-drive the ring washer  29  axially for forcing the washer-backed O-ring  30  in axially sealing position against the sealing perimeter  31 . The internal ends of the beveled rods  26  can have ratchet ends  38  with ratchet-retainment sides that are sized and shaped to buttress against a retainment surface  39  of the second tube  37  to arrest dislodgement of the second tube  37 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 12-14, the tubular connection can have an O-ring-snap-on release with a grasping-seal O-ring  40  having predetermined rubberlike sealing, contractional resilience and size in an O-ring-sleeve groove  41  in an internal periphery of an O-ring sleeve  42 . The outside periphery of a joint end of the first tube  33  is leakproof-affixed to an inside periphery of a first end of the O-ring sleeve  42 . The inside periphery of the O-ring sleeve  42  has an end-sealing perimeter  43  proximate the joint end of the first tube  33 . The second tube  37  has a sealing end with a sealing surface  44  that is sealing-pressured against the end-sealing perimeter  43  of the O-ring sleeve  42  by radially contractional resilience pressure of the grasping-seal O-ring  40  against a seal-pressurization side  45  of a pressurization groove  46  that is proximate the sealing end of the second tube  37 . 
     The sealing end of the second tube  37  has predetermined size and material adaptation for the pressurization groove  46  with predetermined eccentricity to receive a portion of the grasping-seal O-ring  40  that is sufficiently large and contractible to provide adequate contractional pressure to achieve desired sealing at the sealing surface  44  of the sealing end of the second tube  37 . Depicted as an option in FIG. 13, at least one tube-handle member  47  can be positioned proximate the sealing end of the second tube  37  to provide grasping of the sealing end of the second tube  37  and the O-ring sleeve  42  for snapping and unsnapping the O-ring-snap-on release. 
     As shown in FIGS. 15-17, the tubular connection can have a side-spring-snap-on release with a side-pressure coil spring  48  that has predetermined expandable resilience circumferentially from ellipticity in a side-spring groove  49  in an inside periphery of a side-spring sleeve  50 . The outside periphery of the joint end of the first tube  33  is leakproof-affixed to an inside periphery of a first end of the side-spring sleeve  50 . The inside periphery of the side-spring sleeve  50  has an O-ring-sealing perimeter  51  proximate the leakproof-affixed joint end of the first tube  33 . The second tube  37  has a spring-pressure groove  52  with a pressurization wall  53  against which the side-pressure coil spring  48  is spring-pressured circumferentially from ellipticity intermediate the side-spring groove  49  and the pressurization wall  53  of the spring-pressure groove  52  to force a sealing end  54  of the second tube  37  against a spring-pressured O-ring  55  intermediate the O-ring-sealing perimeter  51  of the side-spring sleeve  50  and the sealing end  54  of the second tube  37 . 
     The sealing end  54  of the second tube  37  has predetermined size and material adaptation, such as a metallic of other hard material tip, for the spring-pressure groove  52 . At least one tube-handle member  47  can be positioned proximate the sealing end  54  of the second tube  37 . 
     Referring further to FIGS. 1-4, a comprehensive embodiment of this invention is particularly advantageous for commercial, multiple-unit and large aquariums  6  which require filtering cannisters  1  and filtering members  11  which are too cumbersome for convenient handling and replacement cleaning. For such large aquarium applications, cleaning the aquariums  6  separately also can difficult. Either the entire comprehensive embodiment or desired portions of it can be used also for smaller aquariums. Maintenance of an entire aquarium system of any size with this invention can include first, cleaning the filtering cannister  1  with preferably the back-flow washing for large systems or with replacement and-or cleaning of filtering members  11  in order to prepare a supply of clean water for a cleaned or flushed aquarium  6 . Then, the aquarium  6  can be flushed by employing the cannister bypass  19  for pumping aquarium water from a full level  56  to a flush level  57  through the discharge conveyance  21 . Filling the aquarium  6  afterwards can be accomplished with water from either the refill-water source  23  or the wash-water source  17 , which for some situations can be the same source with different conveyances. For salt-water aquariums  6 , however, the refill-water source  23  will be a source of salt water and the wash-water source  17  can be a fresh-water source. 
     For more thorough cleaning of aquariums  6  that are not provided with balanced life forms for self-cleaning, aquatic life must be removed to be replaced after the aquarium  6  and its contents  58  are cleaned. A plurality of aquariums  6  or a divisible aquarium  6  with a removable barrier  59  can be used when transporting and/or herding aquatic life from-place-to-place while a habitat is being refreshed. For herding fish in combination with transporting of such aquatic life as snails and non-swimming aquatic life from-end-to-end of a partitioned aquarium, valved supplemental conveyances  60  shown in dashed lines can be employed. 
     A new and useful aquarium-maintenance system having been described, all such foreseeable modifications, adaptations, substitutions of equivalents, mathematical possibilities of combinations of parts, pluralities of parts, applications and forms thereof as described by the following claims and not precluded by prior art are included in this invention.