Global aquarium with aerator and purifier

An aquarium for fish and other forms of marine life is constructed in the form of a globe symbolic of the planet earth and equipped with a special device for aerating and purifying the water. The unique shape of the aquarium lends itself readily to purification and elimination of sedimentary matter and the aerator-purifier is constructed to aerate the water and at the same time is equipped with filters to filter the water and to remove larger foreign matter, the filters being readily accessible and adapted for easy removal, cleaning and replacement.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The necessity for the aeration of aquarium water in order to sustain marine 
life as well as the removal of impurities and waste products, and 
undesirable accumulation of solid matter is a problem which has existed 
for some time. Attempts have been made to solve this problem by 
circulating the water through suitable filters, usually external to the 
aquarium, and then subsequently cleaning or replacing the filter media 
used. Aeration or the supply of sufficient oxygen has been treated as a 
separate problem and various methods have been devised for producing this 
in an aquarium. The prior patent art as known to the applicant at this 
time is summarized briefly below. 
Eheim, U.S. Pat. No. 3,489,095 discloses an electric pump and motor in 
combination with a fish tank and filter which represents the old method of 
solving this problem. 
Willinger, U.S. Pat. No. 3,512,646 is another pump and filter combination 
and in this case magnetically coupled for circulating aquarium water 
through an external filter. 
Zelanko, U.S. Pat. No. 3,643,801 teaches a novel disposable filter element 
positioned in a separate compartment for easy replacement. 
Cohen, et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,994,811 teaches an air operated device which 
skims and filters water by-passed from the aquarium and then returns the 
clean water to the aquarium. 
Sherman, U.S. Pat. No. 4,093,547 discloses a pump positioned or nested 
against an aquarium tank which circulates water by means of a magnetically 
coupled pump and returns it to the filter. 
Gorsky, U.S. Pat. No. 4,163,035 discloses a specifically constructed 
aeration device located exterior to the aquarium. 
The patents of Kast, U.S. Pat. No. 3,770,128 and Bennett, U.S. Pat. No. 
3,891,555 probably come closest to applicant's invention in that they 
teach the use of an air stream to circulate water through a series of 
filters. They both teach the use of internal filters in series and provide 
for ready removal and replacement as does applicant. Neither of these, 
however, teach a circulation system which provides for agitation and 
removal of solid particles which are known to accumulate and contaminate 
the bottom of aquariums. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
I have invented an aquarium having a novel configuration in combination 
with a combined aerator and purifier which not only successfully utilizes 
the flow of air through the aquarium water to force it to circulate 
through especially constructed filters but also provides an agitation 
means which causes sediment which collects on the bottom of such aquariums 
to be stirred up and also flow upward through the filter media and thus 
maintain the interior of the aquarium clean and obviate the necessity of 
physical removal of such sediment which is not accomplished by previous 
devices. 
This I accomplish by inserting my device in the aquarium so that its inlet 
is close to the bottom where the outlet from the air supply is likewise 
introduced. This not only causes the water to flow upward through the 
cylindrical configuration of my device, but also carries with it the 
collected sediment and causes the two to flow upwards through the filters 
located at the top of my device. The clean water then returns back to 
remix with the rest of the aquarium water which obviates the necessity of 
physical cleaning of the aquarium tank which is necessary in all other 
cases. 
Filters themselves, located at the top of the tank, are constructed to 
separately remove the fine particles through charcoal filter and the 
coarse particles through a glass wool or similar medium to which they are 
propelled, both of which are readily accessible for easy removal, cleaning 
or disposal from the top of the tank. While my aerator filter is 
particularly well suited for an aquarium of the spherical configuration 
which I prefer, since the latter encourages the accumulation of sediment 
close to the bottom center of the tank it is also effective in other 
shaped aquariums since the circulation of the water will cause the 
sediment to flow towards the filtration device. 
The global construction is rotatably mounted and adapted for the painting 
of a global map of the world on its exterior with the ocean areas left 
exposed for viewing of the marine life inside the tank.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring now to the figures there is shown first the aquarium tank 1 which 
is of generally spherical configuration. This is usually constructed of 
glass or possibly of a transparent plastic material and is suitable for 
having painted on its exterior a global map of the world with the ocean 
areas left vacant for observation into the interior. The spherical 
configuration also aids in the accumulation of sediment in the center of 
the bottom and for its easy removal as set forth below. The tank is 
mounted on base 2 which is of hollow construction as shown and houses a 
support member 3 which is adapted to permit rotation of the tank 1 around 
the vertical axis. This is accomplished by means of the rotating adaptor 
4. The opening in the top of the tank is covered with removable cover 5. 
An air compressor 6 is positioned inside the hollow base 2 and is supplied 
with electric power at 7. 
Air line 8 runs from air compressor 6 to detachable connector 9 located at 
the top of the tank which is disposed for easy connection and 
dis-connection when removing cover 5 and internal filter elements as 
described more fully below. 
Internal air feed to 10 runs vertically through the tank to connect with 
the cross fitting 11 which is open on three sides and is positioned close 
to the bottom of the tank. 
The housing for my aerator-purifier 12 which is made of glass or possibly 
transparent plastic is suitable for the painting of underwater ornamental 
figures desired and is open at the bottom and supported by legs 13. 
Support for the air feed tube 10 and cross 11 is provided by lugs 14. 
Support for my lower filter element is shown at 15 with spacer ribs 15a, 
the filter cartridge itself being shown at 16. 
For this lower filter element I use a filter cartridge 16 which contains a 
filter medium 17 which may be charcoal or other fine filter medium. A 
perforated plate 18 which is made of glass or possibly transparent plastic 
is positioned on top of filter cartridge 16. Perforations 19 in the shell 
of my housing 12 tend to provide circulation between the interior of the 
housing and the rest of the tank. The perforated support plate 18 is held 
in position by pegs 20 which are secured to housing 12. 
Also fixedly positioned on housing 12 are upper filter support elements 21 
which are of arcuate configuration and have a row of perforations for 
water circulation as shown. These retain upper filter medium 22 which may 
be of spun glass, glass wool or similar material. Air bubbles 23 are shown 
emanating from internal air feed tube 10 and rising upwards inside housing 
12 and their function in the operation of my aerator-purifier element is 
set forth below. 
The water level is shown at 24 and it is seen how the water circulation may 
be effected from the interior of housing 12 as indicated by the arrow 
through both filter media and back to the tank as more fully described 
below. 
OPERATION 
The operation of my aquarium produces the unusual results because of its 
novel construction as set forth below. 
The air entering my aquarium through internal air feed tube 10 produces 
bubbles of air 23 as shown on FIG. 1. These result not only from the air 
exiting through the horizontal openings in cross 11 but also the air 
exiting through the bottom opening which as shown creates bubbles 
impinging upon the bottom of the aquarium tank. The latter have the effect 
of agitating any collection of sediment which has accumulated in the 
bottom of the tank and causing it to rise with the water flow effected by 
the bubbles in the direction indicated by the arrow. This creates a 
suspension of particles in the water and causes them to flow upward 
towards the filters. 
Filter cartridge 17 as set forth above is a fine filter containing a medium 
such as charcoal which removes the finer particles in the water as it 
passes through. The coarser particles are rejected and as the bubbles 
impinge upon the filter surface they travel around and up through the hole 
17a. This bubble action phenomenon causes the coarse particles to travel 
upward through the holes in perforated plate 18 and into the chamber 
containing the upper filter medium 22. The water circulation is sent 
outward through this medium and back down into the aquarium tank, the 
foreign matter being removed by the filter 22. After depositing the 
foreign matter, the air bubbles burst and the air escapes through the hole 
in the cover 5. 
The upper chamber formed by plate 18 and elements 21 may be utilized to 
introduce various kinds of food including live food and chemicals into the 
aquarium. 
Operation may be better understood from the following description. Pressure 
builds up under cartridge 16 and because of tight fit of cartridge 16 in 
housing 12 this pressure causes accumulation of bubbles under 16. Because 
of this, pressurized water is forced up through the perforated holes 16a 
at the base of 16 and air and water go up through filter medium 17 and 
escape through the upper holes 19. 
Agitation caused by these bubbles around the vicinity of opening 17a in 
filter medium 17 causes the coarser particles to go up through the center 
hole 17a in cartridge 16 and filter medium 17 and through hole 17b in 
plate 18 to the filter medium 22 being deposited thereon and air escaping 
through perforations in elements 21. Plate 18 may be made of plastic or 
fiber material to be rejected after use along with the filter medium 22. 
I have found this combination of air and water flow and filter arrangement 
to be exceedingly effective and have operated one of my aquariums for 
prolonged periods without the necessity of having to physically remove any 
sediment from the bottom of the tank which is not the case with other 
purification and infiltration devices. 
It is evident from the foregoing disclosure that my filter combination 
lends itself to ready cleaning and replacement. All that is necessary is 
to disconnect the air line 8 with the aid of the detachable connector 9 
and lift up the cover 5. Filter medium 22 may then be readily removed and 
replaced. After this, perforated plate 18 may be readily removed thereby 
providing access to the filter cartridge 16 which in turn may also be 
readily removed and replaced. After this the lower filter cartridge 16 and 
the other elements shown may be replaced with clean elements and the 
device readily reassembled and placed in operation again. 
In this manner I not only aerate the water supply and necessary oxygen to 
sustain the marine life, filter out the fine particles in the water and 
remove the collected debris from the bottom of the tank thereby insuring a 
continuing supply of pure, clean and properly aerated water for my 
aquarium.