Abstract:
By adding an evacuated vertical structure onto a body of water where part of the structure extends above the body of water, the water level rises into the structure because of the vacuum. Use of the structure increases the overall volume of water in an aquarium and provides added space for fish as well as enhanced viewing of the aquarium.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates to a method and a structure which can be used with an aquarium to both increase the visible volume in the aquarium and provide enhanced viewing of the aquarium.  
           [0003]    2. Art Relating to the Invention  
           [0004]    Aquariums have been around for centuries. While they can be used to house amphibious animals, such as turtles, or plants, aquariums are generally used to display tropical fish. As used herein, an aquarium includes a tank, bowl, pool or other water-filled enclosure, indoor or outdoor, as well as an enclosed body of water in a man-made structure which is located in a larger body of water, such as a lake or the ocean. A standard indoor aquarium is usually a tank which is rectangular in shape with four glass sides and a bottom which may be slate or glass. In most situations, an indoor aquarium presents one main viewing side, that being the front of the tank. There have been attempts in the past to improve or vary the appearance of aquariums, e.g. by making them hexagonal, square or even round.  
           [0005]    One structure that has been recently introduced to enhance viewing of indoor aquariums and to increase the living space of an indoor aquarium is a water bridge. Water bridges are horizontally oriented structures having a horizontally oriented tube with two vertically oriented outlet sections at each end of the horizontally oriented tube. The water bridge either extends between two indoor tanks, with each outlet section being positioned in one of the indoor tanks, or spans one tank having both outlet sections positioned in the same tank. Such water bridges are generally small in volume and suited only for indoor aquariums.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    The present invention improves an aquarium by adding a vertically oriented structure which has an upper portion extending above the top of the aquarium and a lower portion extending into the water. The vertically oriented structure has a single opening at its bottom which is in fluid communication directly with the aquarium, below the water line of the aquarium. As used herein, the term single opening means only one opening. The structure of the present invention is airtight except for the bottom, thus allowing water to be drawn into the structure.  
           [0007]    Water is introduced into the structure by either evacuating the structure or inverting a water-filled structure. Fish in the tank can then swim in and out of the structure, thus providing a diversified environment, enhancing the appearance of the aquarium and increasing the volume of the aquarium in a vertical direction thereby providing increased living space for the aquatic animals and plants while maintaining the horizontal area or footprint of the aquarium.  
           [0008]    A method has also been invented for filling the stucture of the present invention as well as for filling water bridges with water. The method comprises:  
           [0009]    inserting one end of a hose inside the structure or bridge;  
           [0010]    connecting a vacuum pump to the other end of the hose; and  
           [0011]    pumping the air out of the structure while allowing the water in the body of water to rise up into the structure or bridge.  
           [0012]    This method allows for very large and heavy structures or water bridges to be filled easily and quickly.  
           [0013]    The structure can be any of many different shapes, for example an urban skyline, a skyscraper, a well-known edifice such as The Flatiron Building, a Mayan temple, the Washington Monument, the Eiffel Tower, a space station, a hollow sculpture of a famous person, a representation of other sculpture such as by Naum Gabo, e.g. a bust of Michael Jordan, etc. The structure of the present invention preferably has at least one flat vertical surface so that the fish and water life can be viewed clearly.  
           [0014]    The structure of the present invention can be made from any non-porous material to include glass, stone, marble, granite, plastic. Obviously, in order to view the fish, one side should be of a non-colored material such as clear glass, plastic, acrylic or the like. Glass has been found to be advantageous since it can be readily cleaned with an abrasive brush. Joints between the panels are suitably bent, fused, molded, cemented, adhered and/or caulked to make the structure air-tight.  
           [0015]    Preferably, the aquarium tank has a means to handle overflow water from the tank.  
           [0016]    The bottom of the structure can extend to the bottom of the tank so as to support the structure. Alternatively, a stand or other arrangement can be employed to support the structure, to include a water bridge.  
           [0017]    If the structure is outside, such as in a backyard pond, a lake, or the ocean, heating elements are employed to protect against freezing the water in the structure. To clear the structure of a dead fish or plant debris, an internal magnet with an attached screen controlled by an external magnet can be employed. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0018]    These and other aspects of the present invention may be more fully understood with reference to the drawings wherein:  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 1 shows an indoor aquarium having a rectangular shaped structure according to the present invention;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 2 shows an alternative embodiment with a triangular shaped structure connecting two tanks;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of the structure of FIG. 1 further including a water spray;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIGS. 4 and 4A show ways in which air can be evacuated from a structure of the present invention;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 5 shows a structure according to the present invention in a decorative pool;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate methods to prevent freezing of water in the present invention;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate base structures of the present invention;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 10 illustrates an overflow arrangement for the tank;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 11 illustrates another support arrangement for the structure of the present invention;  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 12 illustrates the structure of the present invention with waterfalls on the outside of the structure; and  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 13 illusrates a two part magnet system with an attached net or screen to retrieve waste or a dead fish without having to empty the structure. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0030]    Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a standard indoor aquarium comprising a tank  10  resting on a stand  12 . Water line  14  represents the top of the water in tank  10 . Structure  16 , in the shape of a skyscraper, has side walls  18  and  20  which are long enough to extend to the bottom  22  of the tank  10 . Front side wall  24  and the rear side wall (not shown) do not extend to the bottom  22  of the tank  10 ; however, edge  26  on front wall  24  and the corresponding edge on the rear wall (not shown) do extend far enough to be below water line  14 .  
         [0031]    Structure  16  is made airtight. Therefore, once air is evacuated, structure  16  will fill up to the top  17  with water. Obviously, it is necessary to add more water to the tank  10  as structure  16  fills up so that water line  14  does not drop below the lower edge  26  of front side wall  24  of structure  16 . While structure  16  as illustrated is rectangular in shape (the basic outline of a skyscraper), it will be appreciated that many other shapes are possible. For example, the structure can be triangular, pyramid-shaped, semi-round, orb, spherical shaped or any other shape desired. It is preferable, however, that the structure have at least one side wall which is transparent so that the fish can be observed easily.  
         [0032]    It has been found that most tropical fish very much enjoy the structures of the present invention and freely “explore” them on a regular basis. In order to entice fish  25  to enter the structure and become familiar with it, it is also possible to insert floating fish food below bottom edge  26  of front side wall  24  so that the food enters into the structure and rises to the top.  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 2 shows an alternative embodiment in which there are two tanks  28  and  30  on a common stand  32 . As shown in this embodiment, there is a triangular structure  34  having side walls  36  and  38  which extend to the bottoms  37  and  39  of tanks  28  and  30  respectively. Front wall  40  has two sections which extend into the respective tanks  28  and  30 . The rear wall (not shown) is suitably constructed similarly to front wall  40 . Bottom edge  42  is below the water line  46  of tank  28  and bottom edge  44  is below the water line  48  of tank  30 . With this structure, fish  25  are able to move freely between tanks  28  and  30 .  
         [0034]    Structure  34  is not a water bridge, although it performs the same function as a water bridge, i.e. allowing water and aquatic animals to pass between two tanks. Rather, structure  34  is vertically oriented and extends upward, well above the water lines  46 ,  48  of tanks  28  and  30 . In accordance with the present invention, imaginary line  49  can be considered the single opening or inlet of the present invention while the portion of structure  34  below line  49  is equivalent to a water bridge, and the portion of structure  34  above line  49  is the vertically oriented structure of the present invention.  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 3 shows a further embodiment of structure  16  of FIG. 1 in which the water inside structure  16  only extends to water level  50  rather than all the way to the top  17  of structure  16 . A decorative spray head  54  rests atop water level  50  inside structure  16 . Water spray  54  is suitably activated by connection to a pump (not shown) by means of a hose (also not shown). Since there is air in structure  16  between water level  50  and top  17 , activation of the water spray will not raise water level  50 .  
         [0036]    [0036]FIG. 4 shows a system for adjusting the amounts of air and water in structure  16  of FIG. 1. A hose  58  extends out of the structure  16  and also out of the tank  10  (see FIG. 1). A float  60  keeps the top  62  of the hose at water level  56 . As air is evacuated from structure  16  through hose  58 , water level  56  will rise. The water level can be raised to any desired height, including to the top  17  of structure  16 , or to the height of water level  50  of FIG. 3, or to any other level desired. Air can be evacuated through hose  58  either by use of a vacuum pump or by manually sucking on the hose, or by any other vacuum system.  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 4A illustrates yet another arrangement for adjusting the water and air in the present invention. In FIG. 4A, two tanks  28  and  30  have water bridge  61  with cylindrical tubes  61 A (a vertically oriented structure of the present invention) extending upward off of the top wall of water bridge  61 . Water bridge  61  extends between tanks  28  and  30  as shown. Tank  28  is also equipped with structure  16 . Both structure  16  and water bridge  61  have fixed-position air extraction tubes  59 . As will be appreciated, each cylindrical tube  61 A can be equipped with an individual extraction tube to allow for variation in the height of the water in each of tubes  61 A. Each extraction tube  59  has an outlet  59 A for connection to a pump to extract air. Extraction tubes  59  are fixed to structure  16  and water bridge  61 , either internally or externally. As shown in FIG. 4A, water bridge  61  rests on the sides of tanks  28  and  30  while structure  16  is supported by a base structure. As also shown in FIG. 4A, all of the extraction tubes  59  are connected to one pump; however, each tube  59  can be connected to a separate pump or valve to vary the height in each cylindrical tube  61 A.  
         [0038]    While FIGS. 4 and 4A show two systems for evacuating the air, many others-are possible. For example, structure  16  can be totally submerged in the tank and then inverted and raised into place when it is full of water. It is also within the scope of the present invention to fill the structure with water, put a plate over the bottom edge  26  (see also FIG. 1), place the structure in the tank, and then remove the bottom plate. It is further within the contemplation of the present invention to have a valve at the top of structure  16  for evacuation of air (see FIG. 5); however, this construction is not preferred because the valve allows for tampering and detracts from the appearance and reliability of the structure.  
         [0039]    Turning now to FIG. 5, there is shown a decorative pool  64  in cross-section having a bottom  66 . Pool  64  is filled with water  68  up to water line  70  and a structure  72  according to the present invention rests therein. The structure  72  has a front side wall  74  having a bottom edge  76  which extends below the water line  70  of the pool. Side walls  78  and  80  extend to the bottom  66  of pool  64  to support the structure  72  in the pool  64 . Side, wall  80  includes a cantilevered section  82  for additional visual interest. Water  68  has been introduced into structure  72  by evacuation of air from structure  72  up to the top  84  of structure  72 . For evacuation of air, structure  72  has been fitted with a valve  86 . The valve  86  is preferably a two-way valve so that air can be evacuated for filling the structure  72  with water  68  and then re-introduced for emptying water  68  from structure  72 .  
         [0040]    In the event that the pool  64  of FIG. 5 is outdoors and subject to winter freezing, a heating system should be employed to reduce the risk of the water  68  freezing, expanding and then ruining the structure  72 . One suitable method, as shown in FIG. 6, is to have waterproof heat tape  90  and thermostat  92  attached to the outside of structure  94  in outdoor pond  96 . An alternative method, as shown in FIG. 7, is to have waterproof heating tape  100  and thermostat  102  attached to float  104  and floating within the structure  106  in outdoor pond  108 . Other methods of preventing the structure from freezing in winter conditions will readily occur to those skilled in the art, e.g. a standard aquarium heater, pumping in of warm water, heating the entire pool, and the like.  
         [0041]    While the present invention has primarily been described in terms of use with a standard indoor aquarium, it has been found that it is equally useful and decorative in any type of water construction, including a pond, a fountain, a stream, in the ocean, etc. It will be understood that in the ocean or a lake, where the water level fluctuates due to tide or drought, special precautions need to be taken to ensure that the water level does not fall below the lower edge of the structure of the present invention. These special precautions can include building a tank around the structure or allowing the structure to rise and fall with the rise and fall of the water level.  
         [0042]    While structures  16  (FIG. 1) and  34  (FIG. 2) are shown with side walls extending all the way to the bottom of the body of water, the structures according to the present invention can be mounted in any way desired, e.g. by having additional apparatus which extend from the sides of the tank and hold the structure in place as shown in FIGS. 4A, 6 and  7 . It should be noted that in FIG. 7 a collar is employed to support structure  106  on top of legs and a base. The important feature is that the structure be supported so that all of its sides extend below the water line in the body of water in which it resides, thus providing an airtight volume within the structure.  
         [0043]    [0043]FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate other base structures which can be used with the structure of the present invention wherein base  109  supports structure  16 . The legs on base  109  are preferably adjustable to allow for variation in the height of the water level in the tank, pond, lake, ocean, etc. Suitable support for the structure includes apparatus that allow for the structure to straddle the rim of a tank, sit on the bottom of the tank, or be supported from outside the tank. The support apparatus can be integrated into the structure, such as simply adding side holes to a tank, or separate from the structure.  
         [0044]    It will be appreciated that any conventional airtight structure can be used to make the structure of the present invention provided it is employed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.  
         [0045]    [0045]FIG. 10 illustrates a way to catch overflow water from the aquarium tank  10 . As shown, channel  110  is wrapped around tank  10  such that water flowing over the top of tank  10  flows down, by gravity, into channel  110 . Channel  110  is inclined to allow water to flow to outlet  112  of channel  110 . Tube  114  is connected to outlet  112  and to catch tank  116  such that water flows in channel  110  to outlet  112 , through tube  114  and into catch tank  116 . Catch tank  116  can hold all of the water in structure  16  and, more preferably, all the water in structures  16  and tank  10 .  
         [0046]    [0046]FIG. 11 illustrates another support structure of the present invention. Tank  120  employs support beams  122  and  124  which span the top of tank  120  and rods  126  and  128  which are affixed to the side of vertically oriented structure  130  of the present invention. The open bottom of structure  130  allows for fluid communication with the water in tank  120 . Also as illustrated in FIG. 11, top  140  spans the top of tank  120  and has holes  142  and  144  through which the bottom of vertical structures  146  and  148  extend downward to below the water level in tank  120 . Collars  150  and  152  are affixed to structures  146  and  148  to suspend structures  146  and  148  from top  140  and allow the sides of structures  146  and  148  to extend down below the water level in tank  120 . An integrated lighting system  154  is employed to highlight structures  146  and  148 . Obviously, top  140  can facilitate use of other standard aquarium items such as lights.  
         [0047]    [0047]FIG. 12 illustrates tank  160  with three vertical structures  162 ,  164  and  166 . Vertical structures  162  and  166  have spillways  168  and  170  that allow water to cascade down from the top of the vertical structure and into tank  160 . Pumps  172 ,  174 ,  176  and  178  with respective hosing  182 ,  184 ,  186  and  188  allow water to be pumped from tank  160  upward. Hose  188  runs exterior to structure  166  while hose  182  is interior to structure  162  and runs through airtight opening  190  in the top of structure  162 . Structure  164  has two pumps at different locations to create two internal fountains  192 ,  194 . The pumps can be connected to a filtration system.  
         [0048]    [0048]FIG. 13 illustrates structure  200  filled with water. Internal magnet  202  with attached screen  204  or net is placed inside the structure  200  and controlled by external magnet  206  to capture waste or floating plant or dead fish  208  for removal. As shown in FIG. 13, first the two magnets  202 ,  206  are inserted, then the external magnet  206  guides internal magnet  202  with attached screen  204  upward to retrieve dead fish  208 . Finally, external magnet  206  is moved downward to guide internal magnet  202  with dead fish  208  downward to the opening of structure  200 .  
         [0049]    It will be understood that the claims are intended to cover all changes and modifications of the preferred embodiments of the invention herein chosen for the purpose of illustration which do not constitute a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention.