Abstract:
This invention is an illumination apparatus for an aquarium. In particular, the invention illuminates the back wall of the aquarium where the wall has a decorative panel of scenery. The illumination apparatus may be used in aquariums, terrariums, or similar enclosures. The illumination apparatus of the present invention allows for the use of filtration systems and other caretaking systems on the same wall as the illumination apparatus. The present invention uniformly illuminates the decorative panel and the aquarium, providing a pleasing effect.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    1. Field of Invention 
         [0002]    This invention relates to an illumination apparatus for an aquarium. In particular, the invention illuminates the back wall of the aquarium where the wall has a decorative panel of scenery. The illumination apparatus may be used in aquariums, terrariums, or similar enclosures. The illumination apparatus of the present invention allows for the use of filtration systems and other caretaking systems on the same wall as the illumination apparatus. The present invention uniformly illuminates the decorative panel and the aquarium, providing a pleasing effect. 
         [0003]    2. Brief Description of the Prior Art 
         [0004]    Aquariums, terrariums, and other enclosures with transparent walls have been illuminated in a variety of ways. In addition to the traditional lighting provided from a housing that is placed on top of the aquarium, attachments to the walls of the aquarium that provide illumination have been described. Illumination provides a pleasing appearance to the contents of the aquarium, terrarium, or other enclosures. 
         [0005]    Presently, no illumination apparatus provides adequate lighting throughout the back wall of an aquarium, terrarium, or similar enclosure to brighten a decorative background attached to the wall while maintaining a minimal thickness so a water filter (or other necessary apparatus) may be installed on the same wall. There is a need for an illumination apparatus that is cost-effective, easy to install, and illuminates a decorative background scene in a uniform and pleasing manner. The present invention addresses these needs. As will be seen from the subsequent description, the preferred embodiment of the present invention overcomes these and other shortcomings of the prior art. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    Many owners of aquariums, terrariums, and similar enclosures find it aesthetically pleasing to place a decorative scene on the back wall (or another wall) of the container. These decorative scenes are readily available, and easy to install. One applied the decorative background, though semi-opaque in nature, may be difficult to view due to inadequate illumination from behind the wall. Traditional overhead lighting provided by a light within the lid of the enclosure is insufficient. Moreover, illumination provided by an ordinary lamp or daylight is not optimal due to availability and non-uniform distribution of illumination. 
         [0007]    An apparatus that provides uniformly distributed light throughout the back wall containing the decorative scene is needed to adequately view the scene and lend a pleasing aesthetic to the enclosure. Previous attempts to address this issue describe an apparatus utilizing top-down illumination and reflective material, which do not achieve the desired effect of strong illumination (see U.S. application Ser. No. 11/953,299). Moreover, a triangular-shaped apparatus using an illumination source at the top of the apparatus, and reflective material below, does not accommodate the needs of a water filter where the apparatus is used with an aquarium. The large thickness of the light prevents the water filter from being able to be installed on the same wall. 
         [0008]    The present system uses lighting distributed behind the back wall containing decorative scene to accomplish this task. Because the illumination source is located behind the wall of the enclosure (and not at the top), the thickness of the apparatus can be manipulated to allow for the use of a water filter, or other needed device, on the same wall. Moreover, the present invention is easy to install and cost-efficient, making it available to the everyday aquarium, terrarium, or similar enclosure hobbyist. 
         [0009]    The present invention is an illuminating apparatus that may be attached to an aquarium, terrarium, or similar enclosure to provide background illumination to a decorative scene in the enclosure. The walls creating the housing of the illuminating apparatus may be constructed from separate parts such as a separate piece for the back wall of the apparatus and separate sidewall pieces. Alternatively, the walls creating the housing of the apparatus may be made as one contiguous piece. The illuminating apparatus may be constructed of plastics, polymers, fiberglass, epoxies, resins, polycarbonates, molding compounds, glues, woods, metals, glass and the like. 
         [0010]    In one example, the housing of the illuminating apparatus is comprised of a back wall that has a reflective material affixed to the inner side, four side walls, which also have a reflective material affixed to the inner side and are connected to the back wall of the aquarium, terrarium, or similar enclosure. Each of the four corners is rounded so as to provide optimal reflection. Variations in thickness of the back wall to the wall of the aquarium, terrarium, or similar enclosure to accommodate filtration systems and the like are also rounded. 
         [0011]    A light source is attached to the back wall of the illumination apparatus. The light source is of a substantial size, so as to provide uniform illumination to the back wall of the aquarium, terrarium, or similar enclosure. The apparatus is equipped with hooks or other fastening means to attach to the top of the back wall of the aquarium, terrarium, or other enclosure. 
         [0012]    When attached, the four sidewalls of the illumination apparatus are in contact with the four sides of the wall of the aquarium, terrarium, or other similar enclosure to which the illumination apparatus is attached. The illumination apparatus can be connected to the back wall, or other desired wall of the aquarium, terrarium, or similar enclosure. Moreover, the illumination apparatus may be adapted such that a filtration system may also be affixed to the same wall as the illumination apparatus without conflict. Still other modifications and positions of these elements may be implemented, as will be apparent to one skilled in the art. 
         [0013]    The present invention is very affordable and easy to implement. The illumination apparatus of the present invention may be made of inexpensive, durable, and easy to maintain materials. 
         [0014]    Size and shape of the illumination apparatus may be customized so that it is substantially the same size and shape as the wall of the aquarium, terrarium, or similar enclosure to which the illumination apparatus will be affixed. For example, a rectangular shape, like a traditional aquarium, is contemplated, but other shapes such as squares, ovals, parallelograms, circles, and the like are also contemplated. As stated above, the thickness (as measured from the back wall of the illumination apparatus to the wall of the aquarium, terrarium, or similar enclosure to which it is attached) of the apparatus may vary. The thickness may be not uniform, having a thinner portion, so that a filter, commonly used in aquariums, may be attached to the same wall as the apparatus. 
         [0015]    The thickness of the illumination apparatus, from the back wall of the apparatus to the wall of the aquarium, terrarium, or similar enclosure, will vary depending on the type of illumination source. For example, where a very thin illumination source (such as LED, or plasma), is used, the illumination apparatus will be very thin. 
         [0016]    One object of the present invention is to provide a cost effective, easy to install illumination apparatus to illuminate a wall of an aquarium, terrarium, or similar enclosure having a decorative scene on the wall. 
         [0017]    It is a further object of the present invention to provide a pleasing aesthetic to an aquarium, terrarium, or similar enclosure by providing backlight to a decorative scene therein. 
         [0018]    It is a further object of the present invention to provide an illumination apparatus that allows for the use of a filtration system (or similar apparatus used for the care of the enclosure) in conjunction with the illumination apparatus without conflict. 
         [0019]    Still other aspects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of a preferred embodiment, which is by way of illustration, one of the best modes contemplated for carrying out the invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of other different and obvious aspects, all without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and descriptions are illustrative in nature and not restrictive. 
     
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0020]    The foregoing aspects and many of the accompanying advantages of this invention will become more readily appreciated as the same becomes understood by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
           [0021]      FIG. 1  is cross-section view of the illumination apparatus installed on an aquarium, according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0022]      FIG. 2  is a frontal view of an uninstalled illumination apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0023]      FIG. 3  is another cross-sectional rendering of the illumination apparatus installed on an aquarium without a filter, according to one embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0024]      FIG. 4  is a rendering of the back wall of the housing of the illumination apparatus, showing the curved edges and variation in thickness to support a water filter, as in one embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0025]    The detailed explanation of the present invention is described below. The described preferred embodiments are presented for the purpose of illustration and description; they are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. As will be apparent to one skilled in the art, modifications to described elements below may be made without deviating from the scope of the present invention. 
         [0026]      FIG. 1  shows a cross-sectional view of the illumination apparatus installed on an aquarium containing a water filter, according to one embodiment of the invention. Similarly,  FIG. 3  shows the same view of the illumination apparatus, but without the water filter, where the filter is unnecessary as in embodiments where the apparatus is a terrarium, or other enclosure. The illumination apparatus can be fabricated from a variety of materials including, but not limited to, plastics, polymers, fiberglass, epoxies, resins, polycarbonates, molding compounds, glues, woods, glass, and metals. In one preferred embodiment, the animal feeder is made from opaque plastic, preferably black. The basic elements of the illumination apparatus are indicated in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0027]    An exemplary aquarium is depicted in  FIG. 1  that illustrates how the present invention is attached and where the illumination apparatus is in relationship to the aquarium, as in one preferred embodiment of the invention. A bottom and two sidewalls  14  define the interior of the aquarium space  10 ; the two other sidewalls of the aquarium are not depicted in this cross-section. An overhead lid  12  houses a light  13  that can provide illumination from the top of the aquarium. Overhead lids are well known in the art and commonly used in aquariums. A decorative scene  15  is affixed to the back wall of the aquarium. Such decorative scenes  15  are readily available and used frequently to enhance the aesthetic of the aquarium. 
         [0028]    The present invention is an illumination apparatus that may be attached to the back wall, or another wall if desired, of the aquarium (or terrarium or similar enclosure if desired). The back wall of the illumination apparatus  19  is shown as one contiguous piece, with an upper edge  16  and lower edge  18  that are rounded. Edges to bring the illumination apparatus in connection with the aquarium, terrarium, or similar enclosure, on the sides are also provided, though not shown in this view. The wall  19  and edges  16 ,  18  are covered with a reflective material  17 . The reflective material receives light waves from the illumination source  20 , and redirects those waves through the wall of the aquarium  14 , and the decorative scene  15  into the interior space  10 . The reflective material  17  may be comprised of a variety of materials that are reflective including lightweight metals, fabrics, plastics, paints, and the like. 
         [0029]    The illumination source  20  can be attached to an electrical source  21  to receive power. The illumination source  20  may receive power from other sources such as batteries, solar, etc., as is apparent to one skilled in the art. The illumination source  20  may be many things including fluorescent, incandescent, LED, plasma, or other illumination. More than one illumination source may be provided depending on the size of the area to be illuminated (i.e., where a large aquarium is being lit, two or three illumination sources may be used to achieve uniform illumination through the decorative scene in the enclosure). Alternatively, a plurality of small illumination sources may be used throughout the interior space of the illumination apparatus, as exemplified by lights attached by wire or contained within a sheath. The illumination source achieves uniform illumination through the back wall (or other wall where the present invention is attached) of the aquarium, terrarium, or similar enclosure, as in one preferred embodiment of the invention. 
         [0030]    As is shown in  FIG. 1 , the illumination apparatus back wall  19  may be modified to accommodate a filter  24  where the enclosure to be illuminated is an aquarium. In  FIG. 1  a second curve  25  in the back wall  19  allows for a thinner portion of the apparatus so that the water filter  24  may be placed on the back wall. Moreover, it should be noted that the thickness of the illumination apparatus (i.e., the distance between the back wall of the aquarium  14  and the back wall of the illumination apparatus  19 ) may vary. It may be advantageous to have a very thin illumination apparatus, which may be accomplished by using appropriate illumination sources (i.e., LED, phosphorescent, and plasma lighting), and/or thinner housing material (i.e., plastics in lieu of woods). 
         [0031]    The illumination apparatus of the present invention can be attached to the aquarium, terrarium or similar enclosure by a variety of means. In one preferred embodiment, the illumination apparatus is attached via two hooks  22  on the upper corners of the illumination apparatus that fit onto the aquarium edge  14  (or terrarium, or similar enclosure as in other embodiments of the present invention). Other means of attaching the illumination apparatus are apparent to those skilled in the art and do not depart from the scope of the present invention. For example, the hook  22  could be contiguous along the length of the top edge of the illumination apparatus. Other adhesives, screws or means of affixing the illumination apparatus to the enclosure are contemplated. 
         [0032]      FIG. 2  provides a frontal view of the illumination apparatus, demonstrating the shape of the illumination source  20 , as in one preferred embodiment of the invention. Other shapes such as straight, zigzag, spherical, or rectangular are contemplated and do not depart from the scope of the invention. In addition a plurality of small lighting sources may be employed. The plurality of small lighting sources may be connected to one another by a wire or contained within a plastic sheath. As stated above, where the space to be illuminated is sufficiently large, more than one illumination source may be used to accomplish a uniform illumination through the wall of the aquarium, terrarium or similar enclosure to which the present invention is attached. A connection  23  between the illumination source  20  and the electrical source  21  is also shown in  FIG. 2 . As is apparent to one skilled in the art, this connection  23  could also couple to a battery source or other energy source to activate the illumination source  20 . The rounded edges  16 ,  18  are also depicted in  FIG. 2 , and allow for better reflection of the reflective material  17  into the aquarium, terrarium, or similar enclosure. 
         [0033]      FIG. 3  is an additional cross-sectional view of the present invention attached to an aquarium, where no water filter is attached. In this figure, the back wall  19  of the illumination apparatus is of a consistent thickness with respect to the distance between the back wall  19  of the apparatus and the aquarium  14  to which it is attached. 
         [0034]      FIG. 4  is a back view of the illumination apparatus of the present invention attached to a wall of an aquarium. This view shows how the water filter  24  attached to the same wall of the aquarium  14  as the illumination apparatus. The back wall  19  of the illumination apparatus has deviations in its thickness (from the back wall  19  of the illumination apparatus to the aquarium)  25  to accommodate the water filter  24 . The lighting  13  provided by the upper lid  12  of the aquarium is also shown. As shown in  FIGS. 1 &amp; 2 , the edges  18 ,  16  of the illumination apparatus are rounded, as are the edges  25  that accommodate for the water filter  24 . The back wall and edges of the illumination apparatus are covered in a reflective material  17 . The illumination source  20  is shown, as well as the energy source  23  to the illumination source  20  and electrical cord  21 . 
         [0035]    Although the shape of the illumination apparatus is shown as rectangular, other shapes do not depart from the scope of the invention such as oval, square, circular, triangular, or rhomboid. The shape of the illumination apparatus is dependent on the shape of the enclosure to be illuminated.