Improvements in and relating to Aquariums.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Apr., 1898-Accepted, 16th July, 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Aquariums.
We, THOMAS WARWICK and EDWARD WARWICK, Mechanical Engineers, of
Trinity House, Trinity Road, Handsworth, in the County of Warwick, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention has for its object the circulation of the water or other liquid
contained in an aquarium so as to keep it fresh and sweet without the necessity
of constantly changing the water or other liquid.
This invention has also for its object the providing of a fountain in connection
with an aquarium the water from the aquarium circulating through the fountain
by means of air pressure produced in an air-chamber situated below the bottom
of the aquarium.
We will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying drawings
the manner in which our invention is constructed and used.
Figure 1 represents a plan view of a portable aquarium.
Figure 2 represents a transverse section of the aquarium shewn at Figure 1.
Figure 3 represents a broken off plan view of an aquarium built in the open
air as part of a garden or built on the ground floor elsewhere.
Figure 4 represents a section of the structure represented in plan at Figure 3.
In carrying out our invention in relation to self-contained structures suitable
for use in a room, we utilize any convenient stand such as a to support our
improved aquarium the desired height from the floor of room;
we next con-
struct the liquid container or aquarium 6 formed by preference from plates of
glass c secured between suitable corner supports. which may be of the section shewn
at d or of any ornamental or other suitable shape, the glass plates c form the
sides and ends of the aquarium and rest on or take into grooves formed on the
bottom plate or board e; below the bottom e we carry sides or supports f extend-
ing to and connecting with a supplementary bottom and thereby form a box
or recess under the aquarium.
We next provide the air-tank / formed from sheet metal, wood, or other suit-
able material, the air-tank or air-chamber shewn at Figure 2 is formed from a
sheet metal band or ring to which is secured two lids, one to clip the top of ring
and the other to clip the bottom of ring, we secure to the air-tank h the pneumatic
spigot-ended valve j suitable to take connection with an air-pump.
We next provide the fountain-tube the lower end of which is pierced with
holes or slots for use in the manner hereinafter referred to, the upper end being
provided with an outlet tap 1; the fountain-tube k is connected within the air-
chamber and also within the aquarium by means of the screwed bush m, the
bush m being passed through a hole in the top of air-chamber thence through
the bottom of aquarium and secured in position by means of the nut n.

page_text: We provide ready means for quickly seeing the height of water or other liquid
introduced into the air-chamber from the aquarium, one simple means is to run
the liquid from aquarium into the air-chamber to the required height and then
make a permanent low-water mark on the corner supports d or on any part of
the aquarium that can be readily seen. By another arrangement we connect
to the outside of the air-chamber a-water-gauge of any suitable design that will
shew on the outside the exact height of liquid in the air-chamber.*
Our improved aquarium filled with water or liquid to the desired height could
contain the usual gold fish. Mosses, rockery, &c., can be placed to rest at the
bottom, providing such mosses rockery &c. are placed free of the bush m, the
normal appearance of such improved aquarium would be that of any ordinary
aquarium excepting that the fountain-tube of our improved aquarium extends
into the new part provided below the aquarium the fountain-tube passing through
the bush m as shewn at Figure 2.
To charge the air-chamber and thereby actuate the fountain-tube & such tube
would be simply withdrawn from its supporting bush m to permit water or other
liquid to flow from the aquarium into the air-chamber through the tube passage
in the bush m, when sufficient liquid had been run into the air-chamber as shewn
by the low-water mark o on aquarium or as shewn by water-gauge on outside of
air-chamber, the fountain-tube & would be quickly put through the bush m and
pushed down to rest on bottom of air-chamber h, a cycle air-pump or any other
suitable air pump would then be connected to nozzle end of pneumatic valve j
and air pumped into the air-chamber to any desired pressure, care being taken
to shut off the outlet tap k before commencing to pump. The air-chamber would
then contain liquid and also compressed air. To produce a fountain play auto-
matically, the air pump would be disconnected from valve and then the aquarium
could be used in a passive state without a fountain display but the pressure would
be stored with which to produce the desired fountain display when found advan-
tageous or convenient to do so. By simply turning the tap into its open
position the water or other liquid in the air-chamber would discharge through
the nozzle of tap in the form of a fountain, the tap can be provided with
any suitable shaped nozzle or with different forms of nozzles so as to either throw
a column of liquid or so as to throw a spray or divided shower; the air pumped
into air-chamber h presses on the surface of the liquid continuously and as the
only outlet for such imprisoned liquid is through the slots situated at extreme
lower end of fountain-tube, the air pressure will discharge the imprisoned liquid
until the liquid sinks to the level of the upper edge of slots and the air escapes
through such slots up the fountain-tube, it will thus be apparent that only
about an eighth of an inch in depth of the previously imprisoned liquid remains
undischarged when the slots are an eighth of an inch in height from extreme
end of fountain-tube.
In carrying out our invention in relation to aquariums built on the ground
line or above or below the ground line of a garden or conservatory we construct
a liquid container or aquarium such as shewn at Figures 3 and 4, the liquid
container may be made from sheet metal, cast metal, metal plates, slates, stone,
brick-work or other material suitable for such a structure in accordance with the
dimensions of the aquarium, or a pond can be excavated and lined with bricks,
clay or other suitable water-tight material. In combination with any such
aquarium structure we provide an air-chamber also a valve j¹ connected to
any suitable pipe or conduit leading into the air-chamber shewn at 3, we also
provide a bush m² a nut n¹ and a fountain-tube similar to the bush m nut n
and fountain-tube k of self-contained portable structure shewn at Figure 2.
To charge the air-chamber h¹ and therefrom actuate the fountain through the
fountain-tube we should withdraw the tube from the bush m¹ and admit
liquid from the aquarium or reservoir into the air-chamber through the
bush m until the air-chamber was filled to the required depth, air would then be

page_text: pumped into the chamber h¹ through the valve j₁; the conduit can be carried
any distance secretly out of sight so that air can be pumped into the chamber h¹
unknown to the persons viewing the fountain at play.
The aquarium illustrated at Figures 1 and 2 is of oblong shape but we do not
confine ourselves to any particular configuration of aquarium or air-chamber as
we prefer to construct our self-contained removable combination air chamber
aquarium" in every variety of shape and configuration to suit the design of
furniture in the room where the new-style aquarium is placed or to suit the taste
or requirements of the purchaser of one of our improved aquariums.
When the dimensions of the aquarium, pond, or reservoir described in relation
to Figures 3 and 4 are such that the fountain-tube cannot be conveniently
reached we provide any suitable supplementary tube leading from the liquid
container or reservoir to the air-chamber h¹ and fill the air-chamber with the
required liquid from reservoir or aquarium through the supplementary supply
tube or conduit, then by closing the upper part of such supplementary supply
tube or conduit to prevent air escaping from the air-chamber, the air chamber
filled through the valve as herein before described would discharge the com-
pressed liquid through the fountain-tube and produce the fountain display.
We are aware that portable aquariums and garden aquariums have been used
prior to our invention herein described and all of such old-style arrangements we
disclaim, as our invention consists essentially in the utilization of the air-chamber
in combination with an aquarium to produce the new invention herein before
fully described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is constructed and used we declare that
what we claim is: :-
1st. A portable aquarium and fountain consisting of an upper reservoir below
the bottom of which is provided an air-chamber, a fountain-tube passing from
the bottom of the air-chamber through the upper reservoir, liquid being intro-
duced into the air-chamber by gravity through the fountain-tube bush by removal
of the fountain-tube from the bush until the required amount of liquid is run into
the lower air-chamber, air being then pumped into the air-chamber and a
fountain display obtained by the action of the compressed air on the upper sur-
face of the imprisoned liquid forcing such liquid out of the air-chamber up
through the fountain-tube, as illustrated and described in relation to Figures 1
and 2.
2nd. A non-portable aquarium and fountain consisting of an upper reservoir
below the bottom of which is provided an air-chamber a fountain-tube being con-
nected to the upper reservoir and to the lower air-chamber such fountain-tube
being in some cases removable to admit liquid from the upper reservoir to the
lower air-chamber and in other cases the fountain-tube being a fixture, liquid
then being admitted into the lower air-chamber through a supplementary tube
secured to the upper reservoir and to the lower air-chamber within reaching dis-
tance of the side of reservoir, air being pumped into the lower air-chamber
and a fountain display obtained through the fountain-tube 3 by the pressure of
the pumped in air on the upper surface of the imprisoned liquid, as illustrated
and described in relation to Figures 3 and 4.
3rd. In an aquarium the combination of an upper chamber or liquid receiver
of any desired configuration with a lower chamber or air and liquid receiver of
any desired configuration, the lower chamber being connected to the upper
chamber by means of a removable tube taking through an air-tight bush, liquid
being placed in the upper chamber, part of such liquid being run into the lower
chamber by withdrawing the removable tube from its air-tight bush and per-
mitting the required amount of liquid to flow through the bush, the withdrawn
tube being then re-inserted through its air-tight bush, air pumped into the lower

page_text: chamber and a fountain display obtained through the removable tube by the
pressure of the pumped in air on the upper surface of the imprisoned liquid.
Dated this 31st dox of March 1908
T. WARWICK.
ED. WARWICK.
Witness;
ALFRED WM. TURNER,
Consulting Mechanical Engineer and
Enrolled International Patent Agent,
Cobden Buildings,
67, Corporation Street, Birmingham.