Patent ID: 7367263

Claim:
A fountain for recirculating warmed fluid, comprising: a lower module, comprising: a variable speed motor having a drive shaft and a drive ring fitted over said drive shaft, said drive ring being fitted with a vertical component, and a heating sub-module having a heated surface and a heating element having controls to control the temperature of said fluid; and an upper containment module, comprising: a lower basin, a variable number of interlocking tubes forming a barrel, an upper basin that fits over the uppermost interlocking tube, and a variable number of tiers that are secured in place by said interlocking tubes, wherein the number of tiers is equal to the number of interlocking tubes; and an Archimedes screw of length determined by the number of interlocking tubes, wherein the vertical component of said drive ring fits into a hole within the Archimedes screw and said Archimedes screw is operationally attached to the drive shaft of said variable speed motor, wherein said lower module includes at least one vertical stud within a center hub to guide and restrain the upper containment module, said center hub further comprising a section in its center extending downward from the lower basin through which the shaft and said vertical studs pass, and wherein said heating sub-module further comprises a hub to fit concentrically with the lower basin; said at least one vertical stud further comprising a temperature probe extending into the lower basin.