AU605529B2

AU605529B2 - A water bridge

Info

Publication number: AU605529B2
Application number: AU82631/87A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Martin Andrew Honeyball
Original assignee: Forsaith Merrica; Hughes Cyril John
Current assignee: Forsaith Merrica; Hughes Cyril John
Priority date: 1987-01-06
Filing date: 1987-12-16
Publication date: 1991-01-17
Anticipated expiration: 2007-12-16
Also published as: AU8263187A

Description

6055 COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1952 This docuiment contains the amendments made incer S ection 49 and is correct for pri1n ting 0,91 (Patent Application No. PH 09784) COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR THE INVENT-ION ENTITLED: "A WALTER BRIDGE" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the beat m~ethod of performing it known to us:- 2 This invention relates to a water bridge. Many people collect live fish as a hobby and as their collection grows they frequently add further fish tanks as opposed to installing a larger tank. At present each tank is provided with its own auxiliary equipment such as filters and heaters and the like. The addition of this equipment to each tank significantly increases the cost of each fish tank installation. Furthermore the fish in each tank are confined to their respective tank. Special breeding tanks are also utilized to provide a safe nursery in which the young fish may be safe from predatory fish and they also require separate auxiliary equipment.

One of the main purposes of keeping fish is for display and thus many novelty devices and tank decorations are available for decorating fish tanks. However at present such novelty devices do not enlarge the effective tank volume or increase the visibility of the fish.

The present invention aims to provide a water bridge which will alleviate the abovementioned disadvantages. Other objects and advantages of this inventionI will hereinafter become apparent, S 20 With the foregoing and other objects in view, this invention in one aspect resides broadly in a bridging assembly adapted to provide fluid communication between adjacent fish tanks, said assembly including a substantially rigid transmission chamber having a substantially planar base portion adapted to provide stable support for the assembly when in use, a pair of side walls extending upwardly from said base portion in fluidtight 3 relationship therewith, and a top portion linking each said sidewall and in fluidtight relationship therewith; and a pair of substantially rigid chamber access members, each said member having a base portion, a pair of side walls extending upwardly therefrom and in fluidtight relationshiF 'herewith, and a top portion linking each said sidewall and in fluidtight relationship therewith; each said chamber access member being disposed at a respective end of said transmission chamber; and each said base portion sidewall and top portion being in fluidtight relationship with the corresponding base portion sidewall and top portion of said transmission chamber at said respective end thereof; each said chamber access member depending from said transmission chamber such that in use the level of the top portion of each said chamber access member at the end thereof distant said transmission chamber is below the level of the substantially planar base portion of said transmission chamber, and wherein at least a portion of said transmission chamber is transparent to constitute a viewing panel. The bridge assembly may be used as a water bridge for linking fish tanks or it may be used in other liquids to provide communication between bodies of liquid.

In order that this invention may be more readily understood and put into practical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate typical embodiments of this invention, wherein:- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one form of water bridge made in accordance with the present invention; 4 FIG. 2 illustrates the water bridge in use, and FIG. 3 is a end-elevational view of an alternate form of water bridge.

The water bridge 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 includes a tubular spanning chamber 11 which ends between and communicates sealably with opposed downwart y extending tubular leg portions 12 which are open at their lower ends 13. The water bridge 10 may be placed in a single tank or as illustrated in FIG. 2 it may be adapted to span between adjacelt tanks 14 and 15 and in such installations the I underside face 16 of the spanning chamber 11 is supported on the upper edges of the adjacent tank walls 17 and 18.

As illustrated, the open lower ends 13 of the leg portions 12 are arranged belo~i the water surface level 19 in the respective tanks 14 and 15 so that an elevated water passage 20 is formed in the spanning chamber 11 to provide communication between the tanks 14 and 15. The water will remain in the elevated passage 20 so long as the open ends 13 'f are submerged in the tanks 14 and The water bridge 10 may be installed without water therein. A tube is used to suck the air from the chamber so that as air is removed the water level in the legs 12 will increase until it enters the spanning chamber 11 to provide a water passage which bridges the tanks 14 and The chamber 11 may be evacuated to any desired degre 25 The chamber 11 may be evacuated to any desired degre to

I

enable a selected water level therein to be achieved. For example, if the bridge 10 is used to communicate between a breeding tanrk and another tank in which adult fish are kept, the water level in the spanning chamber may be maintained at a low level so as to prevent adult fish from swimming through the spanning chamber into the breeding tank but sufficiently deep so that the young fish may pass therethrough to and from the breeding tank. This provides an escape passage for small fish escaping from predatory adult fish.

In the embodiments illustrated, the water bridge 10 is formed from panels of clear glass which are suitably bonded *till together so that full visibility is provided t~o the water therein. Alternatively, the water bridge 10 may be formed from plastics material such as, for example, clear acrylic 15 plastic. When the water bridge is utilized to connect adjacent tanks, the auxiliary equipment in one tank such as the heating and filtration equipment will also service the 8. adjaceot t~ink through the water bridge. If desired the J-.atter can be provided with filter means therein which may be arranged to prevent passage of fish from one tank to the other while still providing l~iquid communication between taniki for purposes of shartng common auxiliary equipment.

The water bridge ZI illiustrated in FIG. 3 has a spanning chamber 22 which is enlarged to provide a relatively large display front 23 at an elevated position above the adjacent 6 tanks 24 and 25. Of course for novelty purposes the display front 23 may be of any desired configuration and it may include internal walls which divide the chamber into a plurality of passages including passages adapted for opposite flow of water therethrough and passage ways in the form of a maze or circuitous path.

It will of course be realised that the above has been given only by way of illustrative example of the present invention and that all such modifications and variations thereto as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of this invention as is herein defined in the appended claims.

11 4 I t I44 44t45 44 44

Claims

1. A bridging assembly adapted to provide fluid communication between adjacent fish tanks, said assembly including a substantially rigid transmission chamber having a substantially planar base portion adapted to provide stable support for the assembl.y when in use, a pair of side walls extending upwardly from said base portion in fluidtight relationship therewith, and a top portion linking each said sidewall and in fluidtight relationship therewith; and a pair of substantially rigid chamber access members, each j said member having a base portion, a pair of side walls extending upwardly therefrom and in fluidtight relationship therewith, and a top portion linking each said sidewall and in fluidtight relationship therewith; each said chamber access member being disposed at a respective end of said transmission chamber; and j each said base portion sidewall and top portion being in fluidtight relationship with the corresponding base portion sidewall and top portion of said transmission chamber at said respective end thereof; each said chamber access member depending from said transmission chamber such that in use the level of the top portion of each said chamber access member at the end thereof distant said transmission chamber is below the level of the substantially planar base portion of said transmission chamber, and wherein at least a portion of said transmission chamber is transparent to constitute a viewing panel.

2. A bridging assembly adapted to provide fluid communication 8 between adjacent fish tanks as claimed in claim 1, wherein said assembly is made of transparent material.

3. A bridging assembly adapted to provide fluid communication between adjacent fish tanks as claimed in claim 2, wherein said material is glass.

4. A bridging assembly adapted to provide fluid communication between adjacent fish tanks as claimed in claim 2, wherein said material is an acrylic plastic.

5, A bridging assembly adapted to provide fluid communication between adjacent fish tanks as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein each said chamber access member is inclined at an angle to said transmission chamber to constitute a ramp-like access thereto.

6. A bridging assembly adapted to provide fluid communication between adjacent fish tanks as claimed in any one of claims 1 to when used to provide said corcnuunication. 4

7. A method of providing fluid communication between adjacent fish tanks, including providing a bridging assembly according to any one of claims to positioning said bridging assembly such that the base portion of said transmission chamber is supported by said fish kt tdnks with the top portion of each said access member at the end 9 distant from the transmission chamber being disposed below the water level in each tank, and at least partially removing the air contained within said bridging assembly to provide said fluid communication.

8. A bridging assembly adapted to provide fluid communication between adjacent fish tanks substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED THIS sixteenth DAY OF December 1987. MARTIN ANDREW HONEYBALL MERRICA FORSAITH CYRIL JOHN HUGHES by PIZZEY COMPANY PATENT ATTORNEYS L A L U