CN113731711A

CN113731711A - Decorative garden fountain with loudspeaker

Info

Publication number: CN113731711A
Application number: CN202110535896.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 苏赫拉布·罗比·苏富
Original assignee: Alpine Corp
Current assignee: Alpine Co Ltd; Alpine Corp
Priority date: 2020-05-18
Filing date: 2021-05-17
Publication date: 2021-12-03
Also published as: CA3119113A1

Abstract

A portable ornamental fountain is provided, comprising: a) a body having one or more cavities for collecting water; b) a pump for pumping water in an upward direction from the cavity; c) a conduit for conveying water pumped by the pump; and d) a speaker for playing sound; wherein the fountain is configured to operate with or without a speaker playing sound.

Description

Decorative garden fountain with loudspeaker

Technical Field

The invention relates to a decorative garden fountain.

Background

Decorative garden fountains are often placed in gardens for aesthetics. Existing decorative garden fountains have limited functionality.

Disclosure of Invention

A portable decorative fountain is provided, comprising: a) a portable body having one or more cavities for collecting water and one or more openings configured for passage of sound from an interior of the body to an exterior of the body; b) a pump for pumping water in an upward direction from at least one of the one or more cavities; c) a conduit for conveying water pumped by the pump; and d) a speaker for playing sound through one or more openings in the body; wherein the fountain is capable of operating with or without a speaker playing sound. The body can have a height of 1 to 6 feet, a weight of 1 to 200kg, and a longest width from the bottom center of the housing of between 1 to 3 feet. The fountain can be a stacked fountain having a plurality of chambers. The chamber can have a lamp placed below where the water is collected. The light can be changed in response to different sounds emitted from the speaker. The speaker can be contained on the side of the fountain, relative to the lowest cavity that collects water. The speaker can be raised less than 2 feet, facing outward. The speaker can be placed on top of the fountain. Also includes a waterproof housing for the speaker. There can be a cover for the housing having an opening, wherein the cover forms a portion of the body of the fountain and is visible from the exterior of the fountain. The housing can comprise more than two rocks, one of the more than two rocks of the housing having an opening for sound propagation. The loudspeaker may be placed behind the at least one stream of water. The speaker may be placed behind two separate streams of water from two different chambers above the speaker.

A portable decorative fountain is provided, comprising: a) a portable body having at least two cavities configured in a stacked manner, the body having one or more openings configured for sound to pass from an interior of the body to an exterior of the body, and the body having a height of 1 foot to 6 feet, a weight of 1kg to 200kg, and a longest width from a bottom center of the housing of between 1 foot to 3 feet; b) a pump for pumping water in an upward direction from at least the cavity at the lowest level; c) a conduit for conveying water pumped by the pump; and d) a speaker for playing sound through one or more openings in the body; the fountain can operate with or without a speaker to play sound. The lowest cavity (from the center of the cavity portion that is visible (not blocked by the rock) can define the front of the body, and the speaker is placed on the side. A waterproof housing in which the speaker is located and a cover, wherein the cover forms a portion of the body of the fountain and is visible from the exterior of the fountain.

A portable ornamental fountain is provided, comprising: a portable body having at least two cavities configured in a stacked manner, the body having an opening; b) a pump for pumping water in an upward direction from at least the cavity at the lowest level; c) a conduit for conveying water pumped by the pump; d) a speaker; e) a waterproof case for placing the speaker inside the main body; f) a cover configured to fit over the housing and cover the opening of the body, the cover having a plurality of openings of its own, the openings of the cover configured to allow sound from the speaker to propagate from one side of the cover to another side of the cover; wherein the fountain is capable of operating with or without a speaker playing sound.

Drawings

Fig. 1 shows a stacked fountain having speakers (speakers are shown in fig. 2) on its sides.

Figure 2 shows a speaker placed on the side of the fountain of figure 1.

Figure 3 shows the internal electronics of the fountain of figure 1.

Figure 4 illustrates a side view of a fountain with speakers positioned on the sides.

Figure 5 shows a fountain with speakers placed on top of the fountain.

Fig. 6 shows a fountain with speakers having a grille.

Fig. 7 shows a waterproof housing for placing a speaker.

Fig. 8 shows a housing cover with a plurality of openings for placement over the cover of fig. 7.

Figure 9 shows a chamber (basin) with a lamp placed on the bottom of the basin collecting water.

Figure 10 shows the electronic components of the fountain.

Figure 11 shows a loudspeaker placed above a pool.

Figure 12 illustrates one embodiment of a fountain speaker.

Fig. 13 shows an alternative networking arrangement.

Figure 14 shows a fountain with its speaker placed directly behind the water-filled chamber.

Detailed Description

A portable ornamental fountain is provided, comprising: a) a portable body having one or more cavities for collecting water; b) a pump for pumping water in an upward direction from the at least one cavity; c) a conduit for conveying water pumped by the pump; and d) a speaker connected to the main body to play sound. The speaker is typically placed inside a body having an opening for conducting sound.

A decorative fountain 1 with a loudspeaker 4 is provided. The fountain 1 may have a plurality of speakers, for example 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5. The decorative fountain 1 may be adapted to be placed in a garden. The decorative fountain 1 may have one or more components including a body/housing 28, a chamber 7 (in the form of a pool as shown) for collecting water, a pump 25 and a conduit 29 for moving water upwardly from the lowermost chamber 7 by the force generated by the pump 25.

The fountain 1 may have one or more cavities 7 (basins), for example 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 cavities 7 for collecting water. As shown, the fountain 7 has three larger chambers 7 and one smaller chamber. The fountain 1 may be a stacked fountain (as shown in fig. 1) in which water falls from one pool into another, lower pool. Each cavity 7 (pool) may have a light source 12 inside, which is illuminated by the water in each cavity 7 (pool). The light source 12, which may be an LED (light emitting diode) lamp, may be a monochromatic lamp, or a polychromatic lamp. A transparent (waterproof) window 18 may be placed over the light source 12 on the bottom of the cavity 7 (pool) or cavities.

The speakers 4 may be placed face-out on the bottom of the fountain 1. The outward speakers 4 may be placed inside one of the individual artificial rocks 2 of the fountain 1. The fountain 1 may comprise one or more artificial rocks 2 on the bottom, and a loudspeaker grill 6 is placed on one of the individual rocks 2 or cut into the opening 3 of the rock 2. The fountain 1 may have an outer shell giving the impression that a number of rocks (e.g. 10 to 30 rocks) are present and one of the individual artificial rocks 2 becomes the loudspeaker 4.

The fountain 1 may also have a speaker 34 in the front, which speaker 34 is placed behind the water falling from one basin to another. The speaker 34 may be directly behind the water stream or laterally behind the water stream.

Fountain/housing 1/28 may be made of a synthetic material such as plastic. Fountain/housing 1/28 may have a flat bottom for the housing to rest on a surface. The height of fountain/housing 1/28 may be one foot to four feet (or two feet to six feet (the highest point)), and the length and/or width from the center of the bottom of the housing is between 1 foot to three feet (the greatest length). The interior of the fountain 1 may be hollow, with the rock merely representing the shape of the walls of the housing 28 and being made of plastic that looks like rock.

The housing may have a plurality of irregularly shaped openings 3 configured to allow sound generated by the speaker 4 to travel from the interior of the housing 28 to the exterior of the housing 28. The speaker 4 may be placed in a waterproof housing 16 and sealed with a housing cover 17.

The part (diaphragm) of the speaker 4 generating sound faces the opening 3 of the housing. The plurality of openings 3 may be arranged spaced apart from each other in a manner forming a circle. It is possible to have about 10 to 20 openings 3. In one embodiment, between the housing 28 and the surface of the loudspeaker 4, optionally, there may be a sealing ring and a loudspeaker grille 6.

There may be an electronic access window 13 at the rear or side of the housing 28 which may be removed to access the speaker 4, junction box 9 and power cord 8 and electrical cord 11. A circuit board with a processor may be placed inside the housing 28. The host processor 19 on the circuit board may be in electronic communication with a port, such as a USB port 22, which is accessible from the exterior of the housing 28 through an opening in the cover 17. There may also be a switch accessible from outside the housing 28 for turning the speaker 4 on and off. The main processor 19 may also communicate with a processor, such as a bluetooth (bluetooth chip) 21, configured for wireless communication. In one embodiment, the fountain 1 may also have a battery backup, with or without solar panels, that only powers the speakers 4, independent of the pump 25.

Fig. 1 shows a stacked garden fountain 1 with a housing 28. In the stacked fountain 1 of fig. 1, there are at least three chambers 7 (basins) that collect water. A pump 25 inside the fountain 1 pumps water through a conduit 29 to the top of the fountain, however the water flows down the tiers of one chamber 7 to the other chamber 7. The fountain 1 of fig. 1 includes an outer shell 28, which outer shell 28 gives the impression of being made of a number of rocks of different shapes and sizes, which are arranged to allow for a stacked fountain with a plurality of chambers 7.

Fig. 2 shows the placement of the speakers 4 inside the artificial rock 2 of the fountain 1, at the side of the fountain in front of the fountain with respect to the water flowing through it. In this embodiment, the speaker 4 is placed at a height of less than two feet. As shown, the artificial rock 2 on which the loudspeaker 4 is located is placed above a smaller artificial rock on the ground. In this embodiment, the speakers 4 are placed on the sides of the fountain 1 relative to the cavity 7 where water collects at the bottom of the fountain 7. The grille 6 may be placed in front of the loudspeaker 4, but behind the opening 3. The opening 3 is a part of the housing cover 17. The housing cover 17 may be incorporated into the main body giving the impression that it is part of the main body.

Figure 3 shows the electronic components of the fountain 1. Shown in this figure is a speaker 4 placed on the side of the fountain 1. The speaker 4 is connected to the junction box 9 by an electric wire. Additional wires enter the light source 12. The light source 12 may be placed at the bottom of each cavity 7. The power cord 8 may be powered from an external energy source, typically an electrical plug, to power the lamp. The power cord 8 may exit the fountain 1 through an access window 13.

Figure 4 shows a side view of the fountain 1. Shown in this figure are the speakers 4 placed on the bottom side of the fountain 1 and the wiring from the speakers 4.

Figure 5 shows a fountain 1 with a loudspeaker 4 on top of the fountain 5. The fountain 5 may be made of a number of different sizes of rock, such as having the appearance of 10-30 artificial rocks, and the speakers 4 are placed inside the artificial rocks 2 all the way on top of the fountain 5.

Fig. 6 shows a fountain 10 which is substantially identical to the fountain 1 except that it uses a grating 15 instead of the openings 3 in the rock 2. Fig. 6 also shows

additional speakers

35 and 36 which may be placed in the cavity behind where water falls from one cavity to the other. Any of the fountains described herein may have only one speaker, or two, three or even four speakers. Placing the speaker directly behind or laterally behind where water falls from one chamber to another may hide the speaker to some extent, or at least blend the speaker into it, and provide a more decorative appearance. In addition, the speaker may be placed higher in the middle of the fountain.

Fig. 7 shows a watertight housing 16. The loudspeaker 4 is placed inside a watertight housing 16, the watertight housing 16 being placed inside the artificial rock 2 of the fountain 1.

Fig. 8 shows a housing cover 17 placed on the housing 16 accommodating the loudspeaker 4. The housing cover 17 has a plurality of openings 3 and forms an outer portion of the fountain housing 28. The housing cover 17 may be painted the same as the rest of the fountain 1.

Fig. 9 shows the chamber 7 (basin) of the fountain 1 that collects water. The lamp 12 may be placed under a transparent window 18 on the bottom of each cavity 7. Alternatively, the lamp 12 may be waterproof and require no window.

Fig. 10 shows the various electronic components of the fountain 1, such as the speaker 4, a CPU (central processing unit) 19, a memory 20, a bluetooth chip 21, the light source 12, a power management unit 23, a USB interface 22, a pump 25 and a power exchanger 26. Synchronization 27 may be achieved between the light source 12 and the musical sound from the speaker.

The CPU (central processing unit) 19 may be a microcontroller with an internal memory 20. The CPU19 may communicate with the speaker 4 through a driver. The CPU19 may also communicate with a power management unit 23 that is capable of controlling and monitoring current. The CPU19 may also communicate with a bluetooth chip 21 configured for wireless communication with a user's smart phone 33 or other electronic device. The user will formulate a wireless communication protocol, such as through the bluetooth chip 21, to pair the speaker 4 with the user's electronic device, such as a mobile or smart phone 33, a tablet computer, or a dedicated music player. The user may then play the content (e.g. a song) on the speaker 4. Upon receiving the wireless signal, the speaker system forms a connection (pairing) with the user's device. Speaker 4 then receives audio content from the user's device. The audio content may be played as a live stream (with minimal buffering as required) or stored in memory 20 and played over time.

Alternatively, a wired connection may be made using a port (e.g., USB port 22) to play audio content (songs) and/or charge the user's electronic device. Audio content may be uploaded from a storage device such as a flash drive to the memory 20 of the speaker and played on the speaker 4 at an overrun time.

The lights 12 may be synchronized with sound from the speaker 4 by using, for example, a sound effect sensor 24. The lamp 12 may change colour and/or lumen/intensity depending on the characteristics of the sound produced by the loudspeaker 4.

In one embodiment, multiple fountains play the same sound in a synchronized manner. Figure 13 shows a possible networking arrangement. The top arrangement shows a simple network with the user's electronics (smartphone 33) and one speaker. The middle diagram shows a mesh network in which each speaker is configured to communicate with the smartphone and each other speaker. The user's phone is also configured to communicate with each speaker. The lower diagram shows one speaker as the host and then communicating with all other speakers, where the audio content is sent to the other speakers.

Figure 11 shows a fountain in which the loudspeaker is placed on rock above the cavity 7 containing water (in this case, two cavities 7). In the figure, the speaker opening 3 is above both cavities. One pool immediately below the speaker opening 3 is offset to the right and below the speaker opening there is a channel 31, which channel 31 discharges into the lower chamber 7. The lower cavity 7 is located below the speaker opening. The speaker opening 3 may be placed below the other chamber 7 to protect the opening from water from the upper chamber. The speaker opening 3 may have a downward angle, for example, about 1 degree to about 45 degrees. The speaker opening may be in a recessed position with respect to any cavity 7, for example the bottom most cavity 7. The speaker opening 3 may be located inside a cavity formed by placing the other chamber 7 in a fountain.

Fig. 14 shows a fountain with its loudspeaker 38 placed directly behind the water-filled chamber 7. In this embodiment, the speaker 38 is placed directly behind the water-filled cavity 7. In this embodiment the chamber 7 behind which the loudspeaker 38 is placed is filled with

water streams

39, 40 from two separate chambers, one of which is located directly above the loudspeaker 38 and the other of which is located laterally above the loudspeaker 38. The chamber 7 above the speaker 38 is the water supply for the chamber 7 below the speaker 38 and the chamber 7 above and to the right of the speaker 38. In this embodiment, the chambers 7 immediately above and below the loudspeaker 38 extend in front of the loudspeaker 38, the chamber in front of the loudspeaker 38 extending further forward than the top chamber, so that water from the top chamber falls into the lower chamber 7. The speaker 38 may be further placed behind the sides of the cavity 7 to further obscure the speaker 38. The speaker 38 itself, placed in the recess formed by the cavity 7, may have its sound coming out of one or more openings in the body, wherein these openings are vertically oriented or have an orientation perpendicular to 45 degrees. In this embodiment, a portion of the sound from the speaker 38 bounces off the water in the chamber 7.

Reference numerals

1. Fountain

2. Rock

3. Opening of the container

4. Loudspeaker

5. Fountain with loudspeaker on top

6. Grid

7. Cavity body

8. Power line

9. Terminal box

10. Fountain with grille loudspeaker

11. Electrical wire to LED lamp

12. Light source (LED in general)

13. Access window

15. Grid

16. Waterproof casing

17. Shell cover

18. Transparent window

19.CPU

20. Memory device

21. Bluetooth

USB interface

23. Power Management Unit (PMU)

24. Sound effect sensor

25. Pump and method of operating the same

26. Power supply exchanger

27. Synchronization

28. Main body/outer shell

29. Catheter tube

30. Power line

31. Channel

32. Concave cavity

33. Smart phone

34. Opening/loudspeaker

35. Opening/loudspeaker

36. Opening/loudspeaker

37. Fountain with loudspeaker

38. Opening/loudspeaker

39. Water flow

40. Water flow

Claims

1. A portable decorative fountain, comprising:

a) a portable body having one or more cavities for collecting water;

b) a pump for pumping water in an upward direction from at least one of the one or more cavities;

c) a conduit for conveying water pumped by the pump; and

d) a speaker connected to the main body to play sound;

wherein the fountain is configured to operate with or without the speaker playing sound.

2. The portable decorative fountain of claim 1, wherein the body has one or more openings for sound to propagate from the speaker.

3. The portable decorative fountain of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the speaker is positioned inside the body, the speaker configured to play sound through one or more openings in the body.

4. The portable decorative fountain of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the fountain has a plurality of speakers.

5. The portable decorative fountain of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the opening is a single opening.

6. The portable decorative fountain of any one of the preceding claims, wherein a grate is placed over the opening.

7. The portable decorative fountain of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the body has a height of 1 to 6 feet, a weight of 1 to 200kg, and a longest width from 1 to 3 feet from a bottom center of the housing.

8. The portable decorative fountain of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the fountain is a stacked fountain having a plurality of chambers.

9. The portable decorative fountain of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the fountain is a tiered fountain having four to eight chambers.

10. The portable decorative fountain of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the speaker is positioned above and below at least one cavity.

11. The portable decorative fountain of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the speaker is in a recessed position in the body.

12. The portable decorative fountain of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the body has a recessed cavity in which the speaker is placed.

13. The portable decorative fountain of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the body has a cavity in which the speaker is placed behind and/or above and/or beside at least one cavity.

14. The portable decorative fountain of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the speaker is positioned behind at least one stream of water.

15. The portable decorative fountain of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the speaker is placed behind two separate streams of water from two different cavities placed above the speaker.

16. The portable decorative fountain of any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of the one or more cavities has a light positioned below where water is collected.

17. The portable decorative fountain of any one of the preceding claims, wherein lights change in response to different sounds emitted from the speaker.

18. A portable decorative fountain according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the speakers are contained on the sides of the fountain, with respect to the lowermost cavity in which water is collected.

19. The portable decorative fountain of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the speakers are raised less than 2 feet from the ground, facing outward.

20. A portable decorative fountain according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the speaker is placed at the top of the fountain.

21. The portable decorative fountain of any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a waterproof housing in which the speaker is disposed.

22. A portable decorative fountain according to any one of the preceding claims, further including a cover for the housing having an opening, wherein the cover forms a portion of the body of the fountain and is visible from an exterior of the fountain.

23. The portable decorative fountain of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the housing includes two or more rocks, one of the two or more rocks of the housing having one or more openings for sound propagation.

24. A portable decorative fountain, comprising:

a) a portable body having at least two cavities configured in a stacked manner, and the body having one or more openings configured for passage of sound from an interior of the body to an exterior of the body, wherein the body has a height of 1 foot to 6 feet, a weight of 1kg to 200kg, and a longest width starting from a bottom center of the housing of between 1 foot to 3 feet;

b) a pump for pumping water in an upward direction from at least the cavity at the lowest level;

c) a conduit for conveying water pumped by the pump; and

d) a speaker connected to the main body for playing sound;

wherein the fountain is capable of operating with or without the speaker playing sound.

25. The portable decorative fountain of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the lowermost cavity defines a front of the body and the speaker is positioned on a side.

26. A portable decorative fountain according to any one of the preceding claims, further including a water-resistant housing in which the speaker is housed and a cover, wherein the cover forms part of the body of the fountain and is visible from the exterior of the fountain.

27. The portable decorative fountain of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the fountain is a tiered fountain having four to eight chambers.

28. The portable decorative fountain of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the speaker is positioned above at least one cavity and below at least one cavity.

29. The portable decorative fountain of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the speaker is in a recessed position in the body.

30. The portable decorative fountain of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the body has a recessed cavity in which the speaker is placed.

31. The portable decorative fountain of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the body has a cavity, the speaker being positioned in the cavity behind and/or over and/or beside an upper cavity.

32. A portable decorative fountain, comprising:

a) a portable body having at least two cavities configured in a stacked manner, the body having an opening;

b) a pump for pumping water in an upward direction from at least the cavity located at the lowest level;

c) a conduit for conveying water pumped by the pump;

d) a speaker;

e) a waterproof case for placing the speaker inside the main body; and

f) a cover configured to fit over the housing and cover the opening of the body, the cover having a plurality of openings of its own, the openings of the cover configured to allow sound from the speaker to propagate from one side of the cover to another side of the cover;