GB2242340A

GB2242340A - Water-freshening board for aquaria

Info

Publication number: GB2242340A
Application number: GB9006827A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Wen-Yau Shieh
Original assignee: SHIEH WEN YAU
Current assignee: SHIEH WEN YAU
Priority date: 1990-03-27
Filing date: 1990-03-27
Publication date: 1991-10-02
Also published as: DE4011212A1; GB9006827D0

Abstract

A knockdown water-freshening board is assembled by joining a plurality of square, triangular, or rectangular panel units 1 by engaging legs 16 in hollow pegs 15, 22 of adjoining units 1 or edge members 2 whereby the shape/size may be varied according to need. Round openings 14 and pipe-receiving members 3 preformed on the square panel units provide means to hold pipelines of a water circulation system. <IMAGE>

Description

A KNOCKDOWN WATER FRESHENING BOARD FOR AQUARIA.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Conventional water-freshening board spread on the bottom of an aquarium was generally a simple corrugated panel which could not easily and closely match the size and figure of an aquarium in there it was spread. Filters spread on the water-freshening board would fall down into the limited space under the corrugated panel through the gaps formed between the corrugated panel and the walls of aquarium. As a result, the effect of water circulation and filtration supposed to have by pumping off dirty water from this bottom space was greatly reduced. Furthermore, since there was not any preformed opening on such corrugated panel for the circulation pipes, all necessary pipes required by an aquarium would have to pass the gaps between the corrugated panel and walls of aquarium if they were to be arranged under the water-fresheninr board. This not only permitted more IP filters to be flushed down to the water-freshening board but also spoiled the scene of an aquarium. It is therefore tried by the applicant to provide a knockdown waterfreshening board which may eliminate disadvantages existed in the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is a major object of the present invention to provide a knockdown water-freshening board for aquaria which mainly consists of a plurality of square panel units, side shields, and pipe-receiving m-mbers. Each of the square panel units is provided with a plurality of downward projecting round legs and -".-junl hollow bars. By inserting round legs of one square panel unit into round hollow bars of another square panel unit, two Panel units may join each other. The side shields may be joined to the bottom sides of an assembled water-freshen--Lng board by similar method. By this way, the inner space of an aquarium may be adequately separated into an upper part and a lower part, and filters on the water-freshening, board may be effectively prevented from falling down into the lower space formed below the water-freshening board.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a knockdown waterfreshening board assembled from a plurality of square panel units, on each of such square panel unit, a plurality of round through holes are preformed allowing necessary circulation and filtration pipes to pass there.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a knockdown waterfreshening board assembled from a plurality of square panel units, at proper positions on the bottom side 11 121 - 1 1 of each square panel unit thereof, pipe-receiving members may be joined to permit connection of pumping pipe and air pipe. With these pipe- receivin- members and pipes connected thereto, water in the lower space under the water-freshening board may be pushed upward and be pumped into a filter tank provided at higher portion of the aquarium for further filtration and circulation.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a knockdown water-freshening board assembled from a plurality of square panel units, of Which, each square panel unit may be further tailored to form either a triangular panel or a. --c-ctan,-ular panel so that a knockdown water-freshening board may be formed to match particular figure and size of an aquarium.

c> 1 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In view of the foregoing, the special structure and technical means of the invention will be readily understood with reference to the accompanying drawings of which Fig. 1 is a three-dimensional perspective showing one square panel unit, one side shield, and one pipereceiving member of the present invention; Fig. 2 shows the top view, bottom view, and a vertical cross section of the pipe-receiving member of the present invention; Fig. 3 illustrates the assembly of two square panel units with a plurality of side shields which forms a part of the present invention; Fig>. 4 is a partial, vertical, cross section of Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 shows the assembly of a triangular panel unit with a rectangular panel unit of the present invention.

4- i DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Please refer to Fig. 1. A knockdown water-freshening board of the present invention mainly includes three basic parts, ie., square panel units 1, side shields 2, and pipe-receiving members 3. All these three parts are preferably made of plastic material.

Each of the square panel units 1 is formed with a plurality of longitudinal lattice bars 11 and a plurality of transverse lattice bars 12 which are orderly arranged in such a manner that a rectangular slot 13 will be formed by every two pairs of an adjacent longitudinal lattice bar 11 and a transverse lattice bar 12. Three round openings 14 with a few radiate lattice bars 141 in the center are preformed at proper locations on each square panel unit 1. The radiate lattice bars 141 may be cut off as appropriate to permit necessary circulation pipe to pass through the round opening 14. At two adjacent sides of each square panel unit 1, a plurality of downward extending round hollow bars 15 may be provided at equal interval. Along the underside of the other two adjacent sides of each square panel unit 1, a plurality of downward projecting round legs 16 may be provided at positions corresponding to that of the round hollow bars 15 formed on the same square panel unit 1. At the bottom side of each square panel unit 1, a plurality of round legs 16 may be provided at proper locations, too.

i All these round hollow bars 15 and round legs 16 may serve as legs to support the square panel unit 1 so that an adequate space will form between the square panel unit 1 and the bottom of an aquarium in there the square panel unit 1 is located. Round.legs 16 located at underside of two adjacent sides of the square panel unit 1 may be inserted into and engage with the round hollow bars 15 at another square panel unit 1 and, consequently, join two square panel units 1.

The side shields 2 are optionally used to connect to the underside of square panel units 1 forming the periphery of an assembled waterfreshening board of the present invention, so that they could form a proper shield around the water-freshening board to prevent filters from falling down into the space below the board. Each side shield 2 is formed with tryo elongate horizontal bars 21, a plurality of vertical round hollow bars 22 disposed at locations and at an interval the same as that for the round hollow bars 15 and that for the round legs 16, and a plurality of vertical lattice bars 23 disposed between the two horizontal bars 21 to form rectangular slots 24 therebetween. Since the location, interval, quantity, and size of the vertical round hollow bars 22 are corresponding to that of round legs 16 provided at each square panel unit 1, the side shields 2 may fitly join with the square panel units 1 when inserting the (40 1 1 1 i 1 round legs 16 into corresponding vertical round hollow bars 22.

Please refer to Fig. 2. Each of the pipe-receiving members 3 has four downward extending round hollow bars 31 at its four corners, separately. These round hollow bars 31 are corresponding , to the round legs 16 under the square panel units 1 in their position and size, and may be mounted to the bottom of the square panel units 1 by permitting the round legs 16 to insert into the corresponding round hollow bars 31. A vertical passage 32 with generally radiately latticed bottom is formed on each pipe-receivin,.,r member 3 permitting a pumping pipe 61 to directly pass therethrough after the latticed bottom is cut off. And, a through hole 33 with an annular groove 331 around it is provided beside the vertical passage 32 permitting an air pipe 62 to be firmly held thereto.

The major feature of the present invention is the assembled waterfreshening board may fit aquaria of any figure and 'Size. As shown in Fig. 3, a water-freshening board is formed by joining two square panel units 1, three side shields 2, and a pipe-receiving member 3, in which, the two square panel units 1 are joined together by inserting the round legs 16 at two bottom sides of one of the square panel units 1 into the round hollow bars 15 at two bottom sides of the other square panel unit 1; the side 1 is shields 2 are joined to the bottom sides of the square panel units 1 by engaging the round hollow bars 22 with the round legs 16; and the pipereceiving member 3 is mounted to the bottom side of the square panel units 1 at proper position by engaging its four hollow bars 31 with corresponding round legs 16.

What should be particularly mentioned is, a number of pumping pipes and oxygen pipes are required above or below the water-fr--shc.--.-7.-2.j biard in general aquaria, so that water near bottom of an aquarium may be pumped up to the top filter tank for second t-Lme filtration and circulation; and the round openings 14 preformed on the square panel units 1 are specially provided for this purpose. As shown in Fig. 3, a pumping pipe 7 passes through the round opening 14 preformed at bottom left corner of a square panel unit 1 and extends down into the space below the water-freshening board;as for other round openings 14 with complete radiate lattice bars 141 may be reserved for other possible pipes.

Also as shown in Fig. 3, the pipe-receiving member 3 is preferably mounted to the bottom of one of the preformed round openings 14 after the radiate lattice bars 141 are cut off. Via the air pipe 62 thereof, air- flow may be sent to the bottom of the water-freshening board, pushing water therein to move upward through the pipe-receiving member 3 and into the pumping pipe 61, and finally reaches a filter (9) t a tank on top of the aquarium for second time filtration and circulation.

Fig. 4 is a partial, cross section of Fig. 3, wherein the engagement of the round legs 16 with the round hollow bars 15 and 22 are clearly shown.

Please refer to Fig. 5 in which an irregularly shaped water-freshening board is assembled by joining a triangular panel unit 4 and a rectangular panel unit 5 that have basically the same structure as a square panel unit 1 and are formed by tailoring the square panel unit 1 along the diagonal or other line, as which is appropriate, to the required shape, so that an assembled water-freshening board can be formed to fit a polygonal aquarium without any limitation on size and figure.

WE CLA IM 1. A knockdown water-freshening board for aquaria, comprising a plurality of square panel units, a plurality of side shields, and a plurality of pipereceiving members; each of said square panel unit having a plurality of longitudinal lattice bars and a plurality of transverse lattice bars orderly arranged to form many rectangular s-lots therebetween, there round openings with radiate lattice bars preformed at proper positions, a plurality of downward extending round hollow bars provided at two adjacent bottom sides of said square panel unit at equal interval, and a plurality of downward projecting round legs provided at another two adjacent bottom sides of said square panel unit and at proper positions on the bottom side of said square panel unit at the same interval as that for said round hollow bars so that said round legs may be fitly inserted into said round hollow bars on another square panel unit to join two of said square panel units while serve as supporters of said water- freshening board; each of said side shields having two elongate horizontal bars, a plurality of vertical round hollow bars disposed at locations and at an interval the same as that for said round hollow bars and said round legs on (110) 1, 1:

h is said square panel units, and a plurality of vertical lattice bars which, together with said two elongate horizontal bars, form many rectangular slots therebetween; said vertical round hollow bars being designed to have the structure and size as said round hollow bars on said square panel units so that said side shields may be optionally used join with said square panel units; and each of said pipe-receiving members having four downward extending round hollow bars separately disposed at its four corners, a vertical passage with removable radiately latticed bottom for a pumping pipe to pass through. and a through hole with an annular groove for an air pipe to be firmly held thereto; said four round hollow bars of said pipe-receiving members being able to fitly engage with said round legs on said square panel units so that said pipe-receiving member may be optionally mounted to the bottom of said square panel units.

09 Published 1991 at The Patent Ofi,ze. Concept House. Cardiff Road. Newport, Gwent NP9 I RH. Further copies maybe obtained from Sales Branch. Unit 6. Nine Mile Point. Cxkmiklinfach. Cross Keys. Newport. NP I 7HZ. Printed by Multiplex techniques lid. St Mary Cray. Kent.