GB1567540A - Covers for aquaria - Google Patents

Description

(54) COVERS FOR AQUARIA (71) We, JUWEL AQUARIUM GMBH & CO KG, a Kommanditgesellschaft organised and existing under the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany, of Cuxhavener Strasse 152, D-2104 Hamburg 92, Federal Republic of Germany, do hereby declare the invention for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: - This invention relates to covers for aquaria.

So-called ornamental aquaria may be provided with a wide range of accessories for filtration of closed-circuit water circulation systems, illumination, aeration, feeding and other purposed. There are already known aquaria which, for practical and aesthetic reasons, have a certain number of accessories in contact with the upper part of the tank of aquarium or of a cover therefor.

With such an arrangement, it is necessary to design a specific layout of the accessories for every single type of tank, in particular as a function of the dimensions of tank and, more precisely, of its depth and its width.

This, as can easily be imagined, substantially affects its costs and selling price.

According to the present invention there is provided a cover for an aquarium, capable of carrying accessories, the cover comprising two opposite heads each provided with a respective bracket, the brackets being positioned on mutually facing sides of the heads and the brackets carrying a container for receiving filter means for filtration of water circulated in an aquarium to which the cover is to be fitted.

The heads are preferably capable of holding all or part of the accessories, and are preferably of a standard depth equivalent to the depth of a tank or range of tanks to which the cover is to be fitted, the length of the container intended to contain the filter means being adapted to the width of a particular tank. The heads can be standardized parts and can be used for fabricating covers for a range of tanks of the same depth but of different width, in particular according to a certain series of widths, for instance depending on the standarized lengths of fluorescent lamps intended for illumination of the aquarium and which can be supported at suitable positions on the heads.

The invention will now be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, the sole figure of which shows a perspective view from above of a cover for aquaria embodying the invention, with some parts cut away and others shown as an exploded view the better to show the internal details.

The illustrated cover for aquaria comprises two opposed heads 1 formed from pressed plastics material. Each head 1 comprises two box-shaped containers or housings 2 and 3 disposed side by side and divided by a wall 4. The tops of the containers 2 and 3 are open and can be closed, preferably in a sealed manner, by means of respective covers 5 and 6, the covers being secured to the housings by means of screws or similar means.

The depth of each head 1, that is to say its overall dimension in the direction of the depth (front of rear dimension in the drawing) of the aquarium, is standardized and is equal to a depth preselected for a range of aquaria models, so that the same heads can be used in constructing covers for the different aquaria models, which models have the same depth but are of different widths (left to right dimension in the drawing) .

Each head 1 is provided on its face that faces towards the other head with a bracket 7 which is formed in a single piece with or is attached to the head and is directed towards the inside of the cover. The two opposite brackets 7 accommodate in cantilever fashion a container 8 intended to receive a filter body or filtering material for filtration of a closed water flow circuit of the aquarium, the length of the container 8 being adapted to the width of the aquarium.

Each box-shaped housing 3 and its cover 5 is provided in a face facing towards the inside of the cover with semicircular cutouts 9 cooperating to define openings capable of allowing the passage of fluorescent tubes 10, provision preferably being made to ensure watertightness between the cavities and the fluorescent tubes.

Inside the heads 1, or rather the boxshaped housings 2 and 3, there can be placed many accessories for the aquarium such as, in particular, air pumps, water circulating pumps, impedance coils for the fluorescent lamps, automatic troughs, germicidal lamps, heaters, thermostats and the like.

The cover further comprises a plurality of S-shpaed straps or brackets 11, each having an opening in its centre of interior. The lower part of each strap 11 is supported on the edge of a plate. The upper part of each strap 11 is inserted into a downwardlyopening groove formed in one of two side walls 12 of the cover, each of which walls extends, parallel to the other, between the heads 1. The straps 11 thus support the side walls 12. Each side wall 12 is provided adjacent its upper edge with a rim portion 13 cantilevered from the inside of the tank and acting as a bracket. The rim portions 13 support a lid or cover plate 14 on their upper edges, the upper surface of the lid being flush with the upper surfaces of the side walls 12.

It is clear from the foregoing that, with heads or side units 1 of standard size associated with a reasonable number of containers 8 of different lengths it will be possible to provide a range of covers to fit aquaria of standard depth and different widths. Such widths may be selected, in particular, in accordance with the standard lengths of the fluorescent tubes.

Lastly, it should be noted that, since all the electrical equipment is housed in watertight chambers, the cover described above conforms to current international regulations.

The dimensions, the materials used, and the particular form of construction of the cover described above may be adapted in any way within the scope of the attended claims, to the particular usage requirements.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A cover for an aquarium, capable of carrying accessories, the cover comprising two opposite heads each provided with a respective bracket, the brackets being positioned on mutually facing sides of the heads and the brackets carrying a container for receiving filter means for filtration of water circulated in an aquarium to which the cover is to be fitted.

2. A cover according to claim 1, wherein each head is of a depth equal to the depth of an aquarium to which the cover is to be fitted, the length of the container being adapted to the width of such aquarium.

3. A cover according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein each head comprises two adjacent upwardly open containers which can be closed by covers, the heads having openings or cutouts through which components, for instance fluorescent tubes, water conduits or electric leads, can be passed.

4. A cover according to claim 1, claim 2 or claim 3, which has at least one side wall extending between the two heads and having a downwardly-opening groove into which there is inserted a projection of an associated S-shaped bracket which carries the side wall and which has an opening in its interior.

5. A cover according to claim 4, wherein there are two said side walls.

6. A cover according to claim 5, wherein each side wall is provided on its side facing inwardly of the cover with a rim portion projecting inwardly of the cover to constitute a bracket.

7. A cover according to claim 6, wherein the two side walls are parallel and the rim portions of the two side walls carry a cover plate.

8. A cover according to claim 7, wherein the upper surface of the cover plate is flush with the upper surfaces of the two side walls.

9. A cover for aquaria, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

10. An aquarium fitted with a cover according to any one of the preceding

Claims (1)

1. claims.