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US 5,632,887 AGranted
Fluidized bed aquarium filter
AssigneeThe Wardley Corporation
InventorsJoseph E. Gargas, Robert H. Hyde
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An aquarium filter for removing chemical and physical waste from an aquarium. The filter includes a fluidized bed of particles, such as sand, for removing ammonia from the water. The filter can also include a physical trap for solid material and activated charcoal for removing organic material from the aquarium water. The filter can be constructed in an aesthetically desirable manner and can be convenient to maintain.
Claims28
An aquarium filter comprising:
- a housing;
- a column having an interior, a top and a bottom within the housing and an inlet substantially at the bottom of the column and an outlet substantially at the top of the column;
- a perforated plate across the interior of the column, located between the inlet and the outlet, the plate having holes defined by walls extending completely through the thickness of the plate, the holes arranged in a pattern;
- a fluidized bed of particulate material within the column, located between the plate and the outlet, the fluidized bed of particles having a volume greater than the volume of the particles at rest when water is not fluidizing the bed as it flows through the column;
- and
- water flowing from the inlet, through the perforated plate, through the fluidized bed and out the outlet of the column, the pattern of holes in the perforated plate effective for promoting a substantially uniform flow profile for the water flowing through the column.
3 more elements
An aquarium filter, comprising:
- a housing defining at least one column, the column having an inlet substantially at the bottom thereof, a perforated support plate above the inlet and a bed of
- above the plate, the bed of particles including at least three sieve numbers of sand of appropriate size and configuration to promote the growth of autotrophic bacteria and inhibit the growth of heterotrophic bacteria when said particles are fluidized by water flowing through the particles;
- the column configured with an outlet located above the bed of particles and arranged so that water will flow from the inlet, through the support plate, then through the bed of particles and out of the outlet.
An aquarium system, comprising:
- a filter housing defining a water flow path from the aquarium, through the filter and back to the aquarium;
- a column within the filter housing and water flowing up the column;
- a fluidized bed of particles within the column, the fluidized bed of particles occupying greater volume in the fluidized condition than when not in a fluidized condition, the fluidized bed arranged in at least three layers of particles, with a bottom layer of the heaviest particles and a top layer of the lightest particles.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.