Stock material or miscellaneous articles – Three dimension imitation or 'treated' natural product – Fauna
Reexamination Certificate
1998-04-19
2001-01-09
Medley, Margaret (Department: 1714)
Stock material or miscellaneous articles
Three dimension imitation or 'treated' natural product
Fauna
Reexamination Certificate
active
06171667
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to aquatic and marine lifelike replication display devices and more specifically to artificial devices that simulate aquatic animals for use in indoor and outdoor water features such as decorative ponds, fountains, and the like.
2. Related Art
Fishes and aquatic life, especially tropical aquatic life have long been cultivated by man in aquariums. These aquariums can be from the size slightly bigger than a fish bowl to large, million gallon habitations occupying many square feet and even whole rooms. It has long been recognized that an aquarium can not only be decorative but relaxing, giving the viewer a sense of peacefulness and tranquility.
One type of aquarium is a “fish pond”. It has long been accepted that it is a possession of beauty and even prestige to have a water feature such as an indoor or outdoor fish pond or fountain. The ancients in fact bred a specific breed of fish called a Koi, which resembles a large goldfish, to populate these ponds. These water features can contain fountains or the like and be architecturally placed into the structure of, for example, a building or a home. One popular placement is in commercial atriums or domestic outdoor fountains.
Although the aquatic life that populate these ponds are beautiful, they are difficult to maintain. As live animals, their environment must be regulated constantly to provide life supporting surroundings. These fish, and especially Koi fish, are extremely expensive with those of a size about that of a large trout running over $3,000. In colder climes where temperatures dip even in the warmer months, it is very difficult to maintain temperatures in these ponds to allow these aquatic life to survive. These fish, of course, have to be maintained and fed on a regular basis adding to the expense. These ponds tend to have other problems relating to fungi, bacteria, algae and the like which make maintaining the ponds with the live animals, and especially Koi, particularly difficult. This is especially true with fountains and other water pumping devices which are particularly sensitive to algae and other bacterial buildup. For example, one treatment for algae or bacterial buildup is to pour household bleach or chlorine into the water to kill the algae. This of course will also kill fish, if they are present.
There has been much attempted in the prior art to obtain the aesthetic aspects of having these beautiful aquatic animals present, yet not having the live animals. Various strings and ropes and other kinds of devices have been devised to mask the fact that the animals are, in fact, artificial. The problem with using strings or other kind of suspension devices in outdoor and indoor ponds, is that there is no wall to support the suspension devices. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,588,618, D-294,129 and D-287,110 teach artificial fish suspended to make it look like fish are in the water. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,550,518 and 3,186,120 teach fish decoys that give the illusion that fish are in the water. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,975,845; D-327,142; D-289,023; and D-289,022 disclose artificial fish.
Many of the prior art devices employ suspension media that are visible or do not allow the adjustment of the device in the water feature. Thus, it would be advantageous to have an aquatic animal which was able to be placed in substantially any water feature or pond, irrespective of the water flow and currents, yet move in a life like manner without the appearance of the supporting member to the naked eye, but without the requirement for suspension of the aquatic animal on overhanging members, walls or the like.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is now been discovered that an artificial replica of a fish or other aquatic animal which is capable of movement in a life like manner and is capable of placement into indoor and outdoor water features, with or without fountain current flow, with no overhanging or suspension member. In accordance with the invention, a device having a substantially neutral buoyancy comprises an aquatic or marine animal replica, and preferably a Koi fish, tethered on a substantially invisible connector which is weighted or anchored to maintain upright orientation of the replica. In one aspect, the replica is tethered to an anchor secured to the bottom of the water feature. In another aspect, the device is tethered to a weight such that the device is substantially of neutral buoyancy enabling the device to float beneath the surface of the water such that the device moves in the current to simulate a live animal. In another embodiment, the replica is flexible to simulate a swimming motion in the current.
The anchor can be of any shape and is preferably clear or of the same color as the bottom of the pond. In one embodiment the clear anchor has a reservoir therein to accept a clear ballasting liquid to adjust buoyancy. In another embodiment the replica contains a reservoir therein to accept a clear ballasting liquid to adjust buoyancy.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3186120 (1965-06-01), Layson
patent: 3271897 (1966-09-01), Gelinas
patent: 4588618 (1986-05-01), Wolfe
patent: 5301444 (1994-04-01), Horiuchi
patent: 5981004 (1999-11-01), Kostic
Medley Margaret
Meyer Lee G.
Snell & Wilmer LLP
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