Fluid sterilization

Claim 2

An aquarium sterilizer comprising a body structure including a first body section, and a second body section located below a portion of the first section and separable therefrom and containing a sterilizing chamber; means on one of said sections for securing it to an aquarium; inlet and outlet means for passing aquarium water through said chamber in the second section for sterilization therein; at least one downwardly facing lamp socket carried by said first section and containing a downwardly facing lamp mounting socket recess; at least one ultraviolet lamp having an upper mounting portion projecting upwardly into said socket recess and carried and energized thereby and having an ultraviolet radiation emitting lower portion projecting downwardly from said first body section to a location within said second section and into an upwardly opening space about which water in said sterilizing chamber is received so that said lamp can emit radiation laterally into said water when the two sections are together; and means securing said sections detachably together with said lamp projecting downwardly into the second section but permitting separation of the sections to a condition in which said lamp is withdrawn upwardly with said first body section and upwardly from within said second body section for cleaning or replacement; there being an ultravioletpassing wall carried by said second body section through which ultraviolet radiation passes generally horizontally from said lamp to said water and which isolates said lamp from contact with the water, said sterilizing chamber in said second body section being sealed against flow of water into or out of the sterilizing chamber except through said inlet and outlet means, and being constructed to remain so sealed when said first body section and said socket and said lamp have been withdrawn upwardly relative to said second body section to a position removing said lamp from within said second section and said upwardly opening space.

Claim 3

A sterilizer as recited in claim 1, in which said means for securing one body section to an aquarium include a hook structure projecting laterally from said first body section and adapted to be hooked over an upper edge of an aquarium to suspend said sterilizer therefrom.

Claim 4

A sterilizer as recited in claim 1, in which said first body section is hollow and has a bottom wall containing an opening through which said lamp socket projects downwardly beyond said wall to carry said lamp.

Claim 5

A sterilizer as recited in claim 1, in which said first body section is hollow and has a bottom wall containing an opening through which said lamp socket projects downwardly beyond said wall to carry said lamp, there being a ballast for said lamp contained in said hollow first body section.

Claim 6

A sterilizer as recited in claim 1, in which said first body section has a wall extending downwardly along an outer side of the second body section at a location horizontally opposite said chamber.

Claim 7

A sterilizer as recited in claim 1, in which said first body section includes a first part having a top wall extending gEnerally horizontally across the upper side of the body structure and having a lip turned downwardly to be hooked over an upper edge of the aquarium and forming said means for securing one section to the aquarium; said first part having a downturned generally vertical outer wall, said first body section including also a second part having generally vertical and generally horizontal walls disposed essentially parallel to but spaced from the two walls of said first part in a relation defining an essentially rectangular lamp mounting chamber, said lamp socket being mounted within said rectangular chamber and projecting downwardly through an opening in said generally horizontal wall of said second part of the first body section, a lamp ballast contained within said rectangular chamber, and means detachably securing said two parts of the first body section together.

Claim 8

A sterilizer as recited in claim 6, in which said second part of said first body section has two spaced vertical end walls, said first part of the first body section having tabs projecting downwardly at the inner sides of said end walls, and said means for connecting the two parts of said first body section together being fasteners extending through said end walls and into said tabs.

Claim 9

A sterilizer as recited in claim 1, in which said first body section is generally rectangular and hollow and received above the second body section, said first body section having a top wall with a portion projecting therefrom and forming a hook adapted to be received over an upper edge of the aquarium to suspend the body structure therefrom, and serving as said means for securing one section to the aquarium, a lamp ballast contained within said hollow upper body section, there being a plurality of said lamps having individual downwardly opening sockets mounted within said hollow upper body section and projecting downwardly through openings in a bottom wall thereof to carry the lamps at a location beneath said bottom wall, said second body section being essentially rectangular and generally coextensive horizontally with the upper body section and having vertically spaced top and bottom walls with said walls extending therebetween to define said sterilizing chamber, said inlet and outlet means for passing water through the chamber including an inlet at one end of the sterilizing chamber and an outlet at the opposite end.

Claim 10

A sterilizer as recited in claim 1, in which said means securing said body sections together include resilient detent tabs on one of said sections releasably engageable with the other section in retaining relation.

Claim 11

A sterilizer as recited in claim 1, in which said second body section has an inner wall to be received adjacent a side wall of the aquarium and formed of a material which will not pass ultraviolet radiation but will pass some visible light from said lamp through the wall of the aquarium and into the interior thereof.

Claim 12

An aquarium sterilizer comprising a body structure including a first body section, and a second body section located below a portion of the first section and separable therefrom and containing a sterilizing chamber; means on one of said sections for securing it to an aquarium; inlet and outlet means for passing aquarium water through said chamber in the second section for sterilization therein; at least one downwardly facing lamp socket carried by said first section and containing a downwardly facing lamp mounting socket recess; at least one ultraviolet lamp having an upper mounting portion projecting upwardly into said socket recess and carried and energized thereby and having an ultraviolet radiation emitting lower portion projecting downwardly from said first body section to a location within said second section and into an upwardly opening lamp receiving compartment about which water in said sterilizing chamber is received so that said lamp can emit radiation laterally into said water when the two sections are together; and means securing said sections detachably Together with said lamp projecting downwardly in the second second section but permitting separation of the sections to a condition in which said lamp is withdrawn upwardly with said first body section and upwardly from within said second body section for cleaning or replacement; said second body section having a generally tubular ultraviolet-passing wall encircling said lamp and extending generally vertically within the interior of said sterilizing chamber and defining said upwardly opening lamp receiving compartment and peripherally sealed to prevent flow of water from said sterilizing chamber to the interior of said compartment, said radiation emitting lower portion of the lamp being received within said compartment when the two body sections are secured together to pass ultraviolet radiation laterally from the lamp through said wall and into water in said chamber, said sterilizing chamber in said second body section being sealed against flow of water into or out of the sterilizing chamber except through said inlet and outlet means, and being constructed to remain so sealed when said first body section and said socket and said lamp have been withdrawn upwardly relative to said second body section to a position removing said lamp from within said second section and said upwardly opening lamp receiving compartment.

Claim 13

An aquarium sterilizer comprising a body structure including a first body section, and a second body section located below a portion of the first section and separable therefrom and containing a sterilizing chamber; means on one of said sections for securing it to an aquarium; inlet and outlet means for passing aquarium water through said chamber in the second section for sterilization therein; at least one downwardly facing lamp socket carried by said first section and containing a downwardly facing lamp mounting socket recess; at least one ultraviolet lamp having an upper mounting portion projecting upwardly into said socket recess and carried and energized thereby and having an ultraviolet radiation emitting lower portion projecting downwardly from said first body section to a location within said second section and into an upwardly opening lamp receiving compartment about which water in said sterilizing chamber is received so that said lamp can emit radiation laterally into said water when the two sections are together; and means securing said sections detachably Together with said lamp projecting downwardly in the second second section but permitting separation of the sections to a condition in which said lamp is withdrawn upwardly with said first body section and upwardly from within said second body section for cleaning or replacement; said second body section having a generally tubular ultraviolet-passing wall encircling said lamp and extending generally vertically within the interior of said sterilizing chamber and defining said upwardly opening lamp receiving compartment and peripherally sealed to prevent flow of water from said sterilizing chamber to the interior of said compartment, said radiation emitting lower portion of the lamp being received within said compartment when the two body sections are secured together to pass ultraviolet radiation laterally from the lamp through said wall and into water in said chamber, said sterilizing chamber in said second body section being sealed against flow of water into or out of the sterilizing chamber except through said inlet and outlet means, and being constructed to remain so sealed when said first body section and said socket and said lamp have been withdrawn upwardly relative to said second body section to a position removing said lamp from within said second section and said upwardly opening lamp receiving compartment.

Claim 14

A sterilizer as recited in claim 11, in which said means for securing one body section to an aquarium include a hook structure projecting laterally from said first body section and adapted to be hooked over an upper edge of an aquarium to suspend said sterilizer therefrom.

Claim 15

A sterilizer as recited in claim 11, in which said first body section is hollow and has a bottom wall containing an opening through which said lamp socket projects downwardly beyond said wall to carry said lamp, there being a ballast for said lamp contained in said hollow first body section.

Claim 16

A sterilizer as recited in claim 11, in which said tubular wall is open at both ends but is sealed peripherally at two vertically spaced locations to said second body section, with the water in said sterilizing chamber contacting said tubular wall only between said spaced locations.

Claim 17

A sterilizer as recited in claim 11, in which said tubular wall is open at both ends but is sealed peripherally at two vertically spaced locations to said second body section, with the water in said sterilizing chamber contacting said tubular wall only between said spaced locations, there being two seal rings disposed about said tubular wall at said vertically spaced locations and engaging said second body section annularly to form the seals at said locations.

Claim 18

A sterilizer as recited in claim 11, in which said first body section is generally rectangular and hollow and received above the second body section, said first body section having a top wall with a portion projecting therefrom and forming a hook adapted to be received over an upper edge of the aquarium to suspend the body structure therefrom and comprising said means for securing one section to the aquarium, a lamp ballast contained within said hollow upper body section, there being a plurality of said lamps having individual downwardly opening sockets mounted within said hollow upper body section and projecting downwardly through openings in a bottom wall thereof to carry the lamps at a location beneath said bottom wall, said second body section being essentially rectangular and generally coextensive horizontally with the first body section and having vertically spaced top and bottom walls with side walls extending therebetween to define said sterilizing chamber, there being a plurality of said vertically extending generally tubular walls formed of material adapted to pass ultraviolet radiation and mounted within said lower body section to define a plurality of said compartments which open upwardly and into which said lamps project downwardly when the two body sections are secured together, and two vertically spaced seal rings disposed about Pg,20 each of said tubular walls and received within essentially annular internal grooves formed within bores in said top and bottom walls of said second body section to form annular seals confining the water in said sterilizing chamber vertically between said rings.

Claim 19

A sterilizer as recited in claim 16, in which said second body section has an inner wall to be received adjacent a side wall of the aquarium and formed of a material which will not pass ultraviolet radiation but will pass some visible light from said lamp through the wall of the aquarium and into the interior thereof.

Claim 20

A sterilizer as recited in claim 16, in which said first body section has a wall extending downwardly along an outer side of the second body section at a location horizontally opposite said chamber.