Fish tank stand

Abstract

A fish tank stand with two leg support structures, a top load bearing structure and a shelf that is assembled without any fasteners by engaging male/female locking mechanisms (e.g., peg/peg groove) integrally formed in the top load bearing structure with complementary locking structures integrally formed in the leg support structures and then engaging locking mechanisms integrally formed with the shelf with complementary locking mechanisms integrally formed with the two leg support structures. The stand is assembled by engaging pegs of the top structure in their peg grooves of the leg support structures and then inserting the pegs from the shelf into peg holders formed integrally with the lower legs to lock the stand in an assembled state. The top pegs are engaged with their grooves when the legs are perpendicular to the top structure, and then locked in place as the leg support structures move outwardly away from each relative to the top structure.

1 . A fish tank stand, comprising: 
 two leg support structures;    a top load bearing structure; and    a shelf;    wherein the fish tank stand is assembled without any fasteners by engaging a first locking mechanism integrally formed in the top load bearing structure with a first complementary locking structure integrally formed with one of the two leg support structures and then engaging a second locking mechanism integrally formed in the top load bearing structure with a second complementary locking structure integrally formed with the second of the two leg support structures and then engaging a third and a fourth locking mechanism integrally formed with the shelf with a third and a fourth complementary locking mechanism integrally formed with the two leg support structures.    
   
   
       2 . The fish tank stand of  claim 1 , wherein each of the two leg support structures has at least two legs.  
   
   
       3 . The fish tank stand of  claim 2 , wherein the first through fourth locking mechanisms are comprised of male members and the first through fourth complementary locking mechanisms are comprised of female members.  
   
   
       4 . The fish tank stand of  claim 3 , wherein the male members are comprised of pegs.  
   
   
       5 . The fish tank stand of  claim 4 , wherein the first and second complementary locking mechanisms are comprised of peg grooves integrally formed in the two leg support structures.  
   
   
       6 . The fish tank stand of  claim 5 , wherein the first and second locking mechanisms are each comprised of a pair of pegs; and 
 wherein the first and second complementary locking mechanisms are each comprised of a pair of grooves, each of the pair of grooves being integrally formed on a separate leg of one of the two leg support structures.    
   
   
       7 . The fish tank stand of  claim 6 , wherein the third and fourth locking mechanisms are each comprised of a pair of shelf pegs; and 
 wherein the third and fourth complementary locking mechanisms are each comprised of a pair of leg female mating members, each of the pair of leg female mating members being integrally formed on a separate leg of one of the two leg support structures.    
   
   
       8 . The fish tank stand of  claim 2 , wherein the first through fourth locking mechanisms are comprised of female members and the first through fourth complementary locking mechanisms are comprised of male members.  
   
   
       9 . A fish tank stand, comprising: 
 a first leg support structure with a first leg having a first leg top engagement mechanism and a first shelf engagement mechanism and a second leg having a second leg top engagement mechanism and a second leg shelf engagement mechanism;    a second leg support structure with a third leg having a third leg top engagement mechanism and a third leg shelf engagement mechanism and a fourth leg having a fourth leg top engagement mechanism and a fourth leg shelf engagement mechanism;    a top load bearing structure with four leg engagement mechanisms for engaging the first, second, third and fourth leg top engagement mechanisms; and    a shelf with four shelf engagement mechanisms for engaging the first, second, third and fourth leg shelf engagement mechanisms;    wherein the stand is assembled by engaging two of the leg engagement mechanisms with the first and second top engagement mechanisms, then engaging two more of the leg engagement mechanisms with the third and fourth top engagement mechanisms, and then engaging the four shelf engagement mechanisms with first through fourth leg shelf engagement mechanisms;    wherein the top load bearing structure is substantially parallel to a flat surface on which the first through fourth legs are placed when the stand is assembled and an angle formed by a first plane containing both the first and second legs and the flat surface is less than ninety degrees while a second angle formed by the first plane and the top load bearing structure is greater than ninety degrees; and    wherein a third angle formed by a second plane containing both the third and fourth legs and the flat surface is both less than ninety degrees and substantially equal to the first angle while a fourth angle formed by the second plane and the top load bearing structure is greater than ninety degrees and substantially equal to the second angle.    
   
   
       10 . The fish tank stand of  claim 9 , wherein the first through fourth leg top engagement mechanisms are comprised of a female mating member and the four shelf engagement mechanisms are comprised of a male mating member.  
   
   
       11 . The fish tank stand of  claim 10 , wherein the female mating member is comprised of a peg groove and the male member is comprised of a peg.  
   
   
       12 . The fish tank stand of  claim 11 , wherein the stand is assembled by first engaging the four pegs of the top load bearing structure with the four peg grooves of the first and second leg support structures when the top load bearing structure is substantially perpendicular to the first and second leg support structures and then locking the four pegs of the top load bearing structure in the four peg grooves when the first and second leg support structures are moved out of perpendicular angle to the top load bearing structure.  
   
   
       13 . The fish tank stand of  claim 9 , wherein the first through fourth leg shelf engagement mechanisms are comprised of a female mating member and the four shelf engagement mechanisms are comprised of a male mating member.  
   
   
       14 . The fish tank stand of  claim 13 , wherein the female mating member is comprised of a peg groove and the male member is comprised of a peg.  
   
   
       15 . The fish tank stand of  claim 9 , wherein the first through fourth leg shelf engagement mechanisms are comprised of a male mating member and the four shelf engagement mechanisms are comprised of a female mating member.