ANIMAL HUSBANDRY DRAWER CAGING

• US 20080282990A1
• Filed: 04/10/2008
• Published: 11/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Innovive, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Innovive, Inc.
• Inventors: Perazzo, Thomas M., Conger, Dee L., D'Artenay, Matthew D., McGuffie, Francesca
• Granted Patent: US 9,155,283 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 119/417
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 1/031 Cages for laboratory animals; Cages for measuring metabolism of animals

Abstract

Provided herein are slidable “drawer” animal containment systems that allow for ready access to contained animals. In certain embodiments, the animal containment systems include disposable cages, and the systems are ventilated in some embodiments.

Claims

1. A disposable drawer containment cage assembly for animal containment, comprising:

a base having four sides and a bottom portion having a substantially continuous rectangular structure and having lid contact members disposed substantially parallel to each other at an upper rim on opposite sides of the base; and

a lid having a generally planar configuration with channel members which are disposed parallel to each other at opposite sides of the lid and which are configured to slidingly engage the lid contact members of the base while maintaining the base vertically secured to the lid.

2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the lid contact members of the base and channels of the lid have an interlocking dovetail configuration.

3. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the lid further comprises a first ventilation receptacle and a second ventilation receptacle.

4. The assembly of claim 3 wherein the first and second ventilation receptacles comprise conical receptacles.

5. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the lid contact members extend continuously across the front edge of the base.

6. The assembly of claim 5 wherein the lid contact members terminate at the rear edge of the base with an upper rim of the rear edge of the base vertically lower than an upper rim of the contact member to accommodate forward displacement of the base relative to the lid.

7. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the bottom of the base is substantially parallel to the lid contact members and channels of the lid.

8. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the base comprises a polymer having a thickness of about 0.01 inches to about 0.08 inches.

9. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the lid comprises a polymer having a thickness of about 0.01 inches to about 0.08 inches.

10. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the base and lid comprise materials selected from the group consisting of thermoplastics, polyesters, polypropylene (PP), high-density polyethylene, low-density polyethylene, polyethylene teraphthalate (PET), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylenefluoroethylene (PEFE), polystyrene (PS), high-density polystryrene and acryInitrile butadiene styrene copolymers.

11. A method of accessing an interior volume of a disposable drawer containment cage assembly, comprising:

providing a drawer containment cage assembly, comprising

a base having four sides and a bottom portion having a continuous rectangular structure and having lid contact members disposed substantially parallel to each other at an upper rim on opposite sides of the base, and

a lid having a generally planar configuration with channel members which are disposed parallel to each other at opposite sides of the lid and which are configured to slidingly engage the lid contact members of the base while maintaining the base vertically secured to the lid; and

sliding the base outward relative to the lid so as to create an opening between the front edge of the lid and front edge of the base with the base still vertically secured to the lid and accessing the interior volume of the cage assembly through the opening.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising removing a contained animal from the interior volume of the cage assembly.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising placing an animal into the interior volume of the cage assembly.

14. The method of claim 11 comprising sliding the base outward relative to the lid until the base is completely disengaged from the lid.

15. A rack system for mounting a plurality of drawer containment cage assemblies, comprising:

a frame assembly having a wall portion;

at least one shelf assembly secured to the wall portion and including a shelf; and

at least one carriage assembly which is disposed in functional arrangement with the at least one shelf and which comprises a carriage body having a nozzle in communication with a ventilation system and configured to releasably engage a receptacle of a containment cage disposed on the shelf assembly, a spring bias member configured to exert a spring bias on the carriage body towards a receptacle and a support frame system with the carriage body mounted to the support frame system so as to allow limited transverse movement of the carriage body and nozzle relative to the shelf and support structure.

16. The system of claim 15 further comprising at least one cage assembly disposed on a shelf of the rack system with the nozzle of the carriage assembly engaged with a receptacle of the cage assembly.

17. The assembly of claim 16 wherein the shelf is substantially parallel to the lid contact members and channels of the lid.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein the at least one carriage assembly is disposed on a bottom portion of an adjacent shelf assembly.

19. The system of claim 15 wherein the carriage body comprises a ramped front edge.

20. The system of claim 15 wherein the carriage body is configured to transversely translate about 0.1 inches to about 0.5 inches side to side.

21. The system of claim 15 wherein the carriage body is configured to transversely translate about 0.1 inches to about 0.5 inches front to back.

22. The system of claim 15 wherein the nozzles of the carriage assemblies are in fluid communication with either a source of pressurized gas or source of negative pressure to facilitate ventilation of a containment cage engaged with the carriage assemblies.

23. The system of claim 15 further comprising a tram assembly including wheels to allow rolling of the rack assembly.

24. The system of claim 15 wherein the rack comprises about 2 shelf assemblies to about 100 shelf assemblies.

25. A disposable drawer containment cage assembly, comprising:

a base having four sides and a bottom portion having a substantially continuous rectangular structure and having lid contact members disposed substantially parallel to each other at an upper rim on opposite sides of the base;

a lid having a generally planar configuration with channel members which are disposed parallel to each other at opposite sides of the lid and which are configured to slidingly engage the lid contact members of the base while maintaining the base vertically secured to the lid;

a perforated food tray comprising a high strength material resistant to chewing by contained animals disposed under the first ventilation receptacle when the cage is in a closed state such that the food tray prevents access to the first ventilation receptacle with the cage in a closed state; and

a perforated water bottle tray comprising a high strength material resistant to chewing by contained animals disposed under the second ventilation receptacle when the cage is in a closed state such that the water bottle tray prevents access to the second ventilation receptacle with the cage in a closed state.

26. The cage assembly of claim 25 wherein the high strength material of the food tray and water bottle tray comprise a metal.

27. The cage assembly of claim 26 wherein the metal comprises aluminum.

28. The cage assembly of claim 25 wherein the first and second ventilation receptacles comprise conical receptacles.

29. The cage assembly of claim 25 wherein the lid contact members and respective receptacles of the lid comprise elongate channels having sides tapered to a reduced transverse dimension and configured to mechanically engage in a snap fit to allow the lid to slide relative to the base while still being secured thereto.

30. The cage assembly of claim 25 wherein the base comprises a polymer having a thickness of about 0.01 inches to about 0.08 inches.

31. The cage assembly of claim 25 wherein the lid comprises a polymer having a thickness of about 0.01 inches to about 0.08 inches.

32. The cage assembly of claim 25 wherein the base and lid comprise materials selected from the group consisting of thermoplastics, polyesters, polypropylene (PP), high-density polyethylene, low-density polyethylene, polyethylene teraphthalate (PET), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylenefluoroethylene (PEFE), polystyrene (PS), high-density polystryrene and acryInitrile butadiene styrene copolymers.