CONTAINMENT SYSTEMS AND COMPONENTS FOR ANIMAL HUSBANDRY

• US 20110303158A1
• Filed: 08/25/2011
• Published: 12/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Innovive, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Innovive, Inc.
• Inventors: Conger, Dee L., Perazzo, Thomas M., d'Artenay, Matthew D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,171,887 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 119/455
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 1/00 Housing animals; Equipment therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 1/031 Cages for laboratory animals; Cages for measuring metabolism of animals
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 1/0356 Feeding or drinking devices associated with cages for poultry A01K31/005, A01K31/17, A01K39/00; for birds A01K31/06

Abstract

Provided are animal containment systems and components, including single-use animal containment cages and modular rack units. Also provided are methods for assembling and using components of the animal containment systems.

Claims

1. A nested set of rodent containment cage bases, comprising:

a plurality of rodent containment cage bases constructed from a polymer that are about 75% nested or more;

each cage base comprising a bottom and a wall or walls;

each cage base comprising at least one corner or edge in the cage base interior that is accessible to a rodent that can be contained in the cage base; and

which at least one corner or edge is defined by (i) surfaces having an angle α

greater than 180 degrees and less than 360 degrees, and (ii) a minimum radius φ

defined by;

φ

=0.25/(tan((π

/360)(360−

α

))) inches.

2. The nested set of rodent containment cage bases of claim 1, wherein the cage bases are about 80% nested or more.

3. The nested set of rodent containment cage bases of claim 1, wherein the cage bases are about 85% nested or more.

4. The nested set of rodent containment cage bases of claim 1, wherein the cage bases are about 90% to about 95% nested.

5. The nested set of rodent containment cage bases of claim 1, wherein the wall or walls taper inwards towards the bottom.

6. The nested set of rodent containment cage bases of claim 1, wherein the each cage base comprises an indent or boss that butts a corresponding indent or boss of an adjacent nested cage base.

7. The nested set of rodent containment cage bases of claim 6, wherein the indent or boss facilitates separation of the nested cage unit bases from one another.

8. The nested set of rodent containment cage bases of claim 7, wherein the indent or boss further comprises edges or corners which are defined by a radius of 0.03 inches or less.

9. The nested set of rodent containment cage bases of claim 1, wherein the polymer is polyethylene teraphthalate.

10. The nested set of rodent containment cage bases of claim 1, wherein the polymer is polyvinyl chloride.

11. The nested set of rodent containment cage bases of claim 1, wherein the polymer is polyethylene.

12. The nested set of rodent containment cage bases of claim 11, wherein the polymer is high-density polyethylene.

13. The nested set of rodent containment cage bases of claim 1, wherein the polymer is polyethylenefluoroethylene.

14. The nested set of rodent containment cage bases of claim 1, wherein the polymer is polystyrene.

15. The nested set of rodent containment cage bases of claim 1, wherein the polymer is high-density polystyrene.

16. The nested set of rodent containment cage bases of claim 1, wherein the polymer is an acrylnitrile butadiene styrene copolymer.

17. The nested set of rodent containment cage bases of claim 1, wherein the polymer is polypropylene.

18. The nested set of rodent containment cage bases of claim 1, wherein the wall or walls of each cage base comprise a thickness of 0.01 to 0.08 inches.

19. The nested set of rodent containment cage bases of claim 18, wherein the wall or walls of each cage base comprise a thickness of 0.01 to 0.03 inches.