CHAMBER FOR HOUSING ANIMALS DURING ANAESTHETIC PROCEDURES

• US 20150059655A1
• Filed: 11/10/2014
• Published: 03/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aspect Imaging Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Aspect Imaging Ltd.
• Inventors: RAPOPORT, Uri
• Granted Patent: US 9,272,107 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 119/416
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 1/00 Housing animals; Equipment therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 1/03 Housing for domestic or laboratory animals
• CPC Class Codes: A61D 7/04 Devices for anaesthetising animals by gases or vapours; Inhaling devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/01 specially adapted for anaesthetising A61M16/104, A61M16/18 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2250/00 Specially adapted for animals

Abstract

The present invention provides a chamber having at least one operator hand access port; the port comprising a port aperture located within the chamber wall; and at least two flexible non-resilient lightweight sealing gas-tight flaps(SFs), disposed the same plane of the port aperture in an overlapping manner, entirely enclosing the port aperture; each of the SFs is defined by a port aperture edge and chamber edges; the chamber edges are anchored to the chamber wall along more than half of the perimeter of the flap, at a distance from the center of the port greater than the radius of the port and beyond its perimeter; the port aperture edge of each flap is stretched across an entire chord of the port aperture; stretched port apertures edges define an interior access zone, disposed the same plane of the port aperture, characterized solely by the port aperture edges.

Claims

1. A chamber having at least one operator hand access port;

said port comprising a port aperture located within said chamber wall; and

at least two flexible non-resilient lightweight sealing gas-tight flaps (SFs), disposed within the same plane of said port aperture in an overlapping manner, entirely enclosing said port aperture;

each of said SFs is defined by a port aperture edge and chamber edges;

wherein said chamber edges are anchored to said chamber wall along more than half of the perimeter of said flap, at a distance from the center of the port greater than the radius of the port and beyond its perimeter;

further wherein said port aperture edge of each flap is stretched across an entire chord of said port aperture;

such that said stretched port apertures edges define an interior access zone, disposed within the same plane of said port aperture, characterized solely by said port aperture edges of said SFs.

2. The chamber of claim 1, wherein each of said SFs is a sheet-like member defined in a shape selected from a group consisting of truncated circle;

polygon, especially a polygon of a rectangular shape and a combination thereof.

3. The chamber of claim 1, comprising SFs in a number ranging from a group consisting of from 2 to 6;

from 4 to 10;

from 6 to 18; and

from 10 to 60.

4. The chamber of claim 1, comprising a plurality of N operator hand access ports;

N is integer greater than 1.

5. The chamber of claim 1, wherein said chamber comprising at least one inlet and/or outlet to provide a fluid to and/or from said chamber, such that the pressure and/or volume of said fluid within said chamber is different from outside said chamber;

further wherein SFs provide fluid-tight sealing across said port aperture during operation of said chamber and manipulations therein.

6. The chamber of claim 1, wherein the SFs fluid-tight sealing mechanism is adapted to set under a positive gas pressure.

7. The chamber of claim 1, adapted by means of size and shape for housing animals, especially small mammals.

8. The chamber of claim 1, adapted by means of size and shape for treating anaesthetized animals, said chamber is characterized by a mechanism to provide a positive anaesthetizing gas pressure within said at least a portion of said chamber'"'"'s volume;

and by a SFs fluid-tight sealing mechanism, adapted to set under said gas pressure.

9. The chamber of claim 1, wherein said each of said SFs comprises at least one substantially horizontal section (H) and at least one substantially vertical (V) section, said sections at predetermined colliding orientations to each other.

10. The chamber of claim 1, wherein said at least one access port is located on a location selected from a group consisting of the side of said chamber;

the bottom of said chamber;

the roof of said chamber and a combination thereof.

11. The chamber of claim 1, wherein said chamber is provided with a hermetically sealed communication means to a small mammal imaging device, such that said small mammal may be inserted and withdrawn from said imaging device without escape of gas from the interior of said chamber.

12. The chamber of claim 1, wherein said chamber is adapted by means of size and shape to at least reversibly accommodate at least one animal, said chamber comprising at least one mechanism selected from a group consisting of a drop system mechanism for administration of a fluid, especially an anesthetic material, to said animal;

an anesthetic machine for administration of anaesthesia to said animal;

fluid'"'"'s feeding mechanism for administration of drug, food or drinking to said animal;

optical magnifying means (OMM) for viewing said animals;

apertures for immobilizing, medically treating and/or imaging said animal; and

a combination thereof.

13. A method for providing a fluid-tight sealed chamber;

said method comprising steps of;

a. providing at least one operator hand access port;

b. providing said port with a port aperture located within said chamber wall and at least two flexible non-resilient lightweight sealing gas-tight flaps (SFs);

c. disposing said SFs within the same plane of said port aperture in an overlapping manner, entirely enclosing said port aperture;

d. defining each of said SFs by a port aperture edge and chamber edges;

e. anchoring said chamber edges to said chamber wall; and

,

f. stretching said port aperture edge of each flap across an entire chord of said port aperture;

wherein said step of anchoring said chamber edges to said chamber wall is performed along more than half of the perimeter of said flap, at a distance from the center of the port greater than the radius of the port and beyond its perimeter;

further wherein said step of stretching said port aperture edge of each flap across an entire chord of said port aperture defines said stretched port apertures edges with an interior access zone, disposed within the same plane of said port aperture, characterized solely by said port aperture edges of said SFs.

14. A method for manipulating, medically treating or imaging animal during anaesthetic procedures without exposure to escaping gases, wherein said method comprising:

a. obtaining a chamber having at least one operator hand access port;

said port comprising a port aperture located within said chamber wall; and

at least two flexible non-resilient lightweight sealing gas-tight flaps (SFs), disposed within the same plane of said port aperture in an overlapping manner, entirely enclosing said port aperture;

each of said SFs is defined by a port aperture edge and chamber edges;

said chamber edges are anchored to said chamber wall along more than half of the perimeter of said flap, at a distance from the center of the port greater than the radius of the port and beyond its perimeter;

said port aperture edge of each flap is stretched across an entire chord of said port aperture;

such that said stretched port apertures edges define an interior access zone, disposed within the same plane of said port aperture, characterized solely by said port aperture edges of said SFs;

b. placing said animal in said chamber;

c. anaesthetizing said animal with an anaesthetizing gas; and

d. manipulating said animal via said access ports such that substantially no gases escape from said chamber.

15. An integrated imaging system for imagine or otherwise treat anesthetized animals, said system comprising (a) a chamber set in a shape and dimensions to at least temporarily accommodating an animal to be anesthetized, imagined or otherwise treated, having at least one operator hand access port;

said port comprising a port aperture located within said chamber wall; and

at least two flexible non-resilient lightweight sealing gas-tight flaps (SFs), disposed within the same plane of said port aperture in an overlapping manner, entirely enclosing said port aperture;

each of said SFs is defined by a port aperture edge and chamber edges;

wherein said chamber edges are anchored to said chamber wall along more than half of the perimeter of said flap, at a distance from the center of the port greater than the radius of the port and beyond its perimeter;

further wherein said port aperture edge of each flap is stretched across an entire chord of said port aperture;

such that said stretched port apertures edges define an interior access zone, disposed within the same plane of said port aperture, characterized solely by said port aperture edges of said SFs;

(b) an imaging treating and/or device useful for imaging or otherwise treating said animal; and

(c) bridging mechanism in connection with said chamber and said device.