MODULAR ANIMAL CAGE SYSTEM

• US 3,662,713 A
• Filed: 11/18/1969
• Issued: 05/16/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sidney Sachs
• Original Assignee: Sidney Sachs
• Inventors: Sachs, Sidney
• Primary Examiner(s): Medbery, Aldrich F.
• Application Number:
  US04/877,809
• Time in Patent Office: 910 Days
• Field of Search: 119/16,17,18,19,22,28,63
• US Class Current: 119/457
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 1/031 Cages for laboratory animals; Cages for measuring metabolism of animals
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 31/04 Dropping-boards; Devices for removing excrement

Abstract

Modular animal cage system including adaptable gravity sewage system with overall pressure flushing, individual adaptable water supply system, adjustable floor and perch, anti-insect strips, swivel feeding bowl, adjustable doors using hinge adaptor and lock adaptor, cleaning device, adjustable swivel drinking device with water cut-off, and safety spring lock.

Claims

1. An animal cage assembly comprising:

A. a plurality of integrally constructed separate boxes, each box having a front end and a back end and being open on the front end and having a floor so constructed that, when the box is situated in a horizontal position, the floor slopes downward toward one low point of said floor, B. means for firmly stacking one of said boxes on top of another of said boxes, each said box being in a horizontal position, C. an orifice through each of said boxes from the inside of each of said boxes to the outside of the boxes and located adjacent to said one low point, D. a downwardly directed drain pipe located outside the stacked boxes and at one end thereof, E. orifice connecting means located outside said boxes for connecting each of said orifices to said drain pipe to cause liquid matter from the floor of each of said boxes to flow through the orifice in that box into said drain pipe, F. an additional stack of said boxes having an additional downwardly directed drain pipe comprising means for draining liquid matter from additional orifices in said additional stack of boxes to the lower end of said additional drain pipe, and G. waste disposal means for receiving said liquid matter from lower ends of both said drain pipes, said disposal means including means to aid draining of said liquid from both said drain pipes.

2. An animal cage assembly according to claim 1 wherein said downwardly directed drain pipe and said additional downwardly directed drain pipe are constructed of modular pipe segments fitted together, each of said segments being of a height predetermined according to the height of the boxes in the respectively corresponding stack of boxes.

3. An animal cage assembly according to claim 1 wherein said waste disposal means comprises:

a. a lower pipe for carrying said liquid arranged to slope downward toward a sewage receiving means and connected at the lower end to empty said liquid into said sewage receiving means, b. means for connecting each of said drain pipes to said lower pipe to transfer said liquid from said drain pipes to said lower pipe, and c. means for forcing additional liquid into an upper end of said lower pipe to flush said lower pipe into said sewage receiving means.

4. An animal cage assembly according to claim 1, wherein the floor of each of said boxes slopes toward one side of the back end of the box and wherein said orifice is located at said one side of the back end.

5. An animal cage assembly according to claim 1 wherein a. each of said boxes slopes inward toward the rear of the box, b. each box having indentations in the side of the box, and c. having gratings adapted to be inserted into each box in selected ones of said indentations to serve as standing areas for said animal, said gratings being held in place by being wedged into said sloping box.

6. An animal cage assembly comprising:

A. a plurality of modular cage boxes, each box having a flange on each side, B. support means for holding said cage boxes in a stacked arrangement both in front and in back, the support means for the front comprising a pair of post extrusions, one of which is situated on each side of the stacked arrangement of cage boxes, each extrusion having a flange arranged to adjustably interfit with the flanges of said cage boxes, said support means further comprising means to fixedly interfit said flange of each extrusion with one of said flanges of said cage boxes to hold the cage boxes vertically in place in the front, C. lock adapters and hinge adapters, each of said adapters including means for adjustably fitting said adapters onto said post extrusions, and D. a plurality of doors, each of said doors comprising means for holding the door in place in front of respective cage boxes by attachment to respective ones of said lock adapters and said hinge adapters, whereby the doors and the fronts of the cage boxes are supported independently by said post extrusions, said doors being supported by said adapters attached to the post extrusions.

7. An animal cage assembly according to claim 6 wherein at least some of the adapters which hold said doors have a recess on the back side thereof between the door and the post extrusion, and wherein a pipe system for supplying fresh water to the cages includes a vertical supply pipe running down said stack of cages in a direction substantially parallel to said post extrusion and behind said recess.

8. An animal cage assembly according to claim 7 wherein said vertical supply pipe supplies water to a drinking system and a cleaning system inside each cage box.

9. An animal cage assembly according to claim 6 wherein each of said doors includes a spring-biased slide bolt adapted, when said door is closed, to fit into a groove in said lock adapter.

10. An animal cage assembly according to claim 9 wherein said slide bolt includes a hole adapted to accept a padlock, whereby said bolt is positively locked closed.

11. An animal cage assembly according to claim 6 wherein each of said post extrusions has a recess adapted to contain an anti-insect material.

12. An animal cage assembly according to claim 9 further comprising an additional means located between vertically adjacent cages for carrying an anti-insect material.

13. An animal cage assembly according to claim 6 wherein one of said doors includes the improvement comprising:

A. a feeding bowl means mounted at one end thereof to swivel selectively to one side of said door and to the other side of said door, and B. a catch to hold said bowl means in at least one selected position.