ANIMAL CAGE

• US 3,731,657 A
• Filed: 04/01/1971
• Issued: 05/08/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Eugene T. Alessio
• Original Assignee: Eugene T. Alessio
• Inventors: Alessio, Eugene T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chamblee, Hugh R.
• Application Number:
  US05/130,210
• Time in Patent Office: 768 Days
• Field of Search: 119/17,18,19,22 128/374
• US Class Current: 119/479
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 1/031 Cages for laboratory animals; Cages for measuring metabolism of animals

Abstract

At least the lower part of an exercise cage for an animal such as a dog, monkey, etc. is molded of reinforced plastic so that there are no cracks in which fecal matter, bacteria, etc. can collect. The cage is made with a shelf that the animal can get onto while the cage is being flushed out. A drain is provided in the floor. In addition to the bottom portion, there may be other portions of various constructions. In a preferred cage the walls and roof are solid or made of wire and the cage is provided with a fan in the upper part for ventilation so that air flushed from the cage can be removed from the cage environment. The only opening into this cage is advantageously a single door at the opposite end of the cage from the fan. In a preferred form of the invention, top and bottom portions of the cage are identical and can be nested for shipment or storage. Various modifications are disclosed.

Claims

1. An animal cage structure comprising a bottom section molded of plastic material free of seams, said section including a floor portion sloping from the front thereof toward an upwardly extending portion terminating in a substantially horizontal portion forming a shelf which slopes to said upwardly extending portion, said section further including substantially vertically extending side walls and a rear wall attached with said floor portion, said shelf being attached to said rear wall, drain means in said floor portion near the upwardly extending wall and means for closing the front of said bottom section.

2. The cage structure of claim 1 in which the plastic is reinforced.

3. The cage structure of claim 1 in which the plastic is polyester and is reinforced with glass.

4. The cage structure of claim 1 which is substantially rectangular and includes walls on three sides thereof and is provided with a door opening on the fourth side, with the shelf opposite it, and a lip across the bottom of said opening molded integrally with the floor and said walls.

5. The cage structure of claim 1 in which wire mesh extends upwardly from said bottom section.

6. The cage structure of claim 1 which includes a top portion substantially identical with the plastic material and nestable therein when not fastened to the bottom section.

7. The cage structure of claim 1 which includes at one side or the rear a house with its bottom at substantially the level of the shelf and accessiBle from within the cage, the house having a door therein.

8. The cage structure of claim 1 with a roof to which partitioning means is hinged, which partitioning means when lowered contacts the front of the shelf.

9. The cage structure of claim 8 with the shelf across the rear, in which cage the partitioning means extends across only a portion of the front of the shelf.

10. The cage structure of claim 9 in which a portion of the shelf extends farther forward than the balance of the shelf and the partitioning means when lowered contacts substantially the whole of the perimeter of said portion of the shelf which extends farther forward then the balance.

11. The cage of claim 1 with a roof which is removable.

12. The cage structure of claim 11 which includes wire mesh between the section and the roof.

13. The cage structure of claim 12 in which solid wall material is hinged to the top of the wire mesh.

14. The cage structure of claim 12 in which the wire mesh extends to the roof except at the door to the cage, the entire wire mesh is of substantially the same height and hinged to the wall below it so that the wire mesh can be swung outward and down against the wall below it, reducing the height of the cage, the roof being adapted to fit on the cage when the wire mesh is thus swung against the wall below it.

15. The cage structure of claim 13 in which the wire mesh extends to the roof except at the door of the cage, the entire wire mesh is of substantially the same height and hinged to the wall below it so that the wire mesh can be swung outward and down against the wall below it, thereby reducing the height of the cage, the roof being adapted to fit on the cage before and after the wire mesh is thus swung down against the wall below it.

16. The animal cage structure of claim 1 in which the drain means is an opening which leads directly to a pipe, and there is a porous cover over the drain means.