Rabbit housing and rabbit housing system

• US 5,893,338 A
• Filed: 11/01/1996
• Issued: 04/13/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lab Products, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Lab Products, Inc.
• Inventors: Campbell, Neil E., Park, Chin Soo, Best, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Burr, Edgar S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): COLILLA, DANIEL JAMES
• Application Number:
  US08/742,993
• Time in Patent Office: 893 Days
• Field of Search: 119/500, 119/482, 119/479, 119/483, 119/452, 119/475, 119/51.05
• US Class Current: 119/475
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 1/032 Rabbit-hutches or cages
• 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

An animal housing including a housing top, a housing bottom with a perforated floor, and a skirt. The skirt is configured so as to receive and support the housing bottom. A pan is disposed within the skirt such that the perforated floor of the housing bottom allows dander, urine and feces to drop therethrough onto the pan, and the pan is insertable into and removable from the skirt without disturbing the remainder of the animal housing. The animal housing further includes negative air flow means communicating with the skirt to produce a gas flow from the skirt to the negative air flow means. The animal housing may also include a frame and a bottle. The bottle includes a mouth having at least one lateral interior flange and at least one lateral exterior flange extending from the outer circumference thereof, and the frame includes a panel having at least one bottle-receiving aperture for receiving the mouth of the bottle. The bottle may be rotated to secure at least a portion of the panel between the at least one interior flange and the at least one exterior flange.

Claims

1. An animal housing comprising:

a frame;

at least one bottle, the bottle including a mouth having at least one lateral interior flange and at least one lateral exterior tab extending from the outer circumference thereof; and

said frame including a panel having at least one bottle-receiving aperture for receiving the mouth of the bottle, the panel also including at least one notch adjacent the aperture for receiving the interior flange of the bottle, such that the mouth of the bottle may be inserted into the aperture and the at least one interior flange may be inserted through the at least one notch, and the bottle may be rotated to secure at least a portion of the panel between the at least one interior flange and the at least one exterior tab.

2. The animal housing of claim 1, wherein the frame comprises a door for the animal housing.

3. The animal housing of claim 2, wherein the panel is recessed within the frame of the door.

4. The animal housing of claim 3, wherein the panel further includes a bottle support, and the at least one aperture is disposed in the bottle support.

5. The animal housing of claim 4, wherein the bottle support is substantially triangular in vertical cross-section.

6. The animal housing of claim 4, wherein the bottle support further includes an upper bottle support panel, the at least one aperture is disposed in the upper bottle support panel, and the upper bottle support panel is disposed at an angle of approximately 30°

from vertical.

7. The animal housing of claim 1, wherein the frame comprises a side of the animal housing.

8. The animal housing of claim 1, wherein the mouth is substantially tubular and the aperture is substantially circular.

9. The animal housing of claim 1, wherein the at least one interior flange and the at least one notch are substantially rectangular.

10. The animal housing of claim 1, wherein the at least one interior flange comprises two flanges and the at least one notch comprises two notches.

11. The animal housing of claim 10, wherein the two interior flanges are arranged on opposite sides of a diameter of the mouth, and the two notches are arranged on opposite sides of a diameter of the aperture.

12. The animal housing of claim 1, wherein the bottle support further includes a sleeve disposed on the panel around the aperture, and wherein the notch extends through at least a portion of the sleeve.

13. The animal housing of claim 12, wherein the sleeve further includes a restraining ledge, such that the restraining ledge and the panel may be secured between the at least one interior flange and the at least one exterior tab.

14. The animal housing of claim 12, wherein the sleeve further includes a turn-stop which prevents rotation of the bottle in one direction when the at least one interior flange abuts the turn-stop.