Ventilated cage and rack system

• US 6,158,387 A
• Filed: 09/10/1998
• Issued: 12/12/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lab Products, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Lab Products, Inc.
• Inventors: Gabriel, George, Park, Chin Soo, Sheaffer, John E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Poon, Peter M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHAW, ELIZABETH ANNE
• Application Number:
  US09/150,655
• Time in Patent Office: 824 Days
• Field of Search: 119/419, 119/455, 119/470, 119/472, 119/498, 119/500
• US Class Current: 119/419
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 1/031 Cages for laboratory animals; Cages for measuring metabolism of animals
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2265/06 Details of supporting structures for filtering material, e.g. cores
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/0039 with flow guiding by feed or discharge devices
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/10 Particle separators, e.g. dust precipitators, using filter plates, sheets or pads having plane surfaces

Abstract

A ventilated cage and rack system which maximizes cage density within the rack is provided. The rack includes at least one air exhaust plenum, and at least one canopy disposed within the rack. The canopy is capable of supporting a first cage within the rack above the canopy, and also positioning a second cage below the canopy so as to maintain a gap between the top of the second cage and the canopy to permit air to be drawn into the air exhaust plenum from the interior of the second cage through the top of the second cage and to also permit ambient air to be drawn across the top of the second cage into the air exhaust plenum.

Claims

1. A filter cap for an open-top cage comprising:

a substantially rigid bonnet adapted to cover the open top of the open top cage, the bonnet having a body portion with a perforated top and side walls extending therefrom forming an open bottom end,

a substantially rigid filter retainer sized to fit upon the bonnet and to substantially cover the perforated top of the bonnet, the filter retainer having a top end with perforations substantially coextensive with the perforations in the top of the bonnet, the filter retainer also having side walls extending from the top end thereof forming an open bottom end, the perforations in the filter retainer being substantially in alignment with the perforations in the bonnet when the filter retainer is mounted on the top of the bonnet; and

securement means for detachably securing the filter retainer to the bonnet to permit enclosure of a sheet of filter material therebetween, the securement means being integrally formed in the bonnet and the filter retainer.

2. The filter cap of claim 1, wherein the securement means comprises at least one detent formed on at least one side wall of the bonnet, and at least one slot formed in at least one side wall of the filter retainer disposed so as to receive the detent therein when the filter retainer is mounted on the bonnet.

3. The filter cap of claim 1, wherein the securement means comprises at least one detent formed in at least one side wall of the filter retainer, and at least one slot formed in at least one side wall of the bonnet disposed so as to receive the detent therein when the filter retainer is mounted on the bonnet.

4. The filter cap of claim 1, wherein the perforations in the top of the bonnet are sufficiently small to prevent an animal within the cage from causing substantial damage to filter material enclosed between the bonnet and the filter retainer.

5. The filter cap of claim 1, wherein said bonnet and said filter retainer have sufficient flexure to allow the bonnet and the filter retainer to flex relative to each other.