Animal habitat and display system

• US 7,237,509 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2006
• Issued: 07/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: North American Pet Products
• Original Assignee: North American Pet Products
• Inventors: Knudsen, Eric R., Bonner, Ronald K.
• Primary Examiner(s): BERONA, KIMBERLY SUE
• Application Number:
  US11/409,607
• Publication Number:
  US 20060185612A1
• Time in Patent Office: 435 Days
• Field of Search: 119/455, 119/452, 119/417, 119/418, 119/248, 119/245, 119/253, 230/23.83, 230 2387- 2389, 219/385, 219/394, 219/410, 312/236
• US Class Current: 119/455
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 1/03 Housing for domestic or laboratory animals
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 1/032 Rabbit-hutches or cages
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 31/06 Cages , e.g. for singing birds for poultry A01K31/002
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 63/003 Aquaria; Terraria A01K63/04, A01K63/06 take precedence

Abstract

An animal habitat and display system provided in a frame supporting at least one drawer with first and second air filled environmental compartments separated by a common divider wall capable of conducting heat directly between the compartment environments with each environment having a corresponding selectively operable heat transfer element and temperature sensor that are in communication with an environmental control unit such that, upon receipt of temperature signals from the sensors, the control unit may transmit a command signal to one or both of the heat transfer elements to selectively regulate the temperatures within the compartment environments.

Claims

1. An environmentally controlled animal habitat and display system comprising:

a frame supporting at least one drawer having a first compartment defining a first air filled internal environment and a second compartment defining a second air filled internal environment, said compartments being separated by a common divider wall operable to conduct heat directly between said environments;

a first heating element in communication with said first internal environment and selectively operable to transfer heat to said first internal environment;

a second heating element in communication with said second internal environment and selectively operable to transfer heat to said second internal environment;

a first temperature sensor operable to measure a first temperature within said first internal environment and transmit a corresponding first temperature signal;

a second temperature sensor operable to measure a second temperature within said second internal environment and transmit a corresponding second temperature signal; and

an environmental control unit in communication with said heating elements and said sensors, said control unit being operable to, upon receipt of said first and second temperature signals, transmit a command signal to said first and second heating elements to selectively regulate said first and second temperatures.

2. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 1 further including:

an ambient temperature sensor operable to measure and transmit an ambient temperature signal corresponding to a temperature external to said internal environments; and

said control unit is in communication with said ambient temperature sensor and operable, upon receipt of said ambient temperature signal and said first and second temperature signals, to transmit a command signal to said first and second heating elements to selectively regulate said first and second temperatures.

3. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 1 wherein:

said heating elements include a radiating heating element positioned above said compartments and a conductive heating element positioned below said compartments.

4. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 3 wherein:

said frame includes an upper drawer and a lower drawer with each of said drawers including a support shelf and a subdivided tank resting thereon and defining said first and second compartments with said shelves being slidably coupled to said frame via a corresponding set of guide rails movable between an extended position and a retracted position;

said radiating heating elements for said lower drawer are supported by said shelf of said upper drawer; and

said conductive heating elements for said lower drawer are supported by said shelf of said lower drawer.

5. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 1 further including:

at least one auxiliary fan mounted on said frame and in communication with said environmental control unit, said fan being responsive to a command signal from said environmental control unit to periodically direct heated air from around said compartments out one side of said frame and draw in cooler air around said compartments from an opposite side of said frame.

6. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 1 wherein:

said control unit includes an alarm and a voltage monitor in communication with said heat transfer elements, said monitor being operable to detect a failure of a heating element whereupon said environmental control unit activates said alarm.

7. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 1 wherein:

said compartments include at least one perforated wall constructed to allow convective heat exchange between ambient air outside said compartments with air in said internal environments.

8. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 1 further including:

an overtemp sensor in communication with at least one compartment and said environmental control unit, said sensor being operable to send an overtemperature signal to said control unit upon detection of an overtemperature condition in said compartment; and

said control unit being programmed to selectively shutdown said heating element in communication with said compartment upon receipt of said overtemperature signal.

9. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 8 further including:

an overtemp auxiliary fan mounted on said frame and in communication with environmental control unit, said overtemp auxiliary fan being operable to activate upon receipt of said overtemperature signal by said control unit.

10. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 1 further including:

a control panel in communication with said environmental control unit and selectively operable to activate said heating elements and said control panel includes a selectively accessible input device.

11. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 1 further including:

a humidity sensor positioned in at least one of said compartments and in communication with said environmental control unit, said environmental control unit being programmed to emit an alarm responsive to a humidity threshold setpoint sensed by said humidity sensor.

12. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 1 further including:

an ambient humidity sensor operable to measure and transmit an ambient humidity signal corresponding to a humidity level external to said internal environments; and

said control unit is in communication with said ambient humidity sensor and operable, upon receipt of said ambient humidity signal and said first and second temperature signals, to transmit a command signal to said first and second heat transfer elements to selectively regulate said first and second temperatures.

13. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 1 wherein:

said environmental control unit includes a main control board having a programmable processor, said processor being programmed to periodically monitor said heating elements for error conditions and generate diagnostic signals; and

further including

a device server interface in communication with said main control board, said device server interface including a port for communicating said diagnostic signals over a communication line to a remote location; and

a remote reporting server in communication with said device server interface from said remote location and operable to process said diagnostic signals received from said programmable processor.

14. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 13 wherein:

said remote reporting server includes a printer operable to print out said processed diagnostic signals received from said processor.

15. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 13 wherein:

said remote reporting server includes a database for storing a diagnostic history of at least one regulator element.

16. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 1 further including:

at least one lighting component in communication with said control unit and selectively operable to transfer light, when commanded by said control unit, to a region within each of said compartments.

17. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 1 wherein:

said first and second heating elements include a radiating heat source and a conductive heat source; and

further including

an active convective heating controller in the form of a fan coupled to said environmental control unit and operable to periodically move heated air away from around said compartments and draw cooler air toward said compartments.

18. An animal habitat and display system comprising:

a frame including a first shelf disposed below a second shelf, said shelves being telescopically mounted to said frame and slidably movable between a fully extended position and a fully closed position;

a tank resting atop said first shelf and defining a compartment with an internal environment, said tank further including a front wall with a transparent region for viewing the contents of said compartment and at least one perforated wall movable relative to said compartment to provide access thereinto;

at least one overhead lighting component supported by said second shelf and movable therewith, said lighting component being operable to cast light downwardly into said tank resting atop said first shelf when said first and second shelves are in a substantially vertical alignment;

means for heating said internal environment;

means for preventing forward withdrawal of said shelves from a fully closed position; and

an environmental control means for controlling said lighting component, said means for heating, and said means for preventing forward withdrawal of said shelves.