Animal habitat and display system

• US 7,032,540 B2
• Filed: 11/02/2004
• Issued: 04/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: North American Pet Products
• Original Assignee: North American Pet Products
• Inventors: Knudsen, Eric R., Bonner, Ronald K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Teri Pham
• Assistant Examiner(s): BERONA, KIMBERLY SUE
• Application Number:
  US10/979,917
• Publication Number:
  US 20050061257A1
• Time in Patent Office: 539 Days
• Field of Search: 119245-248, 119/456, 119/452, 119/419
• 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 having at least one set of guide rails supporting a pull-out drawer having at least one compartment with a viewing window and a movable wall section for gaining access into the compartment which defines an internal habitat environment. A selectively operable regulator element in communication with the internal environment is selectively operable via an environmental control unit having a control panel for regulating the internal habitat environment.

Claims

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

a frame supporting at least one set of guide rails;

a drawer slidably coupled to said frame via said guide rails, said drawer including at least one compartment having a front wall defining a window and defining an internal environment;

a selectively operable regulator element in communication with said internal environment and operable to regulate said internal environment;

a first Sensor operable to measure an internal environment temperature and transmit a signal corresponding to said internal environment temperature;

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

an environmental control unit in electrical communication with said regulator element and including a control panel selectively operable to actuate said regulator element, said environmental control unit further including a processor responsive to said signals from said sensors to selectively actuate said regulator element.

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

a frame with a first drawer having a first compartment with a viewing window and defining a first air filled internal environment, said frame further including a second drawer having a second compartment with a viewing window and defining a second air filled internal environment, said drawers being positioned with said first and second internal environments in close proximity;

a first regulator element in communication with said first internal environment and including a heat transfer component operable to regulate temperature in said first internal environment;

a second regulator element in communication with said second internal environment and including a heat transfer component operable to regulate temperature in said second internal environment;

at least one overtemperature sensor in each compartment; and

an environmental control unit electrically coupled to said regulator elements and including a central control panel operable to cause said environmental control unit to transmit a signal to said components to selectively control the temperature of said first and second internal environments, said environmental control unit further including a main control board with a programmable processor and in electrical communication with said overtemperature sensors, said processor being programmed with a shutdown sequence to selectively power down said regulator elements in the event an overtemperature condition is sensed by an overtemperature sensor.

3. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 2 wherein:

said first and second regulator elements further include at least one lighting component operable to regulate the lighting in said internal environment associated with said regulator element upon receiving a command from said environmental control unit.

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

said lighting component is selected from the group consisting of fluorescent lamps, incandescent lamps, infrared lamps, and ultraviolet lamps.

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

said lighting component is a heat lamp positioned above each said compartment.

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

said drawers are supported in a vertical alignment by said frame; and

said lighting component includes a heat shield to deflect heat toward a compartment underneath said lighting component.

7. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 3 further including:

a DC voltage monitor in communication with said environmental control unit and operable to monitor the voltage of said heat transfer and lighting components and report a status to said environmental control unit.

8. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 2 wherein:

said control panel includes a master switch operable to selectively activate all of said heat transfer components, and a bank of individual switches corresponding to individual of said heat transfer components and operable to selectively actuate a corresponding individual of said heat transfer components.

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

said control panel includes a master switch operable to selectively activate all of said lighting components, and a bank of individual switches corresponding to individual of said lighting components and operable to selectively actuate a corresponding individual of said lighting components.

10. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 2 wherein:

said heat transfer component is selected from the group consisting of incandescent lamps, radiant heat lamps, infrared lamp;

ceramic heat emitters, black lights, heating pads, hot rocks, heat tape, and undersubstrate hot blocks.

11. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 2 wherein:

said compartments include at least one perforated wall operable to exchange ambient air outside said compartments with air in respective said internal environments.

12. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 2 wherein:

said frame includes a set of guide rails for each drawer;

said drawers include a tray slidably coupled to said frame via said guide rails;

said regulator elements for each compartment are supported by an overhead tray; and

said compartment for each drawer is provided by a tank resting on said tray.

13. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 12 wherein:

said tank includes a top wall slidably coupled to said tank and movable in a direction parallel to a bottom wall for gaining access into said compartment.

14. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 2 wherein:

said frame includes four sets of guide rails and a drawer corresponding to each set of guide rails with each drawer having three compartments.

15. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 2 wherein:

said compartments include at least one divider separating said compartments into at least two sub-compartments.

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

said dividers are positioned within said compartments dividing each of said compartments into a first sub-compartment defining a first volume and a second sub-compartment defining a second volume different from said first volume.

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

said lighting component is a fluorescent light constructed to substantially span the width of said drawer.

18. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 2 wherein:

said compartments each include a thermometer sensitive to a temperature in said internal environment and operable to transmit an internal environment temperature signal to said control unit.

19. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 2 wherein:

said heat transfer component is a heat pad underlying a bottom wall of each said compartment and said heat pad rests on an insulating pad.

20. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 19 wherein:

the temperature of said heat pad may be variably controlled with said control unit.

21. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 2 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 from said environmental control unit to withdraw heated air between drawers out of the back of said frame and withdraw cooler ambient air from the front of said frame across said heat transfer components.

22. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 2 wherein:

said control panel includes a selectively accessible input device.

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

a first sensor m communication with said environmental control unit and operable to detect a temperature change within said first and second internal environments; and

wherein

said environmental control unit includes a processor responsive to a signal from said first sensor to selectively actuate said regulator element in either of said environments to regulate the internal temperature therein.

24. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 23 further including:

an overtemp auxiliary fan mounted on said frame and in communication with environmental control unit, said overtemp auxiliary fan being operable to draw air across said drawer in response to a command signal from said environmental control unit based on a signal from said first sensor.

25. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 23 further including:

an alarm in communication with said processor and operable to selectively emit an alarm signal in response to a signal transmitted from said processor in response to said first sensor signal.

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

an ambient temperature sensor in electrical communication with said main control board; and

wherein

said main control board is programmed to periodically monitor said overtemperature sensors and said ambient temperature sensor.

27. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 2 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.

28. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 2 wherein:

said environmental control unit includes a main control board having a programmable processor, said processor being programmed to periodically monitor said regulator elements for error conditions;

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

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

29. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 28 wherein:

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

30. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 28 wherein:

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