A portable inflatable pet nest includes an airbag, forming a pet nest after inflation, an interior of the pet nest is provided with a cavity, an out wall of the airbag is provided with an exit and entrance communicating with the cavity, and charging and discharging interfaces. In being used, an air pump is connected with the charging and discharging interfaces and inflates to the airbag, the airbag forms the pet nest after it is inflated, the cavity in the pet nest can be used for the pet to rest. When not be used, the charging and discharging interfaces are opened, the air in the airbag is released so that the airbag can be folded. The portable inflatable pet nest occupies a small space, it is convenient to store and transport, and the transportation cost is greatly reduced.

Apparatus for processing containing devices reciprocally connected components, a reception station, and a washing station, and configured to wash the components. The washing station includes a first washer to wash at least one component the components and a second washer machine to wash at least one other component. The apparatus includes a first robotized manipulator at entry to pick up and separate from each other the components of each containing device and to feed at least one of the components toward the first washer machine and at least one other of the components toward the second washer machine. The apparatus includes a second robotized manipulator at exit configured to pick up the components exiting from the first washer machine and from the second washer machine after they have been processed and to assemble them with respect to each other.

Apparatus for processing containing devices reciprocally connected components, a reception station, and a washing station, and configured to wash the components. The washing station includes a first washer to wash at least one component the components and a second washer machine to wash at least one other component. The apparatus includes a first robotized manipulator at entry to pick up and separate from each other the components of each containing device and to feed at least one of the components toward the first washer machine and at least one other of the components toward the second washer machine. The apparatus includes a second robotized manipulator at exit configured to pick up the components exiting from the first washer machine and from the second washer machine after they have been processed and to assemble them with respect to each other.

The invention relates to behavioral experiments with rodents, and especially to monitoring, data collection and control of such experiments. This invention provides a method for automatically observing the behavior of rodents in a way that provides accurate determination of location and direction of the head of the rodent, even in darkness under infrared light, by determining the location and the direction of the rodent's head on the basis of the triangle formed by the ears and the snout of the rodent.

The invention relates to behavioral experiments with rodents, and especially to monitoring, data collection and control of such experiments. This invention provides a method for automatically observing the behavior of rodents in a way that provides accurate determination of location and direction of the head of the rodent, even in darkness under infrared light, by determining the location and the direction of the rodent's head on the basis of the triangle formed by the ears and the snout of the rodent.

The door system disclosed herein includes a frame and a door fabricated from a plurality of horizontal and vertical wire rods. The door may have an inverted hook which is aligned to a horizontal wire rod of the frame when the door is pivoted to the closed position. To close the door, the door is dropped so that the horizontal wire rod of the frame is traversed into the inverted hook. At this point, the animal inside of the pet crate cannot open the door by pushing the door. Rather, the door must be raised so that the inverted hook clears the horizontal wire rod of the frame to pivot the door to the opened position.

A cage has a front, a rear, a first side, a second side, a top, and a bottom panel and at least one door formed through and operatively coupled to one of the panels. The cage further has an integrated handle and lock mechanism coupled to the at least one door. The lock has one or more catches that engage one of a plurality of horizontal bars or a plurality of vertical bars that form the panel containing the door. The integrated handle and the lock is rotatable between (1) a first locked position where the handle is parallel to the door and the catches engage with one of the horizontal or vertical bars that form the panel coupled to the door, and (2) second open position where the handle is no longer parallel to the surface and catches disengage from the horizontal or vertical bar.

A movable partition is usable with an animal kennel to change the size of the reposable region of the kennel within which an animal can be disposed during the animal's period of growth. The reposable region is situated between the kennel door and the movable partition. The movable partition is mountable to ventilation openings formed in the animal kennel and is movable among a variety of distances from the kennel door to change the size of the reposable region within the kennel in order to properly train the animal and to avoid the animal relieving itself within the kennel. The partition includes a barrier element and a number of mounting elements that are mountable to the ventilation openings of the kennel. The movable partition further includes a number of clip apparatuses that are cooperable with the mounting elements to retain the mounting elements mounted to the ventilation openings.

A smart cage includes radiofrequency transceivers and tags attached to laboratory animals. The tags include sensors to detect monitorable conditions of the laboratory animals. The sensors include working electrodes, counter electrodes, reference electrodes, and potentiostats. The top surface of the electrodes is coated with ionophores or enzymes which detect the monitorable conditions of the laboratory animals.

A grooming apparatus for a household pet is provided having a wall with an opening for admitting the pet into an enclosure, whereby a flexible, resilient sheet positioned in the opening is deflected by the pet and a pressure sensitive adhesive on the surface of the sheet attracts and retains loose pet hair.