CAGE FOR LABORATORY ANIMALS AND RELATED LID

Abstract

A cage for housing laboratory animals includes a basin and a removable lid, which is switchable between a first closing position in which it is positioned over the basin, where it prevents the inner space delimited by the basin from being accessed, and a second opening position in which the access to the inner space is possible. The basin has a first peripheral ridge extending outwardly and an engagement tongue extends from the first peripheral ridge. The tongue has a smaller peripheral extension than the peripheral extension of the first peripheral ridge. The engagement tongue has an extension towards the outside of the basin which is greater than that of the first peripheral ridge. Positioning of the lid over the basin in the first closing position results in an automatic engagement of an engagement seat of the lid by the engagement tongue of the basin.

Claims

1. A cage for housing laboratory animals, said cage comprising: a basin and a movable lid adapted to be positioned over said basin in a first closing position in which it prevents the access to the inner space delimited by said basin and repositioned in a second opening position in which it does not prevent said inner space from being accessed, wherein said basin comprises a bottom wall with at least one substantially flat portion and a plurality of side walls extending from said bottom wall and joined to one another to delimit said inner space, wherein said lid comprises a main portion and a lateral engagement edge defined by a corresponding plurality of side walls which are reciprocally joined, each extending from said main portion to give said lateral edge a skirt or apron shape, wherein with said lid in said first closing position, said lateral edge is positioned adjacent to said side walls; wherein said cage comprises an engagement tongue extending from one of said side walls of said basin towards the outside of said basin or from said lateral edge towards the inside of said lateral edge, respectively; wherein said cage comprises an engagement seat defined by said lateral edge or by said basin, respectively; and wherein the positioning of said lid over said basin in said first closing position results in the automatic engagement of said engagement seat by said engagement tongue; wherein said cage comprises a first peripheral ridge extending from said basin towards the outside of said basin along the whole peripheral extension of said basin or from said lateral edge over the whole peripheral extension of said lateral edge, respectively, and towards the inside of said lateral edge, to join said side walls of said basin or said side walls of said lateral edge, respectively, wherein said engagement tongue extends from said first peripheral ridge, and in that said tongue has a smaller peripheral extension than the peripheral extension of said first ridge, and in that said tongue has an extension towards the outside of said basin or towards the inside of said lateral edge, respectively, which is greater than that of said first ridge.

2. The cage according to claim 1, wherein the extension direction towards the outside of said basin or towards the inside of said lateral edge, respectively, of said engagement tongue lies on a plane which is substantially parallel to said at least one substantially flat portion of said bottom wall.

3. The cage according to claim 1, wherein said basin and said lid have a substantially rectangular plan shape and therefore each comprises four side walls opposed to one another in pairs, and in that said engagement tongue extends from one of the two shortest side walls among said four side walls of said basin or of said lateral edge, respectively.

4. The cage according to claim 1, wherein said engagement seat extends from the inner surface of said lateral engagement edge which, with said lid in said first closing position, is adjacent to said side walls of said basin, over part of the thickness of said lateral engagement edge, or from the outer surface of said basin over part of the thickness of the side wall of said basin comprising said engagement seat, respectively, said engagement seat thus being blind at the outer surface of said lateral edge opposed to said inner surface or at the inner surface of said side wall of said basin comprising said engagement seat, respectively.

5. The cage according to claim 1, wherein said engagement seat extends from the inner surface of said lateral engagement edge which, with said lid in said first closing position, is adjacent to said side walls of said basin, over the whole thickness of said lateral engagement edge or from the outer surface of said basin over the whole thickness of the side wall of said basin comprising said engagement seat, respectively, said engagement seat thus being through and open at the outer surface of said edge opposed to said inner surface or at the inner surface of said side wall of said basin comprising said engagement seat, respectively.

6. The cage according to claim 1, wherein said basin comprises a second peripheral ridge extending parallel to said first peripheral ridge towards the outside of said basin along the whole periphery of said basin or from said lateral edge over the whole peripheral extension of said lateral edge and towards the inside of said lateral edge, respectively, to join said side walls of said basin or said side walls of said lateral edge, respectively, wherein said second peripheral ridge, together with said first peripheral ridge, defines a housing seat with a substantially U-shaped transverse section, and an opening facing the outside of said basin or the inside of said lateral edge, respectively, and in that a sealing gasket is accommodated in said housing seat, which sealing gasket is adapted to ensure the isolation of said inner space with said lid in said first closing position.

7. The cage according to claim 6, wherein said sealing gasket comprises a portion extending through said opening of said housing seat, and in that with said lid in said first closing position, said portion of said gasket is elastically deformed by the contrast with said lateral edge of said lid or with said basin, respectively.

8. The cage according to claim 1, wherein the disengagement of said tongue from said engagement seat takes place by pressing towards said inner space, the pressing action being exerted on said side wall from which said tongue extends or which comprises said engagement seat, respectively.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0088] The present invention is further clarified below by the following detailed description of possible embodiments depicted in the drawings, in which features and/or corresponding or equivalent component parts are identified by the same reference numerals. It has in any case to be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below and depicted in the drawings; contrarily, all those variants and/or modifications of the embodiments described below and depicted in the accompanying drawings, which are clear and obvious to those skilled in the art, fall within the scope of the present invention.

[0089] In the drawings:

[0090] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a cage according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0091] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a lid of a cage according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0092] FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a basin of a cage according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0093] FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a feeder for a cage according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0094] FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of a lid of a cage according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0095] FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of a cage according to an embodiment of the present invention, with the lid in opening position;

[0096] FIG. 7 shows a side view of a cage according to an embodiment of the present invention, with the lid in opening position;

[0097] FIGS. 8 and 9 show perspective views of a lid of a cage according to an embodiment of the present invention and of a cage according to an embodiment of the present invention with the lid in opening position, respectively;

[0098] FIGS. 10 and 11 show a perspective view of details of the basin and of the lid of a cage according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0099] FIGS. 12 to 15 show sectional views of a further solution implemented in a cage according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

[0100] The present invention is particularly applicable to the field of housing for laboratory animals, this being the reason why the present invention is described below with particular reference to the applications thereof in the field of housing for animals.

[0101] It is in any case worth noting that the possible applications of the present invention are not limited to those described below. Contrarily, the present invention is conveniently applied in all those cases in which it becomes necessary to optimize the opening of a container including a main containment portion and a lid switchable between a first opening position, in which it prevents access inside said main portion, and a second opening position in which accessing the inside of said main portion contrarily is allowed and/or possible.

[0102] The cage according to an embodiment of the present invention is identified as a whole by numeral 10 in FIGS. 1 to 3; as depicted, cage 10 comprises a basin 11 intended to contain the litter for animals to be housed (possibly together with other accessories such as for example, the feeder 30 in FIG. 4), wherein the basin 11 substantially defines the space available to the animals. Again as depicted, cage 10 comprises a lid 12 adapted to be positioned over the basin 11 (and possibly fastened thereto by means of fastening means which are not depicted) in the closing position in FIG. 1 (in which it prevents the animals from exiting and also access inside basin 11), and to be removed from basin 11, for example when access to the inside of basin 11 is required by an operator and/or when it is required to perform the operations summarized above such as for example, changing the litter or similar operations. As shown in detail, basin 11 has a box-like shape (and rectangular in the non-limiting example depicted in the drawings) and comprises a substantially flat bottom 13 and four side walls 16 opposed to one another in pairs, joined to one another and joined to bottom 13. For the sake of conciseness, reference is indifferently made in the following to a single side wall 16 or also to the overall side wall 16, as mentioned formed by the four side walls opposed to one another in pairs. For its part, as depicted in FIG. 2, lid 12 comprises a true main covering portion 17 from which a wall or lateral edge 18 extends in substantially transverse direction. According to one embodiment as depicted in FIG. 2, lid 12 comprises a grid, a depression for housing and positioning a container for drinking liquids, and also air intakes 19 for introducing and discharging ventilated and/or forced air into and from cage 10, respectively. The air intakes 19, as the grid and the aforesaid depression, are in any case not essential for the objects of the present invention and therefore a detailed description thereof is omitted for the sake of conciseness.

[0103] As to feeder 30 in FIG. 4, according to essentially known methods which therefore are not described in detail, the same is intended to be positioned in cage 10, for example as depicted in FIG. 6, and is shaped so as to contain and make a feed available to the animals, in particular so that the feed does not come into contact with the litter. Feeder 30 is also not essential for the purposes of the present invention.

[0104] Again as mentioned above, the cage according to the present invention comprises peculiarities aiming to optimize the handling of lid 12; said peculiarities are described below with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7, in which component and/or characteristic parts of cage 10 according to the present invention described above with reference to the drawings, are identified by the same reference numerals.

[0105] Reference numeral 20 in FIG. 5 identifies restraint means as a whole, adapted to allow the facilitated positioning of lid 12 in a different opening position from the closing position in FIG. 1, in which access to the inside 14 of cage 11 in particular is possible. Said restraint means 20 essentially comprise a pair of substantially identical hooks 21, wherein therefore, a detailed description of one hook 21 alone is given below, again for the sake of conciseness.

[0106] As depicted, hook 21 extends from the inner surface of the covering portion 17 (that facing the inside 14 of basin 11 with lid 12 in the closing position in FIG. 1) and comprises a first extension portion which substantially is perpendicular to the covering portion 17, and an end extension portion which extension direction lies on a plane substantially parallel to the covering portion 17. Therefore, hook 21 defines an engagement and housing seat 22, the function of which is described in greater detail below with reference to other drawings. Moreover, it is important to note how both hooks are arranged inside the space defined by the lateral edge 18 of lid 12 at a predefined distance from the edge itself so that, with lid 12 in the closing position in FIG. 1, none of the hooks 21 engage or are in contact with any portion of basin 11. The hooks 21 therefore do not prevent the removal and separation of lid 12 from the closing position in FIG. 1, for example by lifting, should it become necessary for example to remove lid 12 and separate it from basin 11, for example by positioning it on the work surface of a changing station. However, the hooks 21 allow the repositioning of lid 12 according to the following methods.

[0107] By lifting the end of lid 12 opposite to the end including the air intakes 19, and therefore opposite to the direction towards which the hooks 21 face, and translating it to rest on basin 11, the hooks 21, in particular the ends thereof, engage (hit) the inner surface of the side wall 16 of basin 11. At this point, with the ends of the hooks 21 in contact with the inner surface of the side wall 16, the hooks 21 progressively engage respective end portions of the side wall 16 at the upper edge of the side wall 16 by means of further rotation of lid 12 (clockwise with respect to FIG. 6), wherein a respective end portion of the side wall 16, as mentioned close to the upper edge of the side wall 16, is accommodated in the housing and engagement seat 22 of each of the hooks 21, in the final opening position in FIG. 6. The mutual engagement of the hooks 21 and of the side wall 16 gives stability to lid 12 in the opening position in FIG. 6, wherein access to the inside of basin 11 is possible and allowed without any risk for lid 12 to accidentally switch (fall back) into the closing position in FIG. 1 or to detach from basin 11, for example falling back onto the surface of a changing station. Obviously, the operations for repositioning lid 12 from the opening position in FIG. 6 to the closing one in FIG. 1 are in reverse order to those described above for switching from the closing position to the opening one and therefore a detailed description thereof is omitted for the sake of conciseness.

[0108] Moreover, it is important to note how the system described ensures further advantages concerning the actual position of lid 12 in the opening position in FIG. 6 in addition to the advantages related to the facilitated switching of the lid. Firstly, it is worth noting that only a portion of the edge 18 of lid 12 is in contact with the outer surface of basin 11. Moreover, lid 12 substantially is parallel to the side wall 16, wherein therefore, also in the opening position in FIG. 6, the mutual engagement of the hooks 21 and of the side wall 16 does not prevent lid 12 from being separated from basin 11, for example to be placed on the work surface of a changing station; contrarily, for the purpose it is simply required to lift the lid, thereby releasing the hooks 21 from the side wall 16. Moreover, as depicted in FIG. 7, with basin 11 resting on a work surface P, lid 12 is raised with respect to surface P, wherein no part or portion of lid 12 is in contact with said surface P.

[0109] A description of a further embodiment of cage 10 according to the present invention is given below with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9; component and/or characteristic parts also in FIGS. 8 and 9, which were already described above with reference to other drawings, are identified by the same reference numerals.

[0110] As depicted in FIGS. 8 and 9, in the case of the embodiment therein depicted, the shape of the hooks 21 substantially corresponds to that of the hooks 21 according to the embodiment described above; the hooks 21 indeed define each a housing and engagement seat 22 which is entirely similar to that defined by each of the hooks depicted for example, in FIG. 5. However, in the case of this further embodiment, the location of the hooks 21 differs from that of the hooks according to the preceding embodiment. Here indeed, the hooks 21 do not extend from the inner surface of the covering portion 17 of lid 12, rather from the lateral edge 18, each defining an extension thereof which substantially is parallel to the extension direction of edge 18. The hooks 21 therefore are positioned more externally. With regards to basin 11, each of the two opposed side walls 16 comprises a portion which extends from the wall itself towards the outside of the basin to define an engagement slot 40. With lid 12 in the opening position in FIG. 9, each of the hooks 21 engages a related slot 40, wherein a portion of slot 40 is accommodated in the housing and engagement seat 22 of hook 22.

[0111] The switching methods of lid 12 from the closing position to the opening one and vice versa, as the rest of the arrangement of lid 12 with respect to basin 11 in the opening position in FIG. 9, substantially correspond to those described above, wherein therefore a detailed description thereof is omitted for the sake of conciseness. The embodiment depicted in FIGS. 8 and 9 offers the advantage that, due to the external position of the hooks 21, the risk of interference of the hooks 21 with components or accessories inside basin 11 is avoided during the switching of lid 12, wherein contrarily, the arrangement of the hooks 21 according to the embodiment in FIGS. 5 to 7 may result in the need to adapt the shape and/or position of said accessories, for example of feeder 30. Moreover, also in the case of this embodiment, with lid 12 in closing position, no part or portion of basin 11 is engaged or even only in contact with the hooks 21.

[0112] A description of a further solution which can be implemented according to the present invention in a cage for housing laboratory animals is given below with reference to the FIGS. 10 and 11, wherein component and/or characteristic parts in FIGS. 10 and 11, which were already described above with reference to other drawings, are identified by means of the same reference numerals.

[0113] As depicted, basin 11 comprises, at the upper edge, two peripheral ridges 125 and 126 which extend one parallel to the other over the whole periphery (perimeter) of basin 11 to join the side walls 16 of basin 11. Moreover, a tongue 110 extends from the lower ridge 125 (the one furthest from the upper edge of basin 11) towards the outside of basin 11; in particular, tongue 11 has a smaller peripheral extension than the peripheral extension of ridge 125 along the side wall 16, while it has a greater outward extension than that of ridge 125.

[0114] In particular, the tongue has a peripheral (perimetral) extension which is smaller than the peripheral extension of the single side wall from which it extends towards the outside. Moreover, and again as depicted, the lateral edge 18, in position corresponding to that of the tongue 110 (with lid 12 positioned over basin 11 in closing position), has an engagement seat 140 adapted to be engaged by tongue 110 with lid 12 in the aforesaid closing position (FIG. 10). Said engagement seat 140 therefore has a peripheral extension substantially coincident with or slightly greater than that of tongue 110, and width (in the transverse direction to that of the peripheral extension, i.e. in the vertical direction) which is substantially coincident with or slightly greater than the thickness of tongue 110.

[0115] It arises therefore from the above structural description of tongue 110 and related engagement seat 140, that the positioning of lid 12 over basin 11 up to reaching the final closing position of lid 12 results in the practically automatic engagement of seat 140 by tongue 110, and in any case without the need for the operator to act on any of them, the engagement of seat 140 by tongue 110 therefore being a mutual restraint between lid 12 and basin 11 such as to prevent the removal or in any case accidental movements of lid 12, the restraint between basin 11 and lid 12 moreover not requiring the use and therefore the implementation of additional restraint means such as handles, clips or the like.

[0116] Likewise, the release of lid 12 from basin 11 is obtained by means of simple and immediate operations, for example by pressure towards the inside 14 of basin 11 on the side wall 16 of basin 11 including tongue 110 up to releasing (causing the exit of) tongue 110 from seat 140, this operation being decidedly less invasive for the operator than those required in case of additional restraint means such as handles, clips or the like.

[0117] Moreover, the absence of said handles or similar restraint means increases the visibility from the outside of the inside of basin 11 and avoids stress problems for the animals resulting from the noise generated by the implementation of said handles or similar restraint means.

[0118] Obviously, although a basin 11 with solely one side wall 16 including engagement tongue 110 was described, different embodiments (and not depicted) fall within the scope of the present invention according to which for example, tongue 110 is present in more than one side wall 16 and/or one or more side walls 16 comprise more than one tongue.

[0119] Finally, embodiments fall within the present invention according to which the one or more tongues 110 do not extend from basin 11 towards the outside but rather from the lateral edge 18 towards the inside, the related one or more seats 140 here being obtained in basin 11, in particular in one or more side walls 16 of basin 11.

[0120] Finally, with regard to the one or more engagement seats 140, the same may be both blind and through and therefore have smaller depth than the thickness of edge 18 or of the side wall 16, respectively, or equal to said thickness of edge 18 or of the side wall 16 of basin 11, respectively.

[0121] Moreover, although in the embodiment as depicted in the drawings and disclosed above, the tongue 110 is delimited in the thickness (vertical) direction by two opposite end surfaces parallel to each other and each parallel to the flat portion of the bottom wall 13 of basin 11, the orientation of one of both of said opposite end surfaces of tongue 110, according to the present invention, can be changed and selected according to the needs and/or circumstances. As an example, one or both of the lower and upper end surfaces can be inclined with respect to the flat portion of the bottom wall 13 so as to confer to the tongue 110 a substantially triangular or trapezoidal cross section. Furthermore, and still within the scope of the present invention, the tongue 110 can extend from the upper ridge 126 instead that from the lower one 125.

[0122] A further embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to FIGS. 12 to 15, wherein component and/or characteristic parts depicted in FIGS. 12 to 15, which were already described above with reference to other drawings, are identified by the same reference numerals.

[0123] As depicted in FIG. 12 (but also in FIG. 10), the two first 125 and second 126 peripheral ridges define a peripheral housing seat 130 (which therefore extends over the whole periphery or perimeter of basin 11) in which a sealing gasket 131 is accommodated, and therefore selected to ensure the isolation of the inside of the basin 1/cover 12 system from the outside and vice versa, with lid 12 positioned over basin 11 in closing position.

[0124] For this purpose, indeed, gasket 131 comprises a main portion accommodated in seat 130 and an extension and contrasting portion 132 which extends from the main portion through opening 130A, with which seat 130 (closed on three sides) communicates with the outside, portion 132 therefore extending outside seat 130.

[0125] It therefore is deduced that as depicted, starting from the configuration in FIG. 14 (with lid 12 released from basin 11), the positioning of lid 12 over basin 11 up to reaching the closing position (with possible reciprocal engagement of tongue 110 with corresponding engagement seat 140) results in a contrast between the portion 132 of gasket 131 and the lateral edge 18 of lid 12, and therefore in the elastic deformation of portion 132, the elastic contrast between portion 132 and the lateral edge 18 therefore ensuring the isolation from the inside of the basin 11/lid 12 system from the outside.

[0126] Moreover, the elastic deformation of portion 132 increases the restraint between lid 12 and basin 11, possibly allowing to avoid the use of further restraints, possibly also of tongue 110 and related engagement seat 140 described above with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11.

[0127] However, said further restraint means are not necessarily to be avoided, wherein in the case they are considered useful and/or suitable, a possible embodiment thereof is depicted in FIG. 13.

[0128] Reference 500 in FIG. 13 identifies a plate-shaped latch connected to basin 11, wherein the plate comprises a curvature line 501 with a smaller thickness which makes the plate switchable by rotation with respect to basin 11 in the two opposite directions of rotation indicated by the dual arrow in FIG. 13, wherein the plate further comprises a protruding hook 502 which, with lid 12 in the closing position, engages a slot 503 obtained in the lateral edge 18 of lid 12.

[0129] The positioning of lid 12 over basin 11 up to reaching the closing position in FIG. 13 therefore results in the rotation of the plate in anticlockwise direction and then in the rotation thereof in clockwise direction, with subsequent coupling or engagement of hook 502 in slot 503 and therefore in the mutual restraint of lid 12 and of basin 11.

[0130] Finally, according to the alternative embodiment in FIG. 15, seat 130 may be provided not in basin 11 but rather be defined by lid 12, wherein the elastic deformation of the extension 132 of gasket 131 occurs here by contrast with a lateral edge 18 defined by basin 11.

[0131] It has therefore been demonstrated by means of the detailed description above of the embodiments of the present invention depicted in the drawings, that the present invention allows the desired results to be obtained and the drawbacks encountered in the prior art to be overcome or at least limited.

[0132] In particular, switching methods of lid 12 which were entirely impossible in the case of the cages according to the prior art, are allowed by the present invention. In detail, such entirely innovative switching methods allow opening the cage by means of switching lid 12 without any need to separate lid 12 from basin 11, wherein lid 12 moreover may be separated from basin 11, if required, according to methods substantially coincident with those for separating the lid from the basin in the case of the cages according to the prior art, in particular with lid 12 in both the opening and closing positions. In other words, there is absolutely no need to switch lid 12 into the opening position beforehand to separate lid 12 from cage 11 with the lid in closing position, wherein likewise, there is no need to switch lid 12 from the opening position to the closing position beforehand to separate lid 12 from basin 11 with the lid in opening position.

[0133] Moreover, the present invention provides a closing and opening system which allows both restraining and releasing the lid to and from the basin, respectively, by means of simple and immediate operations and methods which are not very intrusive for the operator, and also avoiding the use of systems and/or handles or the like, as summarized above.

[0134] Finally, the present invention provides a gasket which is shaped and positioned not only so as not to hinder the restraining and releasing of the lid to and from the basin, respectively, but contrarily so as to improve both the aforesaid restraint and isolation of the inside of the cage.

[0135] Although the present invention was clarified above by means of the detailed description of the embodiments thereof depicted in the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described and depicted in the drawings; contrarily, all those variants and/or modifications of the embodiments described and depicted in the accompanying drawings, which are apparent and obvious to those skilled in the art, fall within the scope of the present invention.

[0136] For example, the number of the hooks 21 and tongues 110 and the position thereof may be selected according to needs and/or circumstances. Likewise, the orientation of the hooks may be selected so that the hooks 21, with the lid in the opening position, engage any one of the side walls 16 of basin 11.

[0137] Restraint means 20 of magnetic type, including for example magnets fastened to the lid and to the basin, also fall within the scope of the present invention.

[0138] Moreover, it is to be considered that due to the repositioning of the lid, the solution according to the present invention is applicable to lids of any type, in particular also for non-ventilated cages.

[0139] Finally, it is to be noted that the various solutions described above may be implemented both separately and combined, wherein for example, a lid 12 according to the present invention may comprise only gasket 131 or one or more of the hooks 22 and/or the engagement seat 140, possibly combined, and therefore be used combined with one or more tongues 110.

[0140] The scope of protection of the present invention is therefore defined by the claims.