WO2008135528A2

WO2008135528A2 - An animal cage system

Info

Publication number: WO2008135528A2
Application number: PCT/EP2008/055415
Authority: WO
Inventors: Carsten Hallum
Original assignee: Scanbur A/S
Priority date: 2007-05-02
Filing date: 2008-05-02
Publication date: 2008-11-13
Also published as: WO2008135528A3

Abstract

The invention provides an animal cage system by which a cage, e.g. for experimental animals, can be placed in a handling facility. The handling facility facilitates separation of a closure from the cage and thereby facilitates handling of the cage by use of one hand. Ergonomically and hygienically, this is an advantage for the keeper of the animals.

Description

AN ANIMAL CAGE SYSTEM

INTRODUCTION

The present invention relates to an animal cage system, in particular of the kind for housing, breeding, and studying mice and similar rodent, e.g. animals used for experiments. The cage system comprises a cage with a box-shaped base formed by a bottom with a wall extending upwardly from the bottom towards an opening. The cage further comprises a closure for closing the opening.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Cages of the abovementioned kind are typically used in various situations, such as for housing the animals at a fixed location, for transporting the animals, and for locating animals at an experiment facility. At the fixed location, the cages are often stored in a rack system which typically comprises ventilation, watering and feeding systems etc. The cages are typically individually releasable from the rack. Normally, the cages are made from a transparent material to allow observation of the animals in the cage.

The closure is typically maintained on the box by friction or by a snap locking mechanical engagement between protrusions or depressions on the box and closure.

Handling of cages, e.g. when handling the animals or when cleaning the cages, can be a demanding and sometimes heavy work. To stress the animals least possible and to avoid escapes from the cage, the cage should be handled with caution. At the same time, animals for experiments are typically kept in very large numbers and the time for maintenance and handling of each cage is often short.

When handling cages of the mentioned kind, it is normally desirable to keep one hand clean and untouched by the surrounding objects since this allows the keeper to touch animals by hand without infecting the animal with contaminants collected from the surroundings.

When the closure is removed from the box, it may happen that the animals try to escape from the cage, and the staff must typically be careful when handling and opening the cage. A tight and sometimes even sealing fit between the box and the closure may complicate the opening procedure further. DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to facilitate easier handling and opening of cages. Accordingly, the invention provides a system with a cage and a handing facility which is adapted to receive the cage and to separate the closure from the box, e.g. as a result of the box being received in the handling facility.

Since the staff can position the cage at the handling facility whereby the closure is released from the box, the system may serve as a support for an ergonomically more correct work environment, and since the staff may focus only on handling of the box without having to consider release of the closure therefrom, it is easier to maintain one hand untouched by the surroundings and thereby to protect the animals from infection or contamination. The system may further enable better focus on the animals in the cage and thereby facilitate a gentler handling of the animals.

The cage may be received e.g. in guiding rails, or in a circumferentially or at least partly circumferentially extending, e.g. loop shaped, frame, or the cage may be received in a seat for the cage, e.g. formed by a depression or cavity into which the box-shaped base of the cage fits. During the movement via the rails, through the frame or into the seat, separation means may retain the closure while the box is allowed to continue the movement, and the closure may thereby be separated from the box.

The cage may be a regular cage made of any material, e.g. a regular plastic cage with a closure which is pres-fitted to an opening. The cage may in general contain any feature known in the art for keeping animals in a controlled environment. As an example, the closure may fit tightly to the opening to provide sealing of the cage.

The frame of the handling facility may e.g. be made from plastic or metal, and it may comprise any structure by which the cage can be supported or by which the cage may even be fixated. The frame could be a ring shaped frame in which the cage is received, e.g. so that a peripheral flange of the closure is supported while the cage is allowed to continue through the frame. The box could e.g. be supported at a lower position in the frame, i.e. after the closure is separated from the box. As an example, the handling facility may comprise a support for supporting the box and closure in a position relative to each other in which the closure covers the opening after separation of the closure from the box. This may prevent escape of animals when the closure is separated from the box.

The support for the box may be movable so that the keeper can release the support for the box whereby the box falls through the frame and into a storage or transportation system located beneath the handling facility. Subsequently, the support for the box is moved back to a configuration in which it is ready to receive a new cage to be handled.

In some cages, the closure is locked to the box by a locking structure which must be released before the closure can be lifted off from the opening of the cage. The handling facility and cage may therefore comprise cooperating structures, so that a release structure of the handling facility is arranged to release the locking structure of the cage when the cage is received by the handling facility.

The handling facility may be adapted to receive the cage in a first path e.g. a downwardly extending path from above the handling facility and to eject the box in a second path, e.g. a path extending transverse to the first path or a path extending below the handling facility. This allows receiving of a cage into the handling facility from one location during simultaneous deliverance of another cage from the handling facility to a different location. As mentioned already, the cages could simply fall through a frame of the handling facility e.g. by release of a support structure. In this case, the second path could form an extension of the first path.

The handling facility may further be adapted to eject the closure in a third path - again, this could happen simultaneously with receiving another cage into the handling facility. The third path may extend transverse or even perpendicular to the second path.

Separation of the closure from the cage may be supported or facilitated entirely by power driven means, e.g. comprising suction devices adapted to grip the closure and/or the box by suction on an outer surface thereof. The box may also comprise an outward protrusion or flange which is accessible for a power driven gripper so that the gripper can catch the box and pull it downwardly until the closure is released from the box.

The handling facility may comprise a weight determining structure arranged to determine weight of a cage in the handling facility. The weight determining structure may comprise calculating means and optionally memory means adapted to determine and optionally storing a weight difference of the cage during handling of the cage in the handling facility. This may be used e.g. for determining the weight of the animals in the cage etc.

The handling facility may further comprise a data recognition structure arranged to read data provided on the cage. The data could be provided by radio frequency identification (RFID), by bar codes or by regular letter prints on an outer surface of the cage or closure, and the recognition structure may comprise a camera or similar image generating means in combination with OCR software etc. The system may comprise further additional features as defined in the depending claims.

In a second aspect, the invention provides an animal cage handling facility for a cage which comprises a bottom, a wall extending upwardly from the bottom towards an opening, and a closure for closing the opening, the facility comprising a frame adapted to receive the cage and further comprising means arranged to separate the closure from the box when the box is received in the frame, e.g. adapted to separate the closure as a result of the cage being received in the frame.

The handling facility may comprise guiding rails, a loop shaped frame forming an opening in which the cage can be received, a seat or any similar means by which the cage can be received. The handling facility further comprises a retaining structure which retains the closure while the cage is received and thereby separates the closure from the box. The handling facility may in general comprise any of the features mentioned in connection with the first aspect of the invention.

In a third aspect, the invention provides a method of handing a cage, where the cage is received in a handling facility of the above mentioned kind whereby the closure of the cage is released. The method may comprise the step of ejecting the cage in a second path while receiving another cage in a first path.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the following, the invention will be described in further details with reference to the drawing in which:

Fig. 1 illustrates a cage system prior to arrangement of the cage in the handling facility;

Fig. 2 illustrates a cage system when the cage is arranged in the handling facility;

Fig. 3 illustrates a handling facility without the cage;

Fig. 4 illustrates an enlarged view of the separation structure of the handling facility;

Fig. 5 illustrates a handling facility with two pneumatic actuators;

Figs. 6-7 illustrate details of grippers for pulling the box away from the closure; and Fig. 8 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a release structure.

Figs. 1 and 2 illustrate an animal cage system 1 according to the invention. In Fig. 1, the cage is not arranged in the handling facility and in Fig. 2, the cage is received by the handling facility, whereby the closure is lifted off from the box shaped part of the cage. The system comprises a cage 2 and a handling facility 3. The cage comprises a box 4 which is illustrated in further details in Fig. 2 and comprises a bottom 5 and a wall 6 extending upwardly from the bottom towards an opening 7, c.f. Fig. 2. A closure 8 is provided for closing the opening 7.

The handling facility 3 comprises a frame 9 supportable on a table by legs 10 and forming a loop which is dimensioned to allow the cage 2 to enter there through. The handling facility comprises separation means 11 which retains the closure when the cage is received in the handling facility and thereby separates the closure 8 from the box 4.

The closure 8 is locked to the box 4 by a locking structure which is shown in further details in Fig. 6. The locking structure comprises a pawl 12 on the closure 8. The pawl 12 is arranged to catch a protrusion on an outer surface of the wall 6. When the pawl is lifted outwardly away from the wall 6, or pushed inwardly towards the wall, the closure is unlocked and can be removed from the box. The handling facility comprises a release structure 13, in this case constituted by an upward extending blade which presses the pawl 12 towards the wall 6, or which enters between the pawl and the wall 6 and thereby releases the pawl and unlocks the closure when the cage is arranged in the seat. The release structure 13 also retains the closure when the cage is received in the handling facility and therefore also supports separation of the closure from the box.

The cage comprises a tag 14 to which an information label can be attached. The handling facility may comprise a camera, a bar code reader, or any kind of reader capable of reading the label.

Fig. 3 illustrates the handling facility 3 without the cage 2. The arrow 15 indicates a first path in which a cage 2 is receivable from above the handling facility 3, and the arrow 16 indicates a second path, forming a continuation of the first path, and in which a cage 2 can be rejected from the handling facility 3. The arrow 17 indicates a third path along which the closure 8 can slide back and forth supported by the separation means 11. Accordingly, the box 4 can enter the handling facility 3 in one direction, the box 4 can be rejected from the handling facility 3 in a continuation of the direction in which it entered, and the closure 8 can slide on the separation means 11 away from the handling facility 3 in another direction. Fig. 4 illustrates an enlarged view of one of the two separation means 11 in a situation where the closure 8 is lifted off from the box 4. The separation means 11 has a stepped configuration forming a first flange 18, a second flange 19, and a radial edge 20. The distance between the radial edges 20 of the two separation means 11 guides the box 4 through the open frame. The first flange retains the edge 21 of the closure while the box is able to continue its movement through the frame 9. In one embodiment, the box comprises an outward flange (not shown), which is retained by the second flange 19 whereby the box 4 is supported after the closure 8 has been separated therefrom.

Fig. 5 illustrates a handling facility with two pneumatic actuators 22, 23 which are arranged to move two pull grippers 24, 25 in a downward direction indicated by the arrow 26.

In Fig. 6, it is illustrated how the pull grippers 24, 25 catches a protruding rib 27 provided on an outer surface of the box 4 while the closure 8 is retained by the separation means 11.

Fig. 7 illustrates an enlarged cross-sectional view of one of the pull grippers 24, 25. The pull gripper comprises a pivotal part 28 which is rotatable around the hinge pin 29 and which is biased towards the illustrated unfolded position by a spring (not shown). When a cage 2 enters the handling facility, the pivotal part 28 folds in the direction indicated by the arrow 30, and unfolds when the rib 27 is below the pivotal part 28. When the pneumatic actuators 22, 23 are actuated, the pull grippers 24, 25 are pulled downwardly as indicated by numeral 26 in Fig. 7, and, as the closure is retained by the separation means 11 and by the release structure 13, the closure is separated from the box.

Fig. 8 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the release structure 13 which presses the locking pawl 12 towards the wall of the box 4 and thereby releases the closure 8 from the box 4.

Claims

1. An animal cage system (1) comprising a cage (2) and a handling facility (3), the cage (2) comprising a box (4) with an opening (7), and a closure (8) for closing the opening (7), the handling facility (3) being adapted to receive a cage (2) and thereby to separate the closure (8) from the box (4).

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the handling facility is adapted to separate the closure as a result of the cage being received in the handling facility.

3. A system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the handling facility (3) comprises a support (11) for supporting at least one of the box (4) and closure (8).

4. A system according to claim 3, wherein the support (11) supports the box (4) and closure (8) in a position relative to each other in which the closure (8) covers the opening (7) after separation of the closure (8) from the box (4).

5. A system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the handling facility (3) forms an opening dimensioned to receive the box (4) there through and dimensioned or shaped to retain the closure (8).

6. A system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the closure (8) is locked to the box by a locking structure (12) and wherein the handling facility (3) comprises a release structure (13) for releasing the locking structure (12).

7. A system according to claim 6, wherein the release structure (13) and locking structure (12) are adapted to cooperate to unlock the closure (8) when the cage (2) is received in the handling facility (3).

8. A system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the handling facility (3) is adapted to receive the cage (2) in a first path (15) and to eject the box in a second path (16).

9. A system according to claim 8, wherein the first and second paths (15, 16) extend in the same direction.

10. A system according to any of claims 8-9, wherein the handling facility (3) is adapted to eject the closure (8) in a third path (17).

11. A system according to claim 9, wherein the third path (17) extends transverse to the second path (16).

12. A system according to any of the preceding claims, comprising power driven means (22, 23) adapted to separate the closure (8) from the box (4), when the cage (2) is received in the handling facility (3).

13. A system according to claim 12, wherein the power driven (22, 23) means is adapted to pull the box (4) in a downward direction while the closure (8) is retained by a retain structure.

14. A system according to claim 13, wherein the power driven means (22, 23) comprises pull grippers (24, 25) adapted to pull a protrusion (27) provided on an outer surface of the box

(4).

15. A system according to claim 14, wherein at least one of the pull grippers (24, 25) comprises a pivotal section (28).

16. A system according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising a weight determining structure arranged to determine weight of a cage (2) which is received in the handling facility (3).

17. A system according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising a data recognition structure arranged to read data provided on a cage (2) which is received in the handling facility (3).

18. An animal cage handling facility (3) for a cage (2) comprising a box (4) with an opening (7) and a closure (8) for closing the opening (7), the handing facility (3) being adapted to receive the cage (2) and to separate the closure (8) from the box (4).

19. A facility according to claim 18, forming an opening dimensioned to receive the box (4) therein.

20. A facility according to any of claims 18-19, adapted to receive the cage (2) during a linear movement.