• 专利附录
  • 专利说明
  • 权利要求
  • 类似技术
  • 同族专利
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    • 专利摘要:
    The invention relates to a cage (10) for laboratory animals comprising a plate (11) and a cover (12) that can be removed and swapped between a first closed position thus preventing access to the delimited inner space (14). by said platen (11), and a second open position, to which said inner space (14) is accessible. The lid (12) comprises at least one hook (21) facing the inside (14) of the plate (11) with said lid (12) in the first closed position and engaging in the second open position such that the cover (12) can be lifted and removed from the tray (11). The hook (21) also comprises a hook-shaped support portion (21a) of substantially constant thickness t, with an engagement portion (21b) having a width w greater than t, and in second position opening, the portion (11) is grasped by said engagement portion (21b).
    公开号:FR3068863A3
    申请号:FR1856473
    申请日:2018-07-13
    公开日:2019-01-18
    发明作者:Pietro Bernardini；Simone Cassetti；Giovanni Malnati
    申请人:Tecniplast SpA；
    IPC主号:
    专利说明:

    COVER FOR A LABORATORY ANIMAL CAGE, AND LABORATORY ANIMAL CAGE COMPRISING THE SAME
    LID
    Technical field of the invention
    The present invention belongs to the field of housing laboratory animals. In particular, the present invention relates to a cage housing laboratory animals. In detail, the present solution relates to a cage of the type identified above, provided with an innovative opening and access system. More specifically, the novel system according to the present invention relates to the handling and positioning of the lid of a cage of the aforementioned type.
    Contextual art To date, the use of housing cages for laboratory animals, such as small rodents or similar animals, is widespread, the cages having varying sizes and shapes depending on the number of animals to be accommodated and conditions of care of the animals themselves. For example, the use of "ventilated" cages is widespread, in this case cages in which forced air flow from a main circuit is circulated. Nevertheless, in addition to specificities provided according to needs and / or circumstances, the cages of known type or at least those used most commonly include substantially a tray designed to contain the litter and a lid (also called above on the following ); in addition, a third component in the tray is generally housed, namely the feeder, which is designed to hold food at an accessible position for the animals and so that food does not come into contact with the litter. Finally, a bottle with drinking water can be prepared inside the cage or also outside by resting on the lid.
    The lid or top is positioned above the tray (and optionally attached to the tray by appropriate closing means such as clamps or the like) and the desired seal is provided by a seal, positioned between the two elements so that the tray and lid system is adequately isolated from the external environment, where the housing users work, thus avoiding contamination of the housing towards the inside of the cage, and from within the housing. the cage towards housing or the outside environment.
    In most cases, the housing is for "clean" animals, especially so-called animals without specific pathogens, SPF, in which the volume and interior surfaces of the cage in the case of animals "Clean" are maintained and are considered "clean", while anything outside the cage, including the outer surface of the cage itself, is considered potentially "dirty" and contaminated ,
    On the contrary, the opposite concept applies to the case of potentially contaminated animals, in particular from a microbiological point of view, in which everything inside the cage is considered to be. "Dirty" and therefore potentially contaminating for the outdoors, including operators.
    In both cases, however, there is a major need to avoid exchanges and / or mixtures (especially microbiological contaminations) of what is confined inside the cage and what is outside. of it, thereby maintaining the concept of aseptic conditions.
    It is therefore apparent that all operations requiring the opening of the cage, and in particular the removal of the lid, must be carried out according to methods making it possible to avoid the aforementioned mixtures and consequently any contamination of the cage, accessories to the interior of it and animals, but also the external environment and in particular operators. Such operations include, for example, without an exclusive character, the change of the cage (to put the animal in a new tray with a clean and dry litter, new food and sometimes drinking water), the catch and the relocation of animals according to their sex and before they reach their reproductive maturity, in which the removal of the lid is also necessary in the case of "procedures", such as for example specific experiments, the weighing of animals, injection and / or sampling of biological fluids, diagnoses, medical examinations, surgical procedures, etc., and in which, depending on the methods commonly used, the aforementioned operations are carried out in an atmosphere controlled in cabinets for microbiological safety or change.
    Such microbiological safety cabinets, to which it. is also more simply referred to as cage changes, substantially comprise a work surface struck by a protective gas flow, in particular protective air, which is perpendicular to the work surface, and possibly by another flow substantially parallel to the work surface, the work surface being closed on two or three sides through fixed walls and accessible from a side to which a vertical sliding window is prepared, in which, due to the calibration of one or more protective flows taken from peripheral slots provided along the outer periphery of the work surface, an attempt is made to obtain the desired protection and to avoid the aforementioned contamination of the animals and / or cages and / or components and / or the operator. In practice, the air walls prevent what is outside the work surface from contaminating what is inside, and what is inside and potentially contaminated does not laminar flow system and only reaches the operators and the environment. Nevertheless, the cages of the known type complicate the operations summarized above, or even compromise the efficiency and / or reliability thereof.
    Indeed, each of the operations summarized above necessarily requires the handling of the cover which must in particular be first removed from the seat of the latter on the plate, and then positioned on the work surface (usually next to trays or to a rear position, paying attention that the internal surfaces do not come into contact with the work surface or with other instruments resting on it), and finally taken (making sure not to touch the inner surface thereof), removing it from the position of the latter on the work surface and relocating it in the seat thereof above the plate, thereby closing the cage. Nevertheless, the manipulation of the lid causes a series of disadvantages, substantially due to the limited space on the work surface.
    For example, when the cage is changed, the "dirty" cage, with the animals and litter used, and the new sterile "clean" cage are necessarily present on the work surface of the cabinet, with the apparent risk of contact accidentally between "dirty" and "sterile" components and that the dirty cover does not come into contact with clean components.
    In the same way, when separating the sexes, there are at least three cages present on the work surface of the cabinet: the original "dirty" cage containing the. litter and at least two "clean" cages on each side, each of which is intended to receive animals of one sex or the other, which obviously increases the risk of contact between dirty components and clean components, in particular between the dirty cover and clean components, given the increased number of components to be arranged on the work surface. In the light of what has been disclosed above, the problems and / or the disadvantages encountered in the handling or management of the cages according to the prior art, in particular the cages of the cages according to the prior art, may be classified according to the following groups. 1) Risk of contamination of parts inside the cage and therefore animals, with external parts of the cage or with other objects. 2) Risk of contamination of the operators. 3) Risk of interruption of laminar flow integrity and aseptic conditions inside the cabinet. 4) Ergonomic risk due to repetitive movements. 5) Human risk due to the absence of a clear procedure guiding the operator.
    As regards the risks relating to heading 1), these are at least partly due to the fact that, for example, the hands of the operator may accidentally come into contact with the internal parts of the lid during each of the three manipulation steps described above. In addition, when the cover is placed on the work surface, the internal parts thereof may touch potentially contaminated parts, such as external parts of the cage itself, the work surface, containers, potentially contaminated specimens or potentially contaminated flasks present within the laminar flow. Finally, it should be noted that such operations are made difficult by the obligation, or at least the opportunity, for operators to wear gloves, which reduces the friction and sensitivity of the hands of the operator, by the minimum spaces within which protection is provided, and also by the front safety glass which inevitably limits the freedom of movement of the arms.
    With regard to the risks relating to heading 2), it should be noted that, although the risk in housing is generally associated with the contamination of animals by pathogens introduced by operators or already present in dwelling rooms, the same potential problems as those described above can lead to contamination of operators and the immediate environment by animals that may carry microbiological agents.
    With regard to the risks relating to heading 3, it should be noted that, as described above, the restricted area of the working area is often crowded or occupied because, in addition to To be changed, there can also be a plurality of tools useful for operations, such as containers for disinfectants and / or for food, bottles for water, test tubes, microbiological test cups, etc.
    Such objects should be carefully positioned within the sterile area. Indeed, if they are positioned, if only briefly, outside the sterile area during handling and then used, they may be contaminated or they may contaminate the environment. In addition, such objects can not be positioned along the periphery of the laminar flow zone because they obstruct the air intakes, which is detrimental to the protection normally provided by the sterile flow curtain.
    As a result, the risk of human errors that could compromise the required sterility is high.
    With regard to the risks relating to heading 4, it should be noted that hundreds of cages are changed by a single operator every day in a housing establishment. Such a procedure causes repetition of the same movements, i .1 mainly by the pcjignet, the fingers, the elbow and the shoulder of the persons taking care of the animals, as for the opening of the lid, the positioning of the latter on the working surface generally next to the tray 5 and then closing the lid. This is accompanied by a rotation of the wrist and. at least 180 degrees, first in one direction and then in the other. It is well known that pathologies, such as those of the carpal tunnel, can affect such operators, also because of these movements.
    Finally, with regard to the risks relating to heading 5, it should be noted that, independently of the system and the mark of the cage used, there is currently no clear procedure for access to IV. (15 (acronym for Ventilated Individual Cage) Each establishment implements standard operations that tend to minimize the risks described above, but there is no optimized process recommended by the suppliers since it does not There is no simplifying system, rationalizing and increasing the security and repeatability of such an operation.
    In order to overcome the disadvantages described above and thus to reduce in particular the risks relating to items 1) to 5), it has recently been proposed to provide support devices called "top supports" for supporting the lid (top) of the cage when it is removed from the board. In use, these supports are, in particular, positioned on the work surface of the change cabinet and, when the cover is removed from the tray, it is positioned on one of these supports. Therefore, these supports at least partially facilitate the task of the operator, who knows where to position the lid. In addition, they limit the risk that the inner (dirty) surface of the lid will come into contact with clean components and / or be touched by the hands of the operator. Nevertheless, good. Although the above supports may be appreciated for the above reasons, they nevertheless have various disadvantages and do not provide a significant and complete solution to the problems disclosed above.
    In fact, the above-mentioned support-type systems on the market must be positioned at a fixed position on the already restricted working surface, thus occupying a portion of it and hindering the handling of the cages.
    In addition, by being placed outside the cage on the sides or at a rear position, they require an even greater handling space for the operator when they are open and closed, compared to what. is available in the absence of these.
    Therefore, the main object of the present invention is to overcome or at least minimize the problems summarized above and encountered in the prior art.
    In particular, a first object of the present invention is to provide a solution allowing the easy manipulation of the lid of a cage for laboratory animals, thus limiting the risk of contamination. In detail, an object of the present invention is to provide a solution for. repositioning the lid through operations that are fast, safe and simple to perform. More specifically, an object of the present invention is to provide a solution for the aforementioned repositioning of the lid without complicating the lid removal operations if desired and / or necessary.
    Description of the present invention
    In view of the drawbacks encountered in the prior art and of the fixed objects or objectives, the object of the present invention according to a first embodiment is a cage for housing laboratory animals, said cage comprising a tray and a lid that can be removed and swapped between a first closed position, to which it is positioned on said tray, thus preventing access to the interior space delimited by said tray, and a second open position, to which said interior space is accessible when said cover comprises biasing means, when, with the lid at said first closed position, said biasing means do not engage with said plate, when, on the contrary, at said second open position, said means of constraint engage with a portion of said plate, and when said second position of said lid relative to said plate water is defined by reciprocal engagement of said stressing means and said portion of said tray.
    According to one embodiment, said constraint means are adapted so that, when said lid is at said second open position, at least a portion of said lid is positioned adjacent to a side wall of the tray, and said lid is substantially parallel to said side wall of said plate.
    According to one embodiment, said constraint means are adapted so that, when said lid is at said second open position and said plate rests on a plane, said lid is raised with respect to said plane.
    According to one embodiment, said constraint means comprise at least one hook rigidly constrained to said cover and adapted to define a seat for engagement and engagement, when, with said cover at said second open position, said at least a portion of said tray engaged by said biasing means is at least partially accommodated in said housing and engagement seat defined by said at least one hook.
    According to one embodiment, said at least a portion of said plate at least partially housed in said seat and engagement seat defined by said at least one hook is represented by a portion of a side wall of said tray.
    According to one embodiment, said at least one portion of said plate at least partially housed in said seat and engagement seat defined by said at least one hook., Is represented by an end portion of a side wall of said tray near the upper edge of said side wall.
    According to one embodiment, said at least one portion of said plate at least partially accommodated in said seat and engagement seat defined by said at least one hook, is represented by a portion of a side wall of said tray which extends from said side wall outwardly from said tray.
    According to one embodiment, said cover comprises a substantially flat main portion, when said at least one hook extends from the inner surface of said main portion facing the inside of said tray with said lid to said first closed position.
    According to one embodiment, said cover comprises a substantially flat main portion and a side wall joined to said substantially flat portion, when said at least one hook extends from said side wall of said cover.
    According to one embodiment, said constraint means comprise two of said hooks.
    According to one embodiment, said cage comprises at least one feeder intended, in use, to be placed inside said cage.
    According to one embodiment, said cover defines a depression adapted to at least partially accommodate a container for liquids, for example drinking water.
    According to one embodiment, said cage is of ventilated type, when said lid comprises means for introducing vented air into said cage. Other possible embodiments of the present invention are defined in the claims.
    Brief description of the drawings
    The present invention will be further clarified by the following detailed description of the possible embodiments illustrated in the drawings, in which corresponding or equivalent features and / or component parts of the present invention are identified by the same numerals. reference. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited in any case to the embodiments described hereinafter and illustrated in the drawings. On the contrary, all variants and / or modifications of the embodiments described hereinafter and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which are obvious and apparent to those skilled in the art, fall within the scope of the present invention. .
    In the drawings: - Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a cage according to an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of a cage cover according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 represents a perspective view of a tray of a cage according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 represents a perspective view of a manger for a cage according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a cage cover according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5a shows a perspective view of details of a cage cover according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of a cage according to an embodiment of the present invention, with the lid in the open position; Fig. 7 shows a side view of a cage according to an embodiment of the present invention, with the lid in the open position; Figures 8 and 9 show perspective views respectively of a cage cover according to an embodiment of the present invention and a cage according to an embodiment of the present invention with the cover at the position of 'opening.
    DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
    The present invention is particularly applicable to the field of housing laboratory animals. Therefore, the present invention is hereinafter described with particular reference to the applications thereof in the field of animal housing.
    It should be noted that the possible applications of the present invention are not limited to those described hereinafter. In contrast, the present invention is conveniently applied to all cases in which there is a need to optimize the opening of a container comprising a main enclosure portion and a cover that can be swapped between a first position of the container. opening, to which it prevents access to the interior of said main portion, and a second opening portion, to which, on the contrary, the interior of said main portion is authorized and / or possible.
    The cage according to one embodiment of the present invention is identified as a whole in FIGS. 1 to 3 by the number 10. As illustrated, the cage 10 comprises a plate 11 designed to contain the litter for animals to be housed ( possibly with other accessories such as the feeder 30 in Figure 4). The plate 11 substantially defines the space available for the animals. As illustrated, the cage 10 comprises a closure cover 12 adapted to be positioned on the plate 11 (and possibly fastened thereto by attachment means not shown) to the closed position in FIG. to which it prevents the exit of animals and it also prevents access to the interior of the tray 11) and able to be removed from the tray 11, for example when an operator needs access to the interior of the tray 11 and / or when it is necessary to carry out the operations summarized above, such as, for example, the change of litter or similar operations. In detail, as it is. shown, the tray 11 has a box shape (rectangular in the non-limiting example shown in the drawings) and comprises a substantially flat bottom 13 and four side walls opposite two to two 16 joined to each other and attached to the bottom 13 (extending from the bottom 13), To remain concise, it is hereinafter referred to indifferently to a single side wall 16 or to the overall side wall 16 consisting of four side walls opposite two by two. As shown in FIG. 2, the cover 12 comprises a real main portion of cover 17 comprising at least a substantially flat portion, from which a side or wall edge or a wall protector 18 extends in a substantially transverse direction. (substantially perpendicular to the flat portion of the cover 17). According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the cover 12 comprises a grid, a depression for the accommodation and positioning of a container for drinking drinks, and also air intakes 19 for introducing air respectively. ventilated and / or forced into the cage 10 and evacuate. In any case, the air intakes 19, as well as the grid and the aforementioned depression, are not essential for the purposes of the present invention and their detailed description is therefore omitted for the sake of brevity.
    With regard to the feeder 30 in FIG. 4, according to methods which are substantially known and which are therefore not described in detail, this is designed to be placed in the cage 10, for example as shown in FIG. Figure 6, and is adapted to contain food and make them available to animals, especially so that the food does not come into contact with the litter. The feeder 30 is not essential for the purposes of the present invention.
    The cage according to the present invention comprises features designed to optimize the handling of the lid 12. These features will be described hereinafter with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7, in which component parts and / or characteristics of the cage 10 according to the present invention. The invention described above with reference to other drawings are identified by the same reference numerals.
    Number 20 in FIG. 5 identifies constraint means as a whole, which are able to allow the easy positioning of the cover 12 at an open position different from the closed position in FIG. 1, to which access to the inside 14 of the cage 11 may in particular be possible. These constraining means 20 substantially comprise a pair of substantially identical hooks 21. For the sake of brevity, a detailed description of a single hook 21 will be presented hereinafter.
    As shown, the hook 21 extends from the inner surface of the lid portion 17 (facing the inside 14 of the tray 11 with the lid 12 to the closed position in Figure 1) and includes a first extension portion substantially perpendicular to the lid portion 17, and an end extension portion whose extension direction lies on a plane substantially parallel to the lid portion 17. Therefore, the hook 21 defines a engagement and housing seat 22 whose function is described in detail hereinafter with reference to the other drawings.
    As shown, each hook 21 comprises a hook-shaped support portion 21a having a predefined substantially constant thickness t (in a direction perpendicular to the direction along which the extension portion extends or, in other words in a direction parallel to the direction along which the two hooks 21 are opposed to each other).
    In addition, each hook 21 includes an engagement portion 21b (intended to engage portions of the tray 11 as will be described in detail below). The engagement portion 21b has a width w (in a direction perpendicular to the direction along which the extension portion extends or, in other words, in the thickness direction t of the support portion 21a) which is larger than the thickness t of said support portion.
    It should be noted how the two hooks are arranged within the space defined by the lateral edge 18 of the cover 12 at a predefined distance from the edge itself so that none of the hooks 21 engage or engage with each other. comes into contact with a portion of the plate 11 with the cover 12 in the closed position in FIG. 1. The hooks 21 do not therefore prevent the removal and separation of the cover 12 at the position in FIG. for example by lifting if it is necessary, for example, to remove the cover 12 and separate it from the plate 11, by positioning for example on the work surface of a change cabinet. The hooks 21 thus allow the lid 12 to be repositioned according to the following methods.
    By raising the end of the cover 12 opposite the end comprising the air intakes 19 (the end opposite the seats 22), and therefore to that to which the hooks 21 face and by its translation for resting it on the plate 11, the hooks 21, in particular their ends, engage with (strike) the inner surface of the side wall 16 of the plate 11. At this stage, with the ends of the hooks 21 in contact with the inner surface of the side wall 16, the hooks 21 are gradually engaged with respective end portions of the side wall 16 near the upper edge of the side wall 16 by further rotation of the cover 12 (in clockwise in Figure 6). A respective end portion of the side wall 16 is housed, at the end open position in FIG. 6, in the accommodation and engagement seat 22 of each of the hooks 21, as mentioned in FIG. close to the upper edge of the side wall 16. A respective portion of the inner surface of the side wall 16 is engaged (brought into contact) with the engaging portion 21b of each of the hooks 21. The engaging reciprocal hooks 21 and sidewall 16 ensures the stability of the cover 12 to the open position in Figure 6. This stability is enhanced by the engagement portions 21b (with a width w greater than the thickness t of the respective support portion 21a). This allows access to the interior of the plate 11 without any risk of accidental switching (return) of the cover 12 to the open position in Figure 1 or detachment of the plate 11, for example by falling on the plane of a change cabinet. Obviously, the repositioning operations of the cover 12 from the open position in FIG. 6 to the closed position in FIG. 1 are opposite or reversed with respect to those described above for the changeover from the closed position to the opening position. Their detailed description is therefore omitted for the sake of brevity.
    In addition to the advantages of the easy permutation of the lid, it should be noted how the described system has other advantages with respect to the actual position of the lid 12 at the open position in FIG. , it should be noted that only one portion of the edge 18 of the cover 12 is in contact with the outer surface of the plate 11. In addition, the cover 12 is substantially parallel to the side wall 16. Therefore, also at the position of opening in Figure 6, the reciprocal engagement of the hooks 21 and the side wall 16 does not prevent the separation of the cover 12 of the plate 11, for example to place it on the work surface of a change cabinet . On the contrary, it is necessary, for this purpose, to lift the lid, thereby releasing the hooks 21 of the side wall 16. In addition, as shown in Figure 7, with the plate 11 resting on a surface P, the cover 12 is raised relative to the plane P, and no portion or portion of the cover 12 is in contact with the plane P.
    With reference to Figures 8 and 9, a description will be presented below of another embodiment of a cage 10 according to the present embodiment. Component parts and / or features already described with reference to other drawings bear the same numbers in FIGS. 8 and 9.
    As shown in Figures 8 and 9 according to the illustrated embodiment, the shape of the hooks 21 corresponds substantially to that of the support portions 21a of the hooks 21 according to the embodiment described above. Indeed, the hooks 21 have a substantially constant thickness t. Each of them defines a housing and engagement seat 22 entirely similar to that defined by the brackets shown for example in FIG. 5. Thus, in the case of this other embodiment, the placement of the hooks 21 differs from that hooks according to the previous embodiment. Indeed, here, the hooks 21 do not extend from the inner surface of the lid portion 17 of the lid 12, but instead they extend from the side edge or the edge protection 18. Thus each they define an extension substantially parallel to the extension direction of the edge protection 18. Therefore, the hooks 21 are positioned more outwardly. With respect to the plate 11, each of the two opposite side walls 16 comprises a portion which extends from the actual wall towards the outside of the plate to define an engagement slot 40. With the cover 12 at the position opening in FIG. 9, each of the hooks 21 engages with an associated slot 40. A portion of the slot 40 is housed in the seat housing, and engaging 22 of the hook 22.
    The processes of permutation of the lid 12 from the closed position to the open position and vice versa, as well as the rest of the arrangement of the lid 12 with respect to the plate 11 at the open position in FIG. substantially to those described above. Their detailed description is therefore omitted for the sake of brevity. The embodiment shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 has the advantage of avoiding, during the rotation of the cover 12, the risk of interference of the hooks 21 with components or accessories inside the plate 11 due to the "external" position of the hooks 21. On the contrary, the arrangement of the hooks 21 according to the embodiment of FIGS. 5 to 7 may require an adaptation of the shape and / or the position of the accessories, for example the feeder 30. In addition, also in the case of the present embodiment, no part or portion of the plate 11 is engaged or comes into contact with the hooks 21 with the cover 12 in the closed position.
    Moreover, as one skilled in the art can appreciate, each of the hooks 21 can be configured exactly like the hooks according to the previous embodiment, in this case to include a support portion with a predefined thickness. and an engaging portion with a predefined width greater than said thickness of said support portion, the slots 40 being in this case of shape and dimension corresponding to those of the respective hooks 21.
    In addition, in both embodiments, the respective hooks and / or slots can be configured to allow the cover 12, in the closed position, to be removed from the tray 11, for example by lifting or lifting said lid 12.
    The above detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention shown in the drawings has demonstrated that the present invention achieves the desired results and overcomes or at least minimizes the disadvantages encountered in the prior art.
    In particular, the permutation processes of the lid 12, which are entirely impossible in the case of cages according to the prior art, are made possible by the present invention. In detail, such permutation methods, which are entirely innovative, allow the opening of the cage by the permutation of the lid 12 without the need to separate the lid 12 of the tray 11. In addition, the lid 12 can be separated from the tray 11, if necessary, according to methods corresponding substantially to the methods of separating the tray cover in the case of cages according to the prior art, in particular with the cover 12 in the open position and in the closed position. In other words, it is absolutely unnecessary to switch the cover 12 to the open position in order to separate the cover 12 from the stand 11 with the cover in the closed position. In the same way, it is not necessary to switch the cover 12 from the open position to the closed position in order to separate the cover 12 from the plate 11 with the cover in the open position.
    Although the present invention has been clarified above by a detailed description of the embodiments thereof shown in the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described and shown in the drawings. On the contrary, all variants and / or modifications of the embodiments described and shown in the accompanying drawings, which are obvious and apparent to those skilled in the art, are within the scope of the present invention.
    For example, the number of the hooks 21 may vary and be selected according to the needs and / or circumstances. Similarly, the orientation of the hooks can be selected so that the hooks 21, with the cover in the open position, engage with any of the side walls 16 of the tray 11.
    In addition, magnetically biasing means 20 are within the scope of the present invention, including, for example, magnets attached to the lid and the tray.
    Finally, it should be considered that the repositioning solution of the lid according to the present invention is applicable to lids of any type, especially also for non-ventilated cages.
    In particular, although in the embodiments shown in the drawings and disclosed above, the cover includes a grid, gridless covers are also within the scope of the present invention.
    In addition, although for lids comprising a grid, the hooks 21 are provided in correspondence with the grid (extending downwardly from the intersecting elements of the grid), according to embodiments of the present invention. In the invention, the hooks may be provided outside the gate, in particular next to the gate with respect to the longitudinal direction of extension of the cover.
    The protective perimeter of the present invention is defined by the appended claims.
    权利要求:
    Claims (12)
    [1" id="c-fr-0001]
    A cage (10) for housing laboratory animals, said cage comprising a tray (11) and a cover (12) removable and permuted between a first closed position, to which it is positioned on said tray (11) thereby preventing access to the interior space (14) delimited by said plate (11), and a second open position, to which said interior space (14) is accessible, wherein said lid (12) comprises a main cover portion (17) and an engaging side edge protector (18) extending from said main portion (17), wherein said cover (12) comprises at least one hook (21) which extends from the inner surface of said inner facing main portion (17) (14) of said tray (11) with said lid (12) to said first closed position, wherein, at said second open position, said at least one hook (21) engages with c a portion of said tray (11) such that said lid (12) can be lifted and removed from said tray (11), characterized in that said at least one hook (21) comprises a hook-shaped support portion ( 21a) with a predefined substantially constant thickness t, with an engaging portion (21b) having a width w which is greater than the thickness t of said support portion, and in that at said second position of opening, said portion of said plate (11) is engaged by said engagement portion (21b) of said at least one hook (21).
    [2" id="c-fr-0002]
    The cage (10) according to claim 1, wherein said at least one hook (21) comprises a first extension portion substantially perpendicular to said main lid portion (17), and an end extension portion of which the direction of extension is on a plane substantially parallel to said lid portion (17), characterized in that said thickness t extends in a direction perpendicular to the direction of extension of said extension portion, and in that that said width w extends in the direction of said thickness t.
    [3" id="c-fr-0003]
    3. Cage (10) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said at least one hook (21) is adapted so that, when said lid (12) is at said second open position, at least a portion said lid (12) is positioned adjacent a side wall (16) of the tray (11), and said lid (12) is substantially parallel to said side wall (16) of said tray (11).
    [4" id="c-fr-0004]
    4. Cage (10) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said at least one hook (21) is adapted so that, when said lid (12) is at said second open position and said tray (11) rests on a plane, said cover (12) is raised with respect to said plane.
    [5" id="c-fr-0005]
    5. Cage (10) according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that said at least one hook (21) is adapted to define a seat housing and engagement (22), and in that that, with said lid (12) at said second open position, said at least a portion of said tray (11) engaged by said at least one hook (21) is at least partially accommodated in said housing seat and engagement (22) defined by said at least one hook (21).
    [6" id="c-fr-0006]
    6. Cage (10) according to claim 5, characterized in that said at least a portion of said plate (11) at least partially housed in said seat housing and engagement (22) defined by said at least one hook ( 21) comprises a portion of a side wall (16) of said plate (11).
    [7" id="c-fr-0007]
    7. Cage (10) according to claim 6, characterized in that said at least a portion of said plate (11) at least partially housed in said seat housing and engagement (22) defined by said at least one hook ( 21) comprises an end portion of a side wall (16) of said tray (11) near the upper edge of said side wall (16).
    [8" id="c-fr-0008]
    8. Cage (10) according to claim 6, characterized in that said at least a portion of said plate (11) at least partially housed in said seat housing and engagement (22) defined by said at least one hook ( 21) comprises a portion of a side wall (16) of said tray (11) extending from the side wall (16) outwardly of said tray (11).
    [9" id="c-fr-0009]
    9. Cage (10) according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that said cover (12) comprises at least a second hook (21) according to one of claims 1 to 8, which extends from the inner surface of said inner facing main portion (17) (14) of said tray (11) with said lid (12) at said first closed position.
    [10" id="c-fr-0010]
    10. Cage (10) according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that said cage (10) comprises at least one trough (30) designed, in use, to be placed inside said cage (10). ).
    [11" id="c-fr-0011]
    11. Cage (10) according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that said cover (12) defines a depression (31) adapted to accommodate at least partially a container for liquids, for example drinking water.
    [12" id="c-fr-0012]
    12. Cage (10) according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that it is of a ventilated type, wherein said lid comprises means (19) for introducing vented air into said cage (10).
    类似技术:
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    同族专利:
    公开号 | 公开日
    EP3427577A1|2019-01-16|
    FR3068864B3|2019-12-27|
    BR102018014324A2|2019-01-29|
    DE202018104015U1|2018-08-24|
    FR3068864A3|2019-01-18|
    IT201700078916A1|2019-01-13|
    CN209002561U|2019-06-21|
    CN209002562U|2019-06-21|
    AU2018205202A1|2019-01-31|
    JP2019050800A|2019-04-04|
    CN109247239A|2019-01-22|
    EP3427577B1|2020-11-25|
    CN209002563U|2019-06-21|
    KR20190008138A|2019-01-23|
    ES2849438T3|2021-08-18|
    CA3011039A1|2019-01-13|
    TW201907794A|2019-03-01|
    FR3068863B3|2019-12-27|
    US20190014740A1|2019-01-17|
    DE202018104013U1|2018-08-27|
    DK3427577T3|2021-02-08|
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    法律状态:
    2019-06-19| PLFP| Fee payment|Year of fee payment: 2 |
    2020-06-12| PLFP| Fee payment|Year of fee payment: 3 |
    2021-06-24| PLFP| Fee payment|Year of fee payment: 4 |
    优先权:
    申请号 | 申请日 | 专利标题
    IT102017000078916A|IT201700078916A1|2017-07-13|2017-07-13|LID FOR CAGE FOR LABORATORY ANIMALS AND GABBIETTA FOR LABORATORY ANIMALS INCLUDING THAT COVER|
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