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US 7,363,879 B2Granted
Animal display and habitat assembly
AssigneeNorth American Pet Products
InventorsRonald K. Bonner, Eric R. Knudsen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A ventilated animal habitat in the form of a frame having at least one shelf supporting an animal enclosure with a ventilation control region including an ambient air inlet and exhaust air outlet and a ducting system also supported by the frame with an exhaust air collection chamber having a mouth abutting the enclosure around the exhaust air outlet to capture exiting habitat air drawn under negative pressure by a remote vacuum source and direct the captured air through a carry way duct while fresh ambient air is introduced into the enclosure.
Claims20
A ventilated animal habitat comprising:
- a frame supporting a shelf;
- an animal enclosure defined by a front surface with a viewing window, a rear surface, a pair of opposing side surfaces, a floor surface, and a ceiling surface, said enclosure being supported by said shelf and surrounding a volume of habitat air;
- a ventilation control region in one of said surfaces, said region including an ambient air supply inlet for introducing a supply of fresh ambient air into said enclosure and an exhaust air outlet defined by a first perimeter for evacuating at least a portion of said volume of habitat air away from said enclosure;
- a ducting system supported by said frame and including an exhaust air collection chamber with an entry mouth abutting said ventilation control region of said enclosure and surrounding said first perimeter;
- a remote vacuum source operable to draw fresh ambient air into said ambient air supply inlet and draw habitat air into said exhaust air collection chamber;
- and
- a carry away duct having a first end connected to said exhaust air collection chamber and a second end in communication with said vacuum source to direct air drawn into said collection chamber to said vacuum source.
4 more elements
A ventilated animal habitat comprising:
- a frame supporting at least one shelf;
- an animal enclosure with a back wall, said enclosure being supported on said shelf and surrounding a volume of habitat air;
- an ambient air supply inlet for introducing a supply of fresh ambient air into said enclosure and an exhaust air outlet defined by a first perimeter for evacuating at least a portion of said volume of habitat air away from said enclosure;
- a ducting system supported by said frame and including an exhaust air collection chamber with an entry mouth abutting said back wall and surrounding said exhaust air outlet;
- and
- a carry away duct having a first end connected to said exhaust air collection chamber and a second distal end operable to be placed in communication with a vacuum source and to direct air drawn into said collection chamber to said vacuum source when said vacuum source is in operation.
3 more elements
A ventilated animal habitat comprising:
- a frame having a plurality of shelves;
- at least one isolated animal enclosure being supported on each of said shelves, each said enclosure surrounding a discrete volume of habitat air and including a discrete ventilation region with at least one inlet and at least one outlet;
- a low pressure air collector chamber supported by said frame in registration with each ventilation region, each said air collector chamber including a forward facing extension terminating in a mouth abutting an exterior of a rear wall of said enclosure and surrounding a perimeter defining said outlet in said ventilation region;
- a plurality of discrete air flow pathways corresponding to each of said shelves, each of said air flow pathways including a first end for connecting to unique ones of said air collector chambers and a second distal end;
- and
- a common exhaust duct connected to each of said second distal ends of said air flow pathways and including a primary exhaust opening operable to placed in communication with an air mover so as to remove habitat air along said discrete air flow pathways from each enclosure and draw fresh ambient air into said enclosures through said inlets.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.