Animal cage

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10130071-B2
Application number	US-201615396062-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 30, 2016
Priority date	Feb 25, 2015
Publication date	Nov 20, 2018
Grant date	Nov 20, 2018

Abstract

An animal cage is described suitable for automated use in a vivarium. The cage comprises a study animal; bedding; pathogens; a wireless, a sterilizable scale comprising a sterile case comprising a flexible, penetrated membrane; and a penetrating fastener penetrating the membrane. The comprises four internal volume areas with respect to pathogen content: (1) volume between the membrane and a weighing platform, free of bedding; (2) a sterile volume inside the scale case below the membrane; (3) a vertical channel fluidly connecting the inside of the cage with the first volume; and (4) the inside of the cage outside of the above three volumes. These four volumes are sterilely isolated from air outside the cage. Electronics in the scale communicate wirelessly, through the cage, to cage-associated electronics outside the cage, using narrow beam communications free of device-ID specific protocol. The scale may be disassembled, sterilized in a fluid, re-assembled, and re-used in a different cage.

First claim

We claim:

1. An animal cage comprising:
a cage interior; mutually exclusive of a cage exterior;
wherein the cage is adapted to house a study animal;

bedding in the cage interior;
a wireless, sterilizable scale in the cage interior comprising:
a case comprising a case interior comprising interior electronics comprising a weight sensor;
a horizontal weighing platform;
a wireless communication port;
a flexible membrane comprising a perimeter fixed zone, a central penetration zone, and a compliance zone; wherein the compliance zone isolates the fixed zone from the penetration zone;
wherein the flexible membrane perimeter fixed zone is attached to a respective perimeter portion of the case, defining a lower surface of the flexible membrane facing the interior of the case, and an opposing upper surface of the flexible membrane; wherein the attachment comprises a sterile seal;
a penetrating fastener, wherein the penetrating fastener penetrates the penetration zone of the flexible membrane, wherein the penetration is sterile sealed; and wherein an upper end of the penetrating fastener is above the flexible membrane and a bottom end of the penetrating fastener is below the flexible membrane;
a sterile volume, defined by the interior of the case and the lower surface of the flexible membrane;
wherein the upper end of the penetrating fastener is adapted to removably mechanically mate with the weighing platform;
wherein the weighing platform comprises a perimeter skirt, adapted such that when the weighing platform is removably mated with the upper end of the penetrating fastener, the perimeter skirt surrounds and overlaps an upper perimeter of the case such that the weighing platform forms a drip-proof covering over the upper surface of the flexible membrane, and upper end of the penetrating fastener;

a sterile scale volume, defined by the interior of the case and the lower surface of the flexible membrane; wherein the sterile scale volume is free of the study animal, free of the bedding, and free of pathogens;
a scale pathogen volume, defined by the upper surface of the flexible membrane, a horizontal lower surface of the weighing platform, when the weighing platform is mated to the penetrating fastener; wherein the scale pathogen volume is free of the bedding;
a scale bedding volume, defined by a gap between the perimeter skirt and the case, maintaining a vertical channel isolating the scale pathogen volume from a remainder of the interior of the animal cage;
wherein the scale is adapted to transmit a value of a weight of the study animal on the weighing platform; the weight mechanically coupled from the weighing platform through the penetrating fastener to the weight sensor; via the wireless communication port, through the cage interior to the cage exterior.

2. The animal cage of claim 1 wherein:
an exterior of the case of the scale, the upper surface of the flexible membrane and the upper end of the penetrating fastener together form an exterior of a primary module of the scale; and
wherein the primary module and the weighing platform are adapted to be separately sterilized by submersing in a sterilizing fluid.

3. The animal cage of claim 1 wherein:
the penetrating fastener comprises upper electrical contact points above the flexible membrane and lower electrical contact points below the flexible membrane, and wherein at least two of the upper electrical contact points are electrically connected to respective at least two of the lower electrical contact points.

4. The animal cage of claim 3 wherein:
the weighing platform comprises a platform electrical connector adapted to removably mate to the upper electrical contact points.

5. The animal cage of claim 4 wherein:
an exterior of the case, the upper surface of the flexible membrane, the upper electrical contact points and the upper end of the penetrating fastener together form an exterior of a primary module of the scale;
wherein the weighing platform and platform electrical connector together comprise a platform assembly; and
wherein the primary module and the platform assembly are adapted to be separately submersible sterilized in a sterilizing fluid.

6. The animal cage of claim 5 wherein:
the wireless communication port comprises a first and second bi-directional optical communication port and wherein the first and second ports are separated by at least the average diameter of the study animal.

7. The animal cage of claim 1 wherein:
the gap between the inside of the perimeter skirt and an outside edge of the case is in the range of 0.08 to 0.35 inches.

8. The animal cage of claim 1 wherein:
an overlap depth of the perimeter skirt from an upper surface of the case to a lower edge of the perimeter skirt is in the range of 0.125 to 2.0 inches.

9. The animal cage of claim 1 wherein:
a pathogen clearance distance from the upper surface of the flexible membrane to a lower surface of the weighing platform is in the range of 0.08 to 0.36 inches.

10. The animal cage of claim 1 wherein:
the wireless communication port comprises a protocol, transmitting weight data, that is free of device ID specific association with another communicating device.

11. The animal cage of claim 1 wherein:
the wireless communication port comprises a protocol, transmitting weight data, that is free of a specific device ID in each transmitted packet.

12. The animal cage of claim 11 wherein:
the animal cage is in a vivarium comprising at least 100 cages.

13. A method of weighing a study animal in the animal cage of claim 1 comprising the steps:
waiting for the study animal to be on the weighing platform of the sterilizable weighing scale of claim 1 ;
transmitting a weight of the study animal using the sterilizable weighing scale of claim 1 .

14. A method of sterilizing the wireless, sterilizable scale in the animal cage of claim 1 comprising the steps:
removing the wireless, sterilizable scale from the cage;
disassembling the weighing platform from the upper end of the penetrating fastener;
sterilizing the weighing platform and the case separately by submerging each in a sterilizing fluid;
reassembling the lid with the upper end of the penetrating fastener;
placing the wireless, sterilizable scale in a second cage.

Assignees

• Vium Inc

Inventors

• Betts-Lacroix Jonathan
• Harada Kevin

Classifications

• G01G23/3728

  with wireless means · CPC title

• A01K1/031 Primary

  Cages for laboratory animals; Cages for measuring metabolism of animals · CPC title

• A01K1/015

  Floor coverings, e.g. bedding-down sheets {; Stable floors} · CPC title

• G01G19/52

  Weighing apparatus combined with other objects, e.g. furniture (with walking sticks A45B3/08) · CPC title

• G01G21/22

  Weigh pans or other weighing receptacles; Weighing platforms · CPC title