Sterile modular facility

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10136612-B1
Application number	US-201615195956-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jun 28, 2016
Priority date	Jun 28, 2016
Publication date	Nov 27, 2018
Grant date	Nov 27, 2018

Abstract

A modular vivarium is constructed entirely from transportable, sterile modules of distinct types, called pods. A hallway pod forms a spine, with cage-rack pods, ingress/egress pods and optional VHACPIT pods providing HVAC, power and IT services connected as spur pods to the hallway. Supplies and waste are also within modular pods. Temporary or single-use seals cover doorways during transit. Modules are joined or removed while maintaining sterility on both sides of the flush-to-wall doorway junction. Supply and return air for all pods is through hallway based ducting. Pods may be constructed from ISO intermodal containers. Embodiments have no permanent buildings. Pods may be moved, leveled and aligned for joining via special supports. Cage-rack pods are configured with two cage racks and a single isle permitting robotic cage placement and retrieval. Embodiments provide vibration, noise and earthquake isolation.

First claim

I claim:

1. A modular vivarium comprising a cluster of pods comprising:
one or more transportable cage-rack pods, each comprising one or more permanent doorways;
one or more transportable hallway pods, each comprising two or more permanent doorways;
wherein a first cage-rack pod is removably joined to a first hallway pod such that a first permanent doorway on the first cage-rack pod is mated to a first permanent doorway on the first hallway pod via a first sterile pod junction;
wherein the one or more cage-rack pods and the one or more hallway pods comprise respective interior volumes; wherein the respective interior volumes are sterile;
wherein the first sterile pod junction permits airflow between the interior of the first cage-rack pod and the interior of the first hallway pod and wherein the sterile pod junction does not permit airflow between the interior volume of either pod connected via the sterile pod junction and air outside the cluster of pods;
wherein the cluster is dynamically expandable by removably joining a second cage-rack pod to the cluster or by removably joining a second hallway pod to the cluster or by removably joining both a second cage-rack pod and a second hallway pod to the cluster; wherein such joining mates permanent doorways on the respective pods and such joining is via at least a second sterile pod junction;
wherein the first doorway of the cage-rack pod and the first doorway of the first hallway pod are closed during transport of the respective pods and open when the respective pods are removably joined via the first sterile pod junction;
wherein the first doorways of the cage-rack pod and hallway pod, and the sterile pod junction, are adapted so that when the respective pods are joined, a pre-existing sterility of the interior volumes of the respective pods is maintained.

2. The modular vivarium of claim 1 wherein:
the width of the one or more transportable cage-rack pods is no greater than eight feet six inches.

3. The modular vivarium of claim 1 wherein:
the width of the one or more transportable hallway-rack pods is no greater than eight feet six inches.

4. The modular vivarium of claim 1 wherein:
the first transportable cage-rack pod comprises an automated mechanism adapted to retrieve a selected cage from a cage rack inside the first cage-rack pod and deliver it to the first doorway of the first cage-rack pod while no person is inside the first cage-rack pod.

5. The modular vivarium of claim 1 wherein:
the cluster is dynamically expandable by removably joining an ingress pod by mating a first permanent doorway on the ingress pod to a second permanent doorway in a pod in the cluster via at least a third sterile pod junction; and
wherein the ingress pod comprises a second permanent doorway on the ingress pod; and
wherein the ingress pod is adapted for personnel to enter the ingress pod via its second permanent doorway and exit the ingress pod via its first permanent doorway.

6. The modular vivarium of claim 1 wherein:
the cluster is dynamically expandable by removably joining a first transportable HVAC pod;
wherein the first transportable HVAC pod provides sterile air to the cluster;
and wherein the first transportable HVAC pod is no wider than eight feet six inches.

7. The modular vivarium of claim 6 wherein:
the cluster is dynamically expandable by removably joining a second transportable HVAC pod;
wherein the second transportable HVAC pod provides sterile air to the cluster; and
wherein the first and second transportable HVAC pods are adapted to operate redundantly such that a failure of either HVAC pod does not cause the cluster to lack sufficient sterile air for vivarium operation.

8. The modular vivarium of claim 1 wherein:
the cluster is dynamically expandable by removably joining a first transportable IT pod; wherein the first transportable IT pod provides IT services to the cluster; and
wherein the first transportable IT pod is no wider than eight feet six inches.

9. The modular vivarium of claim 8 wherein:
the cluster is dynamically expandable by removably joining a second transportable IT pod;
wherein the second transportable IT pod provides IT services to the cluster;
and
wherein the first and second transportable IT pods are adapted to operate redundantly such that a failure of either IT pod does not cause the cluster to lack sufficient IT services for vivarium operation.

10. The modular vivarium of claim 1 wherein:
the first transportable cage-rack pod further comprises:
a two-dimensional array of animal cage racks;
wherein the two-dimensional array of animal cage racks comprises:
a first duct adapted to provide fresh air to each cage placed in the cage rack;
a second duct adapted to exhaust used air from each cage place in the cage rack; and
a first plenum adapted to carry a communication cable to each cage location in the cage rack.

11. The modular vivarium of claim 1 wherein:
the first transportable cage-rack pod further comprises:
a first two-dimensional array of animal cage racks located on a first wall of the first transportable cage-rack pod;
a second two-dimensional array of animal cage racks located on a second wall of the first transportable cage-rack pod;
the first transportable cage-rack pod comprises an automated mechanism adapted to retrieve a selected cage from a cage rack inside the cage-rack pod and deliver it to the first doorway of the cage-rack pod while no person is inside the first cage-rack pod; and
the width of the first transportable cage-rack pod is no greater than eight feet six inches.

12. The modular vivarium of claim 1 wherein the cluster comprise:
two or more transportable cage-rack pods;
one or more transportable hallway pods;
one or more transportable ingress pods;
one or more transportable egress pods;
two or more transportable HVAC pods, adapted to operate redundantly;
two or more transportable IT pods; adapted to operate redundantly;
wherein the transportable HVAC pods may be the same pods as the transportable IT pods;
wherein the transportable pods are no wider than eight feet six inches.

13. The modular vivarium of claim 1 wherein:
the first sterile pod junction is adapted to provide vibration isolation between two pods removably joined by the first sterile pod junction.

14. The modular vivarium of claim 1 wherein:
the first sterile pod junction is adapted to provide earthquake motion isolation between two pods removably joined by the first sterile pod junction, up to a predetermined limit of motion, such that earthquake motion up to the predetermined limit of motion does not break the sterile air seal provided by the first sterile pod junction.

15. A modular vivarium comprising a cluster of pods comprising:
a first transportable hallway pod;
two or more transportable cage-rack pods, each removably connected to a side of the first hallway pod and extending outwards from the first hallway pod;
wherein each cage-rack pod and the first hallway pod comprise respective interior volumes; wherein the respective interior volumes are sterile;
one or more transportable service pods adapted to provide a first subset of such services from the set: {fresh, temperature controlled air; power; information technology};
at least one airtight pod junction wherein the airtight pod junction is adapted to permit airflow between a first pod interior air volume and a second pod interior air volume wherein the airtight pod junction joins the first and second pods and the airtight pod junction does not permit airflow between the first and second pod interior

Assignees

• Vium Inc
• Vium Inc

Inventors

• Betts-Lacroix Jonathan

Classifications

• A01K1/0047

  Air-conditioning, e.g. ventilation, of animal housings (Laboratory cage ventilation A01K1/0313; Cat or dog houses with climate control means A01K1/0335) · CPC title

• A01K1/0035 Primary

  Transportable or mobile animal shelters · CPC title

• A01K1/031 Primary

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

• B65G1/04

  mechanical · CPC title