U-Shaped Housing Closure for Lab Animal Cage Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cage systems for laboratory animals face challenges in improving containment, reducing the number of components, increasing cage density on racks, and stabilizing cages during movement, while maintaining practicality and ensuring a controlled microclimate.
Innovation Solution
The closure system features a U-shaped housing with a silicone gasket for enhanced sealing, a self-locking mechanism using side runners and slide rails for secure positioning on racks, and a filter retainer for improved ventilation, reducing the need for manual handling and increasing cage capacity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional plastic tops with latches and multiple gaskets are used, then containment is provided, but the number of components increases and containment reliability is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the sealing function and containment function into a single integrated system. The U-shaped housing with integrated gasket eliminates the need for separate latches and multiple gaskets, reducing component count while maintaining containment reliability through the continuous sealing provided by the integrated design
Solution Approach 2:
The U-shaped housing serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides structural support for the cage top, integrates the sealing gasket to prevent leakage, and incorporates the filter retainer for ventilation. This multi-functionality reduces the overall number of components needed in the cage system
2Productivity
If more cages are placed on racks to increase density, then productivity increases, but cage stability during movement deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The side runners are designed to be adjustable and adaptable to different rack configurations. This dynamic design allows the cage positioning system to accommodate increased cage density while maintaining stability through optimized contact points and friction management
Solution Approach 2:
The self-locking mechanism automatically engages when the cage is placed on the rack, providing stable positioning without requiring additional manual intervention. The friction-based locking system self-regulates to maintain cage stability during movement and handling
3Ease of operation
If traditional cage closure systems are used, then containment is achieved, but practicality of use and ease of operation are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the complex latch mechanism from the closure system and replaces it with a simplified friction-based self-locking system. This extraction of unnecessary complexity improves ease of operation while the integrated U-shaped housing with gasket maintains containment reliability
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system ensures improved containment and stability of cages, reduces the number of components, and increases rack efficiency by providing secure and easy positioning, while maintaining a controlled environment for laboratory animals.
Implementation Method 1
a first gasket housed in the edge, the first gasket having a lip projecting out of the upper edge, and bending in contact with a side rim
Data Source
AI summary
A closure system for a cage containing laboratory animals, where in an upper edge of the base of the cage an U-shaped housing towards the outside of the edge hosts a gasket having a lip projecting out of the upper edge, and s bending in contact with a side rim of the top, the side rim overlapping the upper edge, and comprising at least two latches, connected on one side to the base, and having a bending line with a smaller thickness, and a projecting hook at the opposite side, to be restrained in a slot in the top, so that in operation the latch bends in the bending line and the projecting hook can be engaged to or disengaged from the slot.