Combination cage and watering device permitting automatic removal of bedding therefrom

A watering apparatus for supplying water from an outside system to an animal confined in a cage maintains an isolation barrier and has an outlet through which animal bedding and excess water escapes when the animal stuffs bedding in the area surrounding the water supply. The cage is defined by an interior and an exterior surface, a top, a bottom, two opposing ends each having a top and a bottom portion, and two opposing sides. The apparatus includes a internal cup that passes through an aperture located in one of the two opposing ends. A slot in the internal cup allows the animal to access the outside source of water. The apparatus also includes a flexible disk with a cutaway portion and a slit to receive the outside watering system. The cutaway portion of the disk, in combination with the shape of the cup, forms an outlet on the exterior of the cage. The space between the cup and the flexible disk defines a V-shaped cavity that flares outwardly from the slot in the cup toward the backing plate and flexible disk. When an animal stuffs bedding into the area surrounding the water supply, the bedding falls downwardly from the slot, through the outlet, and away from the interior of the cage. This prevents the water valve from being clogged and prevents any excess water from leaking into the cage. The cup in combination with the backing plate and flexible disk also prevents airborne contaminants from entering into the cage.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates to a watering apparatus which allows access to an 
outside watering system by an animal confined in a cage, while maintaining 
the isolation barrier, and has an outlet for the removal of bedding 
stuffed in the area surrounding the water supply by the animal, thereby 
preventing the water valve from becoming clogged or from leaking into the 
cage. 
2. Related Prior Art 
Watering devices for supplying water from an outside system to an animal 
confined in a cage are known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 
4,699,088 describes an animal cage assembly having an outside watering 
manifold for mounting on an aperture in the cage to supply an animal with 
water. The cage is disconnected from and reconnected to the watering 
system without destroying the integrity of the biologically isolated cage. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,458,632 describes a water dispenser for feeding animals 
having a support casing supplied with water, a water feed tube supported 
by the support casing, a poppet valve in the support casing to control 
water flow, and a guard tube supported by the support casing and extending 
into the cage to encompass the water feed tube. The free end part of the 
guard tube supports a drip trough having a bottom wall sloping downward 
from the inside of the cage toward the outside. Excess water dripping from 
the end of the water feed tube is caught by the trough and flows to the 
outside of the cage. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,346,672 describes a water dispenser which has a water feed 
tube and a feed control member for regulating the flow of water. Water is 
supplied automatically to the animal. Since the end wall of the 
cylindrical portion of the valve seat member engages with the 
circumferential wall of the water feed tube, leakage of water is 
completely prevented. Any excess water drips downward from the inner end 
of the feed tube onto the lower part of the interior of the guard tube and 
flows out of the guard tube through a drain hole at a point outside the 
cage. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,055,147 describes an automatic fluid dispenser which 
dispenses fluid only at predetermined periods of time. A drain is provided 
to remove the water rapidly from the system through an outlet valve. 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,228,377 describes an automatic watering system for animals 
confined in cages. A sealing ring on the inner surface of the watering 
tube prevents leakage of any water past the watering tube. 
Other patent references of general interest include U.S. Pat. Nos. 
3,518,971 and 3,752,124 which describe an inverted water bottle inserted 
through the top of a cage for supplying water to an animal. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Briefly described the invention comprises a watering apparatus which allows 
access to an outside watering system for an animal confined in a 
biologically isolated cage while maintaining the isolation barrier. The 
apparatus also allows for the automatic removal of animal bedding through 
an outlet on the exterior of the cage which has been stuffed into the area 
surrounding the water supply by the animal. 
Water is supplied to an animal through an outside watering system 
containing a drinking valve which passes through a watering apparatus 
located at one end of the cage. Each cage has an interior and an exterior 
surface, and includes a filter top section, a bottom section, two opposing 
ends each having a top and a bottom portion, and two opposing sides. 
Animal bedding is also typically present within the cage. 
A cup for receiving the outside watering system passes through the aperture 
in the cage. The internal cup has a drinking valve access slot located at 
the back end and a rim located at the front end. A retainer plate having 
an aperture therein for supporting the internal cup is attached to the 
interior of the cage. When the internal cup is passed through the aperture 
and supported by the retainer plate, the slot is located on the interior 
of the cage and the rim is located on the exterior surface of the cage. 
A flexible membrane or disk having a slit and a cutaway portion located 
along its edge is attached to the rim of the internal cup on the exterior 
surface of the cage by a backing plate having an aperture and a cutaway 
portion. When the disk and the internal cup are attached to the cage, the 
space between the disk assembly and the internal cup defines a V-shaped 
cavity. The V-shaped cavity tapers outwardly from the drinking valve 
access slot toward the disk assembly. A cover plate with an aperture and a 
cutaway portion is attached to the exterior of the disk assembly, and the 
watering apparatus is preferably attached to the cage by threaded 
retaining pins and resistance welded fasteners, but can be attached using 
machine screws and bolts. 
Bedding introduced into the slot of the internal cup by the animal falls 
downwardly and through an outlet formed on the exterior surface of the 
cage by the cutaway portions of the backing plate, disk and cover plate, 
respectively. Because the cavity of the internal cup flares outwardly from 
the slot toward the disk, animal bedding stuffed into the slot which 
surrounds the water supply is easily and automatically removed through the 
outlet. Removal of animal bedding through this outlet prevents the water 
valve from clogging or from leaking into the cage. Because the bedding is 
automatically removed through the outlet, the animal is provided with a 
constant supply of water and is protected from the danger of water leaking 
into the cage while maintaining the isolation barrier. 
These and other features of the invention can be further understood by 
reference to the following drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
During the course of this description like numbers will be used to identify 
like elements according to the different figures which illustrate the 
invention. 
The watering apparatus 10 according to the preferred embodiment of the 
invention is seen in context in FIG. 1. The apparatus 10 is shown attached 
to a cage 11 defined by a bottom 12, two opposing ends 14, two opposing 
sides 16 and a top 18. A mouse 22 with bedding 24 is shown in the interior 
13 of the cage 11. The cage used in the present invention is similar to 
the one described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,148,766. The water supply device 26 
which is normally part of an outside watering system is received in the 
watering apparatus 10. Outlet 42 through which bedding 24 and excess water 
is removed is located below the water supply device 26. The apparatus 10 
as shown is located near the bottom of the end 14 of the cage 11, but can 
be placed in any desirable location according to the needs of the user. 
The watering apparatus 10 as illustrated in an exploded perspective view in 
FIG. 2 comprises a internal cup retainer plate 30, a internal cup 28, a 
backing plate 36, a flexible disk 32 and a cover plate 38. The apparatus 
10 passes through an aperture 20 located in one opposing end 14 of the 
cage. The size of the internal cup 28 and the disk 32 can vary according 
to the needs of the user. The internal cup 28 is also known as a micro 
cup. As shown, the internal cup 28 passes through the aperture 20 in the 
cage and is supported on the cage by internal cup retainer plate 30. A 
backing plate 36 is attached to the rim 46 of internal cup 28. Flexible 
disk 32 is attached to the backing plate 36. Cover plate 38 is attached to 
the disk 32. After the apparatus 10 is assembled in the above manner, 
internally threaded welding fasteners 40 are spot welded 41 to cover plate 
38 to attach the apparatus 10 to an opposing end 14 of the cage 11. 
Machine screws or bolts are also used to attach the apparatus 10 to the 
cage 11. Spot welding of the internally threaded fasteners is preferable, 
as it provides minimal interference when the cage 11 is stacked on 
additional cages. 
A cross-sectional side view of the apparatus 10 when attached to the end 14 
of cage 11 is shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 3 shows the arrangement of internal 
cup 28, internal cup retainer plate 30, rim 46, backing plate 36, flexible 
disk 32 and cover plate 38. The rim 46 of internal cup 28 is located at 
the front end of the internal cup 28 and the drinking valve access slot 48 
is located at the back end of the internal cup 28. Rim 46 is located on 
the exterior surface 17 of the cage 11, while the drinking valve access 
slot 48 of internal cup 28 is located on the interior 13 of the cage 11. 
Fresh water is supplied to the mouse 22 through an outside water supply 
system 26 as shown in the cross-sectional view of the apparatus 10 in FIG. 
4. The water supply system 26 is introduced into the cage 11 and received 
first through aperture 39 in cover plate 38, then through slit 34 in 
flexible disk 32, then through aperture 37 in backing plate 36 and finally 
into the V-shaped cavity 50. The water supply device 26 supplies multiple 
cages with water. 
The slit 34 of disk 32 forms a reclosable entrance for permitting the water 
supply device 26 to be introduced. When the water supply device 26 is 
removed, the slit 34 closes to maintain the isolated environment of the 
cage 11 and to prevent airborne contaminants from entering the cage 11. 
When internal cup 28 and disk 32 are attached to the cage 11, a V-shaped 
cavity 50 is defined by the space between the internal cup 28 and the 
backing plate 36 and the flexible disk 32. The V-shaped cavity flares 
outwardly from the drinking valve access slot 48 to the backing plate 36. 
When the mouse 22 stuffs bedding 24 in the area between the water supply 
device 26 and the drinking valve access slot 48 in internal cup 28, the 
bedding 24 in the V-shaped cavity 50 is expelled through outlet 42 and 
away from the cage 11. The V-shaped cavity 50 prevents excess water from 
leaking into the cage 11. The water supply device 26 is placed at a 
predetermined distance from the slot 48 so that excess water will escape 
through outlet 42 and not into the cage 11. 
Mouse isolation barrier cages are normally isolated from the environment to 
prevent airborne contaminants from entering the cage. The shape of the 
cavity 50, the location of the outlet 42 and the reclosable slit 34 of 
disk 32 prevent such airborne contaminants from entering the isolated 
environment of the cage. 
Details of the present invention 10 are illustrated in further detail in 
FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of the invention 10 
illustrating bedding 24 in the outlet 42. FIG. 5 shows rim 46 of internal 
cup 28 attached to cover plate 38 and to flexible disk 32 and backing 
plate 36. As previously described, V-shaped cavity 50 defined by the space 
between flexible disk 32, backing plate 36, and internal cup 28 permits 
the automatic removal of animal bedding 24 through the outlet 42. 
The outlet 42 of the apparatus 10 is formed by the cutaway portion 33 of 
the disk 32 when the disk 32 is attached to the internal cup 28 as shown 
in FIG. 5. Referring also to FIG. 2, the outlet 42 is further defined by 
the cutaway portion 43 of the backing plate 36 and the cutaway portion 44 
of the cover plate 38 when the apparatus 10 is attached to the cage 11. 
Cover plate 38 has an aperture 39 for receiving the outside water supply 
device 26. Slit 34 of disk 32 forms a reclosable entrance for introducing 
the water supply device 26. Backing plate 36 has an aperture 37 through 
which the water supply device 26 is received. 
FIG. 6 is a rear perspective view of the invention 10. The internal cup 
retainer plate 30 is shown secured to the internal cup 28. The slit 34 of 
the disk 32 can be seen through drinking valve access slot 48. As 
previously discussed, a water supply device 26 is introduced in the slit 
34 which the animal can access through drinking valve access slot 48 in 
the internal cup 28. The typical mouse 22 frequently stuffs bedding 24 in 
the space between the water supply device 26 and the drinking valve access 
slot 48. The bedding 24 escapes downwardly through the V-shaped cavity 50 
of the internal cup 28 and out through the outlet 42 while maintaining an 
isolation barrier to eliminating entrance of airborne contaminants. 
Biologically isolated cages are typically passed through washers to keep 
the cages clean. An aperture 52 permits water to flow therethrough when 
the watering apparatus 10 is cleaned. When the cage 11 is put through the 
washing cycle, water, the aperture 52 allows water to flow therethrough. 
In the illustrated embodiments, unless otherwise specified, the components 
of the apparatus are stamped from sheet metal and assembled by welding or 
mechanical fasteners to the cage 11. It is contemplated that the flexible 
disk 32 may be injection molded or cut from a flexible material such as 
plastic or silicone. All components can be autoclaved for sterilization 
purposes. 
In summary, the watering apparatus 10 provides a supply of water to a mouse 
22 confined in a cage 11 while maintaining an isolation barrier by 
eliminating the entrance of airborne contaminants into the cage 11. The 
water supply device 26 does not become clogged when the mouse 22 stuffs 
animal bedding 24 in the area surrounding the drinking valve access slot 
48 of the internal cup 28 and the water supply device 26. Animal bedding 
24 inserted in the drinking valve access slot 48 escapes through the lower 
part of the V-shaped cavity 50 of the internal cup 28 and is easily 
removed through an outlet 42 formed on the exterior surface 17 of the cage 
11. The V-shaped cavity 50 also prevents water from leaking into the cage 
11. Any excess water from the water supply device 26 will escape through 
the outlet 42. 
While the invention has been described with reference to the preferred 
embodiment thereof, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in 
the art that modifications can be made to the structure and form of the 
invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.