Multiple compartment structure

A small animal exercise maze comprises a multiple compartment structure formed of a pluralty of wall panels secured removably at their inner ends to a support base and joined together at their outer ends by clips which secure together the outer ends of adjacent wall panels. Passageway openings are provided through selected common walls of adjacent compartments to form a maze path for an animal to move to and from a specialized compartment provided by omitting selected interior wall within the unit. An animal exercise wheel is mounted within the specialized compartment and the latter is closed by an approriately dimensioned closure wall.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates generally to multiple compartment display cases, and 
more particularly to cages and mazes for small research and pet animals 
such as hamsters, gerbils, mice and the like. 
Small animal cages and mazes are known in the art and are exemplified by 
those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,516,389; 3,750,625; 3,857,364; 
3,924,571; and 4,301,766. These are characterized by complex and costly 
structures of limited size many of which are incapable of being expanded 
beyond such limits and others of which are incapable of being disposed in 
a vertical orientation for display. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In its basic concept, this invention provides a multiple compartment 
structure formed of a multiplicity of wall panels secured removably to one 
or more base members and joined together at common edges by clips which 
may also serve to removably secure front walls for the compartments. 
It is by virtue of the foregoing basic concept that the principal objective 
of this invention is achieved; namely, to overcome the aforementioned 
disadvantages and limitations of prior multiple compartment structures. 
Another object of this invention is the provision of a multiple compartment 
structure of the class described in which the wall elements serve to 
interconnect a plurality of base members for expanding the system. 
Still another object of this invention is to provide a multiple compartment 
structure of the class described which may be arranged in the form of a 
small animal maze the pattern of which may be varied with speed and 
facility. 
A further object of this invention is to provide a multiple compartment 
structure of the class described in the form of a small animal maze 
wherein means is provided by which a single compartment may be modified to 
form a pair of maze passageways. 
A still further object of this invention is the provision of a multiple 
compartment structure of the class described in the form of a small animal 
maze wherein means is provided for integrating an exercise wheel. 
Another object of this invention is to provide a multiple compartment 
structure of the class described which is of simplified construction for 
economical manufacture, easy of assembly and disassembly and compact 
collection of the parts for minimum storage space.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
As shown in FIG. 1, the display cage illustration of this invention 
comprises a multiple compartment unit, illustrated generally as 
rectangular system 10 mounted on support base 12. The illustrated support 
base comprises a plurality of square plates 14 which may, if desired, be 
mounted on a common vertical surface such as a wall, or it may be 
supported upon a table or other horizontal surface. The base 12 may 
alternatively be provided as one plate, as desired. Each base plate 14 
includes a peripheral wall 14' and is provided with a plurality of 
openings 16 therethrough arranged in predetermined positions for mounting 
compartment wall panels, as described in detail hereinafter. 
Drip trays 18 may be provided beneath the system 10 to catch debris 
resulting from a living animal. These drip trays also may serve to support 
the assembly of multiple compartment unit 10 and base 12 in a vertical 
disposition freely upon a table or horizontal support. 
The system 10 shown in FIG. 1 is formed of a plurality of individual wall 
panels 20 attached to the base 12. As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 3, the wall 
panels are configured as rectangular plates, preferably of transparent 
plastic material, with a pair of L-shaped mounting flanges 22 formed on 
their inner edges. The flanges are arranged to enter the openings 16 when 
the wall panel 20 is placed substantially parallel to the plate 14 and 
then rotated outward to a position perpendicular to the plate (FIG. 5). 
The flanges thus securely lock the wall panel to the base plate. All wall 
panels forming the compartments illustrated in the drawing are mounted to 
the base plate in the same manner. 
As is apparent from FIGS. 1 and 3, one means by which individual plates 14 
may be joined together is by bridging them with common wall panels. As 
shown in FIG. 3, one flange 22 associated with a wall panel 20 is received 
by an opening 16 in one plate 14, and the other flange associated with 
that same wall panel is received by an opening 16 in the adjacent plate 
14, thereby securing the two plates together. 
Means is provided for connecting adjacent wall panels 20 to each other for 
strength and security for the system. In the embodiment illustrated in 
FIGS. 3 and 4, the side edges 24 of the wall panels are enlarged and 
cooperate with coupler means for securely joining together the enlarged 
edges of adjacent wall panels. The coupler 26, preferably made as a plate 
of resilient synthetic resin and configured similar to a four leaf clover, 
includes four key-hole type openings 28 which are slightly enlarged at 
their inner, closed ends and spaced apart 90.degree. from each other. When 
pressed firmly into the opening 28, the enlarged edge 24 of a wall panel 
is securely captured in the enlarged portion of the opening 28. The 
inherent resiliency of the coupler firmly engages the wall panel and joins 
it to another wall panel captured in another opening 28 of the same 
coupler. 
From the foregoing, it is seen that construction of the display unit 
entails mounting of a plurality of wall panels 20 to the base plates 14 
and then connecting adjacent walls together with couplers 26. The couplers 
26, having four joining openings 28, can receive wall panels at 90.degree. 
intervals. Thus, inside and outside compartment wall panels may be joined 
together to form a system such as is shown in FIG. 1. Most of the couplers 
required to join all wall panels together have been depleted in FIG. 1, 
merely for simplicity and clarity of the drawing. 
Closure of the compartments, for example so that an animal cannot escape, 
requires a front closure wall, preferably of transparent material. In the 
embodiment illustrated, each individual compartment is provided an 
individual front wall 30 which is configured to be disposed within the 
four walls of each compartment. After the compartment is formed and 
secured together by couplers 26, the front wall 30 is laid in against the 
front surface of the coupler portion which extends into the compartment 
between adjacent openings 28 (FIGS. 3 and 4). A second coupler 26' then is 
pressed onto the wall edges 24 over the front wall 30, thereby capturing 
the front wall securely between the couplers 26 and 26'. 
Air ports 32 may be provided through the front walls in order to permit 
passage of adequate breathing air for the animal and to permit hand 
feeding, when desired. 
With the construction of the system thus basically described, it is 
apparent that the system comprises a plurality of separate, adjacent 
compartments sharing common walls, all together forming the basic multiple 
compartment unit. For purposes of an animal maze, passageway means need be 
provided between adjacent compartments in order that an animal may move 
throughout the maze system. Such access is provided by means of openings 
34 through the common walls of adjacent compartments that are selected for 
use by the animal. 
Thus, certain common internal wall panels 20 are provided with openings 34 
therethrough to permit movement of an animal between compartments, as best 
illustrated in FIG. 2. The openings may be arranged in a maze like fashion 
throughout the system, or may be randomly arranged, as desired. 
Internal passageway wall panels may have a variety of constructions. 
However, preferred constructions are either premanufactured, 
interchangeable solid and open internal wall panels which the owner would 
choose between in designing the system. Alternatively, wall panels may be 
provided which incorporate a "punch-out" section, whereby the owner may 
leave a panel solid or open it by removing the "punch-out" section. Plugs 
also may be provided in order to close openings so that the maze pattern 
may be changed periodically with speed and facility. 
The display unit may include certain compartments which are arranged to be 
larger or configured differently than other compartments in the system, 
simply by omitting selected internal wall panels and providing 
appropriately sized wall panels (FIG. 1), or by adding divider panels to 
other selected compartments (FIG. 2). In the first case, an exercise wheel 
compartment may be provided, as shown in FIG. 1, by omitting certain wall 
panels within a selected area and providing a larger, single front panel 
30'. 
The specialized compartment illustrated houses a typical hamster exercise 
wheel 36, the hubs 36' of which are supported on an axle 38 journaled in 
bearings on the front wall 30' and the back supporting base 12. Spacer 40 
on axle 38 centers the wheel 36 between the wall 30' and base 12. The 
peripheral wall panels 20' are taller than the wall panels 20 of the maze 
to increase the depth of the compartment to allow the animal to move 
around the wheel to gain access to the maze or to the wheel for 
exercising. 
In the other example mentioned above, certain compartments of the maze may 
be provided with dividers, such as the diagonal wall 42 shown in FIG. 2. 
Installation of such a divider wall is extremely simple, in that since it 
is proportioned to fit diagonally across a compartment, no fastener is 
required to hold it in position. It's depth is less than that of the wall 
panels 20, so that when arranged diagonally in a compartment it is 
captured therein between the base plate 14 and front panel 30. Thus, use 
of dividers 42 significantly increases the variety of maze paths available 
to the system. Obviously, where a diagonal wall is used in an interior 
copartment, such as in FIG. 2, that compartment will be provided with 
passageway openings through each of its four side wall panels. 
Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 7, these show another embodiment of coupling 
means arranged to join wall panels together. In this embodiment, each wall 
panel 44 includes a notched portion 44' at its outer end spaced slightly 
inward of its inner edge 46. A removable connector ring 48 is pressed into 
the notched portion, encircling and capturing the upper inner edges 46 of 
the wall panels to be joined together. A front panel 30 is disposed over 
the ring 48 and a second ring 48' is fitted thereover, capturing the front 
panel between the rings 48 and 48' in the same manner as described in 
connection with the couplers 26 and 26'. 
The concept introduced by the present invention lends itself to a wide 
variety of contemplated modifications and possible uses other than those 
already described. For example, the unit may be arranged to display art 
objects or other products. The front panels may be omitted, if desired. 
Although each compartment is illustrated herein as including a separate 
front panel, it may be advantageous to provide a single panel covering the 
entire front side of the unit. This may be desired in order to facilitate 
cleaning and access to a pet. Also, it may be desired that certain 
interior wall panels be constructed of mesh material in order that animal 
discards and the like can fall freely through the system to the trays 18 
for expedient removal. Feeding, sleeping, access and other specialized 
compartments may be provided by the owner simply by accommodating such 
desires during the assembly of the system. Also, as an alternative to the 
specific arrangement of FIG. 1, the entire unit may utilize the longer 
wall panels 20' associated with the specialized compartment housing the 
exercise wheel so that the front wall remains uniform. 
From the foregoing it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that 
various changes, other than those already described, may be made in the 
size, shape, type, number and arrangement of parts described hereinbefore 
without departing from the spirit of this invention and the scope of the 
appended claims.