Abstract:
An environmental enclosure for nail technicians. The environmental enclosure includes a sec-through box constructed of acrylic plastic or other suitable optical quality material. An interior fan sweeps air into the enclosure and ejects contaminated air, including vapors and dusts, from the enclosure, to a suitable discharge point, via gas tight ductwork. A see-through sloping top is oriented downward toward the nail technician to eliminate glare and to assure that good optics are attained when viewing nails though the top of the enclosure. A preferably solid insert panel which includes hand passageways is detachably affixable to the front, for further restricting air-flow during desired operations. A plastic see-through air curtain is also detachably affixible to the front, for further restricting the flow of noxious gases and dusts. Additionally, a similar plastic see-through air curtain may be provided on the rear of the enclosure, to prevent noxious gases and dusts from escaping toward the client.

Description:
This Application claims benefit to Provisional Application No. 60/102,554 filed Sep. 30, 1998. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This invention relates to devices for fume hoods, and more particularly, to an improved fume hood for use by a manicurist when polishing and applying finger nails. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Various attempts have been made over the years to provide useful and unique devices for protecting manicurists from fumes that evolve from the preparation and treatment of nails, and from the application of nail polish. Nevertheless, in various operations, particularly when the use of adhesives and solvents is required to properly prepare nails which conform in appearance to the visual requirements of clients, the environmental exposures of both the manicurist and the client are less than desirable. Indeed, some nail tech work environments are likely occasionally below those standards for airborne exposure limits to toxic materials as set by administrative agencies. In any event, it is clear that exposures to potentially harmful chemicals continues in the field, evidently primarily due to the apparent unavailability of cost effective environmental enclosures that would allow the nail technician to perform required work to produce finished nails of the desired aesthetic quality. Consequently, a continuing demand exists for a simple and inexpensive device to prevent the escape of toxic, noxious, and/or dangerous fumes during the normal operations conducted by nail technicians. 
     In general, I have found that currently available fume hoods which are known to me have limited adjustment and fume capture capability, and as result, fumes tend to escape through the openings of such devices. More particularly I have found that placement and orientation of air curtains and other devices meant to limit outward flow of contaminated air leaves much to be desired. Due to the restricted space available, and the slick, see-through, and often sharply angled surfaces which afford limited ability to permanently affix air curtains or other devices, there remains an ongoing need for a high visibility containment device to which air curtains and other removable and/or replaceable air flow limiting components can be affixed. Moreover, there remains an ongoing need for an environmental chamber that includes removable panels and air curtain devices that will readily attach to smooth optically acceptable containment surfaces, and which can be replaced on a regular basis as normal wear and tear take their toll on the apparatus. Finally, in some aspects it would be advantageous if the air flow restricting devices were adjustable, so that such the air flow restricting devices could be supported in a convenient, unobtrusive orientation. 
     SUMMARY 
     I have now invented, and disclose herein, a novel, unique, adjustable air curtain attachment device for use with an optically neutral (near window quality) visual quality environmental enclosure. Preferably, to enhance the visual accuracy, the enclosure includes a see-through panel downwardly sloping from the client (or rear side) toward the nail technician (or front side) in a manner where the eyes of the nail technician can look directly through, at a relatively direct angle, toward the nails on which work is being performed. Also, it is preferable that the top of the enclosure be sufficiently low so that the nail technician can still make direct eye contact, over the enclosure, with the client. 
     Detachable air curtains are provided which are especially effective for temporary attachment to smooth interior and/or exterior surfaces of the environmental enclosure. Most preferably, the device reliably and effectively provides for negative pressure at inlet openings by utilizing an air discharge fan, to draw air into the enclosure and to positively discharge contaminated air outward from the enclosure. 
     In one embodiment, my novel environmental enclosure for nail technicians has an open bottom, and can be simply set on, or alternately is detachably affixable to, a pre-selected substrate such as a desk, table, or other suitable surface. Generally, the enclosure is adapted for removal from such substrate to facilitate easy cleanup of both the enclosure and of the substrate after work on each individual client is completed. 
     In summary, my environmental enclosure for nail technicians provides a unique, simple to manufacture, and easy to use environmental enclosure device that improves the ability of the nail technician to see the nails on which work is being performed. Importantly, my environmental enclosure minimizes the escape of noxious and toxic substances, compared to various prior art environmental enclosures for nail technicians. 
     OBJECT, ADVANTAGES, AND NOVEL FEATURES 
     From the foregoing, it will be apparent to the reader that one important and primary object of the present invention resides in the provision of a novel environmental enclosure for nail technicians in which air flow reducing enhancements (such as see-through panels and air curtains) are easily attached. My novel apparatus effectively and detachably secures a panel having pathways for the hands of nail technician to pass therethrough, while effectively limiting and substantially preventing the outward escape of noxious and toxic gases. Also, and alternately in conjunction with a detachable panel, a detachable air curtain, preferably of thin, see-through plastic sheet portions, further hinders the escape of noxious and/or toxic fumes from the enclosure. 
     One important object of the invention is to allow downward adjustment of the size of the opening on the nail technician side to enable improved or enhanced protection when particularly noxious substances are present within the enclosure. 
     It is an advantage of my environmental enclosure that the opening passageway can be reconfigured as desired on the nail technician side, from a large opening, to an “air-curtain” opening, to a solid panel with only hand openings, or to a solid panel with hand openings in conjunction with use of a see-through air-curtain, so that the desired degree of engineering controls employed can be adjusted consistent with the degree of hazard, depending upon the operation being performed on nails at any particular time. 
     It is a feature of my environmental enclosure that a relatively flat panel is arranged at an angle to faces the eyes of the nail technician, so that the nail technician can look directly down on the nails on which operations are being performed, without optical distortion, less than adequate lighting, or perspective problems. 
     One design objective of my environmental enclosure is to provide flexibility of use in a desirable location, by providing the necessary parts for connection of an exhaust fan on either side of the enclosure. 
     It is a feature of one embodiment of the present invention that an exhaust fan can be provided on either side, since a fan exhaust aperture cover is provided in a form susceptible for switching to either side of the enclosure, yet uses the same attachment hardware as is necessary to affix an exhaust fan to the device. 
     Another object my invention is to provide an easy to use environmental enclosure. This is important, but seemingly overlooked heretofore, since nail technicians frequently need to quickly retrieve a tool or bottle while avoiding the possibility of creating noxious vapors outside of the enclosure. 
     It is another objective of my invention to eliminate the need for nail technicians to utilize protective safety glasses when performing operations on nails. It is an important advantage of my invention that the use of safety glasses by a nail technician can be eliminated when utilizing my environmental enclosure, since all operations are performed behind a clear protective wall that remains between a nail technician&#39;s eyes and nails on which operations are being performed. 
     It is a feature that the environmental enclosures disclosed and described herein are adaptable for reliable use throughout a range of angles and orientations, with a minimum of user manipulation to assure that the unique advantages of the enclosure are achieved. 
     Yet another design objective is flexibility of location and placement of the environmental enclosure. It is an important feature of my invention that the environmental enclosure is adaptable for attachment to a variety of surfaces, and particularly smooth surfaces such as existing desks and tables, and can be adjusted for efficient operation at any such pre-selected location. In this manner, my novel environmental enclosure may be used in a wide variety of locations, eliminating the necessity for the use to purchase a complete “work-station” for manicurists, as has often been the case heretofore. 
     In conjunction with the preceding object, another important and useful objective of my design is portability. It is an advantage of my invention that the environmental enclosure is light in weight, and can be easily removed by adult females from a desired operation location such as a nail technician&#39;s home or shop, and carried for placement in a transport vehicle, and easily transported to a new location for re-installation and continued use. This is particularly important in environments where the use of such devices is up to nail technicians, rather than being furnished as a part of the fixed equipment for use by a facility when the nail technician arrives. Thus, it is an important advantage and novel feature that my apparatus is designed with relatively lightweight materials. 
    
    
     Other important and more specific objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will become apparent to the reader from the foregoing and from the appended claims, as well as the ensuing detailed description and discussion which proceeds in conjunction with the accompanying drawing. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     In the drawing: 
     FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of my environmental enclosure for a nail technician, illustrating a front, relatively large, and preferably rectangular opening for use by the nail technician, and a narrow opening so that a single hand of a client can be placed therethrough during nail care operations; also shown are dual fan outlet apertures so that a single exhaust fan may be placed on the desired side of the enclosure and a cover plate placed over the fan outlet aperture on the unused side. 
     FIG. 2 is also a front perspective view of my environmental enclosure for a nail technician, similar to the view just illustrated in FIG. 1, also illustrating the front, relatively large, and preferably rectangular opening for use by the nail technician and an opposing narrow, preferably arch-like narrow rear opening used to receive a single hand of a client, with an air-curtain of see-through plastic strips to reduce the potential for escape of air toward the client; also shown is the single exhaust fan on the left side of the enclosure, rather than on the right side as illustrated in FIG. 1 above, and with a cover plate placed on the unused right side fan outlet aperture. 
     FIG. 3 is a partial front view, showing a preferably rigid, solid insert for attachment to the front of the enclosure via selected fasteners such as Velcro brand hook and loop strips that are affixed in opposing fashion to the front of the enclosure and to the rear of the insert, for limiting size (number of square inches) of the air passageway available on the nail technician (or front) side of my environmental enclosure. 
     FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view, taken through line  4 — 4  of FIG. 3, showing the detachably affixable solid insert, which has hand passageways for the nail technician, being held in place by a perimeter strip of hook and loop type fastener, portions of which have been adhesively affixed to the outer wall of the front of the environmental enclosure, and to the inner surface of the insert, respectively, to be joined in an easily detachable yet affixed fashion. 
     FIG. 5 is an exploded partial perspective view showing how the solid insert first illustrated shown in FIG. 3 above is detached from the front of the environmental enclosure. 
     FIG. 6 illustrates a detachable see-through plastic air curtain, here shown affixed to the outer wall of the front of the environmental enclosure. 
     FIG. 7 shows a vertical cross-sectional view, taken through line  7 — 7  of FIG. 6, showing a detachably affixable plastic air curtain being held in place by a top strip of hook and loop type fastener, portions of which have been adhesively affixed to the outer wall of the front of the environmental enclosure, and to the inner surface of the top of the air-curtain panel, to be joined in a detachably affixed fashion. 
     FIG. 8 illustrates the simultaneous use of both the solid insert panel and the plastic air curtain, as depicted in FIGS. 5 with respect to the solid insert, but now using the air curtain affixed to the inner wall of the front of the environmental enclosure. 
     FIG. 9 shows a vertical cross-sectional view, taken through line  9 — 9  of FIG. 8, showing a) the detachably affixable plastic air curtain being held in place by a top strip of hook and loop type fastener, portions of which have been adhesively affixed to the inner wall of the front of the environmental enclosure, and to the top of the air curtain, and (b) the solid insert, which is joined in a detachably affixed fashion to the outer front wall of the environmental enclosure, being held in place by a perimeter strip of hook and loop type fastener, portions of which have been adhesively affixed to outer wall of the front of the environmental enclosure, and to the rear surface of the solid insert, respectively. 
     FIG. 10 is a perspective view of my environmental enclosure, showing in operative position both the solid insert panel and the air curtain devices as illustrated in more detail in the previous figures, as well as illustrating an embodiment wherein one side wall is provided with a fan outlet aperture leading to a filtering unit and interior space air outlet box. 
     FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional detail of another embodiment of my fan outlet aperture, showing the use of an external T joined with fasteners to a sidewall panel adjacent a fan outlet aperture, with a flexible outlet tube secured via a hoop type clamp. 
     FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional detail of another embodiment of my fan outlet aperture, showing use of tight-fitting pipe section inserted into the fan outlet aperture, and sealed in an air-tight fashion to the sidewall panel, with a flexible outlet tube secured via a hoop type clamp. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     As seen in FIG. 1, I have developed a novel and useful see-through protective environmental enclosure  20  for nail technicians. The enclosure  20  has a lower surface footprint portion  22  that can be placed in substantially sealing fashion against a suitable substrate such as the top  24  of desk  26 . The enclosure has a front or nail technician panel  28  in which a substantial sized opening  30  is provided as defined by sidewall  32 . Preferably, the opening  30  is “three-sided” so that there is not footprint portion  22  below such opening  30  in the environmental enclosure  20 . More preferably, the opening  30  is parallelepiped in shape, and most preferably, substantially rectangular, so that the sidewall  32  defining the opening includes a left side wall  34 , a top wall  36 , and a right side wall  38 , resulting overall in a front panel  28  that is generally in an upside down U-shape. 
     Opposing sidewalls are provided, namely first or left side panel  40  and second or right side panel  42 . Preferably, first and second side panels  40  and  42  are generally trapezoidal in shape, or perhaps trapezium in shape, so as to support a preferably flat top panel  44  which slopes downwardly (at an angle alpha (α) as seen in FIG. 4 below) toward the upper end  46  of front panel  28 . This orientation is important, because a flat, optically clear, downwardly sloping top panel  44  allows a nail technician to clearly see the nails on which work is to be performed, without optical distortion or depth perception problems, while still avoiding contact with noxious vapors and dusts. Preferably, each of the panels of the environmental enclosure, including front panel  28 , first side  40  and second side  42 , and rear panel  50 , and especially sloping top panel  44 , are provided in see-thru material of reasonably good optical quality, such as plexiglass or acrylic plastic. 
     A rear or client side panel  50  is normally substantially rectangular in shape, having along the bottom  52  a centrally located “rat-hole” most desirably in a low archway shaped opening  54  defined by sidewall  56  that is sized to allow a single hand of a client to be placed therethrough. 
     I like to constrict my environmental enclosure to seal, in a substantially gas-tight fashion, the joints J between various panels, including: 
     the joint J 1  between the top  46  of front panel  28  and the front  52  of top panel  44 ; 
     the joint J 2  between the rear  54  of top panel  44  and the top  56  of the rear panel  50 ; 
     the joint J 3  between the left side  58  of top panel  44  and the top  59  of left side panel  40 ; 
     the joint J 4  between the right side  60  of top panel  44  and top  61  of right side panel  42 ; 
     the joint J 5  between right side  62  of front panel  28  and front  64  of right side panel  42 ; 
     the joint J 6  between left side  66  of front panel  28  and the front  68  of left side panel  40 ; 
     the joint J 7  between the rear  70  of left side panel  40  and the left  72  of rear panel  50 ; and 
     the joint J 8  between the rear  72  of right side panel  42  and the right  74  of rear panel  50 . 
     These joints can be configured in any desired detailed configuration sufficient to structurally hold the environmental enclosure  20  together when the various joints J 1  through J 8  just described are tightly joined, preferably by permanent glue joint or other convenient molding or finishing technique, ideally in a substantially gas tight configuration. 
     By sealing the various panels together as just explained, then the escape of noxious or toxic is substantially eliminated, and the rate of influx of sweep air can be substantially controlled by the regulation of the size of the opening  30 , whether provided as shown in FIG. 1, or with further air-flow restrictions via use of solid panel  80  or air curtains  90  or  96  as further explained hereinbelow. In any event, I prefer that ventilation be provided by positive means, such as via a fan  100  preferably but not necessarily located within or adjacent the upper reaches of the environmental enclosure  20 . I have found that a fan manufactured by the Dayton Electric Company, of Niles, Ill. U.S.A., Dayton Model 4C549A, with 100 cubic feet per minute while quietly running at 2150 revolutions per minute and consuming 15.2 watts of power, is quite effective for a fan  100  mounted within the enclosure  20 . Such a fan pulls air in through the client opening  54  (in the direction of reference arrow  54   A ), and through the nail technician opening  30  (in the direction of reference arrow  30   A ), to sweep noxious gases and dusts upward through screen  101  and on through the fan  100  and thence is exhausted outward, away from either the nail technician or the client. Discharge is out through discharge vent piping  102  to any convenient location, in the direction of arrow  104 . In this regard, note in FIG. 10 that in some locations it may be desirable to route vent piping  102  through an indoor situated high efficiency filter  106  suitable for capture of noxious gases and particulates encountered so that air may be discharged from local filter box  108  via outlets  109  directly into the building interior as indicated by reference arrow  109   A . 
     Fan  100  can be located on the right side of enclosure  20  as shown in FIG. 1, or on the left side of enclosure  20 , as shown in FIG. 2, or if desired, in another convenient location. In the some preferred cases which are illustrated herein, a cover plate  110  is provided for secure mounting, such as via fastener system of threaded screws, or bolts  112  and nuts  114 , over the unused fan outlet aperture  115  on the unused side panel, whether it is left side panel  40  as shown in FIG. 1, or the right side panel  42  as shown in FIG.  2 . 
     Turning now to FIG. 2, an interior air-curtain  90  is shown detachably affixed to the interior  120  of rear panel  50 , via mating sections of hook  122  and loop  124  type fastener, such as Velcro® brand fastening tape. It is not necessary to always use air-curtain  90 , and it can be detached as illustrated in FIG. 10, leaving behind a first side, whether hook  122  or loop  124  of the hook and loop fastening strips. As illustrated, air-curtain  90  includes a plurality of strips S 90  affixed to a common header such as a width of loop fastener  122  of desired length. 
     Most preferably my environmental enclosure is provided with a front detachable insert panel  80  as seen in FIG.  3 . Insert panel  80  includes, along the lower reaches  128  thereof, first  130  and second  132  hand insert cutouts defined by cutout edgewalls  131  and  133 , respectively, and which insert cutouts  130  and  132  are sized and shaped for insertion of the left and right hands of a nail technician therethrough. Most preferably, first  130  and second  132  hand insert cutouts are archway shaped. As may be better seen in FIG. 5, The rear or inner surface  134  of insert panel  80  includes a rear perimeter,  138 , and around the top  140 , left  142 , and right  144  edges of the rear perimeter, selected complementary fastener system components such as Velcro brand loop  148  (or alternately, hook  146 ) strips are affixed, with the complimentary material affixed in opposing fashion to the outer wall or front  150  of front panel  28  of the enclosure  20 . When the insert panel  80  is affixed to the front panel  28  of enclosure  20  in the just described manner (see FIG. 5, for the installation, where the installed position of insert panel  80  is indicated in hidden lines and tagged with reference numeral  80 ′), then the available air passageway size (e.g., the net size as measured by the number of square inches of the passageway) on the nail technician&#39;s side of the enclosure  20  is significantly reduced, thus reducing the possibility of escape of noxious or toxic fumes, and diminishing the chance that such undesirable fumes reach the nail technician. 
     Turning now to FIG. 4, the features just discussed with reference to FIG. 3 are further illustrated in a vertical cross-sectional view taken through line  4 — 4  of FIG.  3 . In FIG. 4, the showing the detachably affixable solid insert panel  80  is seen being held in place by a perimeter strip of hook  146  and loop  148  type fastener, portions of which have been adhesively affixed to the outer wall  150  of the front  28  of the environmental enclosure  20 , and to the rear or inner surface  134  of the insert  80 , respectively, to be joined in an easily detachable yet affixed fashion. These detailed features are further clarified in phantom lines seen in FIG. 5, where the preferably solid and “see-through” insert panel  80  is shown “in-place” in hidden lines with reference numeral  80 ′. In this FIG. 5, the replaceable/detachable feature is illustrated by reference line  160 , which shows how the insert  80  is removed to allow cleaning of the interior of the environmental enclosure  20 . The same mechanism is also illustrated in FIG. 8 below, using reference lines  162  and  164 , but in that figure, the “in-place” or operating location of insert panel  80  is not illustrated. 
     In FIG. 6 another embodiment of my environmental enclosure is illustrated. Here, a detachable see-through plastic air curtain  170  is shown affixed to the outer wall  150  of the front panel  28  of the environmental enclosure  20 . Plastic air-curtain is preferably made of optically acceptable plastic, of about 4 mil thickness. The air curtain includes a plurality of suspended, downwardly hanging, abutting sections S 170-1  through S 170-x  in a series from 1 to X where X is a positive integer equal to the number of sections in air curtain  170 . The sections S 170-X  are each attached to and ideally hang down from an elongate header portion  172  far enough to touch at the bottom  171  of the sections a selected substrate  24  provided therebelow (see FIGS. 1 or  7 ), so as to minimize passage therethrough of noxious or toxic fumes and dusts. Along header  172  of air-curtain  170  is provided a section of loop  148  type fastener, portions of which are preferably adhesively attached, and which are suitable for joining in complementary fashion a section of hook  146  fastener that is preferably adhesively affixed to the outer wall  150  of the front  28  of the environmental enclosure  20 . In this manner, air-curtain may be joined to front  28  in an easily detachable yet affixed fashion. 
     FIG. 7 shows a vertical cross-sectional view, taken through line  7 — 7  of FIG. 6, showing the detachably affixable plastic air curtain  170  being held in place by complementary top strips of hook  146  and loop  148  type fastener, portions of which have been adhesively affixed to the outer wall  150  of the front  28  of the environmental enclosure  20 , and to the inner surface  174  of the header  172  of the air-curtain panel. Also shown in FIG. 7 is the angle alpha (α) that the top panel  44  is raised above the horizontal plane, so that the top panel  44  slopes downward toward the front  28  or nail technician side of my environmental enclosure  20 . I prefer to use an angle alpha (α) of about 30 degrees, or perhaps slightly more, so that a good visual field is provided to the manicurist as indicated by reference arrow V for directly viewing the substrate  24  on which a client&#39;s hands bearing the nails being examined are resting. Also, a vertical height H for the front panel  28  of about 12 inches is preferred, so provide sufficient room for the nail technician to work, but to still keep the top  44  sufficiently low at the joint J 1  so that a nail technician can easily see over the joint J 1  and directly through top  44  to the nails being examined. As can be seen in FIG. 1, ideally joint J 2  is not so high that eye contact with the client is lost by the nail technician. 
     Again, FIG. 8 illustrates the simultaneous use of both the solid insert panel  80  and the plastic air curtain  170  at the front  28  of the environmental enclosure  20 . The installed configuration is confirmed in FIG. 9, which shows a vertical cross-sectional view taken through line  9 — 9  of FIG.  8 . Here, the detachably affixable plastic air curtain  170  is affixed on the inner wall  180  of front panel  28 . As earlier described, air-curtain  170  is held in place by a top strip of hook  146  and loop  148  type fastener, portions of which have been adhesively affixed to the inner wall  180  of the front  28  of the environmental enclosure  20 , and portions of which have been adhesively affixed to the inner side  174  of the header  172  of the air curtain  170 . 
     A preferred working configuration of my environmental enclosure  20  is illustrated in FIG. 10, which provides a perspective view showing in operative position both the solid insert panel  80  and the air curtain  170  as illustrated in more detail in the previous figures. Also, this FIG. 10 shows an embodiment wherein only the first side panel  40  is provided with a fan outlet aperture  115 . Alternately, the second side panel  42  could be provided with a fan outlet aperture  115 , and in either case, the opposing panel does not contain an unneeded penetration that must be covered with cover plate  10 , as evident in FIG.  1 . 
     Finally, I have found that various fan outlets may be provided as needed for a desired location and configuration. In FIG. 11, a cross-sectional detail of another embodiment of my fan outlet aperture  200  is shown, illustrating the use of an external “tee”  202  with smooth cylindrical internal bore  203 . The “tee”  202  is affixed with fasteners  204  (such as bolts and complementary nuts) to a sidewall panel such as panel  42 . Then, outlet tubing  102  is provided sized and shaped for close fitting engagement with the external tubular sidewall  208  of the T  202 . A hoop type clamp  210  secures the outlet tubing  201  to the “tee”  202 . 
     Yet another embodiment is illustrated in FIG. 12, where a tight fitting pipe section  220  is inserted into the fan outlet aperture  202 , preferably in a flush relationship with inside wall  222  of sidewall  42 , and then sealed in an air-tight fashion (such as with glue  224 ). The flexible outlet tube  102  in this embodiment is also preferably secured via a hoop type clamp  210  acting on the outer cylindrical surface  230  of pipe section  220 . 
     As indicated in FIG. 1 above, the fan  100  is preferably externally powered, in which case an external power cord  240  is included with plug  242 . 
     It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, including those made apparent from the preceding description, are efficiently attained. Since certain changes may be made in carrying out the construction of an environmental enclosure according to the teachings herein, it is to be understood that my invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. Many other embodiments are also feasible to attain advantageous results utilizing the principles disclosed herein. Therefore, it will be understood that the foregoing description of representative embodiments of the invention have been presented only for purposes of illustration and for providing an understanding of the invention, and it is not intended to be exhaustive or restrictive, or to limit the invention only to the precise forms disclosed. 
     All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, the various figures of the drawing) may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of the features are mutually exclusive. Each feature disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, and the various figures of the drawing), may be replaced by alternative features serving the same or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, each feature disclosed is intended to be one example of a generic series of equivalent or similar features. Further, while certain materials are described for the purpose of enabling the reader to make and use certain embodiments shown, such suggestions shall not serve in any way to limit the claims to the materials disclosed, and it is to be understood that other materials, including other metals and various plastic compositions, may be utilized in the manufacture of my novel environmental enclosures. 
     The intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope and spirit of the invention, as expressed herein above and in the appended claims. As such, the claims are intended to cover the strictures, apparatus, and methods described herein, and not only the equivalents or structural equivalents thereof, but also equivalent structures or methods. The scope of the invention, as described herein and as indicated by the appended claims, is thus intended to include variations from the embodiments provided which are nevertheless described by the broad meaning and range properly afforded to the language of the claims, as explained by and in light of the terms included herein, or the equivalents thereof.