Patent ID: 7320294

Claim:
A ventilated cage and rack system for housing at least one cage assembly, said system comprising: a ventilated rack having a height, a width and a depth, wherein the rack is constructed and arranged to support a plurality of cages along the width of the rack, the rack including at least one air exhaust plenum running along the width of the rack; and at least one canopy supported by said rack, the canopy having a length and a width, the canopy being adapted to receive one or more cage assemblies below the canopy while maintaining a gap between the canopy and the top of said cage assembly so as to permit air to be drawn into the air exhaust plenum from the interior of said cage assembly through the top of said cage assembly and to also permit ambient air to be drawn across the top of said cage assembly into the air exhaust plenum; wherein said cage assembly comprises at least one of a first cage having a first width at or about the width of the canopy or a plurality of second cages having at least a second width, said second width being less than said first width, wherein the combined widths of the second cages positioned side by side along the width of the canopy is at or about the width of the canopy; wherein the canopy further comprises a centrally disposed channeling element having left and right channel walls extending downwardly from an interior surface of said canopy to facilitate said drawing of ambient air across said top of said cage assembly into the air exhaust plenum when said cage assembly comprises a plurality of said second cages, the canopy also including a front channel wall and a rear channel wall perpendicular and disposed in direct contact with the left and right channels walls and adapted to facilitate said drawing of ambient air across said top of said cage assembly into the air exhaust plenum when said cage assembly comprises a plurality of said second cages.