Claims
- 1. A multi-modal incubator for animals including human beings comprising:
- a chassis having upstanding sides,
- a bedding support mounted on the top of said chassis,
- an incubator containing mounted on the top of said chassis, comprising a transparent cover having sides and a top which defines an enclosure supplied with a life-support fluid above and substantially around the bedding support,
- means defining at least one access opening in a side of said cover for allowing at least a person's arm to be extended through said side into said enclosure, said access opening having top, bottom, and side portions, rigid means movably disposed to the outside of said cover means to allow for opening and substantial closing of said access opening, means for providing said enclosure with an environment having a gas pressure above that externally of said enclosure, said means defining said at least one access opening including self-supporting canopy-like flange means projecting inwardly and downwardly of said enclosure at the top portion of said access opening and extending at least along upper parts of said side portions of said access opening, said flange means extending further into said enclosure at upper regions of said flange means than at lower regions of said flange means whereby, opening said access opening will not allow any substantial rolling over by air from outside the access opening into said enclosure to hence affect the incubator environment,
- a plenum chamber mounted on said chassis beneath said enclosure and bedding support, which chamber is in communication with the interior of said enclosure sufficient to permit limited recirculation fluid flow between said plenum chamber and the interior of said enclosure,
- an electrical resistance heating means disposed in said plenum chamber so as to permit heating the lift-support fluid passing therethrough,
- a life-support fluid supply source of ambient air, oxygen, or a mixture thereof located external to both the incubator cover and the plenum chamber,
- a removable conduit means, connecting said fluid supply source to said plenum chamber,
- a fan mounted on said chassis external to said plenum chamber and incubator cover and operably connected to said life support fluid supply source and to said conduit means to supply said life support fluid under pressure to said plenum chamber,
- a removable bacterial filter mounted on said chassis and located between said fan and said plenum chamber, and
- a monitor mounted on said chassis operably associated with said incubator so as to be capable of controlling the environment within said enclosure by controlling at least said electrical resistance heating means.
- 2. The incubator of claim 1 wherein:
- the life-support fluid is oxygen.
- 3. The incubator of claim 1 wherein:
- the life-support fluid is oxygen,
- the incubator contains a head-box, and
- said fluid is introduced through the incubator container directly to said head-box.
- 4. The incubator of claim 1 wherein:
- the life-support fluid is ambient air, and
- a preliminary filter is provided between the source of the ambient air and said fan.
- 5. The incubator of claim 4 wherein:
- the incubator contains a head-box, and
- said life-support fluid is introduced through the incubator container directly to said head-box.
- 6. The incubator of claim 5 wherein means to add oxygen to the ambient air is provided mounted on said chassis at a point between the fan and the bacterial filter.
- 7. The incubator of either claim 1, 2, 3, 5, or 6, and further comprising a removable humidifier mounted on said chassis external of the incubator cover and plenum chamber and operably connected to said conduit means to humidify said life support fluid between said bacterial filter and said plenum chamber.
- 8. The incubator of claim 1 wherein said monitor controls the environment by measuring the temperature of the life-supporting fluid within the incubator space and activating the heating means when said temperature falls below a set low point and deactivating the heating means when said temperature rises above a set high point.
- 9. The incubator of claim 1 wherein said monitor controls the environment by measuring the skin or rectal temperature of a creature within the incubator space and activating the heating means when said temperature falls below a set low point and deactivating the heating means when said temperature rises above a set high point.
- 10. The incubator of claim 1 wherein a power isolating transformer and a battery are mounted on the chassis, said battery being capable of being maintained substantially in a fully charged condition by the transformer during normal use of the apparatus, and said battery being capable of operating the apparatus during a power failure.
- 11. The incubator as defined in claim 1 wherein said flange means terminates adjacent said bottom portion of said access opening.
- 12. The incubator as defined in claim 1 wherein said flange means extends into said enclosure a maximum distance at a top region thereof and progressively decreases in the amount of inward projection from said top region to a bottom region thereof, said flange means terminating adjacent said bottom portion of said access opening.
- 13. The incubator as defined in claim 1 wherein said access opening is substantially rectangular in shape.
- 14. The incubator as defined in claim 1 wherein said rigid means is a sliding door.
- 15. The incubator as defined in claim 14 wherein said sliding door when in the substantial closing condition provides a non-airtight closure of said access opening.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
182924 |
Dec 1976 |
NZX |
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation in part of my application U.S. Ser. No. 857,913 filed Dec. 6, 1977 now abandoned and is based on my New Zealand Patent Application No. 182,924 filed on Dec. 20, 1976.
US Referenced Citations (10)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
1094444 |
May 1955 |
FRX |
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
857913 |
Dec 1977 |
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