Animal husbandry – Confining or housing – Animal display or open work enclosure
Reexamination Certificate
2002-12-17
2004-03-09
Jordan, Charles T. (Department: 3644)
Animal husbandry
Confining or housing
Animal display or open work enclosure
C119S473000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06701870
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
Field of Invention
This invention relates to terrariums and aquariums, and in particular to an animal habitat suitable for use within a transparent-walled terrarium. In general, terrariums are containers in which small land animals are kept and observed. Most terrariums have glass walls to enable one to easily view the animals in it. The present invention enables animals such as reptiles and amphibians to be observed in a confined space such as a cave normally for resting or sleeping. The prior art fails to allow one to observe an animal in such a setting, without disturbing the animals in the process. The disturbance can cause stress for the animals, and it also disrupts the ability to observe the animal in its natural state.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
The present invention is embodied in a structure preferably in the shape of an object that appears in nature, such as a rock, mound of earth, tree stump, etc. The structure is divided into at least two portions having flat complimentary faces that match one another so that when the two portions are oriented face to face they together simulate the structure in unitized form. When used inside a terrarium or aquarium, one portion is ordinarily placed on a surface of the terrarium such as the terrarium floor, with the flat complimentary surface flush against a transparent terrarium wall, and the other portion is placed with its complimentary surface on the outside of the same terrarium wall so that the two complimentary surfaces register with one another to create the appearance of the unitized structure. A cavity is provided in the portion within the terrarium, which cavity is open to the complimentary surface, and a passage is also provided in that portion enabling animals to move in and out of the cavity. The two portions of the structure are releasably held in registration with one another by magnetic force, and when it is desired to view the animals in the cavity, the observer needs only to remove the outer portion to expose the cavity through the transparent terrarium wall.
REFERENCES:
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patent: 4318945 (1982-03-01), Goldman et al.
patent: 4708089 (1987-11-01), Goldman et al.
patent: 5261352 (1993-11-01), Stammelman
patent: 5406054 (1995-04-01), Chirdon
patent: 5493997 (1996-02-01), Ritchey
patent: 5778824 (1998-07-01), Musgrave et al.
patent: 5791293 (1998-08-01), Northrop et al.
patent: 5857430 (1999-01-01), Griffiths
patent: 6314912 (2001-11-01), Armbruster
Jordan Charles T.
Smith Kimberly S.
Wolf Greenfield & Sacks P.C.
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