Direct kennel exhaust system

Claim 1

In an animal confinement system for use in a confined working space such as the interior of a retail pet store, said confined working space being solely isolated from a fluid discharge zone, such as the atmosphere, the combination of an animal confinement structure located in or adjacent to said confined working space, said confinement structure including a plurality of individual kennel units, said plurality of individual kennel units being carried by a common frame structure, each of said individual kennel units having firstly, animal retention means for receiving and retaining an animal to be displayed, and secondly, receptacle means for receiving and retaining odor generating materials such as animal excreta, whereby each kennel unit has a separate excreta receptacle means which receives excreta and other waste materials only from the associated retention means located thereabove, each of said individual kennel units having a fluid discharge means adapted for connection to a fluid conduit means, fluid conduit means having the discharge end portion thereof communicating with the discharge zone, the intake end portion of the fluid conduit means comprising a plurality of inlets, each inlet being connected to an associated kennel unit fluid discharge means whereby each kennel unit is individually connected into the fluid conduit means irrespective of the number of kennel units comprising said confinement structure, means associated with the fluid conduit means for evacuating the confinement structure whereby odors in the receptacle means are passed directly to the discharge zone from the confinement structure thereby by-passing the confined working space, and further characterized firstly, in that means for movably supporting the animal confinement structure are mounted thereto and said animal confinement structure is movable while said fluid conduit means is in communication therewith, and secondly, in that the fluid Conduit means is flexible whereby the fluid conduit means can be operative when the pet confinement structure is moved within the range of movement permitted by the flexible conduit means.