IES990858A2

IES990858A2 - A rodent trap

Info

Publication number: IES990858A2
Authority: IE
Inventors: Patrick Kernan
Original assignee: Patrick Kernan
Priority date: 1999-10-13
Filing date: 1999-10-13
Publication date: 2001-04-18

Abstract

A rodent trap comprises an enclosure (20) having an opening (24) and a sliding door (32) suspended by a string (52) from a bait mechanism (36). When the mechanism (36) is triggered by a rodent taking the bait, the string (52) is released to allow the door (32) to fall and block the entrance to the compartment. The falling door reveals an exit from the compartment (20) to a run (26), common to a number of such compartments, connected to an exit pipe (28) suspended over a container of water. <Figure 2>

Description

This invention relates to a trap for rodents, for example rats.

Existing methods of catching rats involve the use of poison or mechanical traps with spring-loaded teeth. Both are hazardous, especially to children and small animals .

It is an object of the invention to provide a rodent rap which is safe, easy to use and environmentally friendly.

According to the present invention there is provided a rodent trap comprising an enclosure having an entrance and a separate exit, a closure means for selectively closing the entrance, and a mechanism within the enclosure for receiving bait, the bait-receiving mechanism being settable to maintain the closure means open to allow a rodent to enter the enclosure through the entrance, and the bait-receiving mechanism being triggered when disturbed by.a rodent to......cause the--------------------closure means to close the entrance.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a rat trap according to the embodiment of the invention; pi29068. rev IE990858 Fig. 2 is a cutaway view of the rat trap showing the interior of the trap with the bait mechanism set; and Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 with the bait mechanism triggered by a rat.

Referring to the drawings, a rat trap comprises a cage of elongated box form having a front wall 10, a rear wall 12, end walls 14, a hinged lid 16 and a base 18. The cage is made from galvanised steel except for the end’walls 14 which are galvanised wire mesh.

Internally the cage is subdivided into three individual enclosures or compartments 20 by walls 22 which extend substantially parallel to the end walls 14.

The front wall 10 of the cage has three rectangular openings 24 each extending substantially the full height of the cage, each opening 24 leading to a respective compartment 20. A run 26 of galvanised steel and wire mesh extends across the full width of the upper part of the front wall 10 and communicates at its rear with the upper part of each of the openings .__________At its front the run 26 has a wire mesh exit, pipe...... 28.....whose downward-facing open free end 30 terminates above the base 18 of the cage, i.e. the end is suspended in the air when the cage is resting on the ground.

A respective door 32 (Figs. 2 and 3) is mounted in front of each opening 24 on the inside of the front wall 10. The door 32 is slidable vertically in guides between a raised position (Fig. 2) wherein the lower part of the opening 24 is open to the exterior pi2 9068. rev IE990858 environment of the cage and a lowered position (Fig. 3) wherein the upper part of the opening 24 is open to the run 26. Thus, when the door 32 is raised a rat may enter the respective compartment 20 through the lower part of the opening 24, whereas when the door 32 is lowered the rat can only leave the compartment through the upper part of the opening 24 into the run 26. Thus the lower part of the opening 24 constitutes an entrance into the respective compartment 20, while the upper part of the opening 24 constitutes an exit from the compartment, the entrance being closed when the exit is open and vice versa.

Each compartment 20 includes a respective baitreceiving mechanism 36. The mechanism 36 includes a raised base member 38 fixed to the base 18 of the cage and a platform 40 pivoted along one edge to the base member 38. The platform includes a bait holder 42. An arm, such as a pin 44, is pivoted at one end 46 to the base member 38 for rotation in a vertical plane. An inverted U-shaped clip 48 is mounted on the platform 40 such that when the platform 40 is approximately horizontal, i.e. in line with the base 38, the free end of the pin 44 may pass under the clip 48. In each compartment 20 the upper edge 50 of the door 32 is connected to one end of a length 52 of string, cord, thin flexible wire or the like (all herein called string) which passes over a pulley (not shown) at the top of the front wall 10 and whose other end is attached to the top of the rear wall 12.

The operation of the trap is as follows. The trap is placed on the ground where rats tend to run, and in pi29063. rev IE990858 each compartment 20 a piece of bait is placed in the bait holder 42 on the platform 40. Each mechanism 36 is now set by rotating the platform 40 up approximately level with the base 38 such that the free end of the pin 44 engages under the clip 48, the string 52 previously having been pulled down under the pin 44 to raise the door 32. Now the mechanism 36 is gently released so that the weight of the raised door 32, acting through the string 52, maintains the free end of the pin 44 in frictional engagement with the clip 48, Fig? 2. This is done for each compartment 20.

Finally, a collection container partially filled with water (not shown) is placed below the free end 30 of the mesh pipe 28.

Now, if a rat is attracted by the bait 42 it will enter one of the compartments 20 through the lower part of the respective opening 24. If the rat, in attempting to take the bait 42, puts sufficient weight on the platform 40 the mechanism 36 is triggered. This occurs through the weight of the rat overcoming the friction between the pin 44 and the clip 48 so that the platform 0......rotates downwardly relative tc .the.......ba.se......38 . ........This................ releases the pin 44 which is then free to move upwardly, as indicated by its vertical position in Fig. 3, which in turn releases the string 52. The door 32 thus falls under gravity to close the lower part of the opening 24, i.e. the entrance to the particular compartment 20, and open the upper part of the. opening 24, i.e. the exit to the run 25. Now the only exit from the trap is through the run 26 and pipe 28, from which it will fall into the container of water and be drowned. pi29068. rev IE990858 While the above has described an embodiment of rat trap having three compartments 20, it is of course possible to construct a rat trap according to the principles described having more or less than three compartments, including only one compartment.

The advantages of the invention are: - It is environmentally friendly since no poisons or dangerous mechanisms are employed.

- The remains of the rats are easily disposed of, eliminating the need for removing mangled remains or searching for poisoned remains.

- The trap is easily and safely set.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein which may be modified or varied without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A rodent trap comprising an enclosure having an entrance and a separate exit, a closure means for selectively closing the entrance, and a mechanism within the enclosure for receiving bait, the bait-receiving mechanism being settable to maintain the closure means open to allow a rodent to enter the enclosure through the entrance, and the bait-receiving mechanism being triggered when disturbed by a rodent to caus'e the closure means to close the entrance.

2. A rodent trap as claimed in claim 1, wherein the closure member is a sliding door which is held suspended above the entrance when the bait-receiving mechanism is set and which is released to fall under gravity across the entrance when the bait-receiving mechanism is triggered.

3. A rodent trap as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the bait-receiving mechanism comprises a pivoted platform for receiving the bait and an arm pivoted at oneend off the platform and releasably coupledatits opposite end to the platform when the bait-receiving mechanism is set, a string passing under the arm and maintaining the said opposite end of the arm frictionally coupled to the platform, the arm being released by the weight of a rodent on the platform overcoming the friction to release the string and allow the door to fall.

4. A rodent trap as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the closure means is associated with both the pi29068. rev IE990858 entrance and the exit such that the exit is closed when the entrance is open and open when the entrance is closed.

5. 5. A rodent trap as claimed in any preceding claim, including a plurality of said enclosures each containing a respective bait-receiving mechanism, the exits of the enclosures leading to a common conduit.