Patents 1995 - 2014 Mechanical

8,661,727       Humane animal trap
Alfarhan March 4, 2014
The humane animal trap has a circular base and a plurality of arcuate ribs extending upward and inward therefrom to form a generally hemispherical frame. A hollow central column extends upward from the center of the base. A drop weight is installed within the column. A collapsible net is placed about the base when the trap is set, the weight being connected to the net by tensile members. A mechanically or remotely actuated trigger and actuating mechanism is connected to a weight release mechanism at the top of the column. When an animal enters the open volume defined by the hemispherical frame and trips the mechanism or the trapper actuates the mechanism remotely, the mechanism causes the weight release mechanism to release the drop weight, thereby pulling the net upward and over the arcuate ribs to enclose the hemispherical volume at the lower portion of the trap.

8,646,204       Capture cage
Chiu February 11, 2014
A capture cage includes a cage structure with a cage door, a pedal pivotally connected in the cage structure, a rotation member moving with the pedal, a suppression member located adjacent to an operation rod, and an induction lever pivotally connected to a top face of the cage structure. When the cage door is open, an inducible member of the cage door is confined by the inductive lever; the induction lever is restrained by the suppression member and is located adjacent to a head portion of the operation rod; and the pedal is suspended when the rotation member is supported by the operation rod. When the pedal is tilted, the rotation member separates from the operation rod; the head portion of the operation rod pushes the induction lever away from the suppression member and the operation rod moves downwardly; and the inducible member is released and the cage door closes.

8,627,595       Two-door cage trap with over-center set mechanism
Radesky, et al. January 14, 2014
A cage-type animal trap with two opposed animal access openings that can operate in a one-door-opening configuration or a two-door-opening configuration. The trap has a set mechanism for holding one or both doors open to allow access through the corresponding trap access openings. The set mechanism includes a set lever that is movable from a set position to a tripped position and that is coupled to the doors of the trap by an actuating member. Upon actuation, the set lever moves from the set to the tripped position to allow movement of the actuating member which enables one of the doors to move from an opened position to a closed position when the trap is operating in a one-door-opening configuration, and both of the doors to move from the opened position to the closed position when the trap is operating in the two-door-opening configuration.

8,413,369       Method and device for halting mole tunneling activity
Neymeyer April 9, 2013
This invention is directed to a device that blocks a mole tunnel and to a method of halting mole tunneling activity and preventing or interfering with further such activity by blocking the tunnel at point(s) along the tunnels.

7,913,447    Smart and multiple mouse trap
Jabro     March 29, 2011 
The Smart and Multiple Mouse Trap uses two ascendant walls that lead to the top of the mouse trap. On the top of the trap, there is a cylinder shaped wheel that will contain food. In order for the mouse to get the food, it must maneuver upward from one of the two ascendant walls. Then it will go through a one way door. Then as it tries to grab the food from the wheel, it will face the problem of the wheel spinning as well as no room to stand on, providing no stability due to gravity. Then the mouse will have to drop into the mouse trap. The removal of the contents inside the trap will be simply to open the right side door and dump it wherever. The mouse trap does not need to be reset when it traps a mouse. 

7,540,109    Humane trap for small animals
Hall     June 2, 2009
An humane trap for small animals, such as cats, includes a housing having rigid bottom, top, side, front and rear end walls which cooperate to define an animal-receiving chamber, the front end wall being guided for vertical movement between opened and closed positions relative to the other housing walls. A retaining rod is axially displaceable within the chamber between a retaining position in which an end portion of the rod extends through a retaining opening contained in the second wall to maintain the same in the open position, and a released position removed from the retaining opening, whereby the second wall is displaced by gravity downwardly toward the closed position. The retaining rod is released either by a food retention plate that is engaged by the animal in the trap, or by a remotely controlled solenoid arrangement. 

7231738 June 2007    Watson et al.

7,134,237    Humane animal trap
Plucknett     November 14, 2006
An animal trap is provided with an enclosure, inside of which a pivoting member, referred to herein as a "Confinement Activating Teeter-totter" (CAT), is pivotally disposed so that its front end pivots downward when an animal enters the trap and steps on it. A blocking member on the front of the CAT then blocks the entrance, forcing the animal to go toward a bait near the exit at the back of the trap. The CAT then pivots under the weight of the mouse, thereby resetting. If, instead of exiting, the animal goes back toward the front, the CAT will again pivot and block the entrance. The animal will also step on a shelf projecting from the front of the pivoting member, ensuring that the CAT will not pivot again until the animal again proceeds toward the exist. The trap is composed of only one moving part (excluding a door flap, and one access part), namely the CAT on its pivot. It is easily molded from plastic such that only two parts are needed: a base and a CAT. After molding a door flap may be attached. 

6,938,368    Weight adjustable rodent trap
Guidry        September 6, 2005
A platform extends from the entry opening into the interior space and includes a selectively positionable metallic element. A trip board is pivotally mounted within the housing and is movable between set and tripped configurations. A magnet is selectively positioned on the trip board so as to bias the trip board toward the set configuration until a rodent's weight on another portion thereof causes it to rotate to the second configuration. A container is positioned in the housing for receiving a rodent that is deposited at the second configuration. 

6,725,597    Pest control device
Nelson, et al.     April 27, 2004
A pest control device (10), and a method of suppressing a pest, which can be discretely and easily placed, serviced and removed from the proximity of areas where pests, including rodents and insects, are likely to frequent, including the area near the floor-wall juncture (54) behind shelving (44) and/or products (52) or equipment. The pest control device (10) has a pest suppression device (18) having an ingress for the pest and an elongate arm (20) having a proximate end (24) and a distal end (26), the proximate end (24) of the elongate arm (20) connected to the pest suppression device (20) communicating with the ingress and facilitating a pathway for the pest from the distal end (26) of the elongate arm (20) to the ingress. The pest suppression device (10) may be mounted on a platform (12 or 14) and the elongate arm (20) mounted instead to the platform (12 or 14). 

6,609,327    Animal trap for small animals
Stoico ,   et al.     August 26, 2003
A live animal trap for capturing and restraining a small animal comprises a rectangular mesh cage having an open front sized to admit an animal to be trapped, and a trap door hingedly affixed to the cage and movable between raised and lowered positions, respectively, permitting entry to and preventing escape from the cage. Embodiments are disclosed of gravity and/or spring assisted latching and tripping structures for releasably securing the trap door in the open position and responsive to an animal seeking to get to bait in the back of the cage. In one, a spring assisted brace member is hingedly affixed to and drives the lower end of the trap door into the closed position. In another, a multipurpose guide collar locks and drives the trap door in and for movement between the raised and lowered positions, and assists in animal release and in resetting of the trap. 

6,523,713    Stackable hinged container lid having detents
Helms         February 25, 2003
A lid and a container using the lid are disclosed, the lid having a central panel of paperboard with a resilient plastic skirt joined about its perimeter. A metal foil membrane having heat activated adhesive layers is attached to the lid and the rim of the container by inductive heating. Detents project from an inside surface of the skirt and cooperate with the rim on the container to hold the lid in an open position. A stacking lip extends from the skirt and interfits within an identical lid to allow the lids to be stacked for shipment. A hinge extends transversely across the central panel and divides the lid into movable and fixed portions. Weakened regions on the skirt separate when the lid is opened and provide evidence of potential tampering. 

6,230,434    Animal trap having anti-backspin feature
Knuppel     May 15, 2001
A mouse or rodent trap includes a housing having an elongated rotatable paddle member therein. A trigger assembly engages the paddle member and releases the paddle member for rotation when the trigger assembly is engaged by a mouse or rodent entering the housing. The trigger assembly is formed completely of plastic, and is snapped together during assembly. An anti-backspin mechanism permits the rotatable paddle member to rotate in one direction but prevents rotation in the opposite direction. 

6,016,623    Rodent trap
Celestine    January 25, 2000
A rodent trap which includes a central housing interior into which a rodent is lured by bait and enters on a rodent entry ramp and inside which is located a rotating trap door that is operated by a high speed DC motor which is actuated by an infrared sensor positioned inside the housing, the motor is engaged to rotate the trap door and timed by a cam switch to return to a closed position and ready to operate for the entry of the next rodent. When the rodent falls through the trap door, it falls into a rodent box which is received by an insertion in the housing lower section and which includes a spring biased sliding cover that automatically slides to an opened position when the box is inserted into the housing and automatically closes when removed from the housing. The rodent box also includes a rodent presence indicator that is actuated by a weight activated switch located on the bottom surface of the rodent box and indicates to the user if a rodent or rodents are in the box.
Inventors:     Celestine; Wallace (Breaux Bridge, LA)

6,125,576    Mouse or rodent trap and method of assembling same
Knuppel     October 3, 2000
A mouse or rodent trap includes a housing having an elongated rotatable paddle member therein. A trigger assembly engages the paddle member and releases the paddle member for rotation when the trigger assembly is engaged by a mouse or rodent entering the housing. The trigger assembly is formed completely of plastic, and is snapped together during assembly.

5,943,813    Enclosing mousetrap
Wang     August 31, 1999
An enclosing mousetrap includes a tubular housing, trap plates at each end, and a hanging hook for connecting the trap plates to the tubular housing. The ends of the tubular housing and the trap plates each contain a pair of holes through which the hanging hooks are engaged to connect the trap plates to the tubular housing. The extended end legs of the hanging hooks clip over cutouts formed in the rim of the tubular housing. The trap plates each have a curved shape and freely swing inward to allow a mouse to have easy access into the interior of the tubular housing. Once inside, however, the mouse cannot exit the tubular housing because the first and second trap plates are disposed such that when the trap plates are pushed outward with respect to the interior of the tubular housing, a lower periphery of the trap plates engages with an inner wall of the tubular housing, which stops the trap plates from swinging outside the tubular housing. The mousetrap also may include a supporting bracket to hold it in an upright position, even when a mouse is trapped inside. This supporting bracket can take on a variety of forms. For example, a pair of legs for supporting the tubular housing may extend along the length of the tubular housing. In another embodiment, a pair of supporting brackets, each including a mounting hoop and a pair of extending legs, is provided for receiving and supporting the tubular housing.

5,720,125    Throwaway mousetrap for catching mice live 
Oviatt     February 24, 1998 
{tippy trap with ping pong ball}

5,692,336    Rubber band powered mousetrap 
Fiore, Jr.,   et al.     December 2, 1997
{yuk}

5,517,784    Mousetrap container
Sedore     May 21, 1996
[Rotation of the cylinder directs the rodent into the fluid within the container.}

5,481,824    Rubber band powered mousetrap
Fiore, Jr.     January 9, 1996 
When a mouse enters the tunnel and dislodges the trigger, the striker plate springs upwardly under the force of the rubber band and traps the mouse's neck in one of the trapping apertures. 

5,502,918          Mousetrap for catching mice live
Oviatt        April 2, 1996
A "Y" shaped mousetrap lures a mouse into an open end of the "Y" by means of smelly bait located at a closed end of the bottom of the "Y". The "Y" is pivotally supported horizontally by a stand. As the mouse walks past the pivot point, a ping pong ball rolls from the opposite short "Y" tube member and down to the entrance of the open ended tube member. The mouse is trapped alive and can be drowned by immersing the mousetrap.

As seen on David Letterman: 

Additional information