Gravitational animal trap

Details Gravitational animal trap Gravitational animal trap

2002-01-04

2003-07-08

Ark, Darren W. (Department: 3643)

Fishing, trapping, and vermin destroying

Traps

Imprisoning

Reexamination Certificate

active

06588139

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a gravitational animal trap, more particularly, a gravitational animal trap with an upturned plate in the interior having a fulcrum thereof being able to be adjusted, and a weight-adjusting balancing device can be further installed with the present invention, so as to effectively improve upon the sensitivity and timing for the shutting of the movable door of the gravitational animal trap.
2. Description of the Related Art
Ever since agricultural activities began to occupy a significant portion of the human history, farmers have being bothered and suffered from crop losses by all kinds of noxious insects and small animals. For insect attack, numerous kinds of pesticides are already developed and put to use; and yet for small animals, like rodents, there is still no effective solution to exterminate. As for nowadays city dwellers and suburban homeowners, small animals like rats are still causing tremendous distress and agony, not only for material losses, but also for potentially serious health hazard spread by those small animals through viruses or bacteria.
The conventional art has already provided the invention of animal traps; however, the conventional animal trap employs the design of placing the bait on a hook to lure the prey, yet while the prey is lured into the animal trap, the trap door cannot be immediately shut until the prey bites the bait and pulls the hook, a gravitational force placed on the hook that activates the door to be shut, therefore achieving the object of entrapping the prey. As a result, the low sensitivity of the door in the conventional art would render such animal trap ineffective, for the prey after entering the trap cage might not pull the hook or the prey might just eat a small portion of the bait and escape from the trap cage.
The animal trap of the prior art, as shown in
FIG. 1
, mainly comprises a trap cage
11
and a hook
12
; such trap cage
11
is of a cuboid cage, and such hook
12
is installed on the upper cover of the animal trap, with the lower part of the hook
12
able to hook bait. The upper edge of the outer frame on the front door
13
of the animal trap
11
is pivotally installed with the animal trap
11
and forms a pivoting portion, and the tightness of the front door
13
when shut is maintained by the pulling force of the elastic element
15
. The front door
13
is installed with an activating handle
14
, and the user can press the activating handle
14
to open the front door
13
. As the front door
13
is fully opened, the activating handle
14
is to be closely attached to the top of the animal trap
11
; at this time the bending portion on the upper end of the hook
12
that hooks bait is to hook and secure the activating handle
14
, thus maintaining the equilibrium when the front door
13
is opened.
When the prey enters the animal trap
1
, the front door
13
remains open; and yet when the prey begins to eat the bait hooked on the hook
12
or pull the bait on the hook
12
, the hook
12
then releases the activating handle
14
, and the front door
13
, pulled by the elastic elements
15
, is to be swiftly shut and remains tightly shut.
Nevertheless, the animal trap
1
of the prior art has the drawback in that, when the prey enters the trap cage, the front door
13
continues to remain open only until the bait lightens by being eaten a portion by the prey, a design that renders the prior art ineffective when the prey keeps alert and is capable of escaping from the animal trap after entering the animal cage. Therefore, the drawbacks of insensitive reaction and false timing render such design utterly ineffective.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The primary object is to provide a gravitational animal trap, comprising a trap cage with a movable door, and in the interior of such trap cage an upturned plate is installed, with a sensing device pivotally installed with the upturned plate to activate the door switch. When the prey enters the animal trap and steps on the upturned plate, causing the upturned plate to alter the state of equilibrium due to the gravitational force of the prey, the sensing device is activated to shut the movable door, thus achieving the object of entrapping the prey.
The gravitational animal trap of the present invention takes advantage of the gravitational force caused by the prey itself to activate the upturned plate and the sensing device, thus during the process of the prey's entering the animal trap, the door can be activated and shut, a design that achieves high sensitivity and timely reaction.
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of adjusting holes are installed on the side walls of the animal trap and on the two sides of the upturned plate, so that the user can adjust the positions and angles of the upturned plate to the optimal condition; also movable rings are installed between the sides walls of the trap cage and the upturned plate to avoid friction when the upturned plate moves up and down, thus the sensitivity of the upturned plate can be kept in the best mode.


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