Fishing – trapping – and vermin destroying – Traps – Imprisoning
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-15
2001-01-30
Rowan, Kurt (Department: 3643)
Fishing, trapping, and vermin destroying
Traps
Imprisoning
Reexamination Certificate
active
06178686
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to animal traps and, more particularly, to live animal traps for trapping and relocation of animals.
Individuals living in rural, agricultural, and newly developed areas are frequently confronted with wild animals such as foxes, beavers, badgers, possums, raccoons, and skunks. While these animals provide significant benefits in some circumstances and they are entertaining to observe, they can, on occasion, become a nuisance. At times their population becomes to great or their routine activities interfere with allocated land use. For example, a fox may be killing chickens or a raccoon raiding trash cans in a newly developed residential area, and no animals presences is as quickly detected as a skunk's. Skunks, because of their odor and ability to spray, can present an exceptional problem. When any of these animals interfere with land use, the most desirable option is trapping and relocation.
To that end, live animal traps have been provided which are generally capable of trapping these types of animals without causing them harm. However, these traps and their various designs have failed to fully appreciate the strength, determination, and industriousness of trapped animals, so that if the animal is not promptly relocated and released, the animal might injure itself, escape, or damage the trap to the extent that it is not reusable. These types of problems are frequently encountered because of the closure mechanisms used in traps, and while some traps have generally overcome these problems, they are typically of complex design and are too costly.
Further, trapping and relocating animals takes far more effort than simply destroying them. This is especially true for skunks and the accompanying smell and risk of being sprayed as well as bitten or scratched. Unfortunately, the choice to avoid this extra effort results in the unnecessary destruction of many animals. Again, current trap designs have failed to fully appreciate the need for convenience and safety. This deficiency is particularly problematic when trapping skunks. The traps are configured so that skunks can lift their tails and spray freely. Additionally, the traps typically do not restrict the animals view allowing the animal to see people thereby becoming increasingly agitated as they approach.
Thus, increasing the strength of live animal traps and improving live animal trap closure mechanisms is desirable to inhibit animal escape and injury and reduce the occurrences of damage to live animal traps. It is also desirable to configure live animal traps to limit a trapped animals view and so that skunks are not free to lift their tails to spray.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
There is, therefore, provided in the practice of the invention a novel live animal trap, which reliably traps animals without injury while inhibiting animal escape and which is less subject to damage. The trap includes a trap wall defining an internal chamber sized to receive an animal therein. The trap wall has an entrance opening, and a closure mechanism is provided which moves a closure door in a direction substantially transverse to an entry direction into the chamber to close the entrance opening. A trip mechanism is operably coupled with the closure mechanism to hold the door in the open position until an animal enters the trap.
In a preferred embodiment, the trap wall is preferably cylindrical and has an inside diameter selected to inhibit a skunk from lifting its tail to spray. A preferred diameter is approximately seven inches. The trap wall and closure door are substantially continuous to limit the trapped animal's view thereby decreasing agitation of the animal.
The closure door preferably extends beyond the perimeter of the entrance opening, and the closure mechanism has a door securement member which engages the closure door when it is in the closed position. The closure mechanism also includes a lever arm attached to an elongated pivot rod which extends substantially the entire length of the trap and is fixedly attached to the closure door. A biasing member is connected to the lever arm to bias the closure door toward the closed position. The lever arm includes a positioning plate to hold the biasing member in position on the lever arm. The lever arm has a rounded engagement surface which engages a trip arm engagement surface which is also rounded.
The present invention further contemplates the closure mechanism which is incorporated in the foregoing live animal trap. The closure mechanism includes a slicing closure door movable between an open position and a closed position to substantially close the entrance opening. The door slices closed moving in a direction substantially perpendicular to the entry direction into the trap.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved closure mechanism inhibiting animal escape from animal traps.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved animal trap for limiting an animal's view.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an improved animal trap for inhibiting skunks from spraying.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved animal trap which is less vulnerable to damage.
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Hovey Williams Timmons & Collins
Rowan Kurt
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