Fishing – trapping – and vermin destroying – Traps
Reexamination Certificate
2002-11-12
2004-07-06
Ark, Darren W. (Department: 3643)
Fishing, trapping, and vermin destroying
Traps
C043S081000, CD22S119000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06758008
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to a rodent trap containment apparatus and a method for making the same, and more particularly, to an apparatus which is reusable and durable and which does not allow a rodent to escape once the rodent has entered the apparatus and has at least a portion of its body trapped in a conventional rodent trap.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Mousetraps or rodent traps are well known in the art to either actively kill a rodent or passively trap a rodent without killing the rodent. One well known conventional mousetrap or rodent trap comprises a wooden base upon which a selectively movable bar is attached. Particularly, the selectively movable bar is forcibly biased in a downward direction by the use a substantially powerful pair of springs and held in place by a lever and a support rod. This well known conventional mousetrap or rodent trap utilizes the pressure or weight of a rodent to trip or spring the lever which, in turn, releases the biased movable bar and traps or kills the rodent.
This type of conventional mousetrap or rodent trap suffers from some drawbacks. For example and without limitation, the force applied to a rodent by the selectively movable bar may rupture the body of the rodent which may project bodily fluids and entrails of the rodent to locations remote of the conventional rodent traps wooden base. The projection of bodily fluids and entrails requires a user of this conventional mousetrap or rodent trap to undesirably clean and disinfect any and all areas which may have come in contact with the bodily fluids and/or entrails. Furthermore, bodily fluids and entrails of rodents may harbor several diseases and bacterium which could prove harmful to humans and, cleaning of these fluids and entrails requires substantially close encounters to the fluids and entrails with the user and, in some cases direct human contact, thereby potentially causing a health risk to the user of these conventional mousetraps or rodent traps.
Moreover, this conventional type of mousetrap or rodent trap may only trap a portion of a rodent. That is, a rodent may jump or partially dodge the selectively movable bar, thereby only getting a portion of the rodent's body, such as a tail or a leg trapped in the conventional mousetrap or rodent trap. In this manner, a rodent may escape from immediate death by dragging the conventional mousetrap or rodent trap to a hidden location. At this time, the rodent may gnaw its own leg or tail off or simply die from the injuries inflicted by the trap or from an infection from the wounds created by the trap or the gnawing off of the rodent's limb. In this manner, the rodent may live and continue to inhabit an area which is undesirable to an individual or may die in an area that the individual can not locate which is also undesirable to an individual. Furthermore, in either case, the rodent's carcass or limb (e.g., leg or tail) will eventually rot, which creates a potential health risk to humans (e.g., the carcass or limb may harbor disease and/or bacterium), creates an unpleasant odor (i.e., the odor of rotting flesh), and may allow for houseflies to lay eggs within the carcass or limb, thereby creating a large population of houseflies which may be annoying, further create a health risk to humans (e.g., by spreading bacterium), and creating unsanitary conditions (e.g., by spreading fecal matter and bacterium wherever the houseflies may land).
There is therefore a need for a reusable apparatus which allows an individual to trap and contain a rodent or a rodent's carcass, bodily fluids, and/or entrails in a relatively sanitary and convenient manner. There is also a need for a method for making a reusable apparatus which overcomes some or all of the previously delineated drawbacks of prior rodent trapping methodologies.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A first non-limiting advantage of the present invention is that it provides an apparatus which contains a conventional rodent trap and a rodent in a manner which overcomes the previously delineated drawbacks of prior rodent trapping methodologies.
A second non-limiting advantage of the invention is that it provides an apparatus which contains a conventional rodent trap and a rodent in a manner which overcomes the previously delineated drawbacks of prior rodent trapping methodologies and, more particularly an apparatus which includes a plurality of entry apertures and a plurality of arcuately shaped extending ridges which do not allow a partially trapped rodent to escape the apparatus.
A third non-limiting advantage of the present invention is that it provides a method for making an apparatus.
A fourth non-limiting advantage of the present invention is that it provides an apparatus for containing a conventional rodent trap of a certain width. Particularly, the apparatus comprises: a base portion; and a plurality of walls each having a top side and a bottom side, the bottom sides are coupled to the base portion to cooperatively form a containment area, wherein the plurality of walls further comprise at least one entry aperture of a certain width.
A fifth non-limiting advantage of the present invention is that it provides an apparatus for containing a conventional rodent trap of a certain width. Particularly, the apparatus comprises: a base portion; and at least one wall having a top portion and a bottom portion, wherein the bottom portion is coupled to the base portion to form a containment cavity, the at least one wall having at least one entry aperture of a certain width formed there through, and wherein the top portion further comprises a plurality of raised ridges which traverse the top portion.
A sixth non-limiting advantage of the present invention is that it provides a method for making a conventional rodent trap containment apparatus for use with a conventional rodent trap of a certain width. Particularly, the method comprises the steps of: forming a base portion having a periphery; forming at least one wall having a top side and a bottom side; coupling the bottom side of the at least one wall to the base portion, such that the at least one wall traverses said periphery of the base portion; forming a plurality of first arcuately shaped extending ridges upon the top side of the at least one wall; forming a plurality of second arcuately shaped extending ridges upon the top side of the at least one wall; and forming at least one entry aperture of a certain width through the at least one wall.
These and other advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention and by reference to the following drawings.
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Ark Darren W.
Law Offices of John Chupa & Associates, P.C.
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