Patent Application
20120066960
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to bait stations, and more particularly to an ant and roach bait station.
Pests such as ants and roaches and infestations of the same are typically undesirable for consumers. Consumers tend to deal with such undesirable pests by placing bait tending to attract these pests throughout areas of homes. The pests find and ingest the bait or carry it back to their nesting places. The bait contains an active ingredient designed to exterminate the pests, either immediately or over time.
In the past, bait could be purchased by consumers in pre-loaded bait stations. Typically, such bait stations are formed from multiple components, are difficult for the manufacturer to assemble, and are difficult for the manufacturer to fill. This is undesirable, since these qualities add to the time and cost to produce such bait stations. Additionally, such conventional bait stations are easily disassembled after having been placed by a consumer. This is undesirable since a child may disassemble a bait station and access the bait inside. Contact with or ingestion of the active ingredient in the bait is dangerous to the child and may make the child quite ill. Additionally, in such conventional bait stations, it is difficult to determine when the bait station is empty. This is undesirable, since pests in locations where empty bait stations are located will not be controlled.
Therefore, it may be appreciated that it would be desirable to provide a bait station that would reduce the cost associated with the difficulty of assembling and filling a bait station. It would also be desirable to reduce the cost to manufacture a bait station by reducing the complexity and number of components therein. It would also be desirable to provide a bait station that is not easily disassembled, such that it is childproof to prevent small children from accessing the bait contained within the bait station. It would also be desirable to provide a bait station that allow users to easily determine whether and how much bait is disposed therein.
The bait station of the present invention must also be of construction which is both durable and long lasting, and it should also require little or no maintenance to be provided by the user throughout its operating lifetime. In order to enhance the market appeal of the bait station kit of the present invention, it should also be of inexpensive construction to thereby afford it the broadest possible market. Finally, it is also an objective of the present bait station kit that all of the aforesaid advantages and objectives be achieved without incurring any substantial relative disadvantage.
The disadvantages and limitations of the background art discussed above are overcome by the present invention. With this invention, a bait station including a bottom member defining a bait reservoir and at least one axial projection is provided. The axial projection defines at least one locating notch and an attachment portion. A top member including at least one locating portion configured to interface with the at least one locating notch is also provided. The top member also includes an attachment projection configured to interface with the attachment portion of the bottom member. Once the attachment projection and the attachment portion are coupled, the connection is configured to be childproof.
In another aspect, the present invention provides a bait station including a bottom member including a bait reservoir containing a sufficient amount of bait, the bait reservoir being at least partially defined by a wall. The bait station also includes a top member and at least one access port defined by portions of the bottom member and the top member, configured to allow a pest access to the bait reservoir. The wall includes at least one projection, the at least one projection defining an apparatus to index the top member relative to the bottom member. The bait station is configured to prevent a child from gaining access to the bait.
In another aspect, the present invention teaches a method of making a bait station including the steps of providing a bottom member including a bait reservoir, providing a top member configured to couple to the bottom member, filling the bait reservoir with bait, using an indexing feature of at least one of the bottom member and the top member to orient the top member and bottom member relative to one another, and irremovably coupling the top member to the bottom member without the use of adhesives, welding, or tools.
The bait station of the present invention is of a construction which is both durable and long lasting, and which will require little or no maintenance to be provided by the user throughout its operating lifetime. The bait station of the present invention is also of inexpensive construction to enhance its market appeal and to thereby afford it the broadest possible market. Finally, all of the aforesaid advantages of the bait station of the present invention are achieved without incurring any substantial relative disadvantage.
These and other advantages of the present invention are best understood with reference to the drawings, in which:
Referring initially to
The bottom member 12 of the bait station 10 defines therein an annular bait reservoir 16. An attachment cylinder 18 is formed preferably at the center of the bait reservoir 16 and extends axially upwardly therefrom. As will be described further below, the attachment cylinder 18 is configured for use in coupling the bottom member 12 to the top member 14. The periphery of the bait reservoir 16 is defined by an axially upwardly extending cylindrical wall 20. The axially extending wall 20 is sufficiently high to contain an effective amount of bait within the bait reservoir 16.
In one embodiment, integrally formed with and axially extending upwardly from an annular flat top surface 21 extending outwardly from the top of the wall 20 are a plurality of upwardly extending projections 22. The projections 22 may be evenly arranged around the periphery of the bait reservoir 16 and extend axially upwardly proximate to or in contact with the underside of the top member 14 when the bait station 10 is in an assembled configuration. In the illustrated embodiment, the bottom member 12 includes six projections 22 arranged circumferentially equidistant on the annular flat top surface 21 around the periphery of the wall 20.
In one embodiment, defined in the portion of at least one, and preferably a plurality, of the projections 22 at the end most distal from the bait reservoir 16 is a locating notch 24. In the illustrated embodiment, three of the six projections (every other projection 22) define locating notches 24. In this embodiment, each of the projections 22 defining a locating notch 24 is located between two projections 22 that do not define a locating notch 24.
In one embodiment, annular flat top surface transitions obliquely downwardly into a frustroconical transition portion 25. Projecting radially outwardly from this frustroconical transition portion 25 are three radially projecting leg members 26. These leg portions 26 provide added stability when the bait station 10 is placed onto a flat surface. The leg portions 26 and the frustroconical transition portion 25 may, together with the top member 14, define entryways for ants, roaches, pests, and vermin as will be further described below.
In one embodiment, the bait reservoir 16 may include a fill indicator 27 projecting radially upwardly from the bottom of the bait reservoir 16 and coupled to the wall 20. The fill indicator 27 may be integrally molded with the bottom member 12, or it may be molded separately therefrom and attached thereto. The fill indicator 27 may serve to indicate when a proper amount of bait is deposited in the bait reservoir 16 and may also indicate to a user the amount of bait remaining in the bait reservoir 16, as well indicating when the bait reservoir 16 no longer contains sufficient bait. In
In one embodiment, the bottom member 12 is formed of a single plastic segment. The bottom member 12 may be formed from any suitable plastic known in the art. It is also envisioned that other suitable materials may instead be used to form the bottom member 12. Alternatively, the bottom member 12 may be formed in separate segments that are coupled together by any method known in the art.
Again with reference to
In one embodiment, the top member 14 includes a flat disc-like segment 28. Projecting arcuately radially outwardly and downwardly from the disc-like segment 28 are three arcuate portions 30 connected by three axially narrower connection portions 32. Coupled to the portion of the arcuate portions 30 distal from the disc-like segment 28 are outwardly-extending flanges 34 configured to interface with the leg portions 26 of the bottom member 12 when the bait station 10 is in an assembled configuration, as will be more fully explained below.
The underside of the disc-like segment 28 defines at its center in one embodiment an expansion plug 36 extending axially downwardly from the center of the disc-like segment 28. The expansion plug 36 includes a base cylinder 38 coupled at one end to the disc-like segment 28. The free end of the base cylinder 38 has an expansion groove 40 cut into its downwardly-extending distal end, with the two halves of the base cylinder each having a radially outwardly-extending expansion tooth 42. As will be more fully explained below, these components of the expansion plug 36 are configured to couple with the attachment cylinder 18 to join the top member 14 to the bottom member 12.
The underside of the disc-like segment 28 additionally defines near its outer periphery a plurality of downwardly-extending locating projections 44. The locating projections 44 are oriented radially outwardly and extend to and are couples with the arcuate portions 30. In one embodiment, the number of locating projections 44 is equal to the number of locating notches 24 defined in the projections 22 of the bottom member 12. The locating projections 44 in the top member 14 are configured to interact with the locating notches 24 of the bottom member 12 to properly orient the top member 14 with respect to the bottom member 12. If the locating projections 44 are positioned over projections 22 without locating notches 24, the expansion plug 36 will not properly engage the attachment cylinder 18. Thus, the locating projections 44 serve an indexing and orientation function.
As may best be seen in
The attachment cylinder 18 includes a smaller diameter portion 46 at its upper end and a larger diameter portion 48 axially below the smaller diameter portion 46 (as best shown in
Thus, if a user attempts to remove the top member 14 from the bottom member 12, the upper portion of the expansion teeth 42 will encounter the annular flange 52 at the bottom of the smaller diameter portion 46, thereby preventing the expansion plug 36 from being withdrawn from the attachment cylinder 18 and retaining the top member 14 fixedly attached to the bottom member 12. The illustrated embodiment of the bait station 10 thus provides a secure, childproof attachment between the bottom member 12 and top member 14.
Other configurations of both the attachment cylinder 18 and the expansion plug 36 are also contemplated, including an interference fit between the two parts, adhesive, thermal welding, and any other suitable connection mechanism between the top member 14 and bottom member 12 known in the art.
As may be seen in
When the top member 14 and bottom member 12 are coupled together, the areas between the three axially narrower connection portions 32 (which are located intermediate the three arcuate portions 30 in the top member 14) and the areas intermediate the leg portions 26 of the bottom member 12 together define access ports 54. In the illustrated embodiment, three such access ports 54 are defined, each configured to allow ants, roaches, pests, and/or other vermin access to bait contained within the bait reservoir 16 inside the bait station 10.
In the illustrated embodiments, the bait stations 10 may be placed in location(s) accessible by pests. When pests access the bait disposed within the bait stations 10 and eat the bait, they will be exterminated by the active ingredient included in the bait.
The bait is preferably a fluid or a gel, and preferably includes both an active ingredient and an inactive ingredient. If the pests to be targeted are ants, the bait may, for example, be a gel marketed by the DuPont corporation under the trademark ADVION™ ADVION™ includes the active ingredient INDOXACARB (S-Enantiomer) in a concentration of between approximately 0.02% and 0.06% by mass, and preferably 0.03% by mass. However, other suitable baits may be used for targeting ants. If the pests to be targeted are roaches, the bait may, for example, be ADVION™ containing INDOXACARB (S-Enantiomer) in a concentration of between approximately 0.20% and 0.60% by mass, and preferably approximately 0.30% by mass.
If the pests to be targeted are other vermin, other suitable baits may be used.
Each bait station 10 in one embodiment has a capacity of between approximately 1 and 5 grams of bait, and more preferably a capacity of approximately 2 grams.
For purposes of this disclosure, the term “coupled” means the mechanical joining of two components directly or indirectly to one another. Such joining may be stationary in nature or moveable in nature. Such joining may be achieved with the two components and any additional intermediate members being integrally formed as a single unitary body with one another or the two components and any additional member being attached to one another. Such joining may be permanent in nature or alternatively be removable or releasable in nature.
Although the foregoing description of the bait station of the present invention has been shown and described with reference to particular embodiments and applications thereof, it has been presented for purposes of illustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the particular embodiments and applications disclosed. It will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art that a number of changes, modifications, variations, or alterations to the invention as described herein may be made, none of which depart from the spirit or scope of the present invention. The particular embodiments and applications were chosen and described to provide the best illustration of the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. All such changes, modifications, variations, and alterations should therefore be seen as being within the scope of the present invention as determined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are fairly, legally, and equitably entitled.
