1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a disposable flying insect trap requiring no tools, cutting, or special hangers for set up, use and disposal. More specifically, the present invention relates to a disposable flying insect trap having a pre-installed bait packet within a plastic bag that hangs from the periphery of an entry plate. The entry plate includes entry port openings through which flying insects may enter for capture within the plastic bag. A lid is secured to the entry plate in its shipped condition to seal the entry port openings and bag interior to the atmosphere. The lid is removable by the user and connectable to the entry plate in a second, in use, position whereby the lid is displaced from the entry plate surface to enable opening of the entry ports to the surrounding environment. The lid is removable from the entry plate through a pull cord that also acts as a hang cord for the bag.
2. Description of the Related Art
Disposable flying insect traps are known. Such traps may include a flexible containment bag that includes bait or attractant material within the bag to be mixed with water to attract the flying insects. Such bag may include an upper support member that has an opening for the flying insects to enter the bag. When the flying insects are attracted to enter into the bag interior, they will be trapped therein and will drown in the liquid. The bag may then be discarded after use. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,682,706; 4,899,485; 4,873,787; and 4,551,941. One commercially available disposable fly trap is known as the Rescue! Fly Trap®.
One of the problems with the current traps on the market, such as the Rescue! Fly Trap®, is that the consumer is required to cut open the entry area before filling the trap with water. Thus, separate tools, such as scissors or knives, are needed to prepare the trap before placement at a convenient location. Hence, a need has arisen for a trap requiring minimal effort for the consumer in installation requiring no separate tools, cutting, or special hangers. Such prior art traps also inherently leak and spill when discarded because there is no adequate closure to seal the bag after use. Thus, a need has arisen for a disposable flying insect trap that includes a cost effective resealing structure for sealing the trap after use to prevent leakage or spillage.
In order to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art, the disposable flying insect trap of the present invention includes an insect entry plate with a plastic bag secured to and hanging from the entry plate periphery. The plastic bag contains insect attractant, and the entry plate includes at least one entry port through which insects can pass for capture within the bag. A lid is connectable to the entry plate and is adjustably positioned from a first position that seals the lid to the entry plate and thus closes off the entry port and the bag interior to the surrounding environment. The lid is adjustably positioned to a second position where the lid is displaced from, and defines a gap relative to, the entry plate surface to enable the entry port and bag interior to be in communication with the surrounding environment so that the flying insects can fly into the bag interior.
The adjustable positioning of the lid to the entry plate is preferably accomplished by providing a plurality of circular sockets and a plurality of cylindrical posts adjacent to the sockets on the entry plate upper surface. The lid includes complementary pins on its lower or underside surface that are defined by a cylindrical wall with an open cylindrical recess. The lid is, in a first position, sealingly attached to the entry plate by inserting the lid pins within the entry plate sockets to retain the lid to the entry plate whereby the lid forms a seal with the entry plate upper surface. The lid is removable and positionable in a second position displaced from the entry plate upper surface by attaching the lid pins onto the posts of the entry plate whereby the cylindrical recesses of the lid pins are inserted over the. entry plate posts to maintain the lid in a spaced apart position from the entry plate upper surface.
The disposable insect trap is assembled and packaged for the consumer such that the insect attractant is within the plastic bag and the lid is sealed to the entry plate and plastic bag in its first position. The consumer will remove the lid from the first sealed position and will fill the plastic bag with water or other liquid to a desired level as instructed. The lid will be re-connected in the second position to enable the lid to be supported by, yet spaced from, the entry plate upper surface and the assembled fly trap can then be hung at a desired location.
Removal of the lid from the entry plate may require some force, but without the use of separate tools, because the lid is intended to be tightly secured and sealed to the entry plate during shipment. This removal is accomplished by a hang cord that is retained by the entry plate and loops through holes in the lid that are offset from the points where the cord is retained on the entry plate. Thus, a portion of the hang cord is in facing or parallel relationship to the underside of the lid when the lid is sealed to the entry plate such that when the hang cord is pulled by the user, an upward force is directed to the underside of the lid to dislodge or disengage the lid from the entry plate.
When the fly trap is spent, i.e., when the amount of flies collected is substantial and/or the attractant weakens after a period of time in accordance with the type of attractant utilized, the lid is removed from its second position and re-installed to its first sealed position. A tight seal is thus provided for disposal of the fly trap without leakage or spillage.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a disposable flying insect trap that is sealable prior to use and resealable after use.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a disposable flying insect trap that is installed without use of any separate tools and requires no cutting or other special installation.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a disposable flying insect trap that is sealable and resealable to protect the water-soluble bait packet during distribution, until use, and also serves to eliminate messy spills or splashes during disposal.
Still further, it is an object of the present invention to provide a disposable flying insect trap with a sealable lid that can be readily removed from its sealed position without separate tools and without requiring great effort by the consumer. More specifically, the removal of the lid is accomplished by pulling up on the hang cord that is used to hang the assembly. This pulling action on the hang cord applies an upward force component to the underside of the lid, at the lid hole edges, which displaces or disengages the lid from the entry plate.
These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.
The drawings serve to illustrate the present invention, but are not intended to be drawn to scale.
Although only one preferred embodiment of the invention is explained in detail, it is to be understood that the embodiment is given by way of illustration only. It is not intended that the invention be limited in its scope to the details of construction and arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. Also, in describing the preferred embodiment, specific terminology will be resorted to for the sake of clarity. It is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose.
Referring now to the drawings, a preferred embodiment of the disposable flying insect trap according to the present invention is designated generally by the reference numeral 10 and includes an entry plate of preferably circular profile, generally designated by reference numeral 20, with a plastic bag 30 secured to, and hanging from, the plate periphery 23. The plastic bag 30 is retained to the plate by a retaining ring 40. A lid 50 is detachably and adjustably connected to the entry plate 20 in a manner to be described. A hang cord or string 60 is retained by the entry plate 20 and looped through lid holes 51 in the lid 50. A bait packet 32 is disposed within the plastic bag 30 during shipment with the lid 50 sealed to the entry plate 20. The bait packet 32, when mixed with water (
Turning now to the specific components of the invention, the entry plate 20 includes an upper surface 22 that is preferably slightly domed, as shown, and preferably of circular profile. At its circumferential periphery 23, the entry plate 20 includes a downwardly oriented skirt 21 with an annular trapezoidal notch 24 in the outwardly facing skirt surface which serves as one clamping surface for clamping the plastic bag to the entry plate periphery. (See
The retaining ring 40 and the entry plate 20 are preferably both made of rigid PVC material, and the retaining ring is sized to slide upward from a direction below the bottom of the entry plate with the bag positioned adjacent to the entry plate skirt 21 to provide a taut snap fit between the retaining ring and skirt with the bag therebetween. The retaining ring 40 grips and retains the plastic bag against the entry plate skirt 21 with sufficient strength so that the bag will remain retained to the entry plate when the bag is filled with water. Although a rigid PVC retaining ring that is snap fitted into the notch 24 of the skirt to support the plastic bag is preferred, other arrangements for maintaining the plastic bag to the entry plate periphery can be provided. For example, the retaining ring could be manufactured from a flexible band or the plastic bag could be heat sealed to the edge of the entry plate periphery. Generally, any technique for securing the plastic bag 30 to the entry plate periphery 23 may be utilized.
Inward of the entry plate periphery 23 is a channel 25 of circular configuration that receives the lid edge 52, in a manner to be described. (See
The entry plate 20 includes a plurality of entry plate ports 26. Four ports are shown, but the exact number may vary and still be within the scope of the present invention. Each of the entry ports 26 includes substantially conically-shaped extensions 27 disposed toward the interior of the plastic bag 30. The entry ports 26 enable water or other liquid to be poured into the plastic bag for activation of the attractant, as shown in
Diametrically aligned entry plate cord holes 29 are provided through the entry plate surface 22 inwardly from the entry plate periphery 23. The cord holes 29 retain the hang cord 60 to the entry plate 20. As shown in
Disposed adjacent the entry plate periphery 23 are a plurality of entry plate sockets 80. Four sockets 80 disposed 90° apart from each other are shown, but the exact number could vary without departing from the scope of the present invention. Each of these sockets 80 define cylindrical recesses, having circular openings to receive pins 54 disposed on the underside 53 of the lid 50, in a manner to be described. When the lid pins 54 are inserted within the sockets 80, as best shown in
Adjacent each of the sockets 80 on the entry plate 20 are a plurality of entry plate posts 90. The posts 90 are shown as four in number and also disposed 90° apart. The posts 90 are generally cylindrical and integrally formed in the upper surface 22 of the entry plate 20. The posts 90 are preferably recessed slightly into the entry plate surface 22 to define a circular channel 92 about each post. As will be described, the posts 90 are sized to receive the lid pins 54 by insertion of the posts 90 into the lid pin cylindrical recess 55, as will be described. When fully inserted, the lid 50 will be secured to the entry plate 20, but spaced from the entry plate surface 22 to form a gap 100 between the entry plate surface 22 and the underside 57 of the lid 50 to enable the insects to fly or crawl through the gap 100, through the entry ports 26 and into the plastic bag interior. This offset position of the lid 50 with respect to the entry plate 20 is defined as the second position.
The lid is of substantially circular profile having a diameter less than that of the entry plate and preferably also formed of rigid PVC material. The lid 50 is shown to have a slightly domed or convex shape with a downwardly extending circumferential edge or lip 52 that is sized relative to the entry plate channel 25 to be tightly secured therewithin. That is, the width of the edge 52 is substantially equal to the channel 25 width so that the lid 50 is tightly secured therewithin to define a seal between the lid 50 and the entry plate 20. The lid 50 includes a pair of lid holes 51 for receiving the looped hang cord 60. The lid holes 51 are along a diameter of the lid, but are angularly disposed with respect to the entry plate cord holes 29 when the lid 50 is secured to the entry plate 20 in its first or sealed position. Thus, when the lid 50 is secured to the entry plate 20 in a sealed position, the hang cord 60 retained by the entry plate 20 is diverted slightly to travel laterally underneath the lid surface 57 and exit the lid at lid holes 51 slightly displaced from the position of the hang cord retention openings 29.
Stated otherwise, as can be seen in
The lid holes 51 can lie along the same circumference as the entry plate cord holes 29, but angularly displaced along the circumference slightly. Alternatively, the lid holes 51 and entry plate cord holes 29 could be oriented radially with respect to each other. It is important only that they be sufficiently offset, i.e., not aligned with each other when the lid 50 is sealed to the entry plate 20. This offset enables a portion 65 of the hang cord to be disposed laterally underneath the lid 50 between the lid and the entry plate surface 22 so that an upwardly directed force is provided on the lid when the hang cord is pulled.
Disposed from the underside 57 of the lid 50 are a plurality of lid pins 54, preferably four in number, complementary to the socket openings 80 of the entry plate 20. The pins 54 are substantially cylindrical in contour with opposed slits 59 to enable pin wall flexing. The pins 54 are open at the bottom and define a cylindrical recess 55. The cylindrical recess 55 is sized to provide a firm fit over the posts 90 of the entry plate as shown in
Utilization of the disposable flying insect trap 10 is as follows. Before use, the trap 10 is assembled with the bait packet 32 within the bag 30 and with the lid 50 sealed to the entry plate 20, as shown in
The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and, accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
4501088 | Boisvert et al. | Feb 1985 | A |
4551941 | Schneidmiller | Nov 1985 | A |
4571880 | Hayward | Feb 1986 | A |
4706410 | Briese | Nov 1987 | A |
4873787 | Schneidmiller | Oct 1989 | A |
4899485 | Schneidmiller | Feb 1990 | A |
5133150 | Briese | Jul 1992 | A |
5226254 | MacMenigall | Jul 1993 | A |
5359808 | Fitsakis | Nov 1994 | A |
5392558 | Blomquist | Feb 1995 | A |
5682706 | Altenburg | Nov 1997 | A |
6532695 | Alvarado | Mar 2003 | B1 |
6609329 | McCallum | Aug 2003 | B2 |
20040231229 | Lenker | Nov 2004 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20060042154 A1 | Mar 2006 | US |