Patent Application
20210400949
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The disclosure relates to trapping assemblies and more particularly pertains to a new trapping assembly for controlling a population of nuisance animals.
The prior art relates to trapping assemblies. Prior art trapping assemblies may comprise one-way tubes and bait.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a box, which defines an interior space. The box has a top, which is open. A lid is hingedly engaged to the box and is positioned to selectively close the top. The box has a hole positioned in a side thereof proximate to a bottom thereof. A closure is engaged to the box proximate to the hole and is configured to selectively close the hole. A bait station is selectively positionable in the interior space and is configured to attract a nuisance animal through the hole into the interior space. The closure is configured to retain the nuisance animal within the interior space to trap the nuisance animal.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
A closure 24 is engaged to the box 12 proximate to the hole 18 and is configured to selectively close the hole 18, as shown in
A bait station 30 is selectively positionable in the interior space 28 and is configured to attract a nuisance animal through the hole 18 into the interior space 28. The closure 24 is configured to retain the nuisance animal within the interior space 28 to trap the nuisance animal. The bait station 30 may comprise a cage 32 that has an edible bait 34 positioned therein. The cage 32 allows the nuisance animal to smell and possibly nibble on the edible bait 34 but does not allow full access thereto. The present invention also anticipates the bait station 30 comprising other types of bait and attractants, such as pheromones, scents, and the like.
The assembly 10 may comprise a lock unit 36, which is engaged to the lid 16 and which is selectively engageable to the box 12 with the lid 16 in a closed configuration. The lock unit 36 is positioned to lock the lid 16 to the box 12 thus is configured to deter unauthorized access to the interior space 28.
A panel 38 is engaged to the lid 16 and covers an aperture 40 positioned therein. The panel 38 is substantially transparent so that the panel 38 is configured to allow viewing of contents of the box 12.
A set of wheels 42 is engaged to the bottom 22 of the box 12 and is configured to allow locomotion of the box 12 upon a surface. A handle 44 is engaged to the box 12 proximate to the top 14 and is configured to be grasped in a hand of a user to manipulate the box 12. The wheels 42 and handle 44 could be utilized, for example, to push the box 12 to a truck and to load the box 12 onto the truck, along with additional boxes 12, as shown in
A counter 46 is engaged to the box 12 proximate to the hole 18 and is configured to detect entry of the nuisance animal into the interior space 28. The counter 46 is configured to count the nuisance animals entering the interior space 28. A display 48 is coupled to an exterior 50 box 12 and is operationally coupled to the counter 46. The display 48 is configured to present a count of the nuisance animals passing into the interior space 28.
A plurality of plates 52 is coupled to the box 12 and positioned in the interior space 28, defining a set of ramps 54 and a set of ledges 56. Each ramp 54 is configured to be traversed by the nuisance animal so that an associated ledge 56 is reachable by the nuisance animal. Bait stations 30 are selectively positionable on ledges 56 and the bottom 22 of the box 12 to attract nuisance animals to various sites within the interior space 28.
A tube 58 is selectively engageable to the box 12 so that the tube 58 extends from the hole 18. The tube 58 is pleated so that the tube 58 is selectively extensible from the box 12. The tube 58 can be extended from the box 12 to allow the box 12 to trap nuisance animals from a larger area.
A tray 60 is positioned in the interior space 28 proximate to the top 14. The tray 60 is configured to position a toxic substance, such as dry ice, to euthanize the nuisance animal. Dry ice could be added to the tray 60 by opening the lid 16. Alternatively, as shown in
In use, the box 12 is positioned in an area frequented by nuisance animals. One or more bait stations 30 are positioned in the interior space 28 to attract the nuisance animals. The tubes 58 can be attached to the box 12 and extended therefrom. As the nuisance animals pass through a tube 58 and push through a flap 26, the flap 26 rebounds to trap the nuisance animals in the box 12. When trapping is concluded, dry ice can be added to the tray 60 to euthanize the nuisance animals.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure 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 disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the elements is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
