The present invention is related to the field of pest control and, more particularly, to glue board traps for rodents including mice, rats and voles, as well as snakes and insects.
Traps having an adhesive upper surface, generally referred to as glue traps, have been used for many years to catch pests. Being simple and relatively inexpensive in construction, a glue trap is typically designed for one-time use after which the trap is disposed of, along with the pest caught thereon.
Woodstream Corporation of Lititz, Pennsylvania, who is the assignee of the instant application, has developed a glue trap including a tray with a replaceable glue board that is commercially available in Canada as the M773CAN Victor® V Hold-Fast® Glue Tray. Disposing of only the glue board while reusing the same tray reduces waste and makes the glue traps more cost effective to use.
However, it has been found that in some cases the edges of the tray, which are elevated with respect to the upper surface of the glue board, can hinder pest interaction with the trap. In addition, the user may experience unwanted contact with the glue when replacing the board. Further, the glue board may inadvertently fall out of the tray and, if landing adhesive-side-down, the glue can become stuck to the floor.
Therefore it would be desirable to have a glue board trap operative with replaceable glue boards that overcomes the noted drawbacks that are sometimes encountered with refillable glue traps.
In view of the foregoing, the present invention is directed to a reuseable tray into which a disposable glue board is inserted to form a glue board trap, and to a glue board trap having a reusable tray fitted with a replaceable glue board. The tray has opposed side walls provided with a slanted lip that is sloped downwardly at an angle of between about 15° and about 75° to the horizontal, preferably between about 35° and about 55°, and most preferably sloped at 45°, with the low side of the slope being on the outside edge of the tray. This slanted or sloped lip encourages pest interaction with the glue board by eliminating barriers between the glue board and the surface on which the tray rests. Use of the term “about” in connection with the angle of the slanted lip is intended to refer to the stated values plus or minus 10°. The side walls of the tray also preferably include finger access cutouts to allow the user to easily lift the tray without interacting with the glue board.
According to a preferred embodiment, the tray is made of injection molded plastic and has two longitudinal or long sides and two lateral or short sides that together define a substantially rectangular glue board platform. The long sides are preferably between about 9.5 inches and about 11.5 inches in length; the length of the short sides is preferably between about 3.5 inches and about 6 inches. Use of the term “about” in connection with the length of the sides is intended to refer to the stated values plus or minus 0.5 inches.
To facilitate replacement of the glue board, at least one of the short sides of the tray does not have a lip which makes it easy to slide the old board out and slide a new board onto the glue board platform. The lipless short side also provides for easy entry of pests. Alternatively, one of the long sides could be made lipless or all four sides of the tray could be of equal length in which case any side may be the side without a lip.
The glue board tray has a vertical height, as measured from the support surface upon which the trap is placed to the upper edge of the side walls, of between about 0.25 inches and about 0.50 inches. This vertical height keeps the glue board above the elements on the floor, such as water, dirt, etc., that can render the glue board ineffective. At the same time, the sloped lip on the side walls of the tray provides a low entry height for improved pest interaction. Use of the term “about” in connection with the height of the glue tray is intended to refer to the stated values plus or minus 0.1 inches.
To prevent the glue board from falling out of the tray unintentionally, the sides of the tray that extend transversely to the lipless side, preferably the long sides of the tray, include inwardly extending tabs that lap over the adjacent outer edges of the glue board. This overlap creates a longitudinally extending channel for receiving the outer opposed edges of the glue board to retain the board adjacent the upper surface of the bottom of the tray regardless of the orientation of the trap. As is known in the art, the outer opposed edges of the glue board are generally not adhesive so the glue board will not stick to the tabs. The lateral extent of the tab overlap is between about 2% and about 7% of the width of the tray. Use of the term “about” in connection with the lateral extent of the tab overlap is intended to refer to the stated values plus or minus 1%.
The tabs are vertically spaced above the upper surface of the tray bottom which forms the glue board platform so that a distance between the bottom surface of the tabs and the glue board platform is between about 0.035 inches and about 0.045 inches. Use of the term “about” in connection with the vertical spacing of the tabs is intended to refer to the stated values plus or minus 0.005 inches. Each long side may have one continuous tab that extends substantially the length of the tray or, preferably, a plurality of truncated tabs spaced longitudinally from one another to create the channel.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a reusable glue board tray that can be fitted with a disposable glue board to form a glue board trap, the side walls of the tray having a slanted lip, preferably sloped at an angle of about 45° to the horizontal, with the low side of the slope being on the outside edge of the tray to encourage pest interaction with the glue board by eliminating barriers between the glue board and the surface on which the tray rests.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a reusable glue board tray in accordance with the preceding object in which the side walls of the tray preferably include finger access cutouts to allow the user to lift the tray without interacting with the glue board.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a reusable glue board tray in accordance with at least one of the preceding objects in which the tray is made of injection molded plastic and has two long sides and two short sides, at least one of the short sides of the tray not having a lip to facilitate replacement of the glue board through the lipless side while also providing for easy entry of pests. A further object of the present invention is to provide a reusable glue board tray in accordance with the preceding objects in which the long sides are between about 9.5 inches and about 11.5 inches in length, the short sides are between about 3.5 inches and about 6 inches, and the vertical height of the tray is between about 0.25 inches and about 0.50 inches, creating a low height to surface area ratio that keeps the glue board above the elements on the floor and shielded therefrom by the barrier structure created by the side walls, while ensuring that pests can easily access the board from all sides.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a reusable glue board tray in accordance with the preceding objects in which the long sides of the tray include inwardly extending tabs that lap over the adjacent outer edges of the glue board, the extent of the overlap being between about 2% and about 7% of the width of the tray, to secure the edges of the glue board and prevent the board from falling out of the tray unintentionally.
Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a reusable glue board tray in accordance with at least one of the preceding objects in which the trays are nestable with one another, the present invention including a plurality of trays according to at least one of the preceding objects in which the trays are nested to form a compact stack for storage.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a glue board trap including a reusable glue board tray fitted with a replaceable glue board, the glue board tray including a generally rectangular tray floor and at least one pair of opposed side walls upwardly directed from the tray floor that together define a glue board platform, the opposed side walls including inwardly extending tabs that lap over adjacent outer edges of the glue board when the glue board is placed on the glue board platform, the tabs being vertically spaced above the glue board platform such that the overlap and the vertical spacing between the bottom surface of the tabs and the glue board platform create a longitudinally extending channel for receiving adjacent opposed outer edges of the glue board to retain the board on the glue board platform regardless of an orientation of the trap.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a glue board trap in accordance with the preceding object in which the tray floor is generally parallel with a support surface upon which the tray is placed, the at least one pair of opposed side walls having a slanted lip that is sloped at an angle of between about 15° and about 75° to an angle of the support surface, and preferably at 45°, with a low side of the slope being on an outside edge of the tray to encourage pest interaction with the glue board by eliminating barriers between the glue board and the support surface.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a glue board trap in accordance with the preceding two objects in which at least one side of the tray that extends transversely to the pair of opposed side walls is an open side that does not have a slanted lip, the open side facilitating replacement of the disposable glue board by enabling the disposable glue board to be positioned on the glue board platform through the open side.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a reusable glue board tray into which a disposable glue board is inserted to form a glue board trap, the tray including a generally rectangular tray floor having two longitudinal sides and two lateral sides that define a glue board platform, each of the longitudinal sides including at least one inwardly extending tab that laps over an adjacent outer edge of the glue board when the glue board is placed on the glue board platform, the tabs being vertically spaced above the glue board platform with the overlap and the vertical spacing creating a longitudinally extending channel for receiving adjacent outer edges of the glue board to retain the board on the glue board platform regardless of an orientation of the trap, the tabs having a sloped outer lip with a low side of the slope being on an outside edge of the tray to encourage pest interaction with the glue board, at least one of the lateral sides being an open side without tabs that facilitates replacement of the disposable glue board which is positioned on the glue board platform through the open side, the tray being nestable with other trays of the same type to form a compact stack of trays.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a reusable glue board tray in accordance with the preceding object in which a plurality of such trays are nested with one another to form a compact stack of trays for at least one of storage and sale. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a reusable glue board tray and a glue board trap having such a tray in accordance with any of the preceding objects that can be readily manufactured using known techniques, is easy to handle, and is durable, reliable and cost effective in use. These and other objects of the invention, as well as many of the intended advantages thereof, will become more readily apparent when reference is made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
In describing preferred embodiments of the invention illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology will be resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terms so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose.
As shown in
The tray floor 16 is substantially planar and is generally parallel with the support surface, typically horizontal, upon which the tray is placed. The at least one pair of opposed side walls 18 have an outwardly slanted lip 22, best shown in
At least one side of the tray that extends transversely to the pair of opposed side walls does not have a slanted lip and is referred to herein as the open side 26. The open side 26 facilitates replacement of the disposable glue board 12, with the disposable glue board 12 being positioned on the glue board platform through the open side as will be further described hereinafter.
According to a preferred embodiment, the tray has two longitudinal or long sides generally designated by reference numeral 30 and two lateral or short sides generally designated by reference numeral 32. The opposed side walls 18 are on the long sides 30, while the open side 26 is on one of the short sides 32. If desired, both short sides 32 may be formed without a lip. The long sides are preferably between about 9.5 inches and about 10.5 inches in length; the length of the short sides is preferably between about 3.5 inches and about 5 inches.
The vertical height H of the glue tray (see
To prevent the glue board 12 from falling out of the tray 10 unintentionally, the long sides 30 of the tray include inwardly extending tabs 36 (see
Each long side 30 may have one continuous tab that extends substantially the length of the tray or, preferably, a plurality of truncated tabs may be spaced longitudinally from one another to create the channel 40 as shown in
As shown in
The placement of a glue board 12 onto the glue board platform 20 of the tray 10 is shown in
The trays 10 are nestable so that a plurality of trays may be stacked together to form a compact stack of trays generally designated by reference numeral 90 as shown in
Unlike with the mouse glue board tray 10, the open side 126 of the glue board tray 110 of the rat trap 114 includes a cutout or recess 216 in the platform 116 to enable the user to more easily grasp the end 137 of the glue board for removal thereof. With this recess 216, the glue board does not need to include the projecting tab handle which is shown in connection with the mouse glue board of
The long sides 130 of the rat tray 110 are preferably between about 9.5 inches and about 11.5 inches in length; the length of the short sides 132 is preferably between about 4.5 inches and about 6 inches. Like the mouse glue board trays 10, the rat glue board trays 110 are also nestable to form a compact stack of trays 190 as shown in
According to the embodiments shown herein, the trays 10, 110 are made of injection molded plastic of any kind known by persons of skill in the art to be suitable for rodent trap products of the type described herein. The glue boards 12, 112 are of conventional construction and are mounted on the trays 10, 110 by sliding the board into the channel 40, 140 through the open side 26, 126 of the tray 10, 110.
As described herein, the reusable trays with sloped side walls facilitate pest interaction with the trap while the open side allows for easy replacement of the glue board to provide a cost-effective glue trap construction. The tabs prevent the glue board from inadvertently falling out of the tray, and the finger access cutouts prevent the user from unwanted contact with the glue when replacing the board.
While not preferred, the reusable trays may be made with the side walls being nearly flush with the platform and only the tabs extending upwardly and preferably including the outward slant to form a sloped lip. With this configuration, the tabs may be used to nest a plurality of trays together in like manner as with the two tray embodiments set forth in detail herein. This alternative construction with nearly flush side walls is less desirable, however, as the barrier function of the upwardly directed opposed side walls against unwanted environmental contaminants adhering to the glue board is effectively lost, along with the ability to easily pick up the tray using the preferred finger cutouts in the opposed side walls.
The foregoing descriptions and drawings should be considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. The invention may be configured in a variety of shapes and sizes and is not limited by the dimensions of the preferred embodiment. Numerous applications of the present invention will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is not desired to limit the invention to the specific examples disclosed or the exact construction and operation shown and described. Rather, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.