GB2476098A

GB2476098A - Rodent traps

Info

Publication number: GB2476098A
Application number: GB0921723A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ajab Khan
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-12-11
Filing date: 2009-12-11
Publication date: 2011-06-15
Also published as: GB0921723D0

Abstract

A rodent trap 1 for trapping rodents, comprising an adhesive sheet 3. The rodent trap has a first surface 5 on which the adhesive of the adhesive sheet is exposed and a second surface 6 on the opposite side of the rodent trap to the first side. Light can pass through the rodent trap from the second surface to the first surface and vice versa. Preferably the trap is at least partially transparent and thus blends into its surroundings or translucent and therefore causes the scattering of light. Preferably the trap can be formed into a tube with the adhesive layer on the inside thereof. It an alternative embodiment (figs 3-5) there is provided a rodent trap comprising a base having a bar and trigger mounted thereon, wherein light can pass through the base.

Description

RODENT TRAPS

This invention relates to rodent traps, and a method of using such traps.

The presence of rodents within human dwellings and other buildings is evidently undesirable, as such rodents can carry disease, cause damage to property by gnawing and fouling with excrement, and are generally considered unsightly. As such, it is desirable to trap any rodents that enter human buildings.

Many different forms of rodent traps are available. The most infamous is possibly the spring-loaded bar mousetrap, such as is described in United States Patent number 528671. Such a device comprises a heavily spring loaded pivoting bar and a trigger, both mounted on a base. Bait is placed on the trigger; the trap is arranged such that when a rodent such as a mouse steps onto the trigger to eat or remove the bait, the trigger activates and releases the bar to be urged very quickly against the rodent.

Ideally, this causes the death of the rodent by breaking its neck, or at least crushing it fatally.

Another form of rodent trap is the glue trap. In this, a sheet of strong adhesive is provided, fixed to a base. This is placed in a place where it is believed that rodents are running (rodents being creatures of habit who habitually follow the same tracks). The adhesive is exposed so that, when the rodent runs over the adhesive sheet, the rodent becomes stuck to the adhesive and thus trapped. The sheet can then be removed for humane destruction or disposal of the rodent.

However, rodents, and particularly rats, are wary creatures. They have a capability to learn, and will often avoid anything that is not familiar to them. The inventor has observed rats avoiding glue traps by running around them; clearly, this will reduce the efficacy of such traps.

Herein, the term "rodent" and cognate terms should be read to include any or all of mice, rats, squirrels or any other member of the order Rodentia.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a rodent trap for trapping rodents comprising an adhesive sheet, the rodent trap having a first surface on which the adhesive of the adhesive sheet is exposed and a second surface on the opposite side of the rodent trap to the first side, in which light can pass through the rodent trap from the second surface to the first surface and vice versa.

By providing at least some light transmission through the rodent trap, the rodent will be able to see at least partially through the rodent trap, thus allowing the rodent trap to blend into the surface on which it is placed.

The inventor has appreciated, and observed, that this leads to a more efficient trap, as the rodents are less wary as the trap is less visible to them.

In the preferred embodiment, the rodent trap is at least partially transparent, so that it is possible to see through the rodent trap from the first surface to the second surface. This may mean that the rodent trap is practically visually indistinguishable from the surrounding on which it is placed. As such, the rodent trap may have a light transmittance from the first to second surface of at least 80%, 90%, 95%, or 99%, or 99.9%.

Rodents will have great trouble seeing the trap.

Alternatively, the rodent trap may be translucent, such that diffuse light scattering occurs in the rodent trap between first and second surfaces.

Some detail of a surface on which the rodent trap is placed still being apparent through the first and second surfaces is preferable.

The rodent trap may further comprise a carrier on which the adhesive sheet is mounted. As such, both of the carrier and the adhesive sheet may be at least partially transparent or translucent. The adhesive sheet may provide the first surface, whereas the carrier may provide the second surface. The second surface may be provided with mounting adhesive, so as to fix the rodent trap in place, but will typically be non-adhesive, so as to allow the rodent trap to be simply placed in an appropriate position.

The adhesive sheet or the carrier may be folded so as to define a tube, which may have triangular, quadrilateral (for example, square or rectangular), any other polygonal, circular or elliptical cross-section.

The adhesive of the adhesive sheet may be exposed in the inside of the tube. Rodents often feel more comfortable in enclosed spaces; they will then become stuck in the track, be it on any of the internal surfaces of the tube.

The rodent trap may carry markings visible through the first or second surfaces to advise humans around the trap that the trap is present. As such, these markings may only be visible from above a rodents' eye height, say greater than 10 cm. As such, the marking may take up only a small proportion of the surface area of the rodent trap; say, less than 10%. The markings may be provided towards the middle of the area of the rodent trap; for example, the markings may be provided only within the middle 50%, or 25%, or 10% of the area of the first or second surfaces.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of trapping rodents, comprising the placing of a rodent trap according to the first aspect of the invention in a location, and then allowing at least one rodent to walk across the first surface and become adhered to the first surface.

Preferably, the method comprises the step of placing the rodent trap on a surface at the location with the second surface facing the surface at the location, and the first surface exposed. Preferably, the first surface is placed uppermost.

The method may further comprise the step of disposing of the rodent, whether by relocation to another location (preferably inoffensive) or by killing the rodent, preferably humanely.

According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a rodent trap comprising a base, a bar mounted on the base and a trigger mounted on the base, the bar comprising a biasing means arranged to bias the bar into a closed position from an open position and the trigger being arranged to hold the bar in the open position against the bias of the biasing means in a first position of the trigger and in a second position of the trigger allow the bar to move under the bias of the biasing means into the closed position thereby, in use, to trap a rodent, in which light can pass through the base.

As such, this takes on the inventive concept of the first aspect of the invention and applies it to the prior art spring-loaded bar mousetrap.

Because light can pass through the base, a passing rodent is less likely to notice the trap; accordingly, such a trap may be more efficient in trapping rodents.

In the preferred embodiment, the base is at least partially transparent, so that it is possible to see through the base. This may mean that the rodent trap is practically visually indistinguishable from the surrounding on which it is placed. As such, the base may have a light transmittance of at least 80%, 90%, 95%, or 99%, or 99.9%. Rodents will have great trouble seeing the trap.

Alternatively, the base may be translucent, such that diffuse light scattering occurs in the base. Some detail of a surface on which the rodent trap is placed still being apparent through the base is preferable.

In addition to the base, at least one of the biasing means and the bar may also be light transmissive, transparent or translucent as described above.

This provides for an even less evident rodent trap.

The biasing means may comprise or consist of a spring.

There now follows, by way of example only, description of embodiments of the invention, described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a plan view of a rodent trap according to a first embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 shows a side-on cross section of the rodent trap of Figure 1; Figure 3 shows a perspective view of a rodent trap according to a second embodiment of the invention; Figure 4 shows a side elevation of a rodent trap according to a third embodiment of the invention, in an open position; and Figure 5 shows a side elevation of the rodent trap of Figure 4, in a closed position.

Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings show a rodent trap 1 according to a first embodiment of the invention. This rodent trap comprises a transparent carrier 2 on top of which is provided a transparent adhesive sheet 3. The transparent carrier 2 will typically be formed of polyester or another transparent flexible polymer material, whereas the adhesive can be any pressure sensitive adhesive.

In use, a rodent 100 (depicted as a mouse, but possibly also a rat, squirrel, chipmunk, gopher, porcupine, beaver, hamster, gerbil, guinea pig, degu, chinchilla, prairie dog, groundhog or any other rodent or potentially mammalian pest) will run across the rodent trap 1 and become stuck to the adhesive; the rodent can then be humanly destroyed and the trap disposed of (if necessary, with the rodent still attached).

Because both the adhesive 3 and the carrier 2 are transparent, the rodent will have much more trouble than would otherwise be the case seeing the rodent trap, as all that will be visible to them is a surface 101 on which the trap is placed. Effectively, light will pass substantially unhindered through the first, top surface 5, through the rodent trap 1 and out of the second, bottom surface 6, where it is reflected by the surface 101. The reflected light can then pass back through bottom surface 6, the body of the rodent trap 1 and out again through the top surface 5.

The inventor has realised, and observed, that rodents, and in particular rats and mice, are less likely to avoid such a rodent trap 1 than if the trap were opaque and so had a substantially different visual appearance to the surround surface 101.

The rodent trap 1 may be provided with an optional fixing layer 4 of transparent pressure sensitive adhesive on the underside of the carrier 2, so as to allow for fixing of the rodent trap 1 to the surface 101.

However, this is entirely optional, and the rodent trap 1 will typically be used simply by placing the rodent trap, without the optional fixing layer 4, with the carrier 2 downmost and the adhesive layer 3 uppermost, on top of the surface 101, then allowing the rodent 100 to walk over the rodent trap as depicted by arrow 102.

A border 7 is provided free of adhesive around the periphery of the carrier 2, so as to allow easy handling of the rodent trap 1. When initially provided, the rodent trap 1 is provided with a non-adhesive peel-off capping layer 8 so as to prevent the rodent trap 1 adhering to anything before the desired time of use. Such rodent traps 1 can then be stacked, or provided as a roll.

A warning legend 9 can be provided on the rodent trap, preferably central to the top surface 5. By providing this warning legend 9 centrally, a rodent 100 at the periphery of the rodent trap 1 (as shown in Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings) will not be able to see this warning legend 9 because of its relatively low height of a few centimetres as compared with the size of the rodent trap (typically of the order of 50 cm by 100 cm) giving it a very low viewing angle of the warning legend 9 from the periphery. It is therefore unlikely that the rodent 100 will see the warning legend 9, but it will provide a useful warning to people in the area of the rodent trap 1 that they should not interfere or tread on the rodent trap 1.

A second embodiment of the invention is depicted in Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings. In this, the rodent trap 1 of the first embodiment has been folded twice (at fold lines 20 and 21 and as shown by arrows 22 and 23) to form a triangular tube 24, with the adhesive layer 5 on the inside of the tube 24. Rodents 100 often feel more comfortable in enclosed spaces, and so by forming a tube 24, the inventor has provided a space in which rodents 100 are likely to try to escape to.

When they do, they will become stuck to the adhesive layer 5 (as shown in Figure 3).

A third embodiment of the invention is shown in Figures 4 and 5 of the accompanying drawings. This is a novel version of the spring-loaded bar mousetrap; it functions in a like manner to prior art spring-loaded bar mousetraps, but is transparent. It comprises a base 30, made of a transparent polymer material, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

A bar 31 is mounted on an arm 32, which is pivotally mounted on the base 30. The bar 31 and arm 32 are also made of transparent PET. A strong transparent torsion spring 33 is also mounted on the base 30 where the arm 32 is pivotally mounted and acts to bias the bar 31 from the open position shown in Figure 4 of the accompanying drawings in to the closed position shown in Figure 5 of the accompanying drawings.

Furthermore, a trigger mechanism 34 is provided, also formed of transparent PET. This normally acts to hold the bar 31 in the open position, against the bias of the spring 33. The trigger mechanism can be loaded with bait 35 (cheese, chocolate or peanut butter being popular choices). This will, in use, attract a rodent 100, who will be less likely to notice the transparent materials used in the trap than the prior art opaque materials used in previous spring-loaded bar mousetraps.

Once the rodent 100 steps onto the trigger mechanism 34, the trigger mechanism 34 will release the bar 31, thus trapping the rodent 100 as shown in Figure 5 of the accompanying drawings and typically killing it instantly.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A rodent trap for trapping rodents, comprising an adhesive sheet, the rodent trap having a first surface on which the adhesive of the adhesive sheet is exposed and a second surface on the opposite side of the rodent trap to the first side, in which light can pass through the rodent trap from the second surface to the first surface and vice versa.
2. The rodent trap of claim 1, which is at least partially transparent, so that it is possible to see through the rodent trap from the first surface to the second surface.
3. The rodent trap of claim 1, which is translucent, such that diffuse light scattering occurs in the rodent trap between first and second surfaces.
4. The rodent trap of any preceding claim, further comprising a carrier on which the adhesive sheet is mounted
5. The rodent trap of any preceding claim folded so as to define a tube, in which the adhesive of the adhesive sheet is exposed in the inside of the tube.
6. The rodent trap of any preceding claim, which carries markings visible through the first or second surfaces to advise humans around the trap that the trap is present wherein these markings are only visible from above a rodents' eye height.
7. A method of trapping rodents, comprising the placing of a rodent trap according to any preceding claim in a location, and then allowing at least one rodent to walk across the first surface and become adhered to the first surface.
8. The method of claim 7, comprising the step of placing the rodent trap on a surface at the location with the second surface facing the surface at the location, and the first surface exposed.
9. The method of claim 8, in which the first surface is placed uppermost.
10. A rodent trap comprising a base, a bar mounted on the base and a trigger mounted on the base, the bar comprising a biasing means arranged to bias the bar into a closed position from an open position and the trigger being arranged to hold the bar in the open position against the bias of the biasing means in a first position of the trigger and in a second position of the trigger allow the bar to move under the bias of the biasing means into the closed position thereby, in use, to trap a rodent, in which light can pass through the base.
11. The rodent trap of claim 10, in which the base is at least partially transparent, so that it is possible to see through the base, or translucent, such that diffuse light scattering occurs in the base.
12. The rodent trap of claim 10 or claim 11, in which at least one of the biasing means and the bar may also be light transmissive.
13. A rodent trap substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, Figure 3 or Figures 4 and 5 of the accompanying drawings.