NZ207241A - Animal trap; sprung bar traps animal's head in wall aperture - Google Patents

Description

207241 ^ NEW ZEALAND PATENTS ACT, 1953 No-: 207241 Date: 22 February 1984 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO ANIMAL TRAPS K/We, K.B.L. SPRINGS LIMITED, a New Zealand company of 15 Keith Street,. Palmerston North, New Zealand v hereby declare the invention for which t&/ we pray that a patent may be granted to jbk/us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: - 2 201241 V \ J This invention relates to animal traps.

There is a need for an efficient and humane animal trap. The present invention is directed towards an animal trap which at least initially stuns the captured animal and then if the animal is not killed outright by initial impact will humanely kill the animal by stopping or restricting the supply of blood to the head of the animal.

Accordingly the invention consists in an animal trap comprising a housing defining a hollow interior, an entry opening defined by a wall of the housing, said entry opening being large enough to allow the head of an animal being trapped to pass easily therethrough, an impact bar carried on two arms, pivotally mounted within the housing to allow the impact bar to move between two stopped positions, the first being an armed position and the second a disarmed position so that the path of the impact bar moving between the two stopped positions passes over and close to the inside of the entry opening in the housing wall, biasing means biasing the impact bar towards the disarmed position, retaining means to retain the impact means in the armed position against the action of the biasing means, and trigger means operable to release the retaining means and allow the impact bar to move under the influence of the biasing means towards the disarmed position. 207241 One preferred form of the invention will new be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a pictorial front view of the animal trap according to the present invention, Figure 3 is a view of the animal trap with the front panel of the trap broken away to show the interior components in the disarmed position, Figure 4 shows the trap with the operating components in an armed position, and Figure 5 is a cross sectional view showing more clearly the rela-tionship between the operating components.

An animal trap 1 has a casing 2 preferably moulded from a suitable plastics material in a rectangular shape having a top 3, a front panel 4, a rear panel 5, side panels 6 and 7 and a base 8. An entrance opening 9 is formed centrally in the front panel 4. A circular and centrally located access opening 10 is located in the base 8 and an inwardly protruding abutment 11 operates in use as the disarmed stop position. i The shape of the entrance opening 9 is important and has a narrower section towards the disarmed position and a wider and more bulbous section forming the other part of the aperture, thus essentially forming a pear shaped opening. Two diametrically opposed anchor spiked apertures 12 are formed through the sides 6 and 7 and Figure 2 is a rear view of the trap as shown in Figure 1 207241 are designed to accommodate anchoring spikes 13 which are shown in Figure 3. These anchoring spikes of course in use would be pressed into the ground to ensure that the trap was firmly held in place.

An impact bar 14 is supported on two arms 15 that are pivotally mounted at 16 to the sides 6 and 7 of the housing 2. The dimension of the arms 15 and the location of the pivot point is determined by the locus or path of the impact bar 14, moving between the two stop positions. The impact bar is required to pass over and close to the inside of the opening 9 in the housing 2. The first stop position when the trap is disarmed is the inwardly protruding abutment 11 in the top 3 of the housing 2. The second stop when the trap is armed is a bar 17 that extends between the walls 6 and 7 of the housing and is located essentially parallel to the pivot points 16 but spaced rearwardly therefrom slightly.

Biasing means in the form of two biasing springs 18 extend from the impact bar 14 to an anchor support bar 19. The anchor support bar also extends between the sides 6 and 7 in the housing and preferably is essentially the same distance from the rear wall as the pivot points 16. That means that when the components are in the armed position against the stop 17 the impact bar is at an over centre location. Thus, when the impact bar 14 has been pulled from the disarmed to the armed position it will stay against the stop 17 under the influence of the biasing springs 18 because of the over centre action. c 207241 In Figure 5 the components of the trap are shown in the armed position and in dotted outline the components are indicated in the disarmed position.

Fixed centrally to the anchor support rod 19 is a trigger rod 20. The trigger extends down past the stop rod 17 to a point adjacent the base 8 of the housing. The trigger has a stepped central section 21 that is designed to correctly locate bait impailed upon the trigger rod.

An arming cord 22 is attached to the impact bar 14 and passes from the impact bar through apertures 23 in the rear 5 of the housing 2. A loop of the arming cord 22 is thus external of the trap and an operator may pull the loop to move the impact bar 14 from the unarmed to the armed position.

The biasing springs 18 and the trigger 20 are kept in the correct location on the shaft 19 by using positioning sjeeves 24.

The present trap has been designed particularly for use in capturing opposums. ..The trap, if it was designed for different animals, may require the dimensions and configurations to be varied. It would i also be possible to modify the trap for example by providing an extension on the trigger to bring the bait forward from its impailed position. Also an insert could be associated with the entrance opening 9 ) to make the entrance opening an appropriately smaller size. However, the preferred arrangement would clearly be to have a purpose designed trap for the particular animal. /£>» B /V ? f t //V // - Oy/ 207241 To use a trap according to the present invention the trap is baited by the operator using the access opening 10 in the base of the trap to force the appropriate piece of bait over the trigger arm 20 and to locate it against the step 21. For opposums a suitable piece of fruit or any other accepted bait could be used.

When the trap has been baited it can be appropriately positioned with the spikes 13 inserted through the apertures 12 to firmly hold the trap in place. The loop of •arming cord 22 external of the rear of the trap, can then be gripped by the user and pulled. This will pull the impact bar 14 against the action of the biasing springs 18 until the impact bar is in its armed over centre position against the stop 17. At this point the impact bar should remain in position even when the arming cord is released. The trap is then armed and set ready to capture an animal.

An opposum approaching the trap would insert its head through the entrance opening 9 to take the bait held on the trigger, arm 20. Any force the animal exerts on the trigger arm intending to withdraw the bait from the trap will exert a force moving the impact bar past the over centre position thereby allowing the biasing springs to snap the impact bar towards the disarmed position. The natural reaction of the animal confronted with this movement will be to raise and withdraw its head. The raising of the head will tend to move the head in to the narrower confines of the upper section of the aperture 9. The speed of the impact bar movement is such that the animal will be 207241 impacted under the head or in the throat by the impact bar. The combined force of the impact bar and the contact between the periphery of the opening 9 and the animals head will in many instances kill the animal outright. In any event it will certainly stun an animal. The animal is then held firmly under the action of the biasing spring with the constraining affect of the impact bar and the upper section of the aperture 9 ensuring that the blood to the head is cut off and the death of the animal will be quick and humane. miu:

Claims (17)

WHAT WE CLAIM IS:-

1. An anfmal trap comprising a housing defining a hollow Interior, an entry opening defined by a wa11 of the housing, said entry openfng being large enough to allow the head of an anfmal being trapped to pass easily therethrough, an Impact bar carried on two arms pivotally mounted within the housing to allow the Impact bar to move between two stopped positions, the first being an armed position and the second a disarmed position so that the path of the Impact bar moving between the two stopped positions passes over and close to the Inside of the entry opening In the housing wall, biasing means biasing the Impact bar towards the disarmed position, retaining means to retain the Impact bar In the armed position against the action of the biasing means, and trigger means operable to release the retaining means and aI low the Impact bar to move under the Influence of the biasing means towards the disarmed position.

2. An animal trap as claimed In Claim 1 wherein said retaining means comprises an over centre positioning of the Impact bar relative to the pivot points at the arms allowing the biasing means to hold the said Impact bar In the armed position against the stop but located<^ao_as_to be releasabl^by the trigger means. it 207 - 9 -

3. An animal trap as claimed In Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the disarmed position of the Impact bar Is above the entry opening and Its armed position Is below the entry opening with the Impact bar moving upwardly across the opening from the armed towards the disarmed position.

4. An animal trap as claimed In Claim 2 wherein the trigger means Is acted upon by an animal with Its head In the trap to produce a force to move the Impact bar through the over centre position so that the biasing means snaps the Impact bar towards the disarmed position.

5. An animal trap as claimed In any one of the preceding claims wherein said housing comprises a hollow rectangular housing with the entry opening In one side and with an access opening to the Interior of the housing through the base.

6. An animal trap as claimed In Claim 5 wherein said housing Is moulded from a suitable plastics material having the base defining an access opening and one side defining the said entry opening.

7. An animal trap as claimed In any one of the preceding claims wherein the entry opening Is shaped to narrow towards the part of the opening closest to the disarmed location for the Impact bar.

8. An animal trap as claimed In Claim 7 wherein the entry opening Is substantially pear shaped with the narrower top expanding Into a rounded and enlarged lower section. - 10 - -207241

9. An animal trap as claimed In any one of the preceding claims wherein the stop at the disarmed position Is formed as part of the housing.

10. An animal trap as claimed In any of the preceding claims wherein an anchor support for the biasing means Is located on the disarmed side of the entrance opening and at a position within the housing remote therefrom with the biasing means formed by two biasing springs extending between the anchor support and the Impact bar.

11. An animal trap as claimed In Claim 10 wherein the anchor support Is a bar fixed In the housing substantially parallel to the plane or major section of the plane containing the entry opening.

12. An animal trap as claimed In any one of Claims 10 and 11 wherein said Impact bar Is a straight bar with substantially parallel arms extending from each end thereof to create a U-shaped member, said arms being pivotal Iy attached towards the ends thereof at a position In the housing relative to the anchor support for the biasing means so that when the Impact bar Is moved to the armed position It will have a slightly over centre position with respect to the said anchor support and pivot position.

13. An animal trap as claimed In any one of claims 10 to 12 wherein the trigger means comprises a rod extending from the said anchor support to a position passing the armed position so that In use any force moving the trigger towards the entrance opening will move the Impact bar towards-a pos11Ion where, It Is no longer retained through the over centre action an the action of the biasing means towards the disarmed posit 207241 - 11 -

14. An animal trap as claimed In Claim 13 wherein the trigger has a cot led end rotatably engaged upon the anchor bar and a stepped portion In the trigger arm to appropriately locate baft with respect to the entrance opening.

15. An animal trap as claimed In any one of the preceding claims wherein the ^ trap may be set by moving the Impact bar from the disarmed to the armed position using an externally operated arming means.

16. An animal trap as claimed In Claim 15 wherein the arming means comprises a cord attached to the Impact bar and which passes around the armed position and out through two apertures In the casing so that In use an operator by drawing on the arming cord moves the Impact bar against the biasing means until It reaches the over centre position against the armed position.

17. An animal trap when constructed, arranged and operable substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.