NZ569241A

NZ569241A - Trap with pivotting closure with transverse movement of closure to prevent further pivotting

Info

Publication number: NZ569241A
Application number: NZ569241A
Authority: NZ
Inventors: Craig Frederick Cammilleri
Original assignee: Wrays
Priority date: 2005-11-23
Filing date: 2006-11-23
Publication date: 2010-01-29
Also published as: ZA200805488B; WO2007059581A1; AU2006317520A1; AU2006317520B2

Abstract

Ballasted (25) trap (21) is moulded of high-density plastics to safely confine an animal (e.g. an octopus). The animal enters trap (21) via entrance (15), as closure (43) is then open. By tugging at lure (57) it slackens inextensible cord (51) attached to an upper portion of door (43). This action allows elastic cord (49) to cause door (43) to swing closed, about pivot pins (45). Cord (49) continues biasing door (43) during which motion upper edge of door (43) slides against arcuate guide surface (37). On reaching the closed position, however, as the pivot pins (45) are located in slot in the wall of trap (11), door (43) is further biased to slide upwardly to engage slot (39), thereby locking door (43) closed.

Description

569241 PCT/AIJ2006/001776 TRAP WITH PIVOTTING CLOSURE Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a trap for capturing animals. A particular application of the invention is for catching octopus, but it can have application in the capturing a wide range of creatures, including many terrestrial animals.

Background Art There is a demand in many areas for traps capable of catching octopus. In some areas at least this demand includes a requirement the trap is adapted to the trap is adapted to be selective such that it will not capture other species such as fish or crayfish.

Quite a range of apparatus have been tried in order to catch octopus. One class of these devices comprise substantially tubular element open at one end into which the octopus is enticed and in which it is hoped that the octopus will remain when the device is lifted from the water. Such devices do not have a door or other means to retain an animal within the trap after entering the trap and therefore do not have a particularly high capture rate.

Another form of trap has been devised which include some sort of restraining mechanism whereby after entering the trap the octopus is restrained from leaving the trap. One example of such traps include a door that stidingly covers the opening and which is urged by resilient means to close after the octopus triggers a release. Upon release, the door slides down to cover the opening. Whilst such traps restrain the octopus within the enclosure, they have generally exhibited a range of problems which have prevented them operating satisfactorily, particularly in harsh marine environments. In many cases, the release mechanism is flimsy and is susceptible to being inadvertently released upon impact, even when contacting the water after being dropped overboard from the fishing boat. Many such traps are formed at least in part from a wire mesh which has openings that enable the octopus to extend a part of the body through the mesh to some degree □4 Dec 2009 14:31 Uraa Bunbura Fax 97914133 p.3 569241 Received at IPONZ on 04 Dec 2009 which exposes that part of the body to predators, !n addition many of such devices also are not sturdy enough for withstanding the constant immersion in the ocean water and the regular handing of the traps.

Disclosure of the Invention Throughout the specification and claims, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers.

Accordingly, the invention resides in a trap adapted to capture an animal, the trap 10 comprising a housing having a wall which defines an elongate containment region adapted to accommodate the animal, the containment region accommodating a lure towards one end, the containment region having an entrance towards the other end which opens to the exterior of the trap and which is configured to allow the passage of the animal into the containment region, a closure supported from 15 the wall and positioned in relation to the entrance to be pivotable about a pivot which is transverse o the housing from an open position at which the animal may pass through the entrance and a closed position at which the closure extends across the entrance to prevent passage of the animal through the entrance, a retaining means associated with the closure and adapted to retain the closure in 20 the open position, a release means associated with the retaining means and adapted to disengage the retaining means on an animal entering the containment region to the closure to move from the open position to the closed position, wherein on the closure moving to the closed position the support for the closure permits a transverse movement across the entrance, the entrance having a 25 recess, said recess being engagable by a portion of the closure as a result of the transverse movement whereby said engagement prevents pivotal movement of the closure.

According to a preferred feature of the invention the release means comprises a biasing means bearing on the closure and adapted to bias the closure to the closed position. According to a preferred feature of the Invention the biasing □4 Dec 2009 14:31 Uraa Bunbura Fax 97914133 569241 Received at IPONZ on 04 Dec 2009 means is adapted to bear on the closure to bias the closure into engagement with the recess.

According to a preferred feature of the invention, the closure comprises a panel and said portion comprises a portion of the edge of the panel . According to a 5 preferred feature of the invention, the pivot for the panel is located intermediate the portion of the edge of the panel and a central intermediate transverse axis of the housing, said pivot, portion of the one edge and central transverse axis being substantially parallel. According to a preferred feature of the invention, closure is associated with a curved guide surface which slidably supports the portion of the 10 edge of the panel when the panel is in the open position and in its movement towards the closed position but not when the panel is in the closed position, said biasing means causing the portion of the edge to be biased into engagement with the guide surface. According to preferred feature of the invention in use the one edge is uppermost. According to preferred feature of the invention the recess 15 comprises an aperture in the wall proximate the portion of the edge when the closure is in the closed position to receive the portion of the edge when the panel is in the closed position. According to preferred feature of the invention the aperture comprises a slot formed in the wall and having a configuration complementary to the one edge. According to a preferred feature of the invention 20 the pivotis defined by a pair of opposed pivot pins on one element which are receivable in a pair of opposed openings on the other element, said openings being elongated in a direction which is substantially parallel to the plane of the panel when in the closed position to permit said transverse movement of the closure. According to one embodiment the pivot pins are located at opposite 25 sides of the panel and the openings are provided in the wall, According to a preferred embodiment the release means comprises a member slidably supported in the wall and associated with the lure, said retaining means associated with the closure and the release means such that on movement of the member relative to the wall the retaining means is released, said lure being 30 connected to the member and arranged and positioned to be engaged by the animal when the animal accommodated within the containment region. According to a preferred feature of the invention the member comprises a pin slidably □ 4 Dec 2009 14:31 IJraa Bunbura Fax 97914133 p.5 569241 Received at IPONZ on 04 Dec 2009 received through the wall at a position remote from the enlrance, said iure supported from the innermost end of the pin. According to preferred feature of the invention the retaining means comprises a cord fixed at one end to the closure and supported at the other end from the member. According to preferred feature 5 of the invention the other end is slidably engaged with the pin.

According to a preferred feature the trap incorporates a ballast, According to preferred feature of the invention the ballast is formed a separate panel which is fixed to the underneath of the housing.

According to preferred feature of the invention the housing is formed as a single 10 integral element.

According to preferred feature of the invention the trap is formed of a number of wall elements which are fixed together to define the housing.

According to preferred feature of the invention the walls are closed.

According to preferred feature of the invention the housing is formed of a plastics 15 material.

According to preferred feature of the invention the trap is intended in use for the capturing of marine and/or aquatic animals. According to one embodiment the animals comprise octopus.

According to preferred feature of the invention the lure comprises a luminescent 20 object. According to on embodiment the luminescence of the lure will periodically vary in intensity.

The invention will be more fully understood in light of the following description of several specific embodiments.

Brief Description of the Drawings The description is made with reference to the accompanying drawings of which:- WO 2007/059581 PCT/AU2006/001776 Figure 1 is an isometric view of a trap according to the first embodiment; Figure 2 is a sectional side elevation of the trap of Figure 1, showing the closure in the open position; Figure 3 is a sectional side elevation of the trap of Figure 1, showing the closure in the closed position; Figure 4 is a partial enlargement of the closure of the first embodiment in the open position; Figure 5 is a partial enlargement of the closure in the closed position; Figure 6 is a sectional side elevation of the trap according to the second embodiment, showing the closure in the open position; Figure 7 is a sectional side elevation of the trap according to the second embodiment, showing the closure in the closed position; Figure 8 is a partial enlargement of the closure of the first embodiment in the open position; and Figure 9 is a partial enlargement of the closure of the first embodiment in the closed position; Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments The first embodiment of the invention relates to an octopus trap. As shown in Figures 1 to 5, the trap 11 according to the embodiment comprises housing of a generally rectangular cubic form. The housing is moulded as an integral component from a suitable plastics material to be resistant against deterioration from the effects of prolonged immersion in sea water. A high-density plastics material has been found to be particularly suitable although other materials may be used. One end of the hosing is closed by an end wall 13 and the other end of the housing is open and defines an entrance 15 into the interior of the housing WO 2007/059581 PCT/AU2006/001776 which is defined by the side walls 17, the upper wall 19 and lower wall 21 and which together define a containment region 23 which is dimensioned to be able to accommodate an adult octopus comprises. The lower portion of the containment region is lower than the lower wall of the entrance and is filled with a ballast 25 in the form of a mass of concrete. The upper wall 19 of the housing in the region of the containment region is provided with an opening 27 which is closed by a removable panel 29 to provide easy access into the containment region 23. The removable panel is connected to the upper wall by a length of elastic cord 31 which serves to hold the closure in place across the opening when it is in the closed position and also prevent the separation of the removable panel when removed from the opening.

The lower wall of the housing between the containment zone and the entrance is formed by a sloping transition portion 33. In addition the portion of the upper wall which is opposed relation to the transition zone is provided with curved guide surface 37 which is curved downwardly from the upper wall in a direction inwardly with respect to the containment region 23. The upper wall of the entrance at the outermost extent of the guide surface 37 is formed with a slot 39 which extends across the full width of the inner face of the upper wall.. The outer extent of the transition portion is associated with a shoulder 41 which extends upwardly form the lower face of the entrance 15 and which extends across the full width of the inner face of the lower wall of the entrance.

The entrance 15 pivotally supports a closure panel 43 which is movable between an open position as shown at Figures 2 and 4 and a closed position as shown at Figures 3 and 5. The closure panel is pivotally supported at a position within the entrance such that when it is in the closed position it is aligned with the slot 39 and the inner face of the lower edge bears upon the shoulder 39 to prevent the further inward pivotal movement of the closure panel beyond the shoulder. The closure panel has a configuration complementary to the inner cross section of the entrance 15. The pivotal support for the closure panel 43 comprises a pair of opposed pivot pins 45 located on a pivot axis which is transverse to the closure panel 43 and is located intermediate the upper edge of the closure panel and the central intermediate transverse axis of the closure panel wherein the pivot axis, 569241 upper edge and central transverse axis are substantially parallel. The pivot pins are received in a pair of opposed pivot slots 47 which have a longitudinal extent which is substantially perpendicular to the upper and lower walls and is greater than the transverse width which corresponds to the diameter of the pivot pins. As result the closure panel is not only capable of pivotal movement but is also capable of transverse movement across the entrance when it is in the closed position whereby as a result of such transverse movement it can move into and out of engagement with the slot 39 in the upper wall of the housing. In addition the curvature of the guide surface 37 is such that it will slidable support the upper edge of the closure panel in its pivotal movement between the open position and a position closely adjacent the slot 39 in the upper wall of the housing. The closure is biased to the closed position by a second length of elastic cord 49 which extends between the inner face of the closure panel and the upper wall at a position spaced from the entrance 15. In addition the biasing provided by the second length of elastic cord 49 biases the upper edge of the closure panel into engagement with the guide surface when the closure panel is in the open position and in transition towards the closed position and into engagement with the slot 39 in the upper wall of the entrance when the closure panel is in the closed position., A retaining means is provided to retain the closure in the open position against the bias provided by the second elastic cord. The retaining means take the form of a relatively inextensible cord 51 attached to the inner face of the closure panel trap door proximate the upper edge and extending through the containment region 23 and through an aperture in the end wall 13. The free end of the cord is formed as a loop or supports a ring 53. The retention means is associated with a release means in the form of a pin 55 which is slidably received in another aperture in the end wall. The inner end of the pin 55 is associated with a lure 57 which is attractive to octopus. In use the pin 55 is inserted through the respective aperture such that the lure is located within the containment region adjacent the end wall 13 and whereby the free end of the pin extends beyond the outer face of the end wall (as shown in Figures 1 or 2). The loop or ring 53 is received over the exposed end of the pin 55. On an octopus grasping the lure which it will only be able to do once it is contained in the containment region it will pull the pin out of WO 2007/059581 PCT/AU2006/001776 the aperture in the end wall which in turn will release the cord 51 which in turn will permit the closure panel 43 to move to the closed position under the influence of the second elastic cord. Once in the closed position the bias provided by the second elastic cord will cause the closure panel to slide upwardly and into engagement with the slot 39 in the upper wall as shown at Figures 3 and 5. As a result the closure panel is resistant to any forces applied to it by the trapped octopus.

One form of lure that can be used with the trap of the first embodiment comprises a light source. The light source can comprise a powered light source such an LED or a chemical light source or any suitable light source. In practice it has been found that a light source which is able to flash intermittently can act as an effective lure. It should be appreciated however that any suitable form of lure or bait which is attractive to octopus and which will have a reasonable active lifetime is appropriate In use, the closure panel 43 is moved to an open potion by tensioning the cord 51 and the pin 55 with the lure attached to its inner end is passed through the appropriate aperture in the end wall 13 to receive the loop or ring 53 on the free end of the cord 51. Consequently the closure panel 43 is retained in the open position. The armed trap is then lowered to the sea bed. An octopus is enticed to enter the containment region by the lure and will grasp the lure 57, thereby withdrawing the pin 55 from the aperture in the end wall and releasing the loop or ring 55 and thus the cord 51. The length of the containment region is sufficient to ensure that the octopus is fully within the containment zone 21 when it grasps the lure 60. When the tension in the cord 51 is released, the closure panel 43 is caused to pivot into the closed position by the second elastic cord 49 at which it is prevented from pivoting beyond the closed position by the shoulder 41. In addition, once in the closed position the closure panel 43 is drawn upwardly by the second elastic cord 49 into engagement with the slot 39 and is thereby locked in position.

It is a characteristic of the trap according to the first embodiment that octopus are attracted to luminescent and/or shiny and /or flashing lures and because the lure WO 2007/059581 PCT/AU2006/001776 must be tugged with some force to extract the pin from the end wall, the trap according to the first embodiment is somewhat species selective but no creature, other than octopus would be attracted to such a lure and be capable of withdrawing the pin. In addition once the lure ceases to operate or ceases to be attractive the trap reduces its likelihood to act as a ghost trap. Furthermore once the closure panel is closed the trap is unable to capture any other creature until it has been re armed.

The trap according to the embodiment has many advantages over prior art octopus traps. By constructing the trap from high density plastics material, the trap is durable, rigid and strong without being overly expensive. As the walls do not have openings, the octopus cannot put the end of its legs out and it is thereby protected from attack by a range of sea creatures. The operation of the closure in association with the retaining means and the release means trap door configuration provides a means for capturing octopus that is simple, yet secure.

The trap according to the second embodiment as shown at Figures 6 to 9 is similar in configuration and operation to the first embodiment and therefore the same reference numerals are used for corresponding elements of the embodiments. In addition the description of the first embodiment is applicable to the second embodiment.

The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the housing is formed from a number of moulded elements which are fixed together by any suitable means. The separate elements comprise a tubular module A which is of a generally square cross-section and in which one end is closed by an end panel B which defines the end a wall 13. The other end of the tubular module B has an entrance module C and the entrance module pivotally supports the closure panel 43. In addition a ballast panel D is fixed to the lower wall of the tubular panel.

A further distinguishing feature of the second embodiment comprises a second slot 59 which is formed in the lower wall of the entrance module in opposed relation to the slot 39 in the upper wall. The second slot is bordered at its inner edge by the shoulder 41. The purpose of the second slot is to prevent the WO 2007/059581 PCT/AU2006/001776 accumulation of rocks, sand or other materials in the region of the shoulder which may prevent the closure panel from closing fully and thus becoming engaged with the slot 39 in the upper wall of the housing.

Variations of each of the embodiments can be use to capture other species including terrestrial animals. The variations may comprise the use of different lures and a different release mechanism that does not require so much force to be activated.

The present invention is not to be limited in scope by any of the specific embodiments described herein. These embodiments are intended for the purpose of exemplification only. Functionally equivalent products, formulations and methods are clearly within the scope of the invention as described herein. □4 Dec 2009 14:31 Uraa Bunbura Fax 97914133 569241 Received at IPONZ on 04 Dec 2009

Claims

Claims The claims defining the invention are as follows:

1. A trap adapted to capture an animal, the trap comprising a housing having a wall which defines an elongate containment region adapted to 5 accommodate the animal, the containment region accommodating a lure towards one end, the containment region having an entrance towards the other end which opens to the exterior of the trap and which is configured to allow the passage of the animal into the containment region, a closure supported from the wall and positioned in relation to the entrance to be 10 pivotable about a pivot which is transverse to the housing from an open position at which the animal may pass through the entrance and a closed position at which the closure extends across the entrance to prevent passage of the animal through the entrance, a retaining means associated with the closure and adapted to retain the closure in the open position, a 15 release means associated with the retaining means and adapted to disengage the retaining means on an animal entering the containment region to the closure to move from the open position to the closed position, wherein on the closure moving to the closed position the support for the closure permits a transverse movement of the closure panel across the 20 entrance, the entrance associated with a recess, said recess being engagable by a portion of the closure as a result of the transverse movement whereby said engagement prevents pivotal movement of the closure.

2. A trap as claimed at claim 1 wherein the release means comprises a 25 biasing means bearing on the closure and adapted to bias the closure to the closed position.

3. A trap as claimed at claim 2 wherein the biasing means is adapted to bear on the closure to bias the closure into engagement with the recess □4 Dec 2009 14:32 Uraa Bunbura Fax 97914133 569241 Received at IPONZ on 04 Dec 2009 - 12-

4. A trap as claimed at claim 1 or 2 or 3 wherein the closure comprises a panel and said portion of the closure comprises a portion of the edge of the panel.

5. A trap as claimed at claim 4 wherein the pivot for the panel is located 5 intermediate the portion of the edge and a central intermediate transverse axis of the housing, said pivot, portion of the edge and central transverse axis being substantially parallel.

6. A trap as claimed at claim 4 or 5 wherein the closure is associated with a curved guide surface which slidably supports the portion of the edge of the 10 panel when the panel is in the open position and in its movement towards the closed position but not when the panel is in the closed position, said biasing means causing the portion of the edge to be biased into engagement with the guide surface.

7. A trap as claimed at claim 4 or 5 or 6 wherein in use the portion of the edge 15 is uppermost,

8. A trap as claimed at claim 4 or 5 or 6 or 7 wherein the recess comprises an aperture in the wall proximate the portion of the edge when the closure is in the closed position to receive the portion of the edge when the panel is in the closed position. 20

9. A trap as claimed at claim 8 wherein the aperture comprises a slot formed in the wall and having a configuration complementary to the one edge.

10. , A trap as claimed at any one of claims 5 to 9 wherein the pivot is defined by a pair of opposed pivot pins on one element which are receivable in a pair of opposed openings on the other element, said openings being 25 elongated in a direction which is substantially parallel to the plane of the panel when in the closed position to permit said transverse movement of the closure. □4 Dec 2009 14:32 Uraa Bunbura Fax 97914133 p.8 569241 Received at IPONZ on 04 Dec 2009 - 13-

11. .A trap as claimed at claim 10 wherein the pivot pins are located at opposite sides of the panel and the openings are provided in the wall,

12. A trap as claimed at any one of claims 1 to 11 wherein the release means comprises a member slidably supported in the wall and associated with the 5 lure, said retaining means associated with the closure and the release means such that on movement of the member relative to the wall the retaining means is released, said lure being connected to the member and arranged and positioned within the housing to be able to engaged by the animal when the animal is accommodated within the containment region. 10

13. A trap as claimed at claim 12 wherein the member comprises a pin slidably received through the wall at a position remote from the entrance, said lure supported from the innermost end of the pin.

14. A trap as claimed at claim 12 or 13 wherein the retaining means comprises a cord fixed at one end to the closure and supported at the other end from 15 the member.

15. A trap as claimed at claim 13 or claim 13 as dependant from claim 14 wherein the other end is slidably engaged with the pin.

16.A trap as claimed at any one of claims 1 to 15 wherein the trap incorporates a ballast. 20

17. A trap as claimed at claim 16 wherein the ballast is formed as a separate panel which is fixed to the underneath of the housing.

18.A trap as claimed at any one of claims 1 to 17 wherein the housing is formed as a single integral element.

19. , A trap as claimed at any one of claims 1 to 17 wherein the trap is formed of 25 a number of wall elements which are fixed together to define the housing

20. A trap as claimed at any one of claims 1 to 19 wherein the walls are dosed. 04 Dec 2009 14:33 Uraa Bunbura Fax 97914133 p.9 569241 Received at IPONZ on 04 Dec 2009 - 14-

21. A trap as claimed at any one of claims 1 to 20 wherein the housing is formed of a plastics material,

22. A trap as claimed at any one of claims 1 to 21 wherein the trap is intended in use for the capturing of marine and/or aquatic animals. 5

23. A trap as claimed at claim 22 wherein the animal to be captured comprise octopus.

24. A trap as claimed at any one of claims 1 to 23 wherein the lure comprises a luminescent object.

25.A trap as claimed at claim 24 wherein the luminescence of the lure will 10 periodically vary in intensity.

26.A trap substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.