WO2002096197A1

WO2002096197A1 - Vermin extermination

Info

Publication number: WO2002096197A1
Application number: PCT/IE2002/000056
Authority: WO
Inventors: Raymond Joseph Walsh
Original assignee: Raymond Joseph Walsh
Priority date: 2001-05-30
Filing date: 2002-04-30
Publication date: 2002-12-05
Also published as: IES20020357A2; IE20020359A1

Abstract

A method of controlling vermin in a double leaved cavity wall (1) by inserting a plug-like member (15) containing poison into an inclined hole (11) forming a feeding chamber in the outer leaf (2) of the cavity wall (1). As the plug (15) is eaten, it will slide down the hole (11) into the cavity (6). Alternatively, it can be retained within the hole spaced-apart from the cavity so that the vermin have to enter the cavity to feed.

Description

"Vermin Extermination"

Introriππfinn

The present invention relates to vermin extermination and in particular to the extermination of relatively small vermin such as mice, rodents generally, noxious insects, snails, gastropods and molluscs generally, all of which are hereinafter covered by the term "vermin".

Vermin can cause considerable difficulties in many situations. In situations where humans are present such as domestic housing, offices, and so on, these are generally getting warmer and more protected from the elements and thus are very attractive to vermin. Further, these are often a source of food to the vermin. Similar considerations apply to many workplaces and in particular to storage areas for food and other products. A particular problem with vermin eradication, is that, for example, if rats or mice get any chance to breed indoors, whether it be a domestic house, an institution, a hotel or an office, they can be extremely difficult to eradicate since they breed relatively rapidly. Therefore, it is essential to prevent them breeding after entry, if this is possible. Thus, prevention is, by far and away, the best way of controlling rats and mice in a building. It is therefore ideal that once vermin enter a building, the rat, mouse or insect is poisoned as quickly as possible.

Poison for the purposes of this specification shall hereinafter refer generally to biocides, pesticides, insecticides, insect attractants, rodenticides or vermicides. There are many poisons which will destroy vermin effectively without any additional problems. However, for general safety, it is better that the less decomposing bodies there are on a premises, the better.

More and more buildings are being constructed with cavity walls having an inner leaf and an outer leaf spaced-apart therefrom. Generally, these types of walls are constructed from either timber or bricks and mortar. While many double cavity walls have an inner cast leaf, almost all cavity walls have an outer leaf that is constructed from some form of cladding such as bricks or panels. Invariably there is provided foamed polystyrene or the like insulation panels, mounted between the inner and outer leaves on wall ties. This is a particularly attractive place for vermin. One of the major types of vermin that is important to eradicate or at least prevent entering a building are rodents generally who enter through the first outer leaf of the building and they are then in a passageway between the inner and outer leaves, where eventually they progress through the inner leaf, into the building. Almost certainly, initially on entering the building, they will run around the passageway between the two leaves. If the mice or rats could be killed when they first enter the building, before they progress beyond the inner leaf, this would be ideal.

The present invention is directed towards this object.

Statements of Invention

According to the invention, there is provided a method of controlling vermin in double cavity walled buildings having inner and outer leaves forming a wall and having previously caused a through hole to be made to form a feeding chamber in one of the leaves connecting the exterior of the wall with the cavity comprising inserting into the through hole an elongate plug-like member containing poison. The advantage of this is that the vermin will be poisoned very shortly after they enter the building, thus, particularly when the poison is, as is usual, one that encourages the vermin to seek water, they will leave the building and will then die outside the building. The main advantage, however, is that, irrespective of whether they leave the building or not, they will be poisoned shortly after entering into the building and thus will not have time to breed.

In one method according to the invention, the plug-like member is positioned in the hole spaced-apart from where the hole connects with the cavity. The advantage of this is that it would encourage the vermin to congregate in the feeding area and to take sufficient of the poison. It will also avoid the poison being dragged round the perimeter of the cavity of the building. While this is not particularly important, it is probably better to keep the poison within the feeding chamber.

Ideally, the previously formed through hole is in the outer leaf and is preferably formed to incline downwardly from the exterior of the wall towards the cavity. In one embodiment of the invention, the hole is arranged so that the plug-like member is a loose fit therein and in some embodiments, the plug is arranged to project into the cavity.

In another embodiment, the exterior of the hole is sealed with a closure. It will be appreciated that periodically the plug-like member is inspected to determine whether the poison has been eaten and, as appropriate, the poison is replaced.

Further, the invention provides a plug-like member for use in the method as described above, comprising:-

a support member for mounting adjacent the exterior of the outer leaf of the wall of the building;

a rod mounted on the support member for mounting a cylindrical block of poison thereon; and

stop means for the block of poison adjacent the free end of the rod.

Preferably, the rod is pivotally mounted on the support member.

In another embodiment of the invention, there is provided a plug-like member for carrying out the method as described above, comprising:-

a support member for mounting in the outer leaf of the building wall; and

a female connector for reception of the neck of a poison storage container.

In another embodiment, there is provided a plug-like member in which the plug-like member comprises a sleeve for mounting in the hole, the sleeve being for reception of an elongate plug of poison containing material. Detailed nesoription of the Invention

The invention will be more clearly understood from the following description of some embodiments thereof, given by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Fig. 1 is a front view of a cavity wall,

Fig. 2 is a sectional view through the cavity wall along the lines ll-ll of Fig. 1 with sectional lines omitted for clarity,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of a block forming portion of the wall of Figs. 1 and 2,

Fig. 4 is an exploded view of a plug-like member forming part of the invention,

Fig. 5 is a sectional view through a cavity wall showing the plug-like member of Fig. 4 in situ,

Fig. 6 is an end view in the direction of the arrow A in Fig. 4 of the plug-like member,

Fig. 7 is an exploded view of an alternative construction of plug-like member according to the invention,

Fig. 8 is a sectional view of a sleeve forming portion of alternative construction,

Fig. 9 is an end view of the sleeve of Fig. 8, and

Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing the plug-like member using the sleeve of Figs. 8 and 9 in situ.

Referring to the drawings, and initially to Figs. 1 to 3 thereof, there is illustrated a cavity wall, indicated generally by the reference numeral 1 , having a front or outer leaf 2 and an inner leaf 3 between which is mounted, on wall ties 4, polystyrene insulation panels 5 within a cavity 6. The wall 1 is mounted on a suitable base 7. All of this is conventional, however, there is mounted in the outer leaf 2, a block 10 having a downwardly inclined hole 11 between its outer face 12 and its inner face 13. The hole 11 forms a feeding chamber. The hole 11 exits the inner face 13 adjacent the base 7. ^" he hole 11 will most likely be drilled in situ but may be preformed in the block prior to building. Contained in the hole 11 is a plug-like member, in this embodiment, a solid plug 15 of suitable wax as a carrier for a rat and mouse poison. The plug 15 is a loose fit within the hole 11.

In use, the plug 15 is inserted into the hole 11 and the entrance to the hole 11 on the outer face 12 of the block 10 is sealed by an expanding metal plug 16 such as sold under the Trade Mark RAWLPLUG. It may be sealed in any other suitable way. The plug 15 will slide down the hole 11 to rest on the base 7 and if a mouse or rat enters the cavity 6, the bait will be presented to them and as it is eaten, the plug 15 will slide further down the hole 11. At some stage, the plug 16 closing the hole 11 can be removed and the hole 11 inspected to see does the bait, namely, the plug 15, need replenishing. This is the simplest construction to allow the invention to be carried out.

Referring to Figs. 4 to 6 inclusive, there is illustrated an alternative construction of plug-like member, indicated generally by the reference numeral 20. Parts similar to those described with reference to the previous drawings are identified by the same reference numerals. In this embodiment, the plug-like member 20 is again illustrated in a hole 11 in a block 10. In this embodiment, however, the hole 11 has an enlarged portion 21 adjacent the outer face of the block 10. The plug-like member 20 comprises a threaded support member 22 having a plurality of fixing holes 23 for mounting it within the socket 21. A cap 25 is provided and includes actuating holes 26 which means that the cap 25 can only be unscrewed by a specially designed tool, the construction of which will be obvious.

Mounted on the support member 22, by a pivot 27, is a female connector 28 having a threaded hole 29 for reception of a threaded neck 30 of a poison storage container 31. Generally, the container 31 will have a removable base 33. Any suitable poison may be used. A poison in a gel-type carrier may be advantageous. It will be noted that in this embodiment, the container 31 does not project out of the hole 11.

In use, the support member 22 has a container 31 attached thereto. Then, the container 31 , after the base 33 has been removed, is inserted into the hole 11. The support member 22 is then secured in position and the cap 25 is then screwed onto it. The poison 32 contained in the container is therefore available to the vermin. The vermin now have to enter the feeding chamber to take the poison. In many instances, there may not necessarily be a removable base but the container can be simply let lie in the cavity 6 as rats will gnaw at the container and eventually expose the contents.

Referring now to Fig. 7, there is illustrated an alternative construction of plug-like member, indicated generally by the reference numeral 40, many of the parts of which are substantially similar to the plug-like member 20 of Figs. 4 to 6 and therefore, the same reference numerals are used to identify the same parts. In this embodiment, a rod 41 is pivotally connected to the support member 22 and carries a solid plug 42, substantially similar to the plug 15 having a central hole 43. The plug 42 is mounted on the rod 41 by a washer 44 and split pin 45 forming stop means, indicted by the reference numeral 46. The plug-like member 40 will operate in substantially the same way as the plug 15 of Figs. 1 to 3 and may or may not extend through all the hole 11.

Referring to Figs. 8 to 10 inclusive, there is illustrated an alternative constructions of plug-like member, indicated generally by the reference numeral 50, in which parts similar to those described with reference to the previous drawings, are identified by the same reference numerals. In this embodiment, there is provided a sleeve 51 having mounting holes 52 and a threaded cap 53 having a hexagonal actuating hole 54 to facilitate it's removal. In this embodiment, the sleeve 51 is mounted in the socket 21 by fixing screws or the like, through the holes 52. Again, the same plug 15, as illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3, is used in this embodiment.

It is envisaged, for example, that a sleeve such as the sleeve 51 could be cast in situ in a block such as the block 10, in which case some form of mounting barbs or anchorage barbs would be provided on the exterior surface of the sleeve 51 to key into the concrete of the block 10. It will be appreciated that the sleeve 51 can be manufactured from any suitable material such as a plastics material.

With the present invention, when vermin first enter a building or dwelling, they will enter into an area that they will first explore, namely, the cavity between the two leaves of the building wall. Very often, when they do not find any food within the cavity, they climb up the walls, squeezing between the insulation panels that are usually mounted therein on wall ties, and eventually progress to the upper floors or the attic. It is then usually that the vermin are detected by the occupants. At that stage, all the occupants can do is to spread poison in these areas, such as the attic. When the vermin take the poison, most of which is of a type to cause the vermin to suffer from thirst, the vermin are too weak to leave the building to find water and thus, they die within the building, thus decomposing bodies therein which is not desirable. The purpose of the present invention is to effectively feed the vermin, when they first enter the building, with such a poison, which will cause the vermin to immediately leave the building in search of water. Then, the vermin will die outside the building which is desirable. What must be appreciated is that the vermin will have found an entrance into the outer leaf and they will have quickly come upon the poison, particularly if the poison is reasonably closely spaced around the perimeter of the building, such as every twenty or fifty feet. In this way, the entering vermin will be fed immediately and the effects of the poison will be such as to cause them to leave the building.

It will also be appreciated that many other orientations of hole may be provided and that the invention can be carried out in situ in double cavity wall buildings by drilling a bore hole and inserting a plug of bait.

It is envisaged that while ideally the device is positioned within the outer leaf of the double cavity wall, it may equally well be positioned within the inner leaf to prevent it being vandalised.

It is envisaged that the plug stop may be manufactured from a suitable material such as plastics or metal. It is further envisaged that in some particular instances, the plug may be removed from the hole and poison may be poured into the hole so that it flows into the cavity.

It is still further envisaged that in some instances, the plug may be removed and a hose may be placed within the hole so that it communicates with the cavity and poison may then be inserted into the cavity through the hole. For this purpose, the poison is ideally a pressurised spray, gaseous or powdered material.

In the specification the terms "comprise, comprises, comprised and comprising" or any variation thereof and the terms "include, includes, included and including" or any variation thereof are considered to be totally interchangeable and they should all be afforded the widest possible interpretation and vice versa.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment hereinbefore described, but may be varied in both construction and detail within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method of controlling vermin in double cavity walled buildings having inner and outer leaves forming a wall and having previously caused a through hole to be made to form a feeding chamber in one of the leaves connecting the exterior of the wall with the cavity comprising inserting into the through hole an elongate plug-like member containing poison.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 , in which the plug-like member is positioned in the hole spaced-apart from where the hole connects with the cavity.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which the previously formed through hole is in the outer leaf.

4. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the hole is formed to incline downwardly from the exterior of the wall towards the cavity.

5. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the hole is arranged so that the plug-like member is a loose fit therein.

6. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the plug is arranged to project into the cavity.

7. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the exterior of the hole is sealed with a closure.

8. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, in which periodically the pluglike member is inspected to determine whether the poison has been eaten and, as appropriate, the poison is replaced.

9. A plug-like member (40) for use in the method of any preceding claim, comprising:-

a support member (22) for mounting adjacent the exterior of the outer leaf (2) of the wall (1 ) of the building;

a rod (41) mounted on the support member (22) for mounting a cylindrical block (15) of poison thereon; and

stop means (46) for the block (15) of poison adjacent the free end of the rod (41).

10. A plug-like member (40) as claimed in claim 9, in which the rod (41) is pivotally mounted on the support member (22).

11. A plug-like member (20) for carrying out the method as claimed in any of claims 1 to 8, comprising:-

- a support member (22) for mounting in the outer leaf (2) of the building wall (1); and

a female connector (28) for reception of the neck of a poison storage container (31).

12. A plug-like member (50) for use in the method of any of claims 1 to 8, in which the plug-like member (50) comprises a sleeve (51) for mounting in the hole (11), the sleeve (51) being for reception of an elongate plug (15) of poison containing material.