AU668244B2

AU668244B2 - A trap

Info

Publication number: AU668244B2
Application number: AU52813/93A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Antonio Donataccio
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1992-12-23
Filing date: 1993-12-23
Publication date: 1996-04-26
Anticipated expiration: 2013-12-23
Also published as: AU5281393A

Description

668244 P/00/011 Regulation 3.2 *0 0 0

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT 0 0 0* *0 0 00 0 0 *0 Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor(s): Address for Service: ANTONIO DONATACCIO Antonio Donataccio

INTELLPRO

Patent Trade Mark Attorneys 13th Floor, 379 Queen Street BRISBANE, QLD, 4000 (GPO Box 1339, BRISBANE, 4001) Invention Title: "A Trap" Details of Associated Provisional Application No: Australian Patent Application No. PL6553 filed 23 December, 1992.

The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: -I I THIS INVENTION relates to a trap and in particular but not limited to a trap for catching crabs.

Traps for crabs are commonly known in Australia under the name "crab pots". Similar traps are also known for catching lobsters. The pots are usually equipped with an entrance funnel so that when crabs or lobsters crawl through the entrance funnel, they are trapped within the pot.

Collapsible pots have become popular because they can be conveniently stored when not in use. The present collapsible pots that are most popular use a pair of hoops held apart by circumferentially spaced foldable braces which bridge between the hoops. 'lastics mesh material is used to cover the pot. The braces are positioned outside the mesh and can be manually moved to a folded 4.

o position generally in the plane of one of the hoops. This allows the pot to *44444 I :collapse and the hoops to be laid flat, one on top of the other for storage and 4 o. transportation purposes. These traps are effective but suffer from a number of disadvantages.

The braces reduce the effectiveness of the pot because they tend to be an .4° obstacle to crabs crawling towards the entrance funnels. Furthermore, when the braces are released from their bracing position, they usually have a projecting free 4.o end which can be dangerous or interfere with things by getting caught up. The 20 mesh is unevenly tensioned and this creates handling difficulties. The pots are not very sturdy. The entrance funnels tend to be cramped in relation to the other dimensional aspects of the pots, as a consequence, the capacity of the pots is low.

It is an object of the present invention to alleviate at least to some degree the aforementioned problems associated with the prior art. The present invention

I

was derived as a consequence of a number of independent innovations devised by the inventor and at present, each of these independent innovations are presented independently below. Until such time as the applicant has the benefit of a full international search, each innovation is considered as a separate invention and the applicant reserves his rights to obtain separate patents for each innovation or patents in respect of various novel combinations.

In one aspect, the present invention resides in a trap for crabs comprising a container portion having a lower portion and an upper portion, the lower portion including a base having an upstanding side wall depending from the base, 10 the upper portion being disposed above said side wall and having an inclined marginal portion contiguous with the side "vall and forming a raised part of a top for the trap.

*•:Preferably the trap of the present invention includes in a frame assembly too that can be covered with mesh to make a trap suitable for catching crabs, the 15 frame assembly comprising a pair of hoops, a plurality of braces and a brace .i connector, the assembly being operatively arranged so that when covered with mesh, the braces extend between one hoop and the brace connector while remaining within the periphery of the other hoop.

Preferably the trap of the invention is a mesh covered trap, the trap having 2) a container portion including an upstanding side wall defining a peripheral part of the container portion, an entrance through the side wall so that crabs can enter the trap and be confined to the container portion, the entrance having a mouth contiguous with the side wall and an incline leading to the mouth. Preferably, the incline is configured as a part of a waist portion of the side wall. To this end, cL- e~ I I the trap is typically of generally hour glass shape having upper and lower portions with the waist portion in between with the mouth of the entrance being adjacent the waist portion of the hour glass shape.

The trap may comprise a container portion having a mesh exterior, the container portion having spaced frame members supported by braces between the frame members, the bracing between the frame members being disposed inside the mesh exterior of the trap and being foldable so the trap can collapse, the braces remaining inside the mesh when the trap is collapsed. The frame members are typically hoops.

The container portion may have a tensioned mesh exterior and a tensioning means for tensioning the mesh, said tensioning means comprising a :1: So plurality of braces disposed between spaced frame members and an intermediate frame member disposed between the spaced frame members so that the mesh is gooo tensioned over the intermediate frame member. The spaced frame members and 15 the intermediate frame member are typically hoops.

The brace connector can be any means enabling a brace to be secured n a fixed position relative to the trap. Typically, the braces are releasably coupled to the connector so that the frame is collapsible, although the braces can be released at either of opposite ends of the braces and need not be releasable from the brace connector.

The waist portion can be formed using a rigid or flexible constraint surrounding the trap to pull the mesh in the region of the waist portion to form a narrow constriction. As a consequence of this, the incline typically extends ~p right around the trap and a plurality of mouths are typically employed at circumferentially spaced intervals around the waist portion.

The raised part of the top of the trap can typically be any broadening or narrowing of the trap. Preferably, the trap narrows towards the top. Preferably, the trap has a generally cylindrical lower portion with a truncated cone-shaped upper portion.

The tensioning means is typically afforded by the combined action of the braces and the intermediate frame member which are positioned so that the mesh follows a circuitous path over a portion of the surface of the trap between the 10 frame members. In section the mesh is preferably laid over the frame member in a generally Z-shaped configuration with the braces extending between remote extremities of the trap.

In order that the present innovations can be more readily understood and be put into practical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying g 15 drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment and wherein:o• Figure 1 is a pictorial view from above of a collapsible trap embodying preferred forms of the features described above; Figure 2 is a pictorial view from below of the trap of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a plan view of the trap of Figures 1 and 2 showing the trap in its collapsed state; and Figures 4 and 5 are radial sections through the trap of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings and initially to Figure 1, there is illustrated a trap for crabs comprising a frame assembly including a pair of hoops 11 and 12, four braces 13, 14, 15 and 16 and a brace connector in the form of a ring 17 6 disposed above the hoop 11. The frame assembly is covered with a flexible mesh 18 which prevents crabs from escaping. The braces 13, 14, 15 and 16 extend between the hoop 12 and the ring 17 so as to stretch the mesh 18 over the hoop 11. A mesh covered door is hingedly coupled to the trap and in this case is in the form of a second ring 19 which is hinged at 20 and is held in a closed position as shown by a hook 21 coupled by an elastic strap 22 to the ring 11.

The trap 10 includes a container portion 23 having an upstanding Vshaped side wall 24 forming a waist for a generally cylindrical lower portion of the trap which assumes an hour glass shape. In the illustrated embodiment, two entrance mouths 24 and 25 are provided on opposite sides of the trap and communicate with entrance funnels 26 and 27 respectively so that crabs entering through the entrance funnels cannot escape from the trap. A cord 28 is used to pull the side wall in to form the waist and this forms an incline 29 which makes o. ~:it easier for crabs to climb up the side wall and into the entrance funnels and therefore enhances the ability of the trap to catch crabs.

SAs can be seen more clearly in Figures 4 and 5, the lower portion 23 of the pot is generally cylindrical in shape whereas the pot includes an upper S"portion 30 which is generally in the shape of a truncated cone.

In the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2, a single cord 28 is employed to S. 20 define the waist portion, whereas in the embodiment of Figures 4 and 5, two cords 31 and 32 are employed and these can be conveniently used to define the mouths 24 and 25 and enable the entrance funnels 26 and 27 to be secured to the side wall.

Figures 4 and 5 serve to illustrate how the mesh 18 is tensioned and as can I- be seen (also referred to Figures 1 and 2) the braces 13, 14, 15 and 16 are disposed between the hoop 12 and the ring 17 and this provides tension between the respective opposed ends 33 and 34 of the brace over a major portion of the mesh and stretches the mesh over the intermediate frame member formed by hoop 11. The mesh is laid between the frame members in a generally Z-shaped configuration.

Finally, referring to Figure 3, as can be seen, when the ends 34 of the braces 13, 14, 15 and 16 are released from the ring 17, the trap collapses and the hoops 11 and 12 can be moved one atop the other and the braces 13, 14, 15 and 16 are kept inside the mesh so they don't project. To assemble the trap, a user simply opens the door 19 and works inside the pot to attach the ends 34 of the :l braces to the ring 17. The door 19 is also used so that the trap can be loaded with bait anrd to empty crabs from the trap.

It will be appreciated that the foregoing has been given by way of illustrative example of the present invention, many variations and modifications thereto will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the broad ambit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

oo *o

Claims

1. A trap for crabs comprising a container portion having a lower portion and an upper portion, the lower portion including a base having an upstanding side wall depending from the base, the upper portion being disposed above said side wall and having an inclined margi ial portion contiguous with the side wall and forming a raised part of a top for the trap.

2. The trap according to claim 1 wherein the trap including a frame assembly that can be covered with mesh to make the trap suitable for catching crabs, the frame assembly comprising a pair of hoops, a plurality of braces and a brace connector, the assembly being operatively arranged so that when covered with *mesh, the braces extend between one hoop and the brace connector while C. remaining within the periphery of the other hoop. z:

3. The trap according to claim 1 wherein the trap including a relatively large base hoop, a second relatively large hoop disposed above the base hoop and a ":it *°Gethird relatively small hoop disposed above the second hoop, the hoops being C. C positioned directly above each other and having a continuous flexible mesh side wall coupled to the second hoop and extending from the base hoop over the second hoop and up to the third hoop, a plurality of braces located at spaced intervals around the trap and extending between the base hoop and the third hoop and passing inside the side second hoop.

4. The trap according to claim 2 or claim 3 wherein the braces are releasable so the trap can collapse.

The trap according to any one of claims 2 to 4 wherein the hoops are concentric rings. 9

6. The trap according to any one of claims 2 to 5 wherein the brace connector or the third hoop includes an opening so that crabs caught in the trap can be emptied from the trap by inverting the trap.

7. The trap according to one of claims 1 and 6 wherein the container portion including an upstanding side wall defining a peripheral part of the container portion, an entrance through the side wall so that crabs can enter the trap and be confined to the container portion, the entrance having a mouth contiguous with the side wall and an incline leading to the mouth.

8. The trap according to claim 7 wherein the incline is configured as part of a waist portion of the side wall.

9. The trap according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the 0 0 L. container portion having a mesh exterior, the container portion having spaced o• frame members supported by braces between the frame members, the bracing between the frame members being disposed inside the mesh exterior of the trap and being foldable so the trap can collapse, the braces remaining inside the mesh when the trap is collapsed.

The trap according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the :i container portion having a tensioned mesh exterior and a tensioning means for tensioning the mesh, said tensioning means comprising a plurality of braces disposed between spaced frame members and an intermediate frame member disposed between the spaced frame members so that the mesh is tensioned over the intermediate frame member.

11. The trap according to any one of claims 2 to 10 wherein the braces are releasably coupled to the connector so that the frame is collapsible, the braces being releasable at either of opposite ends of the braces.

12. The trap according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the trap includes a medial narrow waist portion so the trap is generally hour glass shaped having a shallow incline below and merging with the waist portion, the waist portion having a plurality of entrance mouths located at spaced intervals.

13. The trap according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the trap has a generally frusto-conical shaped top portion.

14. The trap dccording to any one of the preceding claims wherein the trap is adapted to tension a flexible mesh covering the surface of the trap, the mesh being tensioned by the combined action of the braces and the frame members, in section the mesh being laid over the frame members in a generally Z-shaped configuration with the braces extending between remote extremities of the trap. DATED this 1st day of February, 1996. 'ANTONIO DONATACCIO By his Patent Attorneys INTELLPRO BePP ABSTRACT A trap 10 for crabs comprises a frame assembly including a pair of hoops 11 and 12, four braces 13, 14, 15 and 16 and a brace connector in the form of a ring 17 disposed above the hoop 11. The frame assembly is covered with a flexible mesh 18 which prevents crabs from escaping. The braces 13, 14, 15 and 16 extE.ti between the hoop 12 and the ring 17 so as to stretch the mesh 18 over the hoop 11. A mesh covered door is hingedly coupled to the trap and in this case is in the form of a second ring 19 which is hinged at 20 and is held in a closed position as shown by a hook 21 coupled by an elastic strap 22 to the ring 11. *.o 9 0 0* 0