FR2709044A1 - Non-injurious trap for small rodents - Google Patents

Abstract

According to the invention, said trap comprises a housing (10) formed by an aluminium tube of generally square cross section, said housing comprising: - near one end, a door (20) pivoting on a hinge (21) arranged transversely at the top of the housing (10), - a seesaw (30) located further into the housing (10) relative to said door (20), which seesaw will tilt under the weight of rodents about a fulcrum (32) arranged transversely at the bottom of the housing (10) and carrying a lateral arm (31) on which the door (20) rests when in the open position by virtue of its own weight, prior to the entry of the rodents, which door (20) also has a lateral disengaging recess (22) in which the lateral arm (31) is engaged when said seesaw (30) is tilted, thus causing the door (20) to drop down in the shut position, - a device (40, 23) for locking the door (20) in the closed position, and - at the other end of the housing (10), a removable stopper (50) for removing said rodents. For the non-injurious catching of small rodents.

Description

"NON WLNERANT TRAP FOR SMALL RODENTS"
The present invention relates to a non-invasive trap for small rodents.

 The invention finds a particularly advantageous application for the non-invasive capture of small rodents, from 8 to 50 grams, field or domestic such as field mice, voles, lérots and mice.

 The public authorities recommend today to see the development of non-annoying trapping tools. Indeed, despite the high selectivity of traps and the good skill of trappers, it is illusory to imagine excluding the capture, through it, of individuals not belonging to the targeted species. The fact of having non-annoying traps authorizes the release of these -animals.

 However, the non-invasive traps currently existing have the disadvantage of rusting quickly and of being sensitive to the effects of corrosion. In addition, their structure is often provided with rough edges which are harmful to the user.

 Also, the technical problem to be solved by the object of the present invention is to propose a non-invasive trap for small rodents, which would be able to resist rust and corrosion, and which would be harmless for the people who handle it. .

 The solution to the technical problem posed consists, according to the present invention, in that said trap comprises a housing constituted by an aluminum tube of substantially square section, said housing comprising: - in the vicinity of a first end, a door capable of pivot around a pivot axis disposed transversely in the upper part of the housing, - a rocker placed towards the interior of the housing relative to said door, capable of tilting, under the effect of the weight of rodents, around an axis tilting disposed transversely in the lower part of the housing, and carrying a lateral arm on which the door rests in the open position under the action of its own weight, awaiting the entry of rodents, said door having, on the other hand, a lateral release notch in which the lateral arm is engaged during the tilting of said lever, thus causing the door to fall into the closed position, - a device for locking the door in the closed position, - at a second end of the housing, a removable plug for the recovery of said rodents.

 Thus, in particular because of its mainly aluminum structure, the trap according to the invention does not rust and is not very sensitive to corrosion. It is very easily maintained by simple washing with water and makes it possible to envisage its regular use in environments with a corrosive atmosphere such as marine or tropical environments. In addition, its weight has been considerably reduced without affecting the robustness of the assembly.

 According to another characteristic of the invention, said removable stopper is made of a plastic material, which offers the advantage of being more compact and more practical than a simple metal cover, without exhibiting protruding edges capable of causing injury. . Furthermore, the invention also provides that said plug has bait-holding compartments, which further increases the functionality.

 It should also be noted that the rodent recognizes in the shadow zone created by the difference in brightness between the interior and the exterior of the trap a secure shelter, because the interior, i.e. the housing, is made of aluminum, therefore shiny, and the interior is obscured by the presence of the plastic plug.

 Finally, in a particularly advantageous embodiment, said pivoting and tilting axes are constituted by rivets stamped on the side walls of the housing. This arrangement makes it possible to eliminate the roughness of the structure, responsible for frequent abrasions in the past, to facilitate the storage of the traps, and to limit or even eliminate, by the use of stainless steel pins, the effects of corrosion. which previously hampered the operation of the trap and reduced its reliability.

 The description which follows with reference to the appended drawings, given by way of nonlimiting examples, will make it clear what the invention consists of and how it can be implemented.

 Figure 1 is a side view of the non-invasive trap, object of the invention, before the entry of a small rodent.

 Figure 2 is a side view of the trap of Figure 1 after the entry of a small rodent.

 FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the non-damaging trap of FIGS. 1 and 2.

 FIG. 4 is a front view of the plug shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3.

 Figures 1,2 and 3 show a non-invasive trap for catching small rodents weighing 8 to 50 grams, such as field mice, voles, lérots and mice. This trap comprises a housing 10 constituted by an aluminum tube of substantially square section.

 In the vicinity of a first end, said housing 10 comprises a door 20 able to pivot around a pivot axis 21 arranged transversely in the upper part of the housing.

 As shown in Figure 1, pending the entry of a rodent, the door 20 rests in the open position, under the action of its own weight, on a side arm 31 carried by a rocker 30 placed towards the interior of the housing 10 relative to said door 20, and capable of tilting, under the effect of the weight of the rodent, around a tilting axis 32 disposed transversely at the bottom of the housing 10.

 The door 20, the rocker 30 and its lateral arm 31 are made, for example, of galvanized sheet metal.

 Figure 2 shows the movements made by the different parts constituting the mechanism of the non-damaging trap according to the invention.

 When a rodent enters the housing 10, it climbs on the rocker 30, and, as soon as it has exceeded the tilting axis 32, it causes, under the effect of its weight, the rocking of the rocker 30 around of said tilting axis in the direction indicated by the arrow F1.

At the same time, the lateral arm 31, driven by the lever 3s, engages in a lateral notch 22 with which the door 20 is provided and which can be seen in FIG. 3. The door 20, being thus released, is driven in the closed position in the pivoting direction represented by the arrow F2 in FIG. 2.

 In its pivoting movement, the door 20 releases a device for blocking the said door in the closed position constituted by a stirrup 40 in stainless steel articulated at each of its ends in a puncture 41, 42 arranged on the upper wall 13 of the housing 10, and cooperating with a hook 23 produced on the door 20. It will be noted that this system for fixing the stirrup 40 for blocking is very reliable and avoids the use of offensive axes projecting outside the housing 10.

 At a second end, the housing 10 is closed by fitting a removable plug 50 allowing the recovery of captured rodents. This plug 50, shown in Figure 4, is preferably made of plastic material and has compartments 51 bait holders.

 In order to avoid dangerous and inconvenient roughness of the structure, the axes 21, 32 of pivoting and tilting are constituted, as illustrated in FIG. 3, by rivets 24, 33 stamped on the side walls 11, 12 of the housing 10.

 Finally, a viewing hole 60 arranged on the upper wall 13 of the housing, as indicated in FIG. 2, allows the trapper to know whether an animal has been captured or not.

Claims (6)

CLAIMS 1 - Non-invasive trap for small rodents, characterized in that it comprises a housing (10) constituted by an aluminum tube of substantially square section, said housing comprising: - in the vicinity of a first end, a door ( 20) able to pivot about a pivot axis (21) disposed transversely in the upper part of the housing (10), - a rocker (30) placed towards the interior of the housing (10) relative to said door (20) , able to tilt, under the effect of the weight of rodents, around a tilting axis (32) disposed transversely in the lower part of the housing (10), and carrying a lateral arm (31) on which the door (20) rests in the open position under the action of its own weight, awaiting the entry of rodents, said door (20) having, on the other hand, a lateral notch (22) for release in which the arm is engaged lateral (31) during the tilting of said rocker (30), thus causing the door (20) drops to the closed position. - A device (40, 23) for locking the door (20) in the closed position, - at a second end of the housing (10), a removable plug (50) for the recovery of said rodents. 2 - Non-damaging trap according to claim 1, characterized in that said removable plug (50) is made of a plastic material. 3 - Non-damaging trap according to claim 2, characterized in that said plug (50) has compartments (51) bait holder. 4 - Non-damaging trap according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the said axes (21,32) of pivoting and tilting consist of rivets (24,33) stamped on the side walls (11, 12) of the housing (10). 5 - Non-damaging trap according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that said blocking means is constituted by a stirrup (40) articulated at each of its ends in a puncture (41,42) arranged on the wall upper (13) of the housing (10), and cooperating with a hook (23) produced on said door (20). 6 - Non-annoying trap according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the housing (10) has a hole (60) for viewing the capture of said rodents.