GB2095087A

GB2095087A - Animal trap

Info

Publication number: GB2095087A
Application number: GB8109420A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1981-03-25
Filing date: 1981-03-25
Publication date: 1982-09-29
Also published as: GB2095087B

Abstract

An animal trap comprises a moulded hollow body 1 with a front end entrance closable by a door flap moulding 2, a trigger member moulding 3 of double-stirrup form and a moulded bait box 24 which is a push-on fit on the open rear end of the body 1. The flap 2 has integral pivots 8 which engage bores 9 in the body 1 so that it swings under gravity to the closed position, from which it swings inwardly of the body 1 to the open position in which it is retained when the trap is set by resting on a cross portion 21 of the trigger member 3. The member 3 has integral pivots 18 which likewise engage bores 19 in the body 1, and it is urged by gravity to the set position in which the front corners of the member 3 rest on the floor 4 of the body 1. At the rear end the member 3 has a cross treadle portion 23 on which an animal which enters the trap steps to spring the trap by pivoting the member 3 to release the flap 2 which then swings to the closed position. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Animal traps This invention relates to animal traps, of the type having an entrance which is closed by a hinged or pivoted flap providing a door which when closed cannot be pushed open from inside and is thus operative to contain a trapped animal.

The invention is of particular, but by no means exclusive, application to small animal traps such as are commonly referred to as "small mammal live traps" and which are used in ecological field studies of the animal population of a given habitat.

Such traps are also used by zoologists to trap animals, without injury, for subsequent zoological study.

In their simplest form traps of the type concerned having a hanging door flap which naturally adopts the closed position from which it can be pushed open by an animal when entering the trap, whereupon the trapped animal cannot push the flap open from inside to escape.

However, this requires appropriate effort by the animal to displace the flap in order to enter the trap and, in addition to this, the natural suspicions of the animal must be allayed, or allowed time to subside, before it will enter the trap past the obstacle presented by the flap.

In order to overcome the foregoing disadvantages arrangements have been proposed in which the trap can be set with the door flap retained in the open position until an animal is within the trap, the animal then operating a trigger mechanism to release the flap which swings to the closed position from which it cannot be moved by the trapped animal. However, such arrangements have involved complications such as springloaded flaps and/or trigger mechanisms of varying complexity with resultant increased cost, difficulties in setting the traps and less reliability in the field.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a trap with the advantages of a triggered door flap but without sacrificing the general constructional simplicity and cheapness of the basic form of trap with a freely hanging hinged or pivoted flap. A further object is to provide such a trap which can readily be designed with simple means which lock the door flap closed, after it has been "sprung".

According to the invention an animal trap has a body with an entrance opening associated with a door in the form of a hanging hinged or pivoted flap which is urged to a closed position from which it is openable only in the inward direction, and a pivoted trigger member positioned within the trap and urged to a position in which, with the flap open, the flap rests on the trigger member and is thus held open, said trigger member having a treadle portion so disposed that the weight of an animal treading on this portion will displace the trigger member and free the flap which thus moves to the closed position to trap the animal.

Preferably the flap is urged to the closed position solely by gravity with the trigger member also urged to the resting or "trap set" position solely by gravity, so that the spring loading and complex trigger mechanisms and linkages of prior triggered-flap arrangements are entirely dispensed with. Thus the trap may comprise three basic components -- a body, an entrance door flap and a trigger member, and these may all be simple plastics mouldings with the flap and trigger member moulded with integral stub shafts which provide pivots engaging pivot bores in the side walls of the body.

Preferably a catch is provided which automatically locks the flap in the closed position after the trap has been "sprung". This conveniently comprises a slidable catch member mounted on an extension of the flap above the pivotal axis thereof. This catch member may be a finger pad which is lifted to free the flap and allow the latter to be opened and the trap set, being freely slidable on the flap extension so that when the trap is sprung and the door closes it slides under gravity to a locking position in which it engages behind an abutment on the trap body to lock the flap against opening movement.

The body moulding may be of closed form apart from the flap controlled entrance. However, it may alternatively be of elongated open-ended form with the flap mounted at the front entrance end and the rear end closable by an end cap moulding.

This end cap may be in the form of a push-on bait box which simplifies baiting of the trap with an adequate supply of bait to provide sustenance for a captive animal until the trap is checked, for example when used for field studies. Furthermore, the end cap can be replaced by a field trap adaptor chamber to increase the internal capacity of the trap, and such an open-ended body readily lends itself to use of the trap in a variety of field trapping configurations.

The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, a preferred embodiment of the invention and a field trap adaptation thereof. In the drawings: Figure lisa partially-sectioned plan view of the embodiment; Figure 2 is a front view thereof; Figure 3 is a sectional view on the line Ill-Ill in Figure 1; Figure 4 is a view of a flap moulding of this embodiment in the direction of the arrow IV in Figure 3; Figure 5 is a perspective view of a trigger member moulding of the embodiment; and Figures 6 and 7 are respectively perspective views of the embodiment and of a field trap adaptor chamber.

The trap of Figures 1 to 6, designed specifically for catching small rodents and particularly suitable for domestic and simple field use, consists basically of three transparent plastics mouldings, which may be of tinted polystyrene -- namely a moulded hollow body 1, a door flap moulding 2 and a trigger member moulding 3. The elongated body moulding 1 is open ended with a flat floor 4, vertical side walls 5 and a top wall 6 which is inclined downwards at a small angle from the open front entrance end of the body.

The flap moulding 2 has a main generally rectangular portion 7 which is urged solely by gravity to a closed position in which it closes the front end opening of the body 1, with the flap 2 hanging in an inwardly and downwardly inclined position as shown more particularly in Figure 1. In this position it is inclined at about 1 4C to the vertical with the bottom edge of the flap contacting the body floor 3. Adjacent its upper corners and just below the level of the top wall 6 the flap portion 7 has laterally projecting stub shafts 8 which turn in aligned pivot bores 9 in the side walls 5, and the flap 2 is extended above the pivot axis by a central bifurcated tongue 10 which extends through a cut-out slot 6a at the front end of the top wall 6.

The body floor 3 extends forwardly beyond the pivot axis, and the front edges of the side walls 5 slope downwardly at an angle of about 25C to the vertical from the front end of the top wall 6 to the front edge of the floor 3.

The pivot arrangement provided by the pivot stubs 8 also provides for snap-in attachment of the flap 2 to the body 1 , the flap portion 7 having cut-out slots which extend downwardly on either side of the tongue 10. These slots 11 are of sufficient width and length to allow inward flexing of the upper corners of the flap portion 7 to permit passage of the stubs 8 between the side walls 5 for engagement in the pivot bores 9.

A sliding locking catch member 12, shown in section in the views of Figures 3 and 4, is a padlike moulding of a coloured plastics material, such as polypropylene or ABS material. This moulding 12 has a central aperture 1 3 by which it is a free sliding fit on the bifurcated flap extension 10, and inwardly directed ears 14 cooperate with outwardly directed ears on the tongue 10 for two purposes; firstly to provide for snap-on attachment of the pad moulding 12 on the flap 2, and secondly to limit the upward sliding movement of the pad on the tongue 10. The pad 12 thus provides a finger-operated catch which has two terminal positions, which respectively allow the flap to pivot freely and enable the flap to be locked in the closed position.Figure 3 illustrates the operative locking position, the flap 2 being shown in this figure in full lines locked in the closed position. When the pad 13 in this position it engages behind projecting abutments 1 6 at the front end of the top wall 6, where that wall projects forwardly on either side of the tongue 10, to prevent movement of the flap 2 from the closed position.

The trigger member 3 is of double-stirrup form with two generally triangular side webs 1 7 which have integral projecting stub shafts 1 8 engaging aligned pivot bores 1 9 in the side walls 4 a short distance above the floor 4. The centre of gravity of the member 3 is disposed forwardly of the resultant pivot axis so that the trigger member 3 is urged solely by gravity to a resting or "trap set" position in which the lower front corners of the side webs 1 7 rest on the floor 4 at point 20 (see Figure 3). A top cross portion 21 extends between the top front corners of the webs 1 7 which are positioned to support the flap 2 which rests on the member 3 in the open or set position as illustrated in broken lines in Figure 3.The side webs 1 7 are extended, rearwardly of the pivot stubs 1 8, by inwardly inclined narrow extensions 22 joined at their outer ends, adjacent the rear end of the body 1, by a treadle portion 23.

After an animal has entered the trap it steps on the portion 25 to displace the trigger member 23 in the clockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 3, so that the abutment portion 21 moves clear of the flap 2 which is thus free to swing to the closed position. The flexibility of the side webs 1 7 allows them to be squeezed in so that the stub shaft 18 can be entered between the side walls 4, thus providing snap-in fixing of the member 3 within the body 1.

When the trap is set the catch member 12 is moved upwardly to its outermost position on the tongue 10, and as the flap 2 swings to the closed position when the trap is triggered the member 12 slides under gravity to the locking position until the trap is locked as shown in full lines in Figure 3.

As can be seen in that figure, the abutments 1 6 have a front edge radius along which the catch member 1 2 slides as the flap 2 moves to the closed position, and this holds off the member 1 2 which is prevented from moving to the locking position until it is free of the abutments 1 6.

In its simple basic form, suitable for domestic or simple field use, the open rear end of the body 1 is closed by a push-on bait box 24. This is readily removed before the trap is set for the purpose of baiting and the introduction of a supply of nesting material if required, and when fitted is retained by locating "pips" 27 on the body 1 which engage locating apertures 28 in the box 24. For more professional and extensive field use, and to increase the internal capacity of the trap, the bait box 24 can be replaced by a relatively large adaptor chamber 25 which has a similar push-on fixing to the body 1. The chamber 25 can be optionally be provided with a sliding isolation door 26, which can be closed to contain trapped animals within the chamber 25 and also allows this chamber to function as a container, for example during transport of the trapped animal from the trapping site.

It will be appreciated that the open-ended body formation described allows the basic trap construction of body, door flap and trigger member to be used in a wide variety of filed trap configurations. As one example, an adaptor chamber can be designed for push-on connection to a plurality of trap bodies so that the individual traps radiate outwards in different directions from the common chamber.

Claims

1. An animal trap having a body with an entrance opening associated with a door in the form of a hanging hinged or pivoted flap which is urged to a closed position from which it is openable only in the inward direction, and a pivoted trigger member positioned within the trap and urged to a position in which, with the flap open, the flap rests on the trigger member and is thus held open, said trigger member having a treadle portion so disposed that the weight of an animal treading on this portion will displace the trigger member and free the flap which thus moves to the closed position to trap the animal.

2. A trap according to claim 1 ,wherein the flap is urged to the closed position solely by gravity.

3. A trap according to either one of the preceding claims, wherein the trigger member is urged to the resting or "trap set" position solely by gravity.

4. A trap according to claims 1 and 3, comprising three basic moulded components- namely said body, said entrance door flap and said trigger member.

5. A trap according to claim 4, wherein the flap and trigger member are moulded with integral stub shafts which provide pivots engaging pivot bores in side walls of the body.

6. A trap according to claim 5, wherein the mouldings are such as to provide snap-in fitting of the flap and trigger member mouldings to the body mouldings.

7. A trap according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the trigger member is of doublestirrup like form with a first stirrup portion providing said treadle portion and a second stirrup portion on which the flap rests when the trap is set.

8. A trap according to claim 7, wherein said second stirrup portion has side webs pivoted to the trap body and which rest on the floor of the body to define the trap set position.

9. A trap according to any one of the preceding claims, embodying a catch which automatically locks the flap in the closed position after the trap has been "sprung".

10. A trap according to claim 9, wherein the catch comprises a slidable catch member which is mounted on an extension of the flap above the pivotal axis thereof and which engages with the body when in the locking position.

11. A trap according to claim 10, wherein the catch member is a finger pad which is lifted to free the flap and allow the latter to be opened and the trap set, and which is freely slidable on said flap extension so that as the flap closes the catch member slides under gravity to a locking position in which it engages behind a locking abutment on the trap body.

1 2. A trap according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the body is of closed form apart from the flap controlled entrance.

13. A trap according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the body is of elongated open-ended form with the flap mounted at the front entrance end of the body and the rear end of the body closable by an end cap moulding.

14. A trap according to claim 13, wherein the end cap is in the form of a push-on bait box.

1 5. A trap according to claim 13, wherein the end cap is replaced by a field trap adaptor chamber to increase the internal capacity of the trap.

16. A trap according to claim 1 5, wherein the adaptor chamber is designed for push-on connection to a plurality of separate trap bodies so that the connected bodies radiate outwards in different directions from the common adaptor chamber.

17. A trap according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the body, the entrance door flap and the trigger member are each of plastics moulding.

18. An animal trap constructed and arranged substantially as herein particularly described with reference to Figures 1 to 5, or Figure 6, of the accompanying drawings.

New claims of amendments to claims filed on 11.5.82.

Superseded claims 1.

New or amended claims:

1. An animal trap having a body with an entrance opening associated with a door in the form of a hanging hinged or pivoted flap which is urged to a closed position from which it is openable only in the inward direction, and a pivoted trigger member positioned within the trap and urged to a position in which, with the trap open, the flap rests on the trigger member and is thus held open, said trigger member having a treadle portion which extends across the body above floor level thereof in such manner that the weight of an animal treading on this portion will displace the trigger member and free the flap which thus moves to the closed position to trap the animal.