WO2018182488A1

WO2018182488A1 - Rat bait station and waste bin comprising a rat bait station

Info

Publication number: WO2018182488A1
Application number: PCT/SE2018/050310
Authority: WO
Inventors: Richard PÅLSSON
Original assignee: Ewf Eco Ab
Priority date: 2017-03-31
Filing date: 2018-03-23
Publication date: 2018-10-04
Also published as: SE541812C2; SE1750403A1

Abstract

A rat bait station for holding a supply of toxic pest bait is configured for attaching to a mounting wall, and comprises an entrance corridor (20) extending between a pair of rat entrance openings, and a bait supply space (26) arranged above said entrance corridor (20). The entrance corridor (20) and bait supply space (26) are vertically separated by a divider (32) which forms a floor of the bait supply space (26), and communicate via a vertical rat passage opening (48) through the divider (32). The rat passage opening (48) is located at a distance from the rat entrance openings. The application also includes a waste bin comprising a rat bait station.

Description

RAT BAIT STATION AND WASTE BIN COMPRISING A RAT BAIT STATION

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to a rat bait station for holding a supply of toxic pest bait. It also relates to a garbage bin provided with a rat bait station.

Background of the invention

Rat bait stations are known as such. By way of example, US patent no.

6082042 describes a rat bait station for feeding poisonous bait to rats. There is however a need for a rat bait station that is better suited for a public environment, i.e. a rat bait station that is tamper-proof, discreet, compact, inexpensive, durable, and easy to maintain. Simultaneously, the rat bait station needs to present the bait in a manner that is attractive to rats.

Summary of the invention

It is an object of the present invention to solve, or at least mitigate, parts or all of the above-mentioned problems. To this end, there is provided a rat bait station for holding a supply of toxic pest bait, the rat bait station being configured for attaching to a mounting wall and comprising an entrance corridor extending between a pair of rat entrance openings; a bait supply space arranged above said entrance corridor, wherein the entrance corridor and bait supply space are vertically separated by a divider which forms a floor of the bait supply space, the entrance corridor and bait supply space communicating via a vertical rat passage opening through the divider, said rat passage opening being located at a distance from said rat entrance openings. Such a rat bait station gives rats access to the supply of toxic pest bait. Simultaneously, it may prevent e.g. children and non-pest animals from accessing the toxic pest bait. Moreover, rats generally prefer to feed in spaces provided with multiple exits. The pair of rat entrance openings thereby encourage the rat to feed. The elevated bait supply space not only protects the bait supply from water and moist on the ground, but also keeps the passage between the entrance openings

unobstructed, which makes the rat feel safe to enter the corridor. The corridor also catches any bait crumbs that may fall down through the vertical rat passage. The rat bait station may be provided with a suspension arrangement, such as a vertical mounting face provided with e.g. screw holes, for attaching the rat bait station to a vertical wall. This facilitates attaching the rat bait station to a vertical wall. The rat entrance corridor may be substantially parallel to the mounting face. This provides for a particularly compact rat bait station. Alternatively or additionally, the vertical rat passage opening may be located at a position along the entrance corridor, between the pair or rat entrance openings. This also provides for a particularly compact rat bait station.

According to an embodiment, the rat passage opening may form a direct connection between the entrance corridor and the bait supply space, i.e. a rat may pass directly from the entrance corridor to the bait supply space without having to pass via any intermediate space therebetween.

According to an embodiment, a floor of the entrance corridor, a vertical wall of the entrance corridor, and said divider may be integrally formed of a single piece of sheet metal. Such a rat bait station is particularly easy to assemble, and does not accumulate dirt at interfaces between separate parts. According to an embodiment, a vertical back wall of the bait supply space may also be integrally formed of said single piece of sheet metal. The vertical back wall may also operate as a mounting face for attaching the rat bait station to a vertical mounting wall, such as a vertical wall of a waste bin. Alternatively or additionally, a roof of the bait supply space may also be integrally formed of said single piece of sheet metal. Alternatively or additionally, a pair of side walls of the bait supply space may also be integrally formed of said single piece of sheet metal.

According to an embodiment, said divider may, adjacent to said vertical rat passage opening, be provided with an upwardly extending stop element for preventing bait from sliding along the floor of the bait supply space into the vertical rat passage opening. The upwardly extending stop element may be defined by an upwardly bent flange of the edge defining the vertical rat passage opening.

According to an embodiment, an outer side wall of the bait supply space may be openable for refilling rat bait. By way of example, the outer side wall may be pivotal about a lower edge thereof. The pivot may be formed by one or several flanges of the outer side wall extending into respective horizontal slot(s) formed in the wall of the entrance corridor. The wall may be completely removable, which may facilitate cleaning of the bait supply space.

According to an embodiment, the bait supply space may comprise a bait holder for holding a plurality of blocks of rat bait. The bait holder may thereby prevent the bait blocks from being drawn out of the bait supply space by rats feeding therefrom. The bait holder may be removable from the bait supply space to facilitate cleaning of the bait holder and the bait supply space. It may be shaped as a profile configured to form-fittingly engage with an outer contour of the bait blocks.

Alternatively or additionally, it may comprise a wire, which may be configured to be threaded through the bait blocks to provide an additional obstacle to removing the bait blocks from the bait supply space. The bait holder may be configured as an insert attached to the inner face of the outer side wall of the bait supply space. It may be configured as a vertically extending profile allowing bait blocks to be slid thereinto from the top. The bait supply space may also define a feeding space between the bait holder and the vertical passage opening, which allows a rat to reside in the bait supply space while eating.

According to another aspect of the invention, parts or all of the above mentioned problems are solved, or at least mitigated, by a waste bin comprising a vertical outer wall, and a rat bait station mounted to said vertical outer wall. As the waste inside the waste bin may attract rats, the combination of a waste bin with a rat bait station efficiently reduces this problem. Attaching the rat bait station to the vertical outer wall of the waste bin facilitates installation and relocation of the combination of the waste bin and the rat bait station, and facilitates maintenance, as the rat bait station may be refilled when emptying the waste bin.

According to an embodiment, the rat bait station may be a rat bait station as defined hereinabove.

According to an embodiment, the rat bait station may be mounted at a distance above the ground.

Brief description of the drawings

The above, as well as additional objects, features and advantages of the present invention, will be better understood through the following illustrative and non- limiting detailed description of preferred embodiments of the present invention, with reference to the appended drawings, where the same reference numerals will be used for similar elements, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view in perspective of a garbage bin provided with a rat bait station;

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view in perspective of the rat bait station of Fig. 1 ;

Fig. 3A is a side elevation view of the rat bait station of Fig. 2, with parts broken away; Fig. 3B is a front elevation view of the rat bait station of Fig. 2, with parts broken away;

Fig. 4 is an exploded view in perspective of the rat bait station of Fig. 2, with all parts illustrated transparent;

Fig. 5A is a schematic view in perspective of a bait holder of the rat bait station of Fig. 2, along with a bait block adapted to be held by the bait holder;

Fig. 5B is a top plan view of the bait holder of Fig. 5A, as provided with a bait block;

Fig. 6A is a schematic view in perspective of the rat bait station of Fig. 2 prior to opening a front wall;

Fig. 6B is a schematic view in perspective of the rat bait station of Fig. 6A with the front wall open; and

Fig. 7 is a plan view illustrating a sheet metal blank for folding a main body of the rat bait station of Fig. 2. Detailed description of the exemplary embodiments

Fig. 1 illustrates a waste bin 10 comprising a set of vertical walls 12, and a roof 14 for protecting the waste against rain. A waste inlet opening 16 is arranged in one of the vertical walls. The waste bin 10, which may be solar powered, may be smart waste bin configured to e.g. automatically notify maintenance personnel when it's full, as well as automatically compress waste when so needed. A rat bait station 18 is attached to a flat, vertical wall 12a of the waste bin 10, at a distance above the ground. The rat bait station 18 is configured for holding a supply of toxic rat bait, in order to prevent rats from visiting the waste bin for feeding.

Fig. 2 illustrates the rat bait station 18 in greater detail. The rat bait station 18 comprises a rat entrance corridor 20, which extends along a longitudinal direction L and forms a free passage between a pair of rat entrance openings 22a, 22b. The rat entrance openings 22a, 22b allow a rat to enter the rat bait station 18 from a position outside the rat bait station, such as a position on the ground. A back wall 24 (dashed) of the entrance corridor 20 is defined by the wall 12a of the waste bin 10. A bait supply space 26 is arranged above the entrance corridor 20, and is defined by a roof 28, a front wall 30, a divider 32, which acts as the floor of the bait supply space 26 and separates the entrance corridor 20 from the bait supply space 26, and a pair of opposite side walls, only one of which 34a is visible in the view of Fig. 2. As will be illustrated further below, the front wall 30 is configured to be opened by unscrewing a screw 35 of tamper-proof type, and pivoting the front wall 30 outwards about its lower edge. The rat bait station 18 has a flat mounting face 27 for attaching to the wall 12a of the waste bin 10 (Fig. 1 ).

Fig. 3A illustrates the rat bait station 18 as seen from the side, and with the front wall 30 (Fig. 2), as well as a bait holder which will be described further below, removed. The entrance corridor 20 is defined by a floor 36, a vertical outer wall 38, and the divider 32 which acts as the ceiling of the entrance corridor 20. A mounting flange 40, for attaching the rat bait station 18 to the wall 12a of the waste bin 10 (Fig. 1 ), extends vertically downwards from the floor 36 of the corridor 20. The mounting flange 40, the floor 36 of the entrance corridor 20, the front wall 38 of the entrance corridor 20, the divider 32, a back wall 42 of the bait supply space 26, the roof 28 of the bait supply space 26, and the side walls 34a, 34b (Fig. 3B) of the bait supply space 26 are all folded from a single piece of sheet metal.

Fig. 3B illustrates the rat bait station 18 as seen from the front, and again with the front wall 30 (Fig. 2) as well as the bait holder insert removed. Mounting holes 44 provided in the back wall 42 and in the mounting flange 40 allow screwing the rat bait station 18 to the wall 12a of the garbage bin 10 (Fig. 1 ). A front wall mounting bracket 46 is riveted to the roof 28, and is provided with a screw hole 48 for attaching an upper edge of the front wall 30 (Fig. 2) to the assembly. Even though not entirely visible in the view of Fig. 3B, the entrance corridor 20 communicates with the bait supply space 26 via a vertical rat passage opening 48 through the divider 32, which opening is located at approximately the longitudinal centre of the entrance corridor 20. A pair of flanges 50, separated in the longitudinal direction L, extend upwards at the edges of the vertical opening 48. The flanges 50 operate as stop element for preventing bait from sliding along the floor 32 of the bait supply space 26 into the vertical rat passage opening 48.

The exploded view of Fig. 4 illustrates various components of the rat bait station 18, which components are, for clarity of illustration, shown transparent. The rat bait station comprises a main body 52, the front wall mounting bracket 46, the front wall 30, and a bait holder 54, all of which are formed of a respective piece of sheet metal. The bait holder 54 is configured as an insert, which is attached to the front wall 30 and inserted into the bait supply space 26 when the front wall 30 is attached to the main body 52. Alternatively, the bait holder 54 may be placed loosely inside the bait supply space 26. The front wall has a lower pivot flange 56, which is insertable in a pivot slot 57 extending in the longitudinal direction L, along an edge between the divider 32 and the front wall 38 of the entrance corridor 20. The pivot flange 56 is inclined relative to the main plane of the front wall 30 such that it, when inserted in the pivot slot 57, not only allows pivoting the front wall 30 relative to the main body 52, but also limits the pivoting range of the front wall 30 to less than 45 degrees.

Figs 5A and 5B illustrate the bait holder 54 in greater detail, along with a bait block 58. The bait holder 54 is integrally formed of a single piece of sheet metal, and defines two bait slots 60 of rectangular cross-section. Rivet holes 61 are illustrated as an exemplary means of connecting the bait holder 54 to the front wall 30 (Fig. 4). A plurality of bait blocks 58 can be vertically slid into the bait slots 60, to be held therein in form-fitting engagement with edges 62, 64 of the bait holder 54. Fig. 5B also illustrates, in dashed lines, the position of the vertical rat passage opening 48 when the bait holder 54 is positioned in the bait supply space 26 (Fig. 4). A pair of feeding spaces 65 between the bait holder 54 and the vertical rat passage opening 48 allow a rat to reside in the bait supply space 26 while eating.

Figs 6A and 6B illustrate how the rat bait station 18 is opened, as well as how the bait holder 54 is arranged in the bait supply space 26. In the illustration, the bait holder 54 is riveted to the front wall 30; it is thereby removable for cleaning together with the front wall 30. A wire 66 is attached to the divider 32, and is configured to be threaded through a vertical through-hole 68 in the bait blocks 58 (Fig. 5A). Thereby, the bait blocks 58 will be held in place even if the outer edges of the bait blocks 58 have been consumed. A slot 69 in the upper edge of the bait holder 54 allows, after threading the wire 66 through the bait blocks 58, attaching the end of the wire 66. For the purpose, the end of the wire 66 may be provided with e.g. a knot or a hook (not illustrated). When the rat bait station 18 is closed (Fig. 6A), the bait supply space is a completely enclosed space allowing a rat to enter only from below, via the vertical passage opening 48 (Fig. 4).

Fig. 7 illustrates a sheet metal blank 70 for folding the main body 52 (Fig. 4) of the rat bait station 18. The portions to define the roof 28, the back wall 42, the side walls 34a, 34b, the divider 32 with the vertical rat passage opening 48 and the vertical flanges 50, the mounting flange 40, and the floor 36 and front wall 38 of the rat entrance corridor 20 (Fig. 6B) are indicated by their respective reference numbers. The folding lines are illustrated as dashed lines. The entrance corridor 20 (Fig. 6B) has a cross-section substantially corresponding to the size and shape of a rat. By way of example, it may have a height H1 of between 40 mm and 120 mm, and a width W1 of between 50 mm and 150 mm. An exemplary suitable width W1 may be about 75 mm, and an exemplary suitable height H1 may be about 60 mm. A suitable length L1 of the corridor typically exceeds 200 mm. By way of example, the length may be between 200 mm and 400 mm, such as about 300 mm. Also the vertical rat passage opening 48 has a cross-section substantially corresponding to the size and shape of a rat. By way of example, it may have a longitudinal width W2 of between 50 mm and 150 mm, as well as a transversal width W3 of between 50 mm and 150 mm.

The invention has mainly been described above with reference to a few embodiments. However, as is readily appreciated by a person skilled in the art, other embodiments than the ones disclosed above are equally possible within the scope of the invention, as defined by the appended patent claims.

For example, the rat bait station has been illustrated as being made up of flat panels. Alternatively, it may be made up of continuously curved panels. By way of example, the front and side walls of the bait supply space may be made of a panel that defines a half-circle, as seen in a horizontal section. Similarly, the entrance corridor may be made of a circular tube. The components of the rat bait station need not be made of sheet metal; instead, they can e.g. be made of plastic. Moreover, the rat bait station is not limited to use with garbage bins; it may be attached to any substantially vertical surface, such as to a vertical face of a piece of street furniture, to a wall of an electric power distribution cabinet, or to a plank.

Claims

1 . A rat bait station for holding a supply of toxic pest bait (58), the rat bait station (18) being configured for attaching to a mounting wall (12a) and comprising

an entrance corridor (20) extending between a pair of rat entrance openings (22a, 22b);

a bait supply space (26) arranged above said entrance corridor (20), wherein the entrance corridor (20) and bait supply space (26) are vertically separated by a divider (32) which forms a floor of the bait supply space (26), the entrance corridor (20) and bait supply space (26) communicating via a vertical rat passage opening (48) through the divider (32), said rat passage opening (48) being located at a distance from said rat entrance openings (22a, 22b).

2. The rat bait station according to claim 1 , wherein said rat passage opening (48) is located at a position along the entrance corridor (20) between said pair of rat entrance openings (22a, 22b).

3. The rat bait station according to any of the previous claims, wherein a floor (36) of the entrance corridor (20), a vertical wall (38) of the entrance corridor (20), and said divider (32) are integrally formed of a single piece of sheet metal (70).

4. The rat bait station according to claim 3, wherein a vertical back wall (42) of the bait supply space (26) is also integrally formed of said single piece of sheet metal (70).

5. The rat bait station according to any of the claims 3-4, wherein a pair of side walls (34a, 34b) of the bait supply space (26) are also integrally formed of said single piece of sheet metal (70).

6. The rat bait station according to any of the previous claims, wherein said divider (32) is, adjacent to said vertical rat passage opening (48), provided with an upwardly extending stop element (50) for preventing bait (58) from sliding along the floor (32) of the bait supply space (26) into the vertical rat passage opening (48).

7. The rat bait station according to any of the previous claims, wherein an outer side wall (30) of the bait supply space (26) is openable for refilling rat bait (58).

8. The rat bait station according to any of the previous claims, wherein the bait supply space (26) comprises a bait holder (54; 66) for holding a plurality of blocks (58) of rat bait.

9. A waste bin (10) comprising a vertical outer wall (12a), and a rat bait

station (18) mounted to said vertical outer wall (12a).

10. The waste bin according to claim 9, wherein the rat bait station (18) is a rat bait station according to any of the claims 1 -8.

1 1 . The waste bin according to any of the claims 9-10, wherein the rat bait station (18a) is mounted at a distance above the ground.