Self-arming electronic rodent trap and system and method for use thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10842145-B2
Application number	US-201815906691-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 27, 2018
Priority date	Mar 2, 2017
Publication date	Nov 24, 2020
Grant date	Nov 24, 2020

Abstract

A rodent trap having a remote arming capability and a method of deploying a rodent trap in an unarmed state and then arming the trap after a wait period without the user having to again physically access the trap is provided. The trap, preferably embodied as an electronic rodent trap, may be configured with wireless remote arming capability, timed arming functionality, activity based arming and the like. When in the unarmed state, the trap operates in a monitoring mode in which the trap can monitor and evaluate activity and/or interactions with the trap and can send and receive wireless communication signals.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A self-arming electronic rodent trap comprising:
a high voltage output circuit coupled to a plurality of killing plates;
a central processing unit for controlling the high voltage output circuit, said central processing unit being configured to change a state of the trap from an unarmed state wherein the high voltage output circuit is not automatically activated by a rodent, to an armed state wherein the high voltage output circuit remains inactive until it is activated by a rodent, in response to an arming event that occurs at a time subsequent to trap deployment, said change of state being effected without physical manipulation of the trap by a user and without the trap being previously armed by the user; and
a timer, said arming event including expiration of a time period set by said timer, said timer being initiated in response to a user input and independent of a rodent interaction with the trap.

2. The self-arming electronic rodent trap as set forth in claim 1 , said trap further comprising an activity sensor, said trap in the unarmed state using said activity sensor to monitor activity in or adjacent the trap while the high voltage circuit remains inactive, said arming event including detection of a threshold level of rodent activity in or adjacent the trap by said activity sensor, the central processing unit being further configured to, in response to the initiating of said timer by the user input, monitor activity in or adjacent the trap with the trap in the unarmed state until the first of either the detection of the threshold level of rodent activity or the expiration of the time period results in the arming event.

3. The self-arming electronic rodent trap as set forth in claim 2 , wherein said activity sensor includes at least one sensor selected from the group consisting of a motion detector, a temperature detector, an active infrared detector, a passive infrared detector, a proximity detector and an impedance detector.

4. The self-arming electronic rodent trap as set forth in claim 2 , wherein said threshold level includes reaching a threshold number of rodent interactions with the trap as detected by the activity sensor, the threshold number being greater than one.

5. The self-arming electronic rodent trap as set forth in claim 1 , said trap further comprising a communications chip that enables the central processing unit to be in wireless communication with a remote device, said arming event including receipt of a wireless signal from the remote device instructing the central processing unit to activate the trap to the armed state.

6. A self-arming electronic rodent trap system comprising:
an electronic rodent trap having a high voltage output circuit coupled to a plurality of killing plates, a central processing unit for controlling the high voltage output circuit, and a communications chip, said central processing unit being configured to change a state of the trap from an unarmed state wherein the high voltage output circuit is not automatically activated by a rodent, to an armed state wherein the high voltage output circuit remains inactive until it is activated by a rodent, in response to an arming event that occurs at a time subsequent to trap deployment, said change of state being effected in an absence of physical manipulation of the trap by a user and without the trap being previously armed by the user, the trap responsive to a timer, said arming event including expiration of a time period set by said timer, said timer being initiated in response to a user input and independent of a rodent interaction with the trap; and
a remote device enabling the user to wirelessly communicate with the trap central processing unit through the communications chip.

7. The self-arming electronic rodent trap system as set forth in claim 6 , wherein the communication by the remote device to the trap central processing unit serves as the arming event to change said state of the trap from said unarmed state to said armed state.

8. The self-arming electronic rodent trap system as set forth in claim 6 , wherein the remote device includes at least one of a dedicated remote controller, a smartphone application, a computing device with an internet connection, and a computing device using cloud communication.

9. The self-arming electronic rodent trap system as set forth in claim 6 , wherein said timer is internal to the trap or a cloud-based timer.

10. The self-arming electronic rodent trap system as set forth in claim 9 , wherein said system is configured to enable the user with said remote device to send an arming instruction before expiration of the time period, said trap changing to the armed state in response to said arming instruction.

11. The self-arming electronic rodent trap system as set forth in claim 6 , said trap further comprising an activity sensor, said trap in the unarmed state using said activity sensor to monitor activity in or adjacent the trap while the high voltage output circuit remains inactive, said arming event including detection of a threshold level of rodent activity in or adjacent to the trap by said activity sensor.

12. The self-arming electronic rodent trap system as set forth in claim 11 , wherein said system is configured to enable the user with said remote device to receive trap activity updates from the trap and to send an activation instruction to place the trap in the armed state before said threshold level of rodent activity has been detected.

13. The self-arming electronic rodent trap as set forth in claim 11 , wherein said activity sensor includes at least one sensor selected from the group consisting of a motion detector, a temperature detector, an active infrared detector, a passive infrared detector, a proximity detector and an impedance detector.

14. A method of operating an electronic rodent trap to enable rodents to become acclimated to the trap, the method comprising the steps of:
placing an electronic rodent trap in a desired location in an unarmed state, said electronic rodent trap having a high voltage output circuit coupled to a plurality of killing plates, and a central processing unit for controlling the high voltage output circuit;
setting and starting an internal timer of the trap for a time period, the starting of the internal timer being independent of a rodent interaction with the trap;
said trap in said unarmed state wherein the high voltage output circuit is not automatically activated by a rodent, and operating in the desired location in a monitoring mode that does not result in activation of the high voltage output circuit upon rodent interaction with the trap;
said trap remaining in monitoring mode until an arming event occurs, with expiration of said time period causing the arming event;
said central processing unit, in response to said arming event, changing the trap from said unarmed state to an armed state wherein the high voltage circuit output remains inactive until it is activated by a rodent, said change being effected by said central processing unit without physical manipulation of the trap by a user and without the trap being previously armed by the user.

15. The method as set forth in claim 14 , wherein the trap further includes an activity sensor, said step of operating in the desired location in the monitoring mode including said trap monitoring activity adjacent the trap using said activity sensor, said trap remaining in the monitoring mode until a threshold number of interactions have been sensed, sensing of said threshold number of interactions serving as the arming event.

16. The method as set forth in cla

Assignees

• Woodstream Corp

Inventors

• Daly Jr Thomas J

Classifications

• A01M23/38 Primary

  Electric traps · CPC title

• A01M2200/00

  Kind of animal · CPC title

• A01M31/002

  Detecting animals in a given area · CPC title

• H04L67/10

  in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network (software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46) · CPC title