Insect trap utilizing UV light and method of use thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11160265-B2
Application number	US-201815945295-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 4, 2018
Priority date	Apr 4, 2018
Publication date	Nov 2, 2021
Grant date	Nov 2, 2021

Abstract

An insect trap useful for trapping flying insects, the insect trap comprising an upper housing including at least one horizontal row of light emitting diodes extending across an outer surface of a curved front wall such that light from each of the light emitting diodes is projected outwardly from the upper housing at a different angle than adjacent light emitting diodes in the horizontal row of light emitting diodes, a base housing including an opening through which insects can enter an interior of the base housing, and an insect trapping element facing the opening in the base housing.

First claim

We claim:

1. An insect trap useful for trapping flying insects, the insect trap comprising: an upper housing including, a planar top wall, a planar bottom wall, a planar back wall extending downward from the planar top wall to the planar bottom wall and extending perpendicular to both the planar bottom wall and the planar top wall, and a horizontal row of light emitting diodes extending across an outer surface of a curved front wall opposite the planar back wall and extending between both the planar top wall and the planar bottom wall, such that light from each of the light emitting diodes is projected outwardly from the upper housing at a different angle than adjacent light emitting diodes in the horizontal row of light emitting diodes; a base housing including, an opening through which insects can enter an interior of the base housing; and an insect trapping element facing the opening in the base housing.

2. The insect trap of claim 1 , wherein the upper housing includes the back wall, a left side wall, the right side wall, a top wall, the bottom wall and the curved front wall, the top and the bottom walls oriented parallel to each other and connected to the back wall, the side walls being oriented parallel to each other and connected to side edges of the top and the bottom walls, the top wall having a curved front edge extending outwardly away from the side edges of the top wall such that a midpoint of the curved front edge is at least four times further from the back wall than opposite ends of the curved front edge, the bottom wall having a curved front edge extending outwardly away from the side edges of the bottom wall such that a midpoint of the curved front edge is at least four times further from the back wall than opposite ends of the curved front edge, the curved front wall mounted in a recess between the top and the bottom walls such that an outer surface of the curved front wall is spaced inwardly from the curved front edges of the top and the bottom walls.

3. The insect trap of claim 2 , wherein the base housing includes a back wall, left and right side walls, a front wall and a bottom wall, with upper ends of the back wall, the side walls and the front wall forming a rectangular opening through which insects can enter the interior of the base housing.

4. The insect trap of claim 3 , wherein an inner surface of the back wall of the base housing includes an insect attracting component.

5. The insect trap of claim 1 , wherein the upper housing includes a multi-position switch configured to adjust power supplied to the horizontal row of light emitting diodes such that when the switch is in a first position only some of the light emitting diodes receive power and when the switch is in a second position all of the light emitting diodes receive power.

6. The insect trap of claim 1 , wherein the upper housing includes wall mounting brackets extending upwardly from the top wall, the horizontal row of light emitting diodes comprises two horizontal rows of light emitting diodes and the upper housing includes a multi-position switch configured to adjust power supplied to the horizontal rows of light emitting diodes such that when the switch is in a first position half of the light emitting diodes receive power and when the switch is in a second position all of the light emitting diodes receive power.

7. The insect trap of claim 1 , wherein the upper housing includes first and second horizontal rows of light emitting diodes and the first horizontal row of light emitting diodes is located above the second horizontal row of light emitting diodes.

8. The insect trap of claim 4 , wherein the insect trapping element is a glue board located in the interior of the base housing.

9. The insect trap of claim 8 , wherein the glue board is a planar glue board oriented at an angle to the back wall of the base housing.

10. The insect trap of claim 9 , wherein the base housing includes an inclined wall having one end adjacent the front wall of the base housing and an opposite end adjacent the back wall of the base housing with the glue board supported on an upper surface of the inclined wall.

11. The insect trap of claim 9 , wherein the insect attracting component is a yellow surface on an inner surface of the back wall of the base housing.

12. The insect trap of claim 4 , wherein the insect trapping element is a container attached to the bottom wall of the base housing.

13. The insect trap of claim 12 , wherein the insect attracting component is located on inside walls of the side walls and the front wall of the base housing.

14. The insect trap of claim 13 , wherein the back wall of the base housing is part of a rectangular frame located inside the base housing adjacent the rectangular opening, the insect attracting component comprising a yellow surface of the rectangular frame extending around an inside of the rectangular opening.

15. The insect trap of claim 12 , wherein the base housing includes a funnel shaped bottom wall having a cylindrical extension at a bottom thereof, the container removably attached to the cylindrical extension.

16. The insect trap of claim 1 , wherein the upper housing includes circuitry to supply the horizontal row of light emitting diodes with DC power and each of the light emitting diodes emits ultraviolet (UV) light.

17. The insect trap of claim 16 , wherein all of the light emitting diodes emit UV light at a wavelength of about 370 to 380 nm.

18. A method of trapping cigarette beetles, comprising:
supporting the insect trap of claim 1 on an interior wall of a tobacco storage facility,
supplying power to the horizontal row of light emitting diodes so as to project UV light in an arc outwardly of the curved front wall of the upper housing, and
trapping the cigarette beetles with the insect trapping element.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the insect trapping element is a glue board and the method includes replacing the glue board after a desired period of time.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein the base housing includes a funnel shaped bottom wall made of sheet metal and the insect trapping element is a container attached to the funnel shaped bottom wall, the method including stunning the cigarette beetles due to impact with the sheet metal of the funnel shaped bottom wall and collecting the stunned cigarette beetles in the container.

Assignees

• Philip Morris Usa Inc

Inventors

• Cajigas Lizbel I
• Nguyen Hoc V
• Edde Peter
• Dinh Anh N
• Bustos David Gabriel

Classifications

• A01M1/02

  with devices {or substances, e.g. food, pheronones} attracting the insects · CPC title

• A01M1/145 Primary

  Attracting and catching insects using combined illumination or colours and adhesive surfaces · CPC title

• A01M1/08

  {Attracting and catching insects by} using combined illumination {or colours} and suction effects · CPC title

• A01M1/04

  Attracting insects by} using illumination {or colours (A01M1/08 and A01M1/145 take precedence) · CPC title

• A01M1/14

  Catching by adhesive surfaces · CPC title