Electronic rat trap with internal barrier structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11259518-B2
Application number	US-201816021527-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 28, 2018
Priority date	Jun 29, 2017
Publication date	Mar 1, 2022
Grant date	Mar 1, 2022

Abstract

An enclosure-type electronic rat trap having an interior accessed through a trap entrance and a rat pathway that leads from the entrance to a baited end opposite the entrance is provided. At least three killing plates coupled to a high voltage circuit are positioned along the pathway in spaced relationship and a barrier extends into and constricts the pathway at a specified distance from a center plate in order to reduce the ability of the rat to escape the trap once the rat has traveled along the pathway sufficiently to initiate a killing cycle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic rat trap comprising:
a trap body including an upper wall assembly and a floor spaced from one another and joined by a left side and a right side, the upper wall assembly forming a fixed ceiling for the trap body, the trap body having an open entrance end to provide rats with access to an interior of the trap and a closed baited end opposite the entrance end;
a high voltage killing circuit including at least three killing plates positioned on the floor in spaced relationship to create a pathway for a rat from the entrance end to the baited end, said plates including a first plate nearest the baited end, a second plate nearest the entrance end, and a center plate positioned between the first and second plates, the first and center plates being the active plates which, when connected through contact with both by a rat having a known impedance, initiate activation of the high voltage output circuit, said second plate being electrically connected to the first plate and automatically going to the voltage level of the first plate when the circuit is activated; and

a barrier extending downwardly from the trap ceiling into the trap interior, a bottom edge of said barrier being positioned above the center plate at a vertical distance between about 1.0 inch and about 2.5 inches from the center plate, said barrier serving to restrict a height of the trap interior to prevent upward movement of the rat at the point of the barrier and the fixed nature of the trap ceiling rendering the trap impervious to any upward pressure the rat applies to the barrier in attempting to escape.

2. The electronic rat trap as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the barrier is a planar baffle wall.

3. The electronic rat trap as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said vertical distance is about 1.78 inches.

4. The electronic rat trap as set forth in claim 1 , wherein a horizontal distance between the bottom edge of the baffle wall and a vertical plane that extends upwardly from and in alignment with a forward edge of the center plate is at least 1.5 inches, the forward edge of the center plate being an edge nearest the baited end.

5. The electronic rat trap as set forth in claim 4 , wherein said horizontal distance is at least 1.75 inches.

6. The electronic rat trap as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the barrier is a tapered baffle wall with the bottom edge having a blade-like lower edge.

7. The electronic rat trap as set forth in claim 6 , wherein said vertical distance is about 1.78 inches.

8. The electronic rat trap as set forth in claim 6 , wherein a horizontal distance between the blade-like lower edge of the tapered baffle wall and a vertical plane that extends upwardly from and in alignment with a forward edge of the center plate is at least 1.5 inches, the forward edge of the center plate being an edge nearest the baited end.

9. The electronic rat trap as set forth in claim 8 , wherein said horizontal distance is at least 1.75 inches.

10. The electronic rat trap as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the barrier is positioned relative to the center plate in horizontal and vertical directions such that upon any upward movement of the rat resulting from the activation of the high voltage killing circuit, the barrier will contact the rat behind the middle of its back to prevent the rat from pushing off of the first plate.

11. The electronic rat trap as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the barrier is defined by a linear vertical wall extending downwardly from the trap ceiling and a linear tapered wall extending downwardly from the trap ceiling and at an angle relative to the vertical wall, the tapered wall joining the vertical wall to define the blade-like lower edge.

12. An electronic rat trap comprising:
a trap body including an upper wall assembly and a floor spaced from one another and joined by a left side and a right side, the trap body having an open entrance end to provide rats with access to an interior of the trap and a closed baited end opposite the entrance end, the upper wall assembly forming a fixed ceiling for the trap body;
a high voltage killing circuit including at least three killing plates positioned on the floor in spaced relationship to create a pathway for a rat from the entrance end to the baited end, said plates including a first plate nearest the baited end, a second plate nearest the entrance end, and a center plate positioned between the first and second plates; and
a barrier extending downwardly from the trap ceiling into the trap interior, a bottom edge of said barrier being positioned above the center plate at a vertical distance between 1.0 inch and 2.5 inches from the center plate, and a horizontal distance between the bottom edge of the barrier and a vertical plane that extends upwardly from and in alignment with a forward edge of the center plate being at least 1.5 inches, the forward edge of the center plate being an edge nearest the baited end, said barrier serving to restrict a height of the trap interior and to contact the rat behind a middle of its back to prevent upward and rearward movement of the rat at the point of the barrier.

13. The electronic rat trap as set forth in claim 12 , wherein the closed baited end is provided with apertures to allow for better scent detection of bait placed at the baited end from outside the trap, and wherein one of the apertures is fitted with a bait plug for holding bait.

14. The electronic rat trap as set forth in claim 12 , wherein the barrier is a planar baffle wall.

15. The electronic rat trap as set forth in claim 12 , wherein the barrier is a tapered baffle wall with the bottom edge having a blade-like lower edge.

16. The electronic rat trap as set forth in claim 12 , wherein the barrier is defined by a vertical wall and a tapered wall, the vertical wall and the tapered wall each extending downwardly from the trap ceiling and joining to define the blade-like lower edge.

17. The electronic rat trap as set forth in claim 16 , wherein the vertical wall faces the closed baited end and the tapered wall faces the open entrance end.

18. The electronic rat trap as set forth in claim 16 , wherein the vertical wall extends linearly from the trap ceiling to the blade-like lower edge, and the tapered wall tapers linearly from the trap ceiling to the blade-like lower edge.

Assignees

• Woodstream Corp

Inventors

• Kletzli Paul Michael
• Blair Cory John
• Ebner Mark William

Classifications

• A01M23/16

  Box traps · CPC title

• A01M23/38 Primary

  Electric traps · CPC title

• A01M2200/00

  Kind of animal · CPC title