Animal trap with simplified, high speed operation
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An animal trap, comprising:
- a cage including a top, sides, a front, a front door at the front, a cage rear, and a bottom to form an enclosure for an animal, the top including a ceiling facing an interior of the enclosure and a cage length between the cage front and cage rear;
a rear door pivotally attached at a cage bottom rear including an open position and a closed position, the open position exposing an interior of the cage, the closed position confining the interior of the cage; and
a lock pivotally attached to a top of the rear door to selectively hold the rear door in the closed position, the lock elongated to extend forward along the top of the cage from the rear door to a lock front end, the lock front end selectively engaging the cage at a top of the cage near a central location of the cage length, the lock being operable from near the central location to disengage the lock from the cage and free the rear door to move from the closed position to the open position.
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Abstract
A live animal trap with improvements to ease of use, reliability and cost is disclosed. A simple repeatable one-hand set action lifts a front entry door. A hold-close assembly trips to secure the front door without sliding motions. A low friction latch and trip links thereto provide consistent set action resistant to shaking and undesired trip. A rear door is fitted next to a bait location to allow near vertical access for bait placement and unattended, unobstructed release. A changeable torque arm provides adjustable trip force. A trip tray is spaced above a floor to require a small set-up motion to access the bait and further ensure trip.
76 Citations
20 Claims
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1. An animal trap, comprising:
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a cage including a top, sides, a front, a front door at the front, a cage rear, and a bottom to form an enclosure for an animal, the top including a ceiling facing an interior of the enclosure and a cage length between the cage front and cage rear; a rear door pivotally attached at a cage bottom rear including an open position and a closed position, the open position exposing an interior of the cage, the closed position confining the interior of the cage; and a lock pivotally attached to a top of the rear door to selectively hold the rear door in the closed position, the lock elongated to extend forward along the top of the cage from the rear door to a lock front end, the lock front end selectively engaging the cage at a top of the cage near a central location of the cage length, the lock being operable from near the central location to disengage the lock from the cage and free the rear door to move from the closed position to the open position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An animal trap, comprising:
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a cage including a top, sides, a front, a front door at the front, a cage rear, and a bottom to form an enclosure for an animal, the top including a ceiling facing an interior of the enclosure and a cage length between the cage front and cage rear; a rear door pivotally attached at a cage rear including an open position and a closed position, the open position exposing an interior of the cage, the closed position confining the interior of the cage; and a lock attached to the rear door to selectively hold the rear door in the closed position, the lock includes a resilient arm elongated to extend from an arm attachment at the rear door to an arm distal end at a lock front end, a first position of the arm includes the lock front end being confined by a structure of the cage to hold the rear door closed, a second position of the arm includes the arm being deflected to be no longer confined by the structure of the cage to allow the rear door to be opened. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An animal trap, comprising:
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a cage including a top, sides, a front, rear, a cage length between the cage front and cage rear, and a cage bottom to form an elongated enclosure including a cage interior within the enclosure and an external region outside of the enclosure; a front door pivotally attached at the front of the enclosure; a rear door pivotally attached by a hinge adjacent a cage rearmost end including an open position and a closed position, the open position exposing an interior of the cage, the closed position confining the interior of the cage; the rear door extending forward within the interior of the cage at a rear door location spaced from the hinge, the rear door thereby linked to the interior of the cage to add structural support to the cage to resist forcible distortion of the cage; and a lock selectively linking the rear door to the cage through an arm of the lock to hold the rear door in the closed position, the lock operable from the external region to deflect the arm and disengage the rear door from the cage to free the rear door to move from the closed position to the open position. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification