Detection and control of pests

• US 20040140900A1
• Filed: 04/03/2003
• Published: 07/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Daniel T. Barber, Don Black
• Original Assignee: Daniel T. Barber, Don Black
• Inventors: Black, Don, Barber, Daniel T.
• Granted Patent: US 7,212,112 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/573.2
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 1/026 combined with devices for monitoring insect presence, e.g. termites bait stations A01M1/2005; detecting other animals in a given area A01M31/002
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 1/2011 for crawling insects
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 1/24 Arrangements connected with buildings, doors, windows, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 2200/011 Crawling insects
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 31/002 Detecting animals in a given area

Abstract

Among the embodiments of the present invention are pest control devices (1010, 1110, 1210) each operable to detect the presence of pests. The pest control device (1010, 1110, 1210) has a bait (1032) that is consumed or displaced by one or more species of pest, a pest sensing circuit (1052, 1152, 1252), and a monitoring circuit (1069, 1169, 1269). The pest sensing circuit (1052, 1152, 1252) can be altered by pest activity. The monitoring circuit (1069, 1169, 1269) detects this alteration and reports it automatically or in response to an external stimulus or interrogation to indicate pest presence.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a group of pest control devices each including a bidirectional communication port, a pest sensing circuit to detect activity of one or more species of pest, a bait, and an identifier that is unique in relation to the identifier of any other of the pest control devices in the group;

a bidirectional communication pathway connected to the bidirectional communication port of each of the pest control devices; and

a data collection device connected to the bidirectional communication pathway, the data collection device being operable to address a selected one of the pest control devices over the bidirectional communication pathway based on uniqueness of the identifier of the selected one of the pest control devices and receive status of the pest sensing circuit of the selected one of the pest control devices.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the bidirectional communication pathway includes an electrical node coupled to the bidirectional communication port of each of the pest control devices and the data collection device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the bidirectional communication pathway is provided by a pair of conductors coupled to each of the pest control devices and the data communication device.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the data collection device includes a controller programmed to communicate with each of the pest control devices in a master/slave relationship and the data collection device includes at least one output device to indicate status of the system.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising at least one power supply line connected to each of the pest control devices and the data collection device to supply electrical power to the pest control devices.

23. Any of claims 1-19, wherein the pest sensing circuit includes an electrically conductive loop on a substrate configured to be altered by consumption or displacement by the one or more species of pest.

24. Any of claims 1-19, wherein the bait includes a pesticide.

25. Any of claims 1-19, wherein the bait is of a monitoring type selected for one or more varieties of termites.

6. A system, comprising:

a pest control device including a bait operable to be consumed or displaced by one or more species of pest, a pest sensing circuit, and a monitoring circuit coupled to the pest sensing circuit;

a magnetic field source external to the pest control device to selectively apply a magnetic field thereto; and

wherein the monitoring circuit includes an activation device responsive to the magnetic field to output status information about the pest sensing circuit.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the magnetic field source is in a form of an operator-controlled wand.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the pest control device is one of a number of pest control devices each responsive to the magnetic field source.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the pest control device includes a visual indicator arrangement including a first light emitting configuration and a second light emitting configuration different from the first light emitting configuration.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the activation device includes a magnetic switch actuated by the magnetic field.

11. A pest control device, comprising:

a bait operable to be consumed or displaced by one or more species of pest;

a pest sensing circuit proximate to the bait;

a visual indicator arrangement;

a controller circuit operatively coupled to the pest sensing circuit and the indicator arrangement, the controller being programmed to automatically monitor the pest sensing circuit, detect a change of status of the pest sensing circuit, and provide one or more signals to the indicator arrangement corresponding to the change of status, the indicator arrangement changing from a first light emitting configuration to a second light emitting configuration in response to the one or more signals; and

a structure operable to at least partially enclose the bait, the pest sensing circuit, and the controller circuit, the structure being arranged to position at least a portion of the indicator arrangement to be visible to an operator.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the indicator arrangement includes two light emitting components, a first one of the light emitting components being illuminated to provide the first light emitting configuration and a second one of the light emitting components being illuminated to provide the second light emitting configuration.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the first light emitting configuration includes a blinking pattern of illumination of the first one of the light emitting components.

14. A pest control device, comprising:

a bait operable to be consumed or displaced by one or more species of pest;

a pest sensing circuit;

a communication circuit coupled to the pest sensing circuit, the communication circuit including an activation device to trigger interrogation of the pest sensing circuit with the communication circuit and an indicating device to provide information about the pest sensing circuit determined in response to the interrogation; and

a structure operable to position the bait, the pest sensing circuit, and the communication circuit in a predetermined spatial relationship relative to one another.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the device structure includes a housing at least partially enclosing the support structure, the bait, the pest sensing circuit, and the communication circuit, the activation device and the indicating device being mounted to the housing.

20. Any of claims 14-19, wherein the activation device includes a switch.

21. Any of claims 14-19, wherein the indicating device includes a visual indicator.

22. Any of claims 14-19, wherein the activation device is a switch, the indicating device is a light emitting diode, and further including a transistor and a power source selectively coupled together by the switch.

16. A system, comprising:

a plurality of pest control devices each including;

a bait operable to be consumed or displaced by one or more species of pest; and

circuitry including a pest sensing circuit, an activation device and an indicating device, the activation device being operable to selectively activate the circuitry as directed by an operator and the indicating device being operable to provide the operator information about the pest sensing circuit in response to activation of the circuitry with the activation device.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising a housing at least partially enclosing the bait and the circuitry.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the activation device and the indicating device are mounted to the housing.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the pest sensing circuit is carried on a substrate operable to be selectively connected and disconnected from the circuitry.

26. A method, comprising:

operating a data collection device coupled to a group of pest control devices by a communication pathway, the pest control devices each including a communication port, a pest sensing circuit, and an address unique in relation to the address of any other of the pest control devices in the group;

sensing termites with the pest sensing circuit of one of the pest control devices; and

receiving information corresponding to said sensing from the one of the pest control devices in response to transmitting the address of the one of the pest control devices from the data collection device.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein said receiving includes bidirectionally communicating over the communication pathway between the data collection device and the one of the pest control devices.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the pest sensing circuit includes an electrically conductive loop on a substrate configured to be altered by consumption or displacement by the one or more species of pest, and said sensing includes determining a change from an electrically closed condition of the loop to an electrically open condition of the loop.

29. The method of claim 26, which includes interrogating a different one of the pest control devices by sending the address for the different one of the pest control devices over the data communication pathway to each of the pest control devices in the group.

37. The method of claim 26, wherein the pest control devices each include a bait.

30. A method, comprising:

installing a plurality of pest control devices each including a bidirectional communication port and a pest sensing circuit to detect activity of one or more pests;

coupling a data collection device and the bidirectional communication port of each of the pest control devices to a bidirectional communication pathway; and

individually addressing each of the pest control devices over the bidirectional communication pathway with the data collection device to obtain pest sensing circuit information from each of the pest control devices.

31. The method of claim 30, which includes placing the data collection device in a building.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein said installing includes placing the pest control devices at least partially below ground.

33. The method of claim 30, which includes detecting termites with at least one of the pest control devices and indicating a change in status after said detecting with the data collection device.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the pest sensing circuit includes an electrically conductive loop on a substrate configured to be altered by consumption or displacement by the one or more species of pest, and said detecting includes determining a change from an electrically closed condition of the loop to an electrically open condition of the loop.

35. The method of claim 30, wherein said coupling includes connecting the data collection device and the pest control devices to a pair of electrical conductors, one of the conductors providing the electrical node and the other of the conductors providing an electrical ground.

36. The method of claim 30, wherein the pest control devices each include a bait.

55. The method of any of claims 36-50, wherein the respective bait of the one of the pest control devices includes a pesticide.

56. The method of any of claims 36-50, wherein the respective bait of the one of the pest control devices is of a monitoring type selected for one or more varieties of termites.

38. A method, comprising:

installing a pest control device including a bait, a pest sensing member, and a monitoring circuit to monitor status of the pest sensing member;

applying a magnetic field to the pest control device to stimulate operation of the monitoring circuit; and

providing information about the pest sensing member from the monitoring circuit in response to said applying.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the pest control device further includes an enclosure at least partially enclosing the bait, the pest sensing member, and the monitoring circuit;

and the monitoring circuit includes a device responsive to the magnetic field to operate the monitoring circuit.

40. The method of claim 38, wherein said applying is performed with a magnetic field source external to the pest control device.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein said applying includes locating a wand including the magnetic field source proximate to the pest control device.

42. A method comprising:

operating a plurality of pest control devices each including a respective bait for one or more species of pest, a respective pest sensing circuit, a respective visual indicator arrangement, and a respective controller circuit; and

providing light from the respective visual indicator arrangement of one of the pest control devices in accordance with a periodic pattern of variation to represent one state of the respective pest sensing circuit of the one of the pest control devices.

43. The method of claim 42, which includes:

detecting a change in status of the respective pest sensing circuit with the respective controller circuit for the one of the pest control devices;

adjusting one or more output signals from the respective controller circuit of the one of the pest control devices in response to the change in status; and

changing a visual indication provided with the respective visual indicator arrangement in response to the one or more output signals.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein the one state corresponds to the status of the respective pest sensing circuit before said detecting, the light emitted during said providing is of a first color, and said changing includes emitting light of a second color different than the first color to represent another state of the respective pest sensing circuit of the one of the pest control devices.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein the periodic pattern of variation includes repetitively blinking the light of the first color with the visual indicator arrangement and said emitting includes repetitively blinking the light of the second color.

46. The method of claim 42, wherein said providing includes alternating a light-emitting device of the visual indicator arrangement between an on state and an off state to provide a blinking form of the periodic pattern of variation, and the one state corresponds to detecting pest activity with the respective pest sensing circuit of the one of the pest control devices.

47. The method of claim 42, wherein the periodic pattern of variation includes changing the intensity of the light between two nonzero levels.

51. The method of any of claims 42-50, wherein said installing includes activating the respective controller circuit of each of the pest sensing devices by coupling the respective controller to the respective pest sensing circuit with a corresponding connector.

52. The method of any of claims 42-50, wherein the pest sensing circuit includes an electrically conductive loop on a substrate configured to be altered by consumption or displacement by the one or more species of pest.

53. The method of any of claims 42-50, wherein said detecting includes determining a transition from a first degree of alternation of the pest sensing circuit to a second degree of alternation of the pest sensing circuit caused by progressive consumption or displacement by the one or more species of pest.

54. The method of any of claims 42-50, which includes periodically blinking light emitted from another of the pest control devices to represent a predefined state of the respective pest sensing circuit.

48. A method comprising:

installing a plurality of pest control devices each including a respective bait for one or more species of pest, a respective pest sensing circuit, a respective visual indicator arrangement, and a respective controller circuit;

emitting light of a first color from the respective indicator arrangement of one of the pest control devices to represent a first state of the respective pest sensing circuit;

detecting a change in status of the respective pest sensing circuit with the respective controller circuit for the one of the pest control devices;

adjusting one or more output signals from the respective controller circuit of the one of the pest control devices in response to the change in status; and

emitting light of a second color different than the first color from the respective visual indicator arrangement of the one of the pest control devices to represent a second state of the respective pest sensing circuit.

49. The method of claim 48, wherein the first color is green and the second color is red.

50. The method of claim 48, which includes blinking at least one of the light of the first color and the light of the second color.