Remote identifying animal trap

• US 6,775,946 B2
• Filed: 06/11/2001
• Issued: 08/17/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Chamberlain Group, Inc. (The Chamberlain Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: The Chamberlain Group, Inc. (The Chamberlain Group LLC)
• Inventors: Wright, Amy Christine
• Primary Examiner(s): Jordan, Charles T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TRINH T
• Application Number:
  US09/878,822
• Publication Number:
  US 20020184811A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,163 Days
• Field of Search: 43/58, 43/81, 431/21, 43/61, 340/573.3, 340/573.1
• US Class Current: 43/61
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 21/00 Apparatus for the destruction of unwanted vegetation, e.g. weeds control of undesirable vegetation on roads or permanent ways of railways E01H11/00
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 23/30 Break-back traps , i.e. mouse-trap type
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 31/002 Detecting animals in a given area

Abstract

An arrangement for displaying the state of a plurality of animal traps is disclosed. Each trap senses the position of a movable trapping portion such as a trap door or jaw and rf transmits the state of the movable portion. A display unit receives the rf transmissions from the traps and identifies and displays the then current state of each trap. The rf signals may be periodically sent from the traps and/or they may be sent in response to a change in state of the movable portion.

Claims

1. An animal trap system comprising:

a plurality of animal traps, each trap comprising;

a moving portion having at least two positions;

a transmitter for periodically rf transmitting a signal including an identity portion identifying the one of the plurality of animal traps comprising the rf transmitter and a position portion identifying the position of the moving portion; and

a central unit for receiving rf signals from the plurality of animal traps and in response to the transmitted identity portion for identifying the trap comprising the transmitter transmitting each signal and for identifying the position of the moving portion comprised by each animal trap.

2. An animal trap system in accordance with claim 1 wherein each animal trap comprises a switch for generating a trap signal representing the position of the moving portion.

3. An animal trap system in accordance with claim 2, wherein the rf transmitter of each trap responds to the switch to identify the position of the moving portion.

4. An animal trap system in accordance with claim 3 wherein the switch comprises first and second states and the rf transmitter comprises apparatus responsive to a change of state of the switch for transmitting a signal representing the animal trap comprising the switch which changed state and the state into which the moving portion moved.

5. An animal trap system in accordance with claim 1 wherein the central unit comprises apparatus for annunciating the identities of ones of the plurality of animal traps and the position of their respective moving portions.

6. An animal trap system in accordance with claim 5 wherein the apparatus for annunciating comprises a plurality of indicators of animal trap condition each for displaying the position of a movable portion of a respective animal trap.

7. An animal trap system comprising:

a plurality of animal traps, each trap comprising;

a moving portion having at least two positions;

a transmitter responsive to a change in the position of the moving portion for rf transmitting a signal including an identity portion identifying the one of the plurality of animal traps comprising the rf transmitter and a position portion identifying the position of the moving portion; and

a central unit for receiving rf signals from the plurality of animal traps and for identifying the;

trap comprising the transmitter transmitting each signal and for identifying the position of the moving portion comprised by each animal trap.

8. An animal trap system in accordance with claim 7 wherein each animal trap comprises a switch for generating a trap signal representing the position of the moving portion.

9. An animal trap system in accordance with claim 8, wherein the rf transmitter of each trap responds to the switch to identify the position of the moving portion.

10. An animal trap system in accordance with claim 7 wherein the rf transmitter comprises apparatus for periodically transmitting a signal representing the animal trap comprising the transmitting transmitter and the state of the moving portion.

11. An animal trap system in accordance with claim 7 wherein the central unit comprises apparatus for annunciating the identities of ones of the plurality of animal traps and the position of their respective moving portions.

12. An animal trap system in accordance with claim 11 wherein the apparatus for annunciating comprises a plurality of indicators of animal trap condition each for displaying the position of a movable portion of a respective animal trap.

13. An animal trap system in accordance with claim 11 wherein the apparatus for annunciating comprises an automatic e-mail sender.

14. An animal trap system in accordance with claim 13 wherein the apparatus for annunciating comprises an automatic telephone dialer.