Cricket habitat and retail receptacle

• US 7,878,146 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2008
• Issued: 02/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Bug Company Of Minnesota
• Original Assignee: The Bug Company Of Minnesota
• Inventors: Vadis, Gordon J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Abbott; Yvonne R.
• Application Number:
  US12/239,403
• Publication Number:
  US 20090050060A1
• Time in Patent Office: 858 Days
• Field of Search: 119/6.5, 119/246, 119/248, 119/421, 119/452, 119/484, 206/521.1, 206/446, 206/521.15, 206/776, 206/521.4, 206/781, 206/521.6, 206/769, 206/775
• US Class Current: 119/6.5
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 63/003 Aquaria; Terraria A01K63/04, A01K63/06 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 67/033 Rearing or breeding invertebrates; New breeds of invertebrates

Abstract

A live insect habitat that also serves as a retail receptacle for point of sale display of the insects. In particular, the invention comprises a cricket habitat and point of sale display receptacle for the sale of live crickets primarily for fishing bait and pet food purposes. The habitat/receptacle includes a housing having side walls with a sight window formed therein for purposes of permitting viewing of the inside of the housing and insect habitat from the outside. A habitat insert is located inside the housing and includes a multiple-sided member that partitions the interior space of the housing into discrete subspaces connected by passages giving the crickets ample room in which to crawl about. The housing and the habitat insert can be made of a moisture absorbent material in order to reduce the moisture content of the cricket environment. An item of cricket food is located in the housing whereby the retail habitat/receptacle has a prolonged shelf life while maintaining healthy live crickets.

Claims

1. An insect habitat and point-of-sale package comprising:

a housing having a top wall, a bottom wall and four generally perpendicular side walls that define an interior habitat space for insects;

a habitat insert integral with and inside the housing, said insert comprising a multisided structure partitioning the habitat space to accommodate insects residing in the habitat space; and

at least one of the top wall or the four generally perpendicular side walls being transparent to allow viewing of insects occupying the habitat space and having perforations formed therein for allowing air to enter and moisture laden air to leave the habitat space.

2. The insect habitat of claim 1 wherein the housing walls are made of a paperboard material.

3. The insect habitat of claim 2 wherein at least one of the paperboard housing walls includes the transparent portion.

4. The insert habitat of claim 1 wherein the housing walls are plastic.

5. The insect habitat of claim 1 wherein the habitat insert is formed of a moisture absorbent material.

6. The insect habitat of claim 5 wherein the habitat insert fits loosely in the housing permitting insects to move between the plurality of discrete subspaces.

7. The insect habitat of claim 1 wherein more than one of the four mutually perpendicular side walls includes said perforations.