Systems and methods for trapping animals

• US 9,668,467 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2015
• Issued: 06/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Noble Research Institute, LLC
• Original Assignee: The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Inc.
• Inventors: Gaskamp, Joshua, Rhines, Steven P., Gee, Kenneth L.
• Primary Examiner(s): BURGESS, MARC R
• Application Number:
  US14/927,251
• Publication Number:
  US 20160050903A1
• Time in Patent Office: 586 Days
• Field of Search: 43 58, 43 60, 43 61, 43 62
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 2200/00 Kind of animal
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 23/00 Traps for animals
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 23/20 with dropping doors or slides
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 23/22 with dropping covers
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 31/002 Detecting animals in a given area
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/19 characterised by positioning or contouring control systems, e.g. to control position from one programmed point to another or to control movement along a programmed continuous path
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45113 Animal handling, milking robot
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/10 Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/60 Control of cameras or camera modules

Abstract

A system and methods for trapping animals including an enclosure adapted to be suspended above a trap area. The enclosure may be movable from the suspended position to a lowered position to enclose a trap area. The system further includes a user-directed control system to remotely control the position of the enclosure in order to trap animals within the enclosure.

Claims

1. A system for trapping animals comprising:

a support structure to rest on a surface;

an enclosure rotationally coupled to the support structure to allow the enclosure to rotate about a centerline, relative to the support structure, to move between a suspended position and a lowered position, wherein the centerline is substantially perpendicular to the surface; and

a release mechanism operably coupled to the enclosure and configured to hold the enclosure in the suspended position when the release mechanism is engaged and to release the enclosure to rotate relative to the support structure to transition to the lowered position when the release mechanism is released.

2. A system for trapping animals comprising:

a support structure to rest on a surface;

an enclosure rotationally coupled to the support structure to allow the enclosure to rotate about a centerline, relative to the support structure, to move between a suspended position and a lowered position, wherein the centerline is substantially perpendicular to the surface;

a release mechanism operably coupled to the enclosure and configured to hold the enclosure in the suspended position when the release mechanism is engaged and to release the enclosure to the lowered position when the release mechanism is released; and

a control system, operably coupled to the release mechanism, to allow a remote user to release the release mechanism thereby allowing the enclosure to rotate relative to the support structure to drop the enclosure to the lowered position.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the enclosure comprises one or more wire panel sections.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the support structure comprises one or more wire panel sections.

5. The system of claim 2, further comprising a camera to allow the user to remotely view a trap area beneath the enclosure when the enclosure is in the suspended position.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein:

the support structure includes at least one support member; and

the enclosure includes at least one spiral guide that slideably engages the at least one support member to enable rotation relative to the support structure.

7. The system of claim 2, further comprising an actuator having an engaged position and a disengaged position, and the release mechanism comprises a pivotable member having a first portion that releasably engages the actuator and a second portion that releasably engages the enclosure, the pivotable member further being configured to rotate about a pivot support between an coupled position and a released position, wherein in the engaged position, the second portion of the pivotable member releasably engages and maintains the enclosure in the suspended position, and in the disengaged position, the second portion of the pivotable member in the released position releases the enclosure to rotate from the suspended position to the lowered position.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the actuator in the engaged position releasably engages the first portion of the pivotable member in the coupled position, and the actuator in the disengaged position releases the first portion of the pivotable member to allow the pivotable member to rotate into the released position.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the actuator is operably coupled to the control system, which controls whether the actuator is in the engaged position or the disengaged position;

and the control system further comprises a communications system, to communicate with the user at remote locations, and a controller, coupled to and controlling at least the communications system and the actuator.

10. The system of claim 2 wherein the control system further comprises a camera to allow the user from a remote location to view at least a trap area beneath the enclosure in the suspended position.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the control system further comprises:

a motion detector to detect motion at the trap area; and

a controller, coupled to the motion director and camera, to activate the camera upon detected motion by the motion detector and to notify the user through the control system.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the control system further comprises a communications system, coupled to the controller, to communicate with the user at the remote location.

13. A system for trapping animals comprising:

a support structure to set on a surface;

an enclosure rotationally coupled to the support structure to allow the enclosure to rotate about a centerline, relative to the support structure, to move between a suspended position over a trap area and a lowered position encompassing the trap area, wherein the centerline is substantially perpendicular to the surface;

a release mechanism operably coupled to the enclosure and configured to hold the enclosure in the suspended position when the release mechanism is engaged and to release the enclosure to rotate relative to the support structure to transition to the lowered position when the release mechanism is released; and

a camera to allow a user to remotely view the trap area beneath the enclosure when the enclosure is in the suspended position.