Patent ID: 6343434
Filing Date: 2002-02-05
Classification: A01M

Abstract:
A multiple exposure pest-activated dispenser for presenting fresh bait to pests over extended periods, said dispenser comprising:a. a quantity of bait; b. a container configured for holding said quantity of bait, said container constructed of a material that is non-reactive with said quantity of bait and the atmosphere, said container comprising a framework of exterior walls and interior walls adapted to fractionate said quantity of bait into a plurality of small bait portions and retain said bait portions in separate hermetically sealed compartments, said compartments being isolating from the atmosphere at non-adjoining surfaces by said exterior walls and from one another at adjoining surfaces by said interior walls, said bait portions thereby gaining additional protection from atmospheric degradation by the bait content of adjoining compartments; c. said material further being destructible by targeted pests and comprising an attractant known to promote exploration, feeding, and subsequent destruction of said container by targeted pests, thereby making said bait portions ready for consumption; d. said exterior walls being generally uniform in thickness except at areas adjacent to entryway compartments where said exterior walls are thinner, said entryway compartments accounting for a minority number of total said compartments, and said interior walls being thin at least in part and in comparison to said exterior walls; and e. said bait portions being selected from a group consisting of liquid formulations, solid formulations, and semisolid formulations, said bait portions further formulated to contain food from a group consisting of proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates; f. whereby when said container is oriented either vertically or horizontally, said bait portions are sealed within said compartments, targeted pests approach and randomly explore said container, the pests will likely first destruct a thinner one of said exterior walls adjoining one of said entryway compartments thereby exposing the one of said bait portions contained therein, consume said bait portion, advance through empty said entryway compartment to destruct a thin one of said interior walls of an adjoining one of said compartments, expose and consume said bait portion contained therein, and so on until targeted pests are satiated, leaving remaining ones of said bait portions protected from environmental degradation and intact for pests that arrive later.