Patent ID: 6058661
Filing Date: 2000-05-09
Classification: A01K,A01M

Abstract:
A crawling pest barrier for a conduit with an inlet and an outlet, which prevents crawling pests of a predetermined size from crawling past the barrier to the outlet of the conduit, comprising:A generally cylindrical surface adapted to encircle a conduit, said surface having a first boundary and a second boundary axially spaced from said first boundary;a projecting member extending outwardly from said generally cylindrical surface, the projecting member having a first surface facing said first boundary, an edge surface, and a second surface facing said second boundary, said projecting member surfaces and said generally cylindrical surface forming a first pathway for movement therealong by the crawling pest from the region on one side of the projecting member toward said second boundary; andan obstacle member having an inner margin and an outer margin, said inner margin being secured to said generally cylindrical surface, said obstacle member being spaced apart from said projecting member in a direction toward the second boundary, for blocking movement of a crawling pest along said first pathway, said obstacle member having an inside surface facing said first boundary and ending in an edge defined by said outer margin and separated from said first surface by a distance greater than the predetermined size, said inside surface providing a second pathway leading in a direction away from the upper end of the generally cylindrical surface and away from the first pathway, the obstacle member being spaced from said generally cylindrical surface a sufficient distance to form a phototactic barrier along the first pathway by shadowing thereof to discourage continued movement by a pest along the first pathway toward the second boundary.