Abstract:
A portable, self-sustaining, automatic device for eliminating mosquito larvae operates throughout the entire mosquito breeding season. Mosquitos are lured to lay eggs in the stagnant water contained within a breeding bowl of the device. The subsequent larvae is disposed of by tipping the bowl or uncovering a bottom bowl opening to empty the bowl of water and larvae and kill the larvae in a timed cycle before they become mosquitoes. A water reservoir supplies sufficient water to replenish the bowl throughout the season. The device is solar powered and timed to correspond to mosquito breeding cycles.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    Not Applicable. 
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Not Applicable. 
       THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0003]    Not Applicable. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0005]    The present invention relates to an insect eliminating device and in particular to a mosquito larvae eradicator device which has a reservoir of stagnant water to last an entire mosquito breeding season and a timed device for filling mosquito breeding bowl with a measured quantity of the stagnant water from the reservoir to attract mosquitoes and emptying the breeding bowl after a set time to kill mosquito larvae in the bowl, letting the bowl dry for a timed period and filling the bowl with stagnant water again to repeat the cycle providing an automatic and self-sufficient mosquito larvae eradication system for an entire mosquito breeding season, using a solar-power collector for an independent power supply. 
         [0006]    2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98 
         [0007]    Mosquitoes are a global problem. Not only are mosquitoes a nuisance during outdoor activity, especially at night, but mosquitoes are also a major factor in transmitting diseases, which are sometimes lethal, from animals to people and also from person to person by extracting and distributing infectious blood. 
         [0008]    Spraying to rid an area of mosquitoes may provide undesirable side effects due to allergies to the spray or even deaths from the spray, especially pet deaths. People may also apply substances to their bodies for keeping mosquitoes away while the people are outdoors, which may again cause harmful rashes and other allergic reactions in people and are sometimes not effective or wear off after a time or are washed off by water activity or perspiration. 
         [0009]    None of the prior patents provide a self-sufficient device which works automatically for an entire mosquito breeding season without a need for external power or water refills or without requiring a constant supply of running water in the device to eradicate mosquito larvae before they become mosquitoes. 
         [0010]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,708,443, issued Mar. 23, 2004 to Hall, claims an apparatus configured to provide standing water at convenient locations for the use of mosquitoes to lay eggs. After eggs are deposited in the development cycle of the egg, the larva, pupa, adult life stage are interrupted by denying the proper environment to sustain their development. Also disclosed is an apparatus to abate mosquito populations which provides a convenient and attractive reservoir of liquid situated to encourage use by mosquitoes for egg laying. At intervals the liquid in the reservoir is flushed or filtered eliminating mosquito biomass developing in the liquid. The bio-matter is substantially removed and aborts the development of the bio-matter into adult insects. 
         [0011]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,338,220 issued Jan. 15, 2002 to Dicks, provides a method of eradicating mosquitoes, which includes the steps of inducing female mosquitoes to lay their eggs in the vicinity of water contained in an open-topped container provided for the purpose, causing the larvae in which form the eggs hatch to live in the water. The water is then emptied from the container together with the larvae, before the larvae changes into the adult form of mosquitoes, resulting in the larvae dying because of the larvae not being exposed to water. The invention relates also to apparatus provided for carrying out the above method repetitively over extended time periods. 
         [0012]    U.S. Pat. No. 8,109,035 (and U.S. Pat. No. 7,694,455), issued Feb. 7, 2012 both to Bowden, et al., are for a mosquito control trap that takes advantage of the normal stages of development for a mosquito. The trap includes stagnant water trapped within a container by a weeping platform floating on top of the water. A series of holes in the weeping platform provide exposure of the water to form brood cups in which female mosquitoes lay eggs. In order to develop through the larva and pupa stage the developing insects must enter the larger reservoir of stagnant water, since there is insufficient room in the brood cups. However, the holes are too small to permit escape of the adult mosquito, thus preventing any of the eggs from developing. This device provides a means for controlling mosquitoes without the use of pesticides and is especially suitable for use in lesser developing countries. 
         [0013]    U.S. Pat. No. 7,434,351, issued Oct. 14, 2008 to Bette, shows a device into which gravid (pregnant) female mosquitoes are attracted to deposit their eggs and where both the adult and her offspring are then eliminated. The trap is set in the out-of-doors at the onset of the mosquito breeding season and is replenished by rain water and, by its unique construction, a larvicide within is protected from flushing and photo degradation thereby making it maintenance free throughout the mosquito breeding season. The low cost trap is constructed from biodegradable paperboard and at the end of the mosquito breeding season, decomposes, thereby foreclosing the possibility that the trap will become a breeding incubator. 
         [0014]    U.S. Pat. No. 7,448,160, issued Nov. 11, 2008 to Roberts, discloses a mosquito harvest trap which includes a control unit, a holding chamber and a water tank. The trap is based on water column technology being used to harvest and expel mosquito larvae residing within the water column. 
         [0015]    U.S. Pat. No. 7,536,824, issued May 26, 2009 to Durand, et al., provides a system for trapping flying insects, utilizing carbon dioxide in conjunction with one or more biochemical lures, visual lures or both. Preferably, a biochemical lure such as lactic acid, a salt of lactic acid, or combinations thereof, are employed in particular geometric shapes contained in specifically designed housing to ensure an effective release rate over extended periods of time. 
         [0016]    What is needed is a self-sufficient device which works automatically for an entire mosquito breeding season without a need for external power or water refills or without requiring a constant supply of running water in the device to eradicate mosquito larvae before they become mosquitoes. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0017]    An object of the present invention is to provide a self-sufficient automatically and independently functioning full season system to eliminate mosquitoes during the entire breeding season by destroying the mosquito larvae before they become mosquitoes with a self-sufficient water tank reservoir supply and solar powered electrical power. 
         [0018]    Another object is to provide pre-filtering of water added to a full-breeding-season size reservoir and water automatically transferred into the breeding bowl as needed to rid the water of various water purifiers and preservers and adding chlorine and oxygen reducer to the water in the reservoir or in the breeding bowl to further assist the water in the tank and breeding bowl to become stagnant to attract mosquitoes to lay their eggs in the breeding bowel. 
         [0019]    A further object of the present invention is to provide a self-sufficient automatic system which is self-operating for the entire mosquito breeding season, including automatically dumping the breeding bowl at timed intervals for killing mosquito larvae and allowing time for the bowl to dry out before automatically filling the bowl again with the pre-filtered water, which resembles stagnant water, to attract mosquitoes to lay eggs in the breeding bowl. 
         [0020]    In brief, the present invention provides a large reservoir tank of water sufficiently large to supply a mosquito larvae eradicator device for a full season of mosquito breeding. The water added to the reservoir or tank is preferably pre-filtered to remove water purifiers and preservatives to make the water become stagnant. Added to the water reservoir or tank, a chlorine and oxygen reducer will further assist to make the water become stagnant. Chloride and oxygen and any other possible water purity preservatives are further filtered out of the water as it is dispensed periodically from the tank to the breeding bowl to allow the water in the breeding bowl to become more stagnant and resemble stagnant swamp and puddle water preferred by mosquitoes for breeding mosquito larvae. 
         [0021]    The present invention provides an automatic system which is self-operating for the entire mosquito breeding season, including automatically emptying the breeding bowl at timed intervals for killing mosquito larvae and allowing time for the bowl to dry out before automatically filling the bowl again from the tank through the filter and into the breeding bowl. The treated and filtered water, which resembles stagnant water, attracts mosquitoes to lay eggs in the breeding bowl, and emptying the water after a period of time allowing for the hatching of the mosquito eggs into mosquito larvae will then kill the mosquito larvae and prevent the development of the larvae into mosquitoes. Allowing the breeding bowl to dry out further insures that all of the larvae will be eradicated. 
         [0022]    While the time cycles of the operation of the present invention may vary according to climate differences which affect evaporation and drying time and differences in mosquito species and their breeding cycles, the preferred average cycles for a temperate climate with temperate climate mosquitoes are as follows. One version of the invention works with approximately 16 oz. of stagnant water in the breeding bowl left for 4-7 days and then the water is emptied out and the breeding bowl left to dry out for approximately 12 hours to make sure it is dry. Then the breeding bowl is refilled and the cycle repeated for the entire breeding season of the mosquitoes. The reservoir tank holds sufficient water (at least four gallons) to repeatedly refill the breeding bowl according to the most effective timing cycles for the entire mosquito breeding season. Depending on the number of mosquito larvae eradicating devices used and how closely spaced they are, a large area may be made relatively mosquito free for an entire mosquito breeding season. 
         [0023]    An advantage of the present invention is that it provides a completely self-sufficient mosquito eradicating device with a self-contained full breeding season water supply which operates independently of any other water supply for an entire mosquito breeding season. 
         [0024]    Another advantage of the present invention is that it provides regularly timed water emptying, drying, and re-filling with stagnant water stored within the device and including pre-filtering and adding materials to eliminate chlorine and oxygen and other water purifying elements to provide an internal stagnant water for the breeding bowl to attract mosquitoes to lay their eggs in the breeding bowl, the timing coinciding with the time for mosquito eggs to hatch into mosquito larvae. 
         [0025]    A further advantage of the present invention is that the breeding bowl of stagnant water is sufficiently deep so the water will not evaporate during the mosquito larvae breeding cycle. 
         [0026]    One more advantage of the present invention is that solar power provides a totally independent power source so that the mosquito larvae eradicator device can be used in areas remote from electrical power sources. 
         [0027]    Still another advantage of the present invention is that with filtering and adding chlorine and oxygen reducers, the stagnant water in the breeding bowl resembles stagnant swamp and puddle water preferred by mosquitoes for breeding mosquito larvae. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0028]    These and other details of the present invention will be described in connection with the accompanying drawings, which are furnished only by way of illustration and not in limitation of the invention, and in which drawings: 
           [0029]      FIG. 1  is a diagrammatic elevational view of the assembled components of the mosquito larvae eradication device of the present invention showing the breeding bowl in the horizontal position for holding the stagnant water to attract mosquitoes to lay their eggs in the stagnant water to hatch them into larvae; 
           [0030]      FIG. 2  is a diagrammatic elevational view of the assembled components of the mosquito larvae eradication device of  FIG. 1  showing the breeding bowl in the vertical position for dumping out the stagnant water and mosquito larvae and to allow the breeding bowl to dry out; 
           [0031]      FIG. 3  is a diagrammatic front elevational view of the assembled components of the mosquito larvae eradication device of the present invention showing an alternate breeding bowl fixed in the horizontal position for holding the stagnant water to attract mosquitoes to lay their eggs in the stagnant water to hatch them into larvae, the breeding bowl being immovably attached to the timed operating device housing and having a bottom opening plate and an optional covering screen; 
           [0032]      FIG. 4  is an axial cross-sectional side elevational view of the breeding bowl of  FIG. 3  showing the bottom water dumping plate in a closed position blocking the opening in the bottom of the breeding bowl; 
           [0033]      FIG. 5  is an axial cross-sectional side elevational view of the breeding bowl of  FIG. 3  showing the bottom water dumping plate in a lowered position under the opening in the bottom of the breeding bowl; 
           [0034]      FIG. 6  is a diagrammatic rear elevational view of the assembled components of the mosquito larvae eradication device of  FIG. 3  showing the bottom water dumping plate in a lowered position pivoted away from the opening in the bottom of the breeding bowl to release the water and larvae from the breeding bowl. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0035]    In  FIGS. 1-6 , an automatic self-functioning full season mosquito larvae eradicator device  10  comprises a reservoir tank  30 , a breeding bowl  20 , a timed control operating device  40  with a bowl tipping device  21 , bowl tipping arm  23  and a bowl tipping arm base  22  for tipping the breeding bowl  20  in  FIGS. 1 and 2  and an alternate stationary breeding bowl  20 A with a water releasing bottom plate  24  over a bottom bowl opening  4  in  FIGS. 3-6 , an associated timer  15 , a bowl fill tube  12 , a bowl filling spout  18 , a water controlling valve  19 , a bowl filter  14 B, a CO 2  mister  17 , an infrared light  16 , at least one solar panel  13  for power, and an optional screen  25  over the bowl to prevent birds and animals from accessing the water in the bowl. 
         [0036]    The reservoir tank  30  containing the water  11  is sufficiently large to supply a mosquito larvae eradicator device  10  for a full season of mosquito breeding. The tank  30  further comprises a fill spout  9  with a cover  8  and a tank water filter  14 A to filter out water purifiers from the water  11 . A chlorine and oxygen reducer is added to a full-breeding season supply of water  11  in the tank  30  to assist the water in the tank to become stagnant for mosquito larvae breeding. 
         [0037]    The breeding bowl  20  and  20 A is positioned lower than the reservoir tank  30  to receive water from the tank  30 . The breeding bowl  20  and  20 A is structured to contain a stagnant pool of water with an open top water surface for allowing mosquitoes to lay eggs on the water surface that then produce mosquito larvae during a mosquito breeding cycle. The breeding bowl  20  is sufficiently deep to prevent evaporation of all of the water  11  during the mosquito larvae producing cycle. 
         [0038]    In  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the breeding bowl  20  is held by the bowl tipping arm  23  and is seated on the bowl tipping arm base  22 . In  FIGS. 3-6 , an alternate breeding bowl  20 A is immovably attached by brackets  26 A and  26 B to the timed operating device  40  housing and has a bottom opening plate  24  blocking a bottom bowl opening  4 , is shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . 
         [0039]    A timed control operating device  40  comprises a timed bowl manipulating device  21  that has the means for tipping the breeding bowl  20  from a first substantially horizontal position, as shown in  FIG. 1 , for maintaining the water  11  and the mosquito larvae in the bowl  20 , to a second vertical position, as shown in  FIG. 2  for emptying the water  11  and the mosquito larvae from the bowl  20  to destroy the mosquito larvae in a timed, recurring cycle corresponding to the breeding cycle required for producing the mosquito larvae in the water  11  in the bowl  20 . In  FIGS. 3-6 , alternatively the timed bowl manipulating device  21 A has the means for lowering and pivoting the bottom water dumping plate  24  into a second lowered position pivoted away from the opening  4  in the bottom of the breeding bowl  20 A, as shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , to release the water and larvae from the breeding bowl  20 A through the bottom bowl opening  4 . The timed bowl tipping device  21  also has the means for maintaining the bowl  20  in the second substantially vertical position, as shown in  FIG. 2 , and alternately the plate pivoting device  2 A for maintaining the bottom plate  24  in the second position away from the bottom bowl opening  4 , as shown in  FIG. 6 , both sufficiently long to allow the bowl  20  and  20 A to dry, and then restoring the bowl  20  to the first horizontal position, as shown in  FIG. 1 , or alternatively restoring the bottom plate  24  to the blocking position, as shown in  FIG. 3 , for receiving a new supply of stagnant water  11  to repeat the mosquito larvae breeding and eradicating cycle. 
         [0040]    The timed bowl tipping device  21  and plate pivoting device  21 A can be operated by, but is not limited to, a motor or solenoid. The timed plate pivoting device  21 A is preferably operated by a motor or solenoid in combination with a screw drive in the control column  23 A to lower and raise and pivot the plate support arm  23 B. 
         [0041]    A timed control operating device  40  is programmed to operate the timed bowl tipping device  21  or the plate pivoting device  21 A. The timed control operating device  40  also operates a timed control valve  19 , between the reservoir tank  30  of water  11  and the breeding bowl  20  and  20 A, for releasing a measured amount of water  11  from the reservoir tank  30  to fill the breeding bowl  20  and  20 A each time the bowl  20  is raised to the first horizontal position, as shown in  FIG. 1  or the bottom plate  24  is pivoted and raised to the bowl opening blocking position, as shown in  FIG. 3 . The timed control operating device  40  also contains a bowl water filter  14 B between the reservoir tank  30  and the breeding bowl  20  and  20 A, for filtering out any further water purifying content of the water  11  from the tank  30  to the bowl  20  and  20 A to further insure stagnant water in the bowl  20  and  20 A for attracting mosquitoes to use the water for breeding mosquito larvae. 
         [0042]    There is at least one solar panel  13  attached to the timed control operating device  40  for producing electricity from sunlight to store in at least one power storage device to power the mosquito larvae eradicator device  10  to further enable automatic self-functioning operation of the timed control operating device  40 , thereby providing an automatic self-functioning full season mosquito larvae eradicator device. 
         [0043]    The mosquito larvae eradicator device  10  also contains a means for giving off Carbon Dioxide, a CO 2  mister  17 , attached to the timed control operating device  40 , to dispense Carbon Dioxide into the air surrounding the mosquito larvae eradicator device  10  to attract mosquitoes to the device. 
         [0044]    The mosquito larvae eradicator device  10  also contains a means for shining infrared light  16  attached on the outside of the timed control operating device  40  to attract mosquitoes to the mosquito larvae eradicator device  10 . 
         [0045]    The mosquito larvae eradicator device  10  has a timer  15  for the timed control operating device  40 , which provides a timed, four-day cycle for emptying and re-filling the breeding bowl  20  and a twelve-hour cycle for drying the breeding bowl  20  and  20 A, before refilling. 
         [0046]    In  FIGS. 1 ,  3 , and  6 , an optional wide mesh screen  25  hung by brackets  5  from the timed control device  40  housing, is positioned over the top opening of the breeding bowl  20  and  20 A to prevent birds and animals from accessing the water to prevent them from drinking or bathing in the water. 
         [0047]    In  FIG. 6 , batteries  27  are shown inside the timed control operating device  40  housing adjacent to the exterior solar panel  13 . Optional wires  19  run from the batteries through an electrical switch  28  to the brackets  26 A and  26 B securing the stationary breeding bowl  20 A, which is preferably at least partially fabricated or partially coated with an electrically conductive material. The electrical switch  28  is operated by the timer, so that the breeding water in the breeding bowl  20 A can be shocked at timed intervals to kill the mosquito larvae in the breeding bowl  20 A as a supplement to emptying the water or an alternative to emptying the water if the water dumping devices malfunction. 
         [0048]    In use, a number of mosquito larvae eradicator devices would be set up in an area, which could be remote and without electricity or water. The water tank is filled and the timer is set, then the device is activated. At timed intervals, corresponding to breeding and larvae hatching cycles, the breeding bowl is filled with stagnant water, attracting mosquitos to lay eggs in the water. After eggs have turned to larvae, the bowl tipping mechanism tips the larvae infested water out of the bowl and allows the bowl to dry before refilling. The device, being powered by at least one solar panel, must be in a location where the solar panel gets adequate sunlight to keep the device going throughout the entire mosquito season. 
         [0049]    It is understood that the preceding description is given merely by way of illustration and not in limitation of the invention and that various modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.