Abstract:
The present invention relates generally to traps for bed bugs and roaches. Bed bug infestations have taken a dramatic upturn in the last several years and roaches are among the oldest surviving creatures on earth. This trap takes a novel approach to luring bed bugs and/or roaches out of their hiding places, using a live warm blooded animal to entice them into the trap and killing them once they enter the trap by cutting their legs off with a rotating cutter blade, shearing off any protrusion through the perforations in an interior wall.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    1. Field of Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates generally to traps for bed bugs and roaches. Bed bug infestations have taken a dramatic upturn in the last several years and roaches are among the oldest surviving creatures on earth. This trap takes a novel approach to luring bed bugs and/or roaches out of their hiding places into the trap and killing them once they enter the trap. 
         [0003]    2. Prior Art 
         [0004]    Since Bed bugs are blood sucking creatures most traps used against them have used virtual or simulated warm blooded animals as bait to lure the insects into a trap. Some have used a heat source to mimic a warm blooded animal, some use sonic beats to simulate a beating heart, some give off carbon dioxide to simulate the out-breath of a warm blooded animal or other byproducts of a warm blooded animal&#39;s digestive or respiratory systems. Some even make the heat source move to simulate an animal&#39;s movement. Numerous improvements have been attempted since then but none have disclosed a unit that is relatively light weight and easy to move from one place to another and operates without complex and expensive simulators and uses a live animal to attract the pests. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    An object of the Bed Bug and Roach Trap is to provide a system that allows bed bugs or roaches to be lured from their hiding places and once into the trap have their legs sheared off causing them to fall into a disposable bag or container. 
         [0006]    Another object of the Bed Bug and Roach Trap is to provide a system that is relatively light in weight and easily repositioned from room to room to trap and kill nocturnal pests. 
         [0007]    Another object of the Bed Bug and Roach Trap is to provide a system that is relatively inexpensive to construct. 
         [0008]    Another object of the Bed Bug and Roach Trap is to provide a system that is easy to disassemble into component parts for cleaning, storage and shipping. 
         [0009]    Still further objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the ensuing description and accompanying drawings. In the description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part thereof, and in which are shown, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments will be described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice this invention, and be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. In the accompanying drawings, like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views. 
     
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
         [0010]    The invention is described with reference to the following drawings: 
           [0011]      FIG. 1  is a top plan view of the Bed Bug and Roach Trap; 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is a section view taken along cutting plane  2 - 2  in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is a partial section view of top plate assembly; 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is an enlarged partial view thereof; 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  is a partial section view of case assembly; 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION 
       [0016]    In order that the invention is fully understood it will now be described by way of the following examples in which Bed Bug and Roach Trap  10  is shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  with cage assembly  70  shown in schematic form with water supply  42  and air movement system  72 . Cage assembly  70  is connected to case assembly  68  by animal run  40  with top plate assembly  64  installed in and on top of trap case assembly  68 . 
         [0017]    Case assembly  68  is comprised of trap case  46  which is cylindrical with an open top, a bottom with a hole in the center and is mounted on at least 3 support legs  32 . Outer basket  24  is concentrically fastened inside trap case  46  with approximately ⅓ of the height of outer basket  24  protruding below the bottom of trap case  46 . Outer basket  24  has a truncated conical shape with the large diameter at the top and the smaller diameter at the bottom. The hole in the bottom of trap case  46  is of a matching diameter to the diameter of truncated conical shaped outer basket  24  at the point that when outer basket  24  is concentrically mounted inside trap case  46 , the top surface of cylindrical trap case  46  is at the same level as the top edge of outer basket  24 . Outer basket  24  has a straight section wall depending from the small diameter with a bag attachment means  30  for a disposable bag  34  to capture the damaged bugs  36  as they fall. Bag attachment means  30  can be as simple as an elastic band over bag  34  around the straight wall section which may have a small external bump to aid in retention. At the beginning of the straight wall section, four radial bottom bearing support rods  58  are connected from the inside of the bottom diameter of outer basket  24  to the outside diameter of the raceway for bottom bearing  38 . Bottom bearing  38  is sized to allow insertion of drive shaft  52 . 
         [0018]    Outer basket  24  has evenly spaced rows of perforations  48  that are smaller in diameter than the smallest cross sectional area of the bed bug or roach, preferably 0.20 inches or less, such that the bug can see and smell the bait animal but cannot crawl through perforation  48 . 
         [0019]    Top plate assembly  64  is comprised of top plate  56  that is a round steel plate that fits on the top of trap case  46 . Top plate  56  has two handle/latches  18  on the top side toward the outer diameter of plate  56  that are used to lift and place top plate assembly  64  onto trap case  46 . When handle/latches  18  are rotated to a horizontal attitude they activate a latching mechanism that holds top plate assembly  64  to trap case  46 . Top plate  56  also has at least one vent  62  through plate  64  at a matching radius from the center of plate  56  to the outside of the large diameter of inner basket  20 . Top plate assembly  64  is further comprised of motor  12  with timer  14  supported above the center of top plate  56  by at least 3 stabilizer bars  16 . Top plate  56  has top bearing  50  at its center, sized to fit the outside diameter of drive shaft  52 . Drive shaft  52  has at least one steel cutting blade  22  axially attached whose distal edge shape matches the shape of inner basket  20 . Drive shaft  52  with cutter blade  22  attached is inserted through top bearing  50  and keyed to motor  12 . Inner basket  20  is then concentrically fastened to the bottom of top plate  56 . Inner basket  20  is shorter than outer basket  24  and enough smaller in top and bottom diameter to allow sufficient clearance between inner basket  20  and outer basket  24  to allow the bugs to crawl in-between them while trying to reach the bait animal, preferably approximately 0.5 inches. Inner basket  20  also has a truncated conical shape again with evenly spaced rows of perforations  28 . These perforations  28  again are small enough to prevent the bugs from crawling through them. Bed bug or roach legs are likely to protrude through perforations  28  and be subject to amputation when cutter bade  22  is cycled while bugs are pursuing the bait animal. The vertical span of the rows of perforations  28  is slightly less than the vertical height of the cutting blade  22  and positioned such that cutter blade  22  when installed on drive shaft  52  covers all perforations  28  in inner basket  20 . At the bottom and outside of inner basket  20 , 3 evenly spaced spacer blocks  66  are attached to assure consistent spacing between inner basket  20  and outer basket  24 . 
         [0020]    Cage assembly  70  is comprised of animal cage  44  that has water supply  42  for the bait animal, preferably a mouse. Animal cage  44  is connected to Trap  10  by animal run  40 . Animal run  40  is opened or closed by lifting or lowering shut-off gate  60 . When shut-off gate  60  is raised it allows the bait animal to enter trap case  46  and move freely back and forth from water supply  42  in cage  44  to feed supply  26  mounted to opposite side of trap case  46 . 
         [0021]    Animal cage  44  is enclosed with a transparent material and has air movement system  72  that drives any odors that are attractive to bed bugs or roaches from cage  44  through animal run  40  into case assembly  68  and out vents  62  in top plate  56 . 
       Operation 
       [0022]    Trap  10  is set in a room where roach or bed bug activity is suspected. Water for the bait animal is placed in water supply  42 . A bait animal, preferably a mouse, is placed in cage  44  and animal run gate  60  is lifted, allowing the bait animal access to trap case  46 . Animal food supply  26  is mounted on case  46  opposite cage  44  side and is filled and made available to bait animal which causes it to cycle back and forth with some regularity between water supply  42  in cage  44  and food supply  26  in trap case  46 . The distal end of cloth strip bug ladder  54  is inserted into vent  62  and the proximal end is allowed to drag on the floor providing a path for bugs or roaches to enter Trap  10 . Disposable bag  34  is attached to bottom of outer basket  24  with attachment means  30  to capture the dead or damaged bugs  36 . 
         [0023]    Motor  12  is cycled at preset intervals for predetermined lengths of time by timer  14 . As it cycles, it rotates drive shaft  52  which drives cutter blade  22 . Cutter blade  22  clears inner basket  20  by 0.002/0.005 Inches such that if any bug legs are protruding through perforations  28  they are amputated by cutter blade  22  and dead or damaged bugs  36  fall into disposable bag  34 . 
         [0024]    Although this invention has been described by detailing a preferred embodiment it is not intended to be limited to this set of materials and dimensions. Rather, the scope of this invention is defined by the following claims.