Abstract:
The technology disclosed herein relates to monitoring pest activity as well as for trapping pests. Insects, reptiles, birds and rodents entering commercial or residential structures are most often referred to as occasional invaders in the pest industry. In accordance with the embodiment, a general purpose device is disclosed that is suitable for trapping a wide variety of occasional invaders, including specific target pests. By trapping such occasional invaders, their presence, and in some cases indications of their quantities, can be monitored.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/819,410 entitled PEST TRAP AND MONITORING DEVICE, filed Jul. 7, 2006, which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     SUMMARY 
     The technology disclosed herein relates to monitoring pest activity as well as for trapping pests, such as varieties of insects, reptiles, birds and rodents. Insects, reptiles, birds and rodents entering commercial or residential structures are most often referred to as occasional invaders in the pest industry. In accordance with the embodiment, a general purpose device is disclosed that is suitable for trapping a wide variety of occasional invaders, including specific target pests. By trapping such occasional invaders, their presence and in some cases indications of their quantities can be monitored. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of one embodiment of a pest trapping and monitoring device in accordance with the disclosure and with a pest entrapping glue board ready for insertion into the device. 
         FIG. 2  is a partially broken away view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , with the glue board inserted into the device. 
         FIG. 3  is a top view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a side view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is an end view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1  rotated 90 degrees from the position of normal use. 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a pest entrapment and monitoring device. 
         FIG. 7  is an enlarged view of a portion of the device of  FIG. 6 . 
         FIG. 8  is an enlarged view of another portion of the device of  FIG. 6 . 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of another embodiment of a pest trapping and monitoring device in accordance with the disclosure. 
         FIG. 10  is a partially broken away view of this embodiment of  FIG. 9 , with a glue tray inserted into the device. 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective view of yet another embodiment of a pest trapping and monitoring device in accordance with the disclosure and with a pest entrapping glue tray ready for insertion into the device. 
         FIG. 12  is a partially broken away view of the embodiment of  FIG. 10 , with the glue tray inserted into the device. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     With reference to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a glue board  10  is shown. The glue board  10  in the illustrated embodiment has a peripheral border  12  and a central glue containing upper surface  14 . A release paper or other protective material typically overlays the glue area  14  prior to use. Glue boards of this type are commercially available, with one example being a trapper LTD. EPA EST. NO. 12455-WI-1 glue board from Bell Laboratories, Inc., of Madison, Wis. The glue is tacky enough to trap pests such as insects as well as rodents and other animals that travel across the glue containing surface.  FIGS. 10-12  illustrate exemplary embodiments shown with a glue tray instead of a glue board. Glue trays are also commercially available and are commonly used to trap pests including larger pests. 
     The exemplary apparatus comprises a housing  20  which, in the form shown is of a generally rectangular cross-section, having a width that is greater than the height. In one example, the housing is 4.5 inches wide (dimension A in  FIGS. 3 and 6 ), 2.0 inches high (dimension B in  FIGS. 4 and 6 ) and 12 inches long (dimension C in  FIGS. 3 and 6 ). The housing  20  can comprise an interior enclosure which has at least one entrance opening, such as at one or more locations and desirably both ends thereof, through which pests can enter. In the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , the housing comprises a base portion  22 , a top portion  24  and first and second side portions  26 , 28 . The illustrated base portion is shown with a longitudinal center line  23 . These portions can be panels or walls. First and second apertures  30 , 32  are provided adjacent to the respective ends of the housing  20 , through top  24  thereof. As one example, apertures  30 , 32  can be 0.38 inch in diameter through top wall  24  at a location spaced 0.75 inch from each end of the housing and located along a line parallel to the center line  23  of the base portion (see  FIG. 3 ). These openings are optional and can be otherwise sized, configured and positioned. These apertures can be engaged by a trap installation or removal device (such as a wire hook) for positioning and removal of the trap from hard to reach locations. The side portions, top portion and base portion can have wall thicknesses (see  FIG. 5 ) of any desirable thickness T, with 0.125 inch being a specific example (excluding the thickness of sloping side wall portions). These thicknesses need not be uniform for each of these components. 
     A first elongated groove  50  is provided along one side of the housing  20  and a second elongated groove  52  is provided along the opposite side of the housing  20 . These elongated grooves can extend the full length of the housing and are designed to receive respective side edge portions of the glue board  10 . By extending grooves  50 , 52  the full length of the housing, the glue board can be inserted from either end of the housing. Alternatively, the grooves may extend only partially along the respective side walls with the end of the grooves in this case in effect providing a stop that limits the depth of insertion of the glue board into the housing. The illustrated grooves are bounded along their bottom portions by an upper interior surface of base  22 . The grooves extend sideways into the respective walls  26 , 28 . 
     In the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , interior wall surfaces  60 , 62  of the respective walls  26 , 28  are sloped inwardly moving from top to bottom of the walls. Thus, for example, the walls can converge moving from top, or from a location spaced from the top, in a direction toward the base  22 . As a result, ants and other insects traveling along the walls tend to be funneled downwardly as they travel through the trap and toward the glue containing surface  14 . Although this angle of inclination can vary, exemplary angles include from about two degrees to about eight degrees from vertical.  FIG. 5  illustrates an exemplary eight degree angle (from vertical when base portion  22  is on the ground or horizontal) and  FIG. 7  illustrates an exemplary two degree angle. 
     The trap housing can be of other configurations than the configuration shown in  FIG. 1 . For example, the walls  26 , 28  and top  24  can be replaced by a structure that is arching or semi-circular in cross-section and with a flat glue board supporting face. In an exemplary structure, the side portions are curved and merge into the top portion. In this case, the side portions of the structure can still slope inwardly. Desirably, upwardly facing horizontal pathways through the trap are eliminated in some embodiments other than horizontal surfaces containing pest entrapping glue. In a desirable form, the housing can have portions that at least overlie the entire glue board. 
     In one form, the depth of the grooves  50 , 52  into the side walls  26 , 28  can be greater than or at least sufficient to receive the entire unglued portion of the sides of the glue board so that, as for example as can be seen in  FIG. 2 , there is no horizontal surface through the housing along the base thereof which does not contain exposed glue  14 . The height of the grooves can be greater than the thickness of the glue board or greater than the thickness of the glue supporting base of the glue board. 
       FIGS. 3 ,  4  and  5  depict exemplary dimensions for an embodiment in accordance with  FIG. 1 . These dimensions can be varied. Desirably, the width dimension is great enough to receive a commercially available glue board without the need for cutting or folding the glue board. In addition, desirably the height is low enough to minimize the possibility of birds, bats, and flying pests traveling through the trap without engaging the glue board. An exemplary desirable height B is two inches from the outer surface of base portion  22  to the outer surface of top portion  24 . 
     An exemplary groove or slot  50 , 52  is approximately 3/16″ in width (W in  FIGS. 5 and 6 ) and ⅛″ in height (H in  FIGS. 5 and 6 ) and can run the entire length of the housing or tube. 
     The housing  20  of  FIG. 1  can be manufactured by any convenient process. Although the housing can be made of other materials such as wood or metal, or combinations thereof, an exemplary housing is a one piece unitary monolithic housing that is molded or extruded of a desirable polymer material, such as PVC. If extruded, for example using a metal die, individual traps can be cut to length by cutting off lengthwise extending sections of the extrusion. 
     In the embodiment of  FIGS. 6 ,  7  and  8 , features in this embodiment in common with the features of the  FIG. 1  embodiment have been assigned the same number. In this example, although the sidewalls including the slopes formed therein can be of unitary one piece construction, dashed lines  70 , 72  are shown to indicate that slope forming wedge members  74 , 76  can be mounted to the respective side walls  26 , 28  to provide, in this example, desirable sloping surfaces at the interior surfaces  60 , 62  of the housing  20 .  FIGS. 5 and 8  illustrate exemplary radiuses of the corners of these embodiments, with a radiused corner of a 0.125 inch radius R, being one specific example. 
     In the  FIGS. 9 and 10  embodiment, components in common with the  FIGS. 1 and 6  embodiments have been assigned the same number and letter “A” and will not be discussed in detail. Alternative features (e.g. housing configuration, slot length, and other features as described above) can also be used in the  FIGS. 9 and 10  embodiments such as discussed in connection with the  FIGS. 1 and 6  embodiments. However, in the  FIGS. 9 and 10  embodiments, the housing dimensions are typically larger (e.g. height 4 inches from the bottom of the bottom surface to the top of the top surface; width 5 and 7/16 inches from the exterior of one side surface to the exterior of the other side surface; length 12 inches (although the length can vary from the length of the  FIGS. 1 and 6  embodiments). These dimensions can be varied. In the embodiments of  FIGS. 9 and 10 , the sloped sidewalls,  60 A and  62 A converge toward one another, from respective locations  150 , 152  to respective wall locations  154 , 156  of the side walls. The side walls can alternatively slope from the top of the interior sidewalls of the pest trap instead of at locations spaced from the top. Thus, for example, in  FIG. 9  the sidewalls  60 A,  62 A converge at an incline moving from a respective first location  60 B along sidewall  60 A and a respective second location  62 B along sidewall  62 A toward the base  22 . In this example, as can be seen in  FIG. 9 , the sloped portions of the sidewalls are non-vertical and the slope is gradual. Respective glue board receiving slots  160 , 162  are provided along the base  22 A of the housing. Slots  160 , 162 , for example, can extend along the entire length of the housing or only partially therealong. Slots  160 ,  162  desirably are configured to receive either a glue board or glue tray within the apparatus. The respective slots  160 , 162  can each have the same configuration and can, for example, be shaped as shown in  FIG. 9 . In this example, a lower slot portion  166  is bounded along a lower surface by a portion of the upper surface of base  22 A, has a curved end portion bounded by an interior portion of wall  26 A, and along an upper surface by an overhanging lip portion  170  of the wall  26 A. A similar slot portion  168  is provided at wall  28 A. The distance between the outer slot portions  166  and  168  is sufficient to receive a glue board  10  or side edges  12  of a glue board. For example, and although variable, the distance between the locations where the curved portion of each of the slots  166 , 168  start can be 4 and 3/16 inches; the width between the slots  166  and  168  along respective surfaces  170 ,  172  can be, for example, 5 and 3/16 inches; and the inward edges of surfaces  170 ,  172  can be 4 and 13/16 inches apart. The slot  160  has an upwardly extending wall portion  180  that steps upwardly from the inner edge of slot surface  170  to an upper overhanging undercut ledge surface  184 . A similar step  182 , and undercut ledge  186 , is provided at wall  28 A. The distance between walls  180  and  182  is sufficient to accommodate a glue tray positioned there between. The height between the upper surface of base  22 A and the surfaces  184 , 186  is sufficient to accommodate the height of a glue tray. Thus, the  FIGS. 9 and 10  embodiment illustrates an exemplary housing having side slots  160 , 162  configured to accommodate the use of either a glue board or glue tray as desired by the user of the device. In this example, the lateral spacing between portions of the slots that receive a glue tray is less than the lateral spacing between portions of the slots that receive a glue board. 
     In the  FIGS. 11 and 12  embodiment, components in common with components of the  FIGS. 1 and 6  embodiment have been assigned the same number with the added letter “B” and will not be discussed in detail. Alternative features, (e.g. housing configuration, slot length, and other features) can be used in the  FIGS. 11 and 12  embodiments, such as discussed in connection with the  FIGS. 1 and 6  embodiments. However, although variable, in the  FIGS. 11 and 12  embodiment, the housing dimensions are typically somewhat larger than in the  FIGS. 1 and 6  embodiment. The embodiment of  FIGS. 11 and 12  can be provided with a single opposed pair of slots, such as slots  50 B, 52 B along the sides of the housing and abutting the base portion, for example. Alternatively, a set of upper slots  100 B, 102 B spaced from base  22 B can be provided to receive side edges (e.g.  108 B, 110 B) of a pest trapping tray  104 B having an adhesive substance  106 B positioned in the interior of the tray. The illustrated tray  104 B also has front and rear edges  112 B, 114 B. In addition, the tray has a height H, indicated from the top of surface  112 B to the undersurface of the bottom of the tray. Desirably, the height of slots  100 B, 102 B above base  22 B is greater than or equal to H, the height of the tray, so that the slots  100 B, 102 B are in a position to slidably receive the side edges  108 B and  110 B of the tray. In an exemplary configuration, the height H of the slots  100 B, 102 B is designed so that the bottom of the tray rests on and is supported by the upper surface of base  22 B with the side edges  108 B, 110 B of the tray positioned in the respective slots  100 B, 102 B. Desirably the depth of the slots  100 B, 102 B is greater than or equal to the width of the side edge  108 B, 110 B so that a path through the housing is not provided along exposed non-glue containing portions of the side edges  108 B, 110 B. However, the depth of the slots  100 B, 102 B can be varied. Also, although not required, the walls  60 B and  62 B slope inwardly, and thus converge moving from a top portion of, or from the top of, each side wall toward the base so as to assist in funneling or directing insects crawling on the sloped walls toward the adhesive surface  106 B. In the embodiment of  FIGS. 11 and 12 , a set of two slots is provided along each side wall (e.g. slots  50 B, 100 B along the interior of side wall  26 B and slots  52 B and  102 B along the interior of wall  28 A). Alternatively, only the slots  100 B, 102 B can be provided, or, like the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , only the slots  50 B and  52 B can be provided. With a set of two slots being provided along each side wall, the housing readily accommodates both flat glue boards and glue trays for multiple pest trapping applications. 
     Having illustrated and described the principles of my invention with reference to exemplary embodiments, it should be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that these embodiments may be modified in arrangement and detail without departing from the inventive principles disclosed herein. All such variations are within the scope of my invention.