Sealable baiting device

The baiting device of the present invention acts to provide a device for exposing ants or other crawling insects to bait without allowing the bait to become dampened or blown away and while protecting small animals or children from eating the bait. The preferred ant bait or insect killer is placed within the sealed container. The lid of the container is locked into place by a fastener to a cap on top of the pipe so that the lid is not easily removed by animals or children. The baiting device is then stuck into the ground like a stake near the ant bed under attack. Because there is an open airway through the pipe to the bait within the container, the bait may be smelled by ants and other insects which may enter the container and remove bait through the holes in the pipe. The bait is protected within the container from exposure to the weather and other outside forces, as well as being sealed away from pets and children. In the preferred embodiment the level of bait remaining in the device may be monitored through the clear sides of the container.

BACKGROUND 
In the battle against crawling insects, one of the most popular and 
effective weapons is the use of bait which is taken by the insects back to 
the insects' home where more complete exposure or exposure to key insects 
(i.e. a queen) can occur. Baits are commonly spread around, near, or on 
the surface of the home of the insects or near or in an area where the 
insects are gathering food. Exposure to outside elements, however, can 
reduce the life and/or effectiveness of bait as it is washed away, 
diluted, dissolved, blown away, etc. Further, children, household pets, 
and livestock may also get into the bait, creating potential risks for 
themselves, as well as again damaging the life and/or effectiveness of the 
bait. Various patents have been issued in the past on devices providing 
some form of container device for baiting insects. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,485,582 to Morris discloses a container with openings in 
its outer surface mounted on a hollow extension or stem. The container 
portion has an inner wall with openings offset from those in the outer 
wall and an inner floor with openings offset from the opening of the 
hollow stem into the container. The bait is placed in the inner 
compartment formed by the inner floor and inner walls. Insects may enter 
through the openings in the container itself or theoretically from the 
bottom of the stem which has been inserted into the ground. There are no 
other openings in the stem. The cover of the container is optionally 
partially transparent, which, combined with the use of a contrasting color 
for the floor of the bait compartment, allows an easier view of the amount 
of bait used. 
U.S. Pat. No. 1,991,547 to Deford discloses a container which is 
essentially a metal stake with openings. The stake may be stuck in the 
ground or other location or hung from an appropriate spot. The stake 
includes a hollow middle section, covered on top and bottom by cap 
portions, which acts as a container. The bait is placed within the 
container and may be accessed by the insects through openings in the 
container itself. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,065,872 to Patton et al. discloses a stake with 
corrugations which is to be inserted into the ground. A cup with an 
aperture is snapped over a recess in the stake to create a container for 
the bait or poison. Insects access the bait through openings in the 
container itself. Additionally, when used outside, the corrugations will 
accumulate poison bait as it is partially solubilized by water worldling 
its way into the container and carrying part of the bait out of the 
container into the corrugations. 
All of the preceding baiting devices rely on holes in the container itself 
to provide insects access to the bait within the container. The prior art 
devices rely on a secondary wall system or on the size of the holes 
themselves to prevent children and pets from getting to the bait. These 
same methods are also all that the devices rely on to prevent rain or the 
elements from affecting the bait stored within. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The baiting device of the present invention comprises the following 
components: 
(1) a hollow piece of pipe or tubing (cylindrical or otherwise shaped) with 
a series of holes drilled into it to allow ants or other insects access to 
the hollow inside of the tube; 
(2) a container with a sealable top which is mounted around the top portion 
of the hollow pipe with the top or lid of the container acting to assist 
in connecting to and closing the top of the pipe and the bottom of the 
container containing an aperture through which the pipe passes with a 
relatively tight fit; 
(3) the series of holes are positioned such that there are holes in the 
pipe which are not covered by the container and holes within the area 
covered by the container, allowing ants and other insects to enter the 
station from outside, pass through the pipe, and enter the area contained 
within and protected by the container, and leave in similar fashion. 
The baiting device of the present invention acts to provide a means for 
exposing ants (or other crawling insects) to bait without allowing the 
bait to become dampened or blown away and while protecting other animals 
(e.g., household pets) from eating the bait. The preferred ant bait or 
insect killer is placed within the sealed container. The lid of the 
container (or cap or other sealing element) is locked into place by a 
fastener (a screw in the preferred embodiment) to a cap or plug on top of 
the pipe so that the lid is not easily removed by animals or children. The 
baiting device is then stuck into the ground like a stake near the ant bed 
under attack. In an alternative embodiment, a plug is placed within the 
hollow core to prevent dirt from rising up through the core to block the 
access holes when the baiting device is staked into the ground. Because 
there is an open airway through the pipe to the bait within the container, 
the bait may be smelled by ants and other insects which may enter the 
container and remove bait through the holes in the pipe. The bait is 
protected within the container from exposure to the weather and other 
outside forces, as well as being sealed away from pets and children. In 
the preferred embodiment the level of bait remaining in the container may 
be monitored through the clear sides of the container allowing for easy 
checking and verification.

DETAILED DESCRIPTON 
In order to illustrate the embodiments and best mode of the system and 
method, the following is a detailed description of a more complex 
alternative embodiment of baiting device 10 as illustrated in FIGS. 1 & 2, 
and of the simpler preferred embodiment of baiting device 10 as shown by 
FIGS. 3-9. 
FIG. 1 is a cut-away view of the more complex embodiment of baiting device 
10 of the present invention. Baiting device 10 consists of two major 
components: container 12 and stem 30. Container 12 is used to hold and 
protect bait 14 while mounted upon stem 30 which provides support, 
elevation, and access to the inside of container 12. 
Container 12 has two major components: container body 16 and lid 18. 
Container body 16 constitutes the main portion of container 12, and may be 
considered the container itself. Container body 16 has an opening 19 
which, in the assembled condition, is filled by stem 30. Once assembled, 
stem 30, may be permanently affixed within opening 19 and which may also 
be sealed around stem 30 as a part of the affixing process or 
independently. Container body 16 also has an open top which is covered by 
resealable lid 18 which snaps into place creating a seal. In alternative 
embodiments, lid 18 could sealably attach in other manners such as through 
the use of threads etc, and as such, lid 18 could constitute a cap, plug, 
cover, or other sealing member. In its covered and sealed position, wind, 
rain, and other elements of the neighboring environment have no direct 
access to bait 14 inside of container 12. In the preferred embodiment, 
container 12 is a generally cylindrical plastic container which has 
transparent or translucent walls with a solid color resealable lid 18. The 
most preferred embodiment is a resealable food container for maintaining 
the freshness of stored food such as that produced and sold under the mark 
Rubbermaid (tm). 
Stem 30 is made up of three portions, the upper portion 42, the lower 
portion 44, and the grounded portion 46. Grounded portion 46 may be 
considered a subset of lower portion 44. Stem 30 is a tube or pipe with a 
hollow interior (also referred to as an interior chamber). In the 
preferred embodiment, stem 30 is a piece of pvc piping with about 1/2 inch 
diameter. Stem 30 does not have to be cylindrically shaped tube or pipe 
(or even other shapes of tube or pipe), so long as it is a hollow member 
which may act as a conduit and which may also be staked into the ground 
(for example, stem 30 could have a rectangular or triangular profile 
instead of the preferred circular profile). 
When assembled, stem 30 has a plug or cap 20 affixed to the top of stem 30, 
closing off the hollow interior. Cap 20 is also the point used to lock 
into place resealable lid 18 and serves as a surface to support container 
12 by supporting lid 18. In the preferred embodiment resealable lid 18 is 
locked into its sealed position through the use of a fastener 22, 
preferably a screw (if a more securely locking method of sealably 
attaching lid 18 is used (such as threads) an additional fastener will be 
less useful). In an alternative embodiment, a washer 24 may be used in 
between the head of fastener 22 and resealable lid 18. In the preferred 
embodiment, washer 24 is not present, as the flexibility of plastic lid 18 
is sufficient to create a reasonably good seal. Fastener 22 passes through 
resealable lid 18 and through cap 20 to lock resealable lid 18 in place, 
making it more difficult for accidental removal of lid 18 by small 
children or by other factors in the environment. 
Upper portion 42 is that portion of stem 30 contained within container 12. 
In the disclosed embodiment, upper portion 42 has a pair of apertures 32 
which provide communication between the inside of container 12 and the 
hollow interior of stem 30. By providing "communication", apertures 32 
provide access between two areas to air, other fluids, and small crawling 
insects. As illustrated in FIG. 1, apertures 32 are set at a level above 
the level of bait 14, so that the bait does not slip through the apertures 
into the hollow interior of stem 30. In an alternative embodiment, some 
bait may be allowed to slip into the hollow interior and rest at the very 
bottom of stem 30 providing additional bait for access by ants or other 
crawling insects. However, this alternative embodiment loses some of the 
advantages of the present invention as the bait within the hollow interior 
of stem 30 would be in relatively close contact with the outside 
environment with easier access by moisture from rain, for example. 
Apertures 32 are shown as a pair of apertures, where a pair constitutes two 
apertures at or about approximately the same height. Further, apertures 32 
are an opposing pair of apertures where an opposing pair are 180.degree. 
apart from each other on the stem 30. There could also be two opposing 
pair of apertures 32 where one opposing pair was offset 90.degree. from 
the other opposing pair. While the preferred embodiment has an opposing 
pair of apertures 32, one skilled in the art will recognize that so long 
as at least one aperture 32 is present, additional apertures 32 would not 
be required. Further, while an opposing pair of apertures 32 provides 
conveniences in manufacture as, for example a drill may be put straight 
through stem 30 creating both of the pair at the same time, while 
improving efficiency and cost of construction this is not a requirement 
for successful practice of the baiting device. 
Lower portion 44 of stem 30 constitutes that portion of stem 30 which is 
outside of container 12. Lower portion 44 contains a plurality of 
apertures 34 and 36 providing communication between the neighboring 
environment and the hollow interior (or interior chamber) of stem 30. FIG. 
1 illustrates a series of opposing pairs of apertures 34 interspersed with 
a series of opposing pairs of apertures 36 which are offset 90.degree. 
from pairs 34 and interspersed heightwise between opposing pairs 34. In 
FIG. 1 there are five opposing pairs of apertures 34 and four opposing 
pairs of apertures 36. The presence of the plurality of apertures 34 and 
36 in lower portion 44 of stem 30 enables greater access by various 
crawling insects to the hollow interior of stem 30 as well as providing 
better distribution of the smell of bait 14. The presence of multiple 
pairs enables light breezes to move through stem 30 drawing out odors from 
within container 12 through apertures 32 through the hollow interior or 
interior chamber of stem 30 and out of apertures 34 and 36. By having 
apertures at 90.degree. offsets, wind from multiple directions is able to 
be taken advantage of. Multiple offsets also provide a greater number of 
entries and angles for crawling insects to find and crawl in to head for 
and obtain bait 14. Again, while the apertures 34 and 36 in FIG. 1 are in 
opposing pairs, this is primarily due to simplicity of construction, and 
while useful it is not a requirement for proper functioning of baiting 
device 10. Further, while somewhat less effective, even a single aperture 
or hole 34 or 36 would be adequate to provide access to insects from the 
neighboring environment to get to bait 14 within container 12. A plurality 
of apertures is preferred. 
Grounded portion 46 in stem 30 is that portion that is inserted within the 
ground in order to support and hold baiting device 10. In this manner, 
stem 30 is used as a stake being driven into the ground preferably to a 
point somewhere just a little bit below the lowest of apertures 34 or 36 
so that crawling insects need only crawl up the stem a short way before 
having access to the hollow interior of stem 30. It is preferable not to 
drive the stake into the ground above the lowest of apertures in order to 
prevent loose dirt from clogging some of the apertures or falling within 
the interior of stem 30. To assist in insertion of stem 30 into the ground 
the bottom of stem 30 is an angled portion (or angled end) 40, again 
making stem 30 effectively an angled stake. Although not required and not 
present in the preferred embodiment, a plastic plug 38 may be used within 
the grounded portion 46 of stem 30 to prevent dirt from rising up through 
the hollow interior of stem 30 and interfering with access through 
apertures 34 and 36. In fact, the ground is typically sufficiently solid 
to form a plug of its own which may be knocked out upon removal of baiting 
device 10. In either event, insects are extremely unlikely, and generally 
completely unable, to enter the interior of stem 30 from underneath 
because of either plug 38 or the expected packed portion of ground 
similarly positioned. 
FIG. 2 is an exploded version of the more complex embodiment of baiting 
device 10. The preferred fastener 22 is a hex screw requiring hex tool 50 
to screw into place through lid 18 and cap 20. The threads of fastener 22 
pass through lid 18 and interact with cap 20. While cap 20 is illustrated 
exploded away from upper portion 42 of stem 30, preferably cap 20 is 
permanently or semi-permanently affixed to upper portion 42. This 
embodiment uses plug 38 within the hollow interior of stem 30 above angled 
end 40. Plug 38 defines the bottom of the interior chamber, while cap 20 
defines the top and stem 30 defines the surrounding side walls. 
FIGS. 3-9 provide a complete series of views of the simpler preferred 
embodiment of baiting device 10. The simpler preferred embodiment has 
fewer apertures 34 & 36, no plug 38, and no washer 24. FIG. 3 is a 
perspective view from slightly above and in front of baiting device 10 of 
the preferred embodiment of baiting device 10. 
FIG. 4 is a straight on view of the preferred embodiment of baiting device 
10. Lower portion 44 of stem 30 has five opposing pairs of apertures 34 
outside of container 12 and no apertures 36 at 90 degree displacements. 
Upper portion 42 within container body 16 has a pair of opposing apertures 
32. Fastener 22 has no washer 24. 
FIG. 5 is a straight on view of the preferred embodiment of baiting device 
10 from the opposite side of FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a top down view of the 
preferred embodiment of baiting device 10 including fastener 22 and 
resealable lid 18. FIG. 7 is a bottom up view of the preferred embodiment 
of baiting device 10 including angled end 40 and the hollow interior, 
container body 16, and resealable lid 18. FIG. 8 is a straight on view of 
the baiting device viewed 90 degrees from the view of FIG. 4. FIG. 9 is a 
straight on view of the preferred embodiment of baiting device 10 from the 
opposite side of FIG. 8. Only five opposing pairs of apertures 34 and one 
opposing pair of apertures 32 are present in the preferred embodiment. 
Although not visible in the perspectives chosen, cap 20 is present in the 
preferred embodiment of baiting device 10, but the bottom of cap 20 is 
above the bottom of lid 18 hiding cap 20 from view. 
The preferred method of use of baiting device 10 follows. A suitable bait 
14 for the insects to be treated is selected. In treatment of fire ants, 
Max Force (tm) is a preferred bait 14. Bait 14 is placed inside of 
container body 16 and resealable lid 18 is snapped into place. Fastener 22 
is then used to lock resealable lid 18 into position against cap 20. 
Baiting device 10 is then staked into the ground (or grounded) at a site 
to be protected or near a ant hill or insect location to be treated. 
Typically baiting device 10 is not inserted into the ant hill itself, but 
rather at a location where the ants are going or will pass by while 
looking for food or other forage. Grounded portion 46 of stem 30 is 
inserted into the ground using angled end 40 to lead into the ground. Stem 
30 is preferably inserted to a depth where the ground rises to slightly 
below the lowest of apertures 34 in lower portion 44 of stem 30. 
As a result of the absence of direct contact (or direct communication) 
between the neighboring environment and bait 14 inside container 12 the 
bait does not become damp, get blown away, or get eaten or moved by birds, 
small animals, or children. Even though rain or other moisture may enter 
apertures 34 (or apertures 36 if present), gravity should prevent 
significant quantities from rising up and through apertures 32 into the 
inside of container 12 where it can reach bait 14. Children and small 
animals and birds could only get into the bait primarily by the difficult 
task of shearing into plastic container 12 or unlocking and then 
unsnapping lid 18, where more direct contact might make it simpler to 
knock bait out simply by moving the baiting device until the bait fell out 
of the openings directly in the container. The configuration of the 
present invention providing indirect access to an otherwise sealed 
container holding the bait should provide improved performance both in 
protecting the bait from the elements and from accidental ingestion or 
interference with children or small animals. The improved protection 
allows for more extended periods of effectiveness for a given amount of 
bait. 
The indirect contact (or indirect communication) between bait 14 and the 
environment through the hollow interior of stem 30 by way of apertures 32 
and 34 (and apertures 36 if present) allows the odor of the bait to enter 
the environment and allows access to ants and other crawling insects to 
follow such odors and get to and remove portions of the bait. Ants for 
example would: smell the airborne odors; climb up the outer surface of 
stem 30; enter the hollow interior by way of an aperture 34 or 36; climb 
up inner surface of stem 30; exit the hollow interior by way of an 
aperture 32 into the inside of container 12; crawl down the outer surface. 
of the upper portion 42 of stem 30 within container 12 until they reach 
bait 14. After obtaining bait 14 the ants would retrace their steps and 
return to their ant hill carrying the bait with them. 
An individual could quickly check the status of bait 14 by walking by and 
examining the level of bait 14 remaining through the transparent walls of 
container body 16 (alternatively, no translucent walls could also provide 
a sufficient view to check the level of bait), without need to remove 
baiting device 10 or to open container 12. If bait levels are running low, 
additional bait may be added either by unlocking and unsnapping lid 18 
while baiting device 10 remains in the ground, or by removing baiting 
device 10 and accomplishing the same task for several baiting devices 10 
at a common time and location. The baiting devices 10 of the present 
invention are relatively inconspicuous and not unattractive and may be 
distributed at strategic points to protect a house, garden, flower bed, 
etc. without attracting undue attention. Baiting devices 10 may also be 
placed in an area and then easily moved to different locations as needs 
change. 
The above description relates to two modes of the invention including the 
preferred mode. Variations and additional features and functions within 
the skill of the art are intended to be covered.