Animal trap

An animal trap is disclosed. The trap comprises a frame, a stationary jaw mounted on the frame, a movable jaw pivotally mounted on the stationary jaw, springs, interconnecting the frame and the movable jaw for moving the movable jaw in contact with the stationary jaw, a trigger element interconnecting the frame and the movable jaw, such trigger element being in the shape of a flat strip having the ends thereof slightly curved inwardly to hold the frame and the movable jaw together when the trap is set, and a bait holder depending from the trigger element whereby a slight displacement of the bait by an animal will disengage the trigger element from the movable jaw to release the trap.

This invention relates to an animal trap, and more particularly to a trap 
especially designed to kill instantly wild animals, such as minks, 
muskrats and otters without damaging the fur. 
A number of small animal traps exist. Examples of such traps are the ones 
disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,517,210 issued Nov. 25, 1924 or U.S. Pat. No. 
3,204,365 issued Sept. 7, 1965. However, most of these traps contain a 
large number of parts which are not easy to keep clean, and are often a 
hazard to the operator when setting the trap. Another disadvantage of the 
known traps is that the triggering mechanism of the traps often contain 
pivoting parts which trap water; when cold weather sets in, the water 
freezes and this makes the trap less sensitive. 
It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide an animal 
trap which is simple in construction, may easily be cleaned, which can be 
set quickly with little danger to the operator, and which is not affected 
by cold weather. 
The trap, in accordance with the invention, comprises a frame, a stationary 
jaw mounted on the frame, a movable jaw pivotally mounted on the 
stationary jaw, springs interconnecting the frame and the movable jaw for 
moving the movable jaw in contact with the stationary jaw, a trigger 
element interconnecting the frame and the movable jaw, such trigger 
element being in the shape of a flat strip having the ends thereof 
slightly curved inwardly to hold the frame and the movable jaw together 
when the trap is set and a bait holder depending from the trigger element, 
whereby a slight displacement of the bait by an animal will disengage the 
trigger element from the movable jaw to release the trap. 
The frame is preferably made of a U-shaped rod or wire defining a cross 
member between two parallel legs and the two legs of the frame have 
pointed ends for insertion into a tree or into the ground. 
The movable jaw is also preferably made of a U-shaped rod or wire defining 
a cross member between two parallel legs and the cross member between the 
legs of both the frame and the movable jaw are substantially parallel to 
each other when the animal trap is set with the legs thereof extending 
downwardly. A vertical lever is secured to the end of each leg of the 
movable jaw and the springs are attached between the cross member of the 
frame and the ends of the levers so as to increase the leverage action of 
the springs as the movable jaw closes on the stationary jaw.

Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, there is shown a trap 10 in accordance 
with the invention attached to a tree 12. The trap is mounted at a certain 
distance above ground and a piece of wood 14 is placed against the tree so 
as to permit the animal to reach the bait. 
As shown in FIGS. 2-4, the trap includes a frame made of a U-shaped rod or 
wire defining a cross member 16 and two parallel legs 18. The legs are 
pointed and turned at 90.degree. for nailing into the tree, although they 
could also be straight for insertion into the ground when the trap is 
installed at ground level. It is however advantageous to install the trap 
well above ground and snow level for obvious reasons. 
A stationary jaw also in the form of a U-shaped rod or wire defining a 
cross member 20 and two parallel legs 22 is mounted on the legs of the 
frame. It will be noted that the end of each leg 22 is inserted into a 
hole 24 in a boss forming part of leg 18 so as to permit dismantling of 
the trap for transport, cleaning and storing purposes. 
A movable jaw also in the form of a U-shaped rod or wire defining a cross 
member 26 and parallel legs 28 is pivotally mounted on the legs 22 of the 
stationary jaw adjacent the connecting point of the stationary jaw to the 
frame. A lever 30 extends from the end of each leg 28 and a tension coil 
spring 32 is connected between cross member 16 of the frame and the end of 
lever 30 for closing the movable jaw onto the stationary jaw. Bosses 16' 
formed on top of cross member 16 locate the curved ends of springs 32 in 
proper position. 
A trigger element 34 is horizontally mounted between cross members 16 and 
26 of the frame and the movable jaw, respectively. The trigger element 
consists of a flat strip which has inwardly curved ends 36 and 38 which 
are designed to simply hold the two cross members 16 and 26 when the trap 
is set. It will be noted that the end 38 of the trigger element does not 
encircle the cross member 16. It is however loosely attached thereto by 
means of a wire loop 40. This way, water cannot be trapped between end 38 
and cross member 16 and thus there is no danger of jamming due to eventual 
freezing of this water. 
A bait holder 42 is welded or otherwise secured to the trigger element so 
that it is about vertical when the trap is set. The bait holder is in the 
form of a hook when meat is to be used as a bait. It may also be simply a 
screw 44, as illustrated in FIG. 5, when a piece of aspen branch 46 is 
used as a bait for trapping beavers, for example. 
The above disclosed trap operates as follows: 
When the trap is set, the trigger element 34 is placed over the two cross 
members 16 and 26 of the frame and movable jaw, respectively. The curved 
ends 36 and 38 of the trigger element hold the two members together. 
However, when an animal pulls on the bait, the trigger member is pivoted 
by the bait holder to free the movable jaw, as shown in FIG. 3. It will be 
noted that the short lever 30 secured to the legs of the movable jaw 
exerts an increased leverage action as the movable jaw of the trap swings 
toward the stationary jaw so as to instantly kill the animal and prevent 
damage to the fur. 
The above disclosed trap can also be easily set from above without danger 
to the operator. The trap has a minimum number of parts and can be 
dismantled for cleaning. Finally, the stationary jaw can be removed from 
the frame for transport and storing. 
Although the invention has been disclosed with reference to a preferred 
embodiment, it is to be understood that it is not limited to such 
embodiment and that other alternatives are also envisaged. For example, 
the frame and the movable and stationary jaws can be made of rods of 
rectangular or square cross sections. The shape of the frame and of the 
movable and stationary jaws could also vary.