Rodent trap

A trap for the control of rodents comprising a compartment having two spaced parallel electrodes in the compartment interior in close proximity to a bait holder. The investigation of the bait causes the body of the rodent to come into contact with the electrodes and be electrocuted. Baffles are placed in the compartment between the electrodes and the compartment opening to prevent fingers or other objects from coming into accidental contact with the electrodes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to an apparatus for controlling the proliferation of 
small animals and more particularly, relates to an improved rodent trap. 
The common practice of ridding a residence or other building of rodents has 
in the past been one of two methods. The first, and oldest, is to catch 
the rodent in a spring-loaded trap, using bait to lure the animal to the 
trap and cause it to trip the spring mechanism. The rodent is generally 
killed instantly, although in a bloody and nauseating manner. This type of 
trap is not fool-proof and the rodents soon learn to steal the bait 
without triggering the spring mechanism, thereby rendering most traps 
useless. In addition, the baited trap may not kill the rodent quickly and 
can also be easily sprung by children or pets, resulting in their injury. 
The second type of rodent control means in common use is the use of poison, 
most notably Dicumarol.RTM., which the rodents injest and slowly die from. 
However, this method leaves the rodent free to seek a quiet place, such as 
inside walls in which to die. Of course, the poison must be placed in an 
area accessible to the rodent where pets and infants may also come into 
contact with it. Thus, such poison control means can be extremely 
dangerous to inquisitive children and pets and is limited to the places of 
use. The present invention overcomes the deficiencies of the prior art. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Therefore, an object of the subject invention is a rodent trap which will 
quickly and efficiently eliminate rodents. 
Another object of the subject invention is a portable rodent trap which is 
safe to use and presents no danger to children or pets. 
A further object of the subject invention is a rodent trap which will 
electrocute the rodent quickly and painlessly, and allow the disposal of 
the dead rodent body without contact with the body. 
Still another object of the subject invention is a rodent trap which 
electrocutes the rodent while positively preventing human contact with the 
electrode, thereby eliminating accidental electrocution. 
These and other objects are obtained in accordance with the present 
invention wherein there is provided a rodent trap generally used for the 
control of mice and rats. The rodent trap comprises a compartment having 
an opening by which the rodents may gain access to the interior of the 
compartment. Within the interior of the compartment is a bait or lure 
holder constructed so that the scent of the bait or lure is disseminated 
within the compartment and not outside the trap, although the bait or lure 
remains inaccessible to the rodent. Disposed about this bait holder and 
within the compartment are two electrodes. Placement of these electrodes 
is such that the rodent must come in contact with both of them upon 
investigation of the bait holder. A series of baffles are placed between 
the electrodes and the opening in such a manner as to preclude the entry 
of a finger or hand of a child while allowing the rodent to easily enter. 
In the preferred embodiment, these baffles comprise plates which each 
encompass slightly more than half the interior area of the compartment, 
each adjacent plate being disposed diametrically opposite one another. In 
this manner the rodent may easily enter the compartment to investigate the 
bait and eventual contact with the electrodes and electrocution while 
precluding the entry of pets, children or adults into the compartment. The 
dead rodent may be easily removed from the compartment by simply shaking 
the corpse into the nearest suitable repository. As there are no moving 
parts, and since the trap may be easily cleaned with soap and water, the 
rodent trap of the subject invention has an extremely long life expectancy 
and its simplicity of construction renders it practically fool-proof in 
operation. 
The rodent trap of the subject invention may be employed without the use of 
the bait holder and still be effective, as the interior of the compartment 
in combination with the baffles presents a seemingly safe and comfortable 
place for the rodent to enter and investigate.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a rodent trap 10 which comprises a 
hollow cylindrical tube open at opposing ends. While shown as cylindrical, 
the trap 10 may be of any shape such as irregular or polygonal. The 
material of which the trap body 10 is formed is preferably a one-piece 
electrically insulative plastic such as may be found in pipes and the 
like. The plastic should be fire resistant and capable of a zero burn rate 
in the applicable ASTM flame ratings test or, in the alternative, have an 
Underwriters Laboratory flame rating of 94 VO. Such ratings indicate that 
the plastic is substantially self-extinguishing after the application of a 
flame. The plastic which has been found most suitable for this application 
is an ABS/PVC alloy or homopolymer known as Kralastic.RTM. and marketed by 
Uniroyal Chemical. 
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the rodent trap 10 has outer walls 25. 
Baffles, visible on the exterior at 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19 are attached 
to and protrude into the interior compartment of the rodent trap 10 at 
spaced points along the trap to prevent line of sight access through the 
interior of the compartment. Thus, the baffles serve as a barrier to the 
entry of any human limb or rigid objects which a child, for instance, may 
attempt to insert. The interior baffles 16, 17, 18 and 19 comprise plates 
inserted into saw cuts or similar recesses formed in the trap wall 25 and 
secured with a suitable cement such as a silicone sealant or any suitable 
solvent cement. Baffles 16 and 17 in the embodiment shown have legs 61 and 
62 protruding from the exterior wall 25 of the trap 10 which serve to 
stabilize the cylindrical trap 10. Such legs may not be necessary for 
other more inherently stable shapes of traps. The exterior baffles 14 and 
15 may be cemented to the outside of the respective opening to the trap 10 
as shown, or in any other desired manner. Each interior baffle comprises a 
plate which covers slightly more than half of the circular area defined by 
the exterior wall 25. As shown in FIG. 2 in exaggerated detail, the lower 
surface of the outer plates 14 and 15 extends to the midpoint of the 
cylinder as represented by the dotted line 13 in FIG. 2 which represents 
the diameter of the cylinder. Each baffle in the interior is preferably 
oriented diametrically opposite adjacent baffles and extending past the 
midpoint 13 of the cylinder interior. Adjacent baffles preferably have a 
surface area equal to if not greater than the cross-sectional area of the 
cylinder. Thus, baffles 16 and 17, as shown in the drawings, may be placed 
on the lower portion of the rodent trap 10 while each adjacent baffle 14, 
18, 19 and 15 is positioned on the upper portion of the rodent trap 10. 
(FIG. 4) While the interior baffles are shown in FIG. 2 to be translucent, 
this feature, while serving to allow the viewing of the interior of the 
trap, is not necessary. 
The rodent traps may be of varying diameters 13 dependent on the size of 
the rodent to be controlled, and in all cases are small and lightweight 
enough to be easily portable. For instance, in the control of house mice, 
a cylinder 23/8" diameter is sufficient. However, when the object of pest 
control is rats, a larger cylinder is contemplated. In the larger traps, 
the baffles 18 and 19 are desirable; in the smaller traps such as those 
described above for use with mice, the baffles 18 and 19 become 
unnecessary as the size of the trap 10 itself becomes a barrier to 
children's inquisitive fingers and the like, when used with an exterior 
and interior baffle on either side of the electrodes. 
The baffles present no real or apparent obstacle to a mouse or rat, and in 
fact, the trap 10 initially appears to be an ideal hiding place, appearing 
to serve as concealment while consuming what the rodent detects sensually. 
If the bait holder is not employed, the rodent is still apt to enter the 
trap to investigate, as the result of rodents' well known propensity and 
curiosity especially for confined protected areas such as the trap of the 
subject invention externally appears to present. 
As best shown in FIG. 5, the bait holder 20 comprises a tube or other duct 
which extends through an opening 45 in the exterior wall 25 of the trap 
10. This tube is closed on its interior end and has openings 23 on an 
interior portion of the tube walls. The bait, if used, may be supplied in 
the form of a pre-formulated bait stick 24 which is placed inside the 
tube. Of course, the bait may be the traditional cheese, peanut butter or 
the like. The exterior of the tube 20 is closed and sealed with a cap 22. 
The aroma or fragrance of the bait 24 will then escape through the 
openings 23 into the interior compartment 26 of the rodent trap 10 (FIGS. 
4 and 5). 
In the midsection of the interior compartment 26 are two spaced electrodes 
32 and 33, each of which extend across the interior compartment in a 
spaced parallel relationship, barring passage past the electrodes 32 and 
33 except on contact with them. 
The wires 30 are connected to a power source (not shown) such as a 110 v 
outlet and pass through an opening 46 in the wall 25 of the trap 10 
through a suitable strain-relief device 31 (FIG. 5). These electrodes are 
preferably brushes comprising copper strand wound on a conductive brass 
wire. The copper strands assure effective electrical contact throughout 
the length of the electrode for the body of any rodent which touch or come 
in physical contact with the electrodes. As shown in the diagram of FIG. 
6, one electrode 33 is connected in series with an impedance means such as 
a resistor 41 to a positive potential. The resistor preferably has a value 
of 10 ohms, although any value from 1 to 30 ohms would provide current 
sufficient to electrocute the rodent. The other electrode 32 is connected 
to ground through lead 42. A rodent 50, shown in FIG. 4 investigating the 
scent given off by the bait 24 in the bait holder 20 would come into 
contact with both of the electrodes 32 and 33 during its investigation of 
the bait scent, thereby, in effect, short circuiting the electrodes and 
electrocuting itself. 
Care should be exercised in the selection of the resistance valve employed 
in the resistor 41, as too high a resistance will only stun the rodent, 
and too low a resistance will cause a potential field so great as will 
affect the animal hairs and cause them to "stand on end." The animal would 
sense this potential and, anticipating the danger, back off. 
The method of assembly of the preferred version of the rodent trap 10 
involves molding such as by injection molding, extrusion or the like, hot 
(approximately 400.degree. F.) Kralastic.RTM. ABS into the desired shape, 
such as the cylinder shown in FIG. 1. The molded trap is cooled and 
solidified. The slots for the baffles 16, 17, 18 and 19 are formed by an 
appropriate saw cut or the like. Openings 45 and 46 are drilled opposite 
one another in the midsection of cylinder wall 25, one for the insertion 
of the power cord, and the other to secure the bait holder. Two smaller 
holes are drilled on either side of the power cord opening 46 completely 
through one side of the exterior wall 25 and partially through the 
opposite exterior wall. The electrodes 32 and 33 are inserted through the 
opening and secured tightly in place by the application of an electrically 
insulated sealant, such as silicone resin or the like at 37 and 38 to both 
mechanically secure the electrodes in place and electrically insulate the 
electrodes from the exterior surface of the rodent trap 10. The power cord 
30 is inserted through strain relief 31 and the lead 43 is connected in 
series through the resistor 41 to the electrode 33. The electrode 32 is 
connected to the ground lead 42 and the baffles and bait holder are 
inserted in place and secured with silicone sealant, or a suitable solvent 
cement. 
The unit is energized by plugging the power cord 30 into an ordinary 110 v 
household outlet and placed against a wall or where desired. When in such 
use, no power is consumed until a rodent contacts both electrodes. A 
rodent will enter it seeking refuge or to investigate the bait, the aroma 
of which it detects. The body of the rodent then will make contact with 
the two electrodes inside the cylinder during its investigation and be 
instantly electrocuted. The presence of the body of a dead rodent can be 
detected by the tell-tale tail protruding from the cylinder. The body can 
then be shaken into a container or bag for disposal, without contact with 
a person's hands. 
While the invention has been described with reference to a preferred 
embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various 
changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements 
thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, 
many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material 
to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential 
scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited 
to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for 
carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all 
embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.