Rodent trap with guard means

A base has a transverse shaft secured thereto and a U-shaped jaw member is spring loaded on the shaft. A trigger mechanism is pivotally supported on the shaft and has a catch releasably engageable with a trigger arm which holds the jaw member in spring loaded position. The trigger mechanism has a forwardly extending bait bar which holds the trigger mechanism into engagement with the spring loaded jaw member when bait is disposed under the bait bar. Guards are provided on the trigger mechanism rearwardly of the bait bar to discourage a rodent from traveling to the bait bar from the rear of the trap.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to new and useful improvements in rodent traps and 
particularly the type of trap used for catching mice and rats. 
Various types of traps have been designed for catching mice and rats and 
have particular structures which are stated to make them easier and safer 
to set, more sensitive for release and readily baited. Certain 
disadvantages still exist in present traps, however, which result in the 
traps not being highly efficient. That is, the traps often can be sprung 
without catching the rodent because the rodent can position itself in a 
location such that when the trap springs, the rodent and the bait are 
ejected away from the trap. Another reason for the inefficiency of 
existing traps is that the rodent can enter from the rear of the trap and 
safely remove the bait while the jaw snaps over the top of it. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
According to the present invention and forming a primary objective thereof, 
a rodent trap is provided which is designed for greater efficiency in 
catching rodents and at the same time is easy to bait and set and will not 
snap shut inadvertently while being handled. 
In carrying out the objectives of the invention, a trap is provided 
employing a novel combination of trigger arm and trigger catch mechanism. 
More particularly, the trigger catch has a positive releasable engagement 
with the trigger arm whereby it is necessary that bait be confined under 
the bait arm to hold the trigger catch in engagement with the trigger arm. 
With this arrangement, the bait holds the trap set and the trap is thus 
easily and safely set and will positively release when the bait is 
removed. Furthermore, the trigger catch is laterally widened and the bait 
arm has a vertical inverted U-shaped post-like extension whereby these 
elements discourage the rodent from approaching the bait from the wrong 
direction and possibly avoiding being caught by the trap.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
With particular reference to the drawings, the numeral 10 designates the 
usual rectangular base of a rodent trap and the numeral 12 designates the 
usual jaw or bail. The jaw has end eyes 14 pivotally supported on a cross 
shaft 16 mounted in staples 18 secured to the base. The jaw 12 is spring 
loaded for forceful movement to the left of the base as viewed in the 
drawings and such spring loading is provided by a coil spring 20 having 
opposite fingers 22 engageable with the jaw 12 and a central depending 
finger 24 engageable with the base. As noted in FIG. 1, the coil portions 
20 are disposed at opposite ends of the shaft 16 and the central portion 
of the shaft is bared. 
This bare central portion of the shaft pivotally supports a coil 26 of a 
bait holding and trigger catch mechanism 27 having one end finger portion 
28 thereof extending toward the forward end of the trap. Finger 28 has an 
inverted U-shaped post or extension 30 at the front which terminates in a 
substantially horizontal and longitudinally extending bait bar 32. Bait 
bar 32 is in a horizontal plane a small distance below the plane of the 
finger 28. 
The opposite end of coil 26 from the finger portion 28 leads into an 
upstanding wire-like finger 34 having a laterally extending right angle 
portion 36 and a reversely turned portion 38. Portion 38 comprises a catch 
for a trigger arm or holding lever 40 which has a pivot support 42 at the 
rear end of the base. The free end 44 of the trigger arm 40 is bent down 
slightly and is engageable with catch portion 38 in an arrangement such 
that the parts 44 and 38 will freely and always disengage unless the bait 
bar 32 is held up in the full line positions shown in the drawings by bait 
thereunder, as will be more apparent hereinafter. The free end of catch 
portion 38 has a small depending projection 38a which prevents accidental 
disengagement of the trigger arm 40 laterally from under the portion 38. 
The upper surface of the base 10 has a recess 46 in the area of the bait 
bar 32. This recess is at least large enough to receive a piece of bait 
48, FIGS. 1 and 2, for a purpose which will now become apparent in 
connection with the operation of the trap. The front and side walls 46a of 
the recess preferably are vertical in a forward portion of the recess or 
at least in the bait receiving area. 
The figures of the drawing show set positions of the trap in full lines. 
FIG. 2 shows release of the trigger arm 40 and the catch portion 38 in 
broken lines. To set the trap, the jaw 12 is spring loaded to the rear and 
the trigger arm placed thereover. This setting however is subsequent to 
baiting the bait bar 32 in a manner such that the bait sets on the bottom 
of recess 46 and holds the catch portion 38 in a rearward position, as 
shown in the full lines in the drawings. In this rearward pivoted position 
of the catch portion, the forward end of the trigger arm 40 is moved 
thereunder from the open side, whereby with the bait bar thusly held up by 
bait, the trigger arm will positively stay in engagement with the catch 
portion 38. Thus the trap is easily and safely set and will not 
accidentally release. On the other hand, since the trigger arm 40 cannot 
by itself hold the trap set, the trap will spring shut when the bait is 
removed from under the bait bar 32. FIGS. 1 and 2 show an enlarged type 
bait which can be impaled on the bait bar 32, it being necessary that the 
bait extend under the bar 32 so as to engage the base of the trap and hold 
the latch mechanism in its rearwardly pivoted position to maintain the 
trap set. 
FIG. 3 shows trap structure identical to FIG. 2 but in this view, the 
concept is illustrated that the bait 48a may merely comprise a thin piece 
of food and does not have to be impaled on the bar 32. Thus, the bait for 
the trap can comprise a rodent's favorite food, namely, the meat of a nut. 
As apparent, the bait 48a must be sufficiently thick to hold the catch 
portion 38 to the rear to provide a holding engagement with trigger arm 
40. 
Recess 46 serves to confine the bait against accidental displacement and 
also prevents the bait from being pulled straight out which could possibly 
provide a miss by the jaw 12 on the rodent. 
In view of the above, it is apparent that the trap is easily and safely set 
in that once the latch 34 is held up by the bait, the trigger arm 40 
cannot be disengaged therefrom. After the trap has been set, it can be 
readily held in the hand without fear of release. Another feature of the 
trap is that the inverted U-shaped post or extension 30 and the widened 
catch portion 38 prevent the rodent from entering the rear of the trap, 
namely, these members cause obstructions which encourage the rodent to 
come in from the front or the sides at the front rather than from a rear 
position which could cause the jaw 12 to totally miss the rodent or to 
eject the rodent away from the trap. 
It is to be understood that the form of my invention herein shown and 
described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that 
various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be 
resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention, or the 
scope of the subjoined claims.