Abstract:
The present invention solves the problems of the prior art by providing a holder to arrange a plurality of roach traps in parallel to form a barrier to the path of the roaches. Roach migration patterns may be readily observed or predicted. Typical pathways include under doorways, near pipe entries, and near sources of water. Placed in the path of the roaches, the plurality of roach traps force a roach to traverse through one of the traps, where it is ensnared. The trap holder may be provided with a attachment point so that multiple holders may be arranged in series to form larger barriers. Individual roach traps, either of the prior art design, or of a specialized design disclosed herein, may be used with the roach trap holder. As individual traps are filled, they may be removed one at a time without having to replace the entire traps and trap holder combination.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to the filed or insect and small animal traps, in particular, adhesive-type traps for catching rodents and insects, particularly cockroaches. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Adhesive traps are well known in the art, dating back decades, if not centuries, to the early uses of sticky substances and flypapers to catch insects and the like. Modern adhesive traps may be embodied in what is commercially sold as the ROACH MOTEL™, a box-like member provided with glue or adhesive inside to catch roaches. 
     Gehret, U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,825, issued Nov. 12, 1996, and incorporated herein by reference, discloses an example of such a glue-type trap. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of such a trap. Trap  1  comprises a housing  14  made of cardboard or the like. Trap  1  may be provided with a one or more of openings  2  allowing a roach to enter. Inside, an adhesive  3  may be provided on the floor or other surface of the trap to ensnare the roach. A chemical attractant may be used to lure the roach into the trap. 
     The present inventor has discovered, through extensive research, that such traps suffer from a fundamental flaw. Namely, they require the roach to seek out and enter the trap. If the roach does not find the trap, the roach will not become ensnared. Moreover, attractants may be of limited use in attracting roaches, as they may be more attracted to actual food debris, and especially, water. 
     Wraight, U.S. Pat. No. 4,676,022, issued Jun. 30, 1987, and incorporated herein by reference, discloses a rotatable insect trap device. A holder on a want holds two convention roach traps. A user may place the roach traps in the path of a roach in order to capture the roach. While such a device may be useful when roaches are seen, most roaches avoid daylight, preferring to come out at night. Moreover, having to move the traps by hand and predicting the path of a loose roach may be somewhat difficult. The trap requires active, not passive, use. 
     Gang, U.S. Pat. No. 5,454,186, issued Oct. 3, 1995, and incorporated herein by reference, discloses an insect trap kit. In the primary embodiment, this kit may be assembled to build a multiple entrance roach trap. Such a trap may increase the likelihood that a roach may be ensnared by presenting a larger and multiple entrance area. However, once roaches are ensnared, the entire trap must be disposed of (or the user must live with unsanitary dead and dying roaches in the trap. Disposing of such traps may be expensive and time consuming. 
     Thus, it remains a requirement in the art to provide a roach trap which eliminates or reduces the need for the roach to seek out, locate, and enter the trap. 
     Moreover, it remains a requirement in the art to provide a trap which is less dependent upon attractants to ensnare roaches. 
     It also remains a requirement in the art to provide a roach trap which allows only those portions thereof ensnaring roaches to be disposed of. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention solves the problems of the prior art by providing a holder to arrange a plurality of roach traps in parallel to form a barrier to the path of the roaches. Roach migration patterns may be readily observed or predicted. Typical pathways include under doorways, near pipe entries, and near sources of water. 
     Placed in the path of the roaches, the plurality of roach traps force a roach to traverse through one of the traps, where it is ensnared. The trap holder may be provided with a attachment point so that multiple holders may be arranged in series to form larger barriers. 
     Individual roach traps, either of the prior art design, or of a specialized design disclosed herein, may be used with the roach trap holder. As individual traps are filled, they may be removed one at a time without having to replace the entire traps and trap holder combination. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a prior art adhesive trap. 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the roach trap holder of the present invention. 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of portion  250  of FIG.  2 . 
     FIG. 4 is a top view of one embodiment of a trap for use with the trap holder of FIG.  2 . 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a trap for use with the trap holder of FIG.  2 . 
     FIG. 6 is a front view of a second embodiment of the trap holder of the present invention. 
     FIG. 7 is front view of a third embodiment of the trap holder of the present invention. 
     FIG. 8 is a front view of a fourth embodiment of the trap holder of the present invention. 
     FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a fifth embodiment of the trap holder of the present invention. 
     FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a bait holder for the trap holder of FIG.  9 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the roach trap holder of the present invention. The trap holder of FIG. 2 may comprise a housing having planar top member  230 , bottom member  232 , and side members  234  and  236 . A plurality of vertical members  238 ,  242 ,  244 ,  246 , and  248  may divide the housing into a plurality of compartments. Note that in the embodiment of FIG. 2, six compartments are shown. However, other numbers of compartments may be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
     In use, individual roach traps may be inserted into the compartments formed by dividing walls  238 ,  242 ,  244 ,  246 , and  248  to form a wall or barrier of roach traps. Plural numbers of trap holders may be joined together using male dovetail joint  240  and female dovetail joint  220  to form a longer trap holder and thus longer barrier. The trap holder may be placed in an area known to be or suspected to be a pathway for roaches (e.g., under doors, near pipe entries, kitchen floors, countertops, or the like). 
     Roaches, when confronting such a wall of traps, must pass through one of the traps or turn back. Unlike prior art roach traps, which require the roach to seek out the trap, the trap holder of the present invention provides a wall of traps forming an insurmountable barrier to the roach such that the roach must pass through the trap. Thus, the use of baits, which may in any event be ineffective, may be eliminated or reduced, as no lure may be required. Moreover, unlike single roach traps, the trap holder of the present invention may trap roaches en masse, thus seriously reducing or eliminating a roach population. 
     Various ancillary features amy be provided in the roach trap holder of the present invention. Handle  270  may be provided to allow the holder to be moved and manipulated without touching the trap portions. Such a handle may make the trap more attractive to some users (e.g., housewives or the like) who may be revolted by the prospect of handling roach traps. In addition, such a handle may reduce the presence of any human scent on the trap which may discourage or repel roaches. 
     Mounting brackets  260  may be provided to mount the trap holder on a horizontal or vertical surface. Such a trap holder may be effective when used near pipe openings in walls. Mounting brackets  260  may also allow the trap holder to be mounted in such a vertical position. Other types of mounting, including hook-and-loop fasteners (e.g., VELCRO® brand hook-and-loop fastener or the like) may be used to mount the trap holder on walls or even ceilings. Similarly, such hook-and-loop fasteners amy be used to join adjacent traps together. 
     Once roaches are trapped, individual traps may be removed and disposed of in the conventional manner. Individual traps may comprise, for example, the well-known ROACH MOTEL™ trap known in the art may be inserted into the compartments formed by dividing walls  238 ,  242 ,  244 ,  246 , and  248  which may be sized accordingly. Alternately, the apparatus may be sized to accommodate a specially designed trap, or may be designed to accommodate a number of different trap types, including prior art traps. 
     FIG. 3 is an enlargement of groove  250  illustrated in FIG.  2 . Groove  250  may be provided to accept a planar trap illustrated in FIG.  4 . FIG. 4 is a top view of one embodiment of a trap for use with the trap holder of FIG.  2 . The trap of FIG. 4 may comprise a planar surface  410  made of cardboard or the like, provided with an adhesive coating  420  on one side thereof. Adhesive coating  420  may extend substantially to the edges of planar surface  410 . A tab  430  may be provided to allow the trap of FIG. 4 to be handled without having to contact adhesive  420  or dead roaches. 
     In use, the trap of FIG. 4 may be slid into one or more of the compartments formed by dividing walls  238 ,  242 ,  244 ,  246 , and  248  which may be sized accordingly. Groove  310  may serve to hold the trap of FIG. 4 into place. As may be readily appreciated, the trap of FIG. 4 may be more economical to produce than conventional adhesive traps, as no covering portion may be required. 
     For commercial use, the trap of FIG. 4 may be easily and economically produced. A release film (not shown) may be applied to the trap of FIG. 4 to prevent the adhesive from sticking or drying out in storage and transit. When the trap of FIG. 4 is to be inserted into the holder of FIG. 3, such a release film may then be removed. Note that the trap holder of FIG. 2 may thus be configured to hold both conventional style traps (e.g., ROACH MOTEL™ or the like) and the simplified trap of FIG.  4 . 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a trap for use with the trap holder of FIG.  2 . The trap of FIG. 5 may comprise top and bottom planar members  510  and  520 , respectively, which, along with side members  530  and  540  form an enclosure. Top and bottom planar members  510  and  520 , and side members  530  and  540  may be formed of cardboard or the like. Adhesive  550  may be provided on an inside surface of bottom member  520 , or, in the alternative, may be provided on any or all of top planar member  510  and side members  530  and  540 . 
     On top planar member  510 , a tab  560  may be provided to holding the trap of FIG.  5 . Such a tab may be formed as a perforated portion of top member  510 , which may be singled or double-walled cardboard. Tab  560  allows the trap of FIG. 5 to be handled without having to put ones hands in close proximity to the dead cockroaches, or risk leaving a human smell on the trap. Moreover, tab  560  may slide into slot  210  of the trap holder of FIG. 2 to help secure the trap to the trap holder. Slot  210  allows tab  560  to be readily gripped by a user. 
     FIG. 6 is a front view of a second embodiment of the trap holder of the present invention. In the holder of FIG. 6, box-types traps such as that illustrated in FIG. 5 or prior art traps (e.g., ROACH MOTEL™ or the like) may be used. A planar member  610  is provided with a plurality of stanchion  620 ,  630 ,  640 ,  650 ,  660 , and  670  for gripping and holding traps  680 . The locations of stanchion  620 ,  630 ,  640 ,  650 ,  660 , and  670  may be such that a slight interference fit is achieved so that trap  680  will slid into place with a friction fit. Enlarged portion  690  illustrates the details of stanchion  620 ,  630 ,  640 ,  650 ,  660 , and  670 . 
     The holder of FIG. 6 may be much less expensive than the apparatus of FIG. 2, and thus may be attractive for use in commercial applications of the like. 
     FIG. 7 is front view of a third embodiment of the trap holder of the present invention. In the embodiment of FIG. 7, stanchion  720 ,  730 ,  740 ,  750 ,  760 , and  770  may be designed with a slot, as illustrated in enlarged portion  790  so as to grip a card-type trap  780  such as that illustrated in FIG.  3 . The embodiment of FIG. 7, like that of FIG. 6, may be less expensive than the apparatus of FIG. 2, and thus may be attractive for use in commercial applications of the like. 
     FIG. 8 is a front view of a fourth embodiment of the trap holder of the present invention. The embodiment of FIG. 8 may be utilized for triangular traps known in the art similar to that as illustrated in Nishimura et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,044,495 issued Aug. 30, 1997 and incorporated herein by reference. 
     In the embodiment of FIG. 8, stanchion  820 ,  830 ,  840 ,  850 ,  860 , and  870  may be designed as inverted triangles, as illustrated in enlarged portion  890  so as to grip a triangular-shaped trap  880 . The embodiment of FIG. 8, like that of FIGS. 6 and 7, may be less expensive than the apparatus of FIG. 2, and may be implemented with commercially available roach traps. 
     FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a fifth embodiment of the trap holder of the present invention. In the embodiment of FIG. 9, roach trap holder  900  may be configured in a circular embodiment. Individual roach traps may be formed into wedge or pie-shaped “slices” which may be inserted into corresponding openings (e.g.,  910 ) in roach trap holder  900 . 
     The use of a circular embodiment of FIG. 9 allows for use of a central bait station. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a bait holder  1000  for trap holder  900  of FIG.  9 . Opening  920  may be provided in trap holder  900 . Opening  920  may be contiguous with each of the openings  910  in trap holder  900 . Bait holder  1000  may be fitted into opening  920 . Bait older  1000  may be fitted with cap portion  1020  which may be threaded-to engage with a corresponding portion of opening  920 . 
     Once inserted into trap holder  900 , bait holder  1000  will locate bait tray  1010  at a position where it may be accessed through each of openings  910 . Bait tray  1010  may be used to hold a variety of bait types. As noted above, the inventor has discovered that water may be used as an effective bait for roaches and the like. Thus, a liquid or solid bait may be used in bait tray  1000 . 
     In the embodiment of FIG. 9, individual traps may be installed and removed from openings  910 . Bait tray may  1000  may be similarly removed to refresh bait on occasion. If bait tray  1000  is threaded into trap holder  900 , handle  1030  may be used to lift the combined assembly. Other types of engagement between bait tray  1000  and trap holder  900  may be used. For example, a bayonet type joint may be used, or, in the alternative, a sliding engagement may be provided. 
     While the preferred embodiment and various alternative embodiments of the invention have been disclosed and described in detail herein, it may be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.