Patent Publication Number: US-10327435-B2

Title: LED insect light trap with light transmissive glue board

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCED TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 15/132,558, filed Apr. 19, 2016, entitled “INSECT LIGHT TRAP WITH LIGHT TRANSMISSIVE GLUE BOARD”, which is deemed incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not applicable. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     I. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to insect traps. More specifically, the present invention relates to improvements to insect traps employing a light source as an insect attractant and a glue board as an insect capture device. 
     II. Discussion of Related Art 
     Those skilled in the art know that light provides an effective insect attractant and that light in the ultraviolet (“UV”) range of the light spectrum is particularly attractive to many flying insects. UV light is light having a wave length generally in the range of 100 to 400 nanometers. 
     Based on this phenomena, designers of insect light traps have often employed fluorescent tubes incorporating phosphor that predominantly emits UV light instead of white light visible to humans. One advantage of such fluorescent UV tubes is that they can be “tuned” to give off peak light in very narrow UV ranges based upon the phosphor selected. For example, europium-doped strontium fluoroborate phosphor will produce a peak emission of light in the 368 to 371 nanometer range while lead-doped barium silicate phosphor will produce a peak emission of light in the 350 to 353 nanometer range. However, energy consumption by such light sources and disposal of such light sources create environmental issues. Health concerns can also arise if the fluorescent tube breaks and its contents are inhaled or ingested. 
     Those skilled in the art also know that an insect trap must not only lure the insects to the trap, but must also either capture or kill the insects that are lured to the trap. Four basic methods are used. First, electrical grids that electrocute the insects coming into contact with the grid have been used. These, however, are entirely unsuitable for restaurants and other areas where food is prepared or served due to splatter of bug parts. Second, various poisons have been employed, but the use of a poison is unacceptable where young children are present who might ingest the poison. Third, various mechanisms have been employed to move the insects into chambers from which the insect cannot escape. For flying insects, this technique typically involves the use of fans that create an airflow or current drawing the insects into a chamber and then preventing the insects from escaping. Fourth, adhesive surfaces such as those of glue boards have been used. Glue boards are generally safe, but a glue board coated with flying insects is generally unsightly and unpleasant to look at. Also, if the light source is any distance from the glue board, insects attracted to the light source may never come into contact with the glue board and, thus, may fly away without being captured. 
     In view of the foregoing, there is a real need for improvements in flying insect trap design, both in terms of insect attraction and capture. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to insect traps including a light source, a glue board and a housing. The light source comprises an electronic circuit including a plurality of spaced apart light-emitting diodes adapted to emit light in differing portions of the light spectrum. The glue board includes a substrate having front and back sides and an adhesive layer coating a selected portion of the front side. The glue board is adapted to permit UV light to pass through the glue board. This can be achieved by making the glue board out of UV transparent or UV translucent materials, or perforating the glue board if the substrate is made of a material otherwise opaque to UV light. 
     The housing is adapted to hold the electronic circuit and the glue board so that the front side of the glue board coated with the adhesive faces away from the electronic circuit and the light-emitting diodes emit UV light through the glue board. The housing also has a front panel including openings defined by closed sections having edges. The openings permit flying insects to enter the trap through such openings. The openings also permit the adhesive layer of the glue board to be viewed through such openings by flying insects. The closed sections are adapted to cause at least some of the light from the light-emitting diodes reaching the closed sections to bounce off the closed sections and on to the adhesive layer coating a portion of the front surface of the glue board. The closed sections also serve to at least partially mask from the view of humans standing or sitting in the room insects stuck to the glue board. 
     When a trap having the above-described features is in use and the adhesive layer of the glue board is viewed by flying insects through the openings in the front panel of the housing, a pattern is presented on the glue board comprising bright direct UV light from the light-emitting diodes, dimmer bounced UV light and shadows. 
     The various components described above may include other features. The electronic circuit may be adapted to be powered by household current. The electronic circuit may be coupled to prongs projecting directly from a flat surface on the back of the housing and adapted to be plugged into a standard electrical socket such that the prongs not only supply power to the circuit, but also physically support the insect trap. Alternatively, a battery may power the electrical circuit and an alternative mounting means may be employed to hang the trap on a wall, ceiling or other stable structure. 
     Also, the light-emitting diodes of the circuit may be arranged in a pattern. That pattern may comprise at least two rows of light-emitting diodes. When the glue board has perforations, those perforations may be arranged in the same pattern as the pattern of the light-emitting diodes. The light-emitting diodes may also be adapted to emit light in both the ultraviolet and visible light ranges. The electrical circuit comprising the light-emitting diodes may also be designed to cause the light-emitting diodes to selectively dim and brighten or cycle on and off to increase insect attraction. 
     Alternatively, the LEDs may be selected and arranged to cast light in a pattern attractive to flying insects generally or to specific species of insects. The LEDs may be selected or adapted to cast light at different wavelengths. For example, a first group of LEDs used may cast light in the 5000K range approximately soft daylight. Another group of LEDs used may cast light at a wavelength of about 560 nm such that the light has a yellowish green color. Still another group of LEDs used may cast light that has a wavelength of about 430 nm so that it has a purple or blue color. Another group of LEDs used may cast light in the UV range such as light having a wavelength of 368 nm. The LEDs may be arranged so that the light emitted by the LEDs is directed onto an attraction surface (preferably the adhesive surface of a glue board) in a pattern highly attractive to the insects to be trapped. To humans, for example, this surface may have a violet or deep blue center area boarded by green areas between the center area and the edges of the attraction surface. 
     The electronic circuit may be provided to control the aforementioned groups of LEDs or individual LEDs. The electronic circuit may include a programmable microprocessor unit that controls when and which LEDs are on and off, which LEDs flicker and the duration and pattern of the flickering of the LEDs, the brightness of the LEDs, modulation of the brightness of the LEDs, the pattern of modulation of the LEDs, and the like. The output of the LEDs may also be controlled to account for ambient light conditions. Different programs may be used depending upon the species of insects that are the subject of extermination efforts, and to address ambient light conditions. 
     The glue board may be UV transparent or UV translucent. Alternatively, the glue board may be generally UV opaque, but have perforations which enable UV light to pass through the glue board. If generally UV opaque with perforations, the glue board may be colored black to partially mask from the human eye any insects stuck to the glue board. Otherwise, humans could see the insects due to the presence of ambient light even though humans cannot see the UV light generated by the light-emitting diodes. The adhesive may be selected to provide a glossy surface to increase insect attraction or to provide a matte surface to better hide the captured insects from the view of humans. The substrate or adhesive may be smooth to cause the UV light to bounce off the glue board in a specular manner, or may be textured to cause the UV light to bounce off the glue board in a more diffuse manner. 
     The housing may have an opening that permits the glue board to be quickly and easily removed and replaced without removing any portion of the housing. Also, the edges of the openings in the front of the housing may be adapted to be illuminated by the light-emitting diodes to essentially frame the openings with insect attractant light. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The features and attributes which may be employed to practice the present invention will be better understood from a review of the detailed description provided below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing the front of a flying insect trap; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view showing the back of the trap of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view showing the top of the trap of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the trap of  FIG. 1  with the glue board partially removed from the housing; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the trap of  FIG. 1  with the glue board entirely removed from the housing; 
         FIG. 6 ; is a schematic view of one example of a circuit that may be used to generate insect attracting light; 
         FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view of the glue board of the insect trap of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a schematic diagram showing how different groups of LEDs may be deployed to create a desired light pattern on an attraction surface such as the adhesive surface of a glue board; and 
         FIG. 9  is a schematic diagram of an alternative electronic circuit for displaying insect attractant light in accordance with a selected programmed set of instructions. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     This description of the preferred embodiment is intended to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings, which are to be considered part of the entire written description of this invention. In the description, relative terms such as “lower”, “upper”, “horizontal”, “vertical”, “above”, “below”, “up”, “down”, “top” and “bottom”, “under”, as well as derivatives thereof (e.g., “horizontally”, “downwardly”, “upwardly”, “underside”, etc.) should be construed to refer to the orientation as then described or as shown in the drawings under discussion. These relative terms are for convenience of description and do not require that the apparatus be constructed or operated in a particular orientation. Terms such as “connected”, “connecting”, “attached”, “attaching”, “joined”, and “joining” are used interchangeably and refer to one structure or surface being secured to another structure or surface or integrally fabricated in one piece unless expressly described otherwise. 
     The flying insect trap  1  shown in the drawings comprises a housing  10 , a glue board  50 , and an electronic circuit  70 . These elements combine to provide a unique display of insect attractant light directly on the front side  52  of the glue board  50 . An adhesive coating  54  on the front side  52  of the glue board  50  captures any insects coming into contact with the front side  52  of the glue board  50 . 
     The housing  10  shown in the drawings has a back compartment  12  in which electronic circuit  70  is stored. The back compartment  12  comprises a back wall  14 . The back wall  14  has a flat surface and two electrical prongs  16  and  18  project from this flat surface. While the drawings show the entire back wall  14  to be flat, this is not necessary. For example, the portion of the back wall  14  surrounding the prongs  16  and  18  could be a generally flat surface with other portions of the wall being at an angle from, parallel to, or even having a contour other than the flat surface. The prongs  16  and  18  provide two functions when plugged into a standard electrical outlet (not shown) supplying household current. First, the prongs  16  and  18  supply electrical energy to the electronic circuit  70 . Second, the prongs  16  and  18  support the entire insect traps  1 . 
     The back compartment  12  has two side walls  20  and  22 , a top wall  24 , and a bottom wall  26 . The bottom wall includes an extension  28  that prevents the glue board  50  from falling out the bottom of the housing  10 . As shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the back compartment  12  also includes a front wall  30 . As shown, the front wall has six round openings  32 . Light-emitting diodes  72 - 82  are visible through the openings  32 . The shape and number of these openings may vary without deviating from the invention. 
     In addition to the back compartment  12 , the housing  10  has a front panel  34 . The front panel  34  may be integrally formed with, permanently adhered to, or temporarily fastened to the back compartment  12 . As shown in the drawings, the front panel  34  is coupled at its opposite edges to the two side walls  20  and  22  of compartment  12  and bows outwardly from the two side walls  20  and  22 . This provides a large top opening  36  through which glue board  50  can be inserted, removed and replaced. While there is a similar opening  38  at the bottom, the extension  28  of the bottom wall  26  of back compartment  12  reduces the size of the bottom opening  38  preventing the glue board from dropping out the bottom of the trap  1  when the trap  1  is plugged into an electrical outlet. 
     The front panel  34  also includes a plurality of openings  40  defined by closed sections  42  having edges  44 . The openings  40  and closed sections  42  are each generally elongate extending from side wall  20  to side wall  22 . The openings  40  permit insects to enter and light to exit the trap. The openings  40  also permit the flying insect to view the insect attractant light display described below that is presented on the glue board  50 . The closed sections  42  interfere with the ability of people to readily view any insects trapped on the glue board  50 , prevent young children from touching the glue board  50  and the insects adhered to the adhesive layer  54  of glue board  50 , and also help provide a display of light on the front surface  52  of glue board  50  that is highly attractive to flying insects. 
     Glue board  50  comprises a substrate  51  and has a front side  52  and a back side  53 . An adhesive layer  54  on the front side  52  coats a selected portion of the substrate  51 . As shown in  FIG. 6 , the edges  56  of the substrate  51  are left uncoated so a user need not touch the adhesive layer  54  when replacing the glue board  50 . The features of the glue board  50  discussed above are common to many glue boards offered by pest control device manufacturers. However, glue board  50  has distinguishing features. As shown in the drawings, the glue board  50  is adapted to permit UV light to pass through the glue board  50 . This is achieved either by making the substrate of a UV light transmissive material (i.e., a UV transparent or a UV translucent material) or, as shown, by including a plurality of perforation  58  extending through at least the substrate  51 . 
     Examples of such UV light transmissive materials include fused silica, calcium fluoride, magnesium fluoride and various acrylic sheets such as Acrylite Op-4 sold by CYRO Industries of Parsippany, N.J. These materials tend to be relatively expensive, so the less expensive option of perforating the substrates typically employed to construct glue boards may be preferred in certain situations. The number, position and shape of the perforations  58  correspond to the openings  32  in the front wall  30  of back compartment  12 . When the glue board  50  is positioned in the housing  10 , each perforation  58  is aligned with one of the openings  32  to provide pathways for UV light to exit the back compartment  12  and pass through the glue board  50 . 
     The UV light referenced above is generated by electronic circuit  70 . As shown in  FIG. 6 , the circuit  70  comprises six separate light-emitting diodes  72 - 82 . The circuit further includes resistors  84 ,  86  and  88 , capacitors  90  and  92  and a full waive rectifier bridge  94 . Bridge  94  converts to direct current the 120 v alternating current supplied to the prongs  16  and  18  by the electrical outlet (not shown). The various resistors and capacitors control the delivery of electrical energy to the light-emitting diodes  72 - 82 . 
     The electrical circuit  70  is adapted to fit in the back compartment  12  of the housing  10  so that the light-emitting diodes  72 - 82  are aligned with the openings  32  through the front wall  30  of back compartment  12 . As such, light emitted by the light-emitting diodes can pass through openings  32 , the perforations  58  of the glue board  50  when the glue board  50  is positioned in housing  10 , and through openings  40  in the front panel  34  of housing  10 . The light-emitting diodes  72 - 82  are of a type that generate peak output in the UV light range which is most attractive to flying insects. The circuit  70  may also be adapted to selectively dim and brighten the light-emitting diodes  72 - 82  (or to cycle them on and off) in a controlled sequence to increase insect attraction. The circuit may also be adapted to be powered by a battery supplying DC current. 
     The combination of elements described above is highly advantageous because it presents a light pattern on the front surface  52  of the glue board  50  that is highly attractive to flying insects. That pattern includes areas of bright direct UV light from the light-emitting diodes  72 - 82  that passes through openings  40  in the front panel  34 , perforations  58  through the glue board  50  and openings  32  in the front wall  30  of the housing  10 . That pattern also includes areas of dimmer UV light which travels from the light-emitting diodes  72 - 82  to the closed sections  42  of the front panel and bounces off the front panel back to the front surface  52  of the glue board  10 . That pattern also includes areas of shadow on the front surface  52  of the glue board  50  where no or minimal direct or bounced UV light reaches the front of the glue board  50 . 
     As noted above, the closed sections  42  of the front panel  34  have edges  44 . The edges  44  are also illuminated by the light-emitting diodes  72 - 82  which is believed to aid in insect attractancy. The edges  44  frame the openings  40 . 
     Further, the adhesive layer  54  on the front surface  52  of glue board  50  may be modified in various ways to enhance insect attractancy. The adhesive layer can be light transmissive in the UV range so that light from the light-emitting diodes  72 - 82  can travel through this layer. This is particularly important if the adhesive layer covers the perforations  58  or if the substrate  51  is made of a UV transparent or UV translucent material. The adhesive layer  54  can be made to diffuse the UV light or to cause the UV light to bounce off the front surface of the glue board  50  in a specular manner. Either of these effects can be achieved by modifying the chemistry of the adhesive material used or the physical nature of the adhesive surface. A rough surface will tend to diffuse the UV light. A smooth surface will act like a mirror. 
     Still further, the glue board  50  (or either the substrate or adhesive layer) may be stamped or otherwise textured with a preselected pattern of depressions and ridges that cause brighter and dimmer areas of UV light on the front surface  52  of the glue board  50 . These ridges and depressions may also be arranged to provide either sharp or blurred lines of demarcation between areas of shadow and light. 
     Likewise, the light-emitting diodes may be randomly arranged or arranged in any suitable pattern for achieving insect attraction. The pattern may, for example, include two rows of light-emitting diodes, as illustrated. The pattern of holes  32  in the front wall  30  of the back compartment  12  and the pattern of the perforations  58  in the glue board should match the selected pattern of the light-emitting diodes  72 - 82 . Likewise, the number, size, shape and arrangement of light-emitting diodes (and openings) should be adapted to that UV light is still present even if one of the perforations is blocked by the body of a captured insect. 
     Those skilled in the art of insect trap design have operated under the premise that UV light is an effective insect attractant. While this is generally true, a display of light of various wavelengths in both the UV and visible ranges provides even greater insect attraction. Such a display can be created using a plurality of LEDs that generate light in different wavelengths. 
     One such display formed on an attraction surface, which may be the adhesive surface of a glue board  114 , is shown in  FIG. 8 . The glue board has a plurality of holes  58  extending at least through the glue board&#39;s substrate. The LEDs  100 ,  102 ,  104  and  106  are arranged either behind the glue board so light emitted from the LEDs passes via the holes  58  through the glue board. Alternatively, the glue board and LEDs may be arranged and mounted such that the LEDs reside in or extend through the holes  58  of the glue board. 
     The pattern illustrated in  FIG. 8  is created using four different sets of LEDs. A first set consists of LEDs  100 . A second set consists of the LEDs  102 . LEDs  104  provide a third set of LEDs and LEDs  106  provide a fourth set of LEDs. Each set of LEDs is adapted to emit light of a different wavelength than the other sets. 
     Specifically, the first set of LEDs, consisting of LEDs  100 , produces soft white light emulating daylight, i.e., light in the range of 4000K to 6000K. Preferably, this light will have a wavelength of 5000K. Such light is visible to humans. The second set of LEDs, consisting of LEDs  102 , produces light that is in the yellow or green portion of the visible light spectrum, i.e., light having a wavelength between 500 and 590 nm. Preferably, the light emitted by the second set of LEDs has a wavelength of 560 nm. In  FIG. 8 , LEDs  102  are positioned adjacent the right and left edges of glue board  114 . As such, the areas designated  110  have a green tint. 
     The third set of LEDs, consisting of LEDs  104 , produces light in the violet or blue portion of the visible light spectrum, i.e., light between 380 nm and 495 nm. Most preferably, the wavelength of the light generated by LEDs  104  has a wavelength of 430 nm. The LEDs  104  are located near the center of the glue board  114 . As such, the area designated  112  has a blue or purple tint. The fourth set of LEDs, consisting of LEDs  106 , generates light in the UV range, i.e., light having a wavelength at or below 400 nm. Preferably, the wavelength of light generated by LEDs  106  is in the UV-A range, i.e., between 315 nm and 400 nm. UV light having a wavelength of 368 nm has proven to be highly effective so the LEDs  106  may be selected to give off light of this wavelength. LEDs  106  are present in each section  110  and section  112 . Thus, sections  110  of the glue board  114  are reflecting both green light and UV light and section  112  is reflecting both blue or violet light and UV light. 
     The light reflected off the glue board  114  is arranged in a pattern more attractive to flying insects, and particularly flies, than other patterns that have been employed. Also, because the pattern is cast directly on the adhesive layer, insects will fly to and land on that layer where they become captured in the adhesive. This, too, improves the efficacy of the trap. Further, while  FIG. 8  shows a sharp line of demarcation between the outer sections  110  and the center section  112 , these lines are blurred in actual use because of the way light traveling from the LED reaches the various portions of the glue board. Most of the light reaches the glue board directly from the LEDs. Some light from the LEDs is reflected from other features of the trap onto the glue board or alternative substrate of the attraction assembly. 
     Additionally, a control circuit may be provided to permit separate control of each of the LEDs or group of LEDs. A schematic diagram of an exemplary control circuit  120  is illustrated in  FIG. 9 . As illustrated, the operation of each LED  100 - 104  is separately coupled to its own program register  122 , pulse width modulator  124  and driver  126 . This permits the on/off state of each LED to be separately controlled. 
     More specifically, various operating characteristics of each LED can be separately controlled to increase insect attraction. Examples include:
         Whether the LED is on or off;   Whether the LED operates at a constant power output or whether the power output is modulated over time;   If the power output is modulated over time, the pattern, timing, and amounts of changes in the power output;   Whether the LED is constantly on or flickers on and off;   If the LED flickers on and off, the pattern and timing of the flickering.       

     Further, these and other operating characteristics of each individual LED can be coordinated by the microprocessor unit  130  based on a preprogrammed set of instructions. A user can select between various programs which are individually tailored to address the specific species of insects to be captured and the light characteristics that achieves the best capture rate for such species. Such programs can also be individually tailored to take into account ambient light conditions or anticipated changes in ambient light conditions during the course of a day that can also affect insect attraction. The microprocessor unit  130  delivers these instructions via interface  132  to the instruction decoder  134 . In turn, the instruction decoder  134  populates the separate program registers  122  associated with each separate LED based on the instructions provided by the microprocessor unit  130 . The LEDs  100  through  106  are thus operated pursuant to the instructions provided by the microprocessor unit  130 . 
     Various advantages arise from the trap described above. First, the light-emitting diodes  72 - 82  (or  100 - 106 ) generate intense UV light without requiring much in the way of electrical power. Second, the glue board  50  is easily replaced. Third, the openings  40  in the front panel  34  are large enough to permit flying insects to see the insect attractive UV light display on the front surface of the glue board, yet small enough such that the closed sections  42  effectively prevent children from reaching into the trap. Likewise, the closed sections  42  generally block from human view any insects stuck to the adhesive surface of the glue board  50 . This is particularly true when the user is at a standing or seated position because of the height at which electrical outlets are typically mounted. 
     In certain embodiments, the insect attractant light pattern is on the glue board itself. Thus, insects attracted by the pattern are more likely to come into contact with the adhesive surface of glue board  50  than if the pattern is some distance from the glue board as is the case with prior art insect traps employing a glue board. 
     The foregoing description is intended to explain the various features and advantages, but is not intended to be limiting. The scope of the invention is defined by the following claims which are also intended to cover a reasonable range of equivalents.