Patent Publication Number: US-2020288697-A1

Title: Snare trap

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a snare trap. 
     Description of the Prior Art 
     A conventional snare trap includes a trigger base, a cable and a spring mechanism. The spring mechanism includes an abutting member, a restricting member, a spring and a sleeving tube. The abutting member and the restricting member are disposed on the cable, and the spring and the sleeving tube are disposed between the abutting member and the restricting member. In operation, the cable forms a noose which keeps its configuration by the trigger base, and then the spring is compressed between the abutting member and the restricting member and restricted by the restricting member to accumulate force. The sleeving tube guides and receives the spring during compression of the spring for easy operation. An end of the cable opposite to the noose is fixed on an object (such as tree, pillar or the like) and the trigger base is disposed on a pit. When an animal is stepped on the trigger base, the trigger base drops into the pit and the noose is detached from the trigger base and sleeved on the animal&#39;s foot, and the spring stretches and pushes the abutting member to tighten the noose about the animal&#39;s foot. 
     However, the spring of the conventional snare trap has a long solid length so that the sleeving member with a dimension corresponding to the solid length of the spring is required to receive the whole spring, which increase weight and volume of the snare trap and is inconvenient to carry and set. 
     The present invention is, therefore, arisen to obviate or at least mitigate the above-mentioned disadvantages. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The main object of the present invention is to provide a snare trap which has a light weight and a small volume and is easy to carry and set. 
     To achieve the above and other objects, the snare trap of the present invention includes a trigger base and a snare assembly. The snare assembly includes a cable having a noose, an abutting mechanism sleeved on the cable, a restricting mechanism disposed on the cable and an elastic member disposed between the abutting mechanism and the restricting mechanism. The noose is releaseably disposed around the trigger base, and the elastic member is compressible and restricted by the restricting mechanism. The elastic member includes a plurality of segments connected with one another, and at least one of the plurality of segments includes a plurality of coils each having an outer diametric dimension different from an outer diametric dimension of another one of the plurality of coils. When the noose is disposed around the trigger base and the elastic member is compressed, at least two of the plurality of coils are radially overlapped with each other. 
     The present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, which show, for purpose of illustrations only, the preferred embodiment(s) in accordance with the present invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a stereogram of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an enlargement of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a stereogram showing assembling of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a cross sectional view of the present invention when an elastic member is compressing; 
         FIG. 5  is a cross sectional view of the present invention when the elastic member is totally compressed; 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic diagram showing comparison between a free length and a solid length of the elastic member of the present invention; 
         FIG. 7  is a cross sectional view showing setting of the present invention; 
         FIG. 8  is a schematic diagram showing operation of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Please refer to  FIGS. 1 to 8  for a preferable embodiment of the present invention. A snare trap of the present invention includes a trigger base  10  and a snare assembly  20 . 
     The snare assembly  20  includes a cable  21  having a noose  211 , an abutting mechanism  22  sleeved on the cable  21 , a restricting mechanism  23  disposed on the cable  21  and an elastic member  24  disposed between the abutting mechanism  22  and the restricting mechanism  23 . The noose  211  is releaseably disposed around the trigger base  10 , and the elastic member  24  is compressible and restricted by the restricting mechanism  23 . The elastic member  24  includes a plurality of segments  241  connected with one another, and at least one of the plurality of segments  241  includes a plurality of coils  242  each having an outer diametric dimension different from an outer diametric dimension of another one of the plurality of coils  242 . When the noose  211  is disposed around the trigger base  10  and the elastic member  24  is compressed, at least two of the plurality of coils  242  are radially overlapped with each other so as to have a light weight and a small volume and is easy to carry and set. 
     The elastic member  24  includes a plurality of large-diametric portions  243  and a plurality of small-diametric portions  244  which are axially alternatively arranged. When the elastic member  24  is compressed, part of the plurality of small-diametric portions  244  are radially overlapped with the plurality of large-diametric portions  243  so as to greatly decrease a length of the elastic member  24  after compression. A ratio of a maximum outer diameter of one of the plurality of large-diametric portions  243  to a minimum outer diameter of one of the plurality of small-diametric portions  244  is between 2 and 5 so that the elastic member  24  has good structural strength and the plurality of large-diametric portions  243  are large enough to receive the plurality of small-diametric portions  244 . 
     In this embodiment, the elastic member  24  includes at least 5 of said segments  241 ; the plurality of segments  241  are continuously connected with one another, which provides sufficient elastic force; each of the plurality of segments  241  spirally extends and is tapered from one of the plurality of large-diametric portions  243  toward one of the plurality of small-diametric portions  244 , which allows the elastic member  24  to have a small volume and preferable force accumulating effect when the elastic member  24  is compressed. With structures as described above, the elastic member  24  is compressible from a free length L 1  to a solid length L 2 , which greatly decreases the volume of the snare trap, as shown in  FIG. 6 . In other embodiments, the plurality of segments may be separately sleeved on the cable and be movable to connected with one another; adjacent two of the plurality of segments may be connected with each other by a connecting segment such as a rod, coils having the same diametrical dimensions or the like. 
     A diameter of the cable  21  is between 2 mm and 10 mm, and a wire diameter of the elastic member  24  is between 1.5 mm and 3.0 mm so as to provide sufficient structural strength. Preferably, the diameter of the cable  21  is between 4 mm and 8 mm, the wire diameter of the elastic member  24  is between 1.6 mm and 2.6 mm, and a ratio of the diameter of the cable  21  to the wire diameter of the elastic member  24  is between 2.0 and 3.5 so that the elastic member  24  can provide appropriate elastic force to tighten the noose  211  of the cable  21 , which prevents the noose  211  from being over-tightened or insufficiently tightened. 
     In this embodiment, the abutting mechanism  22  includes a first end cap  221  sleeved on the cable  21  and disposed between the noose  211  and the elastic member  24 , and the restricting mechanism  23  includes a restricting member  231  and a second end cap  232  sleeved on the cable  21  and disposed between the elastic member  24  and the restricting member  231 . The snare assembly  20  further includes a sleeving tube  30  sleeved on the cable  21  and located between the first and second end caps  221 ,  232 , and the elastic member  24  is compressible to receive within the sleeving tube  30 . In operation, the noose  211  is disposed around the trigger base  10  and the second end cap  232  is pushed toward the first end cap  221  to compress the elastic member  24 , and the sleeving tube  30  prevents the elastic member  24  from skewing during compression, as show in  FIG. 4 . When the elastic member  24  is compressed to a predetermined length, the second end cap  232  is blocked by the restricting member  231  so as to restrict stretching of the elastic member  24 , as shown in  FIG. 5 . In other embodiments, the sleeving tube may be integrally connected with one of the first and second end caps; the restricting member may be integrally connected with the second end cap; the first and second end caps may be sleeved on the cable by components additionally disposed thereon. 
     The snare trap further includes a blocking member  40  configured to be inserted within the ground. The blocking member  40  is a tube and includes a hollow portion  41  disposed thereon, and the trigger base  10  is disposed on the blocking member  40  and covers an opening of the hollow portion  41 , as shown in  FIG. 7 . The trigger base  10  includes a plate  11  and two clips  12  pivotally disposed on the plate  11 , and a diametric dimension of the plate  11  is smaller than a diametric dimension of the opening. The two clips  12  respectively have at least one engaging arm  121  which radially extends outward and is releasebly disposed on the blocking member  40 . When an animal is stepped on the plate  11 , the two clips  12  are swung away from the plate  11 , the noose  211  is detached form the clips  12  and sleeved on the animal&#39;s foot, and the elastic member  24  stretches and pushes the abutting member to tighten the noose  211  about the animal&#39;s foot, as shown in  FIG. 8 . 
     Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited except as by the appended claims.