Patent Publication Number: US-2018035657-A1

Title: Pest control system

Description:
FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates generally to pest control systems and more particularly to pest traps that incorporate an attractant. 
     BACKGROUND 
     The enjoyment of any particular environment can be severely hindered by pests such as flying insects. To address the inconvenience and discomfort of having insects invade these spaces, a variety of pest management systems (i.e. pest traps) have been proposed through the years. 
     In one type of commonly used pest trap, a chemical or biological attractant is used to lure the target pest into a trap enclosure. The attractant may be provided in liquid form, and may further comprise a killing agent. In other forms, the attractant may be incorporated into a sticky glue layer, which entraps the pest upon contact. 
     Another type of pest trap incorporates light to attract the target pest. Insect light traps are commonly found in commercial applications, for example around food preparation and serving areas. Inset light traps may incorporate secondary capture features such as sticky glue surfaces to enhance the capture efficiency. 
     For residential use, it is desirable to have a pest trap that incorporates multiple pest attractants into a system that is easy to use, easy to clean, and is generally attractive in form. 
     SUMMARY 
     According to an aspect of the disclosure, provided is a pest control system. The pest control system includes a pest confinement chamber for receiving a pest attractant, and a chamber base for supporting the pest confinement chamber. The pest confinement chamber is provided with at least one pest aperture to permit entry of a target pest into the pest confinement chamber. The chamber base includes a housing body containing an illumination assembly for illuminating the pest confinement chamber. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The foregoing and other features and advantages will be apparent from the following description of the disclosure as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form a part of the specification, further serve to explain the principles of the disclosure and to enable a person skilled in the pertinent art to make and use the disclosure. The drawings are not to scale. 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the pest control system in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the pest control system according to  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a longitudinal sectional view of the pest control system according to  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a transverse sectional view of the pest control system according to  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Specific embodiments of the present disclosure are now described with reference to the figures, wherein like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements. The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the disclosure or the application and uses of the disclosure. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical field, background, brief summary or the following detailed description. 
     Reference is made to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , which show a pest control system  10  in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The pest control system  10  includes a pest confinement chamber  20  and a chamber base  22  for supporting the pest confinement chamber  20  upon a support surface (i.e. a table, not shown). 
     The pest confinement chamber  20  includes a chamber body  24  and a chamber cover  26 . The chamber body  24  and chamber cover  26  cooperatively define the overall shape and volume of the pest confinement chamber  20 . In the embodiment shown, the pest confinement chamber  20  is generally ellipsoid. The chamber cover  26  is removeably connectable to the chamber body  24  at an interface  28 . The interface  28  is located at or proximal a midpoint between the uppermost region and the lowermost region of the pest confinement chamber  20 . For the generally ellipsoid-shaped pest confinement chamber  20  of  FIG. 1 , the interface  28  is at or proximal a plane M p , as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . Continuing with  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the chamber cover  26  provides a circumferential flange  30  that cooperates with a circumferential lip  32  provided on the chamber body  24 . The circumferential flange  30  of the chamber cover  26  and the circumferential lip  32  of the chamber body  24  are dimensioned to provide an interference fit therebetween, ensuring the chamber cover  26  is securely but removeably connected to the chamber body  24 . Removal of the chamber cover  26  from the chamber body  24  facilitates cleaning of the pest confinement chamber  20  after a period of use. 
     The chamber base  22  is configured to support the pest confinement chamber  20 . The chamber base  22  includes a housing body  34 , an illumination assembly  36  contained within the housing body  34 , and a housing bottom panel  38 . As shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the housing bottom panel  38  is generally sized to fit within a recess  40  provided at the lowermost portion of the housing body  34 . Any suitable joining solution may be implemented to retain the housing bottom panel  38  on the housing body  34  including mechanical fasteners (i.e. threaded fasteners) as well as adhesive bonding and welding (i.e. ultrasonic welding). In the embodiment shown, the housing bottom panel  38  provides a plurality of fastener projections  39  that align with a respective fastener post  41  on the housing body  34 . The fastener projections  39  are secured to the fastener posts  41  using threaded fasteners (not shown). The housing bottom panel  38  provides a battery access opening  42  and is configured to receive a battery compartment cover  44 . The manner of attachment of the battery compartment cover  44  to the housing bottom panel  38  may take on a variety of forms. As shown, the battery compartment cover  44  includes at least one stationary tang  46  at a first end  48 , and a deflectably moveable latch  50  at a second end  52 . The at least one stationary tang  46  and the deflectably moveable latch  50  are received in suitable receptacles provided on the housing bottom panel  38 , as generally known in the art. When the battery compartment cover  44  is attached to the housing bottom panel  38 , the battery compartment cover  44  covers the battery access opening  42  and any batteries contained therein as part of the illumination assembly  36 . 
     The housing body  34  provides a support surface  72  that is generally shaped to complement the pest containment chamber  20 . In the exemplary embodiment, in a direction bisecting the pest control system  10  through the major axis (i.e. the longitudinal axis) of the pest confinement chamber  20  (as shown in  FIG. 3 ), the support surface  72  of the housing body  34  is provided with a shape that generally matches the elliptical profile of the pest containment chamber  20 . In a direction that is transverse to this first direction, that is through the minor axis of the pest confinement chamber  20  (as shown in  FIG. 4 ), the support surface  72  of the housing body  34  is generally planar. 
     The housing body  34 , as well as the housing bottom panel  38  and battery compartment cover  44  may be formed of a suitable polymeric material, including but not limited to, thermoplastics and thermosets. These components may be injection molded, for formed through any alternative process suitable for forming the parts in question. 
     Mounting of the pest containment chamber  20  upon the chamber base  22 , and in particular upon the housing body  34  is facilitated through the use of one or more mating or otherwise cooperating structures provided at the interface therebetween. As shown for example in  FIG. 3 , the chamber body  24  provides a pair of mount structures  54  that are releasably received by a respective pair of mount receptacles  56  provided on the housing body  34  of the chamber base  22 . The mount structures  54  are generally sized relative to the mount receptacles  56  to establish a snug but detachable fit therebetween, enabling detachment of the pest containment chamber  20  from the chamber base  22  when required (i.e. for cleaning). 
     The illumination assembly  36  is contained within the housing body  34  of the chamber base  22 . The illumination assembly includes an assembly housing  58 , a light source  60  (e.g. a light-emitting diode (LED)), a power source (e.g. one or more battery units housed within the assembly housing  58 ) for powering the light source  60 , an on/off switch  62  to control delivery of power to the light source  60 , and suitable wiring for connecting these components into an operable electronic circuit. The electronic circuitry of the illumination assembly  36  is provided and contained within the assembly housing  58 . The light source  60  is arranged in the assembly housing  58  so as to protrude outwardly from an assembly housing surface  64  on the topmost side of the assembly housing  58 . Also protruding outwardly from the housing surface  64  is the on/off switch  62 . 
     The housing bottom panel  38  may include a plurality of assembly posts  66  to secure the illumination assembly  36  on the housing bottom panel  38  in a fixed position relative to the battery access opening  42 . One or more of the plurality of assembly posts  66  may be configured with suitable features to retain the illumination assembly  36  in the fixed position. For example, the assembly posts  66  may present a mechanical fastener (i.e. tabs, clips, screws, etc.) that engages the illumination assembly  36  to retain it in position. Alternatively, a bonded interface between the assembly posts  66  and the illumination assembly  36  may be established, for example through the use of a suitable adhesive, or by way of welded attachment (i.e. ultrasonic welding). 
     In the assembled state, the light source  60  of the illumination assembly  36  is positioned proximal a centrally located illumination aperture  68  provided on the housing body  34  of the chamber base  22 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , the housing body  34  provides a light source sleeve  70  for receiving the light source  60  and directing light emitted therefrom towards the illumination aperture  68 . To prevent interference with the pest containment chamber  20  supported by the chamber base  22 , the light source  60  may protrude partially into but not beyond the illumination aperture  68 , that is it does not extend beyond a support surface  72  of the housing body  34  of the chamber base  22 . 
     The on/off switch  62  of the illumination assembly  36  is positioned to protrude through a switch aperture  74  provided on the housing body  34  of the chamber base  22 . The on/off switch  62  is accessible to a user of the pest control system  10  to activate the illumination assembly  36 . The on/off switch  62  may be provided in the form of a pushbutton switch, but it will be appreciated that other switch types may be suitably implemented. 
     The chamber cover  26  of the pest confinement chamber  20  is provided with at least one pest aperture to permit target pest entry into the pest confinement chamber  20 . As shown, the pest aperture is provided in the form of a centrally located funnel  76  on the uppermost surface of the pest confinement chamber  20 . The funnel  76  includes an opening  78  and a collar  80  extending into the pest confinement chamber from the opening  78 . As shown, the collar  80  extends at least partially into the interior volume delimited by the chamber cover  28  of the pest confinement chamber  20 . 
     The pest confinement chamber  20  may be formed of any suitable polymeric material, including but not limited to thermoplastic and thermosetting polymers. The chamber body  24  and the chamber cover  26  of the pest confinement chamber  20  may be injection molded, or formed through any suitable alternative molding process to achieve the desired shape. The chamber body  24  and the chamber cover  26  may be formed of either transparent or opaque material. It will be appreciated that the chamber body  24  and the chamber cover  26  need not be formed of the same material. In one embodiment, the chamber cover  26  is formed of a clear material, while the chamber body  24  is formed of an opaque material. In this arrangement, the target pest will be attracted to the light visible through the chamber cover  26  of the pest confinement chamber  20 , while the opaque chamber body  24  serves to obscure view of the pest attractant/pesticide and/or the target pests captured therein. 
     While the pest confinement chamber  20  has been shown to include a pest aperture in the form of the funnel  76 , it will be appreciated that in some embodiments, the pest aperture may be presented in a different form. For example, in an alternative embodiment, the pest aperture may be a simple opening, that is without an inner collar. In another embodiment, the pest confinement chamber  20  may present multiple pest apertures. It may also be advantageous in certain embodiments to provide the pest confinement chamber  20  a plurality of differently configured pest apertures. It will be appreciated that different target pests may exhibit different behaviours that necessitate the incorporation of certain features into a pest control system. As such, a range of pest confinement chambers may be manufactured and marketed having specific pest apertures for targeting certain select target pests. 
     In use, the pest control system  10  provides at least two methods of attraction for the target pests. In a first method, the target pest is attracted to the pest attractant (e.g. chemical attractant, pheromones, etc.) added and contained within the pest confinement chamber  20 . The pest attractant may be any suitable solid or liquid attractant, and may also be or contain a substance with insecticidal properties. In some applications, the pest confinement chamber  20  may simply contain water or some other liquid having neither attractant, nor insecticidal properties, but otherwise presents an environment likely to kill the target pests. In a second method, the pest confinement chamber  20  is illuminated by the illumination assembly  36 , which serves as an additional attractant for target pests. By forming the pest confinement chamber  20  of a transparent material, target pests, including but not limited to flying insects may be attracted from greater distances to the pest confinement chamber  20 . The use of at least these two methods of attraction improves the trapping effect of the pest control system  10 . 
     The target pest itself may be any suitable target pest, such as ants, cockroaches, various types of flying insects, or any other suitable type of pest. 
     While the light source may be an LED as suggested above, it will be appreciated that other light sources may be used. The illumination assembly  36  may also be configured to present a light source having a desired spectral quality. For example, the illumination assembly may be configured to present a light source that emits a greater proportion of light at the blue end of the visible spectrum. 
     The pest control system  10  incorporates at least two methods of attracting target pests into an easy to use system. The pest confinement chamber may be provided in a variety of shapes, enabling the system to be produced having regard to both aesthetic and pest attractant/control characteristics. The removable pest confinement chamber enables easy cleaning, making the system suitable for residential use, although the system may be successfully used in commercial applications. 
     While various embodiments have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented only as illustrations and examples of the present disclosure, and not by way of limitation. It will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art that various changes in form and detail can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the appended claims and their equivalents. It will also be understood that each feature of each embodiment discussed herein, and of each reference cited herein, can be used in combination with the features of any other embodiment. All patents and publications discussed herein are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.