Patent Publication Number: US-2011072710-A1

Title: Insect trap

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     There are no related applications. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to an insect trap and, more particularly, to a fruit fly trap adapted to hold an attractant. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     People have long sought to eliminate insects from the home and elsewhere using various products. Some of these products comprise insecticides placed outside the home to prevent entry or inside the home to kill the insects. Other known products include repellants which keep the insects away. Many of these products comprise chemical formulations which may be undesirable in certain situations. 
     Various insect traps have been used to capture insects without the use of any exposed chemicals. With any such trap, it is necessary to attract the insect into the trap but then prevent exit from the trap. With animals, this is often done with trap doors or the like which use a spring action to close a door to entrap the animal. However, such a trap is generally useful only with larger animals where the weight of the animal is used to actuate the trap. Greater difficulties exist when trying to trap small insects. 
     One such small insect which can prove difficult to trap is a fruit fly. Fruit flies are attracted to various food products, particularly fruit. While people often like to store fruit in the open, the fruit itself becomes an attractant for the fruit flies. Fruit flies are very small, typically measuring about ⅛″ in length. 
     Thus, there is desired an insect trap capable of capturing a fruit fly or the like by simulating the fruit product in order to attract the fruit fly into a capture space and subsequently prevent escape from the capture space. 
     The present invention is directed to solving one or more of the problems discussed above in a novel and simple manner. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the invention, there is provided an insect trap adapted to capture small insects. 
     Broadly, there is disclosed in accordance with one aspect of the invention an insect trap comprising a base including a shaped hollow body to define a capture space. The body has an access opening. A cover is selectively receivable on the base at the access opening to enclose the capture space. The cover includes a plurality of tunnels for entry of insects into the capture space. Each tunnel comprises a bore through the cover and an elongate tubular wall extending inwardly from the cover surrounding the bore and opening at an outlet into the capture space. 
     It is a feature of the invention that the cover is of unitary one piece construction with the tunnels integrally formed on the cover. 
     It is another feature of the invention that the base and cover are formed of plastic. 
     It is a further feature of the invention that the tubular wall is cylindrical. 
     It is another feature of the invention that the tubular wall is frusto-conical. 
     It is still another feature of the invention that the bore has a greater size than the outlet. 
     It is yet another feature of the invention that the tubular wall has a length substantially greater than size of the outlet. 
     It is still a further feature of the invention that the bore and the outlet have a size in the range of about 0.4 mm to 5 mm. 
     It is still another feature of the invention that the tunnel has a length in the range of about 1 mm to 7 mm. 
     It is yet another feature of the invention that the bore has a size of about 1 mm, the outlet has a size of about 1.25 mm and the tunnel has a length of about 7 mm. 
     There is disclosed in accordance with another aspect of the invention an insect trap comprising a base including an outer wall in the shape of a portion of a select food product to define a hollow body having a capture space for housing an attractant. The outer wall has an open upper end to provide an access opening. A cover includes a top wall in the shape of a remaining portion of the select food product selectively receivable on the base at the access opening to enclose the capture space. At least one of the base and the cover includes a plurality of tunnels for entry of insects into the capture space. Each tunnel comprises a bore through the associated wall and an elongate tubular wall extending inwardly from the associated wall surrounding the bore and opening at an inlet into the capture space. 
     Further features and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from the specification and from the drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a side elevation view of an insect trap in accordance with the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a top plan view of the insect trap of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a sectional view taken along the line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view corresponding to the sectional view of  FIG. 3 ; and 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of an underside of the cover of the insect trap of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring initially to  FIG. 1 , an insect trap  10  in accordance with the invention is illustrated. The insect trap  10  is particularly useful for trapping fruit flies, although it may be used for trapping other insects, as will be apparent. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the insect trap  10  is formed to resemble a fruit product. Particularly, the illustrated insect trap  10  is in the form of an apple. 
     Referring also to  FIGS. 2-4 , the insect trap  10  comprises a base  12  and a cover  14 . Each of the base  12  and cover  14  are of unitary, one piece construction and may be, for example, molded of plastic. 
     The base  12  includes a shaped hollow body  16  formed by an outer wall  18  to define an interior capture space  20  for housing an attractant A, see  FIG. 4 . The wall  18  has an open upper end  21  to define an access opening  22 , as is apparent. 
     The cover  14 , see also  FIG. 5 , includes a top wall  24  in the shape of the top of an apple having a bottom edge  26 . The bottom edge  26  is generally circular and is receivable on the base top opening  21  to enclose the capture space  20 , as particularly illustrated in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . A stem  28  extends upwardly from a central portion of the top wall  24  and a leaf  30  is connected thereto. As such, the insect trap  10  generally resembles a conventional apple and may be the size of a typical apple. Moreover, the base  12  and cover  14  may be of a suitable coloring to resemble an apple. 
     The cover  14  can be removed from the base  12  to provide access to the capture space  20 . Although not shown, the cover  14  or base  12  may include a peripheral internal flange to be telescopically received in the other of the base  12  or cover  14 . Other mating structures, or hinges, or the like, may also be used to retain the cover  14  on the base  12 , as will be readily apparent. 
     As is apparent, the insect trap  10  could be configured with other designs, such as an orange, a pear, etc., or of other food products as well. 
     In accordance with the invention, the cover  14  includes a plurality of tunnels  32  for entry of insects into the capture space  20 . In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the cover  14  comprises four tunnels  32 . As is apparent, the tunnels  32  could alternatively, or additionally, be provided in the base  12 . 
     For simplicity, only one of the tunnels  32  is described in detail herein, it being understood that all of the tunnels  32  are generally similar. 
     The tunnel  32  comprises a circular bore  34  through the top wall  24  to define an inlet. An elongate tubular wall  36  extends inwardly from the top wall  24  surrounding the bore  34 . The tubular wall  36  opens at an outlet  38  into the capture space  20 . 
     In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the tubular wall  36  is generally circular in cross section. As such, the tubular wall  36  may be cylindrical or advantageously, may be frusto-conical. As will be apparent, it is not required that the inlet  34  and outlet  38  be circular or that the tubular wall  36  be circular in cross section. Each could be rectangular, oval or other shape, as desired. The tunnel  32  should be sized for capturing an insect while making escape difficult. 
     In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the tubular wall  36  is frusto-conical with the inlet  34  being of a larger size than the outlet  38 . Likewise, the tubular wall  36  has a length substantially greater than the size of the outlet  38 . As an example, the bore  34  may have a diameter on the order of 1.5 mm with the outlet  38  having a diameter on the order of about 1.25 mm with the tubular wall  36  having a length of about 7 mm. Most typically, the range could be on the order of 10 to 20% larger or smaller than each of these amounts. Still further, the bore  34  and the outlet  38  could have an opening in the range of 0.4 mm to 5 mm with the tunnel length being in the range of 1 mm to 7 mm. 
     In use, an attractant A, see  FIG. 4 , such as a piece of fruit, may be placed in the capture space  20  with the cover  14  positioned atop the base  12 . Because of the openings provided by the tunnels  32 , odor from the attractant A may be sensed outside of the insect trap  10 . An insect, such as a fruit fly, could land on the cover top wall  24  proximate the tunnels  32  and eventually be attracted to the inlet  34 . The insect would then pass through the tunnel  32  into the capture space  20 . With the use of the tunnels  32 , escape from the capture space  20  is more difficult as the tubular wall  36  extends into the capture space  20 . While a fruit fly could crawl on the outside of the tubular wall  36 , it would be more difficult for the fruit fly to enter the tubular wall  36  through the outlet  38 . This is particularly true if the outlet  38  is of a smaller size than the inlet  34 . 
     Thus, the insect trap  10  is designed to be of a shape and coloring so that it can be suitably placed on a countertop, or mixed with real fruit. The insect trap  10  can use an attractant such as a piece of food which is non-chemically based to attract insects into the capture space  20 . 
     Thus, in accordance with the invention, there is provided an insect trap including a base and cover in the shape of a food product and housing a capture space with a plurality of tunnels for permitting entry of insects into the capture space but making escape from the capture space difficult.