Patent Publication Number: US-2022225600-A1

Title: Insect Trapping Device And Method Of Use

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not Applicable 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT 
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     INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC OR AS A TEXT FILE VIA THE OFFICE ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM 
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     STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR JOINT INVENTOR 
     Not Applicable 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     (1) Field of the Invention 
     The disclosure relates to trapping devices and more particularly pertains to a new trapping device for trapping insects and shielding them from view. The present invention discloses a trapping device comprising an open topped housing that is mountable to a wall and which has a panel removably positionable therein. An adhesive compound and an attractant are positioned on the panel. Insects attracted to the panel are trapped thereupon but are not viewable when the housing is mounted above eye level. 
     (2) Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98 
     The prior art relates to trapping devices. Prior art trapping devices may comprise apparatus having insect attracting lights with flypaper positioned proximately thereto. Prior art trapping devices thus require a power source. What is lacking in the prior art is a trapping device comprising an open topped housing that is mountable to a wall and which has a panel removably positionable therein. An adhesive compound and an attractant are positioned on the panel. Insects attracted to the panel are trapped thereupon but are not viewable when the housing is mounted above eye level. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a housing, which defines an interior space. The housing has a top, which is open. A panel is selectively insertable through the top into the interior space. A fastener engaged to a back of the housing is configured to engage a substrate so that the housing is mounted thereto. An adhesive compound and an attractant are positioned upon a surface of the panel. The attractant is configured to attract insects into the interior space and the adhesive compound is configured to trap insects landing upon the panel. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
     The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S) 
       The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is an isometric perspective view of an insect trapping device according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a front view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is a side in-use view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is a back view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  is a top view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 6  is a flow diagram for a method of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to  FIGS. 1 through 6  thereof, a new trapping device embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral  10  will be described. 
     As best illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 6 , the insect trapping device  10  generally comprises a housing  12 , which defines an interior space  14 . The housing  12  may be cuboid shaped, as shown in  FIG. 1 , or alternately shaped, such as, but not limited to, half cylinder shaped, semihemispherically shaped, and the like. The housing  12  has a top  16 , which is open. A panel  18  is selectively insertable through the top  16  into the interior space  14 . The panel  18  may be trough shaped, as shown in  FIG. 2 . The present invention anticipates the panel  18  be alternately shaped, such as, but not limited to, open topped box shaped, planar, and the like. 
     A fastener  20  engaged to a back  22  of the housing  12  is configured to engage a substrate, such as a wall, column, and the like, so that the housing  12  is mounted thereto. The fastener  20  may comprise an adhesive strip  24 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , or other fastening means, such as, but not limited to, keyhole slots for screwing the housing  12  to the substrate, suction cups, and the like. The back  22  of the housing  12  has a recess  26  extending thereinto, as shown in  FIG. 1 , wherein two recesses  26  extend into the back  22  of the housing  12 . The adhesive strip  24  is positioned in the recess  26  so that the housing  12  is mountable flush to the substrate. 
     An adhesive compound  28  and an attractant  30  are positioned upon a surface  32  of the panel  18 . The present invention also anticipates the panel  18  being impregnated with one or both of the adhesive compound  28  and the attractant  30 . The attractant  30  is configured to attract insects into the interior space  14  and the adhesive compound  28  is configured to trap insects landing upon the panel  18 . The adhesive compound  28  may comprise rosin, rubber, or combination thereof. 
     The device  10  also may comprise a pair of rings  34  engaged singly to opposed ends  36  of the housing  12  and extending into the interior space  14 . A pair of tabs  38  is engaged singly to and extends from opposing ends  40  of the panel  18 , proximate to a lower limit  42  thereof. Each tab  38  is positioned to be inserted into a respective ring  34  as the panel  18  is inserted into the interior space  14  so that the tabs  38  removably engage the panel  18  to the housing  12 . 
     A handle  44  is engaged to and extends from a respective opposing end  40  of the panel  18 , proximate to an upper limit  46  thereof. The handle  44  is configured to be grasped in digits of a hand of a user, positioning the user to remove the panel  18  from the interior space  14 . 
     In use, the device  10  is configured to attract and to trap insects, enabling a method  48  of trapping insects. The method  48 , as generally shown in  FIG. 6 , comprises a first step  50  of providing an insect trapping device  10  comprises a housing  12  having a fastener  20  engaged thereto and a panel  18  insertable thereinto. An adhesive compound  28  and an attractant  30  are positioned on the panel  18 . In a second step  52  of the method  48 , the panel  18  is inserted into the interior space  14 . A third step  54  of the method  48  entails securing the housing  12  to a substrate using the fastener  20 . The attractant  30  attracts insects into the interior space  14  and the adhesive compound  28  traps insects landing upon the panel  18 . 
     With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.