Patent Abstract:
A flying inspect trap includes large, multi-directional, oppositely facing ingress openings to elongated chambers housing UV lamps emitting insect attractant light. A disposable cartridge has two sections which mate together to form a container for a roll of adhesive trapping medium. The cartridge sections are opened and spread apart to fit beneath the UV lamps. A motor indexes the adhesive medium so that some unused portion is always available for trapping insects until the roll is exhausted. The spent roll is then rolled into one cartridge section externally; and the two cartridge sections are coupled together to encase the spent roll for disposal.

Full Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
     This is a continuation application of U.S. Nonprovisional application Ser. No. 09/841,200 entitled “FLYING INSECT TRAP”, filed Apr. 24, 2001, now abandoned, which is based on Provisional Application No. 60/200,448 filed Apr. 28, 2000. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to insect traps, and more particularly to traps for flying insects which use ultraviolet (UV) light to draw the insects into the trap where they are immobilized on adhesive-coated boards, paper or other medium. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The use of ultraviolet light to attract insects in a localized area and then to immobilize the insects on an adhesive medium or “glue board” is known. Further, it is known to provide food scents and pheromones to attract flies and other insects into the interior of the trap and onto the adhesive medium. One prior trap disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,651,211, is intended to be mounted on a wall and have a decorative cover so that occupants of the room cannot normally see the UV lamps directly. Such decorative traps have application primarily in eating areas of restaurants or the like so that the UV lamps provide indirect lighting on an adjacent wall, but the lamps themselves are not directly visible at eye level. Of course, the insects cannot directly perceive the light source unless the insect is at a sufficiently high altitude. This is believed to have a negative effect on the overall catch effectiveness of the trap since insects are believed to be attracted to the UV light source by sensing light emanating from the source, just as insects are attracted to windows because they sense the incoming light radiated from the sun. Most prior traps are not of a decorative design. The interior of these traps, many of which use electrocution techniques for killing the insects but some of which also use UV light to attract the insects and glue boards to trap them, may be readily viewed by occupants of a room in which they are used. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention, unlike wall-mounted decorative units for use primarily in the eating areas of restaurants, is designed for heavier commercial or industrial use. For example, flies are attracted to and collect in large numbers in the production areas of commercial kitchens, bakeries, food processing plants, and storage areas in supermarkets, warehouses, hospitals, poultry and egg ranches, as well as in all food preparation areas where the decorative appeal of the trap is not as important as trapping effectiveness. 
     Thus, the present invention provides two separate UV lamps arranged generally in the same horizontal plane and spaced slightly laterally from one another. The lamps are mounted in an elongated housing which has upright sidewalls and a base, but which is provided with open grills adjacent the horizontal plane in which the UV lamps are mounted so that the lamps can be viewed directly in a range of elevations extending from slightly below the horizontal plane of the lamps to a region well above the lamps. Moreover, the shape of the housing in side profile is such that it curves upwardly and inwardly of the UV lamps, as one proceeds from the level of the UV lamps upward. This increases the access of the insects to the UV lamps, not only by sight, but by ingress, from an angle slightly below the horizontal to approximately 80° above the UV lamps. Access is provided on both sides of the housing to increase the effectiveness even more. In addition, curved reflective surfaces are placed at an incline to the center of the unit and above the UV lamps to project an image of the UV lamps outwardly and downwardly so that it can be perceived from most regions in a room and extends the viewing angles well below the horizontal. Thus, an insect in front of the unit sees not only the UV lamp directly, but the image of the lamp, and this occurs on both sides of the unit. 
     Furthermore, the insect trapping medium, which is commercially available, has a sticky or tacky surface impregnated with the attractants described above. The medium is stored in a cartridge until use. The trapped insects become encapsulated in a take-up section, while simultaneously a fresh adhesive surface is automatically advanced from a source spool. U.S. Pat. No. 5,651,211 teaches the use of a cartridge for housing the trapping medium in a roll and dispensing it for usage under timed motor power. The present invention improves such a cartridge design by housing a roll of trapping medium in a cartridge made of two mating sections which are preferably identical and interchangeable to reduce parts and inventory. The two housing sections couple together to form a substantially closed container encompassing the trapping medium either for storage when the medium has not been used, or for disposal when the trapping medium is filled with insects. 
     After shipment or storage, when it is desired to replace an existing cartridge, the new cartridge is split apart manually, without the need for tools, and the two housing sections are separated by hand to a distance sufficient that they may fit into receptacles in the trap. One of the housing sections is placed in a receptacle and coupled to the drive shaft of an electric motor which, when energized, drives a take-up spool for winding the spent trapping paper into the associated housing section, while metering out unused trapping medium from the other housing section which is stored in a remote receptacle. 
     The intermediate section of the trapping medium between the two housing sections slides along a flat table spaced immediately below the two UV lamps. After the trapping medium is fully spent and it is desired to dispose of the trapping medium and replace it with a new cartridge, the two housing sections of the cartridge are removed from their respective receptacles (the one driven by the motor is disconnected from the motor), and the two housing sections of the cartridge are then manually assembled together and secured, encompassing the spent medium and insects for disposal without having to touch the spent medium or insects. The trailing edge of the trapping medium may be manually wound into the driven cartridge section, without touching the trapping medium. 
     The trapping medium, as it passes over the support table beneath the UV lamps, passes over and occludes an aperture in the table below which there is mounted a light sensor. When the trapping medium runs out, the trailing edge passes over the aperture, and the sensor senses the light from the UV source, indicating that the unit is out of trapping medium. The unit generates an audible alarm to signal that the cartridge must be removed and replaced. 
     Another feature of the invention is that the motor which draws the adhesive-coated trapping medium out of one cartridge section and into the other when the trapping medium is assembled in the trap, may be set in one of two different motor speeds so that the trapping mediums is metered out either more slowly or more rapidly, as desired, and depending upon use conditions. 
     Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to persons skilled in the art from the following detailed disclosure of the preferred embodiment accompanied by the attached drawings, wherein identical reference numerals will refer to like parts in the various views. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
         FIG. 1  is an upper, frontal perspective view of the inventive insect trap with the cartridge door open and the cartridge sections split in preparation for insertion into the trap; 
         FIG. 2  is an upper, frontal perspective view similar to  FIG. 1  with the cartridge door closed and the front grill removed to view the interior of the trap; 
         FIG. 3  is an upper, frontal perspective view of the split cartridge which houses the trapping medium; 
         FIG. 4  is a view similar to  FIG. 1  but at a slightly different angle so as to show the drive shaft of the motor which winds the trapping medium; 
         FIG. 5  is a front elevational view of the trap of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a right side view of the inventive trap; 
         FIG. 7  is a plan view of the inventive trap; 
         FIG. 8  is a vertical cross-sectional view taken through the sight line  8 — 8  of  FIG. 7 ; 
         FIG. 9  is an end view of the two cartridge sections placed in a closed position and just before locking sections together; and 
         FIG. 10  is an enlarged view of the portion of  FIG. 9  enclosed by the line  75 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Turning first to  FIG. 1 , reference numeral  10  generally designates a trap for flying insects. The trap  10  comprises a housing generally designated  11  and a replaceable cartridge  12  for housing and supplying trapping medium shown in the form of an elongated web and designated  13  in FIG.  1 . The cartridge  12  is seen in  FIG. 1  with first and second complimentary and similar sections  15 ,  15 A spread apart for insertion into the trap  10 , as will be described. In  FIG. 3 , the cartridge sections  15 ,  15 A have been disconnected from each other, and if the cartridge sections are spread further apart, the exposed surface of the trapping medium  13  will, of course, be increased. A feature of the invention is that the same cartridge design may be used for different size traps having different lengths of exposed trapping medium, as persons skilled in the art will appreciate. 
     Returning now to  FIG. 1 , the housing  11  is elongated laterally to accommodate two fluorescent lamps, to be described. The housing  11  has a left upright sidewall  18  and a right sidewall  19 . Sidewalls  18  and  19  are generally flat with inwardly turned flanges for connecting to the other housing walls and the grills. Terms such as “left,” “right,” “front,” and “rear” have reference to a viewer looking on the elongated side (the “front”) of the housing which receives the cartridge  12  of trapping medium. From a full description of the invention, it will be appreciated that the insect trap is equally accessible to an insect from the front, seen in  FIG. 1 , or the rear of the trap. The housing may be made of metal or plastic. 
     The housing  11  also includes a bottom wall  20  which is integral with the sidewalls  18 ,  19 . A cartridge door  22  is pivotally connected to the bottom portions of the sidewalls  18 ,  19 , respectively, at  23  ( FIG. 1 ) and  24  (FIG.  6 ). The cartridge door  22  is seen in the lowered position in  FIG. 1 , permitting access to the interior of the housing  11 . Specifically, the housing  11  defines a space or receptacle  25  for receiving the left cartridge section  15 A and a corresponding space or receptacle  26  for receiving the right cartridge section  15 . The cartridge sections are installed in the direction of the arrows shown. On the right side of the cartridge door  22 , there is an aperture  28 , the purpose of which will be discussed below. 
     The two receptacles  25 ,  26  are separated and partially defined by a metal box  30  which houses the electrical connections, drive motor and the ballast and wiring for the UV lamps, to be described. In the top wall  31  of the metal box  30 , there is an aperture  32 . First and second UV lamps  34 ,  35  are mounted in the housing  11  with conventional fluorescent lamp sockets. Beneath the aperture  32  (which is below the lamp  35 ) within the box  30  is a light sensor (photo transistor)  33  ( FIG. 8 ) which is responsive to the light emanating from the UV lamp  35 , to generate an electrical signal upon detection of light from the lamp  35  to actuate an audible alarm shown at  36  in FIG.  8  and housed within the box  30 . Other light sensing elements than the photo transistor  33  disclosed herein, may be used to sense incident light passing through the aperture  32  and actuate the audible alarm which, in the illustrated embodiment is a piezo audio transducer which is commercially available. There are many other audible alarms commercially available which are capable of being actuated in this matter and producing desirable audible signals to indicate to the user that the trap has an exhausted supply of trapping medium and the cartridge needs to be replaced, and a new one installed. Moreover, there are mechanisms other than the aperture and lightsensing photo transistor disclosed for generating the signal to actuate the audible alarm. For example, a ball-shaped mechanical sensor could be placed above a detent in the top wall of the box  30  and biased downwardly toward the detent, but maintained in a raised position if the trapping medium is present, and then released to fall into the detent when the trapping medium is exhausted, actuating a position or limit switch which upon movement of an armature supporting the ball when it falls from resting on the trapping medium into the detent covered by the trapping medium. There are many other equally effective devices for assessing the presence of the trapping medium. The UV lamps  34 ,  35  are fluorescent UV lamps generating light in the near ultraviolet and visible range. Such lamps (sometimes called “black light” lamps) are commercially available and currently used in traps to attract flying insects. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 8 , the UV lamps  34 ,  35  are tubular; and their axes extend horizontally in substantially the same plane. The lamps are spaced slightly apart (approximately two inches or so) so that one lamp, for example, lamp  34 , occupies one longitudinal chamber  34 A of the housing  11 , and the other lamp  35  occupies the other longitudinal chamber  35 A of the housing  11 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 6 ,  7  and  8 , the housing  11  also includes a top wall  21  which has the same width as the bottom wall  20 . That is, it extends between the two sidewalls  18 ,  19  and is affixed to the flanges of those sidewalls. However, the top wall  21  has a depth (i.e., front to rear distance) ( FIGS. 7 and 8 ) which is less than the depth of the bottom wall  20 . Thus, the upper portions of the sidewalls are curved inwardly as they proceed upwardly (see  FIGS. 2 ,  6  and  8 ). This shape provides insect access to the interior of the housing directly from the front or rear (see FIGS.  5  and  7 ); and it also provides access from above, for example, in the direction of the arrows  37 ,  38  in  FIGS. 6 and 8 . Top access to the interior of the housing is also seen in FIG.  7 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 2 , the arrangement of sidewalls  18 ,  19 , front cartridge wall  22  and top wall  21  define a large ingress opening  40  for insects. A similar ingress opening at the rear of the unit is shown at  41 , FIG.  7 . The forward and rearward ingress openings  40 ,  41  are provided with protective wire grills, designated respectively,  43  and  44 , which cover the respective openings to prevent persons from placing their hands or fingers inside the unit. The grills permit easy ingress to flying insects, however. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 2 and 8 , located above the forward chamber  34 A which houses the forward fluorescent lamp  34 , there is a slightly curved inner wall  46  on which is mounted a highly reflective surface, such as metallized Mylar. The surface  46  is arranged so that the image of the forward UV lamp  34  is projected, mirror-like, out into the room. Due to the slight concave curvature of the wall  46  and the reflective material on it, the reflected image of the lamp  34  is enlarged. The bottom edge  46 A of the curved wall  46  is located slightly inward of, and above its associated lamp  34 . The wall  46  extends upwardly and outwardly to a position about four and one-half inches above the forwardmost surface of the lamp  34  (which is the horizontal forward edge of the glass envelope). A similar reflective wall  47  is provided in the rear chamber above the rear UV lamp  35 , and projecting a similar image of lamp  35  out toward the rear of the trap. The curved, reflective walls  46 ,  47  partially define the two chambers  34 A,  35 A of the housing  11 . 
     Thus, insects within range, on either side of the trap, will see not only the direct image of a UV lamp, but also an enlarged reflective image. In addition, an insect which is slightly above the horizontal relative to the closest UV lamp (for example, the forward UV lamp  34  in FIG.  2 ), can, in addition, perceive a good portion of the rear lamp  35  because the lower edges of the curved inner walls  46 ,  47  terminate slightly above the uppermost surfaces of the glass envelopes of the fluorescent UV lamps  34 ,  35 , as best seen in FIG. 8 . Moreover, the included angle through which a lamp may be viewed (the “viewing angle”) is increased when the image of the reflected lamp on curved reflective surfaces  46 ,  47  are considered. Referring to  FIG. 8 , the reviewing angle is in the vertical plane of the page. An insect may perceive lamp  34  at an angle of almost 80° above the horizontal, at which point the upper portion of the curved wall  46  interferes with light transmission. An insect may perceive the lamp  34  directly at an angle of about 20° below the horizontal. However, an insect may perceive the image of the lamp  34  reflected off the curved surface  46  at a much greater angle below the horizontal. Thus the location and curvature of the reflective surface  46  increases the viewing angle. The angles given are estimates given in order to explain the principle involved and are not to be taken as limitations on the invention or as precise measurements. Persons skilled in the art will be able to modify the dimensional relations shown in the drawing while continuing to practice the invention. 
     The center portion of the top wall  21  is provided with a cut-out in the form of an elongated opening designated  36  which serves as a handle or carrier for the unit. In addition, the sidewalls  18 ,  19  are provided in their upper central portions with smaller slots such as that designated  27  in  FIGS. 1 and 6  for the left sidewall  18  for receiving hooks so that the unit may be suspended from a ceiling or the like by means of a chain provided with carrying hooks. 
     The UV lamps  34 ,  35  are mounted in conventional sockets mounted to the sidewalls  18 ,  19 ; and they are energized with a conventional ballast mounted within the box  30  which forms a protective housing or junction box. 
     Turning now to the cartridge  12 , the cartridge sections or halves  15 ,  15 A may be substantially the same and interchangeable; therefore, only one section need be described in detail, and it will be understood that the corresponding structure on the other cartridge section will be identified by the same reference numeral followed by an “A”. 
     Turning then to the cartridge section  15 , it include first and second end walls  51 ,  52  and an outer sidewall generally designated  53 . The end walls  51 ,  52  and the sidewall  53  cooperate to provide a central opening generally designated  55  in  FIG. 4  for receiving (dispensing, in the case of section  15 A) the adhesive trapping medium  13 . The sidewall  53  has a first planar section  56 , a curved intermediate portion  57  ( FIGS. 1 and 9 ) and a second planar section  58  which is parallel to the first planar section  56  having the same length but which has a shorter width, so that when the two cartridge sections are placed together ( FIG. 9 ) the adjacent edges of the larger planar sections  56 ,  56 A of the two cartridge sections engage and close, but the adjacent edges of the two smaller planar sections  58 ,  58 A provide an opening  59  in FIG.  9 . This opening permits a user to look in a cartridge to determine whether it is a new cartridge or a spent cartridge. 
     Returning now to the cartridge section  15 , it is provided with a spool member  60  which may be plastic and includes an elongated tubular shaft (see shaft  61 A for the left cartridge section  15 A in FIGS.  3  and  4 ). The shaft of the spool  60  is journaled in the end walls  51 ,  52  of a cartridge section; and one end of the spool includes a circular flange  63  which is adjacent the outer surface of end wall  51  of the cartridge section  15  and slides against it when rotated. The adjacent portion of the shaft  61  is provided with a pair of opposing cantilever tabs, one of which is seen at  64  in FIG.  3 . The tabs  64  have a free end adjacent the flange  63 , but spaced inwardly slightly greater than the thickness of the wall  51 . The free ends of the tabs  64  are also spaced farther apart from each other than is the diameter of the aperture in the end wall  51  in which the shaft  61  fits. The spool is maintained in place because the tabs  64  bear against the inner surface of the end wall  51 , whereas the circular flange  63  bears against the outer surface of the end wall  51 . Dimensions are such that the spool  60  freely rotates relative to the end wall  51 . The spool may be removed by pinching the tabs  64  together so that they fit through the aperture in end wall  51 , and then sliding the spool out. 
     The outer surface of the flange  63  includes a pair of opposing finger tabs  67 ,  68  so that the spool may be turned by hand, if desired, to advance the adhesive trapping medium manually. 
     The adjacent edges of the end walls  51 ,  51 A and  52 ,  52 A are also straight, and when the two cartridge sections are assembled together to form a container for the adhesive trapping medium, they engage one another, as seen in FIG. 9 . Each cartridge section end wall  51 ,  51 A,  52 ,  52 A is provided with a pair of locking tabs, designated  70 A,  70 B for the end wall  51  and  70 C,  70 D for the end wall  51 A in  FIGS. 3 and 9 . Each of the locking tabs is L-shaped, in general, and includes a free extended finger such as the one designated  71  in  FIG. 10  for the tab  70 A.  FIG. 10  is an enlarged view of the portion of  FIG. 9  enclosed by the line  75 . The fingers are provided with slightly extended pads or mounds designated  76 ,  76 A for the fingers  70 A and  70 C shown in  FIG. 10 , so that when the adjacent end walls of the cartridge sections are placed together, spaced axially apart so that the fingers of the tabs of one section may be aligned to engage with the fingers of corresponding tabs of the other cartridge section as seen in  FIGS. 3 and 9 , facing opposite directions, the two cartridge sections may then be placed together so that their respective end walls engage, as shown in FIG.  9 . The two cartridge sections are then moved relative to each other so that the axes of their central shafts become aligned. This locking motion is illustrated in  FIG. 10  by the direction of the arrows  86 . The tabs on the fingers inter-engage, with the pads on the fingers interlocking to secure the cartridge sections together, as seen in FIG.  10 . In short, the cartridge sections are unlocked in FIG.  9  and locked in FIG.  10 . 
     To insert a new cartridge, the cartridge sections are unlocked with a complimentary separating motion, and the two cartridge sections are then counter-rotated slightly and separated, as shown in FIG.  4 . The cartridge sections are aligned with the receptacles  25 ,  26  of the trap housing, with the trapping web  13  located above the box  30 , to slide along the horizontal top  31  of the box  30  which supports the insect trapping web  13 . It will be understood that the same cartridge may be opened to create exposed regions of the trapping medium of different lengths, if desired, so that the same cartridge design could be used in traps of different sizes. 
     As the cartridges are placed in the receptacles, with the cartridge door  22  lowered to the position shown in  FIG. 4 , the distal end of the shaft of the spool  60  engages and telescopely receives a shaft  71  of an electric motor mounted to the fixed far wall  20 A ( FIG. 6 ) of the trap  11 . The motor is conventional and provided with a rachet drive so that the spool may be manually wound, if desired. When in proper position, the web (or conventional glue board) rests on the top wall  31  of the enclosure box  30 . The heat from the ballast housed within the enclosure  30  warms the adhesive medium resting on the top wall  31 , making the glue more tacky, and thus more effective in securing insects. The warmth is also believed to increase the attractiveness of the adhesive medium to insects. 
     The leading edge of the insect trapping web  13  is secured to the shaft  61  of the cartridge section  15  (by tape, for example); however, the trailing edge is not secured to the shaft  61 A of the cartridge section  15 A. Thus, when the trapping material runs out, the trailing edge is pulled by means of the electric motor and wrapped around the spool  60 . When the cartridge is spent, the trailing edge of the trapping medium leaves the cartridge section  15 A and eventually passes over the aperture  32  in the top wall  31  of the box  30 , thereby admitting light from the source UV fluorescent lamp  35  to the sensor  33  housed in the box  30  which generates an electrical signal to trigger the audible alarm  36 . 
     Preferably, the upper surface of the insect trapping web  13  may be yellow and provided with pheromones, food scents to attract the insects once they get within the vicinity of the medium, and the upper surface of the web  13  is coated with an adhesive material to trap and immobilize the insects once they alight on the insect trapping surface. It may also be printed with images of flies which act as decoys. 
     The spool  60  may be turned manually not only to advance the insect trapping material if an unusually heavy catch has been made, but it may also be used to wind up the last section of the insect trapping medium when the insect trapping web is spent and it is desired to change the cartridge. When the cartridge is installed in the trap, and the lower cartridge door  22  is raised to the position shown in  FIG. 2 , the spool  60  aligns with the aperture  28 , and a user may turn the spool by means of the tabs  67 ,  68 . 
     The motor which drives the shaft  71  to advance the insect trapping web may have a plurality of speeds so that the advancing speed of the web may be adjusted for different conditions for different applications, or for changing conditions in the same site. 
     Having thus disclosed in detail the preferred embodiment of the invention, persons skilled in the art will be able to modify certain of the structure which has been disclosed and substitute equivalent elements for those illustrated while continuing to practice the principle of the invention, and is therefore intended that all such modifications or substitutions be covered as they embrace within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 0