Abstract:
A flying insect trapping system uses a control assembly that has a dispersion assembly that vaporizes small amounts of octenol, the octenol mixing with carbon dioxide the flow of which is regulated into a mixing housing. The mixture is released to attract flying insects from a distance. A trapping assembly uses a heat source, namely a light for short distance attraction of the insects, which insects fly to the light and are drawn into a mesh by a fan. Each trapping assembly can have a control assembly associated with it, or a single master control assembly can be used which delivers the carbon dioxide and octenol mixture to each of the trapping assemblies.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to a system that attracts and traps flying insects, namely mosquitoes, in order to be able to rid an area of the insects. 
         [0003]    2. Background of the Prior Art 
         [0004]    Most people hate mosquitoes. Besides the annoyance, the itching, and the resulting infections of their bites, mosquitoes carry diseases such as malaria, yellow fever, dengue fever, encephalitis, and West Nile virus. Numerous control methods have been used including body coverings and coatings, fans, nets, zappers, and slapping and swatting the varmints. However, such methods may be uncomfortable to implement for the user or offer no more than short-term help while some methods do not work whatsoever and some methods are dangerous. 
         [0005]    Several years ago, the U.S. Coast Guard, tired of wrestling with mosquitoes, no-see-ums, and other biting bugs that infested their stations, commissioned entomologists at the University of Florida to research how these insects locate us in order to bite us so that control methods might be improved based on the findings. 
         [0006]    It has been known for some time that the female mosquito requires a blood meal in order to obtain protein that is necessary for laying eggs, which blood she obtains by biting. 
         [0007]    Humans, other mammals, and birds inhale air and exhale, among other things, carbon dioxide (CO2) and octenol, a byproduct of the digestive process. While there are other odors that are attractants to these insects—foot odor, which has a molecule similar to that found in Limburger cheese, is one such mild attractant—carbon dioxide and octenol are by far the most attractive. Heat in the range of human body temperature and dark colors are also attractants. 
         [0008]    Mosquitoes have heat receptors and odor receptors on their heads in order to assist them in finding us so that they can get their blood meal from us. The odor receptors can pick up the attractive odors as far away as 135 feet downwind from the source of the odor. The mosquito flies upwind until she is about 25 feet away at which time the heat receptors guides her in for a landing—and a lunch. 
         [0009]    Building on this research, a number of prior art devices have been proposed. Most such prior art devices use either CO2, octenol, or both as an odor attractant, while some also use heat as an attractant, although none are known to use old tennis shoes. Devices that use CO2 either use commercially available CO2 or produce the CO2 by burning propane. Devices that produce heat typically produce the heat by using 110-volt electric heat strips or by burning propane. The insects are killed by retaining them in a bag and desiccating them, trapping them on a sticky substance such as flypaper, or by zapping them with a high-voltage bug zapper. 
         [0010]    The prior art devices suffer from one or more drawbacks. Untended propane fires that are used to produce CO2 and heat are potentially dangerous. Not only can a fire spread from the burning propane, regulators, valves and hoses, but the propane tanks can explode. Further, burning propane and other gasses in order to produce CO2 contributes to airborne pollution and global warming. CO2 from bottles is obtained from and released back to the atmosphere, thereby avoiding adding more CO2 to the atmosphere. The bug zappers explode all insects that come into contact with them. While such zappers do zap mosquitoes and no-see-ums, they also kill other (possibly desirable) insects. Additionally, adding zapped bug parts, and at times small metallic molecules that burn off from the metallic zapper, to the family barbecue and to the air that is breathed is neither recommended nor desired. The use of high voltage electricity outdoors can be dangerous if not properly installed and maintained, especially in the rain and around pools. Along with killing the insects, such devices have the potential to kill the user as well. Many prior art devices are unusually complex in design and construction, making such devices relatively expensive to manufacture and to maintain, thus less attractive to the consumer market. 
         [0011]    In our prior U.S. Pat. No. 6,898,896 incorporated herein in its entirety by reference, we have invented an Insect Trap System that overcomes the above-stated problems in the art. Specifically, the insect trap eliminates the need for the use of propane for any reason. The trap is substantially targeted at killing the bad insects, namely mosquitoes, while not acting as an attractant to good insects which are not to be killed. The device does not add unwanted materials to food for humans found in the area of the device or to the surrounding air and does not rely on a source of high voltage for its operation. Our insect trap is simple in design and construction making it relatively easy to manufacture making the device relatively inexpensive and thus attractive to a large section of the consumer market. 
         [0012]    Our insect trap works by providing a series of housings that are positioned about the perimeter of an area to be protected against the mosquitoes. Each housing has a heat source to attract the mosquitoes and a trap for trapping the insects. Octenol and carbon dioxide are combined and pumped through conduits connected to each housing whereat the octenol and the carbon dioxide are released in order to attract the mosquitoes to the housing for subsequent trapping of the mosquito within the housing. The combined use of carbon dioxide and octenol dramatically increases their effectiveness relative to the use of each attractant alone. 
         [0013]    It has been found that controlled release of the octenol is desirous in order to keep the operating costs of the system as low as possible. While any appropriate dispersion method of the octenol allows the insect trap to work properly, due to the relatively high cost of the octenol, controlled release of the octenol is advantageous. Controlled release of the carbon dioxide further helps to maintain operating costs low. Additionally, pulsed release of the gases increases their effectiveness as attractants by mimicking exhalation of those gases. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0014]    The flying insect trapping system of the present invention allows for the smooth and controlled release of an appropriate liquid attractant, such as octenol, through an insect trap so as to allow a sufficient amount of the attractant, as well as carbon dioxide, to be released without undue waste of either product. This allows the operating costs of the system to be kept low and also has the added benefit that less frequent replenishment of the system is required in order to keep the flying insect trapping system functioning properly. 
         [0015]    The flying insect trapping system of the present invention is comprised of a control assembly that has a first housing with an opening, a first valve that is fluid flow connected to a source of carbon dioxide located external of the first housing, a puffer assembly that holds a liquid and vaporizes a portion of the liquid via a piezoelectric igniter, and a controller for controlling the valve and the igniter. A trapping assembly has a second housing that contains a light, a fan, and a mesh. The first valve periodically opens in order to allow the carbon dioxide to enter the first housing and the igniter periodically sparks in order to vaporize a portion of the liquid which liquid mixes with the carbon dioxide to form a mixture and the mixture is released from the first housing via the opening and wherein the light attracts the insects such that the insects get caught in an air stream produced by the fan and are trapped in the mesh. The liquid used by the puffer assembly is octenol. Each trapping assembly may have its own control assembly associated with it such that the first housing and the second housing are attached to a post and each controller controls the light and fan of the trapping assembly associated with that controller, or a single controller is used for all trapping assemblies and a conduit extends between the opening and each trapping assembly and the single controller controls the lights and fans of each of the trapping assemblies. A second valve may be located within the first housing at the conduit such that this second valve periodically opens to allow the mixture to enter the conduit. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0016]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the flying insect trapping system of the present invention. 
           [0017]      FIG. 2  is a sectional view of the controller of the flying insect trapping system taken along line  2 - 2  in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0018]      FIG. 3  is a sectional view of the trap assembly of the flying insect trapping system taken along line  3 - 3  in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0019]      FIG. 4  is a sectional view of the flying insect trapping system in operation. 
           [0020]      FIG. 5  is a plan view of multiple flying insect trapping system units protecting a golf course hole. 
           [0021]      FIG. 6  is a sectional view of the controller of the flying insect trapping system utilizing a wick dispenser. 
           [0022]      FIG. 7  is an elevation view of the plug and wick assembly 
           [0023]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the flying insect trapping system of the present invention 
           [0024]      FIG. 9  is a sectional view of the flying insect trapping system of  FIG. 8  in operation taken along line  9 - 9  in  FIG. 8 . 
           [0025]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of the flying insect trapping system of  FIG. 8 . 
           [0026]      FIG. 11  is a sectional view of the controller of the flying insect trapping system of  FIG. 8 , taken along line  11 - 11  in  FIG. 10 , utilizing a piezoelectric crystal. 
           [0027]      FIG. 12  is a sectional view of the controller of the flying insect trapping system of  FIG. 8  utilizing the wick dispenser. 
       
    
    
       [0028]    Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings. 
       DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0029]    Referring now to the drawings, it is seen that the flying insect trapping system of the present invention, generally denoted by reference numeral  10 , is comprised of a controller system  12  and a trapping assembly  14 . The control system  12  is responsible for controlling and dispensing of attractants such as carbon dioxide  16  and octenol  18  and overall electrical control of the system  10  while the trapping assembly  14  is responsible to trapping and eliminating the insects that fly to the trapping assembly  14 . As seen, the control system  12  comprises a housing  20  that has a divider  22  within its interior, the divider  22  being optional. On one side of the divider  22  (if used, otherwise all components are located within a single chamber) is a controller  24  which is a circuit board that electrically connects to and controls the functioning of the various components discussed below, which circuit board  24  is connected to a source of electrical power (not illustrated) by appropriate wiring  26 . Also located within this side of the divider  22  is a valve  28  that has an inlet port  30  that is fluid flow connected to a source of carbon dioxide  16  by the illustrated conduit  32 . The valve  28  has an outlet port  34  that passes through the divider  22  into the other half of the housing  20 . Appropriate wiring  36  electrically connects the valve  28  with the controller  24 . 
         [0030]    Located on the other side of the divider  22  (if used) within the housing  20  is a dispersion assembly  38  which, as seen in  FIG. 6 , includes a threaded plug  40  that has a wick  42  extending therefrom, the plug  40  being threadably receivable within an opening located on the bottom of the housing  20 . The wick  42  is dipped into an appropriate insect attractant  18 , in the case of mosquitoes—octenol is a great candidate—such that the attractant  18  slowly diffuse from the wick  42  after installation within the housing  20 . Of course the wick  42  and plug  40  assembly are kept in an airtight package (not illustrated) prior to use so that the attractant  18  does not dissipate during shipment from the factory and while awaiting purchase. A pressure release valve  43  can be located on the housing  20 . As discussed more fully below, an alternate dispersion assembly can be used. 
         [0031]    Alternately, the dispersion assembly  38 ′ can be used for releasing the attractant  18  into the housing  20  for mixing with the carbon dioxide  16 , which dispersion assembly  38 ′ has a receptacle  44  that holds the attractant  18  therein and which is threadably secured to the housing  20  for easy removal and refilling of the receptacle  44 . A wick  46  extends from a piezoelectric igniter  48  into the receptacle  44  and into the attractant  18 . The dispersion assembly  38 ′ operates by having the wick  46  wick up the octenol  18 . The piezoelectric igniter  48  sparks the octenol infused wick  46  causing a small amount of the octenol  18  to vaporize. Appropriate wiring  49  electrically connects the dispersion assembly system  38 ′ with the controller  24 . Also located within this side of the divider  22  within the housing  20  is a pressure release valve  43  which may but need not be located on the bottom of the housing  20 . 
         [0032]    As seen, the trapping assembly  14  is comprised of a housing  50  that has a light  52  (a source of heat to attract the mosquitoes) and a fan  54  located below the light  52 . A mesh  56  is located in the air flow stream of the fan  54 , as illustrated in  FIGS. 1 ,  3 , and  4 , below the fan  54 , or as illustrated in  FIG. 9 , above the fan  158 . The housing  50  of the trapping assembly  14  is constructed so as to be aesthetically pleasing at the site of installation. Appropriate wiring  58  electrically connects the light  52  and the fan  54  with the controller  24 . Both the control system  12  and the trapping assembly  14  are located on an appropriate post  60  that is secured within the ground G in any appropriate manner known in the art. 
         [0033]    In operation, one or more posts  60  that each hold a control system  12  and a trapping assembly  14  are positioned about an area to be protected from flying insects I and secured to the ground G as appropriate. A plug  40  and wick assembly  42  are obtained and the plug  40  is screwed into an opening  44  in the housing  20 . Each carbon dioxide conduit  32  is fluid flow connected to a source of pressurized carbon dioxide  16 . Each conduit  32  can be individually connected to the source of carbon dioxide  16  or each individual conduit  32  can be connected to a manifold  62  wherein the manifold  62  is connected to the source of carbon dioxide  16  (connection not illustrated). The controller  24  is connected to a source of electrical power in appropriate fashion. In operation, the carbon dioxide  16  flows through the conduits  32  and presents at the valve  28 . Periodically, the valve  28  opens and allows some of the pressurized carbon dioxide  16  to pass through the valve  28  and enter the half (if divided) of the housing  20  having the puffer system  38 . The time interval of valve  28  opening as well as the duration of the opening are dependent on the infestation level of the insects I, the number of individual units and configuration of installation, the wind speed, the humidity, and other factors and is programmable by the user. Typically valve  28  openings every 2 to 15 seconds for a period of about ⅛ second to about ½ second prove satisfactory. The valve opening frequency and duration are designed to approximate the natural breathing cycle of a mammal so that opening and duration parameters outside of these limits may also prove satisfactory. The attractant  18  diffuses from the wick  42 . The carbon dioxide  16  and the diffused attractant  18  are mixed and escape from the housing  20  through the pressure release valve  43 . The released carbon dioxide  16  and attractant  18  attract the flying insects I from far away and bring them to the trapping assembly  14 . Once the insects I are close to the trapping assembly  14 , they are attracted by the heat given off by the light  52  and fly to the light  52 . Once the insects I fly sufficiently close to the light  52 , they are trapped in the air stream produced by the fan  54 , which air stream pushes the insects I into the mesh  56  wherein the insects I are trapped and desiccated. Once the mesh  56  is sufficiently full of insects I, the mesh  56  is removed and is cleaned or replaced with a new mesh  56 . 
         [0034]    This present system allows for large areas to be cleared out of flying insects I so that the area may be more enjoyable to humans. By having periodic release of carbon dioxide  16  and wicked release of the octenol  18 , these valuable resources are sparingly used thereby decreasing the overall operating cost of the system  10 . As the source of carbon dioxide  16  is located remote from the control system  12  and trapping assemblies  14 , the flying insect trapping system  10  traps and kills flying insects I in an aesthetically pleasing and functional configuration. 
         [0035]    Each conduit  32 , electrical power wiring  26 , and manifold  62  are disposed in a subterranean manner except where needed to connect with a control system  12 . 
         [0036]    As seen in  FIGS. 10-12 , a simplified version of the flying insect trapping system  110  is disclosed. This simplified version also uses a control system  112  and a trapping assembly  114 , however, a single control system  112  is used irrespective of the number of trapping assemblies  114 . As seen, the control system  112  also uses a housing  120  having an optional divider  122  therein to divide the interior of the housing  120  into two sections. A controller  124  is located within the housing  120  which controller  124  is connected to a source of electrical power by appropriate wiring  126 . Located on the opposite side of the divider  122  is a valve  128  that has an inlet port  130  that is fluid flow connected to a source of carbon dioxide  16  by the illustrated conduit  132 . The valve  128  has an outlet port  134 . Appropriate wiring  136  electrically connects the valve  128  with the controller  124 . 
         [0037]    Located on this side of the divider  122  within the housing  120  is a dispersion assembly system  138 ′ which has a receptacle  144  that holds octenol  18  therein and which is threadably secured to the housing  120  for easy removal and refilling of the receptacle  144 . A wick  146  extends from a piezoelectric crystal  148  into the receptacle  144  and into the octenol  18 . The dispersion assembly system  138 ′ operates as described above. Appropriate wiring  149  electrically connects the puffer system  138 ′ with the controller  124 . Also located within this side of the divider  122  within the housing  120  is a nozzle  147  which may but need not be located on the bottom of the housing  120  which nozzle  147  is controlled by the controller  124  with the nozzle  147  connected to the controller  124  by appropriate wiring  162 . This version of the dispersion assembly  138 ′ can be used with the previous embodiment of the system  10 . 
         [0038]    As seen in  FIG. 12 , the attractant dispersion system  138  may alternately be a plug  140  with a wick  142  extending therefrom, the wick  142  having attractant absorbed therein, the plug  140  threadably received within an opening of the housing  120 , all other aspects of the system being the same. 
         [0039]    As seen, the trapping assembly  114  is substantially similar to the previous trapping assembly  14  and is comprised of a housing  154  that has a light  156  (a source of heat to attract the mosquitoes) and a fan  158  located below the light  156 . A mesh  160  is located in the air flow stream of the fan  158 . The housing  154  of the trapping assembly  114  is constructed so as to be aesthetically pleasing at the site of installation. Appropriate wiring  162  electrically connects the light  156  and the fan  158  with the controller  124  while a fluid conduit  164  extends between the nozzle  147  and each trapping assembly  114 , the fluid conduit  164  and the wiring  162  being disposed within a protective conduit  166 . The fluid conduit  164  may terminate just below the fan  158  so that its bounty, described below, is released into the air stream of the fan  158  for better dispersion of the bounty. Each trapping assembly  114  is located on an appropriate post  168  that is secured within the ground G in any appropriate manner known in the art. 
         [0040]    In operation, one or more posts  168  that each hold a trapping assembly  114  are positioned about an area to be protected from flying insects I and secured to the ground G as appropriate. Each receptacle  144  is filled with octenol  18  or other desired attractant and threadably attached to the housing  120  for dispersion via the piezoelectric igniter  148 . Alternately, a plug  140  and wick assembly  142  is obtained and the plug  140  is threadably received attached to the housing  120 . The conduit  132  is fluid flow connected to a source of pressurized carbon dioxide  16 . The controller  124  is connected to a source of electrical power in appropriate fashion. In operation, the carbon dioxide  16  flows through the conduit  132  and presents at the valve  128 . Periodically, the valve  128  opens allows some of the pressurized carbon dioxide to pass through the valve  128  and enter the half (if so divided) of the housing  120  having the attractant dispersion system  138 . The time interval of valve  128  opening as well as the duration of the opening are dependent on the infestation level of the insects I, the number of individual units and configuration of installation, the wind speed, the humidity, and other factors and is programmable by the user. Typically valve openings every 2 to 15 seconds for a period of about ⅛ second to about ½ second proves satisfactory. The valve opening frequency and duration are designed to approximate the natural breathing cycle of a mammal so that opening and duration parameters outside of these limits may also prove satisfactory. Also periodically, the dispersion assembly  138 ′, if used to release the attractant  18 , causes the piezoelectric igniter  148  to spark in order to vaporize a small amount of octenol  18 . Like control of the valve  128 , the time interval of igniter  148  operation is dependent on the infestation level of the insects I, the number of individual units and configuration of installation, the wind speed, the humidity, and other factors and is programmable by the user. Typically intervals between sparks are on the order of about every 2 to 15 seconds although interval parameters outside of these limits may also prove satisfactory. The carbon dioxide  16  and the vaporized octenol  18  (the octenol  18  may be released via evaporation from the wick  142 ) are mixed and built up within the housing  120 . Periodically, the valve  150  on the nozzle  147  is opened in order to allow the mixed carbon dioxide  16  and octenol  18  to pass into the fluid conduit  164  which carries the mixed carbon dioxide  16  and octenol  18  to each of the trapping assemblies  114 . The time interval of valve  150  opening as well as the duration of the opening are dependent on the infestation level of the insects I, the number of individual units and configuration of installation, the wind speed, the humidity, and other factors and is programmable by the user. Typically valve  150  openings every 2 to 15 seconds for a period of about ⅛ second to about ½ second proves satisfactory. The valve opening frequency and duration are designed to approximate the natural breathing cycle of a mammal so that opening and duration parameters outside of these limits may also prove satisfactory. 
         [0041]    The released carbon dioxide  16  and octenol  18  attract the flying insects I from far away and bring them to the trapping assembly  114 . Once the insects I are close to the trapping assembly  114 , they are attracted by the heat given off by the light  156  and fly to the light  156 . Once the insects I fly sufficiently close to the light  156 , they are trapped in the air stream produced by the fan  158 , which air stream draws the insects I into the mesh  160  wherein the insects I are trapped and desiccated. Once the mesh  160  is sufficiently full of insects I, the mesh  160  is removed and is cleaned or replaced with a new mesh  160 . 
         [0042]    This second embodiment  110  is best used when the number of deployed trapping assemblies  114  is limited. The protective conduit  166  holding the fluid conduit  164  and the electrical power source wiring  126  is disposed in a subterranean manner except where needed to connect with a trapping assembly  114 . 
         [0043]    While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to embodiments thereof, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.