Abstract:
A tamper resistant bait delivery system that uses visual and olfactory stimuli to attract rodents, and that allows rodents to access poison bait without fully entering the system&#39;s outer housing. The bait system is comprised of: (1) an outer housing that defines an interior portion and one or more access windows; and (2) a bait module is disposed within the interior portion. The bait module preferably comprises a poison portion, an olfactory attractor portion, and a visual attractor portion. The system is preferably configured to allow a rodent to see and smell the bait module through the access windows within the system&#39;s outer housing. This entices the rodent to extend its head through the access windows and consume the poison portion of the bait module. Preferably, the bait module&#39;s visual attractor portion is a reflective surface that visually attracts rodents by reflecting light out of the access windows.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    This invention relates generally to tamper resistant rodent bait delivery systems, and particularly relates to bait delivery systems that use poisonous bait to attract and kill rodents.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Keeping rodent populations controlled outside a house or a building prevents the rodents from becoming a problem inside. Several different types of rodent control devices can be used to prevent the entry of rodents into a house or building. These devices include, for example, traps, glue boards, and bait delivery systems. Traps and glue boards are undesirable because they require users to clean up any captured dead rodents. Bait delivery systems are advantageous because they do not require a user to clean up dead rodents, but instead, allow rodents to feed on poisonous bait and then travel to another location to die.  
           [0003]    With most current rodent bait delivery systems, the poison bait is enclosed in a tamper resistant housing. Usually, such housings are made of heavy, industrial, black plastic and are big enough to allow rodents to walk around inside the housings. The bait is typically hidden behind a maze-like structure of interior walls within the housing to keep children and pets from reaching and ingesting the bait. Because the bait is hidden within this internal structure, the rodents must fully enter the housing to eat the bait.  
           [0004]    Early rodent bait systems included a housing having two holes through which rodents could enter or exit the device. However, the housings of more recent prior art bait delivery systems, such as the system taught in U.S. Pat. No. 6,082,042, have three or more holes through which the rodents can enter or exit the device. These additional holes were added because research indicated that rodents felt vulnerable to an attack by other rodents in the two-holed housings and, thus, were less likely to eat the bait without at least one escape route.  
           [0005]    Although the housings of prior art systems prevent children and household animals from accessing the bait, the housings also prevent rodents from smelling or seeing the bait from a distance. This is due, at least in part, to the fact that the distance that the bait&#39;s smell can travel is limited by the bait&#39;s enclosure in the housing and the size and complexity of the housing that encloses the bait. Additionally, rodents are not visually attracted to the housing or the bait because the housing is black and the bait is not visible from outside the housing. As a result, rodents may overlook the housing and bait and search for food elsewhere, such as within a nearby house or building. This may result in an undesirable infestation of the house or building.  
           [0006]    Therefore, there is a need in the art for a bait delivery system that is tamper resistant like prior art systems, but that is configured to attract more rodents more effectively than prior art systems.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    The present invention seeks to provide a tamper resistant bait delivery system that attracts rodents to bait within the delivery system more effectively than prior art systems. More particularly, the invention is configured to: (1) increase the distance from which rodents can smell the bait; (2) visually attract rodents; and (3) provide access to the bait without forcing rodents to enter the housing fully to retrieve the bait.  
           [0008]    A rodent bait delivery system according to a preferred embodiment of the invention comprises an outer housing defining both an interior portion and one or more access windows, and a bait module disposed within the interior portion. The outer housing and the bait module are preferably configured to allow a rodent to see the bait module through one or more of the access windows.  
           [0009]    In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the outer housing is configured to be moved from an unlocked configuration, in which access to the interior portion of the outer housing is substantially unrestricted, to a locked configuration in which access to the interior portion is substantially restricted. In this embodiment, the outer housing is preferably configured to allow access to the interior portion only through the plurality of access windows when the outer housing is in the locked configuration. Each access window is preferably dimensioned to allow a rodent to extend its head through the access window but to prevent removal of the bait module through the access window.  
           [0010]    In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the bait module comprises a poison portion, an olfactory attractor portion disposed adjacent the poison portion, and a visual attractor portion disposed adjacent the olfactory attractor portion. In this preferred embodiment, the olfactory attractor portion comprises rodent food, and the visual attractor portion comprises a reflective material.  
           [0011]    In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the visual attractor portion is configured to reflect light at a plurality of angles through the one or more access windows. In this embodiment, the olfactory attractor portion is preferably disposed between the poison portion and the visual attractor portion, and the visual attractor portion is sufficiently thin to allow a rodent to nibble through it. The visual attractor portion and the olfactory attractor portion may be configured to allow a rodent to access the olfactory attractor portion by nibbling through the visual attractor portion.  
           [0012]    Yet another embodiment of the invention comprises: (1) an outer housing defining both an interior portion and one or more access windows; (2) one or more poison portions disposed within the interior portion; and (3) one or more visual attractor portions disposed adjacent the poison portion.  
           [0013]    A method of delivering a poison portion to a rodent according to the present invention comprises the steps of: (1) providing an outer housing that defines both an interior portion and one or more access windows; (2) positioning the poison portion within the interior portion of the housing; and (3) enticing a rodent to consume at least part of the poison portion by positioning a visual attractor portion within the interior portion of the housing so the visual attractor portion reflects light through the one or more access windows at a plurality of angles. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]    [0014]FIG. 1 is a top view of a preferred embodiment of the rodent bait delivery system.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 2 is a top view of an alternative embodiment of the rodent bait delivery system.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the rodent bait delivery system according to the embodiment of FIG. 1 taken substantially along Line  1 - 1  of FIG. 1 in the direction indicated by the arrows of Line  1 - 1 .  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the rodent bait delivery system according to the alternative embodiment of FIG. 2 taken substantially along Line  2 - 2  of FIG. 2 in the direction indicated by the arrows of Line  2 - 2 .  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a bait module according to a preferred embodiment of the invention taken substantially along Line  3 - 3  of FIGS. 3 and 4 in the direction indicated by the arrows of Line  3 - 3 .  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a bait module according to an alternative embodiment of the invention taken substantially along Line  3 - 3  of FIGS. 3 and 4 in the direction indicated by the arrows of Line  3 - 3 .  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a bait module according to another alternative embodiment of the invention taken substantially along Line  3 - 3  of FIGS. 3 and 4 in the direction indicated by the arrows of Line  3 - 3 .  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a bait module according to yet another alternative embodiment of the invention taken substantially along Line  3 - 3  of FIGS. 3 and 4 in the direction indicated by the arrows of Line  3 - 3 .  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a bait module according to still another alternative embodiment of the invention taken substantially along Line  3 - 3  of FIGS. 3 and 4 in the direction indicated by the arrows of Line  3 - 3 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0023]    The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments of the invention are shown. The invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.  
         [0024]    Overview  
         [0025]    A preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a hollow outer housing and a bait module that is disposed within an interior portion of the outer housing. The outer housing preferably includes a locking mechanism for restricting access to the bait module. The outer housing, locking mechanism, and bait module are discussed in greater detail below.  
         [0026]    Outer Housing  
         [0027]    Referring to the accompanying drawings, FIGS. 1 and 3 illustrate a rodent bait delivery system according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. As shown in these figures, in this embodiment of the invention, the outer housing  100  is a hollow spherical housing that defines both a plurality of access windows  101  and an interior portion  102 . The access windows  101  are preferably dimensioned to allow a rodent to see and access the bait module  103  through at least one of the access windows  101 , but so that the bait module  103  cannot be removed through any of the access windows  101 . The outer diameter of the outer housing  100  is preferably between about 4 and 8 inches. The access windows  101  are preferably triangular with a base width of between about 0.75 and 1.5 inches and a height of between about 0.5 and 1.5 inches.  
         [0028]    [0028]FIGS. 2 and 4 illustrate an alternative embodiment of the rodent bait delivery system that is substantially similar to the preferred embodiment described above. As may be understood from these figures, the outer housing  200  is a hollow rectangular box and defines both a plurality of access windows  201  and an interior portion  202 . The access windows  201  are preferably about the same size and shape as the access windows  101  in the preferred embodiment of the invention described above. As will be understood by one skilled in the art, this embodiment functions in generally the same way as the embodiment of the invention described above. However, the rectangular shape of the box is advantageous because it prevents the housing from rolling out of a desired position.  
         [0029]    As will be understood by one skilled in the art, the outer housing  100 ,  200  may be any of a variety of shapes and sizes. For example, the outer housing  100 ,  200  may be generally spherical, box-shaped, conical, polyhedral, cylindrical, or elliptical.  
         [0030]    Similarly, as will be understood by one skilled in the art, while the access windows  101 ,  201  are described above as triangles, the access windows  101 ,  201  may be any of a variety of other shapes and sizes. For example, the access windows  101 ,  201  may be circular, rectangular, elliptical, or polygonal. Additionally, the various access windows  101 ,  201  on any particular housing may be a variety of different shapes.  
         [0031]    Locking Mechanism  
         [0032]    In a preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3, the outer housing  100  is preferably configured to be moved from an unlocked configuration, in which access to the interior portion  102  of the outer housing  100  is substantially unrestricted, to a locked configuration in which the interior portion  102  is only accessible through the access windows  101 . The outer housing  100  is preferably secured in the locked configuration by a locking mechanism  104 .  
         [0033]    As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the outer housing  100  preferably comprises two substantially identical, hemispherical halves, each of which comprises a substantially circular outer rim. As discussed in greater detail below, these two halves are configured to rotate relative to each other when moved from a locked to an unlocked configuration.  
         [0034]    In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the outer housing  100  includes a hinged side  107  and a locking side  108  opposite the hinged side  107  (See FIG. 1). In this embodiment of the invention, a hinge  109  is disposed on the hinged side  107  of the housing  100  along Line  1 - 1 , which is shown in FIG. 1. Similarly, a locking mechanism  104  is disposed on the locking side  108  of the housing  100  along Line  1 - 1 . The hinge  109  is configured to allow the two halves to rotate, about an axis defined by the hinge  109 , between a closed and open configuration.  
         [0035]    In the closed configuration, the circular outer rims of the respective halves are disposed immediately adjacent each other and the halves define a hollow sphere. In the open configuration, there is a gap between the halves so that a user can access the interior portion  102  of the halves through the gap, and the two halves are separated and connected by the hinge  109 .  
         [0036]    The locking mechanism  104  is preferably configured to prevent the housing  100  from being moved from the closed configuration to the open configuration when the locking mechanism  104  is engaged. When the housing  100  is in a locked configuration, the housing  100  is in the closed configuration and the locking mechanism  104  is engaged. In this locked configuration, the two halves of the housing  100  are substantially restricted from moving relative to each other. Thus, when the housing  100  is in the locked configuration, access to the interior portion  102  of the housing  100  is substantially restricted.  
         [0037]    Similarly, when the housing  100  is in an unlocked configuration, the housing  100  is either in the open configuration or the closed configuration, but the locking mechanism  104  is not engaged. Thus, in the unlocked configuration the two halves of the housing  100  are preferably free to rotate relative to each other about the hinge  109 . Accordingly, when the housing  100  is in the unlocked configuration, access to the interior portion  102  of the housing  100  is substantially unrestricted.  
         [0038]    As will be understood by one skilled in the art, the locking mechanism  104  may include any known lock device. For example, the locking mechanism  104  may include a combination lock, a snap lock, or two hooks and a padlock. In one particular embodiment of the invention, the locking mechanism  104  is a threaded fastener that extends around the circumference of the outer housing  100  substantially along the  1 - 1  Line shown in FIG. 1. This embodiment of a locking mechanism  104  preferably includes a child-safety thread configuration that is configured to require a user to perform a somewhat complex physical task to move the housing  100  from a locked to an unlocked position. For example, in one embodiment of the invention, the locking mechanism  104  is configured to only move from a locked to an unlocked position in response to a user pushing one half of the housing  100  towards the other half while rotating the halves relative to each other. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, this locking mechanism  104  is similar to the thread configuration used on child-safety caps for medicine bottles. As will be understood by one skilled in the art, this embodiment of the invention preferably does not include a hinge  109 .  
         [0039]    Bait Module  
         [0040]    A preferred embodiment of the bait module  103  is shown in FIG. 5. This embodiment of the bait module  103  comprises a poison portion  120 , an olfactory attractor portion  122  disposed adjacent the poison portion  120 , and a visual attractor portion  124  disposed adjacent the olfactory attractor portion  122 . The poison portion  120  may be any poisonous substance, but is preferably a standard rodent bait, such as Contrac Blox®. The olfactory attractor portion  122  is any substance that will attract a rodent by smell. The olfactory attractor portion  122  preferably comprises food, such as peanut butter, but may comprise other substances such as a chemical that gives off an odor that attracts rodents.  
         [0041]    The visual attractor portion  124  is a device or material that is configured to direct concentrated light. For example, the visual attractor portion  124  may be a material that reflects concentrated light at a plurality of angles (such as aluminum foil), or battery-powered light source. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the visual attractor portion  124  is aluminum foil.  
         [0042]    In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the visual attractor portion  124  is entirely surrounded by the olfactory attractor portion  122 . In this embodiment of the invention, the olfactory attractor portion  122  is preferably entirely surrounded by the visual attractor portion  124 .  
         [0043]    An alternative embodiment of the bait module  403  is shown in FIG. 6. As shown in this figure, this bait module  403  comprises a poison portion  420 , an olfactory attractor portion  422  disposed adjacent the poison portion  420 , and a visual attractor portion  424  disposed adjacent both the poison portion  420  and the olfactory attractor portion  422 . The poison portion  420  in this particular embodiment is mixed with the olfactory attractor portion  422  and preferably formed into a spherical shape. The visual attractor portion  424  preferably surrounds the mixture of poison portion  420  and olfactory attractor portion  422 . In this embodiment, the poison portion  420  and olfactory attractor portion  422  may be mixed in many different ways. For example, the poison portion  420  and olfactory attractor portion  422  may be mixed uniformly, or so that high concentrations of the poison portion  420  and/or olfactory attractor portion  422  are on the outer surface of the bait module  403 .  
         [0044]    Another alternative embodiment of the bait module  503  is shown in FIG. 7. As may be understood from this figure, this bait module  503  comprises a poison portion  520 , an olfactory attractor portion  522  disposed adjacent the poison portion  520 , and a visual attractor portion  524  disposed adjacent the poison portion  520  and the olfactory attractor portion  522 . The poison portion  520  in this embodiment is mixed with both the olfactory attractor portion  522  and the visual attractor portion  524  and the mixture is preferably formed into a spherical shape. The poison portion  520 , olfactory attractor portion  522 , and visual attractor portion  524  may be mixed in many different ways. For example, the poison portion  520 , olfactory attractor portion  522 , and visual attractor portion  524  may be mixed uniformly, or so that high concentrations of the poison portion  520 , olfactory attractor portion  522 , and/or visual attractor portion  524  are on the outer surface of the bait module  503 . In this embodiment, the visual attractor portion  524  is preferably visible from the exterior of the bait module  503 .  
         [0045]    Another alternative embodiment of the bait module  603  is shown in FIG. 8. As may be understood from this figure, this bait module  603  comprises a poison portion  620  and a visual attractor portion  624  that is disposed adjacent the poison portion  620 . The poison portion  620  in this embodiment is preferably entirely surrounded by the visual attractor portion  624 , and the resulting bait module  603  is preferably spherical.  
         [0046]    Another alternative embodiment of the bait module  703  is shown in FIG. 9. As shown in this figure, in this embodiment of the invention, the bait module  703  comprises a poison portion  720  that is disposed adjacent a visual attractor portion  724 . The poison portion  720  and visual attractor portion  724  preferably form a sphere. In this embodiment, the poison portion  720  and visual attractor portion  724  may be mixed in many different ways. For example, the poison portion  720  and visual attractor portion  724  may be mixed uniformly, or so that high concentrations of the poison portion  720  or visual attractor portion  724  are on the outer surface of the bait module  703 .  
         [0047]    In the various embodiments of the bait module  103 ,  403 ,  503 ,  603 ,  703  described above and illustrated by FIGS. 5 through 9, the bait module  103 ,  403 ,  503 ,  603 ,  703  is preferably spherical, and the diameter of the bait module  103 ,  403 ,  503 ,  603 ,  703  is preferably between about 1 and 1.75 inches. While the bait module  103 ,  403 ,  503 ,  603 ,  703  is preferably spherical, as will be understood by one skilled in the art, the bait module  103 ,  403 ,  503 ,  603 ,  703  may be any of a variety of shapes and sizes. For example, the bait module  103 ,  403 ,  503 ,  603 ,  703  may be spherical, box-shaped, cylindrical, polyhedral, or elliptical.  
         [0048]    In some situations, such as in an industrial or commercial setting or in homes where the risk of children or pets accidentally coming into contact with the bait module  103 ,  403 ,  503 ,  603 ,  703  is insignificant, the tamper resistant characteristic provided by the outer housing  100 ,  200  of the rodent bait delivery &#39;system described in FIGS. 1 through 4 is not necessary. In such situations, the bait module  103 ,  403 ,  503 ,  603 ,  703  may be deployed without an outer housing  100 ,  200 .  
         [0049]    Use of the Rodent Bait Delivery System  
         [0050]    A method of delivering bait (such as a poison portion  320 ,  420 ,  520 ,  620 ,  720 ) to a rodent, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, comprises the steps of: (1) providing an outer housing  100 ,  200  that defines both an interior portion  102 ,  202  and one or more access windows  101 ,  201 ; (2) positioning the poison portion  320 ,  420 ,  520 ,  620 ,  720  within the interior portion  102 ,  202  of the outer housing  100 ,  200 ; and (3) enticing a rodent to consume at least part of the poison portion  320 ,  420 ,  520 ,  620 ,  720  by positioning the visual attractor portion  124 ,  424 ,  524 ,  624 ,  724  in the interior portion  102 ,  202  of the outer housing  100 ,  200  so that the visual attractor portion  124 ,  424 ,  524 ,  624 ,  724  reflects light through the one or more access windows  101 ,  201  at a plurality of angles.  
         [0051]    In one embodiment of the invention, the outer housing  100 ,  200  and bait module  103 ,  403 ,  503 ,  603 ,  703  are manufactured and packaged so that the bait module  103 ,  403 ,  503 ,  603 ,  703  is disposed within the outer housing  100 ,  200  and so that the outer housing  100 ,  200  may not be moved out of the unlocked configuration. This is advantageous because it alleviates the need for the user to touch the bait module  103 ,  403 ,  503 ,  603 ,  703  before using the bait delivery system.  
         [0052]    Alternatively, the rodent bait delivery system may be manufactured and packaged in the form of a kit. To use such a system, the user first moves the outer housing  100 ,  200  into the unlocked and open configuration and inserts the bait module  103 ,  403 ,  503 ,  603 ,  703  into the interior portion  102 ,  202  of the bait module  103 ,  403 ,  503 ,  603 ,  703 . The user then moves the outer housing  100 ,  200  into the closed and locked configuration so that the bait module  103  is locked into the interior of the bait module  103 ,  403 ,  503 ,  603 ,  703 .  
         [0053]    Once the bait module  103 ,  403 ,  503 ,  603 ,  703  is secured within the outer housing  100 ,  200 , the user positions the completed system near a likely rodent travel path. The user may then tether the outer housing  100 ,  200  to a bush or stake to prevent the housing from being moved out of place.  
         [0054]    When light shines through the access windows  101 ,  201  (for example when floodlights, streetlights or headlights from a passing car shine on the outer housing  100 ,  200 ), the light reflects off of the visual attractor portion  124 ,  424 ,  524 ,  624 ,  724  and through the access windows  101 ,  201 . Passing rodents then see the light reflecting off of the bait module&#39;s  103 ,  403 ,  503 ,  603 ,  703  visual attractor portion  124 ,  424 ,  524 ,  624 ,  724  through the access windows  101 ,  201 . This reflection, combined with the smell of the bait module&#39;s  103 ,  403 ,  503 ,  603 ,  703  olfactory attractor portion  122 ,  422 ,  522 ,  622 ,  722 , attracts the rodents to the system. The rodents then walk to the rodent bait delivery system and begin to nibble at the bait module  103 ,  403 ,  503 ,  603 ,  703  through the access windows  101 ,  201 . During this process, the rodents consume enough of the poison portion  120 ,  420 ,  520 ,  620 ,  720  to cause the rodent to die.  
         [0055]    Conclusion  
         [0056]    Many modifications and other embodiments of the invention will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which this invention pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.