Abstract:
A trap for retaining a live animal includes a housing, a spring-biased loop retainer movable into and out of the housing and a latch having an arcuate section. A trigger is disposed to engage an aperture in the latch wherein the trigger is positioned to extend into and out of the housing such that the arcuate section of the latch engages the spring-biased loop retainer to move the loop retainer into the housing. A method of setting a trap for catching a live animal comprises moving a restraining segment of an animal leg retainer into a housing by engaging an arcuate section of a latch against the retainer. The arcuate section is engaged by applying a downward force to the latch to cause the restraining segment to be positioned in a set position for engaging the animal leg.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) 
     The present application is based on and claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/913,689, filed Dec. 9, 2013, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Animal traps are devices used to remotely catch and trap animals. Devices similar to the present invention are used to live trap smaller animals while inflicting the least amount of physical injury to the animal as possible. Such traps are of the type wherein a trapper must manually set and position each trap. These trapping devices, usually referred to as foothold traps, generally comprise a latch and trigger system wherein the restraint is spring based. Since the restraints must quickly snap around an animal&#39;s limb, the traps and all the components are generally made of steel in order to withstand a trapped animal&#39;s attempts to escape. 
     One problem associated with many of the devices of the prior art relates to the trapper&#39;s ability to set the trap. These traps generally use heavy-duty steel springs, which require a significant amount of force and exertion on the part of the trapper in setting the trap. Since these types of traps must tightly and quickly clamp the animal&#39;s limb into the device in order to hold the animal in spite of the animal&#39;s attempts to remove its limb, the spring force exerted during trapping is generally great. Thus, the restoring force needed to set the trap is also significant. Many trappers have difficulty setting the traps by hand and require addition tools to do so. The task of setting the traps is also exhausting and the resulting strain on the trapper&#39;s hands is multiplied each time the trapper sets a trap as in many instances, multiple traps are set. 
     Moreover, traps of the prior art require the animal&#39;s limb to displace and effectively release a trigger to engage the restraint and trap the animal. Prior art triggers are generally lengths of steel simply extending into the trap. A problem associated with these triggers arises in that other animals may have access to the traps without displacing the trigger. Additionally, based on the prior art designs, a significantly sized limb, with a greater amount of force is needed to displace these triggers. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1A  is a side view of a live-trap of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 1B  is a side view of the trap having an alternative embodiment of a ground securing stake. 
         FIG. 2  is a back perspective view of a retaining section of the trap. 
         FIG. 3  is a side view of the retaining section of the trap. 
         FIG. 4  is a top view of a latch portion of the trap. 
         FIG. 5  is a top view of an alternative embodiment of the latch portion. 
         FIG. 6  is a top view of the trap, illustrating the trigger within the tube. 
         FIG. 7  is a top view of the trap, illustrating an alternative embodiment of the trigger within the tube. 
     
    
    
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present disclosure relates to a trap for retaining a live animal. The trap of the present disclosure includes a housing, a spring-biased loop retainer movable into and out of the housing and a latch having an arcuate section. The trap also includes a trigger disposed to engage an aperture in the latch wherein a trigger is positioned to extend into and out of the housing such that the arcuate section of the latch engages the spring-biased loop retainer to move the loop retainer into the housing. 
     The present disclosure also relates to a method of setting a trap for catching a live animal. The method comprises moving a restraining segment of an animal leg retainer into a housing by engaging an arcuate section of a latch against the retainer. The arcuate section is engaged by applying a downward force to the latch to cause the restraining segment to be positioned in a set position for engaging the animal leg. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present disclosure is directed to a trapping device for catching and holding a live animal. The device may be used for pest control and can be used to effectively trap raccoons and other rodents or animals of similar size. The trap, as illustrated generally in the figures, comprises a tube in which bait can be placed, the type of bait being selected based on the animal to be trapped. When the device is used to trap an animal, the animal will generally insert a limb into the tube in an attempt to reach or grab the bait. At the point when the animal reaches into the tube, the animal&#39;s limb will displace a trigger upon contact with a trigger plate or trigger bar, which will release a latch, resulting in the snapping, in a backward direction, of a restraint. The restraint then holds the animal to the trap by clamping its limb in the tube. The device may also be secured to the ground to prevent the animal from running off with the trap. 
     The device  10 , as illustrated generally in  FIG. 1 , is a tube  12  adapted with a retainer  14 .  FIGS. 1 and 2  illustrate the device in a restrained configuration. That is, if an animal&#39;s limb were inserted in the tube  12 , it would be held there by the retainer  14 . 
     The tube  12  is open on a top or an upwardly facing end  16  and is also adapted with a floor  18  at an opposing or bottom end  20 . The tube  12  may be cylindrical or of any other cross-section shape, such that the tube is sufficient in length and width for insertion of bait as well as insertion and securing of a limb of an animal to be trapped. The floor  18  may be a flat plate, a plate adapted with openings or even a fine mesh screen. The bottom end  20  of the tube is adapted with a stake  22  extending outwardly and downwardly from the floor  18 . The stake  22  is generally positioned approximately in the center of the tube with respect to the cross-section of the tube  12 , however more than one stake may be used and the stakes may be positioned as necessary with respect to the tube. The stake  22  allows a trapper to secure the device into either a ground surface or another ground-engaging stake or surface. The stake  22  is a steel rod which may have a pointed tip, however the stake may be adapted with various tips including a rounded end tip, a threaded tip or am arrow-shaped tip. As illustrated in  FIGS. 1A and 1B , the stake  22  may additionally be adapted with a transverse facing plate  24  or bar along its length. The plate  24  or bar along the length of the stake  22  may acts to further stabilize the device in an upright position when the stake  22  is inserted into the ground. 
     The tube  12  is further adapted with a latch  26 , a spring-loaded wire frame  28 , a rotatable cylinder  30  and a trigger  32 . Each component cooperates to set the device for trapping, as well as to trap the animal itself. 
     The retainer  14  includes a metal wire adapted with a looped portion  34  such that when engaged, the looped length  34  will secure the animal&#39;s limb in the tube. The looped or rounded portion  34  of the retainer  14  extends inwardly into the tube  12 , proximate a top section of the tube  12 , and two corresponding apertures  36  and  37  near the upper portion of the tube  12  allow the retainer  14  to extend into and across the tube and to allow the retainer to move from a set position to a trapped position with respect to the tube  12 . The apertures  36  and  37  are adjacent to one on another and correspond to the loop and its ends  40  and  42  such that a first side of the looped section  34  and end  40  are movable into and out of aperture  36  while a second side of the looped section  34  and end  42  are simultaneously movable into and out of aperture  37 . The apertures are positioned in a side portion of the tube proximate the top section of the tube. The retainer is moveable in the direction of arrows  38 . The retainer  14  comprises two ends  40  and  42 , which extend away from the loop  34  and thus away from the tube  12 . The ends  40  and  42  are generally straight lengths of wire, horizontal to the ground. The ends  40  and  42  are connected to the spring-loaded wire frame  28 . 
     The spring-loaded wire frame  28  is generally a rectangular frame extending along a length of the tube  12  wherein the bottom portion of the frame comprises the spring  44 . The spring  44  is attached to the tube  12  proximate the base of the tube  12  and may be further connected to the bottom of the tube  12 . The rectangular portion of the spring-loaded frame  28  also has two substantially parallel and vertical lengths of wire which are connected by a horizontal section of wire  46 . The horizontal length of wire  46  is positioned proximate the top of the tube  12  and the ends  40  and  42  connect to the spring-loaded frame  28  and each opposing end of the length  46 . The hollow, rotatable cylinder  30  is shorter in length and slightly larger in diameter than the horizontal length of wire  46  and the cylinder  30  surrounds the horizontal section of wire  46  of the spring-loaded frame  28 . The rotatable cylinder  30  is rotatable around the horizontal length of wire  46  and is held in position by the length of wire  46 . The rotatable cylinder  30  supports easier setting of the retainer  14 , by cooperating with an underside surface of the latch  26  when the latch  26  is displaced downwardly during setting. 
     As illustrated in further detail in  FIGS. 3-5 , the latch  26  is an elongated steel plate, which is pivotally mounted to the top portion of the tube  12  adjacent the aperture  36  and the retainer  14 . The latch  26  is movable in the direction illustrated by arrows  27  between a first position, the retaining position (as illustrated in  FIG. 1 ), along the rotatable cylinder  30  and a second, set position wherein the retainer  14  is set for trapping. The latch  26  is adapted with an upward curve  50 , or smooth bend extending from the connection with the tube to approximately the center portion of the latch  26 . Proximate the center of the latch  26 , the latch is adapted with a “U” shaped bend  52  that connects the curved portion  50  of the latch to the distal end length of the latch  26 . The distal end of the latch  26  comprises two sections  56  and  58  which are connected by a step  60 . The first flat section  56 , proximate the “U” shaped bend  52  is adapted with an aperture or hole  62 . The aperture  62  is of a shape that corresponds to the shape of the trigger  32  such that the trigger  32  will engage with the aperture  62  to hold the latch  26  in place. The aperture or hole  62  may be further adapted in any shape to allow release of the trigger and thus the latch to actuate the retainer upon insertion of a limb or movement of the limb within the tube. The second flat section  58  is solid and rounded such that a trapper&#39;s thumb would comfortably engage with the distal most portion  58  of the latch  26  in order to more easily move the latch  26  downwardly. 
     As illustrated in the embodiment in  FIG. 4 , and the alternative embodiment of  FIG. 5 , the aperture  62  can be adapted to allow for the trigger to be disengaged from the latch and aperture by movement of the trigger in either a first or second opposing direction. The trigger is engaged in a set position within the aperture by engagement of the trigger  32  with the center section  63  of the aperture  62 . Movement of the trigger  32  in either the first or second opposing direction then releases the latch  26  from the aperture  62 , the releasing the retainer  14  from the set position. 
     As the latch  26  is moved against the rotatable cylinder  30  to move the retainer  14  into a set position, the trapper would simply push down on the distal portion  58  of the latch  26  to move the latch  26  downward. The rotatable cylinder  30  on the spring-loaded wire frame  28  cooperates with the latch by rotating and thus rolling against the inner surface of the latch  26 , along the curved portion, to facilitate the downward movement. This downward movement of the latch  26  simultaneously moves the retainer  14  in a forward direction into the tube  12 . The looped portion  34  is then fully inserted into the tube  12  such that the looped portion  34  extends across the tube  12  such that the looped portion  34  abuts an opposing inner surface of the tube  12  and the tube remains accessible by the animal. 
     To hold the retainer  14  in the set position, the latch  26  is depressed downwardly until the latch can be connected to and held in place by the trigger  32 . The trigger  32  is secured externally to the tube  12  by a pivotable connection with a bar mounted outside the tube. The trigger  32  then extends into the tube  12 , proximate the floor  18  of the tube  12  through a substantially vertical aperture  66 . A first end  68  of the trigger  32  extends outwardly and away from the tube  12  and is adapted to frictionally engage with the aperture and to apply downward force to an upward facing edge of the aperture  62 . The trigger  32  extends into and through the aperture  62 , thus holding the latch  26  in the downward position and thus holding the retainer  14  in the open and set position. 
     The vertical trigger aperture  66  along the length of the tube  12  allows the trigger  32  to move in opposing directions. As illustrated in  FIGS. 3-5 , a second end  70  of the trigger  32 , which is positioned within the tube  12 , is adapted with a plate  72 . The plate  72 , when the latch is set to hold the retainer in a set position, is substantially parallel to the floor  18 . The plate is of a cross-section and size such that the plate is moveable in a first and second direction within the tube  12  without contacting the inner surfaces of the tube  12 . The plate  72  is secured to upwardly facing side of the second end  70  of the trigger  32 . The plate  72  allows the trigger  32  to be displaced by the limb of the animal, as the animal reaches into the tube  12  towards the bait. 
     In the set position, the latch  26  overlies the ends of the retainer  14 , the connection to and the spring-loaded wire frame  28 . The latch  26  is then secured by engagement with the trigger  32  as discussed previously in this disclosure. The trigger  32  prevents the latch  26  from disengaging the retainer  14  and spring-loaded wire frame  28  until an opposing force is applied to the trigger  32  via the plate  72  inside the tube  12 . To effect movement of the trigger  32  and to release the latch  26  thus moving the retainer  14  to trap the animal, an animal reaching into or otherwise having a limb in the tube  12  displaces the trigger plate  72  or alternatively, a trigger bar  72  as illustrated in  FIG. 6  and the alternative embodiment of illustrated in  FIG. 7 . 
     Once the trigger  32  has been moved, in either direction, by force from the animal inserting and/or withdrawing or moving its limb in the tube  12 , the trigger  32  disengages from connection with the latch  26 , releasing the latch  26 . Thus allowing the spring-force to release the wire frame and thus release the retainer  14  from the set position. When the retainer  14  is released from the set position, the loop  34  of the retainer is quickly snapped in a backward direction away from the opposing inner surface of the tube  12 . The animal&#39;s limb is then caught between the retainer loop and the tube wall. 
     The device is also adapted with a chain  74  to additionally secure the device  10  to the ground or other surface. The chain  74  is of a selected length and the length can vary based on the size of the device, the location of the device, the animal to be trapped, or any other considerations. The chain  74  then extends away from the device  10  by a connection with the stake  22 . The chain  74  can be connected to the stake  22  by any means in which the chain can be pivotably secured to the stake  22 . The chain  74  may be further adapted at its distal end  76  with a ring or clip  78  in which an additional stake or other means can be inserted into or connected with, in which to secure the chain to the ground or other surface. The chain can be secured to the ground or other surface being a selected distance from the device. 
     Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.