Improvements in Means or Apparatus for Trapping Animals and Birds.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 4th July, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 2nd May, 1891-Accepted, 6th June, 1891
PROVIDIONAL DE BUIT
Improvements in Means or Apparatus for Trapping Animals
and Birds.
I, GEORGE ANDREWS, Engineer, of Jessamine Villa, Hunters Road, Willes-
borough, Ashford, in the County of Kent, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in means or apparatus for trapping animals
and birds, which consists of a fork or perch of any suitable shape, on, in, or below
a platform or trap door, with a fall down, throw-over, or close up cage; the said
cage or crusher closing directly a animal or bird put their feet on the perch or
trap door, by their weight operating on a lever, this said lever releasing the
trapping mechanism or device by dropping on or over the said animal or bird, for
the purpose of catching the same alive, or killing the same instantaneously.
This invention I attach to various suitable shape boxes, with a raised platform
having a channel all round or partially round the said platform. Across the centre
beneath the platform I fix by means of springs a curved arm or arms pivoted in
the channel on either side of the platform, and to this curved arm I place a suitable
net or any other device. In the centre of the platform I construct a trap door
attached to a lever or levers, (or other device), the end of which runs out at the
end of the box in the channel towards a loose catch, (or other device), to which
is forced back the curved arm and held by the catch and lever mechanism down
into the channel. To the top at one end and at the two sides I provide loosely
hinged shutter flaps, for the purpose of concealing the mechanism placed in the
before said channels; the shutter flaps are then closed over flush with the platform
and trap door, the whole being covered with a gravelly surface giving the trap the
appearance of the ordinary ground. Directly a bird or animal place their feet on
the trap door the lever releases the curved arm, which said arm strikes open the
flaps and falls down over the bird or animal by the power of the springs, and secures
the bird or animal alive. This said device may be adopted to an open metallic flat
or any other shape frame, with a loop or ring for setting the trap, attached to the
fall-over, and being provided with spikes is intended in its action to throw-over and
crush or kill any animal between the fall over frame and the platform. The trap
door is constructed to fall by the weight of the animal, and thereby turn the lever
from the loose arm on which the aforesaid loop is placed when the trap is set, in
order to release the loop or ring to throw the trap, as herein before described.
To the fall down traps I adopt the same or similar throw off mechanism with a
lever or levers applied in such a manner that by a small weight on the trap door or
a perch, a cage is forced down on to a platform or on the ground, by the power of
spiral or any other springs down any number of uprights. Catches, set pins, pulls
or draw-ups are used in the various positions, for the purpose of holding the cage
or crusher up during the process of setting the said traps. The aforesaid may be
adapted to catch the animal or bird alive, or I use a fall down herein termed a
"crusher" when I intend to kill the animal or bird instantaneously against the
platform.
This invention can be constructed of any metallic, hemp, silk, cotton, wood, or
other suitable substance.
The object of my invention is to provide an instantaneous fall down cage, net, or
throw-over trap to catch animals or birds of any dimensions without injuring the
same, or to adopt the "crusher" principle when the animal or bird is intended to be
instantaneously killed,

page_text: It will be understood that the foregoing is given by way of illustration only, and
that the shapes, materials and proportions of the various parts may be varied in
many ways within the scope of my invention.
Dated this 4th day of July 1890.
J. P. BAYLY,
18, Fulham Place, W., Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means or Apparatus for Trapping Animals
and Birds.
I, GEORGE ANDREWS, of Jessamine Villa, Hunters Road, Willesborough, Ash-
ford, in the County of Kent, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to improvements in means or apparatus for trapping animals
and birds, which consists of a fork or perch of any suitable shape, on, in or below a
platform or trap door, with a fall down, fall over, or close up cage, the said cage or
crusher closing directly an animal or bird puts their feet on the perch or trap door
by their weight operating on a lever; this said lever releasing the trapping
mechanism or device by dropping on or over the said animal or bird, for the
purpose of catching the same alive, or killing the same instantaneously.
I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawing,
in which-
Fig. 1 is an elevation of an animal trap to kill;
Fig. 2, is an elevation of Fig. 1, set to catch an animal;
Fig. 3, is a plan of Fig. 1 ;
Fig. 4, is a plan of Fig. 3, with a net to catch an animal or bird alive;
Fig. 5, is a plan of a box trap;
Fig. 6, is a plan of the interior of Fig. 5, set with the crusher for killing an animal;
the dotted lines indicate the crusher closed;
Fig. 7, is a plan of Fig. 6, with a net to catch an animal or bird alive;
Fig. 8. is an enlarged view of the mechanism to release the crusher or net for
Figs. 6 and 7;
Fig. 9, is a section of the crusher with one of the spikes of Fig. 6.
Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.
2°
This invention I attach to various suitable shape beds a as in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4,
or boxes as in Figs. 5, 6, and 7, with a raised platform having a channel all
round or partially round the said platform r. Across the centre beneath the
platform fix by means of coil springs on a bar i, a curved arm or arms b
pivoted to the bar in the channel on either side of the platform r, and to this
curved arm I place a suitable net n, or any other device such as bars with spikes w.
In the centre of the platform I construct a trap door attached to a levers or
levers (or other device), the end of which runs out at the end of the box in the
channel towards a loose catch t, pivoted at y on a support to which is forced
back the curved arm b and held with a pin u in a notch or slot by the lever
mechanism s¹, down into the channel.
To the top at one end and at the two sides I provide loosely hinged shutter
flaps, o, o, and p, for the purpose of concealing the mechanism placed in the
before said channels, the shutter flaps o, o, and p are then closed over flush
with the platform and trap door g as in Fig. 5, the whole being covered with
a gravelly surface giving the trap the appearance of the ordinary ground. Directly
a bird or animal place their feet on the trap y the lever s releases the curved
arm which said arm 6 strikes open the flaps and falls down over the bird or
animal by the power of the springs, and secures the bird or animal alive. This
said device may be adopted on an open metallic flat or any other shape frame as

page_text: in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, with a disc d with a slot e and stop pivoted to a standard
for setting attached to the plate a, and being provided with a fall over loop b is
intended to throw over and crush or kill any animal between the fall over frame b
and the platform a, or with a net n as in Fig. 4, to catch animals or birds alive.
Bait k or a small platform m may be attached to the lever arm c. The bar is
supported by bearers; this trap is set as in Fig. 2, by forcing back the loop b
into the slot e of the disc d and placing the lever c beneath the notch f. The trap
being thrown by the animal or bird's weight, or by its endeavour to remove the
bait k from the end of the lever c.
The trap door 7 is constructed to fall by the weight of the animal and turn the
lever from the loose arm t as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 9, on which
the aforesaid loop is placed in order to release the pin loop b or ring to throw
the trap.
To the fall down traps I adopt the same or similar throw off mechanism with a
lever or levers applied in such a manner that by a small weight on the trap door
or a pirch, a cage is forced down on to a platform or the ground by the power of spiral
or any other springs, catches, set pins, pulls or draw-ups are used in the various
positions for the purpose of holding the cage or crusher up during the process of
setting the said traps. The aforesaid may be adapted to catch the bird or animal
alive, or I use a fall down herein termed a "crusher" when I wish to kill the
animal instantaneously against the platform.
This invention may be constructed of any metallic, hemp, silk, cotton, wood or
of any other suitable substance.
The object of my invention is to provide an instantaneous fall down cage, net,
throw over trap to catch animals or birds of any dimensions without injuring the
same, or to adopt the "crusher" principle when the bird or animal is intended to
be instantaneously killed.
It will be understood that the shapes, materials and proportions of the various
parts may be varied in many ways within the scope of my invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In an animal or bird trap the combination of the disc d slot e and notch f
with pivots g and bearing h plate a with loop 6 spring 1 on bar i on bearings j with
lever arm c and bait k or platform m, with or without the net n, to kill an animal
or bird instantaneously or to catch the same alive, substantially as herein described
and for the purpose set forth.
b
2. In an animal or bird trap the combination of the box, channel, and platform r
trap door g loop 6 spring and spikes w, with the crank end s¹ and levers s loose
catch t and support v with slot and catch pin u and the flaps o, o, and p, to kill an
animal or bird instantaneously, substantially as shown, for the purpose specified.
3. In an animal or bird trap the combination of the of channel, box, and platform r
trap door q loop spring and net n, with the crank end sand lever s loose catch t
and support with slot and catch pin and the flaps o, o, and p' hinged, to catch
an animal or bird alive, substantially as described.
Dated this 2nd day of May 1891.
J. P. BAYLY,
18, Fulham Place, W., Agent for the Applicant.