Improvements in Animal Traps.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Aug., 1895-Accepted, 21st Sept., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Animal Traps.
I, THOMAS MARK HOVELL, of Boreham Holt, Elstree, in the County of
Hertford, Gentleman, 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 that kind of animal trap wherein firstly two open doors
situated at opposite ends of one compartment of the trap, are closed simultaneously
by the entrance of an animal in treading on a pivotted platform, while secondly
the animal in passing into another compartment actuates a device by its weight
whereby the doors are opened and set, ready for another animal to enter.
I will describe my improved construction of such traps with reference to the
accompanying drawings, in which
Fig. shews a plan with the top of the cage removed,
Fig. 2 shews a front elevation with the doors closed,
Fig. 3 shews the same view with the doors open,
Fig. 4 shews an end view at Y with the doors closed,
Fig. 5 the same view with the doors open, and
Fig. 6 a cross section at W W.
The trap which may either be of wire as shewn, or of other suitable material, has
firstly a compartment A, the open ends of which can be closed by doors B B and
it contains a platform or treadle C, pivotted at D and which is normally held in
the raised position shewn at Fig. 3 by a counterweight E which keeps it against a
stop F. The platform, when in this position directly locks the doors in the open
position by the following arrangement. The doors are hung at their upper ends
from looped levers G, pivotted to a bar G¹ on the cage, and having bent tails .G'
which project downward so that when the doors are open their ends, enter
holes C¹C formed in the platform, when this is in the raised position, so that the
levers G, and consequently the doors, in this position of the platform, are prevented
from descending on account of the tails G butting. against the one edge of the
respective holes C'.
On an animal entering the trap and depressing the platform in endeavouring to
reach the bait at U, the tails G are liberated 'from the holes C', and consequently
the levers and doors immediately fall into the closed position as at Figs. 2 and 4;
they are locked in this position by means to be presently described.
To the lower parts of the doors B are pivotted the ends of a, loop, shaped
lever H H H pivotted to the trap at 1 and extending to the back of the trap
where the two end parts are connected together by the loop part or bar H',
so that by pressing this part of the lever downwards, the two end parts HH' in
turning on their pivots will raise the doors from the closed to the open position,
as shewn at Fig. and at the end view Fig. 5.
It will be seen from Fig. 2 that when the doors B are in the closed position,, the
ends of the tails G' are situated just above the platform C, so that as the doors
rise into the open position the tails G' in descending will depress the platform
somewhat until they pass the edges of the holes C', when the platform in rising
again, will lock the tails in the holes as described.
It will be obvious that instead of causing the tails G³ to be locked by holes
formed in the platform C this may be effected by any equivalent means, such as
notches in the side of the platform as at C in the part plan at Fig. 7, or inclined
'projections, as at C³ in the vart elevation at Fig. 8.

page_text: The opening of the doors is effected automatically by the animal caught in the
trap by the following arrangement.
At one end of the compartment A is a side opening J, leading into a passage K
in which is an inclined, platform L, pivotted at L' and leading up to a passage M.
This passage is partly formed by a platform H' forming part of the looped
lever H H H. Fixed to a pivotting bar N at the bottom of the trap is a catch
lever which ordinarily extends up in the slanting position shewn at Fig. 4, so
that its head O' is situated immediately underneath the bar H* of the lever HH
when this in the raised position with the doors B closed, so that as the catch O
prevents the part H' of the lever from descending, it effects the locking of the
doors in the closed position.
On the bar N is fixed a looped finger N¹ and on the underside of the platform L
is a looped bar L' projecting downwards to near the finger N¹, so that if the upper
end of the platform be slightly depressed (the extent of its motion being limited by
a stop at V) the bar L² will depress the finger N thereby turning bar N and
catch into the position at Figure 5, in which it frees the lever H H' so that the
part H can now move downwards for opening the doors.
The action of the above described devices will be as follows:-
An animal confined in the compartment A by the closing of the doors as
described, on finding the opening J will pass through the same on to the
platform L, pushing open the pivotted gate P which closes behind him. The
weight of the animal will slightly depress the upper end of the platform, thereby
bringing the catch O, from under the lever H H H. The animal will then at
once enter the passage M, and its weight on the platform H will depress the
part H of the lever as at Figures 5 and 6 thereby raising the doors B, which will
be locked in the open position by the platform C as described. At the bottom of
the far end of the passage M is a passage Q into which the animal will pass from
the lowered platform H³, lifting the pivotted gate P¹ which will close behind it,
and finally it will pass through another passage R and gate P' into the com-
'partment S. The trap having been thus set by the imprisoned animal, another
animal entering will again depress the platform C causing the doors B to close and
the lever HH' H' and platform H³ to rise again into their original position, when
the catch will drop back under the bar H2 so as to lock the doors until the
second animal has passed through the gate P, whereupon the above described
action will be repeated, and so on till the compartment S is full, whereupon it can
be emptied by opening a gate P³.
Bars T are provided in front of the doors B for preventing the animals from
trying to prize the doors open. U is a perforated bait box.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
:-
1. In an animal trap, the combination with a compartment A of sliding doors B
suspended from levers G G2 which secure the doors in the raised position by
engaging directly with a balanced platform C so that on the depression of
the latter by an animal, the levers are freed and the doors close, substantially as
described.
2. In an animal trap, such as is referred to in the preceding claim, the
combination with the doors B of a platform H communicating with the com-
partment A by a passage K, and connected to the said doors by pivotted
levers H H in such a manner that when the doors are closed the platform is in a
raised position, while when an animal passes on to the latter, it is depressed and
thereby causes the levers H H' to open the doors substantially as described.
3. In combination with the levers H H and platform H³ referred to in the
preceding claim, the use of a catch 00' acting on the levers so as to lock the
doors in the closed position, and a pivotted platform I which in being depressed
by the weight of an animal causes the said catch to release the levers H H¹ so as

page_text: to allow them to descend and raise the doors when the animal passes on to the
platform H' substantially as described.
4. In an animal trap, the combination of a compartment A having sliding
doors B at each end, levers G from which the doors are hung, a pivotted
platform C with means for locking the doors in the open position, a rocking
lever HH'H' pivotted to the doors and carrying a platform H' adapted to be
depressed with the lever by the weight of an animal, and thereby to raise the doors
into the open position, substantially as described.
5. In an animal trap, the combination of a compartment A having sliding
doors B, at each end, levers G from which the doors are hung, a pivotted
platform with means for locking the doors in the open position, a rocking
lever H H H pivotted to the doors and carrying a platform H³ adapted to be
depressed with the lever by the weight of an animal and thereby to raise the doors
into the open position, a passage K communicating with compartment A and con-
taining a pivotted inclined platform L leading up to the platform H³ a pivotted
catch O, for preventing the depression of the lever H H'H' so as to lock the
doors in the closed position and a lever device worked by the depression of the
platform L by an animal, for withdrawing the catch from the lever H H H so as
to allow this to descend when the animal passes on to the platform H³ substantially
as described.
Dated the 20th day of August 1895
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.