Lobsters, Cray Fish, and the like.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Apr., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 9th Jan., 1889
Complete Specification Accepted, 12th Feb., 1889
Lobsters, Cray Fish, and the like.
We THOMAS HART of Poltrean in the County of Cornwall and HENRY BOYD of
Hertford College Oxford Clerk in Holy Orders do hereby declare the nature of this
Invention to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to provide an improved trap or apparatus or means for
catching crabs lobsters crayfish and the like. It consists of a receptacle with an
opening at top the said opening being formed by a projecting portion extending
downwards into the interior of the trap and joining the sides by curved or equivalently
formed combinations which form the top of the enclosed space of the trap.
The opening to the trap is covered or protected by a flap or guard or guards
opening inwards but closing upwards by a counterweight or spring or by depending
guards hanging vertically from the inward projecting portion. Into the interior of
the trap the bait is introduced and in addition to the usual lure of fish the bait may
be artificially composed of any suitable material such for example as turnip or bread
or sponge or rice soaked in pilchard oil or the like and the bait may be supported by
skewers or other supports in any suitable position in the trap such as at the bottom or
up under the arched roof.
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Agents.

page_text: Improvements in Traps or Means and Apparatus for Catching Crabs
Lobsters, Crayfish, and the like.
We THOMAS HART of Polbrean in the County of Cornwall and HENRY BOYD
of Hertford College Oxford Clerk in Holy Orders 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 :-
The object of this Invention is to provide an improved trap or means or apparatus
for catching crabs lobsters crayfish and the like. It consists of a receptacle with an
opening at top the said opening being formed by a projecting portion extending
downwards into the interior of the trap or receptacle and joining the sides by curved
or equivalently formed continuations which form the top of the enclosed space of the
trap or receptacle. The opening to the trap is covered or protected by a flap or guard
or flaps or guards opening downwards or inwards but closing upwards or outwards by
a counterweight or spring or by depending flaps or guards hanging vertically from
the inward projecting portion. Into the interior of the trap or receptacle the bait is
introduced and in addition to the usual lure of fish the bait may be artificially com-
posed of any suitable material such for example as turnip or bread or sponge or rice
or other absorbent material soaked in pilchard oil or oil of anise or cocoa nut oil or
the like and the bait may be supported by skewers or other supports in any suitable
position in the trap or receptacle such as at the bottom or up under the arched roof.
The traps or receptacles may be of any suitable general figure and of any suitable
material but the accompanying Drawings shew the form and arrangements which we
have found to answer best in practice-In figure 1. A is the receptacle with the
opening and inwardly turned curved portion at a carrying at its inward edge a wire
or the like forming a fulcrum for a number of wire or like guards c which are
normally maintained in the position shewn by their counterweighted outer ends c²-
D shews the bait. Figure 2 shews another arrangement of the guards which consist
of pendent wires c³ strung on the fulcrum wire or the like b. The other parts are
like those shown in Figure 1 and are marked with the same letters of reference.
When the fish enters the trap the guards c swing downwards or the guards c³ swing
inwards (as shewn by the dotted lines indicating the path their ends take) and when
the fish has passed them they resume their normal position and securely imprison the
fish. The wires may extend all around the trap Figure 2 or only partly round the
remaining portion being occupied by a continuous or rigid wall. Also instead of
wires flaps may be used. The wires may be single or there may be two or more on
each eye or centre for example a convenient form and one readily made is a wire,
coiled at its mid portion and with its two ends forming each a guard as shown in
Figure 3.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is.―
1. A trap or device for catching crabs lobsters cray fish or the like the said trap or
device being contsructed or arranged substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. In traps or devices for catching crabs lobsters cray fish or the like the employ-
ment of swinging guards or flaps which yield to admit the fish and then automatically
swing back to imprison it substantially as hereinbefore described.
3. The trap or device constructed as and for the purpose hereinbefore described and
illustrated in Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings.
4. The trap or device constructed as and for the purpose hereinbefore described and
illustrated in Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings.