Improvements in the Springs and Spring Connections of Animal and Vermin Traps.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Dec., 1887
Complete Specification Left, 18th Aug., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 21st Sept., 1888
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Springs and Spring Connections of Animal and
Vermin Traps.
I, THOMAS PHILIP BACHE of the firm of George Salter and Company of West
Bromwich in the County of Stafford Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates principally to improvements in the production, or formation
of the springs, of animal and vermin traps, and consists in making the said springs,
from rods, wire or strip metal, bent and folded up into the desired shape, while the
connection of the end of the spring, is made without riveting.
Trap springs as ordinary constructed, are fashioned and drawn out from bar or rod
metal, and with the fork or loop part, which closes the jaws, welded separately to the
other part.
Under this invention, the springs while retaining all the advantages of ordinary
springs, are readily made, and cheaply produced.
In carrying out my invention, in connection with an ordinary rabbit or rat trap, I
take a length of stout steel wire, and fold the same about its middle, into two nearly
parallel lengths, and with the fore part contracted or bent inwardly near its end, so
as to form a loop, wherethrough the rear ends of the jaws pass, while the other or rear
ends are shaped downwardly into forms, resembling a shepherd's crook, and with the
ends thereof, which lie upon the top rear side of the stock, are secured by the T or
cross head of a stud, and with the underside of the T parts, made with semi-circular
seats, and between these seats, and the top of the stock, the springs' ends are secured,
by riveting the lower end of a stud to the stock. Or the said lower end of the stud,
may be screwed or secured by a nut or cotter.
Thus, the spring is made of a piece of bent wire, bowed downwardly at its rear
ends, and with the sides proceeding parallel to near the front, where they become

page_text: contracted, and then evolve themselves into a loop, which embraces and works the
jaws of the trap.
This round wire made spring, is hardened and tempered, with the rear end if
necessary, shaped or fashioned into a coiled, or an evolved end, or ends.
Instead of round wire, rods, strips or wires of any section, may be employed.
Dated this Twenty-ninth day of November 1887.
THOMAS PHILIP BACHE.
By Henry Skerrett,
Agent for Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Springs and Spring Connections of Animal and
Vermin Traps.
I, THOMAS PHILIP BACHE of the firm of George Salter and Company of West
Bromwich in the County of Stafford, Manufacturer, 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:-
This invention relates principally to the production or formation of the springs
(and accessory parts) of animal and vermin traps, and consists in making the said
springs from rods, wire or strip metal, bent and folded up into the desired shape,
while the connection of the end of the spring is made without riveting.
Trap springs as ordinarily constructed, are fashioned and drawn out from bar or
rod metal, and with the fork or loop part which closes the jaws, welded separately to
the other part.
Under this invention, the springs while retaining all the advantages of ordinary
springs are readily made, and cheaply produced.
In carrying out my invention in connection with an ordinary rabbit or rat trap, I
take a length of stout steel wire, and fold the same about its middle, into two nearly
parallel lengths, and with the fore part contracted or bent inwardly near its end, so as
to form a loop, wherethrough the rear ends of the jaws pass, while the other or rear
ends, are shaped downwardly, into forms resembling in shape, a shepherd's crook, and
with the ends thereof, (which lie upon the top rear side of the stock) secured by the T

page_text: or crosshead of a stud, and with the undersides of the T parts, made with semi-
circular seats, between which, and the top side of the stock, the ends of the spring are
secured, by riveting the stud to the stock.
The wire made spring as aforesaid, is hardened and tempered, with the rear part,
if necessary, shaped or fashioned into a volute or coiled end or ends.
Instead of employing round wire, I use rod lengths or strips of spring metal of
any section.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings, represents in side elevation, a rabbit trap,
provided with a jaw closing spring, made according to my invention. The said spring
which is made from steel spring wire, is secured to the stock, by a clamping device,
so that the spring is hardened and tempered, before placed in position.
Figure 2 is a plan of the same, with the rear arms of the closing jaws, in section,
to more clearly exhibit the loop at the inner end of the spring. Figure 3 is a cross
section of figure 2 upon the dotted lines A B.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in figures 1, 2 and 3.
a is the stock of the trap, and b, b, are the jaws thereof, turning within bearings, or
uprights c c carried by the stock a. d is the releasing plate, and e is the catch, all of
which are common to ordinary traps.
fis the jaw closing spring, made from a length of stout wire, folded about its
middle, into two nearly parallel lengths, with the fore part gathered in or contracted
near its end, thus making the extreme foro part into a loop, which embraces the rear
arms of both jaws; the contracted fore part is marked f, while the loop is marked ƒ³.
The rear part or parts of the spring, or the free ends of the parallel, or nearly
parallel lengths, are bent into forms f, resembling in shape a shepherd's crook. Or
the said rears or rear ends, may be bent into coils of any desired shape, with the free
ends f coming upon the top side of stock, which are fixedly secured thereto, by a
cross, or crutch headed stud, whose underside has seats or semicircular depressions,
which take upon the said ends, and are there fixedly secured, by the neck g³, of the
stud passing through a hole in the stock, and there riveted on the underside, as is
clearly shown in figure 3.
Figure 4 shows a side elevation of another form of my invention, in which the
spring is made to form a part of the stock; that is, the rear end of the stock is
dispensed with, by continuing the attachment ends of the spring, in manner shown.
Figure 5 is a top side plan of figure 4.
fis the top limb of the spring, f³ the loop embracing the jaws, the rear coil,
and the lower limb, secured at 5 to the short stock a, by the cross or crutch-
headed pin or stud
g.
The end or ends of the spring may be secured by a nut or nuts, or by cotters, pins
or the like.
The spring may be made of a single limb with the fore part coiled into a loop, for
embracing the rear arms of the jaws, while the rear part is bent into a coil or other
shape as may be desired, with the terminal end disposing itself parallel with the stock
to which it is affixed, in any convenient manner.
The making of the said springs, from rod or narrow strip metal, differs in no
essential respect from the making of the said springs from wire, as described and
illustrated.
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 :-
First Making the springs, or the jaw-closing springs of rabbit, rat and other vermin
traps, of the construction, or of a like construction as herein described, from wire,
rod lengths, or narrow strip metal.
Secondly Making the springs of rabbit, rat, and other vermin traps, of the con-
struction, or of a like construction as herein described, from wire, as described and
set forth in figures 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings.

page_text: Thirdly Making the jaw-closing springs, and part of the stocks of rat or other
like traps, from wire or rod lengths, substantially as described and set forth in figures 4
and 5.
Fourthly Securing the springs of rat and other like traps to their stocks, or
half stocks, by a crutch-headed stud or securing means, marked 9, 93, 9³, as set forth
in the several figures of the drawings.