Improvements in or connected with Mouse or other Traps.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Jan., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 30th Nov., 1899-Accepted, 30th Dec., 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Mouse or other Traps.
I, PHILIP GEORGE DODD, of 72, Bishopsgate Street, in the City of London,
Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The invention relates more especially to that class of trap in which a loop or
frame is powerfully sprung in one direction and which is either employed as a
killing device or as a carrier for a net adapted to capture the animal alive, and
the primary object of the present invention is to obtain a simple inexpensive and
highly efficient device for setting and letting off or discharging the trap.
In carrying the invention into effect as applied to a mouse trap designed to
kill the animals a base or platform of wood or other suitable material is employed
upon which is mounted upon a bar or axis located at about the centre of the
base the usual loop or frame the ends of which are coiled around said bar and
constitute powerful springs adapted to cause the descent of the loop or frame
with considerable impact upon the animal attracted by the bait.
To the base plate at the rear end thereof is pivotally connected a locking or
trigger lever which near to its pivotted end engages the spring loop or frame
in the turned back or set position of the latter and prevents the same springing
forward.
Upon the base of the trap at the front side of the central bar or axis is fixed a
standard or post provided at its top with a horizontal arm or spike which extends
towards the front of said base.
In setting the trap the loop or frame is turned back in the usual way thereby
compressing the springs the locking or trigger lever is then turned down so as
to engage the spring loop or frame and with the free end of said locking lever
adjacent to and parallel with the horizontal arm or spike of the standard or post:
the bait consisting of a piece of cheese, bread or the like is placed upon the
ends of the horizontal arm and the locking or trigger lever which are sharpened
for that purpose thus holding the locking lever against movement and conse-
quently the spring loop or frame in its turned back or set position.
Upon the slightest disturbance of the bait by an animal attracted thereby the
locking or trigger lever will break away and release the spring loop or frame
which will travel through an arc and be carried with great force towards the
base or platform and consequently onto the animal.
It will be obvious that the same principle of construction is applicable to a
variety of traps for example the spring loop or frame may be enlarged to enclose
an increased area and covered with netting where it is desired to capture the
animal without injuring the same whilst the same controlling means may be
applied to other forms of traps than spring loop traps and such for example as
those in which a descending cage, a falling door or the like is employed to enclose
the animal whilst the details of the device may be more or less varied without
departing from the spirit of the invention.
By the means herein before described a very inexpensive trap is obtained

page_text: adapted to be easily set and which owing to the method of detaining the locking
or trigger lever in its set position is extremely sensitive.
Dated this 31st day of January 1899.
I, PHILIP GEORGE DODD, of 72, Bishopsgate Street, in the City of London,
Merchant, 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 invention relates more especially to that class of trap in which a loop or
frame is powerfully sprung in one direction and which is either employed as a
killing device or as a carrier for a net adapted to capture the animal alive, and
the primary object of the present invention is to obtain a simple inexpensive and
highly efficient device for setting and letting off or discharging the trap.
In carrying the invention into effect as applied to a mouse trap designed to
kill the animals a base or platform of wood or other suitable material is employed
upon which is mounted upon a bar or axis located at about the centre of the
base the usual loop or frame the ends of which are coiled around said bar and
constitute a powerful springs adapted to cause the descent of the loop or frame
with considerable impact upon the animal attracted by the bait.
To the base plate at the rear end thereof is pivotally connected a locking or
trigger lever which near to its pivotted end engages the spring loop or frame
in the turned back or set position of the latter and prevents the same springing
forward.
.
Upon the base of the trap at the front side of the central bar or axis is fixed a
standard or post provided at its top with a horizontal arm or spike which extends
towards the front of said base.
.
In setting the trap the loop or frame is turned back in the usual way thereby
compressing the springs the locking or trigger lever is then turned down so as
to engage the spring loop or frame and with the free end of said locking lever
adjacent to and parallel with the horizontal arm or spike of the standard or post;
the bait consisting of a piece of cheese bread or the like is placed upon. the
ends of the horizontal arm and the locking lever which are sharpened for that
purpose thus holding the locking or trigger lever against movement and con-
sequently the spring loop or frame in its turned back or set position.
Upon the slightest disturbance of the bait by an animal attracted thereby the
locking or trigger lever will break away and release the spring loop or frame
which will travel through an arc and be carried with great force towards the
base or platform and consequently onto the animal.
It will be obvious that the same principle of construction is applicable to a
variety of traps for example the spring loop or frame may be enlarged to enclose
an increased area and covered with netting where it is desired to capture the
animal without injuring the same whilst the same controlling. means 'may,.be
applied to other forms of traps than spring loop traps and such. for example, as
those in which a descending cage, a falling door or the like is employed to enclose
the animal whilst the details of the device may be more or less varied without
departing from the spirit of the invention.
.F
And in order that the said invention may be more clearly understood and

page_text: more fully to describe the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a plan of a trap designed to kill constructed according to the
present invention and showing the same let off or discharged.
Figure 2 is a similar view but showing the trap in its set or cocked position.
Figure 3 is a side view thereof.
Figure 4 is a side elevation of a cage trap designed to catch the animal alive
having the present invention applied thereto and showing the same in its set or
cocked position and
Figure 5 is a plan thereof.
In the several figures like parts are indicated by similar letters of reference.
Referring to Figures 1 to 3 a represents a base or platform of wood or it
might be of other suitable material and b represents a bar or axis secured by
staples 6 to the base a at about the centre of the length thereof.
Upon the bar or axis bis mounted the usual wire loop or frame c one end of
said wire being formed with an eye to turn upon the bar b whilst the other
end is coiled around said bar and constitutes a powerful spring the extreme
end of which is driven into the base or both ends of the wire might be
coiled into the form of springs and similarly fixed to the base and the spring.ca
is adapted to cause the descent of the loop or frame c with considerable impact
upon the animal attracted by the bait.
To the base at the rear thereof is pivotally connected by means of a staple d
driven into the base a locking or trigger lever d which at its front end is
sharpened and at its rear end is formed with an eye d¹ which embraces the staple d'
and this lever near to its pivotted end engages the spring loop or frame c in the
turned back or set position of the latter as shown at Figures 2 and 3 and prevents
the same springing forward.
Upon the base of the trap at the front side of the central bar or axis b is
fixed a standard or post e consisting of a short length of wire driven into the
base a and this post e is at the upper end thereof bent over to form a horizontal
arm e which extends towards the front of said base and is at its extreme end
sharpened for the purpose hereinafter described.
In setting the trap the loop or frame c is turned back in the usual way thereby
compressing the spring, the locking or trigger lever d is then turned down so
as to engage the spring loop or frame in the manner indicated at Figures 2
and 3 with the free or sharp end of said locking or trigger lever d adjacent to
and parallel with the horizontal arm e¹ of the standard or post e; the bait which
is indicated by dotted lines consisting of a piece of cheese bread or the like is
placed upon the ends of the locking or trigger lever and horizontal arm el which
are sharpened for that purpose thus holding the locking lever d against movement
and consequently the spring loop or frame c in its turned back or set position.
Upon the slightest disturbance of the bait by an animal attracted thereby the
locking or trigger lever d will break away therefrom and release the spring loop
or frame c which will travel through an arc and be carried with great force
towards the base or platform a and consequently onto the animal.
It will be obvious that the same principle of construction is applicable to a
variety of traps, for example the spring loop or frame c may be enlarged to
enclose an increased area and covered with netting where it is desired to capture
the animal without injuring the same whilst the same controlling means may be
applied to other forms of traps than spring loop traps and such for example as
those in which a descending cage, a falling door or the like is employed to
enclose the animal whilst the details of the device may be otherwise more or less
varied without departing from the spirit of the invention.
In the example given at Figures 4 and 5, a method of applying the invention
to a cage-like trap is illustrated.

page_text: In this case a post is fixed to the base a and a cage c which may be of such
dimensions as to cover a considerable area around the base a is suspended from
a cord or the like which passes over a pulley d³ carried by the cranked upper
end of the post d³ and the free end of the cord el is provided with a loop or
eye which in setting the trap is passed on to the trigger lever d and into a
position near the point where the latter is pivotally mounted upon the post d
as shown at Figure 4 and the setting of the trap is completed by baiting it in
the manner herein before described with respect to the previous example.
Upon the bait being distributed the trigger or locking lever d will by the
pull of the cord e¹ be thrown upward thereby releasing the loop cl* which will
slip off the trigger lever d and permit the cage to fall and enclose the animal
disturbing the bait but it will be desirable in most cases to accelerate the fall
of the cage by means of a spring or weight.
By the means herein before described a very inexpensive trap is obtained
adapted to be easily set and which owing to the method of detaining the locking
or trigger lever in its set position is extremely sensitive.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is: -
1. A mouse or other trap comprising a base, a spring loop or frame, a cage or
the like, a pivotally mounted trigger or locking lever for holding the trap in its
set position, and a post provided with a projecting arm the parts being arranged
in such manner that in the set position of the trap the end of the trigger lever
will lie adjacent to and parallel with the arm of the post so that the bait may be
impaled thereon and serve to retain the trap in its set or cocked position sub-
stantially as herein shown and described.
2. A mouse or other trap controlled by a pivotally mounted trigger or locking
lever adapted in the set position of the trap to lie parallel with and adjacent to
an arm or projection so that the bait may be impaled upon the points of the
trigger lever and arm to hold the trap set or cocked substantially as herein shown
and described.
Dated this 30th day of November 1899.
WHITE & WOODINGTON,
Birkbeck Bank Chambers, London, Agents.