An Improved Animal Trap.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Animal Trap.
I, FREDERICK COLE, of 232, Nash Avenue, Kankakee, in the County of Kankakee
and State of Illinois, Painter, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows: -
The object of this invention is to provide a trap especially applicable to small
animals, such as mice, rats and the like, which will be simple in construction and
automatically set when a previous captive is released.
The invention comprises a preferably rectangular enclosed wirework or other
suitable case having a projection extending from one side and suitable doors hinged,
at one corner, to the top edge of this same side, so that they can be opened on
two of the remaining three sides simultaneously. Each door has a rearwardly
extending arm adapted, when the doors are opened, to engage a catch pivoted to
and resting upon the extending projection aforementioned. The catch is connected
by an arm to a tilting plate at the entrance of each door, so that an animal entering
releases the catch, thereby permitting the doors to shut. The doors are held closed
by an overhanging arm which engages the arm secured thereto aforementioned,
until a suitable hinged gate on the casing is opened to release the animal. The
gate is connected by a wire or rod to the arms on the gates in such manner that they
are thereby re-engaged with the latch when the gate is opened.
Dated this 27th dow of Amil 1807
P. R. J. WILLIS,
Agent for Applicant.
An improved Animal Trap.
I, FREDERICK COLE, of 232, Nash Avenue, Kankakee, in the County of Kan-
kakee and State of Illinois, U.S.A., Painter, 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 animal traps, and particularly to cage traps. Its objects
are, first to provide improved means for springing the trap; second, to provide
mechanism, whereby an animal, after being confined, will reset the trap, and
third, to provide a construction and arrangement of the parts which will in the
main be operative without the aid of springs. I attain these objects by the
mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:-
Figure 1 is a top plan of a trap constructed according to my invention,
in which the parts are shewn in their natural position when the trap is set as is
[Price 8dı

page_text: better illustrated in Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is a section of the same construction when all
the gates are closed iaken on the line xx. Fig. 3 is a similar view shewing the
trap set. Fig. 4 shews the position of a portion of the locking and releasing
mechanism immediately after the weight of an animal is brought to bear upon the
platform 9. Fig. 5 is an elevation of the end having most of the locking mechanism
the parts being in the same position as shewn in Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is an elevation
of the same end having a portion broken away, so as to shew the gate 2 in its normal
position.
The doors 1 are secured to the arms 5, which are connected with the loop 7.
The connecting member 6 is pivotally hung in the frame. The parts 5, 6 and 7
are formed of a single piece of wire in the construction shewn. A tongue 8 is
rigidly secured to the loop 7. A. platform 9 is pivoted in the bottom of the frame
at 22. The free end of the plate is connected by the arm 10 to the trigger or lever 11
which is pivotally supported on the projection 15 on the frame. The latch 12
is pivoted to the member 15 and is provided with a weighted end 14 and a latching
projection 13. The member 16 is also pivoted to the projection 15 at 18. It is
provided with the projection 19 on one arm as indicated in Fig. 5.
The gate 2 has the arm 4 rigidly secured thereto.
The operation of the device is as follows:-
-
a
Referring to Fig. 2 it will be seen that the tongue 8 is confined by the pro-
jection 19. To set the trap the arm 16 must be pushed slightly back so as to
release the tongue 8. The arm or loop 7 is then pressed down until the tongue 8
catches under the projection 13 as shewn in Fig. 3. When an animal entering
the trap through one of the openings at gates 1, steps upon the platform 9, the
lever 11 is pulled down so that its free end raises the latch piece 12, thus freeing
the tongue 8 and permitting the gates 1 to drop back into the position shewn in
Fig. 2. As the gate 2 is in the form of grating, permitting the light to shine
through, the animal will endeavour to get out through same. The gate 2 being
pivotally supported at 23 will rise when pushed against from the side toward the
plate 9, thus permitting the animal to pass into the main apartment of the trap.
The gate 2 is weighted at 20 to keep same normally closed.
The trap is divided by the walls 21 so as to form the main apartment and the
separate entrance passages.
When the gate 2 is raised, the arm 4 moves down, pushing back the member 16
by means of the projection 17 so as to release the tongue 8, and carrying the
tongue 8 down until same catches under projection 13. The trap is thus reset,
and as the arm 7 is down the member 16 will be free to fall forward to the position
shewn in Fig. 3. It will now be impossible for an animal to raise the gate 2 as
the arm 4 rests upon the member 16.
When the trap is sprung again, so that the trap gates 1 are closed, the arms 44
and 16 will resume the position shewn in Fig. 2.
The arm 4 forms a spring loop so that the gate 2 can be raised to the position
shewn by the dotted lines in Fig. 3. This arrangement provides for animals of
different sizes.
The animals are enticed into the trap by bait laid on and near the,platform 9. 4
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 trap, the combination of a frame therefor forming a trap
compartment; a gate depending from a pivotal support, and having an arm secured 5
thereto adapted to engage a latch so as to hold said gate in an open position; the
latch 12 adapted to engage said arm; the tilting lever 11 adapted to tip the latch
so as to release said arm; a tilting platform in the compartment for actuating the
lever; and an exit gate depending from a pivotal support and having an arm

page_text: adapted to move the other arm into re-engagement with the latch when said exit
gate is opened.
(2) In an animal trap, the combination of a frame therefor forming a trap-com-
partment; a gate depending from a pivotal support, and having an arm secured
thereto; the latch 12 adapted to engage the arm i so as to hold said gate in an
open position; the tilting lever 11; a tilting platform in the compartment for
actuating the lever; the member 16 adapted to engage the arm 7 so as to lock
said gate in a closed position; and an exit gate having an arm adapted to release
the arm 7 from the member 16, and to move the same into re-engagement with
the latch when said exit-gate is opened.
(3). In an animal trap, the combination of a frame therefor forming a trap-
compartment; a gate depending from a pivotal support, and having an arm 7
secured thereto, a latch adapted to engage the arm 7 so as to hold said gate, a
tilting platform in said compartment adapted to release the arm 7 from the latch;
a member 16 adapted to engage the arm 7 so as to lock said gate in a closed
position; and an exit gate having an arm adapted to release the arm 7 from the
member 16, and to move same into re-engagement with the latch when said
exit gate is opened.
Dated this 27th dor of Tonu 1900
P. R. J. WILLIS,
Agent for Applicant.