Improvements in Animal Traps.
Year: 1897

page_text: Certain Improvements in Animal Traps.
I, THOMAS YOUNG, of Onega Villas, 549, Green Lanes, Small Heath, Birmingham,
Inspecting Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention has reference to traps for catching rats, mice, rabbits, and other
animals including birds, and this invention consists of the herein described improve-
ments in the mechanism which carries the bait and holds the door or doors of the
trap open when the trap is set and releases the door or doors when the bait carrier is
moved.
I will described my invention in connection with a rat trap which is made of wire
or other elongated box like form with two doors one at each end so that when the.
trap is set these doors are open and there is a passage through the trap.
In carrying out this invention I provide a spindle preferably arranged to pass ver-
tically through the centre of the trap and projecting through the top of the same this
top part of the spindle is made with one two or more side arms which when the trap
is set take over the ends of the levers of the trap doors retaining the doors open
against springs. The ends of the levers which take under the arms of the bait
spindle are by preference made rounded or dome shaped so that the slightest turning
of the spindle will move the arms from the tops of the rounded parts of the lever arms
and release the same and allow of the doors closing by their springs. Fixed on the
part of the said spindle which is inside the trap there is one or there are two or more
hooks or bars or other projections which carry the bait and which are by preference
arranged to project towards the sides of the trap.
To set the trap the lever parts of the doors are pressed down so as to open the
doors and the doors are maintained open by the levers taking under the arms of the
bait spindle. When a rat or other animal enters the trap and touches the bait so as
to turn the spindle ever so slightly the arms on the spindle outside the trap are
then turned free of the levers of the doors which immediately rise and the doors
close and the trap is shut.
It will be seen that by employing my invention the trap can be made with any
number of doors all or any of which can be held open and released by the
mechanism above described the upper part of the spindle being made with any number
of arms to correspond with the number of doors which the trap has.
I construct mouse traps rabbit traps and traps for large animals including birds
similarly as above described with reference to a rat trap.
800
1
1007
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: I, THOMAS YOUNG, of Onega Villas, 549, Green Lanes, Small Heath, Birmingham,
Inspecting Engineer, 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 has reference to traps for catching rats, mice, rabbits, and other
animals including birds and this invention consists of the herein described improve-
ments in the mechanism which carries the bait and holds the door or doors of the
trap open and when the trap is set releases the door or doors when the bait carrier is
moved.
I will describe my invention by referring to the accompanying drawings on which
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation and Fig. 2 is a plan of a rat or like trap constructed
according to this invention; Fig. 3 is a sectional perspective view of part of the
same on line X X of Figs. 1 and 2; Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation and Fig. 5 is
a plan of a four door trap with my invention applied; Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation
of a two door trap with my invention applied the right hand part of said trap being
broken away; Fig. 7 is a front elevation partly in section of what is known as an
Irish mouse trap with my invention applied; Fig. 8 is a plan partly in section of the
trap shewn by Fig. 7; Fig. 9 is a sectional elevation of the said trap on line Y Y of
Figs. 7 and 8; and Fig. 10 shews a modified form of part of my invention for use
with some kinds of traps as hereinafter described.
The same letters of reference indicate the same or corresponding parts in all the
figures of the drawings.
I will first describe my invention in connection with the rat trap shewn by
Figs. 1, 2 and 3 which consists of an elongated box A with the hinged door B at one
end so that when the trap is set as shewn in Figs. 1 and 2 this door is open and there
is a passage under the door into the trap. It will be understood that the door turns
on the usual cross hinge b¹.
In carrying out my invention I provide a spindle C preferably arranged to pass
vertically through the longitudinal centre line of the trap and projecting through
the top part al of the trap. This top part c¹ of the spindle C is made with a
projecting side arm D which when the trap is set as shewn in Figs. 1 and 2 takes
over the end of the lever 62 of the trap door B thus retaining the door open as shewn
in Fig. 1 against the pressure of a spring or against the weight of the door which
closes the door when the lever 62 is released. The end 63 of the lever b2 which takes
under the side arm D of the bait spindle C may be made flat or rounded or dome
shaped so that the slightest turn of the spindle C will move the side arm D and
release the lever 62 and allow the door B to close. Fixed on the part of the
spindle C which is inside the trap there is one, or as shewn on the drawing there
are two bait hooks or bars c² 3 or there may be more than two of these bait
hooks or bars or other projections which carry the bait and which are by pre-
ference arranged to project towards the sides a² a³ of the trap A.
To set the trap the lever part 62 of the door B has to be pressed down so as
to open the door as shewn in Figs. 1 and 2 and the door is maintained open by the
lever 62 taking under the side arm D of the bait spindle C.
When a rat or other
animal enters the trap under the door B and touches the bait on either of the
arms c² c³ so as to turn the spindle C ever so slightly the side arm D is thereby
turned free of the lever 62 of the door B so that the lever 62 immediately rises and
the door B closes and the trap is shut. 1 is a bearing on the bottom a of the
trap A for the bait spindle C to turn in and is a bearing for the top of the said
spindle.

page_text: It will be seen that by employing my invention the trap can be made with any
number of doors all or any number of which can be held open by the vertical bait
spindle the upper part c¹ of which is then made with any number of side arms D to
correspond with the number of doors which the trap has, for instance as shewn by
Figs. 4 and 5 where the trap A is made with four doors marked respectively
B1 B2 B3 B4 each of the said doors being provided with one of the levers 62 and the
bait spindle C is made with four of the projecting side arms marked respectively
D1 D2 D3 D4 which take over the ends of the levers 62 which are fixed to the corre-
sponding doors B1 B2 B3 B4. It will be seen that on the slightest turning of the bait
spindle C by an animal entering at any of the four doors all the four arms D¹ D² D³ D4
will be turned and the four levers 62 62 62 62 will be released so that the four doors
B1 B2 B3 B4 will close simultaneously.
Fig. 6 shews my invention applied to a trap of the kind which is of an elongated
box like form with two doors one at each end so that when these doors are open there
is a passage through the trap. Part of the trap on the right hand side is shewn
broken away and only one of the two doors is shewn but the drawing shews the
lever 62 on the right hand side belonging to the door of the part of the trap which is
broken away and also shews the two side arms D1 D2 which are fixed to the bait
spindle C to hold the two doors open when the trap is set. The turning of the bait
spindle C by the animal in the trap turns the side arms D1 D2 of the door levers b² so
that both doors close simultaneously as above described.
I construct mouse traps rabbit traps and other animal traps including traps for
birds similarly as above described with reference to rat traps.
In applying my invention to some kinds of traps the projecting part c² of the bait
spindle C inside the trap which is described as carrying the bait may be made merely
of a shape for the animal to push against so that by the animal pushing against this
arm c which is fixed to the spindle C the latter will be turned and the lever or
levers D fixed thereto will set off the trap. An example of this arrangement of my
invention is shewn by Figs. 7, 8 and 9 which as before stated shews my invention
applied to what is known as an Irish mouse trap and which is really three mouse
traps combined in one each trap being formed by one of the holes A1 A2 As which
are bored in the wooden block J. It will be seen that each of the traps has the
vertical spindle C arranged at one side of the opening to the trap and provided with
an arm c² which in this case is made of a zig-zag grid-iron form so that when the
mouse enters the trap and presses against the arm c² and turns the same in the
direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 8 to get at the bait G the arm c² in turning
to the position indicated at the right hand side of Fig. 8 turns the spindle G and
lever D off the top of the spring lever H which therefore rises with the hoop h¹ and
catches the mouse.
The projecting arm c² within the trap may for some kinds of traps and particularly
for those rabbit traps which are made with a door at both ends be made in the form
of a frame as shewn by Fig. 2 and glazed at i or filled in with a piece of tale or other
transparent or semi-transparent substance so that the arm c² will not be easily
distinguished by the animal when entering the trap and the trap will appear to
have a clear opening through it. When the animal comes in contact with the
arm the latter will turn the spindle C and its side arm or side arms D as above
described and set off the trap.
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 the door or doors, of a vertical spindle
arranged in the trap and projecting through the top of the same and provided with
one or more side arms outside the trap arranged to take over the lever or levers of
the door or doors and maintain the door or doors open, the said spindle being also
provided with one or more bait holders or side projecting parts inside the trap
arranged for the animal to move and thus turn the spindle and the side arms or side

page_text: arms outside the trap which then release the lever of the door or doors and
allow the same to close, substantially as set forth.
2. In an animal trap, the combination, with the spring lever H and loop h¹
which rise when the trap is set off, of the vertical spindle C projecting through the
top of the trap and provided with a side arm D outside the trap arranged to
take over the lever H and maintain the trap set said spindle also being provided
with one or more bait holders or side projecting parts such as c² inside the trap
arranged for the animal to move and turn the spindle and the side arm D outside
the trap which will release the lever H and let off the trap, substantially as
herein before described with reference to Figs. 7, 8 and 9 of the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 30th day of August 1898.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicant.