Improvements in the Jaws of Spring Traps for Animals and Birds.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Dec., 1891-Accepted, 14th May. 1892
Improvements in the Jaws of Spring Traps for Animals and Birds.
I, JAMES JOHNSTONE, of Penninghame Home Farm, Newton Stewart, in the
County of Wigtownshire, Scotland, Gamekeeper, 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 improvements in the jaws of spring traps as used for
catching rabbits, hares, birds, and the like, and has for its object the prevention
of the crushing of the limb of the animal or bird caught thereby, as obtains with
the form of jaws hitherto adopted, and I attain this by the employment of rect-
angular blocks of india rubber or other soft and resilient materials mounted upon
specially formed jaws in such a manner that, the leg or other part of the captive
caught thereby, is not hurt in any way, although the limb is as firmly retained as
by the unhumane methods hitherto employed.
In the accompanying drawings
Fig. 1 is a plan view of the form of trap to which the improvements constituting
my invention relates, showing the manner hitherto adopted of constructing the jaws
thereof in teeth form.
Fig. 2, is an end elevation of the jaws of Fig. 1.
Figs. 3, and 4, are plan and end views of trap in everyway similar to Figs. 1,
and 2, with the exception of the jaws, which in these views are constructed according
my invention.
to
Figs. 5, and 6, are enlarged views of the blocks of rubber I employ for attaching
to Figs. 3, and 4, while
Figs. 7, 8, and 9, are plan, end and side views respectively of the jaws of Figs. 3,
and 4, when Figs. 5 and 6 are in position thereon.
My invention does not apply to the construction of a trap generally, but to a
method of constructing the jaws or such part thereof as come in contact with each
other when the trap is closed, and I am aware that rubber has hitherto been used
for surrounding the upper part of the jaws of such traps, but this has always been
by the use of rubber tubes loosely surrounding said jaws which were made more or
less circular in cross section for that purpose and have been found useless in
practice, for the reason that the captive by continually struggling to free the
imprisoned limb caused the india rubber to rotate upon the jaws until the animal
eventually set itself free, which often was attained at the expense of stripping the
skin if not the flesh from the limb. According to my method the escape of the
captive is impossible, and laceration of the limbs entirely avoided.
In carrying my invention into effect, I dispense with, or remove the toothed
jaws A in Figs. 1 and 2 and in lieu thereof I form the vertical ends a, a, and b, b
separate and distinct from each other, the lower ends of which are bent so as to
form a pivotted connection with the vertical plates c and d in the same manner as
at Figs. 1 and 2. The upper end of b, may be bent at right angles so as to be
connected to the upper ends of a, a', by means of a nut screwed on each, or holes,
may be formed in the upper ends of a, a', and b, b, and the ends of rods e and
caused to pass therethrough and engage therewith in a like manner.
Upon each of the vertical ends a, a', I mount one of the coned rectangular
blocks g, Fig. 6, each of which is provided with a rectangular aperture there-
through for the reception of a, a', so that when in position they appear as in Fig. 8,
these prevent the laceration of the limb of the animal or bird should it be caught
in that part of the jaws. The vertical ends b, b, being kept clear for the operation
of the spring B in the usual way.
The rods e and f (or their equivalents formed upon the vertical ends b, b',) are
'מ

page_text: made rectangular in cross section, and upon each of these I mount one of the rect-
angular blocks i Fig. 5, each of which is provided with a rectangular longitudinal
aperture m, for the reception thereof. The rods e, and f, are reduced at each end
so as to form a shoulder and the reduced portions are each provided with a screw
thread which pass through the holes in the upper ends of a, a', and b, and b', and
retained in position by a nut screwed thereon as shewn Fig. 7, care being taken
that the position of e, f, be such that the blocks when thereon present a flat
surface to each other when the jaws are closed. When the equivalents of e, f, are
formed integrally with b, b' as before mentioned, and shewn in Fig. 3, the same
care would be exercised in arranging their position as in e, f, in so far as regards
the outer surfaces of the blocks i, and the free ends of said equivalents would be
shouldered and threaded and passed through a, a, in the same manner as e, f, and
connected thereto by the same means. The position of the blocks i when the jaws
are closed will be clearly understood by the Figs. 7, and 8.
It frequently occurs when setting these kind of traps that the fingers of the
operator are caught therein, which in the case of Fig. 1 and 2 means severe
laceration, if not the breaking of those members, but with a trap, the jaws of
which are constructed and covered in the manner forming the subject of my
invention, such injury to the operator is impossible, and if a finger be caught
thereby, no injury or pain would occur thereto, and although it would be impossible
to withdraw the finger therefrom until the tension of the spring B was released,
it would be found upon release to be perfectly unharmed, hence the efficacy of my
invention for retaining captive animals or birds without injury being imparted to
the limbs thereof.
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 :-
The method and means herein described and shown of constructing the jaws of
animal or bird trap, and mounting thereon blocks of india-rubber, rectangular in
cross-section substantially as, and for the purposes herein set forth, and shown by
the appended drawings.
Dated this 21st dow of Dasamh 1001
GEO. THOS. HYDE,
4, Little Moorfields, Fore Street, London, E.C., Agent for the Applicant.