Self Acting Vermin Trap.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Self Acting Vermin Trap.
ERNEST JOSEPH PIKE, Wire Worker, 258, Camberwell Road, London, in the
County of Surrey, I do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
-
This invention consists of a wire cage with a rectangular base & with flat
top & sides & with suitable wire partitions placed in cage where necessary as
herein after described. One end of cage is partly left open, the other end closed
with a wire door. Fixed inside the cage at a suitable distance from the open
end is a wire partition the full width of cage fixed so as to leave an opening
above & below same, attached to this partition are two balanced treadles one
above the other, made of wire & tin'd plates, the full width of cage.
The wire part of top treadle forms a ladder for the vermin to crawl up so
as to reach the tin'd plate & also provides the balance power.
The wire part of lower treadle forms a clutch which prevents the escape of
any vermin after having passed into the trap.
Should the vermin inside the trap pull down the lower treadle, the wire.
clutch on same immediately locks the top treadle thereby preventing any escape
& also provides the balance power of lower treadle.
Attached to each plate of treadle is a brass or other metal tube running the
full length of plates, a wire runs through the tube & is attached to each side
of wire cage thereby causing treadles to partialy revolve when the weight of
any vermin comes in contact with the tin'd plates of ireadles.
In front of the tin'd plates of treadles is another wire & tin'd partition fixed
from the top of cage & desending partially to the bottom of cage & again in
front of this wire & tin'd partition is another which runs nearly the length of
cage & forms an intermediate floor, thereby making more room for the vermin
caught.
Dated this First day of June Eighteen hundred and ninety-eight

page_text: same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
This invention relates to traps for rats and like vermin, particularly to that
class of trap in which the rat or other animal is caused to pass over a hinged
platform forming a temporary door or cover to a cage or other receptacle, the
platform being so balanced as to tip up and cause the rat to be precipitated into
the cage by its weight. Hitherto with this type of trap it has been possible
for the rats to escape after being caught therein by their pulling or dragging
down the free end of the platform forming the door or cover and thus providing
an exit. Now this invention has for its object overcoming this serious drawback
in such types or traps and it consists essentially in employing a second hinged
platform pivotted below the first, and in connecting the two platforms together
by catch or clutch so arranged that although pressure on the upper platform
depresses both platforms a downward pull or pressure on the lower platform
locks the two together in such a manner that they cannot be caused to tip up
or turn on their pivots by any manipulation of the lower platform.
I will now more particularly describe my invention making reference to the
accompanying drawing which is a broken view of a trap in longitudinal section
fitted with my invention.
A wire trap or cage X or other suitable receptacle of any desired shape and
size closed on all sides and having its back end closed by a door or cover in order
to release the rats or like vermin when caught, is provided at its front and open
end with a partition made in two parts, c', as shown so as to provide an
opening in a horizontal plane between the upper and lower parts, which opening
forms the entrance to the trap and is normally kept closed by means of two
hinged platforms A and B. Both these platforms are at or about the centre
of their lengths hinged or pivotted at a and b to the trap or cage one above the
other their forward ends A, B, being so weighted and arranged as to normally
lie in a sloping position on the inclined part of the partition and so that their
inner ends, A, 13, lie in an horizontal or approximately horizontal plane covering
the opening formed between the two parts a, a, of the partition.
The platforms A and B are preferably constructed of wire and tinned sheet
iron, the upper one for the purpose of ensuring a good foot-hold being preferably
covered with wood, closely woven wire, canvas or other material a¹. The for-
ward end B of the lower platform is furnished on its extreme front edge with
an upstanding catch or wire adapted to form a clutch to engage the front
edge of the part A' of the upper platform. It will thus be seen that owing
to the two platforms being hinged or pivotted in different planes the top one A
will be free to rock or partially revolve on its pivot and be overbalanced as soon
as sufficient weight is placed on its inner end, carrying the lower one B with
it, but should a downward pull or pressure be applied to the inner end of the
lower platform B the catch or wire bon its front end B immediately jams
against the front edge of the part A of the upper one, locking the two platforms
together and thus preventing them from rocking or pivotting and so effectually
preventing the opening from being uncovered from the interior of the cage.
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) An improved trap for rats and like vermin constructed, arranged and
adapted to operate substantially as hereinbefore described and shown.
(2) In traps for rats and like vermin in which the weight of the rat or other
animal causes a hinged or pivotted platform to overbalance, the use of a second
platform hinged or working in a different plane and having a catch or clutch

page_text: so arranged as to engage the upper platform to prevent the opening of the trap
being uncovered by manipulation of the lower platform, as set forth.
Dated this 2nd day of March 1899.
ROBERT E. PHILLIPS, Assoc. M. Inst.,C.E., M.I.Mech. E.,
Chartered Patent Agent,
70, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.