Improvements in Animal Traps.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Oct., 1897
Complete Specification Left 14th July, 1898-Accepted, 20th Aug., 1898
Improvements in Animal Traps.
We, ALFRED DRAPER, of 20, Union Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
Superintendent, NICHOLAS ROUS, of 1, Victoria Road, Birkenhead, in the County of
Chester, Engineer, and BENJAMIN DRAPER, of 2, Knowsley Grove, Liverpool, afore-
said, 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
the like, and has for its object, mainly, to provide a trap at which the animals to
be caught will not have their suspicions raised, and which also will automatically
re-set itself, after being operated by an animal, and placed in a condition to catch
another, and thus render it possible to catch considerable numbers.
According to this invention, a trap comprises horizontally disposed hinged doors,
of which there may be any suitable number, and below these doors, which form a
trap floor, is a box or receptacle, into which the animals fall in the action of the
trap. These doors are normally held up in their horizontal position, to form a
substantially rigid floor, covered by a catch or catches, and this catch or catches
is or are connected with a lever, or other device which carries the bait, or to which
the bait is connected
The catches may be of different forms, and disposed at different parts of, or
operate upon different parts of the door or doors. In one form, the catch may be
a lever, hinged to a standard, gallows, or body of the machine, at the one part,
constituting the catch proper fitting under the edges or ends of the trap door, and
at the other having the bait or supporting a bait carrier. The catch proper may
be provided with anti-friction rollers, so that the power required to operate it or
them, is comparatively small.
In one general form of trap, two doors are arranged to cover the upper part of a
box or cage below; and they are hinged at their outer ends, while at the other
ends, which practically meet, they are normally supported by the catches or
catch, this being of single or double form. The catch is in the form of a lever,
having its fulcrum in the middle and extending over the platform of the trap-
door at the centre, at which point a bait carrier is supported, or the bait is directly
supported. When the animal walks onto the trap door and pulls hold of the bait,
or puts weight upon it the catches are withdrawn, and the trap doors fall inwards,
and the animal falls into the box.
In connection with the box, in most cases, a separate cage or box is provided,
leading out of the other, and provided with a trap door or other non-return
device, to prevent the animals caught getting back into the trap door box. This
box or cage is is detachably connected with the trap box, so that it can be taken
away and another put on when desired; and in connection with the trap, suitable
runs or platforms may be provided to lead the animals up to the trap doors.
Dated this 24th October 1897.

page_text: Improvements in Animal Traps.
We, ALFRED DRAPER, of 20, Union Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
Superintendent, NICHOLAS ROUS, of 1, Victoria Road, Birkenhead, in the County of
Chester, Engineer, and BENJAMIN DRAPER, of 2, Knowsley Grove, Liverpool, afore-
said, 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 relates to traps for snaring mice, rats, rabbits, and like
small animals, or vermin, and will be readily understood when described with
the aid of the accompanying drawings.
Figure 1 is a side view, and Figure 2 a vertical section on line A. B. Figure 1,
of one form of trap adapted for catching mice, rats and similar small animals.
a is the container, which is roofed in by the two trap doors bb. The ends of
the container are inclined, to enable the animals to ascend. The trap doors bb
are counterweighted, so as to lie horizontally against the ledges a¹ and are tem-
porarily held thus by the roller c, mounted in a bracket c¹ which is attached to
the end of the lever 2. The lever c2 is fulcrumed at d to the handle e of the
trap, and to this handle the bait is suspended by the hook e¹. The action of the
trap is as follows. Enticed by the bait, the animal ascends an inclined end of
the trap and crosses one of the doors bb, and, in order to reach the bait, places its
forefeet upon the horizontal arm of the lever c², which is thus depressed. Depression
of the horizontal arm of the lever causes the vertical portion thereof to swing
outwardly and thus withdraw the roller c from underneath the trap doors bb,
which then fall and deposit the animal in the container a. The counterweights 61
automatically close the doors, and in the act of closing they strike the inclined
edge of the roller bracket c¹ and so remove the latter from their upward path.
The vertical end of the. lever c², being the heavier end, swings inwardly, and the
roller c again supports the doors.
Figures 3 and 4 illustrate an arrangement of lever adapted to release the
doors bb when it is either raised or depressed. The lever c² is divided centrally
(Fig. 4) forming a space in which the bait is hung. The roller bracket c is
carried on the end of a vertical lever c³, which passes through an eye g formed
in the lever 3. Above and below the eye g, the lever c³ is inclined, forming two
inclines h h¹ of opposite direction. An animal in attempting to reach the bait x
will either place its feet upon the lever or burrow underneath it, thus raising
or depressing the lever. Either action taking effect upon the inclines h h¹ serves
to swing the lever outwardly and thus releases the trap doors.
Figures 5 and 6 illustrate another arrangement of lever c adapted to release the
doors bb when it is either raised or depressed, the only difference between this
arrangement and that shewn in Figs. 3 and 4, being that the lever is of the
first order of levers instead of the third order as in Figs. 3 and 4. On the outward
end of the lever is provided a balance weight c*. Such end is screw-threaded,
so that the weight may be adjusted thereon and a perfect balance afforded to the
lever.
Figure 7 is a side view and Figure 8 an end view of a modification. In this
trap one trap door b is pivotted centrally upon the elbow wire i. The trap door
is temporarily sustained in a horizontal position by the vertical end of the elbow i
engaging with a groove in a shoe j, which is formed upon the upper end of the
lever c². In operation an animal in attempting to reach the bait will either place
its feet upon the lever c² or burrow underneath it. Either action will swing the
lever c² on its pivot so that it assumes one of the two positions shewn in dotted

page_text: The
lines Fig. 8. The shoe ; is thus moved away from the upper extremity of the
elbow and the weight of the animal overbalances the trap door b as shewn in
dotted lines in Figure 7, and the animal is deposited in the container a.
counterweight 6' automatically closes the door band in this action the upper
extremity of the elbow i strikes against the curved surface of the shoe j, dis-
placing the lever c³ and entering the groove in the said shoe, thus automatically
resetting the trap.
Figure 9 is a perspective view of another modification in which a single trap
door bis hinged at 6 and is temporarily retained in a horizontal position by
two rollers c carried on the ends of hanging rods 2. Connected to the rods
by the wires k is a gate l which hangs from the points . The bait is placed
in a chamber m. In operation an animal ascends the inclined end of the container a
and crosses the door 6. In attempting to reach the bait, it pushes the gate 7 and
so displaces the hanging rods ², and the rollers c are withdrawn from the door b
which falls, and deposits the captive in the container a. The counterweight b
automatically closes the door band resets the trap as above described.
Figure 10 is a perspective view of the trap described with reference to Figures 1
and 2, the part a being in communication-by means of a passage with a
container o. The object of this is to clear the trap a of animals as soon as they are
caught, so that it does not become overcrowded. The animals pass along the
passage n and enter the container by means of a non-return door n¹.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. In a trap for small animals the combination with a container a, of the trap
doors b, covering said container, the roller c which temporarily supports said
doors, and the lever c², which carries said roller, operating so that when an animal
presses the said lever, the roller c is swung from under the doors, which latter then
fall and deposit the captive in the container a, substantially as described.
2. In a trap for small animals, the combination with a container a of a trap
door b, pivotted centrally over said container upon an elbow wire i, the shoe j
having a notch, which temporarily engages with and retains the upper extremity
of the elbow i, and the lever 2, which carries said shoe, operating so that when
an animal presses the said lever, the shoe ; is swung away from the elbow i and
allows the door to overbalance and deposit the captive in the container a sub-
stantially as described.
3. In a trap for small animals, the combination with a container a of a trap
door b, the rollers e which temporarily support said door, the rods which carry
said rollers, and the swinging gate connected with said rods, operating so that
when said gate is pressed by an animal the rods are displaced and the rollers c
are swung from the door b, which latter then falls and deposits the captive in the
container a, substantially as described.
J. A. COUBROUGH,
Chartered Patent Agent,
10, St. George's Crescent, Liverpool, Agent for the Applicants.