Patent ID: 8196339

Claim:
An improved trap ( 100 ), comprising: a pair of elongated rods in the form of arms ( 102 , 104 ) biased to close together at their distal ends by a spring ( 110 ); a pair of jaws ( 106 , 108 ) for capturing a rodent attached to said distal ends of the elongated rods ( 102 , 104 ); a toggle trip mechanism ( 600 ) for spreading the pair of elongated rods ( 102 , 104 ) apart to a set position and for releasing them to close when triggered; a trigger ( 128 ) connected to the toggle trip mechanism ( 600 ); the improvement comprising: the toggle trip mechanism including an under-center device ( 600 ) connected to spread the pair of elongated rods ( 102 , 104 ) and jaws ( 106 , 108 ) apart against pressure from said spring ( 110 ) to a set position without itself locking into a stable over-center position; the under-center device ( 600 ) includes a folding spreader mechanism ( 600 ) having a first spreader arm ( 602 ) pivotally engaged to one of said elongated arms ( 102 ), a second spreader arm ( 604 ) pivotally engaged to the other elongated arm ( 104 ) with a pivot ( 606 ) fixed at its inner section to said second arm ( 604 ), and the pivot ( 606 ) has flanking outer sections ( 612 , 614 ) that are free to rotate within matching holes in said first spreader arm ( 602 ) wherein in said set position an of the pivot ( 606 ) is above a centerline extending through a center of said elongated arms ( 102 , 104 ) and a path of travel of said axis from said set position to said close does not cross said centerline; a trigger catch ( 134 ) connected to the under-center device ( 600 ) to provide a sufficient restriction of the toggle trip mechanism until a touch on the trigger ( 128 ) causes the catch ( 134 ) to move and release the under-center device from said set position; and wherein no part of the trap occupies any space between the pair of elongated rods in front of the trigger when the toggle trip mechanism is in said set position.