Note: Claims are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. An animal trap, comprising:
a parallelepiped trap body having opposed ends, an animal entrance opening at
one of said ends, a baiting and animal exit opening at the other of said
ends;
an entrance closure secured to said trap body adjacent said entrance opening,
said entrance closure being movable between an open position whereat
said entrance opening is open to permit entry of an animal therethrough
and a closed position whereat said entrance opening is closed to prevent
exit of an animal therethrough;
an exit closure secured to said trap body adjacent said exit opening for
selectively opening and closing said exit opening; and
entrance closure activating means for maintaining said entrance closure in an
open position and for releasing said entrance closure when engaged from
the interior of said body whereby to permit said entrance closure to move
from said open position to said closed position.
2. An animal trap as defined in claim 1, said trap body comprising four
rectangular wire mesh panels including a bottom panel, a top panel and a pair
of opposed side panels, and means for securing said panels together in
edge-to-edge relation whereby to define a tubular body having an longitudinal
passage therethrough.
3. An animal trap as defined in claim 2, said securing means being operable
to permit said body to undergo a two stage collapse in which in a first stage,
one side panel moves to a position adjacent and substantially parallel to said
bottom panel and the other side panel moves to a position adjacent and
substantially parallel to said top panel and, in a second stage, said other sidepanel and said top panel move as a unit to a position adjacent and substantiallyparallel to said one said panel and said bottom panel.
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4. An animal trap as defined in claim 3, said securing means comprising a
plurality of hinge members operable to pivotally interconnect adjacent edges of
adjacent panels and permitting said adjacent panels to be pivoted from a
perpendicular disposition to a parallel, slightly spaced apart disposition.
5. An animal trap as defined in claim 1, said entrance closure comprising
a first rectangular wire mesh closure panel having one edge pivotally secured tosaid top panel adjacent one end edge thereof whereby to permit said entrance
closure to move from said open position to said closed position under the
influence of gravity.
6. An animal trap as defined in claim 5, said entrance closure further
including a second closure panel secured to an edge of said first closure panel
remote from said one edge, said second closure panel extending inwardly of said
body and resting on said bottom panel in said closed position of said entrance
closure, said first closure panel having a length greater than the correspondingdimension of said entrance opening.
7. An animal trap as defined in claim 1, said exit closure comprising a
substantially rectangular wire mesh panel having wire mesh stub walls extending
perpendicularly from each of the edges of said panel and secured together to
define a rigid, unitary exit closure body, one edge of said closure being secured
to one edge of said trap body for pivotal movement between an open position
whereat said exit closure is pivotally removed from said exit opening and a
closed position whereat said exit closure closes said exit opening and said stubwalls telescopically receive the adjacent end of said animal trap in a snug fit
relation so as to impart rigidity to said trap body.
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8. An animal trap as defined in claim 7, further including releasable
fastening means for securing said exit closure in said closed position thereof.
9. An animal trap as defined in claim 1, said entrance closure activating
means comprising a substantially rectangular wire mesh closure activating pane]
disposed within said trap body and pivotally secured along one edge of said
activating panel to a bottom panel of said trap body for pivotal movement about
an axis extending transversely of said body and a wire having one end secured
to the edge of said activating panel remote from said one edge thereof, said
other end of said wire being releasably engageable with said entrance closure,
said wire being operable to maintain said entrance closure in said open positionthereof and said activating panel in a position pivotally removed from said
bottom panel of said trap body whereby when a downward force is applied to
said activating panel, said wire is retracted and released from engagement from
said entrance closure, permitting said entrance closure to move from said open
position to said closed position thereof.
10. An animal trap as defined in claim 9, a portion of said wire intermediate
its ends being engageable with a top wall of said trap body.
11. An animal trap as defined in claim 1, further including U-shaped anchor
means having a pair of parallel arms and a connecting portion connecting one
end of each said arm, said connecting portion extending transversely of and
being secured to the exterior of a top wall of said trap body, said arms
extending parallel and being in close proximity side walls of said trap body andhaving a length which is greater than the height of said side walls so as to
permit the free ends of said arms to be driven into the ground.
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12. An animal trap as defined in claim 11, said anchor means being pivotally
secured to said trap body so as to permit said arms to be moved from a
position whereat said arms extend perpendicularly of the plane of said top wall
in which said arms prevent transverse collapse of said trap body to a position
extending parallel to said plane in which said trap may be collapsed.
13. An animal trap as defined in claim 4, said entrance closure comprising
a first rectangular wire mesh closure panel having one edge pivotally secured tosaid top panel adjacent one end edge thereof whereby to permit said entrance
closure to move from said open position to said closed position under the
influence of gravity.
14. An animal trap as defined in claim 13, said entrance closure further
including a second closure panel secured to an edge of said first closure panel
remote from said one edge, said second closure panel extending inwardly of said
body and resting on said bottom panel in said closed position of said entrance
closure.
15. An animal trap as defined in claim 14, said exit closure comprising a
substantially rectangular wire mesh panel having wire mesh stub walls extending
perpendicularly from each of the edges of said panel and secured together to
define a rigid, unitary exit closure body, one edge of said closure being secured
to one edge of said trap body for pivotal movement between an open position
whereat said exit closure is pivotally removed from said exit opening and a
closed position whereat said exit closure closes said exit opening and said stubwalls telescopically receive the adjacent end of said animal trap in a snug fit
relation so as to impart rigidity to said trap body.
16. An animal trap as defined in claim 15, further including releasable
fastening means for securing said exit closure in said closed position thereof.
17. An animal trap as defined in claim 16, said entrance closure activating
means comprising a substantially rectangular wire mesh closure activating panel
disposed within said trap body and pivotally secured along one edge of said
activating panel to a bottom panel of said trap body for pivotal movement about
an axis extending transversely of said body and a wire having one end secured
to the edge of said activating panel remote from said one edge thereof, said
other end of said wire being releasably engageable with said entrance closure,
said wire being operable to maintain said entrance closure in said open positionthereof and said activating panel in a position pivotally removed from said
bottom panel of said trap body whereby when a downward force is applied to
said activating panel, said wire is retracted and released from engagement from
said entrance closure, permitting said entrance closure to move from said open
position to said closed position thereof.
18. An animal trap as defined in claim 17, a portion of said wire
intermediate its ends being engageable with a top wall of said trap body.
19. An animal trap as defined in claim 18, further including U-shaped anchor
means having a pair of parallel arms and a connecting portion connecting one
end of each said arm, said connecting portion extending transversely of and
being secured to the exterior of a top wall of said trap body, said arms
extending parallel and being in close proximity side walls of said trap body andhaving a length which is greater than the height of said side walls so as to
permit the free ends of said arms to be driven into the ground.
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20. An animal trap as defined in claim 19, said anchor means being pivotally
secured to said trap body so as to permit said arms to be moved from a
position whereat said arms extend perpendicularly of the plane of said top wall
in which said arms prevent transverse collapse of said trap body to a position
extending parallel to said plane in which said trap may be collapsed.
21. An animal trap, comprising:
a parallelepiped trap body having opposed ends, said trap body comprising four
rectangular wire mesh panels including a bottom panel, a top panel and
a pair of opposed side panels, said panels defining an animal entrance
opening at one of said ends and a baiting and animal exit opening at the
other of said ends, and means for securing said panels together in
edge-to-edge relation whereby to define a tubular body having an
longitudinal passage therethrough, said securing means being operable
to permit said body to undergo a two stage collapse in which in a first
stage, one side panel moves to a position adjacent and substantially
parallel to said bottom panel and the other side panel moves to a
position adjacent and substantially parallel to said top panel and, in a
second stage, said other side panel and said top panel move as a unit to
a position adjacent and substantially parallel to said one said panel and
said bottom panel;
an entrance closure secured to said trap body adjacent said entrance opening,
said entrance closure being movable between an open position whereat
said entrance opening is open to permit entry of an animal therethrough
and a closed position whereat said entrance opening is closed to prevent
exit of an animal therethrough, said entrance closure comprising a first
rectangular wire mesh closure panel having one edge pivotally secured to
said top panel adjacent one end edge thereof whereby to permit said
entrance closure to move from said open position to said closed position
under the influence of gravity, said entrance closure further including a
second closure panel secured to an edge of said first closure panel
remote from said one edge, said second closure panel extending inwardly
of said body and resting on said bottom panel in said closed position of
said entrance closure;
an exit closure secured to said trap body adjacent said exit opening for
selectively opening and closing said exit opening, said exit closure
comprising a substantially rectangular wire mesh panel having wire mesh
stub walls extending perpendicularly from each of the edges of said panel
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and secured together to define a rigid, unitary exit closure body, one edge
of said closure being secured to one edge of said trap body for pivotal
movement between an open position whereat said exit closure is pivotally
removed from said exit opening and a closed position whereat said exit
closure closes said exit opening and said stub walls telescopically receive
the adjacent end of said animal trap in a snug fit relation so as to impart
rigidity to said trap body and releasable fastening means for securing said
exit closure in said closed position thereof;
entrance closure activating means for maintaining said entrance closure in an
open position and for releasing said entrance closure when engaged from
the interior of said body whereby to permit said entrance closure to move
from said open position to said closed position, said entrance closure
activating means comprising a substantially rectangular wire mesh closure
activating panel disposed within said trap body and pivotally secured
along one edge of said activating panel to a bottom panel of said trap
body for pivotal movement about an axis extending transversely of said
body and a wire having one end secured to the edge of said activating
panel remote from said one edge thereof, said other end of said wire
being releasably engageable with said entrance closure, said wire being
operable to maintain said entrance closure in said open position thereof
and said activating panel in a position pivotally removed from said bottom
panel of said trap body whereby when a downward force is applied to
said activating panel, said wire is retracted and released from engagement
from said entrance closure, permitting said entrance closure to move from
said open position to said closed position thereof, a portion of said wire
intermediate its ends being engageable with a top wall of said trap body;
and
U-shaped anchor means having a pair of parallel arms and a connecting portion
connecting one end of each said arm, said connecting portion extending
transversely of and being secured to the exterior of a top wall of said
trap body, said arms extending parallel and being in close proximity side
walls of said trap body and having a length which is greater than the
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height of said side walls so as to permit the free ends of said arms to be
driven into the ground, said anchor means being pivotally secured to said
trap body so as to permit said arms to be moved from a position whereat
said arms extend perpendicularly of the plane of said top wall in which
said arms prevent transverse collapse of said trap body to a position
extending parallel to said plane in which said trap may be collapsed.