Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02894093 2015-06-10
FOOT SNARE TRIGGERING DEVICE
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an improved foot snare triggering device, in
particular to
one which is used for setting foot snare animal traps, modifying and improving
the conventional
animal snare trigger devices known in the industry.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The capturing of animals for pelts and attendant animal damage control is a
long-
practiced art. Through the years attempts have been made to make animal foot
snare traps,
commonly operating via a triggering device, in a more selective and humane
manner to the
trapped animal prey. Several states and countries have now outlawed steel leg
hold traps, and
pressure continues to grow for more states to do the same. The present
invention is an improved
triggering device to be used with snares and other trapping means, which has a
wide variety of
trapping uses on animals of differing sizes. The present invention is a humane
selective foot
snare triggering device which will be a valuable tool in capturing a wide
variety of animals, and
is easy to set as an extension mechanism powered, weight tensioned device,
which is smaller,
more portable and has a more efficient snare delivery capability.
Animal traps in the related art commonly consist of a foot snare or other trap
device to
catch a game animal, activated by a spring mechanism requiring a trigger
mechanism to set and
then release the trap. Foot snare traps in the related art, include: U.S.
Patent 3,060,623 to
Aldrich (" '623 Patent"); U.S. Patents 4,286,404 and 4,329,805 to Novak ("
'404 Patent" and"
'805 Patent"); U.S. Patent 4,581,843 to Fremont, et al(" '843 Patent"); U.S.
Patent 2,592,390 to
Burt (" '390 Patent"); U.S. Patent 4,581,844 to Torkko (" '844 Patent"); U.S.
Patent 4,751,790 to
Thomas (" '790 Patent"); and U.S. Patent 6,032,405 to Rose (" '405 Patent"),
Patent No. 2006
-1-
CA 02894093 2015-06-10
006 234 of Japan to Toumine. All such referenced devices require a tensional
or compressional
spring mechanism to activate the snare, or utilize a spring throw arm as a
lifting means for
providing an oblique movement of the foot snare loop to catch the game animal,
necessary when
the trap is sprung or triggered to enable the snare to catch the ankle of the
game animal and not
result in a "toe catch" (catching only tIL: animal's foot or toes), a common
occurrence with many
snare traps in existence. None of the related prior art provides the
extensional mechanism of the
present invention which operates in an efficient manner to activate a foot
snare trap in a
longitudinal or horizontal direction providing a snare delivery mechanism to
provide the
necessary upward and oblique movement for the snare. This oblique movement is
provided by
one embodiment of the present invention by a snare delivery system, comprising
vertical springs
pivotally connected to a trigger plate assembly. Neither the aforementioned
patents nor those
citations that follow provide the extensional mechanism of the present
invention and would not
teach the inclusion of or use of such an element, as they rely on the spring
throw arm of a spring
mechanism, or exclude any upward, oblique movement provision.
Some related art triggering a foot snare do utilize a longitudinal or
horizontal
compressional or tension spring mechanism, such as a tensional spring,
including: U.S. Patent
2,168, 132 to Marshall(" '132 Patent"), U.S. Patent 4,208,827 to Starky ("
'827 Patent"), U.S.
Patent 4,250,653 to Davies(" '653 Patent"), U.S. Patent 4,827,662 to Dahlman("
'662 Patent"),
and U.S. Patent 4,739,578 to Pitchford, Jr.(" '578 Patent"). However, none of
these related art
patents have a trigger mechanism located within said spring mechanism housing,
attached
directly to the extension mechanism as is provided in one embodiment of the
present invention.
All of said patents have triggers located on the outside of the spring
mechanism housing, and
could not provide for or teach a trigger location within the housing since
they provide for snares
-2-
CA 02894093 2015-06-10
attached directly to the spring mechanisms, rendering these devices
inoperative to achieve the
results of the present invention. As well, the '662 Patent is a mole trap
operating in a vertical
manner.
The snare traps found in the '527 Patent, the '827 Patent, the '837 Patent,
the '623 Patent,
the '653 Patent, the '662 Patent, the '578 Patent, and the '132 Patent all
attach directly to the
spring mechanism, the snare being directly driven by a spring operating in a
different manner
than the present invention. None of the related art patents or devices
mentioned immediately
above provide for the release of the snare trap to the trigger or spring
mechanism after the trap is
activated, as provided in the embodiment of the present invention. The present
invention allows
for use of a detachable snare attached by the operator. By having a snare
attachment port located
on the outside of the extension mechanism housing, the present invention
provides for releasing
the attached snare once the snare is triggered. All of the cited, related,
prior art patents function
to capture and retain the animal trapped in connection with the trigger and
spring mechanism,
while the present invention operates to release the snare holding the animal
once the trigger
mechanism activates the snare to trap the animal. well, Patent to Toumine,
Patents '622, U.S.
Patent 4,179,837 to Gummeringer (" '837 Patent"), and U.S. Patent 4,513,527 to
Wicklund ("
'527 Patent") utilize this retention function to dispose of the trapped
animal. None of these cited
patents provide for a pan tension adjustment means of the present invention.
Therefore, none of
these animal trapping and retention patents and devices teach or operate with
the structure and
function of the present invention.
While U.S. Patent 6,016,624 to Rose(" '624 Patent") discloses a trigger
mechanism for
an animal trap, it is solely a tension regulating device without a means to
activate a trap to catch
animals comprising a movable plate adjustable to the weight of an animal, and
the device of this
-3-
CA 02894093 2015-06-10
related art may not be used in combination with other devices or elements of
an embodiment of
the present invention necessary to operate in the same manner or function as
the present
invention. The '624 Patent (as well as all the other patents cited herein)
operates in a completely
different manner than the present invention, the '624 Patent utilizing cams
rather than an
extension mechanism such as a return spring in one embodiment of the present
invention. The
'624 Patent is not adapted to receive the trigger mechanism of the present
invention, and is
therefore inoperable to set such trigger mechanism and teaches away from the
present invention.
While some of the prior art discloses or teaches a pan tension adjustment
means and
trigger mechanism, such as Toumine, the present invention is distinguished by
a particular
configuration providing a plurality of pan tension adjustment stabilizers
affixed to the pan, and a
trigger rod having a trigger catch to engage a mount slot within the trigger
pan assembly and a
unique tandem extension spring mechanism, which provides a unique combination
to adjust and
set limb-triggered animal traps.
While the '527 Patent and '837 Patent do locate trigger mechanisms within the
extension
mechanism housing, neither would teach an embodiment of the present invention.
The '83 7
Patent requires catching the animal initially before applying the snare
trigger mechanism, and
the '527 Patent, as well as the '827 and '653 Patents, use compressional
spring mechanisms
attaching directly to the snare trap, operating in an opposing manner to the
present invention,
which in one embodiment of the present invention uses an extension return
spring pulling rather
than pushing the snare away from the animal prey, making the cited references
inoperable as the
present invention. The '527 Patent, as well as the '653 and '827 Patents
operate with
compressional spring mechanisms. Neither does the '624 Patent, '527 Patent,
nor the '837
Patent disclose the snare trap releasing function and structure of the present
invention.
-4-
CA 02894093 2015-06-10
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The improved foot snare triggering device of the present invention is designed
to be used
in combination with foot snares.
One embodiment of the present invention, the foot snare triggering device
comprises a
trigger plate assembly having a pan tension adjustment means which allows the
trigger plate
assembly to pivotally yield to vertically applied pressure and a base plate of
varying diameters
depending on the size of the target animal to be captured. The foot snare
triggering device
further comprises a trigger mechanism having a trigger end engagingly set
within the trigger
plate assembly and a mechanism end operatively attached to a tandem extension
spring
configuration, a snare delivery system comprising a plurality of wire springs,
and a snare
attachment port located within the trigger mechanism for releasably securing a
foot snare within
the snare delivery system. The device of the present invention may accommodate
any number of
foot snares known in the industry, attaching to its snare attachment port, for
trapping animal prey
of varying sizes. The foot snare triggering device triggers the foot snare and
allows it to be
released from the snare attachment port after being triggered.
Two extension springs (instead of one in other related art) and two pulleys
have been
incorporated into the improvements. The pulleys are located inside the trigger
housing at the
mechanism end of the device opposite the base plate. One end the extension
springs are attached
to the base plate. On the other ends of the extension springs a steel, or
hard/flexible
material, cable is attached. The opposing ends of those cables are attached to
the
trigger assembly stabilizer. By using two cables in conjunction with two
pulleys it is now
possible to produce the 180 degree bend and direction of tension/compression,
with a back and
forth movement that is desired to trigger the devise. Using this cable -
pulley method has greatly
-5-
CA 02894093 2015-06-10
reduced the overall length of the extension mechanism.
The trigger plate assembly of an embodiment of the present invention comprises
a base
plate having a plate underside and defining a pan opening. A pan is pivotally
connected by a pan
hinge to the plate underside distal to the pan tension adjustment means and
the trigger
mechanism. The pan has a trigger mount located adjacent to the trigger
assembly connection
through which the trigger mount engagingly receives the trigger mechanism,
said mount having
a mount slot to cooperatively receive and engage the trigger mechanism. The
pan pivots
downward when receiving said applied pressure, thereby engaging the trigger
mechanism. The
extension mechanism of an embodiment of the present invention causes the snare
attachment
port to move longitudinally when the trigger mechanism is engaged, or
triggered, by applied
pressure to the trigger plate assembly.
One embodiment of the present invention also comprises the snare delivery
system,
attached to the trigger plate assembly, within which the foot snare removably
rests, comprising a
plurality of wire springs arrayed and extending upward in a manner to secure
the foot snare
noose, allowing the foot snare to move upward and obliquely toward the
extension mechanism
when the trigger mechanism is engaged.
In another embodiment, the trigger mechanism and the extension mechanism are
enclosed in the trigger housing having a pair of pulleys cooperating with the
tandem extension
spring configuration to trigger the device, and a housing slot inserted
longitudinally along the
trigger housing, allowing the snare attachment port and an attached snare
attachment means to
move with the trigger mechanism within the trigger housing when the device is
triggered. To
shorten the overall length and height of the device, a combination of two
pulleys and extensions
springs are incorporated into the extension mechanism.
-6-
CA 02894093 2015-06-10
Another embodiment comprises a snare attachment means adapted to be slidably
located
on a foot snare and releasably installed in the snare attachment port.
One embodiment of the present invention includes the base plate/pan
combination,
replacing the solitary pan found on other snaring equipment which enables the
present invention
to be more easily concealed and stable. The weight activated spring-pan
tension device gives
greater target selectivity by minimizing the capture of smaller non-target
animals. The spring
powered horizontal, extension, or "side pull" triggering mechanism makes for a
safer mechanism
by eliminating the upward firing spring powered throw arm of related art,
which may not only
injure a person while setting the device, but also may hit a target animal
making it shy of future
sets if not captured.
When set properly, the device of the present invention may be used around
livestock and
other non-target animals with little chance of incidental captures. The side,
or horizontal or
longitudinal pull capturing method eliminates interference that would be found
in the cited
upward pull-triggering devices, and also captures animals in a more desirable
location (wrist
area), doing less leg damage than other pipe set designs, which captures bears
higher on the leg
and causing swelling.
Time saving and simplicity in setting are two other advantages of the present
invention.
The extension mechanism and adjustable of embodiments pan tension of the
present invention is
much safer to use than the known upward or pivoting motion of coil spring
(throw arm) devices
which may accidentally trigger and cause harm to the person setting the device
or hit the bear
which could forever educate him to the device. Adjustable pan tension greatly
reduces nontarget
captures.
A principal advantage with the present invention is being able to capture an
animal in the
-7-
CA 02894093 2015-06-10
animal wrist area, which is more desirable when capturing and relocating prey.
The embodiments of the present invention are durable, easy to set one-piece
devices,
made of a variety of durable materials including metal or high-density
plastic. Improvements in
the present inventions include a shorter device in length by using the tandem
extension spring
configuration, making the device a more compact, one piece unit with a more
efficient snare
delivery or moving means. This was accomplished by changing the shape from a
basic round
design to a square shape. As well, the trigger housing and base plates are now
permanently
connected, creating a one piece device. The device is now enclosed to help
protect the internal
moving parts, and strengthen an stabilize the device.
In another embodiment, the trigger housing is rectangular in shape to
accommodate the
extension mechanism and pulleys.
Another objective is that by manufacture of a trigger mechanism device using
noncorrosive materials, embodiments of the present invention will be operable
in inclement
weather.
An advantage of the present invention is greater reliability and functionality
by using a
horizontal or longitudinal extension mechanism device combined with an
elevation rod, that
rapidly pulls the snare upward and sideways simultaneously, thus capturing the
animal.
Another advantage of the present invention is improving animal target
specificity by
using the adjustable pan tension device keeping the device from firing when a
lighter non-target
animal steps on the pan. When using this device in conjunction with a foot
snare which has
breakaway capabilities, non-target captures decrease significantly.
Another advantage is that by using the horizontal and longitudinal operating
triggering
device, as opposed to the upward firing trigger found on currently snare
triggering mechanisms,
-8-
CA 02894093 2015-06-10
the animal capture height can be predetermined.
The present invention minimizes setting time by requiring minimal to no dirt
excavation.
The pan of and embodiment of the present invention requires minimal downward
travel to
release the trigger, making this two-piece device effective, functional and
easy to use.
Using an extension mechanism in an embodiment of the present invention makes
it much
safer to use than other foot snare devices using an upward release spring
which when
accidentally fired may cause injury to the user.
In another embodiment, coil, wire springs with extending shafts in a snare
delivery
mechanism replace a hinged elevation rods , making the device more user
friendly and efficient
means of snare delivery. Thus, the pote.itial for the prey to step on an
elevation rod is
eliminated, avoiding a "missed capture". The spring wires have a "360 degree"
hinging motion.
They do not need to be placed underground and will, therefore, be unaffected
by weather
changes.
The foregoing and other objectives, advantages, aspects, and features of the
present
invention will be more fully understood and appreciated by those skilled in
the art upon
consideration of the detailed description of a preferred embodiment, presented
below in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The aforementioned features,
aspects and
advantages of the present invention, and further objectives and advantages of
the invention, will
become apparent from a consideration of the drawings and ensuing description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE ORA WINGS
The foregoing features and other aspects of the present invention are
explained and other
features and objectives of the present invention will become apparent in the
following detailed
-9-
CA 02894093 2015-06-10
descriptions, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However,
the drawings are
provided for purposes of illustration only, and are not intended as a
definition of the limits of the
invention.
FIG. 1 illustrates a top perspective view of one embodiment of the present
invention,
depicting it for operation with a foot snare, showing the trigger plate
assembly and the trigger
housing having the housing slot.
FIG. 2 illustrates a bottom plane, horizontal view of the housing cover to the
trigger
housing, of an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 illustrates a bottom horizontal plane view of one embodiment of the
present
invention, depicting a plate underside of the base plate and the pan tension
adjustment means,
including an enlarged view of the trigger mechanism depicting the trigger
mount engaging the
trigger rod.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with
references to the
accompanying drawings, in which the preferred embodiment of the invention is
shown. This
invention may, however, be embodied in different forms, and should not be
construed as limited
to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, the illustrative embodiments are
provided so that
this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope
of the invention to
those skilled in the art. It should be noted, and will be appreciated, that
numerous variations
may be made within the scope of this invention without departing from the
principle of this
invention and without sacrificing its chief advantages. Like numbers refer to
like elements
throughout.
Turning now in detail to the drawings in accordance with the present
invention. FIG. 1
-10-
CA 02894093 2015-06-10
shows a top perspective view and FIG. 3 shows a bottom horizontal plane view
of one
embodiment of the foot snare triggering device 10, triggering a foot snare
10a, the device 10
comprising pivotally yielding trigger plate assembly 11 having a pan tension
adjustment means
30, the pan tension adjustment means further comprising: a pan tension
adjustment bolt 31,
passing through a base plate 12 and a pan 14, a pan tension adjustment spring
32 through which
said bolt passes, a pan tension adjustment plate 33 connecting to the said
bolt 31, and a plurality
of pan tension adjustment stabilizers 34 affixed to the pan 14. The pan
tension adjustment
means 30 allows the trigger plate assembly 11 to pivotally yield to vertically
applied pressure of
the foot or paw step of an animal, the target of the foot snare 10a, and of
varying size and
weight, different animals applying differing pressures.
The foot snare triggering device 10 further comprises, as shown in the top
plane view of
FIG. 3, a trigger mechanism 21 having a trigger end 22 and an opposite
mechanism end 23, the
trigger end 22 engagingly set within the trigger plate assembly 11 and the
mechanism end 23,
operatively and tensionally attached to an extension mechanism 40. The
extension mechanism
40 comprises a tandem extension spring configuration 46. As shown in FIG. 3,
the trigger
mechanism 21 further comprises a trigger assembly stabilizer 26, a trigger rod
25 longitudinally
attached to the trigger assembly stabilizer 26 opposite the mechanism end 23,
having a trigger
catch 72 to engage a mount slot 71 within the trigger plate assembly 11,
thereby holding in
tension the extension mechanism 40 until the pan 14 is depressed, or pivoted.
As shown in FIG. 3, the tandem extension spring configuration 46 comprises a
pair of
extension springs 42 longitudinally attached to the base plate 12 at a pan
hinge 15 and
operatively attached toward the mechanism end 23 to a pair of cable attachment
loops 43 and a
pair of extension cables 44 cooperatively attached to the pair of cable
attachment loops 43
-11-
,
CA 02894093 2015-06-10
opposite the pair of extension springs 42 and opposedly attached to the
trigger assembly
stabilizer 26 at a pair of cable attachment ports 49 at the mechanism end 23,
and a pair of pulleys
47 attached within a trigger housing at the mechanism end 23 by fastening
means 48. The pair
of pulleys 4 7 intermediately engage the pair of extension cables 44 at the
mechanism end 23.
The tandem extension spring configuration 46 is located entirely within the
trigger housing 20,
as shown in FIG. 2. The fastening means may be any commonly known fastening
means such
as bolts, rivets, screws, pins, etc.
As shown in FIG. 1, a snare attachment port 41 is located within the trigger
mechanism
21 proximal to the trigger end 22 for releasably securing a foot snare 10a.
The device of the
present invention may accommodate any number or types of foot snares known in
the industry,
attaching to its snare attachment port 41, for trapping animal prey of varying
sizes. The foot
snare triggering device 10 of the present invention may be made of any
durable, resilient
material, such as metal, plastic, or other materials.
The device of an embodiment of the present invention, depicted in FIGS. 1 and
3 (top
perspective and bottom plane view of one embodiment) depict the extension
mechanism 40
which causes the snare attachment port 41 to move longitudinally when the
trigger mechanism
21 is engaged or triggered by applied animal prey pressure to the trigger
plate assembly 11. A
snare delivery mechanism 17 is attached to the trigger plate assembly 11,
within which the foot
snare 10a removably rests, and comprises: a plurality of wire springs 18
attached and
diametrically arrayed in a plurality of elevation spring ports 50 on the base
plate 12, each of the
plurality of wire springs 18 having an attached end 19a and an opposing free
end 19b. The
attached end 19a each of said wire springs 18 is connected to the base plate
12 at said spring
ports 50 and the opposing free end 19b extends vertically above the base plate
12. The foot
-12-
CA 02894093 2015-06-10
snare triggering device 10 triggers the foot snare 10a and allows it to be
released from the
extension mechanism 40 at the snare attachment port 41 after being triggered.
The trigger plate assembly 11, of one embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 3,
comprises a
base plate 12 having a plate underside 16 and defining a pan opening 13. A pan
14 is pivotally
connected by a pan hinge 15 to the plate underside 16 distal to the pan
tension adjustment means
30 (shown in FIG. 3) and the trigger mechanism 21. The pan 14 has a trigger
mount 70 through
which the trigger mount 70 engagingly receives the trigger mechanism 21, said
mount 70 having
a mount slot 71 (shown in FIG. 3) to cooperatively receive and engage the
trigger mechanism 21.
In the embodiment of the present invention depicted in FIG. 1 (having a
partial, plane
view of the trigger mechanism 21 ), the trigger mount 70 is angularly attached
to the pan 14
toward the trigger mechanism 21 and may be otherwise described as a downward
bending
portion of the pan 14, in another embodiment. The pan 14 pivots downward when
receiving the
applied pressure from the prey thereby engaging the trigger mechanism 21. The
base plate 12
can be of varying diameters depending on the size of the target animal to be
captured in a foot
snare 10a. The pan 14 has a slightly larger diameter than the pan opening 13,
and is connected by
a pan hinge 15 to the plate underside 16 allowing the pan 14 to pivot
downwardly when said
animal prey pressure, shown in FIG. 1, is applied to the pan 14.
FIG. 3 illustrates a plane bottom view of an embodiment of the present
invention,
depicting the plate underside 16 of the base plate 12 and the pan tension
adjustment means 30,
including an enlarged view of a triggering mount 70 for accepting and engaging
a trigger rod 25
to the trigger mechanism 21. As further shown in FIG. 3, the pan tension
adjustment means 30
comprises a pan tension adjustment bolt 31, passing through the base plate 12
and pan 14, a pan
tension adjustment spring 32, to regulate trigger mechanism 21 response to
applied pressure 10b
-13-
CA 02894093 2015-06-10
to the pan 14, through which said bolt 31 passes, a pan tension adjustment
plate 33, having
threaded features to accept and connect to said bolt 31, and a plurality of
pan tension adjustment
stabilizers 34, affixed to the pan 14, to hold the pan tension adjustment
plate 33 in place. The
pan 14 is held upward and in place against the plate underside 16 by the pan
tension adjustment
means 30. The pan tension adjustment means 30 responds to the vertically
applied prey pressure
when animal prey steps on the pan 14, and is utilized to gauge the pressure
anticipated for
engaging or releasing said device 10.
In one embodiment of the present invention the snare delivery mechanism 17
attached to
the trigger plate assembly 11 as shown in FIG. 1, within which the foot snare
10a removably
rests, allows the foot snare 10a to move obliquely toward the extension
mechanism 40 when the
trigger mechanism 21 is engaged.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, in the device of the present invention, the trigger
mechanism
21 and the extension mechanism 40 are enclosed in the trigger housing 20
having a housing slot
27 inserted longitudinally along the trigger housing 20, allowing the snare
attachment port 41
and an attached snare attachment means 45 attached, fastened or secured to
foot snare 10a to
cooperatively move with the tandem extension spring configuration 46 along the
housing slot 27
within the trigger housing 20 toward the mechanism end 23 when the device 10
is triggered
causing the trigger assembly stabilizer 26 to move. In another embodiment, the
trigger housing
may include a housing cover 61, as illustrated in FIG. 2.
20 The pair of extension springs 42 tensionally engages the trigger
mechanism 21 at the
trigger end 22 and is anchored to said housing 20 by the pair of pulleys 47.
FIG. 3 shows the
bottom plane view of the trigger mechanism 21 and the attached extension
mechanism 40
disengaged from the trigger plate assembly 11. The pair of extension springs
42, in the
-14-
CA 02894093 2015-06-10
extension mechanism 40 of one embodiment, is held in place in the trigger
plate assembly 11 at
the pan hinge 15 and on its opposite end by the pair of cable attachment loops
4 3. The trigger
rod 25 is attached to the trigger assembly stabilizer 26 at said stabilizer's
trigger end 22, shown
in FIG. 3.
FIG. 1 shows the top perspective view of the trigger housing 20, in one
embodiment,
containing the trigger mechanism 21 and extension mechanism 40 of the present
invention. The
snare attachment port 41 is a hole in the trigger assembly stabilizer 26,
which may be initially
utilized in an embodiment of the present invention for a setting tool inserted
to slide the trigger
mechanism 21 forward to engage the trigger rod 25 into the trigger mount 70.
This snare
attachment port 41 is principally utilized in the present invention to insert
the releasable snare
attachment means 45, which may be installed as part of a foot snare 10a, shown
in FIG. 1. As
further depicted in FIG. 1, in an embodiment of the present invention, the
foot snare triggering
device 10 has the snare attachment means 45 that may be slidably located and
secured on a foot
snare 10a. The snare attachment means 45 is releasably installable in the
snare attachment port
41 through the housing slot 27 and thereby connectable to the foot snare
triggering device 10,
adapting the foot snares 10a, commonly known in the industry, to be adaptable
to be used in
combination with the foot snare triggering device 10. The snare attachment
means 45 may be an
eye bolt, or a clip, bolt, catch or other fastener, connectable and
installable, and detachable or
releasable, from the snare attachment port 41, to temporarily and slidably
secure a foot snare
10a, when the foot snare 10a is set, then triggered, by the foot snare
triggering device 10.
The trigger mechanism 21 is pushed or pulled in place, and the trigger rod 25
(having a
pointed or cooperating trigger end 22 in one embodiment) engages into the
mount slot 71 which
is located on a downward bend in the pan 14. The pan tension adjustment spring
32, below the
-15-
CA 02894093 2015-06-10
pan 14 as shown in Fig. 3, provides pressure to the trigger mount slot 71 for
holding the trigger
rod 25, and setting, arming or triggering said device 10. When the trigger
mechanism 21 fires
longitudinally backward, or away from the trigger plate assembly 11, with
release of the
extension mechanism 40, tightening the foot snare 10a around the animal's foot
by operation of
the foot snare triggering device 10, cinching the foot snare 10a, said snare
10a, by the snare
attachment means 45, may be extracted and released from the snare attachment
port 41 in the
trigger assembly stabilizer 26, rendering the foot snare 10a independent from
the foot snare
triggering device 10. The housing slot 27 enables access to the extension
mechanism 40 to set
said device 10.
In FIG. 1, an attachment bolt or other snare attachment means 45, as noted
above, may be
connected to the foot snare 10a as a means to attach the snare 10a to the
trigger mechanism 21 at
its snare attachment port 41 in the trigger assembly stabilizer 26, through
the housing slot 27.
The snare 10a is then placed on the base plate 12 around the pan 14, as shown
in FIG. 1. The
loose end of the snare 10a, generally, is connected to an anchoring device or
staked out, in its
common usage in the industry. When an animal of desired weight steps on the
pan 14, the pan
14 drops or pivots slightly releasing the trigger rod 25 from the trigger
mount 70, shown in FIG.
3. When the trigger mechanism 21 slides or is pulled back by the extension
mechanism 40 it
pulls or cinches the snare 10a simultaneously upward and sideways, by
operation of the snare
delivery mechanism 17, capturing the animal at the desired height on the leg.
With upward
movement by the caught prey, the cinched foot snare 10a may then disengage
from the trigger
mechanism 21 when the foot snare 10a (by the snare attachment means 45) slides
or pulls out of
the snare attachment port 41 in the trigger assembly stabilizer 26, as noted
above, by any animal
resistance.
-16-
CA 02894093 2015-06-10
Improvements in the present inventions include a shorter device 10 in length
by using the
tandem extension spring configuration 46, making the device 10 a more compact,
one piece unit
with a more efficient snare delivery mechanism 17 or snare 10a noose moving
means. This was
accomplished by changing the shape of the trigger plate assembly 11 from a
basic round design
to a square shape cooperating with the array of the wire springs 18 and
connection to the
extension mechanism 40. As well, the trigger housing 20 and base plate 12 are
now permanently
connected, creating a one piece device 10. The device 10 is now enclosed to
help protect the
internal moving parts, and strengthen and stabilize the device.
Having thus described in detail a preferred selection of embodiments of the
present
invention, it is to be appreciated, and will be apparent to those skilled in
the art, that many
physical changes could be made in the device without altering the invention,
or the concepts and
principles embodied therein. Unless otherwise specifically stated, the terms
and expressions
have been used herein as terms of description and not terms of limitation, and
are not intended to
exclude any equivalents of features shown and described or portions thereof.
Various changes
can, of course, be made to the preferred embodiment without departing from the
scope
of the present invention. The present invention and device, therefore, should
not be restricted,
except in the following claims and their equivalents.
-17-
