US-12622428-B2 - Cage trap trip mechanism and assembly method

US12622428B2US 12622428 B2US12622428 B2US 12622428B2US-12622428-B2

Abstract

A live animal trap comprises a cage assembly defining an interior space accessible via at least one entrance, a door assembly and a trigger assembly. The cage assembly includes a floor, a pair of opposed side walls, a rear wall and a top wall removably connected to the pair of side walls and the rear wall. The door assembly includes a door pivotally mounted to the cage assembly and movable between a closed position and an open position for selectively opening and closing the at least one entrance. The trigger assembly includes a trigger arranged within the interior space of the cage assembly. A first linkage of the trap is removably attached to the door assembly in an operating position. The first linkage is adapted to engage with the trigger assembly to hold the door in the open position.

Inventors

Andrew Joseph Gauker

Assignees

WOODSTREAM CORPORATION

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20230301

Claims (15)

1 . An animal trap, comprising: a cage assembly defining an interior space accessible via at least one entrance, including: a floor; a pair of opposed side walls; a rear wall; and a top wall removably connected to the pair of side walls and the rear wall, the top wall includes a recessed platform and a raised perimeter wall, the recessed platform defining clips; a door assembly including a door pivotally mounted to the cage assembly and movable between a closed position and an open position for selectively opening and closing the at least one entrance; a trigger assembly including a trigger arranged within the interior space of the cage assembly; and a first linkage removably attached to the door assembly in an operating position, and adapted to engage with the trigger assembly to hold the door in the open position, wherein: the trap is reconfigured between an operative configuration and a storage configuration, in the operative configuration, the first linkage is held by and is operatively connected to a trigger linkage and a rod, in the storage configuration, the first linkage is removed from the trigger linkage and the rod and is removably held in place by the clips, a recessed nature of the recessed platform ensures that the first linkage remains below the top surface of the perimeter wall while the trap is in the storage configuration.
2 . The animal trap of claim 1 , wherein the trigger includes a trigger plate pivotally mounted to the cage assembly via at least one mounting bracket, the at least one mounting bracket removably attached to at least one of the floor, the top wall or one of the pair of opposed side walls.
3 . The animal trap of claim 2 , wherein the trigger plate is fixedly mounted to the trigger linkage, the trigger linkage rotatably connected to at least one of the pair of side walls via the at least one mounting bracket and having a free end engaging with a free end of the first linkage with the first linkage in the operating position and the door in the open position.
4 . The animal trap of claim 2 , wherein the top wall is fitted over and receives a portion of the at least one mounting bracket.
5 . The animal trap of claim 2 , wherein a first portion of the at least one mounting bracket is arranged on an exterior of the cage assembly and a second portion of the at least one mounting bracket is arranged in the interior space of the cage assembly.
6 . The animal trap of claim 1 , wherein the top wall is snap fit to the pair of side walls and the rear wall via a plurality of elastic latches.
7 . The animal trap of claim 1 , wherein in the operating position, the first linkage is arranged outside of the interior space of the trap and exterior to one of the pair of opposed side walls.
8 . The animal trap of claim 1 , wherein the floor and the pair of opposed side walls are formed from a wire mesh, and the top wall is a monolithic, polymer wall.
9 . The animal trap of claim 1 , wherein the door is fixedly attached to a second linkage, the second linkage rotatable relative to the cage assembly for moving the door between the open and closed positions.
10 . The animal trap of claim 9 , further comprising a connector adapted to rigidly and removably connect the first linkage to the second linkage in the operating position.
11 . The animal trap of claim 10 , wherein the connector includes a first opening receiving a free end of the first linkage and a second opening receiving a free end of the second linkage.
12 . An animal trap, comprising: a cage defining an interior space and including: a wire mesh floor, a pair of wire mesh side walls, a wire mesh rear wall; and a polymer top wall removably attached to at least one of the rear wall or the side walls, the polymer top wall includes a recessed platform and a raised perimeter wall, the recessed platform defining clips; an intermediate linkage; a trigger linkage; a door mounted to the cage and adapted to selectively open and close an entrance of the trap to the interior space; and a trigger assembly operatively connectable to the door and adapted to hold the door in an open position, wherein: the trap includes an ability to switch between an operative configuration and a storage configuration, in the operative configuration, the intermediate linkage is held by and is operatively connected to the trigger linkage and a linkage rod, in the storage configuration, the intermediate linkage is removed from the trigger linkage and linkage rod and is removably held in place by the clips, and a recessed nature of the recessed platform ensures that the intermediate linkage remains below the top surface of the perimeter wall while the trap is in the storage configuration.
13 . The animal trap of claim 12 , further comprising a pair of polymer side supports attached to a respective one of the pair of wire mesh side walls and rotatably supporting the door.
14 . The animal trap of claim 13 , wherein top wall and the side supports are each molded, monolithic elements.
15 . The animal trap of claim 13 , wherein the top wall and the side supports are snap fit to the side walls via a plurality of elastic latches.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present disclosure relates to the field of animal control and, more particularly, to a live-catch animal trap and method of using the same. BACKGROUND Live or live-catch animal traps include traps adapted to trap an animal unharmed within an enclosure, such as a cage. Traps of this nature have experienced increasingly wide spread use due to their inherent humane characteristics. Live animal traps of the prior art generally consist of a box-like cage having at least one opening or passage therein. The opening is selectively closed by a door through the operation of a trip or triggering mechanism placed within the cage and upon which bait is placed. An animal lured through the opening of the cage by the bait will subsequently trigger the trip mechanism, which closes the door and serves to seal off the opening behind the animal, thus trapping the animal unharmed within the cage. Current traps include cages constructed of wire or wire mesh. The use of wire mesh, however, creates technical challenges. For example, attaching trap components to the wire mesh cage is relatively difficult, costly and time consuming, as metal forming and/fastening techniques that require specialized tooling and fixtures are typically needed. Moreover, existing trigger mechanisms are unnecessarily difficult to manufacture and package for shipping. In particular, known trigger mechanisms include components (e.g., linkages) that are arranged in an exposed manner and external to the cage. As a result, these elements are prone to damage during shipping and/or storage. Improved live animal traps addressing these and other drawbacks of current designs are desired. SUMMARY A live animal trap according to an embodiment of the present disclosure comprises a cage assembly, a door assembly and a trigger assembly. The cage assembly defines an interior space accessible via at least one entrance, and includes a floor, a pair of opposed side walls, a rear wall and a top wall removably connected to the pair of side walls and the rear wall. The door assembly includes a door pivotally mounted to the cage assembly and movable between a closed position and an open position for selectively opening and closing the at least one entrance. The trigger assembly includes a trigger plate arranged within the interior space of the cage assembly. A first linkage of the trap is removably attached to the door assembly in an operating position. The first linkage is adapted to engage with the trigger assembly to maintain the door in the open position. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying Figures, of which: FIG. 1 is a first side perspective view of an animal trap according to an embodiment of the present disclosure in a storage or shipping state; FIG. 2 is partial side perspective view of the animal trap of FIG. 1 in the storage or shipping state, with a door thereof shown in shadow; FIG. 3 is a front view of the animal trap of the preceding figures in the storage or shipping state; FIG. 4 is a partial side perspective view of the animal trap of the preceding figures in an operational state with the door in a closed position; FIG. 5 is a partial top perspective view of the animal trap of the preceding figures in the operational state with the door in an open or armed position; FIG. 6 is a top perspective view of a top wall of the animal trap of the preceding figures; FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the top wall of FIG. 6; FIG. 8 is a partial front cross-sectional view of the top wall of FIGS. 6 and 7; FIG. 9 is a side perspective view of a door side support of the animal trap according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of the door side support of FIG. 9; FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a trigger support of the animal trap of the preceding figures; FIG. 12 is a side view of the trigger support of FIG. 11; FIG. 13 is a side perspective view of an intermediate trigger linkage of the animal trap of the preceding embodiment; FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a linkage connector of the animal trap of the preceding embodiment; and FIG. 15 is a top view of the linkage connector of FIG. 14. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described hereinafter in detail with reference to the attached drawings, wherein the like reference numerals refer to the like elements. The present disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiment set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. In the following detailed description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the dis