US1466102A - Mousetrap - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 28, 1923. 1,466,102

c. J. PROCTOR MOUSETRAP Filed Aug. 21. 1922 INVENTUR Patented Aug. as, 1923.

a" ares f ti.

luousn rsar- Application filed August 21, 1922. sci-mine. 583,351.

To all 107mm it oimgz concern Be it known that I, CLIFToN J. PRooToR, of Holmesville, in the county of Huron, Province of Ontario, Canada, a subject of the King of Great Britain, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mousetraps, of which" the following is a specification.

This invention'relates to traps of the type in which a spring-actuatedbail-shaped jaw is hinged on a base and is held in the raised set position by suitable trigger mechanism, and my object is to devise simple means whereby the jaw may be raised and the trig ger set without it being necessary to touch either of these parts.

I attain my object by means of the constructions hereinafter described and illus' trated in the accompanying drawings in which- I Fig. 1 is a front elevation of myimproved mouse trap; a

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same;

.3 a side elevation, partly broken away, showing the trapset; I

Fig. 4' a similar view showing the trap in the set-off position;

Fig. 5 a plan view on an enlarged. scale showing the methodof supporting the jaw, spring and setting member; and

Fig. 6 a longitudinal section of part of the trap.

In the drawings like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.

1 is the base, preferably of metal, having an upwardly extending frame member '2 formed on or secured thereto. This frame member is preferably shaped as a guard to prevent animals approaching the bait pan 3 from the rear. The

frame 2 at its lower end supports the spin dle 4 on which is journalled the aw 5. This jaw is bail-shaped and has its endsbent to form the coils 6 by means of which it is journalled on the spindle 4 and the rearwardly extending arms 7 which are provided at their outer ends with the hooks 8, which hooks are engaged by the sides of the bailshaped setting member 9.

At one side the setting member is formed with an eye 10 through which the spindle 4 passes. At the other side of the trap, the side of the setting member is bent and the portion 11 thereof extended alongside the spindle 4. towards the middle thereof. At

the center the portion 11 is bent to form the bail-shaped rock arm'12,the extreme end be-' 111g preferably formed as an eye 13 encirclmg the spindle at. From this construction it follows that the bail-shaped setting mem- V ber'm'ay be rocked to raise the jaw to'the position shown in Fig. 3, and thereafter when the jaw is held up as hereinafter described, the bail-shaped member may be returned to the initial position shown inlFig. 4, as its sides are free to disengage them- The aw is actuated a spring which. is

formed from a continuous pieceof wire bent to form the coils 30 located about the spindle 4, the central bail-shaped arm 31 which engages the base, and the two arms 32 ablyformed of wire and is pivoted at its upper end on lugs 14.- formed at the upper end selves from thehooks 8. V

of the frame 2. This catch isformed with A a shoulder 15 adapted to engage the jawas shown in Fig. 3,'an inclined portion 16 being formed in front of the shoulder so that the jaw may ride over the sameand engage the shoulder. The catch is alsoforme'd with a depending finger 17- wh'ich extends down to a position for engagement with the trigger 18. The catoh is also preferably provided withthe upwardly extending finger 19 engageable by the jaw after the jaw has passed the inclined portion 16 *and the shoulder 15 to rock they catch to its jaw-engaging position in case it fails to do so under the influence of gravity.

The lower end-of the finger L9 is preferably formed as a loop 20 embracing the trigger. The trigger is pivoted on the lugs 21, preferably stampedup from the metal of the-base, and is provided at its under side i with the shoulder 22 having a sloping back v adapted to be engaged by the loop 2O to .rock the trigger so that the loop may engage in front of the shoulder 22. The baitpan 3 is preferably formed of channel section with a hole 24 in its upper side to facilitate the baiting of the trap.

The bait pan is pivoted on the lugs 21. and is provided with a laterally extending projection. This projection underlies and overlies the rock arm 12 of the setting member.

\ The mode of operation of the device is substantially as follows The setting mem her 9 normally occupies theposition shown in Fig. l, when the trap is set and retains this position when the trap is set off. T set the trap the setting member 1s drawn down rearwardly and engages the hooks 8 on the arms 7, thus raising the jaw into engagement with the shoulder'lo of the catch as hereinbefore described. The loop at the lower end of thefinger 9 is rocked forward and raises the trigger, engaging in front of the shoulder 22 thereon as hereinbefore described. To enable the trigger to come to the position in which it may engage the loop 20,

This is effected by the engagement of the rock arm 12 with the arm 26 which causes the end 28 of the arm 26 to engage the pro j ection 25'and thus lift the bait pan, which allows the trigger to drop to the position shown in Fig. 3; It is then easily lifted by the loop 20 as the latter is swung forward.

It will be seen that after the trap is set, if the bait pan be depressed the trigger will be lifted, the loop 20 disengaged and the catch allowed to rock: so that the jaw 5 will ride over the shoulder 22 and be swung down 7 by the action of the spring 30.

What I claim as my invention is 1. In a trap, the combination of a base; a spring-actuated jaw hinged thereon; a frame member extending upwardly from the base; a catch pivoted thereon engageable by the jaw and providedwith a depending fin- 4 ger; a trigger pivoted on the base and adapted to be rocked by the finger to engage the the setting member may rock the jaw to its set position, and means whereby the setting member, when moved to lift the jaw, raises the bait pan and thus lowers the trigger to its finger. engaging position, said member extending upwardly from the base;

a catch pivoted thereon directly engageably by the jaw and providedwith a depending finger; a trigger mechanism pivoted on the base adapted to be rocked and engaged by the finger to releasably hold the catch in its jaw engaging position; a setting member hinged on the base; and means whereby the setting member may rock the'jaw to its"set position,

41. In a trap,the combination of a base; a spring-actuated jaw hinged thereon; a frame member extending upwardlyfrom the base;

a catch pivoted; thereon engageable by the jaw and provided with a depending finger;

a triggerpivoted on the base and adapted tobe rocked by the finger to engage the finger toreleasably hold the catch in its jaw engaging position; a pivoted bait pan tendmoved to lift the jaw, raises the: bait pan and thus lowers the trigger toits'finger engaging position, said means permitting the said member to'return to its initial position independently of the bait pan.

5. In a trap, the combination of a base;

a spring actuated jaw hinged thereon; catch and trigger mechanism for releasably holding the j awrin its set position the catch being' directly engageable by the jaw anda setting member adapted to rock the jaw to its set position and to directly engage and position the trigger mechanism for engagement by the catch, the catch havinga part engageable by the jaw, when raised, to rock the catch to its trigger engaging position.

Signed at Clinton this 31st day of July 1922.

. CLIFTON J. PROCTOR.

Witnesses j Lnwrs Pnoo'ron, CHARLES E. HALE.

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