HANSSON
U.S. Patent No. 5,960,583
This is another Patent I did for a Swedish client, based upon an original application filed in Sweden. The Patent is licensed to the Woodstream company, and the product is presently sold in the US as the
Victor "Quick Kill" Mouse Trap.
The Quick-kill is considered
the most humane trap available due to the perfect placement of the hit on the
mouse by the "Power Bar"
The
Quick Kill also has improved safety. It will not fire if picked up by a child
or knocked over by a pet. This is due to Quick Kill's unique safety catch that
is built into the release mechanism of the trap
From the WOODSTREAM
website:
“They say if you build a better mousetrap, the world
will beat a path to your door. As usual “they” are misinformed however clarity
of vision combined with effective strategies, processes and people has
successfully expanded on the heritage of the humble mouse trap. “
Truer words were never spoken!
From the
Patent:
Referring now to FIG. 1, a planar stand is denoted by 1. A
clamp is journalled around a transverse, horizontal first axis 5. The clamp
comprises a first arm 2 and a second arm 3, both extending from said first axis
5, forming, in the trap shown, approximately a mutual right angle. In the
Figures, the clamp is illustrated in a first, loaded position, against the
tensile force of a coil spring 4. Coil spring 4 is fastened at one end to outer
part 8 of first arm 2 and at the other end rear part 9 of stand 1. FIG. 5 is a
top view of the apparatus of FIG. 1, illustrating the connection of coil spring
4.
Second arm 3 rests against stop device 13, and the force line of coil spring 4
runs a little, but not very much, above first axis 5. Thereby, coil spring 4
does not exert any significant turning moment on the clamp in a direction
towards the animal when the clamp is in the first position. Thus, unlike prior
art spring mousetraps, the clamp in the present invention provides very little
force when in the set position as illustrated in FIG. 1. As the clamp rotates
toward a second position (as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 1), the force line
of coil spring 4 moves further away from fist axis 5, generating an increased
force on second arm 3 until the clamp can hit the animal, killing it.
Container 12 is provided, along with covering cap 6, journalled around a second
horizontal axis 7. Cap 6 is connected to second arm portion 10, which extends
from second axis 3 in such a way that when cap 6 is locked, second arm portion
10 is above and in contact with first arm 2 of the clamp. Cap 6 is designed to
be easily moved by a small animal. Recesses in cap 6 and container 12 are
directed toward the animal entrance as may be seen in FIG. 7. The recesses in
cap 6 and container 12 may allow the animal to view and smell bait placed
within container 12.
If an animal lifts cap 6, (as illustrated in FIG. 3) second arm portion 10 will
press down first arm 2 past the neutral position of coil spring 4, whereupon
coil spring 4 exerts a quickly increasing tensile force, so that the clamp more
or less immediately hits against its second position, killing the animal. Thus
cap 6 forms, together with second arm portion 10, a releasing mechanism.