Blood-sucking insect control station

Abstract

An insect control station provides an analog signal to a speaker and delivers acoustic energy from the speaker to a resonator positioned in the path of the acoustic energy. The analog signal can be provided from a memory by way of a digital to analog converter, from a digital signal processor, or from a mechanical element. Preferably, the acoustic energy emitted from one or more of the control stations of any of these arrangements is simulative of at least a portion of a heartbeat. The control station can include a surface that supports a pesticide, a gluey substance, an attractant (e.g., a pattern), and can deliver one or more feeding stimulants such as acetone, lactic acid, octenol, heat, carbon dioxide or some other byproduct of respiration or digestion.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO CO-PENDING CASE[0001]This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09 / 573,382, filed May 19, 2000 <?insert-start id="INS-S-00001" date="20090310" ?>now U.S. Pat. No. 6,467,215, <?insert-end id="INS-S-00001" ?>entitled “Blood-Sucking Insect Barrier System and Method,” the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]This invention relates primarily to an arrangement for selectively repelling insects from or attracting insects to a control station.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]A discussion of historical approaches to addressing insect problems is detailed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,241,778, assigned to the present assignee and hereby incorporated by reference as if set forth in its entirety herein. The '778 patent describes a method for attracting and eradicating insects in which a heartbeat sound attracts insects to a control station. According to the '778 patent, by projecting a heartbea...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0022]The significant advantage of the present invention is that a highly cost-effective and environmentally safe technique is provided to control the insect population, and particularly the population of mosquitoes and biting flies. The technique of the present invention can be employed on a large scale by municipalities to control mosquitoes and biting flies throughout large public areas, or can be employed by an individual to control the mosquito and biting fly population in a backyard or in the home. The device of the present invention can kill attracted mosquito or flies by various techniques and equipment.

[0023]In accordance with yet a further aspect of the invention, an insect control station includes a means for generating a prescribed analog signal, a speaker connected to receive the prescribed analog signal and to deliver acoustic energy to a resonator positioned in the path of the delivered acoustic energy. The control station can be implemented within a single housing or with some of its components housed separately from other components.

[0024]In one particular arrangement, the analog signal is generated using a memory and a digital to analog converter. The memory stores a digitized audio sample and delivers the digitized audio sample in response to a strobe signal. The digital to analog converter (DAC) has an input communicatively coupled to the memory and an output that outputs analog signals. The speaker receives these analog signals from the DAC and delivers the acoustic energy to the resonator.

[0025]In another particular arrangement, the analog signal is generated using a digital signal processor. The digital signal processor (DSP) is programmed with an algorithm that generates one or more prescribed analog signals that are provided to the speaker and the resonator.

[0026]In yet another particular arrangement, the analog signal is generated by mechanical elements and then provided to the speaker and the resonator.

[0027]Preferably, the acoustic energy emitted from the control stations of any of these arrangements is simulative of at least a portion of a heartbeat.

Problems solved by technology

In addition to sensitizing insects to feeding stimulants, the low frequency sound also desensitizes biting insects to the presence of their normal prey.

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