Trapping device for crawling insects such as bed bugs

Abstract

The present invention relates to a trapping device (1) for crawling insects such as bed bugs, adapted for attachment to a bed or chair support leg (P), and comprising: - a U-shaped annular trough (2) arranged to encircle the support leg (P), and in the bottom of which a through-opening is provided, - a reservoir (3) removably attached to the annular trough (2), extending from the through-opening, which is adapted to receive insects passing through said through-opening, and - fastening means (4) for attaching the annular trough (2) to the support leg (P). Some of the external and internal surfaces of the annular trough (2) are either rough or smooth, adapted to allow insects to enter the trap and prevent them from escaping. Figure 1

Description

Title of the invention: Trapping device for crawling insects such as bed bugs Technical field of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to the general field of accessories for bed bases or seats.

[0002] It relates more particularly to a device for capturing crawling insects such as bed bugs before these insects can get into the mattress or the cushions of bed bases or seats. State of the art

[0003] Attracted by the CO2 emission and the heat of sleepers, bed bugs, or similar insects, equipped with hooked legs, climb up to mattresses or cushions through the legs of seats or bed frames.

[0004] In bedding structures, particularly at the level of the bed base, it is therefore advantageous to provide a device for capturing such harmful insects, to prevent any contact with bed linen or the fabric of seats or sofas.

[0005] There are already capture devices which use chemical insecticides which are not recommended for prolonged inhalation in bedding.

[0006] Some other devices implement sticky surfaces that are impractical to clean and use a non-reusable consumable.

[0007] Sometimes these are simple open cups at the bottom of the foot, giving the insect a chance to escape by simple air movements.

[0008] There is therefore a need for an effective trapping device for such insects, with a simple structure and easy to implement. Presentation of the invention

[0009] In order to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks of the prior art, the present invention proposes a trapping device for crawling insects such as bed bugs, adapted to be attached to a bed or chair support leg, characterized in that it comprises:

[0010] - an annular U-shaped section chute comprising an inner skirt arranged for to encircle said support foot, an outer skirt, a base, a top opening and a central axis, which outer skirt and which base comprise a rough external surface adapted to allow said insects to cling to it and move on it,

[0011] which outer skirt and which inner skirt comprise a smooth internal surface adapted to prevent said insects from clinging to it and from move,

[0012] the bottom of said annular gutter comprising a through opening adapted for the passage of said insects,

[0013] - a reservoir removably fixed to said annular chute, in the pro length of said through opening, which reservoir is adapted to receive said insects passing through said through opening,

[0014] the internal surface of said reservoir being of a smooth type adapted to prevent said insects from clinging to it and moving on it, and said reservoir being made of a transparent material enabling the presence of said insects to be detected, and

[0015] - means for fixing said annular channel onto said support foot.

[0016] Other non-limiting and advantageous features of the trap device according to the invention, taken individually or in all technically possible combinations, are as follows:

[0017] - the through opening extends into a lower collar, and the reservoir includes a side wall, a base and a top opening for the tank, the inner profile of said side wall corresponding substantially to the outer profile of the lower flange to allow the removable attachment of the tank by fitting its upper opening onto said upper flange;

[0018] - the lower collar and the upper tank opening include complementary interlocking components adapted to removably lock their connection;

[0019] - the interlocking members comprise: (a) a peripheral groove formed on the outer surface of the lower collar and (b) a plurality of bosses, adapted to cooperate with said peripheral groove, provided on the periphery of the upper tank opening;

[0020] - the fastening means comprise an upper wall in the general shape of disc, centered on the central axis of the annular channel, which upper wall extends inside said annular channel from an upper edge of the inner skirt, which upper wall comprises an upper face and a lower face which is arranged to come into contact with the top face of the support foot;

[0021] - the trap device is adapted to be attached to a bed support leg or seat having the top face comprising a threaded rod for fixing it to a base such as a bed frame, and said top face comprising a central opening for the passage of said threaded rod;

[0022] - the trap device includes a removable cap arranged to come to to position on the upper face of the upper wall, the outer profile of said removable cap positioned above at least part of the upper opening of the annular gutter, at a distance from an upper edge of said outer skirt, so that insects cannot reach said removable headgear from said upper edge of the outer skirt;

[0023] - the removable headgear is substantially flat in shape and comprises an outer profile which corresponds substantially to the external profile of the outer skirt of the annular chute, which removable cap includes a central opening for the passage of said threaded rod, and which removable cap preferably includes at least one locking tenon, adapted to cooperate with a complementary opening provided in the upper wall;

[0024] - the plane of the bottom of the annular chute is inclined with respect to the horizontal, a once the trap device is in position on the support foot, so that its lowest point is located at the level of the through opening.

[0025] The present invention further relates to a bed or seat comprising four support legs, each of which is equipped with a trapping device as defined above.

[0026] Of course, the various features, variants, and embodiments of the invention can be combined with one another in various ways, provided they are not incompatible or mutually exclusive. Detailed description of the invention

[0027] In addition, various other features of the invention become apparent from the attached description made with reference to the drawings which illustrate non-limiting embodiments of the invention and where:

[0028] [Fig-1] is a perspective view of a trap device according to the invention mounted on a support stand;

[0029] [Fig.2] shows the same trap device mounted on a support stand, seen here in vertical section;

[0030] [Fig.3] is a top view of the trap device illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, re presented here in isolation;

[0031] [Fig.4] is a vertical sectional view similar to [Fig.2], illustrating a variant of embodiment in which the trap device is equipped with a removable cap.

[0032] Generally speaking, in the following description, the notions of bottom, top, vertical, horizontal, lower or upper... are used by convention with reference to the trap device in place on its support foot.

[0033] Figures 1, 2 and 3 illustrate a trap device 1 for crawling insects such as bed bugs, which is adapted to be attached to a support leg P of a bed or seat.

[0034] Here, the support foot P is generally cylindrical in shape and its horizontal section is circular.

[0035] The support foot P comprises a foot axis PI and is delimited by a face of below P2 intended to rest on the ground, a cylindrical peripheral envelope P3, and a top face P4 corresponding to its top or summit.

[0036] The support foot P includes a threaded rod P5 disposed on the foot axis PI and which projects upwards from the top face P4, perpendicular to this top face P4.

[0037] Generally, the trap device 1 is intended to be positioned between the support foot P and the associated seat or bed base.

[0038] At least some of the external surfaces of the trap device 1 are of the rough type, that is to say adapted to allow insects (and in particular bed bugs) to cling to them and move around on them, so as to be able to enter the trap; and at least some of its internal surfaces are of the smooth type, that is to say adapted to prevent said insects from clinging to them and moving around on them, so as not to be able to get out of the trap.

[0039] The rough or smooth nature of the corresponding surfaces is therefore defined according to the possibilities for insects to move on them, or not.

[0040] As can be seen in figures 1 to 3, the trap device 1 comprises an annular chute 2 with a U-shaped cross-section including an inner skirt 21 arranged to encircle the support foot 1, an outer skirt 22, a bottom 23, a top opening 24 and a central axis 25.

[0041] The inner skirt 21, the outer skirt 22 and the bottom 23 together define an inner annular space E.

[0042] The inner skirt 21 is here circular, and the diameter of its inner face corresponds, within clearance, to the external diameter of the peripheral envelope P3 of the support foot P.

[0043] The distance between the inner skirt 21 and the outer skirt 22 is adapted to be greater than the length of the insects to be trapped.

[0044] This distance can be at least equal to 8 mm for bed bugs measuring 4 to 7 mm in length.

[0045] The bottom 23 of the annular chute 2 includes a through opening 26 adapted for the passage of said insects. This through opening 26 is extended downwards by a lower collar 27.

[0046] The lower collar 27 surrounds the through opening 26 and extends downwards from the bottom 23 of the annular collar 2.

[0047] The lower plane of this lower collar 27 is located substantially below the bottom 23 of the annular collar 2.

[0048] The outer skirt 22 and the bottom 23 comprise an external surface (opposite the inner annular space E) of a rough type, adapted to allow insects to cling to and move on it; and the outer skirt 22 and the inner skirt 21 comprise an internal surface (oriented towards the inner annular space E) of a smooth type, adapted to prevent said insects from clinging to it and moving around on it.

[0049] The trap device 1 further includes a reservoir 3 removably fixed on the annular chute 2, in the extension of the through opening 26, which reservoir 3 is adapted to receive insects passing through said through opening 26.

[0050] To optimize the trap and ensure that the insects remain in the reservoir 3, the internal surface of this reservoir 3 is of a smooth type, adapted to prevent said insects from clinging to it and moving around on it.

[0051] On the other hand, the reservoir 3 is made of a transparent or translucent material allowing the presence of insects to be detected from the outside.

[0052] The tank 3 includes a side wall 31, a bottom 32 and a top tank opening 33.

[0053] The inner profile of the side wall 31 preferably corresponds substantially to the outer profile of the lower flange 27 of the annular chute 2 to allow the removable attachment of the reservoir 3 by fitting its upper opening 33 onto said lower flange 27.

[0054] Preferably, the lower collar 27 and the upper reservoir opening 33 include complementary interlocking elements adapted to removably lock their fitting.

[0055] In the embodiment illustrated in the figures, these interlocking members comprise:

[0056] - a peripheral groove 271 formed on the outer surface of the collar in holiday 27 and

[0057] - a plurality of bosses 331, made around the perimeter of the upper opening of reservoir 33, and adapted to cooperate with the peripheral groove 271.

[0058] As can be seen in [Fig.3], the outer profile B of the outer skirt 22 is preferably substantially ovoid to enlarge the space available at the through opening 26.

[0059] The trap device 1 further includes fastening means for fixing the annular chute 2 onto the support foot P.

[0060] Here, these fixing means include an upper wall 4 which extends into the inner part of the annular channel 2, from the upper edge of the inner skirt 21.

[0061] The upper wall 4 is generally disc-shaped, centered on the central axis 25 of the annular chute 2.

[0062] It comprises an upper face 41, a lower face 42 and a central orifice 43 adapted for the passage of the threaded rod P5 of the support foot P.

[0063] It is understood that the upper wall 4 forms with the inner skirt 21 a kind of cylindrical housing intended to fit over the upper part of the support foot P.

[0064] The trap device 1 is positioned between the support leg P and the bed frame or the associated seat base. The lower face 42 of the upper wall 4 comes into contact with the upper face P4 of the support leg P. The threaded rod P5 passes through the central opening 43; and the bed frame rests on the upper face 41 of the upper wall 4.

[0065] The height of the inner skirt 21 determines the positioning height of the trap device 1 on the support foot P.

[0066] The upper edge of the outer skirt 22 extends in a horizontal plane A which is perpendicular to the central axis 25. And this horizontal plane A is located at a level substantially lower than that of the upper wall 4 (ideally at least 10 mm lower) to prevent insects from climbing directly onto the bed frame.

[0067] As can be seen in [Fig.2], the plane H of the bottom 23 of the annular chute 2 is inclined with respect to the horizontal, once in position on the support foot P, so that its lowest point is located at the level of the through opening 26.

[0068] This feature makes it possible to tend to train or direct the insects towards the through opening 26 and therefore towards the reservoir 3.

[0069] As illustrated in [Fig.4], the trap device 1 according to the invention may include a removable cap 5 arranged to be positioned on the upper face 41 of the upper wall 4, in particular intended to mask the top of the annular chute 2 and to prevent bedding (sheets, duvet...) from entering the inner annular space E.

[0070] The outer profile C (or peripheral edge) of this removable cap 5 is positioned above at least part of the upper opening 24 of the annular chute 2, at a distance from the upper edge of the outer skirt 22, so that insects cannot reach the removable cap 5 from this upper edge of the outer skirt 22.

[0071] The removable cap 5 can be in the form of a flat plate of general ovoid shape, the external profile C of which corresponds substantially to the external profile B of the outer skirt 22 of the annular chute 2.

[0072] The removable cap 5 includes a central opening for the passage of the threaded rod P5 of the support foot P.

[0073] This removable cap 5 further includes at least one locking tenon 52 (here two locking tenons 52), provided projecting from its face intended to be oriented towards the upper wall 4, adapted to cooperate by interlocking with one or more complementary orifices 44 provided in the upper wall 4.

[0074] The trap device 1 is advantageously obtained from standard injected plastic material.

[0075] The desired rough surfaces can be obtained by any suitable means, for example in injection tooling, by chemical finishing or by electro-erosion.

[0076] On the other hand, smooth surfaces can also be obtained by any suitable means, for example by manual polishing.

Claims

Demands

1. A trapping device (1) for crawling insects such as bed bugs, adapted for attachment to a bed or chair support leg (P), characterized in that it comprises: - an annular trough (2) with a U-shaped cross-section, comprising an inner skirt (21) arranged to encircle said support leg (P), an outer skirt (22), a base (23), a top opening (24), and a central axis (25), said outer skirt (22) and base (23) comprising a rough external surface adapted to allow said insects to cling to and move on it, said outer skirt (22) and inner skirt (21) comprising a smooth internal surface adapted to prevent said insects from clinging to and moving on it, the base of said annular trough (2) comprising a through opening (26) adapted for the passage of said insects, - a reservoir (3) removably attached to said annular chute (2),extending from said through opening (26), which reservoir (3) is adapted to receive said insects passing through said through opening (26), the internal surface of said reservoir (3) being of a smooth type adapted to prevent said insects from clinging to it and moving on it, and said reservoir (3) being made of a transparent material enabling the presence of said insects to be detected, - fastening means (4) for fixing said annular chute (2) onto said support foot (P).

2. Trap device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said through opening (26) is extended by a lower collar (27), and in that said reservoir (3) comprises a side wall (31), a bottom (32) and a top reservoir opening (33), the inner profile of said side wall (31) corresponding substantially to the outer profile of the lower collar (27) to allow the removable attachment of the reservoir (3) by fitting its upper opening (33) onto said lower collar (27).

3. Trap device (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that said lower collar (27) and said upper reservoir opening (33) comprise interlocking members complete- comments (271, 331) adapted to lock their fitting in a removable manner.

4. Trap device (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that said interlocking members comprise: - a peripheral groove (271) formed on the outer surface of the lower collar (27) and - a plurality of bosses (331), adapted to cooperate with said peripheral groove (271), formed on the periphery of said upper reservoir opening (33).

5. Trap device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that said fastening means (4) comprise an upper wall (4) in the general shape of a disc, centered on said central axis (25) of said annular chute (2), which upper wall (4) extends inside said annular chute (2) from an upper edge of said inner skirt (21), which upper wall (4) comprises an upper face (41) and a lower face (42) which is arranged to come into contact with a top face (P4) of said support foot (P).

6. Trap device (1) according to claim 5, adapted to be fixed to a support leg (P) of a bed or seat, the top face of which (P4) includes a threaded rod (P5) for its fixing to a base such as a bed base, characterized in that said top wall (4) includes a central orifice (43) for the passage of said threaded rod (P5).

7. Trap device (1) according to any one of claims 5 or 6, characterized in that it comprises a removable cap (5) arranged to be positioned on the upper face (41) of said upper wall (4), the outer profile (C) of said removable cap (5) being positioned above at least a part of the upper opening (24) of said annular chute (2), this at a distance from an upper edge of said outer skirt (22), so that said insects cannot reach said removable cap (5) from said upper edge of the outer skirt (22).

8. Trap device (1) according to claim 7 taken in relation to claim 6, characterized in that said removable cap (5) is substantially flat in shape and comprises an outer profile (C) which corresponds substantially to the external profile (E) of the outer skirt (22) of said annular chute (2), which removable cap (5) includes a central orifice for the passage of said threaded rod (P5), and which removable cap (5) preferably includes at least one locking tenon (52), adapted to cooperate with a complementary orifice (44) provided in said upper wall (4).

9. Trap device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the plane (H) of the bottom (23) of the annular chute is inclined with respect to the horizontal, once in position on said support foot (P), such that its lowest point is located at the level of said through opening (26).

10. Bed or seat comprising four support legs (P), characterized in that said four support legs (P) are each equipped with a trap device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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