Tamper-Proof Bait Station With Weighted Support And Keyless Latch
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional bait stations are easily removable by larger animals, require heavy ballasts for weighting, and often need a key for refilling, which can be lost or inaccessible due to debris accumulation.
Innovation Solution
A tamper-proof bait station system with a container and external support member that uses a weighted receptacle to secure the station, featuring pest ramps and a child-proof cap mechanism that allows access without a key, allowing for easy weighting and secure placement without keys.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional light containers are used for bait stations, then the device is easy to transport and install, but larger animals can carry them away and remove them from the treatment location
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements nesting by placing a removable inner container within an outer container. The inner container holds the bait and can be independently removed for refilling, while the outer container provides structural support and weighting to prevent animal removal. This nested structure allows the bait compartment to be accessed and replaced without moving the entire weighted station.
Solution Approach 2:
The bait station is divided into separate functional components: a removable inner container for bait storage and a stationary outer container with weighting features. This segmentation allows the lightweight inner container to be easily handled for refilling while the heavier outer container remains fixed at the treatment location, resolving the contradiction between ease of transport and station stability.
2Reliability
If heavy ballasts are added to prevent animal removal, then the station stability improves, but the device becomes difficult to transport and carry between sites
Solution Approach 1:
By nesting the lightweight inner container within the outer container, the design allows the inner container to be removed and transported separately for refilling operations. The outer container with its weighting features remains at the treatment site, eliminating the need to transport heavy ballasts between locations while maintaining station stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The removable inner container is extracted as a separate component that can be easily transported and refilled. This extraction allows the bait replacement process to occur without moving the heavy outer container, thereby maintaining station stability while improving ease of operation during maintenance.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If conventional containers with key access are used, then child safety is improved, but the key can become lost or inaccessible due to snow, dirt or debris accumulation
Solution Approach 1:
A latch mechanism serves as an intermediary between the container closure and the refilling operation. The latch can be actuated from the outside without requiring key insertion, allowing reliable access for authorized users while maintaining child safety. This mediator eliminates the dependency on keys that can be lost or blocked by debris.
Solution Approach 2:
The latch mechanism is designed to be operable from the exterior of the container, allowing the user to open and refill the bait station without needing to locate or insert a key. This self-service approach ensures that authorized refilling can proceed reliably even when keys are unavailable or blocked by environmental factors.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If the container is made tamper-proof with secure closure, then child safety and bait protection improve, but the refilling process becomes more complex and difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The nested container structure allows the inner bait container to be removed as a complete unit from the outer container. This design maintains tamper-proof protection while simplifying refilling to a single removal and replacement action, avoiding complex disassembly procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
By segmenting the bait station into a removable inner container and a stationary outer container, the refilling process is simplified to merely removing and replacing the inner container. This segmentation maintains security through the latch mechanism on the outer container while reducing refilling complexity to a straightforward component swap.
Data Source
AI summary
A tamper-proof bait station includes a container having a base and a lid that provides access to an interior that stores a poison bait that is consumed by pests. The base is securable to an external support member that supports the container above a ground surface. The support has an interior that is able to receive a weighted material to restrict movement of the container. A locking cap is provided that locks the lid to the base and is only removably upon applying axial or side pressure to the locking cap.