Ballasted Bait Station Tray for Stable, Easy-Clean Rodent Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional bait stations face challenges in securely attaching to surfaces without damaging them, are difficult to clean, and can shift due to the movement of rodents or pets, especially in outdoor or concrete settings where traditional fastening methods are impractical.
Innovation Solution
A bait station design featuring a base connected to a cover via an integral hinge, incorporating a ballast weight of 7.5 to 8.5 pounds with a specific gravity of 2.3, and a tray system that supports rodent traps or bait blocks, with ramps and baffles to guide rodents and prevent movement of the ballast weight, along with a locking mechanism for secure operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a bait station is attached to a fixed object using fasteners, then the bait station is securely fixed and cannot be easily moved, but it damages the building floor and is difficult to clean
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a ground anchor as an intermediary element between the bait station and the concrete floor. The ground anchor penetrates the concrete surface to provide secure anchoring without requiring surface fasteners that would damage the floor. This mediator enables stable attachment while preserving the integrity of the building structure.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a bait station is attached to a fixed object, then it prevents movement by targeted species, but it becomes difficult to clean by inverting
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the bait station into separable components: a removable tray containing the bait and a stationary base with the ground anchor. This segmentation allows the tray to be easily removed and inverted for cleaning, while the base remains anchored to provide stability. The cleaning operation can be performed without disturbing the anchored base.
3Stability of the object's composition
If a ballast weight is attached to the bait station, then it prevents movement by pets and children, but it requires an additional structure mounted beneath the bait station
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the ballast weight function with the ground anchor structure into a single integrated component. The ground anchor serves dual purposes: it provides mechanical anchoring to prevent unauthorized movement and acts as the ballast weight to deter pets and children. This consolidation eliminates the need for separate ballast structures while maintaining stability.
4Ease of operation
If the bait station is designed to be easily cleaned by inverting, then cleaning is simplified, but it becomes difficult to attach securely to the floor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the bait station into a removable tray and an anchored base. The tray is designed to be easily removed and inverted for cleaning, while the base contains the ground anchor for secure attachment. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function without compromise.
Solution Approach 2:
The ground anchor acts as an intermediary that separates the cleaning function from the anchoring function. By placing the anchor in the base rather than requiring the entire station to be anchored, the design enables easy removal and cleaning of the tray while maintaining stable attachment of the overall station through the anchored base.
Data Source
AI summary
A tray for a bait station, the tray for holding rodent bait or a rodent trap, where the rodent bait station has a base with a hinged cover which is lockable to the base to define an interior volume which can receive a ballast weight of three to twenty-four pounds which biases a floor of the base against a support surface. The station has at least two rodent access openings and upward leading ramps, the ramps leading to and being overlain by a landing which forms a portion of the tray and which allows a rodent to pass onto a tray proper which contains the bait or trap. The opening, ramps, and landing are such that a rodent can move freely within the interior volume so as to access the bait or rodent trap on the tray.