Insect Trap Assembly with Vented Top and Attractant Vapor Emission
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Solution Overview
Problem
Fruit flies pose a persistent nuisance and health risk due to their attraction to food and ability to infest homes, as existing solutions fail to effectively capture and eliminate them.
Innovation Solution
An insect trap assembly featuring a vented top with geometrically varied vents that emit attractant vapor to lure insects into an attractant container, ensuring they cannot escape through an optional airtight seal with the container.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If existing insect control solutions are used, then some level of insect reduction is achieved, but they fail to effectively capture and eliminate fruit flies due to the flies' evasive behavior and attraction to food smells
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the fruit flies' harmful attraction to food smells into a beneficial trapping mechanism by placing attractant vapor sources at the entrance holes, causing flies to be drawn into the container where they cannot escape
Solution Approach 2:
The trap structure is segmented into distinct functional zones: vent lines for vapor emission, entrance holes for insect entry, and an interior container for containment, with each segment serving a specific purpose in the trapping process
2Object-affected harmful factors
If window screens are used to prevent fruit flies from entering, then some physical barrier is provided, but fruit flies can still get through and infest homes and outdoor areas
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of relying on passive physical barriers that flies can penetrate, the patent actively attracts flies using vapor emissions and guides them into an inescapable container, converting the attraction mechanism into a reliable capture system
3Reliability
If a sealed container is used to trap insects, then insect containment is improved, but vapor emission for attraction becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The container is segmented with specific vent lines and entrance holes that allow controlled vapor emission while maintaining overall containment, separating the attraction function from the containment function
Solution Approach 2:
The container has different properties in different locations: vent lines and entrance holes with larger openings for vapor emission and insect entry, while the rest of the container maintains a sealed structure for reliable containment
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The trap assembly effectively captures fruit flies by guiding them into the container using converging vent lines and entrance holes, enhancing capture rates and preventing escape, thus addressing the nuisance and health concerns.
Implementation Method 1
The vented top includes vent(s) to emit vapor to attract insects to land on the vented top, and travel along a vent to one or more entrance holes
Data Source
AI summary
An insect trap assembly including a vented top with a top rim adjacent an insect attractant container, a bottom tip in the container, and a surface between the top rim and the bottom tip, including vent(s) to emit attractant vapor to insects outside the assembly and entrance hole(s) connected to the vent(s), where the vapor and/or a light attracts insects to land and travel on the vent into entrance holes for capture in the container.