Humane Mouse Trap Using Vacuum Sealing and Intermediary Bag
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional mouse traps are messy, violent, and often require contact with the animal or its corpse, posing humane and cleanliness issues, as they typically involve poisons or mechanical violence.
Innovation Solution
A mouse trap using a jar with a plastic bag and airtight seal, equipped with sensors and a vacuum system to trap and suffocate mice humanely without mess, allowing for contactless disposal of the animal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If traditional mouse traps use poisons or mechanical violence, then the killing effect is achieved, but the animal suffers and creates mess requiring contact and cleanup
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a plastic bag as an intermediary between the mouse and the external environment. The bag seals around the mouse's neck, creating a contained space where vacuum can be applied. This intermediary allows the killing process to occur without direct contact between the user and the animal, and contains any potential mess within the bag.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical killing mechanisms (springs, levers, crush plates) with a vacuum system. The vacuum pump creates negative pressure that collapses the plastic bag around the mouse, causing suffocation without mechanical violence. This substitution eliminates the need for complex mechanical structures and reduces animal suffering.
2Ease of operation
If traditional mouse traps require contact with the animal corpse, then disposal is possible, but hygiene and safety are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The plastic bag serves as a complete containment system that allows users to dispose of the mouse without direct contact. The bag can be sealed and placed in a waste container, creating a barrier between the user and the animal corpse. This eliminates hygiene concerns and safety risks associated with handling dead animals.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the mouse from the living environment by sealing it in a plastic bag that can be removed as a complete unit. The mouse is taken out of the home setting and contained in a disposable bag, separating the disposal process from the living space and eliminating the need for cleaning or contact.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If vacuum pressure is applied to trap the mouse, then the killing effect is achieved, but the structure must maintain seal integrity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a flexible plastic bag instead of rigid structures to create the sealing system. The bag can conform to the mouse's neck and maintain a seal under vacuum pressure. The flexibility of the thin film material allows it to deform and seal effectively while withstanding the negative pressure applied by the vacuum pump.
Solution Approach 2:
The plastic bag serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as the trapping mechanism, the sealing element, the vacuum chamber, and the containment system for disposal. This multi-functionality simplifies the overall structure and ensures reliability by using a single component for critical sealing and containment tasks.
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 solution provides a humane, efficient, and clean method for eliminating mice, with no mess or contact required, and the option for non-kill catch and release, making it a reliable and reusable device.
Implementation Method 1
The vacuum may come from a passage through the rod or directly through the bottle cap. The detector signals a controller to actuate a vacuum pump to remove the air from the plastic bag with the mouse inside.
Implementation Method 2
The trap includes a solenoid that releases a hollow rod and suction cup to occlude the hole where the mouse entered, such that the suction cup forms a seal with the jar and the plastic bag while trapping the mouse in the plastic bag.
Data Source
AI summary
A mouse trap is disclosed comprising a jar that is attached to a housing and includes a plastic bag inside. The housing and jar include a mouse entrance that leads inside the plastic bag, which is intended to include some bait at a distal end to lure the mouse into the jar. The trap includes a pressure or motion detector that senses when a mouse has entered the jar. The trap includes a solenoid that triggers a spring loaded hollow rod to close the jar when the mouse enters, and actuates a vacuum that removes the air from the plastic bag with the mouse inside. The removal of oxygen from the bag causes the mouse to lose consciousness, and eventually suffocate in its sleep. Once the mouse is dead, the bag can be removed and replaced.