Rotating Cylinder Rodent Trap with Water Bucket
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing rodent traps are single-use, expose users to rodent contact, and pose hazards with poisoned baits, with trapped rodents often escaping or dying in inaccessible locations, requiring retrieval and handling.
Innovation Solution
A reusable rodent trap featuring a rotatable cylinder with viscous bait that spins into a bucket filled with water, drowning the rodent, minimizing user contact and eliminating the need for manual retrieval.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a common mouse trap is used, then it can capture rodents, but it requires user reset and exposure to rodent contact
Solution Approach 1:
The trap is divided into separate functional components: a capture chamber, a killing mechanism (rotating assembly with blades), and a containment structure. This segmentation allows the rodent to be captured and killed within the sealed chamber, eliminating user contact while maintaining reliable containment.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotating assembly with blades acts as an intermediary killing mechanism between capture and disposal. The rodent is killed by the rotating blades without direct user intervention, and the sealed chamber serves as an intermediary containment structure that prevents user exposure to rodent-borne pathogens.
2Reliability
If poisoned bait is used, then rodents can be killed, but children or pets may be harmed
Solution Approach 1:
The trap converts the potential harm of bait into a beneficial containment system. Instead of using poisoned bait that could harm children or pets, the trap uses non-toxic bait (such as peanut butter or seeds) combined with a mechanical killing mechanism, eliminating the risk of accidental poisoning while maintaining effective rodent termination.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealed chamber serves as an intermediary that isolates the killing mechanism from potential victims. Children and pets can safely interact with the trap exterior, and the transparent chamber allows observation without contact, eliminating the hazard associated with poisoned bait while maintaining reliable rodent termination.
3Productivity
If a single-use trap is used, then it can capture rodents, but it requires frequent resetting and rebaiting
Solution Approach 1:
The trap incorporates a rotating assembly with movable blades that can be reset after each use. The spring-loaded mechanism and rotatable components allow the trap to be reused multiple times without requiring complete disassembly or replacement, improving productivity while managing complexity through standardized mechanical components.
Solution Approach 2:
The trap chamber serves multiple functions: capture, killing, containment, and disposal. This multi-functionality reduces the need for multiple separate devices and frequent resetting, improving productivity. The standardized design allows for easy cleaning and reuse, balancing complexity with operational efficiency.
4Ease of operation
If rodent is trapped in inaccessible space, then it may die away from trap, but user must retrieve it causing odors and contact
Solution Approach 1:
The trap extracts the rodent from the environment by containing it in a sealed chamber immediately after capture. The killing mechanism eliminates the rodent within the chamber, and the contained body can be disposed of through a designated opening or by inverting the chamber, preventing odors and eliminating the need for user retrieval and contact.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealed chamber serves as an intermediary containment structure that isolates the decaying rodent from the environment. The transparent chamber allows observation without contact, and the disposal mechanism (inverting or removing the chamber) provides a barrier between the user and the rodent body, eliminating odors and preventing user contact with rodent-borne pathogens.
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 effectively captures and kills rodents without user contact, reducing exposure to rodent-borne pathogens and eliminating the need for frequent handling and disposal.
Implementation Method 1
The rotating assembly is configured to rotate about an axis of rotation relative to the container in response to a torque.
Data Source
AI summary
A rodent trap includes a hollow tube supported through an axle with each opposing end of the axle secured within opposite diameter ends of a bucket opening. A bait is secured about the tube and a liquid is placed within the bucket. The trap is configured to entice a mouse or similarly sized animal onto the tube by means of the bait. Upon traversing the tube to obtain the bait, the tube freely spins depositing the mouse or animal into the liquid contained in the bucket, drowning the mouse or animal therein.