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Patent Searching and Data


Title:
INSECT TRAP
Document Type and Number:
WIPO Patent Application WO/2019/112833
Kind Code:
A1
Abstract:
An insect trap cartridge is provided. The insect trap cartridge includes a front housing having a front surface and a top surface. The insect trap cartridge further includes a rear housing and a divider comprising an adhesive that divides the insect trap cartridge into a front enclosure and a rear enclosure. The divider is non-removably retained within the insect trap cartridge. The front surface of the front housing defines at least one opening through which an insect may enter the front enclosure. The top surface of the front housing defines at least opening having a dimension greater than 3 mm.

Inventors:
UCHIYAMA HIROTAKA (US)
SMITH CHRISTOPHER (US)
Application Number:
PCT/US2018/062542
Publication Date:
June 13, 2019
Filing Date:
November 27, 2018
Export Citation:
Click for automatic bibliography generation   Help
Assignee:
PROCTER & GAMBLE (US)
International Classes:
A01M1/02; A01M1/14
Domestic Patent References:
WO2016115107A12016-07-21
WO2015164849A12015-10-29
Foreign References:
US20170055513A12017-03-02
EP0947134A21999-10-06
US201762478973P2017-03-30
Other References:
WHITE, N.: "Antimalarial Drug Resistance", THE JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION, vol. 113, no. 8, 2004, XP003007898, DOI: doi:10.1172/JCI200421682
DANIEL, J.: "Drug Resistant Malaria", 2013, CENTER FOR STRATEGIC & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES, article "A Generation of Progress in Jeopardy"
MAEKAWA ET AL.: "The role of proboscis of the malaria vector mosquito Anopheles stephensi in host-seeking behavior", PARASITES AND VECTORS, vol. 4, 2011, pages 10, XP021091109, DOI: doi:10.1186/1756-3305-4-10
GREPPI ET AL.: "Some like it hot, but not too hot", ELIFE, vol. 4, 2015, pages e12838
CORFAS ET AL.: "The cation channel TRPA1 tunes mosquito thermotaxis to host temperatures", ELIFE, vol. 4, 2015, pages e11750
BURKETT ET AL.: "Laboratory evaluation of colored light as an attractant for female aedes agypti, aedes albopictus, anopheles quadrimaculatus and culex nigripalpus", THE FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST, vol. 88, no. 4, 2005
Attorney, Agent or Firm:
KREBS, Jay A. (US)
Download PDF:
Claims:
CLAIMS

What is claimed is:

1. An insect trap cartridge, comprising:

a front housing having a front surface and a top surface;

a rear housing;

a divider comprising an adhesive that divides the insect trap cartridge into a front enclosure and a rear enclosure, wherein the divider is non-removably retained within the insect trap cartridge;

wherein the front surface of the front housing defines at least one opening through which an insect may enter the front enclosure;

wherein the top surface of the front housing defines at least one opening having a dimension greater than 3mm and through which an insect may enter the front enclosure.

2. An insect trap according to claim 1, wherein the at least one opening defined by the front surface of the front housing comprises about 5 to about 10 openings.

3. An insect trap according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the openings defined by the front surface of the front housing has a diameter or maximum dimension of about 3mm to about 42mm.

4. An insect trap according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one opening defined by the top surface of the front housing has an area of about 25mm2 to about 200mm2.

5. An insect trap cartridge according to any of the preceding claims wherein the at least one opening defined by the top surface of the front housing is at least one slot-shaped opening having a length and a width.

6. An insect trap cartridge according to claim 5, wherein the length of the at least one slot shaped opening is at least 3mm.

7. An insect trap cartridge according to any of claims 5 and 6, wherein the at least one slot-shaped opening extends substantially along the length of the top surface of the front housing

8. An insect trap cartridge according to any of claims 5 to 7, wherein the at least one slot shaped opening extends from the top surface of the front housing to one or both of a first side surface of the front housing and a second side surface of the front housing.

9. An insect trap cartridge according to any of claims 1 to 7, wherein one or both of a first side surface of the front housing and a second side surface of the front housing define one or more openings distinct from the opening defined by the top surface of the front housing.

10. An insect trap cartridge according to claim 9, wherein the one or more openings defined by the first side surface of the front housing and the second side surface of the front housing are slot-shaped.

11. An insect trap cartridge according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein an insect enters the front enclosure through the at least one opening defined by the top surface of the front housing.

12. An insect trap cartridge according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one opening defined by the front surface of the front housing is at least partially surrounded by a tube.

13. An insect trap cartridge according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising an insect attracting composition having an exposed surface area.

14. An insect trapping device, comprising:

an insect trap cartridge according to any of the preceding claims, and

a base comprising an electric heating element, wherein the electric heating element heats the rear enclosure of the insect trap cartridge.

Description:
INSECT TRAP

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to insect trapping cartridges and devices.

BACKGROUND

Historically, a variety of pest control devices have been employed to trap insects and other pests. With recent outbreaks of various diseases, infections, and other health risks that are spread by insects, the need for pest control devices has only increased. Such pest control devices typically employ an attraction mechanism for luring pests to the pest control device. Example attraction mechanisms include baits such as food, light, heat, pheromones, or other odorous materials found attractive by the pest. Some pest control devices have historically included an immobilization mechanism to prevent the pest from exiting the pest control device. One type of immobilization mechanism used is a substrate such as a board, paper, or other medium having a surface coated with an adhesive. Pests attracted to the pest control device or incidentally coming into contact with the adhesive become trapped by adhesion.

For some consumers, it is desirable to have a pest control device that is capable of simultaneously attracting and capturing a wide variety of flying insects, including mosquitoes, flies, moths, and so forth. However, mosquitoes can be particularly dangerous. Certain species of mosquitoes are known carriers of a number of diseases, including malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever, the west nile vims and the zika virus. Of these diseases, malaria has been described by some as the“most prevalent and most pernicious disease of humans”. White, N., Antimalarial Drug Resistance, The Journal of Clinical Investigation, Vol. 113, no. 8 (2004). As of 2010, the World Health Organization estimated that 219 million cases of malaria and 660,000 deaths occurred. Daniel, J., Drug Resistant Malaria - A Generation of Progress in Jeopardy, Center for Strategic & International Studies (2013). Tragically, malaria is the third leading cause of death for children under the age of 5, claiming more 50 lives every hour. Id. Some mosquito species, such as Aedes Aegypti, Aedes Albopictus, Aedes Canadensis, Anopheles Gambiae, Anopheles Fenustus, Culex Annulirotris, Culex Annulus and Culex Pipiens, are believed to be carriers of human disease.

Heat is a known attractant for mosquitoes. See, e.g., Maekawa et ak, The role of proboscis of the malaria vector mosquito Anopheles stephensi in host-seeking behavior, Parasites and Vectors, 4:10 (2011). Greppi et al. observed that“mosquitoes were strongly attracted to a target when heated above ambient, but only up to ~50°C. When it got hotter, this attraction declined strongly.” Greppi et al., Some like it hot, but not too hot, eLife 4:el2838 (2015). See, also, Corfas et al., The cation channel TRPA1 tunes mosquito thermotaxis to host temperatures, eLife 4:ell750 (2015). Mosquitoes and other insects can also be attracted to light sources. See, e.g., Burkett et al., Laboratory evaluation of colored light as an attractant for female aedes agypti, aedes albopictus, anopheles quadrimaculatus and culex nigripalpus, The Florida Entomologist, Vol. 88, No. 4 (2005).

Insect trapping devices that combine an adhesive for trapping insects together with light and heat are known, some examples being described in PCT patent application publication WO 2015/164,849. However, there are opportunities for improvement. Indeed, it would be advantageous to provide an insect trapping device that provides improved techniques for attracting insects, particularly mosquitoes, to the device. It would be advantageous to provide an insect trapping device that provides improved techniques for the evaporation and dispersal of an insect attractant composition, particularly for mosquitoes, from a device. It would still further be advantageous to provide an insect trapping device that combines one or more of the foregoing advantages with techniques that improve the number of insects attracted to the device. While numerous opportunities for improvement are described above, it will be appreciated that the disclosure hereafter is not limited to devices that provide any or all such improvements.

SUMMARY

In one embodiment, an insect trap cartridge comprises a front housing having a front surface and a top surface. The insect trap cartridge further comprises a rear housing and a divider comprising an adhesive that divides the insect trap cartridge into a front enclosure and a rear enclosure. The divider is non-removably retained within the insect trap cartridge. The front surface of the front housing defines at least one opening through which an insect may enter the front enclosure. The top surface of the front housing defines at least opening having a dimension greater than 3 mm.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of the present disclosure, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the disclosure itself will be better understood by reference to the following description of non-limiting embodiments of the disclosure taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 depicts an example insect trapping device;

FIG. 2 depicts a cartridge of an insect trapping device being coupled to a base;

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of a base of an example insect trapping device;

FIG. 4 is a front view of an example cartridge for an insect trapping device;

FIG. 5 is a top view of the cartridge shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a right side view of the cartridge shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the cartridge shown in FIG. 4 taken along line 7 - 7;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the cartridge shown in FIG. 4 taken along line 8 - 8;

FIG. 9 is an exploded view of an example cartridge;

FIGS. 10-12 are lateral cross-sectional schematic views of portions of example insect trapping devices in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIGS. 13A-13B depict the filling of an example cartridge with an insect attracting composition;

FIG. 14 is another example cartridge for an insect trapping device;

FIG. 15 shows the front housing of the cartridge shown in FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the cartridge shown in FIG. 14 taken along a vertical centerline;

FIG. 17 shows the front housing of the cartridge that shown in FIG. 14 filled with an insect attracting composition; and

FIGS. 18-20 are lateral cross-sectional schematic views of portions of example insect trapping devices in accordance with the present disclosure.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Although methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the present invention, suitable methods and materials are described below. All publications, patent applications, patents, and other references mentioned herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. In case of conflict, the present specification, including definitions, will control. In addition, the materials, methods, and examples are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting. Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description, and from the claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure provides for insect trapping devices, methods of making insect trapping devices, and methods of using insect trapping devices. Various non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described to provide an overall understanding of the principles of the function, design and use of the insect trapping devices disclosed herein. One or more examples of these non-limiting embodiments are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the methods described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings are non-limiting example embodiments and that the scope of the various non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure are defined solely by the claims. The features illustrated or described in connection with one non-limiting embodiment can be combined with the features of other non-limiting embodiments. Such modifications and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-3, an example insect trapping device 100 in accordance with one non-limiting embodiment is depicted. In particular, FIG. 1 depicts a cartridge 118 attached to a base 102 and FIG. 2 depicts the cartridge 118 of the insect trapping device 100 separated from the base 102. FIG. 3 depicts an isometric view of the base 102, shown with the cartridge 118 removed for clarity. The cartridge 118 can be selectively coupled to the base 102 by a user. The cartridge 118 can include a divider 150 (shown in the exploded view of FIG. 9) and a shell 122 that is configured to receive the divider 150. As described in more detail below, the divider 150 can include an adhesive portion 152 that immobilizes insects that contact a front face 154 of the adhesive portion 152. The base 102 can include prongs 112 such that the insect trapping device 100 can be plugged into a suitable power source, such as a wall socket. In other configurations the insect trapping device 100 can draw power from an onboard battery or other type of power source (i.e., solar). The insect trapping device 100 can utilize a variety of attractants to draw insects into the device, such as heat, light, chemical composition attractants, and so forth, some of which may require a power source to operate. As such, the power source may be used to energize various onboard components as shown in FIG. 3, such has an electric heating element 110, a light source 114, and/or other components which may serve to attract insects to the insect trapping device 100. With regard to the electric heating element 110, a wide variety of heating elements may be utilized. Example electric heating elements include, but are not limited to, metal heating elements, ceramic heating elements, polymeric heating elements, composite heating elements, and/or combinations thereof.

The shell 122 may have front housing 124 that has a front surface 126 and a rear housing 128 that has a rear surface 130. The front housing 124 and the rear housing 128 can be separate pieces that are coupled together to form the shell 122, or the front housing 124 and the rear housing 128 can be a unitary piece which integrally forms the shell 122. The adhesive portion 152 can be non-removably positioned within the cartridges 118.

The front surface 126 may define one or more openings 132 for receiving a flying, walking or crawling insect such that they can come in contact with the front face 154 of the adhesive portion 152 of the divider 150. While FIGS. 1-2 depict one example arrangement of openings 132, it is to be appreciated that the size, shape, arrangement, and number of the one or more openings 132 can vary. As described in more detail below, the insect trapping device 100 can also include tubes 160 that partially or fully encircle one or more of the openings 132. The tubes 160 can at least partially define elongated passages that extend from the openings 132 toward the front face 154 of the adhesive portion 152. In addition to the openings 132 of the front housing 124, portions of the front housing 124 can also define one or more other openings that can assist, at least partially, with airflow through the front housing 124. As shown in FIGS. 1-2 and described in more detail below, a top surface 184 of the cartridge 118 can define one or more top openings 180 and a side surface 186 of the cartridge 118 can define one or more side openings 182. Alternatively, the top surface 184 of the shell 122 may be substantially or wholly closed, and the side surface 186 of the shell 122 may be substantially or wholly closed. The front housing 124 may be convex and spaced apart from the rear housing 128 at the bottom of the shell 122 such that they collectively define a bottom opening 134 (FIG. 9). The bottom of the shell 122 is determined when the shell 122 is oriented as it would be during use by a consumer to attract and capture the insects.

The adhesive portion 152 of the divider 150 (FIG. 9) immobilizes insects that enter the insect trapping device 100 through one of the tubes 160 and eventually contact the adhesive. In some embodiments, the adhesive portion 152 comprises an adhesive (or an adhesive composition comprising an adhesive), wherein the adhesive or adhesive composition is coated on or otherwise applied to or incorporated in or on a substrate. The adhesive may be a pressure sensitive adhesive. In some embodiments, the adhesive is an acrylic polymer, butyl rubber, natural rubber, nitrile, silicone, styrene block copolymer, styrene-ethylene/propylene, styrene- isoprene-styrene, and/or vinyl ether adhesive or mixture thereof, for example. The substrate may be provided in a wide variety of forms, such as a film, a woven, or a non- woven (including papers). In some embodiments, the substrate is in the form of a film comprising one or more polymers, such as polycarbonate, polyethylene terepthalate (PET) or polypropylene. The substrate may comprise one or more layers. Generally, the thickness of the adhesive portion 152 may be in the range of about 0.01 mm to about 5 mm. In some embodiments, the adhesive thickness may be in the range of about 0.05mm to about 1 mm. The surface area of the adhesive portion 152 can be between about 25cm 2 and about l50cm 2 . The adhesive portion 152 can comprise a transparent or translucent adhesive or adhesive composition coated onto a transparent or translucent substrate (such as a film, for example). Further, the adhesive portion 152 can be planar, as shown, or have other suitable configurations, such as curved, for instance.

In some configurations the cartridge 118 also comprises a downwardly depending tab 164 (FIG. 2). A switch (not shown) can be positioned on the base 102 that receives the downwardly depending tab 164 when the cartridge 118 engages the base 102. The switch in the base 102 can function to operate one or more of the insect attractants (i.e., the electric heating element 110, the light source 114, etc.), so that such insect attractants can only be energized when the cartridge 118 is engaged to the base 102. As such, when the cartridge 118 is removed from the base 102, the switch is deactivated and power is removed from the insect attractants.

The downwardly depending tab 164 can be positioned such that a vertical centerline of downwardly depending tab 164 is offset from a vertical centerline of the divider 150. Offsetting of the downwardly depending tab 164 may serve to aid in properly aligning the cartridge 118 with the base 102. More specifically, the cartridge 118 may only be fully seated into the base 102 when the cartridge 118 is facing the proper direction so that the downwardly depending tab 164 is received into the switch.

To couple the cartridge 118 to the base 102 to prepare the insect trapping device 100 for use, the cartridge 118 is lowered over a shroud 108 (FIG. 3), such that the shroud 108 is received into a rear enclosure 142 (FIG. 8) of the cartridge 118 through the bottom opening 134 (FIG. 9) and positioned between a rear face of the adhesive portion 152 and an inner surface of the rear housing 128. The shroud 108 is an upstanding portion extending upward from the base 102 that envelops the electric heating element 110. The relative positioning and alignment of the cartridge 118 to the base 102 during coupling can be assisted by the shroud 108, as the shroud 108 can serve to properly guide the cartridge 118 onto the base 102. Further, the receiving of the shroud 108 into the cartridge 118 during coupling also helps assure proper alignment of the downwardly depending tab 164 with a switch positioned in the base 102. A portion of the base 102 may be received into the cartridge 118 to mechanically engage the cartridge 118 to the base 102. Such engagement may utilize a friction-fit connection, or other suitable type of connection, such as utilizing a clip, latch, magnet, or detent, for example, to maintain the coupling between the cartridge 118 and the base 102 until the user wishes to decouple the cartridge 118 and the base 102. Once the cartridge 118 is affixed to the base 102, the insect trapping device 100 can then be operated to attract and immobilize insects.

FIG. 3 depicts an isometric view of the base 102, shown with the cartridge 118 removed for clarity. When the cartridge 118 is engaged to the base 102, the shroud 108 extends through the bottom opening 134 (FIG. 9) and into the rear enclosure 142 (FIG. 8) of the cartridge 118 and is positioned between the rear housing 128 and the divider 150 (FIG. 9). In the illustrated configuration, the electric heating element 110 is positioned within the shroud 108. The shroud 108 protects the electric heating element 110 and assists with the dissipating the heat generated by the electric heating element 110 during operation. As used herein, electric heating element 110 refers to the devices that convert electricity to heat for the purposes of heating. As such, wiring, control circuitry, connectors, mounts, and the like that may be associated with an electric heating element 110 are not components of the electric heating element 110. The electric heating element 110 may be, for example, a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) heater having one or more heatable surfaces, a resistance-based heater, or any other type of element that converts electrical energy into thermal energy. Further, the temperature of the electric heating element 110 may be controlled through self-regulation or utilize various temperature control circuitry, such as thermostats and the like. As is to be appreciated, this disclosure is not to be limited to any particular type of electric heating element 110 or control circuitry. However, the use of a PTC thermistor as the electric heating element 110 may offer a less complex and less costly means for heating the shroud 108 than provided by other heating techniques.

When energized by a suitable power source (batteries, wall socket, etc.), the electric heating element 110 heats the shroud 108. The shroud 108 then radiates heat first to the rear face of proximate adhesive portion 152 of the divider 150 which is disposed adjacent to a front surface 104 of the shroud 108. As the rear face of the adhesive portion 152 is heated, then the opposing front face 154 (FIG. 7) of the adhesive portion 152 is heated. Accordingly, the heat path of the insect trapping device 100 is from the electric heating element 110, to the shroud 108, to the rear surface of the adhesive portion 152 (via convection heating and/or radiant heating), which in turn warms the front face 154 of the adhesive portion 152. Warming the adhesive portion 152 may aid in attracting certain types of insects to the insect trapping device 100. For instance, the heated adhesive portion 152 may mimic the thermal signature of a biological surface (i.e., skin) and, therefore, attract insects drawn to skin, such as mosquitos, fleas, ticks, and so forth. Such insects will be drawn to the heated adhesive portion 152 and come into contact with the front face 154 of the adhesive portion 152, thereby becoming trapped. As described in more detail below, the heating element 110 can also serve to heat any insect attracting composition that may be contained in the front enclosure of the insect trapping device 100.

In the illustrated configuration, as shown in FIG. 3, the light source 114 serves as another insect attractant and is positioned within the base 102. The wavelength and type of light source 114 that are utilized can be selected to attract insects that are drawn to certain types of light. The light source 114 is shown as light emitting diodes (LEDs) 116, which are a form of solid state lighting. In one embodiment, the light source 114 comprises three LEDs 116. The LEDs 116 may use any suitable attachment technology, such as through-hole technology. In some configurations one or more of the LEDs 116 utilize surface-mount technology (SMT) such that the LEDs 116 are a surface-mount device (SMD). Each of the LEDs 116 may have a diameter between about 0.5 mm and about 10 mm. Further, each of the LEDs 116 may have a surface area of 0.5 mm 2 and about 100 mm 2 . Some examples of LEDs include semi conductor light emitting diodes, polymer light emitting diodes, organic light emitting diodes, etc. Other light sources that may be used include, but are not limited to, incandescent or filament based lights, fluorescent lights, halogen lights, xenon lights or other light sources known in the art. The lights may or may not have a filter to adjust the wavelength of their output. Further, as used herein, the light source 114 is the light generating component or element of the lighting technology utilized as the insect attractant. In this regard, the light source 114 may be any of a diode, a filament, an energized gas, and so forth. The light source 114 does not include wiring, connectors, bases, lenses, or elements that may be associated with the light generating component or element. The light source 114 is positioned external to the upstanding shroud 108. The light source 114 may be in front of, below, beside, or mounted on a surface of the shroud 108. This positioning may allow the light to be more effectively deflected by the front surface 104 of the shroud 108 toward the adhesive portion 152. The shroud 108 can have a front surface 104 that faces the rear surface of the adhesive portion 152 of the cartridge 118. The front surface 104 can be concave such that a cavity is formed between the center portion of the shroud 108 and adhesive portion 152 when the cartridge 118 is engaged to the base 102. While the front surface 104 of the shroud 108 is illustrated as a smooth concave surface, this disclosure is not so limited. The front surface 104 can have any suitable configuration or combination of surfaces that form a concave shape in which the central portion of the front surface 104 is recessed relative to the side portions of front surface 104, thereby forming an inwardly directed bulge. Example configurations of the front surface 104 can include planar portions, beveled portions, curved portions, curvilinear portions, and so forth. Additionally, the front surface 104 can be continuous (as shown) or be discontinuous such that it has gaps or other types of separations. In some arrangements, the shroud 108 and its front surface 104 can be collectively formed by two or more shrouds that are positioned proximate to each other, either in direct contact or spaced apart. Such multi shroud arrangements may not necessarily use a single point heating element, as each shroud may be heated separately. The light source 114 may be positioned on the base 102 within the cavity formed between the front surface 104 of the shroud 108 and the rear surface of the adhesive portion 152 when the cartridge 118 is engaged to the base 102. As such, in addition to lighting the adhesive portion 152, the light source 114 also illuminates the front surface 104 of the shroud 108. The relative positioning of the front surface 104 and the light source 114 can allow for the front surface 104 to serve as a reflector to reflect at least some of the light from the light source 114 onto a rear face 156 (FIG. 8) of the adhesive portion 152. As shown in FIG. 3, for instance, the light source 114 is positioned in the base 102 at the bottom of the shroud 108. Further, the light source 114 is shown to be positioned below the front surface 104 of the shroud 108 as well as being positioned in front of the front surface 104. In accordance with various configurations, at least a portion of the front surface 104 may be roughened to aid in light diffusion, scattering, and/or reflection. In some configurations, the roughened portion of the front surface 104 has a surface roughness (Ra) from about SPI A-l to about SPI D-3. Further, the roughened portion may have a surface area that is between about 70% to about 100% of the surface area of the front surface 104 of the shroud 108. A circuit board 106 (FIG 3) can be positioned within the base 102 that includes the circuitry for operating the electric heating element 110 and the light source 114. As shown in FIG. 3, the base 102 may also define a cavity 120 that is sized to receive at least a portion of the cartridge 118 when the cartridge 118 is coupled to the base 102. When observing the insect trapping device 100 from the front side during operation (i.e., the side opposite of the prongs 112 in FIG. 1), the front face 154 (FIG. 7) of the adhesive portion 152 may be at least partially viewable through the openings 132, as shown in FIG. 1. Since the light source 114 is positioned behind the adhesive portion 152, when the light source 114 is activated, the adhesive portion 152 is lit from its rear face. The shroud 108 that houses the electric heating element 110 is positioned behind both the adhesive portion 152 and the light source 114, and functions to heat the illuminated adhesive portion 152 to within a desired temperature range. Positioning the heating element 110 behind the adhesive portion 152 further provides an added advantage of hiding the relatively hot heating element 110 (which may be heated to greater than 50°C) from the insects, particularly mosquitoes, entering the front enclosure through the openings 132 and tubes 160 in the front housing 124 of the cartridge 118. Due in part to the concave front surface 104 and the relative placement and configuration of the electric heating element 110 within the shroud 108, the entire surface area of the adhesive portion 152 can generally be evenly heated to aid in mimicking biological tissue while avoiding hot spots to increase the efficacy of the insect trapping device 100.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the cartridge 118, FIG. 5 is a top view of the cartridge 118, and FIG. 6 is a right side view of the cartridge 118. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the cartridge 118 of FIG. 4 taken along line 7-7 and FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the cartridge 118 of FIG. 4 taken along line 8-8. FIG. 9 is an exploded view of the cartridge. Referring now to FIGS. 4-9, the divider 150 with the adhesive portion 152 can be non-removably positioned inside the cartridge 118 during manufacturing of the cartridge 118, for instance. As such, the cartridge 118 may be affixed to a base of an insect trapping device, and then subsequent to use, the entire cartridge may be removed and disposed of by the user. A fresh cartridge may then be affixed to the base and operation of the insect trapping device can be resumed. The divider 150 is positioned between the front housing 124 and the rear housing 128 and divides the interior of the cartridge into a front enclosure 140 and a rear enclosure 142, as shown in FIGS. 7-8. The front housing 124 and the rear housing 128 can be coupled using any suitable technique, such as ultrasonic welding, adhesives, mechanical fasteners, and the like. For instance, a front housing perimeter 158 of the front housing 124 may be joined to a rear housing at least partially along or substantially along the perimeter 161 of the rear housing 128 (FIG. 9). Alternatively, the front housing 124 and the rear housing 128 can be a unitary structure formed by injection molding, for example. The divider 150 can be positioned between the front housing perimeter 158 and the rear housing perimeter 161. In some embodiments, the divider 150 is received into a recess of the front housing 124 and held in place when the front housing 124 is coupled to the rear housing 128. In other embodiments, an outer periphery of the divider 150 is captured between the front housing perimeter 158 of the front housing 124 and the rear housing perimeter 161 of the rear housing 128.

As shown in FIG. 9, the rear housing 128 can be convex and spaced apart from a rear face 156 of the divider 150 at the bottom of cartridge 118 such that they collectively define the bottom opening 134. The front housing 124 can define openings 132 through which an insect may crawl or fly to access the front enclosure 140. While seven openings 132 are shown in FIG. 4, any suitable number of openings may be used, such as about five openings to about ten openings. Further, while the openings 132 are shown to be generally circular, any suitably shaped openings may be used. The diameter (or maximum dimension of the opening if non circular) of one of the openings 132 may be between about 3mm to about 42mm, preferably from about 6mm to about 30mm, most preferably from about 14mm to about 16.5mm.

As shown in FIG. 9, the cartridge 118 can include an insert 162 that is positioned between the front housing 124 and the divider 150, such as in a non-removable arrangement. In some embodiments, the insert 162 is sized and shaped to be received into the front housing 124 in a nested configuration. For example, substantially all of an insert outer surface 168 may be in contact with a front housing inner surface 136 when the cartridge 118 is assembled. As such, the insert 162 may have the same general convex curvature of the front housing 124, or otherwise be shaped to mate with the front housing 124. The insert 162 can further comprise the tubes 160 that are configured to generally align with one or more of the openings 132 of the front housing 124 when the insert 162 is positioned in the cartridge 118. For instance, the insert 162 illustrated in FIG. 9 has seven tubes 160 that are sized and arranged to align in a one-to-one relationship with corresponding openings 132 of the front housing 124. In other configurations, however, the tubes 160 may have a many-to-one relationship with the openings 132 of the front housing 124. Each of the tubes 160 can have a tube edge 170 that generally opposes and is offset from the divider 150. As shown in FIG. 8, the tube edge 170 of the tubes 160 are spaced apart from the adhesive portion 152 of the divider 150.

While the tubes 160 are shown as having a tapered cylindrical shape, this disclosure is not so limited. Instead, a variety of configurations of tubes 160 can be utilized without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the tubes may have any cross- sectional shape, including circular shaped outer and inner surfaces, curvilinear shaped outer and/or inner surfaces, polygonal (e.g., rectangular, triangular, octagonal, etc.) shaped outer and/or inner surfaces, and combinations thereof. Further, the shape of the in cross-section of the interior surface may differ from that of the outer surface. The cross-sectional shape of the outer and/or inner surfaces may also vary the length of the tube, and, in some instances, one or both an outer surface and an inner surface of the tube may be tapered. By way of some non limiting examples, FIGS. 10-12 schematically depict lateral cross-sectional schematic views of portions of example insect trapping devices in accordance with the present disclosure having example tube configurations. Referring first to FIG. 10, a simplified insect trapping device 200 is depicted, with various portions removed for clarity. A front housing 224 of the insect trapping device 200 defines a plurality of openings 232. An insert 262 defines a plurality of tubes 260, with the insert 262 being nested into the front housing 224 such that each of the tubes 260 generally align with an opening 232 of the front housing 224. Similar to the tube edges 170, above, the tube edges 270 of the tubes 260 of the insert 262 are positioned adjacent to an adhesive portion 252 of a divider 250. In this example embodiment, the tubes 260 of the insert 262 are shown to taper inward in a direction from outside front housing 224 to inside the front housing 224. The illustrated embodiment schematically depicts tubes 260 having a circular cross-sectional shape that tapers inwardly (i.e., the inside and/or outside diameter of the tube decreases along the length of the tube in a direction away from the opening). The tubes each have an outer opening at a first end 221 (i.e., proximate to the face of the front housing 124) and an inner opening at a second end 223 (i.e., facing the adhesive portion 252). The diameter (or maximum dimension if the opening is non-circular) of the outer opening is shown as DO and the diameter (or maximum dimension if the opening is non-circular) of the inner opening is shown as DI. While dimension DO is larger than dimension DI in FIG. 10, this disclosure is not so limited. In other embodiments, for instance, dimension DO can be substantially the same as dimension DI (see FIG. 11, below) or dimension DO can be smaller than dimension DI (see FIGS. 12, below). Additionally, in some embodiments, some tubes of an insect trapping device may have one type of configuration and other tubes of the same insect trapping device may have a different type of configuration. In any event, dimensions DO and DI may be in the range of about 3mm to about 42mm, preferably from 6mm to about 30mm, most preferably from aboutl4 mm to about 16.5mm. Furthermore, tubes in accordance with the present disclosure can have a variety of different cross-sectional shapes. The cross- sectional open area of an opening of the tube at the first end 221 can be equal to, larger than, or smaller than, a cross-sectional area of an opening of the tube at a second end 223. The cross- sectional area at the first end and the second end may be in the range of about 7mm 2 to about l385mm 2 , preferably from about 28mm 2 to about 707mm 2 , most preferably from about l55mm 2 to about 2l5mm 2 . The tubes 260 are also shown to have a height H. The height of the tube 260 is measured normal to the adhesive portion 252 at the longest portion of the tube 260. The height H of each of the tubes 260 can be in the range of about 5 mm to about 15 mm. The height of the various tubes 260 may vary across the insert 262 due to the curvature of the insert 262, for instance.

In some embodiments, a portion of the inside diameter/inside surface of one or more of the tubes may be roughed in whole or part. In some embodiments, the roughened portion of a tube may have a surface roughness greater than about 2pm, or about 2.5pm, or about 3pm, or about 3.5pm, or about 4pm, or about 4.5pm, or about 5pm, or about 5.5pm, or about 6pm. Some insect trapping devices in accordance with the present disclosure can include a roughened portion of a tube that has a surface roughness greater than about 35 pm. Some insect trapping devices in accordance with the present disclosure can include a roughened portion of a tube that has a surface roughness within the range of about 2pm to about 37pm or about 2pm to about lOpm, or about 2pm to about 6pm, or about 2.5pm to about lOpm, or about 3pm to about lOpm, or about 3.5pm to about lOpm, or about 4pm to about lOpm, or about 2.7pm to about 37 pm.

Tubes 260 in accordance with the present disclosure can serve as a conduit or pathway for insects to enter the insect trapping device 200. Beneficially, the tubes 260 can serve to narrow portions of the front enclosure (i.e., the portion between the tube edge 270 and the adhesive portion 252) and increase the likelihood of successful capture and retention of insects once the insects traverse through the tube 260 and exit the opening at the second end 223.

Referring now to FIG. 11, a simplified insect trapping device 300 is depicted, with various portions removed for clarity. A front housing 324 of the insect trapping device 300 defines a plurality of openings 332. The insert 362 defines tubes 360, which may be similar to the embodiments described above. In this example embodiment, the tubes 360 are shown to have a dimension DO that is substantially the same as the dimension DI. Edges 370 of the tubes 360 are positioned adjacent to an adhesive portion 352 of a divider 350. FIG. 12 depicts a simplified insect trapping device 400 with various portions removed for clarity. A front housing 424 of the insect trapping device 400 defines a plurality of openings 432. In this example embodiment, tubes 460 defined by an insert 462 are shown to flare outward such that dimension DO is less than dimension DI. Edges 470 of the tubes 460 are positioned adjacent to an adhesive portion 452 of a divider 450. Referring now to FIGS. 13A-13B, the front housing 124 and insert 162 of the cartridge 118 is depicted. As shown, the insert 162 is received into the front housing 124 in a nested arrangement. Due to the curvature of the insert 162, a cavity 144 is defined by an inner surface 166 of the insert 162 that can optionally be filled with an insect attracting composition such that the insert 162 generally functions as a tray. The particular type of insect attracting composition may depend on, for instance, the type of insects that are desired to be attracted to the insect trapping device. FIG. 13B shows the cavity 144 filled with an insect attracting composition 176. The insect attracting composition 176 can be provided in a wide variety of forms. In some embodiments, the insect attracting composition may be provided in the form of a solid composition comprising one or more agents attractive to an insect. Solid compositions also include semi-solid compositions such as gels, which comprise one or more liquids and one or more gelling agents. The gelling agents may facilitate the formation of a cross-linked network within the insect attracting composition.

The cavity 144 can be filled with the insect attracting composition 176 at any suitable time, such as before the insert 162 is installed into the front housing 124 or subsequent to the installation of the insert 162 into the front housing 124. As shown in FIG. 13B, the insect attracting composition 176 can surround each of the tubes 160. Thus, the volume of insect attracting composition 176 can be selected based on the volume of the cavity 144. The insect attracting composition 176 can have an exposed surface area 178 that generally opposes and is offset from the adhesive portion 152 of the divider 150 (FIG. 8). While the exposed surface area 178 is shown in a substantially parallel arrangement to the adhesive portion, the disclosure is not so limited. In other embodiments, the exposed surface may be angled relative to the adhesive portion. Further, the insect attracting composition 176 can substantially cover the inner surface 166 of the insert 162. The depth of the insect attracting composition 176 can be less than the heights of the tubes 160, such that the tube edges 170 remain exposed. In some embodiments, the depth of insect attracting composition 176 around the tubes 160 is substantially the same height as the tubes 160 such that the tube edges 170 are flush with the exposed surface area 178 of the insect attracting composition 176. In other embodiments, the depth of insect attracting composition 176 around the tubes 160 is less than the height of the tubes 160 such that at least a portion of the tubes 160 extend outward from the exposed surface area 178 of the insect attracting composition 176 towards the divider 150.

The inner surface 166 of the insert 162 can have a surface texture. Such surface texture may aid in the adhesion of the insect attracting composition 176 to the inner surface 166. Additionally, in some embodiments, at least portions of the tubes 160 (such as the surfaces that insects may contact) can be textured, roughened, or otherwise prepared to increase an insects likelihood of landing or crawling on the surface of the tubes 160.

As shown in FIG. 13B the attractant surface area 178 of the insect attracting composition 176 can have a relatively large evaporative surface area to aid in the evaporation of one or more components (e.g., water, a mosquito attractant, etc.) therefrom. In some embodiments, the exposed surface area of the insect attracting composition 176 is in the range of about 20cm 2 to about 75cm 2 . In some embodiments, the exposed surface area of the insect attracting composition 176 is in the range of about 30cm 2 to about 60cm 2 . In some embodiments, the exposed surface area of the insect attracting composition 176 is about 45cm 2 . In some embodiments, the insect attracting composition covers substantially all of the inner surface of the front enclosure, which, in some embodiments, may be the inner surface 136 of a front housing or the inner surface 166 of an insert. In some embodiments, the insect attracting composition covers 70%, 80%, 90%, 95% or more of the surface area of the inner surface of the front enclosure disposed opposite from the adhesive. While the volume of the insect attracting composition 176 can vary based on the size of the insect trapping device 100, in some embodiments, the volume of insect attracting composition 176 is in the range of about lmL to about 50mL. In some embodiments, the volume of insect attracting composition 176 is in the range of about 5mL to about 45mL. In some embodiments, the volume of insect attracting composition 176 is about 25mL. In some embodiments, the insect attracting composition has a thickness from about 1 mm to about 16mm.

The vertical placement of the insect attracting composition 176 can allow for convective airflow or convective movement of air over a relatively large exposed surface area when the heating element 110 is used to heat the front enclosure 140. This convective movement of air may also facilitate exiting of one or more evaporative components of an insect attracting composition from the opening(s) in the top surface of the front housing. Passing air over a large exposed surface area can beneficially increase the effect of the insect attracting composition 176 to draw insects toward the insect trapping device 100. Further, with the exposed surface area 178 of the insect attracting composition 176 arranged substantially parallel to (and opposite from) the front surface 104 of the shroud 108, which can be substantially uniformly heated during operation, a relatively large surface area of the insect attracting composition 176 can be radiantly heated by the shroud 108, which can serve to beneficially increase evaporation or otherwise increase the expulsion of the insect attracting composition 176 from the various openings of the front housing 124. Furthermore, the orientation of the insect attracting composition 176 relative to the heating element 110 can provide for relatively high levels of evaporation, even in operational conditions that may be difficult (e.g., high humidity conditions) and/or in instances where the evaporative component from the insect attracting composition includes water. Further, while providing a large amount of exposed surface area 178 for evaporation, the insect trapping device 100 also beneficially still has a large surface area of exposed adhesive (i.e., adhesive portion 152). As such, in accordance with some embodiments, the insect trapping device 100 can generally maximize evaporation due to the large exposed surface area of the insect attracting composition 176 while also maximizing the amount of adhesive surface area available to retain insects. Moreover, the orientation of the exposed surface area 178 to the divider 150 can also beneficially reduce the offset distance between the exposed surface area 178 and the adhesive portion 152, which can serve to increase the capture and retention of insects by the insect trapping device 100. Additional disclosure regarding the offset distances can be found in U.S. App. No. 62/478,973, filed March 30, 2017, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

As provided above, the insect attracting composition 176 within the cavity 144 of the insert 162 may evaporate during use due, at least in part, to the heat generated by the heating element 110 (FIG. 3). Without intending to be bound by any theory, it is believed that side openings 182 on the side of the front housing 124 and top openings 180 of the top of the front housing 124 may assist with airflow within the front housing such that the evaporating insect attracting composition 176 can be convectively expelled from top openings 180 through a chimney-like affect. For instance, as the front enclosure 140 is heated by the heating element 110, the side openings 182 and/or at least some of the front openings 132 in the front surface of the front housing can generally serve as air inlets and top openings 180 can serve as air outlets. The openings can collectively work to draw air across the exposed surface area 178 of the insect attracting composition 176, which can be especially beneficial in high humidity operational conditions. The size and configuration of the side openings 182 and the top openings 180 can vary. For instance, in some embodiments, the side openings 182 and the top openings 180 are each slot-shaped openings having a width that is less than, or substantially less, than the length. The width of each of the side openings 182 and the top openings 180 can be, for example, greater than 3mm. In some embodiments, the width is greater than 3mm and less than lOmm, preferably from about 5mm to about 8mm, more preferably from about 3mm to about 5mm. It was observed that mosquitos, at least, attracted by the exit of evaporative component(s) of an insect attracting composition from the top openings were more likely to enter the top openings 180 when the width was greater than 3 mm. Without intending to be bound by any theory, it is believed that the mosquitos are attracted to the parts of the insect trapping device 100 where the insect attracting composition 176 is exiting (i.e., the top openings 180), but that due to the physical size of mosquitos, openings having widths of less than about 3 mm are not conducive for traversal.

The length of each of the side openings 182 and the top openings 180, as measured while following any curvature of the surface, can be at least 3mm, preferably from about 5mm to about 50mm, more preferably from about 10mm to about 30mm. The open area of a slot may be from about lOmm 2 to about 500mm 2 , preferably from about 25mm 2 to about 200mm 2 . While two top openings 180 are shown and four side openings 182 are shown (two openings on each side), this disclosure is not so limited. In some embodiments, the front enclosure 140 may not utilize any side openings 182 and/or only a single top opening 180 may be utilized, for instance. Further, in some embodiments, a top opening may extend at least partially down the side of the front housing 124. It is noted that the insert 162 can also be configured to help define the openings, as shown in FIG. 9, for instance. Namely, the outer perimeter of the insert 162 can have cut-outs 181 that generally align with the openings 180, 182. In any event, the side openings 182 and/or top openings 180 can generally provide for improved convective airflow across the exposed surface area 178 of the insect attracting composition 176. It is noted that in addition to flying, walking or crawling through the openings 132, insects may also fly, walk or crawl into the front enclosure 140 through the side openings 182 and/or top openings 180.

FIG. 14 depicts an isometric view of another example cartridge 518 that may be used with the base 102 depicted in FIG. 3. FIG. 15 is an isometric view of a front housing 524 of the cartridge 518. FIG. 16 depicts a cross-sectional view of the cartridge 518 of FIG. 14 taken along a vertical center axis. Referring to FIGS. 14-16, the cartridge 518 can be similar in many respects to the cartridge 118 as it has a front housing 524 that defines one or more openings 532 for receiving an insect such that they will come in contact with a front surface 554 of a divider 550 that includes an adhesive portion 552. The adhesive portion 552 of cartridge 518 can be non-removably positioned between the front housing 524 and a rear housing 528 and divides the interior of the cartridge into a front enclosure 540 and a rear enclosure 542, as shown in FIG. 16. The cartridge 518 also has a plurality of tubes 560, but in this embodiment, instead of utilizing an insert (i.e., insert 162) that comprises tubes, the front housing 524 comprises the tubes 560 that extend inward into the front enclosure 540. In the illustrated embodiment, each of the tubes 560 taper inward as they extend towards the adhesive portion 552, although this disclosure is not so limited. Each tube 560 corresponds to one of the openings 532 of the front housing 524, thereby forming a plurality of extended passages through the front housing 524 and into the front enclosure 540.

The front housing 524 and the rear housing 528 and/or the divider 550 can be coupled using any suitable technique, such as ultrasonic welding, adhesives, mechanical fasteners, and the like. Alternatively, the front housing 524 and the rear housing 528 can be a unitary structure formed by injection molding, for example. As shown in FIG. 16, the rear housing 528 can be convex and spaced apart from the divider 550 at the bottom of cartridge 518 such that they collectively define a bottom opening 534, similar to bottom opening 134 shown in FIG. 9. A shroud of a base (such as the shroud 108 of the base 102 shown in FIG. 3) can be received into the bottom opening 534.

As shown in FIG. 17, in some embodiments, the front housing 524 can serve as a tray such that it is filled with an insect attracting composition 576. The insect attracting composition 576 can be similar to the insect attracting composition 176, described above. Furthermore, the insect attracting composition 576 can be contained within a cavity 544 (FIG. 15) and substantially cover an inner surface 536 (FIG. 15) of the front housing 524 while surrounding the tubes 560. An exposed surface area 578 of the insect attracting composition 576 can generally be offset from and parallel to the adhesive portion 552. In some embodiments, the exposed surface area of the insect attracting composition 576 is in the range of about 20 cm 2 to about 75 cm 2 . In some embodiments, the exposed surface area of the insect attracting composition 576 is in the range of about 30 cm 2 to about 60 cm 2 . In some embodiments, the exposed surface area of the insect attracting composition 576 is about 45 cm 2 .

While the cartridge 518 shown in FIGS. 14-17 depict one example tube configuration, this disclosure is not so limited. Referring to FIGS. 18-20, lateral cross-sectional schematic views of portions of example insect trapping devices in accordance with the present disclosure are depicted. Each of the insect trapping devices include tubes that are formed by a front housing. Also, for illustration purposes, each of the insect trapping devices of FIGS. 18-20 is shown with the front housing filled with an insect attracting composition. Referring first to FIG. 18 a simplified insect trapping device 600 is depicted, with various portions removed for clarity. A front housing 624 of the insect trapping device 600 defines a plurality of openings 632. Tube 660 defined by the front housing 624 at least partially surrounds each of the openings 632. Similar to the tube edges 170, above, tube edges 670 of the tubes 660 of the front housing 624 are positioned offset from and adjacent to an adhesive portion 652 of a divider 650. In this example embodiment, the tubes 660 of the front housing 624 are shown to taper inward in a direction from outside front housing 624 to inside the front housing 624. In other embodiments, however, other tube configurations can be used, such as shown in FIGS. 19-20, for example. An insect attracting composition 676 is shown to substantially cover an inner surface 636 of the front housing 624. An exposed surface area 678 is adjacent and generally parallel to the adhesive portion 652 of the divider 650.

Referring to FIG. 19, a simplified insect trapping device 700 is depicted, with various portions removed for clarity. A front housing 724 of the insect trapping device 700 defines a plurality of tubes 760 that are have outer diameters that are substantially the same as the inner diameter. Edges 770 of the pipes 760 are positioned adjacent to an adhesive portion 752 of a divider 750. An insect attracting composition 776 is shown to substantially cover an inner surface 736 of the front housing 724. An exposed surface area 778 is adjacent and generally parallel to the adhesive portion 752 of the divider 750.

Referring to FIG. 20, a simplified insect trapping device 800 is depicted, with various portions removed for clarity. A front housing 824 of the insect trapping device 800 defines a plurality of tubes 860 that have outer diameters that are smaller than the inner diameters such that they flare outward as the extend towards a divider 850. The edges 870 of the tubes 860 are positioned adjacent to an adhesive portion 852 of the divider 850. An insect attracting composition 876 is shown to substantially cover an inner surface 836 of the front housing 824. An exposed surface area 878 is adjacent and generally parallel to the adhesive portion 852 of the divider 850.

Surface Roughness (So ) Test Method

The microscale surface roughness parameter Sq, as described in ISO 25178-2:2012 is used to characterize the surface roughness of the front wall. Sq is the root mean square of the profile heights of the surface roughness. Microscale surface roughness of the front wall of test samples is determined using a 3D Laser Scanning Confocal Microscope (one suitable 3D Laser Scanning Confocal Microscope is the Keyence VK-X200, commercially available from Keyence Corporation of America, Itasca, IL, USA). The microscope is interfaced with a computer running a measuring, control, and surface texture analysis software (one suitable software program is the Keyence VK Viewer version 2.2.0.0 and Keyence VK Analyzer version 3.3.0.0, commercially available from Keyence Corporation of America, Itasca, IL, USA). The instrument is calibrated according to the manufacturer’s specifications. The 3D Laser Scanning Confocal Microscope is used in accordance with ISO 25178-2:2012 to collect topographic surface height data over given surface areas of test sample specimens, and produce maps of surface height (i.e., z-directional or z-axis) versus displacement in the x-y plane. Each surface map is analyzed in accordance with ISO 25178-2:2012, from which the areal surface texture parameter Sq, is calculated. The units of the reported Sq value are micrometers (pm). For measuring an inside surface of interest of a tube, the tube may be sectioned in a manner sufficient to access and image the roughened interior surface of interest.

Images are collected using a lOx magnification objective lens provided by the instrument manufacturer, to yield a captured image Field of View (FoV) of approximately 1.4 mm x 1 mm with an x-y resolution of approximately 1.4 micrometers/pixel. The microscope is programmed to collect the surface height (z-direction) image data of the FoV using a z-step size of 2 pm, over a height range that is sufficient to capture all peaks and valleys within the given FoV. Surface height image data are acquired by following the instrument manufacturer’s recommended measurement procedures, which may include using the following settings to minimize noise and maximize the quality of the surface data: Real Peak Detection, Zoom set to 1.0; Laser Intensity (Brightness and ND filter) set to auto gain; double scan not used; Mode set to Surface Profile; Area set to Standard (1024 x 768) pixels; Quality set to High- Accuracy; and RPD, if used, set to Smaller, (for maximum laser intensity calculation). The configuration of settings may achieve a z-resolution of approximately 0.5 nm."

The data set from the entire image of each captured FoV is analyzed to determine the Sq value of the surface area in that image. In accordance with the filtration process recommended by ISO 25178-2:2012, the following filtering procedure is performed on each image: 1) a Gaussian low pass S-filter with a nesting index (cut-off) of 5 pm and utilizing end effect correction; 2) an F-operation of sec. curved surface (specify area) - whole area of the images is selected; and 3) a Gaussian high pass L-filter is not used. This filtering procedure produces the SL surface from which the Sq value is calculated.

Further Non-Limiting Description of the Disclosure

The following numbered paragraphs constitute a further non-limiting description of the disclosure in a form suitable for appending to the claim section if later desired. 1. An insect trap cartridge, comprising: a front housing having a front surface and a top surface;

a rear housing;

a divider comprising an adhesive that divides the insect trap cartridge into a front enclosure and a rear enclosure, wherein the divider is non-removably retained within the insect trap cartridge;

wherein the front surface of the front housing defines at least one opening through which an insect may enter the front enclosure;

wherein the top surface of the front housing defines at least one opening having a dimension greater than 3mm and through which an insect may enter the front enclosure.

2. An insect trap according to claim 1, wherein the at least one opening defined by the front surface of the front housing comprises about 5 to about 10 openings.

3. An insect trap according to claim 2, wherein each of the openings defined by the front surface of the front housing has a diameter or maximum dimension of about 3mm to about 42mm.

4. An insect trap according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one opening defined by the top surface of the front housing has an area of about 25mm 2 to about 200mm 2 .

5. An insect trap cartridge according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the front housing and the rear housing are joined at least at a portion of their perimeters.

6. An insect trap cartridge according to claim 5, wherein at least a portion of a perimeter of the divider is joined to one or both of the perimeters of the front housing and the rear housing.

7. An insect trap cartridge according to any of the preceding claims wherein the at least one opening defined by the top surface of the front housing is at least one slot-shaped opening having a length and a width.

8. An insect trap cartridge according to claim 7, wherein the length of the at least one slot shaped opening is at least 3mm.

9. An insect trap cartridge according to any of claims 7 to 9, wherein the at least one slot shaped opening extends substantially along the length of the top surface of the front housing. 10. An insect trap cartridge according to any of claims 7 and 8, wherein the at least one slot-shaped opening extends from the top surface of the front housing to one or both of a first side surface of the front housing and a second side surface of the front housing.

11. An insect trap cartridge according to any claims 1 to 9, wherein one or both of a first side surface of the front housing and a second side surface of the front housing define one or more openings distinct from the opening defined by the top surface of the front housing.

12. An insect trap cartridge according claim 11, wherein the one or more openings defined by the first side surface of the front housing and the second side surface of the front housing are slot-shaped.

13. An insect trap cartridge according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein an insect enters the front enclosure through the at least one opening defined by the top surface of the front housing.

14. An insect trap cartridge according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising an insect attracting composition having an exposed surface area.

15. An insect trap cartridge according to claim 14, wherein the exposed surface area of the insect attracting composition is from about 20 cm 2 to about 75 cm 2 .

16. An insect trap cartridge according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one opening defined by the front surface of the front housing is at least partially surrounded by a tube.

17. An insect trap cartridge according to claim 16, wherein the tube has a height from about 5 mm to about 15 mm.

18. An insect trap cartridge according to any one of claims 16 and 17, further comprising a tray comprising an inner surface and an outer surface, wherein the tray defines at least one opening through which an insect may pass, wherein the outer surface of the tray is disposed against an inner surface of the front housing.

19. An insect trap cartridge according to claim 18, wherein the tray comprises the tube.

20. An insect trap cartridge according to claim 19, wherein the at least one opening of the front housing comprises from about 5 to about 10 openings, wherein the at least one opening of the tray comprises a corresponding number of openings, and wherein each opening of the front housing is at least partially aligned with a corresponding opening of the tray. 21. An insect trap cartridge according to claim 20, wherein each opening of the tray is at least partially surrounded by a corresponding tube.

22. An insect trap cartridge according to any of claims 16 to 21, wherein the tube has an outer opening at a first end and an inner opening at a second end.

23. An insect trap cartridge according to claim 22, wherein each of the outer openings and the inner openings are circular and wherein an inner diameter of the outer opening is larger than an inner diameter of the inner opening.

24. An insect trap cartridge according to claim 22, wherein each of the outer openings and the inner openings are circular and wherein an inner diameter of the outer opening is substantially the same as an inner diameter of the inner opening.

25. An insect trap cartridge according to claim 22, wherein each of the outer openings and the inner openings are circular and wherein an inner diameter of the inner opening is larger than an outer diameter of the outer opening.

26. An insect trap cartridge according to claim 22, wherein an area the outer opening of the at least one tube is less than, greater than, or equal to an area of the inner opening of the at least one tube.

27. An insect trap cartridge according to any one of claims 23 to 26, wherein one of an outer surface and an inner surface of the tube is tapered.

28. An insect trap cartridge according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising an insect attracting composition having an exposed surface area.

29. An insect trapping device, comprising:

an insect trap cartridge according to claim 28, and

a base comprising an electric heating element, wherein the electric heating element heats the rear enclosure of the insect trap cartridge.

30. An insect trapping device according to claim 29, wherein the electric heating element heats the adhesive when energized.

31. An insect trapping device according to any of claims 29 and 30, wherein the insect attracting composition is positioned in the front enclosure, and wherein the electric heating element heats the insect attracting composition. 32. An insect trapping device according to claim 31, wherein the insect attracting composition is heated by radiant heat transfer.

33. An insect trapping device according to claims 31 and 32, wherein one or more of the components of the insect attracting composition evaporate when heated by the electric heating element.

34. An insect trapping device according to claim 33, wherein the one or more of the components of the insect attracting composition that evaporate when heated exit the insect trap cartridge through the at least one opening defined by the top surface of the front housing.

35. An insect trapping device according to claim 34, wherein the one or more of the components of the insect attracting composition that evaporate when heated exit the insect trap cartridge due to convective movement of air within the insect cartridge.

36. An insect trapping device according to any one of claims 29 to 35, wherein during use of the insect trap a mosquito is attracted to the at least one opening defined by the top surface of the front housing and enters the front enclosure by passing thru said opening.

37. An insect trapping device according to any of claims 29 to 36, wherein the base comprises an upstanding shroud having a front surface, the shroud having disposed therein the electric heating element, wherein the electric heating element heats the front surface of the shroud.

38. An insect trapping device according to claim 37, wherein the base comprises a light source.

39. An insect trapping device according to claim 38, wherein the light source is positioned external to the shroud producing light that illuminates at least a portion of the front surface of the shroud and at least a portion of a rear face of the divider when the cartridge engages the base.

40. An insect trapping device according to any of claims 29 to 39, further comprising electrical prongs insertable into a wall socket.

The dimensions and/or values disclosed herein are not to be understood as being strictly limited to the exact numerical dimension and/or values recited. Instead, unless otherwise specified, each such dimension and/or value is intended to mean both the recited dimension and/or value and a functionally equivalent range surrounding that dimension and/or value. For example, a dimension disclosed as“40 mm” is intended to mean“about 40 mm”.

Every document cited herein, including any cross referenced or related patent or application is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety unless expressly excluded or otherwise limited. The citation of any document is not an admission that it is prior art with respect to any invention disclosed or claimed herein or that it alone, or in any combination with any other reference or references, teaches, suggests or discloses any such invention. Further, to the extent that any meaning or definition of a term in this document conflicts with any meaning or definition of the same term in a document incorporated by reference, the meaning or definition assigned to that term in this document shall govern.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of this invention.