The invention relates to a mousetrap comprising a trap housing configured with an opening through which a mouse is able to travel from an exterior side of the trap housing and into the interior of the trap housing; a cylindrical reservoir configured with at least two chambers having a first end oriented towards the centre of the cylindrical reservoir and an opening in the periphery of the cylindrical reservoir; complementary engagement means arranged between the trap housing and the cylindrical reservoir, said engagement means allowing rotation of the cylindrical reservoir in the trap housing; a drive capable of rotating the cylindrical reservoir in the trap housing; a trigger mechanism capable of generating a signal and thereby actuating one or more mechanical and/or electronic devices when it is triggered; a removable lid that can be arranged on the trap housing to the effect that it covers one or more chambers of the cylindrical reservoir; a control mechanism capable of actuating one or more mechanical and/or electronic devices when it receives a signal from the trigger mechanism.

Traps for mice and other pests are known today, and they typically operate by the animal being lured into a space inside the mousetrap, following which the animal is destroyed by means of eg current that is caused to pass through its body. To lure the animals into the mousetrap, it is often provided with bait that can be arranged in the interior of the mousetrap. When traps for domestic use are concerned, the known traps are often associated with the drawback that they need to be emptied following each capture.

Traps for multiple uses are available today, eg US patent publication No. US2012285075 describes a trap capable of destroying several animals before it is to be emptied. That trap is configured with a cylindrical drum reservoir. The drum reservoir is constructed in a way that corresponds to the drum-type magazine of a revolver. In the mousetrap, the drum reservoir is thus provided with a number of interior passageways that extend in the longitudinal direction of the drum and, corresponding completely to the drum revolver, only one single chamber is used at a time. The drum reservoir of the mousetrap is consequently also rotated like that of the revolver each time a kill has taken place.

In those traps, the drum reservoir is configured as an independent unit that is disposed of following use. In practice, this means that such traps are emptied by the filled drum reservoir being removed and replaced with a new, empty one.

In case such traps do not function optimally, eg because the mice are not efficiently killed in the interior passageways, or they quite simply do not trigger the trap, it may be very difficult to remedy the deficiency, in particular because the drum reservoir functions as a closed unit where the interior passageways are accessible only through the openings at their terminations (ends). It is thus not possible to have access to/expose the interior passageways throughout their entire expanses. Moreover, the bait as such is often also arranged at the end of each individual interior passageway, and it is therefore associated with difficulties to replace or top up the bait.

It is the object of the present invention to solve one or more of those problems.

This is accomplished in that the cylindrical reservoir, control mechanism, trigger mechanism and trap housing of the mousetrap are configured such that any one of the openings of the chambers can be arranged towards the opening of the trap housing and thereby enable that a mouse can pass through the opening of the trap housing and into a chamber, and that the control mechanism, when it receives a signal from the trigger mechanism, actuates the drive to the effect that it rotates the cylindrical reservoir such that the opening of the chamber is caused to move away from the opening in the trap housing, while the opening of another chamber is positioned towards the opening in the trap housing.

According to one embodiment, the mousetrap comprises a killer mechanism capable of killing a mouse. Albeit traps capable of capturing and containing living animals are often perceived to be more humane than traps that kill the animals, situations occur when a trap that kills is gentler than a trap that merely captures. This is true eg if the mousetrap is to be used in places where it cannot be inspected and emptied at short intervals. A mechanism for killing is thus a further animal-friendly measure, and it may eg kill the animals by means af electric current, chock, sound or blow.

According to one embodiment, the mousetrap comprises an electrically operated killer mechanism. An electrically operated killer mechanism is a killer mechanism that is capable of conveying electric current through the animal's body and thereby destroy it. This method of destroying animals has been found to reliable, quick and very efficient, and thereby it often surpasses the mechanical structures, such as clap traps, in terms of reliability.

According to one embodiment, the mousetrap comprises an electric motor. The motor serves as a drive and it rotates the cylindrical reservoir of the mousetrap when a killing or a capture has taken place. However, that movement may be accomplished in several ways; it may eg occur by means of a mechanical mechanism that utilizes a spring, the kinetic energy of the mouse, the force of gravity or any combination thereof. However, it has been found that electrically operated drives are very reliable in operation. According to one embodiment, the mousetrap comprises a space situated centrally in the cylindrical reservoir. By providing the mousetrap with a centrally situated space, the expanse of the individual chambers is delimited towards the centre of the cylindrical reservoir, and this is of consequence since the chambers do thereby not end in a tapering manner towards the centre.

According to one embodiment of the mousetrap, the centrally located space is configured with openings enabling smell, but not mice, to pass from the centrally situated space and out into the chambers. By configuring the centrally situated space with such openings, bait may be arranged therein and thereby supply smell to all the chambers of the mousetrap from there. This is convenient as the individual chambers are thus not to be provided with bait. Moreover, the bait can also easily be replaced or removed altogether.

According to one embodiment, the mousetrap comprises a removable cover which may be arranged above the centrally situated space. By providing the mousetrap with such cover, the bait is easily accessible if it is to be replaced or removed.

According to one embodiment, the mousetrap comprises two to 10 chambers and preferably eight chambers. It has been found that traps with in particular eight chambers are advantageous, since they are, from a manufacturing point of view, easy to manufacture, while simultaneously the number is also suitable since eight chambers also enable the manufacture of cylindrical reservoirs where the chambers have such size and shape that are suitable for mice. According to an embodiment, the chambers of the mousetrap comprise a wall delimiting the chambers' volume. It has been found that the mousetrap functions more optimally if the individual chambers have a shape/cross- sectional area that does not change too much throughout the expanse of the chamber, ie the chamber should preferably not widen or taper substantially from one end to another. By providing the individual chambers with an inner wall, it is possible to obtain chambers that have a more uniform geometry from the beginning of the chamber (its opening) to its end. Preferably the wall is arranged and constructed such that the chamber's volume (or cross- sectional area) is, in the area at the opening, reduced, while the chamber's volume (or cross-sectional area) is, at the chamber's end towards the centrally situated chamber, not changed by that wall.

According to an embodiment, the mousetrap comprises a mechanical killer mechanism. Albeit electric current is, in many respects, a very reliable method of destruction, it may be advantageous, if eg the mousetrap is to be used in very humid environments, to provide the mousetrap with a mechanical killer mechanism, such as a clap or a brace mechanism that kills the animals by impact.

According to an embodiment, the lid of the mousetrap is secured to the trap housing. By securing the lid of the mousetrap to the trap housing as such, it is accomplished that the lid does not move along with the cylindrical reservoir. Thereby the rotation of the cylindrical reservoir cannot be prevented merely by the lid being blocked. According to an embodiment, the mousetrap comprises a cover secured to the cylindrical reservoir. By providing the mousetrap with a cover that covers the centrally situated space, it is accomplished that that space is readily accessible if access to the bait is desired. According to an embodiment, the mousetrap comprises a cover for the centrally situated space, said cover being secured to the cylindrical reservoir and a lid for the cylindrical reservoir as such which is secured to the trap housing. By securing the cover to the centrally situated space to the effect that it is secured to the cylindrical portion and not to the lid of the cylindrical portion as such, a trap is achieved where that cover can be removed independently of the lid to the cylindrical portion.

According to an embodiment, the mousetrap is constructed such that the lid of the mousetrap and the cover of the mousetrap are both configured with indicator means that indicate the rotational position of the lid relative to the cover. By securing the cover to the centrally situated space to the effect that it is secured to the cylindrical portion and not to the lid for the cylindrical portion as such, a trap is accomplished wherein that cover cannot just be removed independently of the lid for the cylindrical portion, but also a trap wherein the cover rotates along with the cylindrical reservoir, while simultaneously the lid is at a standstill. In this embodiment, it is used to advantage in that lid and cover are provided with means that set forth the mutual rotational position of those parts. By providing lid and cover with such means, it is possible, by reading of those means, to ascertain whether the cover - and hence the cylindrical portion - has moved (rotated) from an earlier position. By further adapting the means to the effect that they indicate the number of times (from a given starting position) the cylindrical reservoir has rotated such that the opening of the chamber is caused to move away from the opening in the trap housing, while the opening of another chamber is located towards the opening of the trap housing, it is thereby also possible to read the number of captures and hence know when the mousetrap is full and needs to be emptied.

According to an embodiment, the mousetrap is configured such that the electrically driven means in the mousetrap are driven by a battery. By providing the mousetrap with its own power supply, a trap is provided that is capable of functioning independently of fixed electrical installations. According to an embodiment, the mousetrap is configured such that the mousetrap comprises means emitting an alarm when one or more animals have been captured. Albeit the mousetrap can be configured with indicator means on lid and cover, it may, independently of those means, be advantageous to equip the mousetrap with means emitting an alarm when the mousetrap has captured mice. Of course, this is particularly advantageous if the mousetrap operates without killer mechanism, or if the killer mechanism is disabled to the effect that the mousetrap captures living animals, but it is also advantageous if the mousetrap is provided with an active killer mechanism. The alarm as such may operate by light, sound, electronically via cable, Wi-Fi, radio, Bluetooth or the like. The alarm may also operate as any combination of those means. According to one embodiment, the mousetrap is configured in such a way that the mousetrap comprises means emitting an alarm when the mousetrap is not fully functional.

Those means may also serve in the same manner as the means that emit alarm upon capture.

According to one embodiment, the mousetrap is configured such that the mousetrap comprises means emitting an alarm when the mousetrap is not fully functional and also an alarm when a capture has been made, and, according to one embodiment of this structure, those means are constructed such that a characteristic alarm is emitted depending on whether the alarm indicates capture or functional error.

According to one embodiment, the mousetrap is configured such that the mousetrap comprises a killer mechanism that kills by conveying current through a mouse. It has been found that mice are very easy to destroy by means of electricity, and it is consequently very advantageous to kill by means of current.

According to one embodiment, the mousetrap is constructed such that the mousetrap comprises a trolley-shoe device configured between the trap housing and the cylindrical reservoir. A trolley-shoe device is a well-proven, simple, mechanical structure that is reliable and straightforward to operate. The trolley-shoe device consequently means that, in practice, the central reservoir is easy to remove and reinsert eg when it is to be emptied or cleaned.

According to one embodiment, the mousetrap is constructed such that the mousetrap comprises a trolley-shoe device configured between trap housing and a killer mechanism in the cylindrical reservoir, said trolley-shoe device conveying current between killer mechanism and a power supply arranged in the trap housing. Albeit the mousetrap can be configured with a battery part arranged in or in direct association with the cylindrical reservoir, it is often advantageous if the killer mechanism in the cylindrical reservoir is provided with power from a power supply in the trap housing since it is thereby possible to replace or service it without interference with the cylindrical reservoir.

According to one embodiment, the mousetrap is constructed such that the mousetrap comprises a trolley-shoe device arranged between trap housing and the cylindrical reservoir, said trolley-shoe device transferring the signal between the trigger mechanism and the control mechanism. By transferring that signal between the trolley-shoe device, a very reliable signal transfer is accomplished. In the following, an embodiment of the mousetrap will be explained with reference to the figures, wherein: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a trap with lid and cover;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a trap wherein lid and cover have been removed;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a cylindrical reservoir with electrical plates on the sidewalls; Figure 4 is a perspective view of a trap housing without cylindrical reservoir;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a cylindrical reservoir, wherein the sidewalls are configured as inclined inner walls; Figure 6 shows a section of a trap wherein the inner sidewalls are configured as shown in figure 5;

In figures 1 and 2, the same trap (1 ) is shown with and without lid and cover mounted.

In figure 1 , the mousetrap is shown with lid (2) and cover (3) mounted while, in figure 2, it is shown without those parts.

The mousetrap in figure 1 has a trap housing (4) configured with an opening (5) through which a mouse can travel from an exterior side of the trap housing and into the interior of the trap housing.

Albeit the mousetrap is shown with one single opening, it may be configured with two or more openings, and two openings may also be connected such that they form a straight passageway between them, from where a mouse can move into the interior of the mousetrap. The mousetrap comprises a cylindrical reservoir configured with a number of chambers (6). In the shown exemplary embodiment, the cylindrical reservoir of the mousetrap comprises eight chambers, but the cylindrical reservoir may be configured with both fewer and more chambers, and it has been found that this number should preferably be between two and 10 chambers.

These chambers are shown in figure 2, and, in the embodiment shown, the chambers are oriented radially, ie they extend from the periphery of a cylindrical reservoir 10 and inwards towards the centre of the cylindrical reservoir. The radial expanse of the chambers is advantageous when emptying is to be performed, since one simply turns the mousetrap upside- down. This is opposite to the known reservoir traps, where the reservoir comprises elongate passageways in a drum. In those traps, the captured animals are to be removed through the end of an interior passageway in the drum. That is cumbersome, and consequently the drum reservoirs for traps are made with disposable drum reservoirs.

As will appear from figure 2, the chambers (6) are open towards the periphery of the cylindrical reservoir 10.

The mousetrap is configured with a shaft or the like engagement means (not shown), allowing the cylindrical reservoir 10 to rotate. In the trap housing, four complementary engagement means are configured between the trap housing and the cylindrical reservoir, said engagement means allowing rotation of the cylindrical reservoir in the trap housing.

The trap may be provided with eg electric drives that are capable of rotating the cylindrical reservoir in the trap housing. However, the drive may also be operated by other means such as by a spring, pressurized air, hydraulically or even by utilization of kinetic energy or potential energy from the animals, including the force of gravity. Typically, the trap will also be provided with a stop mechanism in the form of a click mechanism or the like with the purpose of controlling the magnitude of the rotation of the cylindrical reservoir to the effect that it does not rotate more than one chamber at a time. However, such limited and controlled rotation of the cylindrical reservoir can also be included in the control of an electric, hydraulic or pneumatic motor.

Moreover, the mousetrap is provided with a trigger mechanism capable of generating a signal and thereby actuating one or more mechanical and/or electronic devices when it is released. The trigger mechanism is, according to an example of the invention, configured as an infrared sensor that actuates the necessary parts of the mousetrap when it detects the heat from an animal.

An example of how these trigger mechanisms and drive means can be configured will be explained in further detail in the context of figures 3 and 4.

Usually, the mousetrap is provided with a removable lid (2) that is arranged such on the trap housing that it covers one or more chambers of the cylindrical reservoir. According to one example of the invention, the lid is secured to the trap housing as such with a flange or similar; by the lid being mounted on the trap housing rather than on the cylindrical reservoir, it is accomplished that the lid does not rotate along with the cylindrical reservoir, eg in case of capture in the mousetrap. Moreover, the mousetrap comprises a not-shown control mechanism such as eg a processor or other small computer unit. For instance, the control unit may make statistics and monitor operational parameters such as eg battery potential, wireless communication and control one or more mechanical and/or electronic devices, eg when it receives a signal from the trigger mechanism. In the mousetrap, the cylindrical reservoir (10), control mechanism, trigger mechanism and trap housing (4) are adapted such that any one of the chambers' openings (6) may be arranged towards the opening of the housing (interior end of passage in communication with the opening 5) and hence enable that a mouse is capable of passing through the opening (5) of the housing and into a chamber; and that the control mechanism actuates the drive (designated by reference numeral 25 in figure 4) when it receives a signal from the trigger mechanism, to the effect that it revolves the cylindrical reservoir (10) such that the opening of the chamber is caused to move away from the opening in the trap housing while the opening of another chamber is arranged towards the opening of the trap housing.

Albeit the mousetrap may advantageously be provided with a killer mechanism, it is important to many people that a trap is capable of catching mice without killing them. Therefore, the mousetrap may be configured with and without killer mechanism, and, according to one embodiment of the invention, it is configured with a killer mechanism that can be enabled or disabled depending on the user's actual needs. According to one embodiment, the mousetrap comprises an electrically operated killer mechanism. It may be an actual electric killer mechanism or a driven mechanical device that kills the mice by a blow.

According to one embodiment, the mousetrap comprises a space (8, 9) which is centrally situated in the cylindrical reservoir. By providing the mousetrap with a centrally situated space, it is accomplished, on the one hand, that the individual chambers of the trap do not end tapering, and, on the other, that it is enabled to put bait in place centrally in the trap. This can be done in a further receptacle that is simply put in the centrally situated space, and that receptacle may also be configured with openings that improve passage of smell from the central space and outwards into the chambers of the mousetrap.

Reference being once again made to figure 1 , an embodiment with separate lid for feed box and cylindrical reservoir will now be explained in further detail. As will appear from figure 1 , the mousetrap comprises a removable cover (3) that can be arranged over the centrally situated space, and thereby a user can obtain access to that space merely by removing that cover; and this is advantageous if bait therein is to be replaced or inspected.

By securing the lid (2) of the mousetrap via eg a flange it is obtained that the lid does not rotate along with the cylindrical reservoir. By simultaneously securing the cover (3) of the mousetrap to the cylindrical reservoir it is accomplished that the cover moves along with the cylindrical reservoir, while the lid (2) is at a standstill. Usually, however, the trap is constructed such that the feed box with cover (3) is at a standstill, while the lid (2) moves along with the cylindrical reservoir. In one embodiment, this is used to advantage to construct an optical indicator system that is capable of indicating whether the trap has been used and how many times. In figure 1 , it will thus appear that the cover (3) is provided with the depiction of a mouse, and, at the bottom of the mouse head, a marking (3ss) is indicated. At the same time, the lid indicates a number of markings in the form of lines (3s) wherein the one is shown by the reference numeral 3s. When the cylindrical reservoir revolves one chamber, the lid (2) secured thereto revolves a corresponding circle section, and it corresponds to the space between the lines on the lid.

However, the mousetrap may also be provided with an electronically based alarm system that is capable of indicating whether there has been one or more captures. Correspondingly, an electronically based alarm system will also be able to indicate functionality parameters such as remaining charge of a battery, errors or other operational parameters. Figure 2 shows an embodiment wherein the individual chambers of the mousetrap are provided with a wall (7) delimiting or restricting the volumes of the chambers. The object of that wall is to adapt the geometry of the chambers to mice whereby the mice will be inclined to go into them. It has been found that chambers extending by an approximately similar cross- sectional area throughout the chamber are advantageous.

Figure 3 shows an example of how a cylindrical reservoir (10) can be constructed. The cylindrical reservoir is also designated a carousel elsewhere in the application text - there is no technical difference between the two concepts. In figure 3, the cylindrical reservoir is shown with a central portion (9), and eight identical chambers (6). Each of these chambers is configured with a curved sidewall (7) that comprises two current-carrying plates (7a) and (7b). These current-carrying plates are usually configured alike, but it goes without saying that they need not be. At the bottom of each of the electrical plates a contact part (1 1 and 12) is configured that is to form a contact face between a current-carrying part of the trap housing (shown in figure 4) and the plates. Along the periphery of the cylindrical reservoir, a toothed rim (15) is provided that is used in connection with the rotation of the cylindrical reservoir, the toothed rim (15) meshing, when inserted into the housing, with a corresponding toothed wheel (25) as shown eg in figure 4. Each chamber in the cylindrical reservoir (10) is delimited by two sidewalls (7, 14), the one of which being curved (7) and the other one being substantially rectilinear (14). At the end, ie towards the toothed rim, of the rectilinear walls (14), a curved section (13) is provided. The purpose of those sections is that they influence a thereto adapted sensor (26 shown in figure 4) arranged in the trap housing when they pass the sensor. Thereby a control can easily adapt the rotation of the cylindrical reservoir in case of capture and/or kill. In figure 4 an embodiment of a trap housing (4) is shown without inserted carousel. The trap housing is configured with a floor (23) having an elevated central portion on which a smell box (not shown) can be secured in the openings (28, 28a), eg by means of bayonet couplings. If one moves from the centrally situated part upwards towards the entrance (2) through which the animals arrive when they enter the interior of the trap housing, one passes by a field which (24) which is shaded slightly darker than the remainder of the bottom of the trap housing. That is a sensor capable of detecting the presence of an animal; most often it is an infrared sensor detecting the body heat, but the sensor may also be made in accordance with other principles, such as change of impedance, and, as it is, it need not be positioned as shown in figure 4.

To the left of that sensor (24), two other fields (22, 22a, 21 , 21 a) are shown that are slightly recessed relative to the bottom of the trap housing. Those fields (22, 22a, 21 , 21 a) are current-carrying, and they will, via contact parts (1 1 a, 12a as shown in figure 3), be able to convey current to the plate parts (7a, 7b) in the cylindrical reservoir. Those contact parts will typically comprise a trolley-shoe device. When a mouse is present in the chamber that is situated above those fields, the mouse will thus get an electric chock from both the plate parts (7a, 7b) in the sidewall and from the contact parts (1 1 a and 12a). Albeit the trap is shown with current-carrying plate parts (7a, 7b) in the walls of the cylindrical reservoir, the cylindrical reservoir may also be configured without them to the effect that mice in the trap are destroyed only by current through the fields (22, 22a, 21 , 21 a) in the bottom of the trap housing.

On the trap housing a light (20) is arranged; that light can be used eg to indicate whether the trap is on, whether battery status is OK (eg by change of colour from green to red) or other which will be well known to the person skilled in the art. Figure 5 shows an embodiment of a cylindrical reservoir wherein inner sidewalls (7) not only extend in a curved configuration with a concave side facing the same way as the direction of rotation, but also have a varying pitch relative to the face plane of the cylindrical reservoir. According to one example of the invention, that curvature is accomplished by the upper edge of a sidewall (77) curving more than the lower edge of the same sidewall (777). Preferably, both curvatures are configured such that their concave sides face in the same direction and further preferably in the same direction as the direction of rotation of the cylindrical reservoir.

In this context, the face plane of the cylindrical reservoir is to be understood as a face plane at right angles to the axis about which the cylindrical reservoir rotates in use (eg when the drive rotates/moves it). At the end, ie towards the toothed rim of the curved walls (14), a section (13r) is arranged. The object of those sections is that they - like the curved sections on the rectilinear walls as explained above in the context of figure 3 - are to influence a sensor (26 shown in figure 4) adapted thereto and located in the trap housing when they pass the sensor. Thereby a control can easily adapt the rotation of the cylindrical reservoir in case of capture and/or kill.

Figure 6 schematically shows a sectional view of how a trap with a cylindrical reservoir can be advantageous in in-use situations, where the trap is to be used upstanding. As it is, the doubly curved sidewalls will bring about that a captured mouse (100) "drops" down into the corner between sidewall (7) and floor (23), and thereby the contact face between the mouse's body and the current-carrying parts in the trap is increased. The mouse (100) is shown in the figure for illustrative purposes in connection with this, and no importance is consequently to be attached to the fact that the mouse's body is depicted with faults. Advantageously, the trap can be configured such that it is supplied with current from an internal power supply, such as a battery unit, and moreover comprises a high-voltage unit and a control unit. Moreover, it may be provided with a communication unit capable of informing the user about capture status, etc. Such communication unit may operate wirelessly via eg Wi-Fi or the mobile network. Typically a mouse will be destroyed by the mouse being lured into the trap by means of bait/aromas arranged in the central portion (8, 9) of the trap, and this occurs via the passageway (5, 29) that directs the mouse into a chamber (6) in the cylindrical reservoir (10). Here the sensor (24) will detect the presence of a mouse, following which it transmits a message to the control unit that starts the drive (25) and hence a rotation of the cylindrical reservoir (10). In the embodiment of the invention that is shown in figure 4, the rotation of the cylindrical reservoir takes place counter-clockwise, and hence the chamber where the mouse is will be moved in a direction towards the current-carrying plates (21 , 21 a, 22, 22a). The rotation will continue until the control is informed that an inner wall (13, 14) passes the sensor (26), following which the rotation stops. At that point in time, the chamber that the animal entered when it arrived in the cylindrical reservoir, will have been revolved such distance that the current-carrying plates in the chamber (7a, 7b) will, via contact faces (1 1 a, 12a), be in connection with the current-carrying fields (22, 22a, 21 , 21 a) in the trap housing. Depending on the desired configuration, the current-carrying fields may already be, or they may have been, current-carrying or they may become so now. The duration as such of the current and also the voltage may be made into parameters that are inputted into the control. According to one example of the invention, the most recently destroyed mouse (in the trap) will be situated in the chamber which is in contact with the current- carrying plates until the sensor (24) starts a new sequence, and this happens when the sensor detects and transmits a message to the control that a (another) mouse has swallowed the bait.