The present invention relates to a trap for animals, of the type of moles, rodents, and the like.

As is known, gardens, lawns, fields and agricultural land are sometimes infested by animals of the type of moles, rodents, or other animals, which are capable of digging tunnels in the subsoil in order to hunt, to build their dens, to move around in safety from predators, etc.

Firstly in fact, public lawns, as with gardens and parks of private dwellings, suffer evident aesthetic damage owing to the tunnels dug by moles, in that their presence is clearly attested by unsightly piles of displaced soil which the mole creates when digging the tunnels, frustrating the efforts of gardeners and/or of owners to keep their grounds well-tended and therefore pleasant and attractive.

Moreover, sometimes moles not only ruin the appearance of the lawn or of the garden under which they move, but can even undermine and damage outside floor surfaces (for example those made with regularly- shaped bricks).

Furthermore, the tunnels dug by moles, in agricultural lands, can destroy roots or plants, negatively influence the sowing or the harvest, and thus, more generally, constitute acute economic damage by rendering the crops at least partially unproductive (especially vegetable crops).

Thus numerous solutions are known, for attempting to resolve the problems described above without injuring or, worse, killing the animals (and especially without resorting to talpicides, which could also affect other animals).

Some of such solutions propose to simply drive away the moles, in order to prevent further damage to the land.

For example, taking advantage of the known sensitivity of moles to intense sounds or noise, the use is traditionally widespread of objects such as pieces of metal and/or roof tiles, which are hung at the tunnels and are free to oscillate, so as to collide with each other when the wind blows in order to produce noise. More advanced contrivances involve the use of ultrasound-emitting devices, which can, at least potentially, annoy the animal and drive it to go elsewhere.

Such implementation solutions have been found to be unsatisfactory, however, in that they are only occasionally effective in obtaining the desired result, i.e. that of permanently driving away the animal. Moreover, if it is necessary to take action against moles in the immediate vicinity of a dwelling, the solutions described above can also annoy persons, or other, domestic animals.

According to a different approach, the use is likewise widespread of traps of various types, which can be arranged along the tunnels dug by the moles, and which aims to capture them in order to allow the user to then transfer them to a location that is sufficiently far away from his/her land.

However, it has now been found that such implementation solutions are also often ineffective, in that usually the animal, which is wary and particularly sensitive to "unfamiliar" odors, will not enter the trap at all, thus rendering it absolutely useless.

Furthermore, the necessity of burying the traps, in order to locate them along the pre-existing tunnels, in addition to requiring an often laborious installation activity, makes it difficult to subsequently check for the presence of a mole inside it, thus requiring the user to make frequent checks.

Such checks constitute a further limitation on the effectiveness of the trap, in that the repeated visits and the frequent manipulations of the trap increase the probability that the mole will notice the odor of the human, making it even more wary and discouraging it from entering the trap.

The aim of the present invention is to solve the above mentioned problems, by providing a trap for animals which is effective in capturing moles, rodents, and the like.

Within this aim, an object of the invention is to provide a trap that makes it possible to capture moles, rodents, and the like, while enabling immediate and easy checking for the presence of the captured animal.

Another object of the invention is to provide a trap that can be installed in a practical manner at the ground in which the animals are active.

Another object of the invention is to provide a trap that ensures the animal is captured, without harming it in any way.

Another object of the invention is to provide a trap for animals which can be easily implemented using elements and materials that are readily available on the market.

Another object of the invention is to provide a trap for animals which is low cost and safely applied.

This aim and these and other objects are achieved by a trap for animals, such as moles, rodents and the like, which can be placed at a predefined area of ground, to capture animals such as moles, rodents and the like, which is characterized in that it comprises at least one hollow body, provided with at least one access controlled by a one-way closure element to allow the entry of an animal, such as moles, rodents and the like, into said body, and to hinder any subsequent exit attempt of the animal, said body being affected by a compartment for accommodating a bait, such as worms, insects, larvae, and the like, in order to stimulate the entry of the animal into said body through said at least one access.

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the description of a preferred, but not exclusive, embodiment of the trap for animals according to the invention, which is illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the trap for animals according to the invention; Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the trap for animals in Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 is a side elevation view of the trap for animals in Figure 1 ; Figure 4 is a sectional view of Figure 3, taken along the line IV-IV; Figure 5 is a perspective view of a component of the trap for animals in Figure 1 ;

Figure 6 is a view from above of the component in Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a cross-section of the component in Figure 5, taken along a plane perpendicular to the ideal resting plane of the trap according to the invention.

With reference to the figures, the reference numeral 1 generally designates a trap for animals, of the type of moles, rodents, and the like.

It should be noted from this point onward that in the preferred application the trap 1 is intended to capture moles (according to the methods which will be described in detail in the following pages), but the possibility is not ruled out of using it for other animals, such as small rodents or the like, especially if they are capable of moving, at least temporarily, in the subsoil, for hunting, shelter, or simply moving around.

In order to be capable of performing the capture of such types of animals, the trap 1 can be placed at a predefined area of ground (a lawn, a garden, a field, a piece of agricultural land, etc.), for example if there are strong signs of the presence of an unwanted animal (such as the piles of displaced soil which the mole typically creates while digging tunnels) or even as a preventive measure.

As will be made clearer in the following paragraphs, the trap 1 can be buried (at least partially) or arranged substantially resting on the ground, taking advantage of different possible implementation configurations which are provided.

According to the invention, the trap 1 comprises at least one hollow body 2, which is provided with at least one access 2a, which in turn is controlled by a one-way closure element 3.

Thanks to the capability of closing the respective access 2a in one direction only, the element 3, conveniently provided, allows the entry into the body 2 of an animal, of the type of moles, rodents and the like, but obstructs any attempt at exit, and thus trapping it and capturing it (without harming it in any way).

In order to stimulate the entry into the body 2 by the mole, or other animal, through the access 2a, the body 2 is affected by a compartment 4 for accommodating a bait, such as for example a food bait of the type of worms, insects, larvae, and the like.

The odor given off by the bait in fact can spread along the body 2 and thus lure the mole (or other animal) inside it, so as to achieve the desired capture.

In particular, in a non-limiting embodiment of significant practical interest of the application of the invention, the trap 1 comprises a container 5 (substantially box-like), which defines internally the compartment 4 and which is mounted in a cantilever arrangement on the body 2.

The container 5 and the body 2 are connected by way of a window 2b provided along the body 2, which is closed by a grille 5a which constitutes the bottom of the container 5.

Even more specifically, while not excluding different shape structures for the body 2 (while remaining within the scope of protection claimed herein), the body 2 has a substantially tubular shape structure, and defines, with at least one open end thereof, the corresponding access 2a. Furthermore, the window 2b is provided on the lateral surface 2c of the substantially tubular body 2, on the opposite side with respect to the portion of the lateral surface 2c, which is intended to remain directed downward, in the configuration for use, and which thus defines internally the floor 2d of the tubular body 2.

The advantages that can be obtained by way of such specific arrangement of the container 5, with respect to the hollow body 2, will be shown in the following pages.

Advantageously, the container 5 is closed, at the opposite end with respect to the grille 5a and to the hollow body 2, by a removable plug 6, in order to allow, in a practical and easy manner, the introduction into the compartment 4 of the selected bait, which can thus be placed on the grille 5a.

The choice to use a grille 5a, as the element interposed between the compartment 4 and the inside of the hollow body 2, makes it possible to spread the odors given off by the bait into it, in order to lure and thus trap the mole, without the food (and the corresponding odor) being dispersed.

Advantageously, in the preferred, but not limiting, embodiment of the application of the invention, the closure element 3 is constituted substantially by a contoured door 7.

As can be seen from Figures 2, 3 and 4, the door 7 is articulated freely in an upward region to the lateral surface 2c, at least proximate to the edge of the corresponding open end.

For example, the articulation can be obtained by way of respective mutually opposite pins 8, which protrude in an upward region from the door 7 and are rotatably insertable, freely, in respective slots 9 provided along the lateral surface 2c of the body 2, proximate to the edge of the open end.

Thanks to the idle articulation, the door 7 is free to oscillate from a configuration for closing the access 2a (in which it is shown in Figures 3 and 4), to at least one open configuration, and conversely.

In the closed configuration the door 7 is resting, with its lower flap

7a, on the floor 2d and is inclined toward the inside of the body 2; from such closed configuration a mole (or other animal), wanting to enter the body 2, can press the door 7 toward the configuration for opening, in which it is rotated further toward the inside of the hollow body 2, in order to allow the entry of the animal. By contrast, thanks to the shape structure selected for the door 7 and thanks to the inclination conferred on it in the closed configuration, in which as has been seen the lower flap 7a is resting on the ground, any oscillation in the opposite direction, beyond the closed configuration, is prevented, by interference, by the floor 2d.

The door 7 can thus be lifted and rotate toward the inside of the body 2, in order to allow the entry of the mole, subsequently returning, automatically (by gravity), to the closed configuration, but from such configuration it cannot rotate in the opposite direction, thus preventing, as intended, the subsequent exit of the animal.

The possibility is not ruled out however of providing the action of a spring, or other elastic element, the elastic reaction of which can favor the automatic return to the closed configuration and which can be defeated by the mole, when it enters the body 2, by pushing and rotating the door 7.

Conveniently, the lower flap 7a of the door 7 is toothed, in order to prevent the backward movement of the animal, during its entry in the hollow body 2, and thus increase the effectiveness of the trap 1 according to the invention.

With further reference to the preferred, but not exclusive, embodiment, and as moreover shown in the accompanying figures, the substantially tubular hollow body 2 has two accesses 2a, which are constituted by respective open ends and are controlled by corresponding closure elements 3 which are constituted by corresponding contoured doors 7.

Although it should be noted that the possibility is not ruled out of providing traps 1 according to the invention in which the hollow body 2 has only one open end and, at the opposite end, a closing bulkhead, in the preferred solution the body 2 has two open ends (mutually opposite), and thus two accesses 2a, so as to increase the possibility of a mole entering it.

As mentioned in the foregoing pages, the hollow body 2 can be at least partially buried (with the portion of the lateral surface 2c which defines the floor 2d directed downward), so as to face at least one open end onto a pre-existing underground excavation (made by the mole), of the type of a tunnel, a burrow, and the like.

By way of an adapted placement of the body 2, it is thus possible to make the entry of the mole into the body 2 substantially mandatory, during its transit along the underground tunnels.

It is in precisely such application that the tubular shape structure of the body 2 is revealed to be extremely advantageous, in that it enables the placement of the latter directly at a pre-existing portion of tunnel of similar dimensions.

However, even without intercepting the excavation, the body 2 can simply be buried (at least partially) proximate to the tunnels (which are indicated as has been seen by the presence of piles of displaced soil): in this case also in fact, thanks to its extremely sensitive sense of smell, the mole can detect the odor of the food (of the bait) and then dig a path toward the open end (and the trap 1 according to the invention).

It should be noted that in such mode of use, the choice to arrange the container 5 above to the body 2 is revealed to be of undoubted interest, in that it is possible to keep the container 5 proper at least partially outside the selected ground, even when the body 2 is completely buried. Thus, after having arranged the latter in the desired position, it is possible to remove, in a practical and easy manner, the plug 6 in order to gain access to the compartment 4 and thus place or replace the bait, without having to further intervene on the body 2.

With particular reference to a different mode of use, the trap 1 according to the invention can comprise at least one auxiliary duct 10, which is connected (thanks to for example a flange 11) with a first open end mouth 10a thereof to an open end of the body 2, which as has been seen is preferably (but not exclusively) substantially tubular, and, in such application, straight.

As can clearly be seen from the accompanying figures, the auxiliary duct 10 has a longitudinal extension which is at least partially bent into an L-shape, so as to define a second open end mouth 10b, which is opposite to the first one, and which is arranged perpendicularly to the ideal plane containing the first mouth 10a.

Thanks to such peculiar configuration, the body 2 can be simply placed on the ground, for example so as to line up the second mouth 10b with the exit (to the outside environment) of a pre-existing den, so as to still be able to trap a mole inside the body 2.

It should be noted that in such configuration, the possibility exists that the trap 1 according to the invention is provided with one or more fixing posts 12 (for example three, as in the example in the accompanying figures). After having arranged the body 2 and the duct 10 in the desired position, the posts 12 can be embedded in the ground, taking care to insert them in holes provided in lips 13 which protrude from the duct 10, so as to stably anchor the trap 1 according to the invention to the ground.

It should be noted that the trap 1 can comprise a single auxiliary duct 10 (as in the accompanying figures) or be entirely without ducts (as described in the foregoing pages).

Moreover, in a different embodiment, the trap 1 according to the invention can comprise two auxiliary ducts 10, which can be connected with respective first open end mouths 10a (and thanks to relative flanges 11) to corresponding open ends (the accesses 2a) of the body 2.

Conveniently, the hollow body 2 (and for example the lateral surface

2c) is at least partially made of translucent material, in order to allow the user to immediately check for the presence of an animal inside the body 2 (without needing to come into contact with the latter, and therefore without risking leaving his/her odor, which could arouse the suspicions of the animal to be captured). The possibility of providing the body 2 in at least partially translucent material is evidently of particular interest with reference to the application in which the body 2 is simply placed on the ground.

In such case in fact, the (unburied) body 2 remains visible and the translucent material makes it possible to immediately notice the presence of a mole inside it.

Operation of the trap according to the invention is thus evident from the foregoing discussion.

Firstly, as has been seen the trap 1 can be placed at a predefined area of ground, either by at least partially burying the body 2 (for example facing at least one open end toward an excavation, or siting it nearby) or simply placing it on the ground (and for example aligning the second mouth 10b of the auxiliary duct 10 with the exit of a den or with an access to a tunnel below).

Thus, by placing a food bait (or other type of bait) in the container 5

(by removing the cap 6), it is possible to make the odor of food spread along the body 2, and outside it, thus luring moles and other animals.

The mole can thus enter the body 2, through the one-way closure element 3 (the door 7), which will then prevent its subsequent exit, thus achieving the desired capture of the animal (which can later be removed and taken away from the predefined area of ground), without harming it in any way.

It is precisely the choice to place a bait in a compartment 4 which is functionally associated with the body 2 that makes it possible to stimulate the animal to enter that body 2 (from which it will not be able to leave on its own), and which thus shows the absolute effectiveness of the trap 1 according to the invention in the capture of moles, rodents, and the like.

The choice to provide a toothing at the lower flap 7a of the door 7 discourages any retreat of the animal during entry into the body 2 (i.e. when it has already partially pushed and rotated the door 7), thus increasing the effectiveness of the trap 1 according to the invention.

Furthermore, the possibility of making the body 2 from a material that is at least partially translucent makes it possible to immediately and easily check for the presence of the captured animal, without requiring contact by the user (with the risk of leaving his/her olfactory traces on the trap 1).

In addition it needs to be repeated that the possibility of simply placing the body 2 on the ground offers a mode of use of the trap 1 which involves an installation that is entirely practical and easy.

Likewise, if it is desired to at least partially bury the body 2, the user can still have access to the compartment 4 without having to perform further excavations or inconvenient maneuvers, and without having to touch the body 2 proper (and thus without having to leave traces of him-herself), in that the container 5 fitted conveniently in a cantilever arrangement can in any case be kept at least partially protruding from the ground.

In practice it has been found that the trap according to the invention fully achieves the set aim, in that the use of a hollow body that has at least one access controlled by a one-way closure element, with the body affected by a compartment for accommodating a bait, makes it possible to provide a trap for animals which has been found to be effective in the capture of moles, rodents, and the like.

The invention, thus conceived, is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, all the details may be substituted by other, technically equivalent elements.

In the embodiments illustrated, individual characteristics shown in relation to specific examples may in reality be substituted with other, different characteristics, existing in other embodiments.

In practice, the materials employed, as well as the dimensions, may be any according to requirements and to the state of the art.

The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. BO2014A000341 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.

Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly, such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.