GB2155300A - Insect catcher - Google Patents

Abstract

An insect catcher has a head 1 formed by a rectangular frame 3 connected to a handle 4. A mesh 6 having rectangular apertures 7 and indentations 8 is positioned midway along the depth of the frame and the mesh is held taught by a cruciform shaped member 9 positioned in front of each major planar surface of the mesh 6. The mesh is covered with a glue made from a proportional mixture by volume of 60%-98% kerosene and 40%-2% crude rubber such as to leave aperture 7 for the passage of air. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Insect catcher This invention relates to an insect catcher.

Insect catchers are known from U.S.A. Patent Nos. 703,303, 2,326,845 and 2,328,632 and in particular the latter two U.S.A. Patents disclose an insect catcher comprising a mesh attached to a frame carried by a handle. However with the prior art insect catchers, once insects have been entangled on the mesh, the mesh is disposed. The present invention seeks to provide an insect catcher in which the mesh has an improved life expectancy.

According to this invention there is provided an insect catcher comprising a head attached to a handle, the head having a frame supporting a mesh having perforations therein for the passage of air and at least one side of said mesh being coated with an insect retaining glue which is a proportional mixture by volume of 60%-98% kerosene and 40%-2% crude rubber.

Conveniently the glue is applied at ambient temperature.

Preferably the mesh is located substantially centrally with respect to the depth of the frame and the frame has side walls extending beyond the outer major planar surfaces of the mesh a distance which is sufficient to prevent an insect escaping laterally from the mesh major surface. The mesh may be unitarily constructed with the frame.

Conveniently the mesh is maintained taught on the frame by a cruciform shaped member positioned on each major planar side thereof, each said member having the four ends thereof removably attached to the frame with a post extending perpendicularly from the cross over point of the limbs of the cruciform to abut a respective major surface of the mesh so that said mesh is retained thereby.

Advantageously each cruciform shaped member is positioned adjacent a respective outer extermity of the frame. Conveniently the mesh has rectangular perforations which in a preferred embodiment are arranged on a regular matrix. The mesh may be of dimensions in the range 100mm by 110mm to 170mm by 200mm with the perforations in the mesh being 1.1/2mm by 13mm. The mesh may be made from wire or plastics material and advantageously the mesh material planar surfaces are provided with a plurality of indentations for assisting adhesion of the glue.

Advantageously the handle is elastically flexible.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure f shows a perspective view of the insect catcher in accordance with the invention, Figure 2 shows a cross section along double arrow-headed lines 2-2 of Figure 1, Figure 3 shows a cross section along double arrow-headed lines 3-3 of Figure 1, Figure 4 shows a detail of one of the cruciform members for holding the mesh in position on the frame, and Figure 5 shows an enlarged view of a part of the mesh.

In the Figures like reference numerals denote like parts.

The insect catcher shown in Figure 1 has a head 1 formed by a rectangular frame 3 which is secured to a handle 4 having an octaganally crosssectioned handgrip 5 which is longitudinally elastically flexible. The handle 4 has a cruciform crosssection as shown in Figure 3. Positioned mid-way along the depth of the frame is a wire or plastics mesh 6 in which is disposed rectangular perforations 7 located on a regular matrix. The mesh is maintained taught on the frame by a cruciform shaped member 9 which is positioned in front of each major planar surface of the mesh 6. The cruciform shaped member 9 has perpendicularly disposed limbs 10, the remote ends of which are provided with a dowl 11 for insertion into holes 12 in the side walls of the frame. The ends of the limbs 10 adjacent the dowls 11 are locally enlarged to provide an abutment 13 against the inside walls of the frame.Each member 9 is advantageously located as near as possible to an outer (top and bottom respectively) edge of the frame to protect the mesh in use from, for example, domestic articles.

Furthermore by recessing the mesh into the frame the glue on the major surface thereof is protected from coming into contact with an undesired body.

A post 14 is provided at the cross-over point of the limbs 10 which extends to the mesh to give support to the mesh and thereby maintain the mesh taught.

As shown in Figure 5 the opposed planar surfaces of the mesh each have a plurality of indentations 8 for assisting adhesion of a glue 20. In this respect the mesh is covered with glue 20 at ambient temperature made from a proportional mixture by volume of 60%-98% kerosene and 40%-2% crude rubber such as to leave the perforations 7 for the passage of air but entering the indentations 8. The glue is such that it retains an insect until the insect dies.

In operation the catcher is used to hit an insect which is held on to the mesh by the glue. The rectangular perforations 7 permit the free flow of air through the mesh when used to hit an insect so as not to disturb the sense of the insect. The mesh is recessed below the top and bottom outer surfaces of the frame by a distance suffient to prevent an insect escaping laterally from the mesh surface when the frame is laid against a flat surface such as a wall and the frame directs air flow toward the mesh.

A practical insect catcher in accordance with the invention has been manufactured with mesh sizes of 100mm by 110mm up to 170mm by 200mm with each perforation in the mesh being 1.1/2mm by 13mm.

In the above described embodiment the cruciform member 9 is removably attached to the frame so that replacement meshes may be provided although in another embodiment the mesh may be unitarily constructed with the frame.

It will be realised that only one major surface of the mesh may be covered with glue. With the glue of this invention impacted insects, such as mosquitos, may be removed using tweezers to keep the glue covered mesh surface clean and the glue may be reapplied a number of times if required and then removed completely by rubbing against a users hand and re-applied.

Claims (12)

1. An insect catcher comprising a head attached to a handle, the head having a frame supporting a mesh having perforations therein for the passage of air and at least one side of said mesh being coated with an insect retaining glue which is a proportional mixture by volume of 60%-98% kerosene and 40%-2% crude rubber.

2. An insect catcher as claimed in claim 1 wherein the glue is applied at ambient temperature.

3. An insect catcher as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the mesh is located substantially centrally with respect to the depth of the frame and the frame has side walls extending beyond the outer major planar surfaces of the mesh a distance which is sufficient to prevent an insect escaping laterally from the mesh major surface.

4. An insect catcher as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the mesh is unitarily constructed with the frame.

5. An insect catcher as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the mesh is maintained taught on the frame by a cruciform shaped member positioned on each major planar side thereof, each said member having the four ends thereof removably attached to the frame with a post extending perpendicularly from the cross over point of the limbs of the cruciform to abut a respective major surface of the mesh so that said mesh is retained thereby.

6. An insect catcher as claimed in claim 5 wherein each cruciform shaped member is positioned adjacent a respective outer extremity of the frame.

7. An insect catcher as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the perforations are rectangular.

8. An insect catcher as claimed in claim 7 wherein the perforations are arranged on a regular matrix, the mesh being of dimensions in the range 100mm by 110mm to 170mm by 200mm with the perforations in the mesh being 1.1/2mm by 13mm.

9. An insect catcher as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the mesh is made from wire or plastics material.

10. An insect catcher as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the mesh material planar surfaces are provided with a plurality of indentations for assisting adhesion of the glue.

11. An insect catcher as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the handle is elastically flexible.

12. An insect catcher substantially as herein described with reference to, and as illustrated in, the accompany figures.