AU2009200166A1

AU2009200166A1 - Bird trap assembly

Info

Publication number: AU2009200166A1
Application number: AU2009200166A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Christopher R. Tidemann
Original assignee: Australian National University
Current assignee: Australian National University
Priority date: 2002-02-25
Filing date: 2009-01-19
Publication date: 2009-02-12
Also published as: AUPS075002A0; AU2009200167A1; AU2003200631B2; AU2003200631A1

Description

S&F Ref: 752146D1

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT Name and Address of Applicant: Actual Inventor(s): Address for Service: Invention Title: The Australian National University, a body established under the Australian National University Act 1991 (Cwth), of Acton, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, 2601, Australia Christopher R. Tidemann Spruson Ferguson St Martins Tower Level 31 Market Street Sydney NSW 2000 (CCN 3710000177) Bird trap assembly The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us: 5845c(1933138_1) O BIRD TRAP ASSEMBLY SFIELD OF THE INVENTION s This invention relates to traps for birds, in particular pest bird species such as Mynas, SStarlings and Pigeons.

BACKGROUND

Bird traps are devised for many reasons such as collection of birds for examination, labelling or relocation. They can also be used to control nuisance species. Many bird trap devices are known, however, certain types of devices kill or injure the pest birds upon trapping. Some prior art traps are only operable to catch one bird at a time and require resetting for each bird trapped. Some devices require a source of energy such as a spring, battery or the like to operate the trap.

It would be highly desirable to provide a humane and efficient bird trap with no moving parts which does not require an energy source to operate, which does not require resetting after each bird trapped and does not cause harm to the trapped birds.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, there is provided a uni-directional valve having two sections, an outer cylinder and an inner, roughly conical section made of stiff wires tapering inwardly at its apex.

This valve is preferably used in a bird trap assembly.

A bird can easily squeeze through the valve by pushing apart the stiff wires from below but cannot return as the stiff wires taper inwardly and meet at the apex of the valve thus creating a prickly barrier. Such a valve is advantageous as it does not require an energy source to operate and has substantially no moving parts, although the stiff wires move outwardly when the birds squeeze through. However, the wires return to their original position and thus have some degree of resilience. This may be conferred by the material 1931033 I:IIS used at the base of the wires, a resilient material into which they are embedded.

Alternatively, this could result from the nature of the wires themselves.

Ct Once the birds have passed through the uni-directional valve, they are trapped in the confines of the enclosure. Food and water can be placed in the enclosure and the ID trapped birds can even roost overnight in the enclosure, in conditions that mimic natural IN roosts. The enclosure can be easily transported, or the occupants can be humanely destroyed by enclosing the enclosure within a shroud and flooding it with carbon dioxide.

The birds can be removed from the enclosure via an access door in the base of the enclosure.

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1931033 I:JIS SBRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS tSome embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with Sreference to the accompanying figures, in which: NO Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an enclosure forming part of the bird trap assembly in

IN

accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention.

Figs. 2a and 2b are perspective and top views respectively of a uni-directional valve towards the terminus of the passageway in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the enclosure, base compartment and decoy compartment together with a decoy enclosure forming part of the bird trap assembly in accordance Is with a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig 4. is a perspective view of the uni-directional valve in the base compartment in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig 5. is a perspective view of the feeding dais in an upright position, in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention; 1931033 I:JS P.ERNCAUX2G17655 UP 1pec.125MM -6- FIG. 6 is a schematic elevation of the bird trap assembly according to a second embodiment of the invention; FIG. 7 is a plan view of the upper or disposal unit of the assembly shown in FIG. 6; and FIG. 8 is a plan view of the lower or base unit of the assembly shown in FIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Fig. 1 illustrates a trap assembly in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, for trapping birds such as mynas, starlings and pigeons in an efficient and humane manner. The trap assembly 10 includes a substantially tubular elongated enclosure 12 having a lower end 14 and upper end 16, and enclosing a tubular passageway 18. The roof of the enclosure is shown detached for purposes of illustration.

While it is preferred that the enclosure 12 and passageway 18 be substantially tubulai and elongated, more preferably in the shape of two concentric cylinders 12 and 18, the cross sectional configuration of the enclosure and passageway can be of any preferred shape or configuration, for example, rectangular as will be described in relation to the second embodiment. In the embodiment shown in Fig.

1, the enclosure has a cylindrical, galvanised, tubular steel frame, covered with galvanised steel mesh. The passageway is made of the same material, but its walls are covered in 70% shadecloth, thus blocking a substantial amount of light from entering the passageway along its length. In a preferred embodiment the enclosure is about 700mm in diameter and about 1000mm in height, and the passageway is about 250mm in diameter.

In accordance with the present invention, the passageway 18 has an opening at the lower end 14 of the enclosure. Once birds have entered the passageway, they are attracted up, further into the passageway 18 by the presence of a skylight 22 in the enclosure roof 24 at the upper end 16 of the enclosure. The skylight 22 in this preferred embodiment is an apical skylight of sheet polycarbonate and the remainder of the roof 24 is of metal, preferably sheet galvanised steel. A shadecloth skirt extending from the roof junction to about 400mm below it shields p4AIERUXAU67655 cp ~do25O2W3 -7the top of the enclosure from the weather and provides reassuring cover for the birds inside.

The birds are assisted in their travel upwards by a perch assembly 26 which includes a central wooden trunk 28 and horizontal perches 30 which are arranged Salong the trunk at specific intervals so that they are mutually perpendicular. This assists the birds in hopping from one perch to the next with ease. Although not Sshown in figure 1, the horizontal perches can extend through the walls of the passageway and into the enclosure 12 to provide support positions for the birds once they have entered into the enclosure.

Birds that reach the top of the perch assembly can enter the enclosure 12 through a uni-directional valve 32 and are encouraged to do so by the skylight 22. The valve has two sections, an outer cylinder 34 of wire mesh and an inner section 36 of stiff wires tapering inwardly at the apex. The valve can be seen in further detail in Figs. 2a and 2b.

Fig 2a illustrates the outer cylinder 34 of the uni-directional valve 32, preferably of mesh, about 100mm in height and about 100mm in diameter, covered with 70% shadecloth (not shown). The inner section 36 is roughly conical and made up of stiff, stainless steel wires 38 of 0.6mm diameter, spaced at about around the base 40 and tapering inwardly at the apex 42. Fig. 2b is a view of the valve 32 from above showing the birds cannot travel in the reverse direction.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, to assist in attracting birds into the passageway opening 20 of the enclosure 12, the enclosure is placed on a larger base compartment 50, as shown in figure 3. The base compartment is preferably formed from one half of a cylindrical, galvanised steel frame, covered with galvanised steel mesh, although it is not essential that it is cylindrical it may be of any other shape. The bottom of the base compartment 52 is preferably uncovered and sits directly on the ground, grass or pavement.

The perch assembly 26 from the enclosure extends downwardly into the base compartment, 54, substantially to ground level, so that birds in the base compartment can hop from perch to perch up into the passageway 18. The birds are attracted into the base compartment by the presence of food within the p:-VPERUY%,2676S5 c lpd.doo,2S023 -8compartment. A central feeding chute of wire mesh 56 extends from the top of the base compartment to the ground. An elevated feeding dais 58 is provided on the ground next to the feeding chute. Birds can access the food by entering the base compartment via one of three slots 60 in the wire mesh of the base compartment and hopping onto the feeding dais.

The slots 60 are fitted with uni-directional valves 68 (not shown in figure the detail of which can be seen in Figure 4.

Once birds have entered the base compartment via the valves and stepped onto the feeding dais, they are unable to see how they entered the trap. The only way they perceive they can leave is by climbing the perch assembly 54 into the passageway 18 and out of the skylight 22. However, when they follow this route they enter the enclosure 12 and are trapped.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is also provided a second base compartment having no entrance slot or valves. The second base compartment 62 has its own enclosure 64. Both base compartments can form a singlecylindrical structure with a central partition 66, although the compartments can be separate individual structures in this embodiment, the central feeding chute is accessible from both compartments. Decoy birds in the second base compartment which are free to move between the compartment and its enclosure attract further birds into the entrance slots 60 of the first base compartment The preferred dimensions of the cylinder forming the base compartment and the second compartment are about 1600mm in diameter and about 1200mm in height.

Birds are guided to the entrance slots 60 by 70% shadecloth strips 68 of about 100mm in height stretched around the entire circumference of the base compartment, except for entrance slots Fig. 4 illustrates further detail of the uni-directional valves placed in the entrance slots. The three base valves 68 are rectilinear and are constructed of square wire mesh. Each is attached to a cover plate 70 of about 500mm in height and about 300mm wide, with a central entrance slot 60 of about 80mm wide and 400mm high. The valves are about 500mm in length and the roof 72 of each valve slants downwards from the cover plate 70 to the inner end 74, culminating in an to exit slot 76 into the base compartment of about 80mm wide and 100mm high. The P-NOPEMAU611655 Cq d.&oSMMO23 -9upper end of the walls 78 of each valve can also slant downwardly in corresponding fashion to the roof.

Fig. 5 illustrates the elevated feeding dais 58 in an upright position and shows the two levels 78 and 80. Once the bird is positioned on the elevated dais to feed, it is unable to perceive how it entered the base compartment. Its natural instinct is to travel upwardly to escape and the presence of the passageway opening and the skylight above attracts it upwardly into the passageway and into the enclosure.

Figs. 6 to 8 show a second embodiment of the bird trap assembly 100.

Corresponding parts of the bird trap assembly 100 have been numbered with the same numbers preceded by the suffix The bird trap assembly 100 is generally similar in operation to that described above in relation to the first embodiment.

The bird trap assembly 100 is square in cross-section and does not include the second base compartment 62 or enclosure 64 for decoy birds. The entire base portion of assembly 100 forms the base compartment 150 and the upper portion forms an enclosure 112. As will be apparent from the drawings the dimensions of the square cross-section of the enclosure 112 are smaller than those of the base compartment 150. This allows the enclosure 112 to be telescopically mounted with the base compartment 150 so as to be raised and lowered. The enclosure 112 is shown in the raised position in Fig. 6 and is held in that position by pins 170. These pins 170 are removable so as to allow the enclosure 112 to slide downwardly into the base compartment 150 thus reducing the overall height of the assembly for transport. The enclosure 112 is connected with the base compartment 150 by passageways 118 which include a uni-directional valve (not shown) of the type described in relation to the first embodiment. A feeding tray 159 is also provided in the enclosure 112 to encourage the birds to move through passageways 118. Horizontal perches 130 extend diagonally across the enclosure 12. Base compartment 150 includes entrance slots 60 fitted with one way uni-directional valves 168 of the kind described in relation to the first embodiment. A feeding platform or dias 158 is provided above the height of valves 168 to encourage the birds to move upwardly toward the passageways 118. Base compartment 150 also includes spaced diagonally extending perches 130 which facilitate the birds climbing toward the passageways 118.

It will be apparent that the enclosure 100 of the second embodiment operates in a P.-OPER. ICA'2617655 W.d -2 MM13 similar manner to that described in relation to the first embodiment. That is, birds enter through slots 160 and move upwardly to food placed on the elevated feeding dais 158. They then are attracted upwardly by the light at the top of the assembly and move to the top of lower compartment 150 by ascending the perches 30. The birds then move through passageways 118 and the valves (not shown) into the enclosure 112. In addition to being moveable downwardly into base compartment 150 the enclosure 112 may also be detached and removed for disposal of the birds in a manner similar to that described above in relation to the first embodiment.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, persons skilled in the art will recognise that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A uni-directional valve including an outer cylinder and an inner roughly conical section made of stiff wires tapering inwardly at its apex. Dated 19 January, 2009 The Australian National University Patent Attorneys for the Applicant/Nominated Person SPRUSON FERGUSON 1931033 IJIS