Patents by Inventor Troy A. Wetzel

Troy A. Wetzel has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8418398
    Abstract: An electronic mouse trap is provided having multiple kill and automatic killing chamber clearing capabilities. The trap includes an elevated killing chamber rotatably mounted on a base that houses a collection bin positioned under the chamber and which has an entrance pathway that provides mice with access to the chamber. Upon completion of a killing cycle and the killing of a mouse, the chamber is automatically rotated by a gear motor about a longitudinal axis that is slightly below the floor of the chamber. The chamber rotates approximately 180 degrees so as to be inverted, allowing the dead mouse to fall downwardly into the collection bin. Once the chamber has been inverted and the mouse removed by gravity, the gear motor reverses the rotation direction and returns the chamber to its upright position where it is ready to reinitiate the killing cycle for another mouse.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: Woodstream Corporation
    Inventors: Alan Weir Bucher, Richard L. Eyer, Marko Konstantin Lubic, Troy A. Wetzel, Robert T. Cruz
  • Publication number: 20120240450
    Abstract: An electronic mouse trap is provided having multiple kill and automatic killing chamber clearing capabilities. The trap includes an elevated killing chamber rotatably mounted on a base that houses a collection bin positioned under the chamber and which has an entrance pathway that provides mice with access to the chamber. Upon completion of a killing cycle and the killing of a mouse, the chamber is automatically rotated by a gear motor about a longitudinal axis that is slightly below the floor of the chamber. The chamber rotates approximately 180 degrees so as to be inverted, allowing the dead mouse to fall downwardly into the collection bin. Once the chamber has been inverted and the mouse removed by gravity, the gear motor reverses the rotation direction and returns the chamber to its upright position where it is ready to reinitiate the killing cycle for another mouse.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2012
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Inventors: Alan Weir BUCHER, Richard L. Eyer, Marko Konstantin Lubic, Troy A. Wetzel, Robert T. Cruz
  • Patent number: 8151514
    Abstract: An electronic mouse trap is provided having multiple kill and automatic killing chamber clearing capabilities. The trap includes an elevated killing chamber rotatably mounted on a base that houses a collection bin positioned under the chamber and which has an entrance pathway that provides mice with access to the chamber. Upon completion of a killing cycle and the killing of a mouse, the chamber is automatically rotated by a gear motor about a longitudinal axis that is slightly below the floor of the chamber. The chamber rotates approximately 180 degrees so as to be inverted, allowing the dead mouse to fall downwardly into the collection bin. Once the chamber has been inverted and the mouse removed by gravity, the gear motor reverses the rotation direction and returns the chamber to its upright position where it is ready to reinitiate the killing cycle for another mouse.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignee: Woodstream Corporation
    Inventors: Alan Weir Bucher, Richard L. Eyer, Marko Konstantin Lubic, Troy A. Wetzel, Robert T. Cruz
  • Patent number: 8024888
    Abstract: An electric or electronic animal trap with a CPU-controlled, rearming, multiple killing plate configuration and automatically resetting interruptible beam sensor for triggering a high voltage cycle. A high-voltage output circuit is connected to killing plates which are activated with a high-voltage pulse train when a pest interrupts the beam signal, such as an infrared beam signal generated by an infrared transmitter to an infrared receiver. The trap is preferably configured to automatically rearm if the IR beam signal is no longer interrupted after the killing cycle. If the IR beam signal is still blocked after the killing cycle, however, the trap enters a standby mode indicating trap servicing is required to remove the dead rodent from the trap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2011
    Assignee: Woodstream Corporation
    Inventors: Troy A. Wetzel, Robert T. Cruz, Richard L. Eyer
  • Publication number: 20100283610
    Abstract: An electric or electronic animal trap with a CPU-controlled, rearming, multiple killing plate configuration and automatically resetting interruptible beam sensor for triggering a high voltage cycle. A high-voltage output circuit is connected to killing plates which are activated with a high-voltage pulse train when a pest interrupts the beam signal, such as an infrared beam signal generated by an infrared transmitter to an infrared receiver. The trap is preferably configured to automatically rearm if the IR beam signal is no longer interrupted after the killing cycle. If the IR beam signal is still blocked after the killing cycle, however, the trap enters a standby mode indicating trap servicing is required to remove the dead rodent from the trap.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 16, 2010
    Publication date: November 11, 2010
    Inventors: Troy A. Wetzel, Robert T. Cruz, Richard L. Eyer
  • Patent number: 7757430
    Abstract: An electric or electronic animal trap with a CPU-controlled, rearming, multiple killing plate configuration and automatically resetting interruptible beam sensor for triggering a high voltage cycle. A high-voltage output circuit is connected to killing plates which are activated with a high-voltage pulse train when a pest interrupts the beam signal, such as an infrared beam signal generated by an infrared transmitter to an infrared receiver. The trap is preferably configured to automatically rearm if the IR beam signal is no longer interrupted after the killing cycle. If the IR beam signal is still blocked after the killing cycle, however, the trap enters a standby mode indicating trap servicing is required to remove the dead rodent from the trap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2010
    Assignee: Woodstream Corporation
    Inventors: Troy A. Wetzel, Robert T. Cruz, Richard L. Eyer
  • Patent number: 7690147
    Abstract: An electric or electronic animal trap with a CPU-controlled, rearming, multiple killing plate configuration and automatically resetting mechanical switch for triggering a high voltage cycle. A high-voltage output circuit is connected to killing plates which are activated with a high-voltage pulse train when a pest closes the mechanical switch. The trap is configured to automatically rearm an indefinite number of times until a first dispatch is detected. Once the first dispatch is detected, the circuit will automatically rearm twice more. Accordingly, a plurality of mice may be dispatched and retained within the trap before the trap requires servicing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2010
    Assignee: Woodstream Corporation
    Inventors: Troy A. Wetzel, Robert T. Cruz, Richard L. Eyer
  • Publication number: 20090313880
    Abstract: An electronic mouse trap is provided having multiple kill and automatic killing chamber clearing capabilities. The trap includes an elevated killing chamber rotatably mounted on a base that houses a collection bin positioned under the chamber and which has an entrance pathway that provides mice with access to the chamber. Upon completion of a killing cycle and the killing of a mouse, the chamber is automatically rotated by a gear motor about a longitudinal axis that is slightly below the floor of the chamber. The chamber rotates approximately 180 degrees so as to be inverted, allowing the dead mouse to fall downwardly into the collection bin. Once the chamber has been inverted and the mouse removed by gravity, the gear motor reverses the rotation direction and returns the chamber to its upright position where it is ready to reinitiate the killing cycle for another mouse.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2008
    Publication date: December 24, 2009
    Inventors: Alan Weir Bucher, Richard L. Eyer, Marko Konstantin Lubic, Troy A. Wetzel
  • Publication number: 20090172995
    Abstract: An electric or electronic animal trap with a CPU-controlled, rearming, multiple killing plate configuration and automatically resetting interruptible beam sensor for triggering a high voltage cycle. A high-voltage output circuit is connected to killing plates which are activated with a high-voltage pulse train when a pest interrupts the beam signal, such as an infrared beam signal generated by an infrared transmitter to an infrared receiver. The trap is preferably configured to automatically rearm if the IR beam signal is no longer interrupted after the killing cycle. If the IR beam signal is still blocked after the killing cycle, however, the trap enters a standby mode indicating trap servicing is required to remove the dead rodent from the trap.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 3, 2008
    Publication date: July 9, 2009
    Inventors: Troy A. Wetzel, Robert T. Cruz, Richard L. Eyer
  • Publication number: 20090120373
    Abstract: An ultrasonic device is provided for training a dog to cease from certain undesirable behaviors using a short ultrasonic burst that sweeps across multiple frequencies in one of several user-selected ranges. The user can program the device to a particular range by stepping through the available frequency ranges and noting the animal's response to ultrasonic bursts at each frequency range. Once the frequency range most disturbing to the animal has been identified, the user can set the device to operate in that range. In response to bark detection in an automatic mode or to a manual trigger in either an automatic or manual mode of operation, the device administers a short ultrasonic burst in the programmed frequency range for a fixed time duration. When triggered manually, the length of the burst is the same regardless of how long the manual trigger remains activated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2007
    Publication date: May 14, 2009
    Inventors: Troy A. Wetzel, Richard L. Eyer
  • Publication number: 20090013587
    Abstract: An electric or electronic animal trap with a CPU-controlled, rearming, multiple killing plate configuration and automatically resetting mechanical switch for triggering a high voltage cycle. A high-voltage output circuit is connected to killing plates which are activated with a high-voltage pulse train when a pest closes the mechanical switch. The trap is configured to automatically rearm an indefinite number of times until a first dispatch is detected. Once the first dispatch is detected, the circuit will automatically rearm twice more. Accordingly, a plurality of mice may be dispatched and retained within the trap before the trap requires servicing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2007
    Publication date: January 15, 2009
    Inventors: Troy A. Wetzel, Robert T. Cruz, Richard L. Eyer