Insect swatting device
OwnerPatrick Gweninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The device for swatting insects includes a shaft having a distal end and a proximal end, a handle portion mounted on the proximal end, and a paddle portion mounted on the distal end. The paddle portion absorbs excess force so that strong swings to strike the insect are less likely to damage the device. The paddle portion includes an elongated frame, a plurality of first flaps, and a plurality of second flaps. The elongated frame has top contact portion and a bottom contact portion. An initial configuration includes the flaps being planar and the top contact portion being furthest apart from the bottom contact portion in preparation to strike. A deformed configuration includes the flaps being bent upward from the frame and the top contact portion and the bottom contact portion closer to each other during the strike on the insect.
Claims18
A device for swatting insects, comprising:
- a shaft having a distal end and a proximal end;
- a handle portion mounted on said proximal end;
- and
- a paddle portion mounted on said distal end,
- wherein said paddle portion is comprised of:
- an elongated frame aligned lengthwise with said shaft, said elongated frame being comprised of a first side, a second side opposite said first side, a top contact portion, and a bottom contact portion opposite said top contact portion so as to define a frame plane within said elongated frame, said first side being between said top contact portion and said bottom contact portion, said second side being between said top contact portion and said bottom contact portion opposite said first side, said elongated frame being fixed to said shaft at said distal end;
- a plurality of first flaps being attached to said first side between said top contact portion and said bottom contact portion and extending lengthwise between said top and bottom contact portions toward said second side within said frame plane;
- and
- a plurality of second flaps being attached to said second side between said top contact portion and said bottom contact portion and extending lengthwise between said top and bottom contact portions within said frame plane toward said first side and said plurality of first flaps, said plurality of first flaps extending within said frame plane toward said plurality of second flaps from said first side,
- wherein each first flap corresponds to one of said plurality of second flaps, each first flap being complementary in shape with the corresponding one of said plurality of second flaps without overlapping the corresponding one of said plurality of second flaps,
- wherein said paddle portion has an initial configuration, said plurality of first flaps being planar with said plurality of second flaps within said frame plane of said elongated frame, said plurality of first flaps being adjacent to each other and adjacent to each corresponding one of said plurality of second flaps within said elongated frame so as to reduce an amount of force applied to an insect by said paddle portion,
- wherein said paddle portion has a deformed configuration, at least one of said plurality of first flaps being bent upward from said frame plane of said elongated frame,
- wherein said top contact portion and said bottom contact portion have a set amount of separation from each other in said initial configuration, and
- wherein said top contact portion and said bottom contact portion have an amount of separation less than said set amount of separation from each other in said deformed configuration.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.