Mousetrap

A mousetrap comprising an enclosure having an aperture through which a mouse enters and an enclosure floor;

• the mousetrap further comprising a trap mechanism disposed within the enclosure;
• the trap mechanism comprising at least a biasing means, a trigger and a trap wire with the trap wire being connected to the biasing means and arranged so as to allow the trap wire to be set, through engagement with the trigger, to a first position against the force of the biasing means in which the mousetrap is set to trap a mouse;
• the trap mechanism being arranged such that entry of the mouse into the enclosure and depression of the trigger by the mouse causes the trigger to disengage from the trap wire which, through the force of the biasing means, is caused to move from the first position to a second position thereby trapping the mouse between the trap wire and the floor,
• wherein the trigger and aperture are arranged so as to substantially conceal and isolate the trapped mouse from an external environment.

A mousetrap comprising:

• an enclosure comprising a base having an upwardly extending spindle, a top rotatable about said spindle, apertures located on each of the top and the base, wherein the enclosure is in an open position upon substantial alignment of the apertures;
• and
• a trigger mechanism comprising a lever arrangement and a biasing means operably connected to the top, the top comprising a strike plate connected thereto and extending downwardly therefrom and substantially at right angles to the top, the base comprising a catch plate connected to the base and depending upwardly therefrom and substantially at right angles to the base, wherein the lever arrangement defines a gap, wherein the enclosure, when in the open position, is able to admit a mouse into the enclosure and when in the closed position, the apertures are not in substantial alignment,
• the mousetrap being set to incapacitate or kill the mouse by manual rotation of the top relative to the base to open the enclosure by substantial alignment of the apertures, the enclosure being held open against the force of the biasing means by engagement of the lever arrangement with a stop means,
• the mousetrap being activated to trap the mouse by the raising of the lever arrangement in response to a part of the mouse moving through the gap thereby disengaging the lever arrangement from the stop means and causing the top to contra-rotate about said spindle and relative to the base under the force of the biasing means so as to close the enclosure, and cause the strike plate connected to the top to move in the direction of the catch plate and thereby incapacitating or killing the mouse by striking the mouse with the strike plate and incapacitating or killing the mouse between the strike plate and the catch plate.