Lobster trap

A crustacean trap, comprising:

• four individual generally planar side walls, a top wall and a bottom forming the interior of said crustacean trap therebetween;
• at least some of said walls being defined by a central panel and a continuous closed peripheral frame integrally connected with and extending outwardly from the edge periphery of said central panel;
• said central panel including an open mesh net material of woven strands with the interstices between said strands being substantially larger than the strands for the free flow of water and too small for the passage of a grown crustacean;
• each of said peripheral frames having an inner layer of synthetic resin rigid material, an outer layer of synthetic resin rigid material, the peripheral edge portion of its associated panel between said inner and outer layers, and synthetic resin bonding means laminating said layers together with said peripheral edge portion of said panel therebetween;
• each of said peripheral frames further comprising four straight portions serially interconnected to form a quadilateral frame having at least two straight portions parallel to each other;
• each of said panels being so constructed that its strands are woven in a rectilinear grid diagonally oriented with respect to said straight portions so that two adjacent straight portions will form with the adjacent strands extending therebetween a series of increasing area triangles for rigid interbracing;
• and at least one of said walls having means, including an inwardly converging funnnel, for permitting entry of grown crustaceans within the crustaceann traps and preventing their exit.

A crustacean trap, comprising:

• four individual generally planar side walls, a top wall and a bottom forming the interior of said crustacean trap therebetween;
• said side being defined by a central panel and a continuous closed peripheral frame integrally connected with and extending outwardly from the edge periphery of said central panel;
• said central panel including an open mesh net material of woven strands with the interstices between said strands being substantially larger than the diameter of the strands for the free flow of water and too small for the passage of a grown crustacean;
• each of said peripheral frames having an inner layer of synthetic resin rigid material, an outer layer of synthetic resin rigid material, the peripheral edge portions of its associated panel between said inner and outer layers, and synthetic resin bonding means laminating said layers together with said peripheral edge portion of said panel therebetween;
• each of said peripheral frames further comprising four straight portions serially interconnected to form a quadrilateral frame having at least two straight portions parallel to each other;
• and at least one of said walls having means, including an inwardly converging funnel, for permitting entry of grown crustacean within the crustacean trap and preventing their exit.

A crustacean trap, comprising:

• side, top and bottom walls forming therebetween a crustacean trap;
• at least one of said side and top walls having means, including an inwardly converging funnel, for permitting entry of grown crustaceans within the crustacean trap and preventing their exit;
• the center of gravity of the crustacean trap being adjacent said bottom wall and said crustacean trap having an average density substantially more than that of water so that the crustacean trap will sink to an upright position when placed to trap crustaceans;
• at least one of said side and top walls having an average density substantially less than that of water;
• and soluble link means forming the only connection between said one wall and the remainder of said crustacean trap normally securely holding said one wall in its trap forming position and that will dissolve after a predetermined period of being submerged to release at least said one wall and permit the escape of crustaceans trapped therein in the event that the crustacean trap is not recovered after said predetermined period and freely permit said at least one wall to float away from the remaining structure of said crustacean trap.

A crustacean trap, comprising:

• four individual generally planar side walls, a top wall and a bottom wall forming the interior of said crustacean trap therebetween;
• at least one of said side and top walls having means for permitting entry of grown crustaceans within the crustacean trap and preventing their exit;
• said bottom wall being separable from said side and top walls;
• releasable connector means for selectively securing said bottom wall to said side and top walls;
• said four side walls of said crustacean trap being each sloped inwardly toward the top so that the structure of the four side walls and the top wall may be stacked with identical structures in a nesting relationship with their tops closely adjacent each other;
• said top and side walls, in the complete trap position, being parallel to each other;
• said bottom wall being of substantially greater density than said top and side walls.