US 5,175,958 A · Snail Pub, a Snail Collection System; the One-Way Snail Gate; and the Snail Pen, a Snail Trap

Abstract

The ONE-WAY SNAIL GATE invention permits a snail or slug to cross in one direction but not the reverse. Thin wires suspend the ONE-WAY GATE in functional position without providing an escape surface to the snails. The SNAIL PEN is a trap formed of at least one ONE-WAY GATE and one or more isolation or barrier devices. The SNAIL PUB is a complete system for collecting live snails formed of the SNAIL PEN trap and the SNAIL COCKTAIL attractant, an actively growing yeast cultured in an aqueous sugar solution. The SNAIL SPIKE MATRIX barrier is a suspended, downward-facing matrix of points with gaps between the points that deprives a snail's foot of gripping surface from which to suspend the snail's weight if it attempts to traverse the underside of the matrix. The SNAIL WHEEL is a barrier formed of one or more disks rotatably mounted on an axle which will rotate downward bearing the snail to the lowest point on the disk, and thereafter rotate counter to the snail's effort to climb back. The SNAIL SALT STRIP barrier is a waterproof substrate, adapted for garden and agricultural environments, whose underside is coated with a water-soluble salt exposed to contact traversing snails.

Claims24

Dependent claims

A one-way gate, for use with a creature having gastropodan, caterpillar-like, or similar means of locomotion, comprising:

A. a surface grippable by a forebody grip of the creature, and
B. movement means, which means
I. is adapted
(a) to bear said grippable surface thereon,
(b) to permit placement thereof so that a grippable surface borne thereon is adjacent to a transition surface with a minimum gap between said grippable surface and the transition surface not exceeding the reach of a forebody grip of the creature from one of said surfaces to the other,
(c) to be activatable by the creature's shift of its weight to a forebody grip across said minimum gap and release of any hindbody grip, and
II. constitutes means for expanding said minimum gap into an extended gap exceeding the creature's reach for a new forebody grip for a return in the reverse direction across said extended gap;
and
c. wherein said movement means further comprises:
A member having
(i) a first end adapted to bear a grippable surface,
(ii) a second end having a cantilever bearing surface, and
(iii) resilience and a threshold of transition from stiffness to flexibility, under increasing loading of a grippable surface borne on said first end, adapting said member:
(a) to cantilever its own first end, from said cantilever bearing surface on its second end, permitting placement of an unloaded grippable surface borne on said first end to form a minimum gap relative to a transition surface, and
(b) to sustain such placement of such grippable surface on said first end without motion so great as to discourage a creature from obtaining a forebody grip thereon, and shifting its weight thereto, across said minimum gap;
and
(c) to pen said extended gap, when so cantilevered, upon loading by a creature's weight on such grippable surface on said first end, and
(d) to restore such minimum gap, when so cantilevered, upon removal of a creature's weight from the cantilevered first end of said member.

15 more elements

A trap, for use with a creature having gastropodan, caterpillar-like or similar locomotion, comprising:

I. At least one one-way gate comprising
A. a surface grippable by a forebody grip of the creature, and
B. movement means for such grippable surface, which means
(i) is adapted
(a) to bear said grippable surface thereon,
(b) to permit placement thereof with the grippable surface borne thereon adjacent to a transition surface to form a minimum gap between said grippable surface and the transition surface not exceeding the reach of a forebody grip of the creature from one of said surfaces to the other, and
(c) to be activatable by the creature's shift of its weight across said minimum gap to a forebody grip on one of said surfaces and release of any hindbody grip on the other of said surfaces, and
(ii) constitutes means for expanding said minimum gap into an extended gap exceeding the creature's reach for a new forebody grip for a return in the reverse direction across said extended gap;
and
II. isolation means for eliminating any escape surface which the creature can use as an exit route from said surface to which the creature has shifted its weight across said minimum gap.

7 more elements

A one-way gate, for use with a creature having gastropodan, caterpillar-like, or similar means of locomotion, comprising:

A. a surface grippable by a forebody grip of the creature, and
B. movement means, which means
I. is adapted
(a) to bear said grippable surface thereon,
(b) to permit placement thereof so that a grippable surface borne thereon is adjacent to a transition surface with a minimum gap between said grippable surface and the transition surface not exceeding the reach of a forebody grip of the creature from one of said surfaces to the other,
(c) to be activatable by the creature's shift of its weight to a forebody grip across said minimum gap and release of any hindbody grip, and
II. constitutes means for expanding said minimum gap into an extended gap exceeding the creature's reach for a new forebody grip for a return in the reverse direction across said extended gap, and
C. wherein said movement means further comprises:
A member having
(i) a first end adapted to bear a grippable surface,
(ii) a second end having a cantilever bearing surface, and
(iii) resilience and a threshold of transition from stiffness to flexibility, under increasing loading of a grippable surface borne on said first end, adapting said member:
(a) to cantilever its own first end, from said cantilever bearing surface on its second end, permitting placement of an unloaded grippable surface borne on said first end to form an extended gap relative to a transition surface, and
(b) to close said extended gap, when so cantilevered, to form a minimum gap upon loading by a creature's weight on such grippable surface on said first end, and
(c) to restore such extended gap, when so cantilevered, upon removal of a creature's weight from the cantilevered first end of said member.

12 more elements

A one way gate, for use with a creature having gastropodan, caterpillar-like, or similar means of locomotion, comprising:

A. a surface grippable by a forebody grip of the creature, and
B. movement means, which means
I. is adapted
(a) to bear said grippable surface thereon,
(b) to permit placement thereof with a grippable surface borne thereon adjacent to a transition surface to form a minimum gap between said grippable surface and the transition surface not exceeding the reach of a forebody grip of the creature from one of said surfaces to the other, and
(c) to be activatable by the creature's shift of its weight to a forebody grip across said minimum gap and release of any hindbody grip, and
II. constitutes means for expanding said minimum gap into an extended gap exceeding the creature's reach for a new forebody grip for a return in the reverse direction across said extended gap;
and
C. said movement means further comprises:
I. a member having
(i) a first end adapted to bear a grippable surface,
(ii) a second end having a cantilever bearing surface, and
(iii) resilience and a threshold of transition from stiffness to flexibility, under increasing loading of a grippable surface borne on said first end, adapting said member;
(a) to cantilever its own first end, from said cantilever bearing site on its second end, permitting placement of an unloaded grippable surface borne on said first end to form a minimum gap relative to a transition surface, and
(b) to sustain such placement of such grippable surface on said first end without motion so great as to discourage a creature from obtaining a forebody grip thereon, and shifting its weight thereto, across said minimum gap;
and
(c) to open said extended gap, when so cantilevered, upon loading by a creature's weight on such grippable surface on said first end, and
(d) to restore such minimum gap, when so cantilevered, upon removal of a creature's weight from the cantilevered first end of said member;
and
D. means for supporting cantilever of said member, and
E. means for adjustably mounting the second end of said member on said cantilever supporting means permitting said cantilever bearing surface on said second end to be shifted along said member to extend or reduce the cantilevered portion of said member.

18 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Snail Pub, a Snail Collection System; the One-Way Snail Gate; and the Snail Pen, a Snail Trap

Life of this patent

Snail Pub, a Snail Collection System; the One-Way Snail Gate; and the Snail Pen, a Snail Trap

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims24