Wireless notification systems and methods for electronic rodent traps

Abstract

A remote notification electronic rodent trapping system and method is provided having a plurality of electronic rodent trapping devices configured to wirelessly communicate trap information to each other and to a PC or wireless device. According to one embodiment, each trap is equipped with an RF transceiver and the rodent trapping devices form a mesh network with one another in which the trapping devices act as repeaters so that if one trap loses connectivity with the PC, information from that trap can be transmitted to the PC via another trap. According to an alternative embodiment, the traps individually report directly to the base station or to the base station via one or more repeaters, the repeaters enabling the range of the direct individual reporting configuration to be greatly increased.

1 . A remote notification electronic rodent trapping system comprising:
 a plurality of electronic rodent trapping devices each having an RF transceiver and configured to send RF transmissions containing trap status data;   a plurality of repeating devices configured to receive the RF transmissions with trap status data as message and to repeat the messages to another device; and   a base station computing device configured to receive said messages at a distance from said trapping devices and/or from said plurality of repeating devices and to provide an output to said computing device for review by a user, said base station computing device enabling the user to monitor status of the trapping devices without having to be in physical proximity to the traps.   
     
     
         2 . The remote notification electronic rodent trapping system as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein said another device is selected from the group consisting of another repeating device and said base station. 
     
     
         3 . The remote notification electronic rodent trapping system as set forth in  claim 2 , wherein said plurality of repeating devices includes a plurality of repeaters. 
     
     
         4 . The remote notification electronic rodent trapping system as set forth in  claim 3 , wherein said traps have a default sleep state and an awake state, each trap entering the awake state to transmit a message containing trap status information and then, following transmission of said message, returning to the sleep state, each reporting trap ignoring any trap status messages transmitted by other traps and heard while the reporting trap is in the awake state. 
     
     
         5 . The remote notification electronic rodent trapping system as set forth in  claim 4 , wherein said traps, upon dispatching a mouse, automatically wake up and send a message indicating trap activation. 
     
     
         6 . The remote notification electronic rodent trapping system as set forth in  claim 4  wherein said base station computing device is a PC having a USE transceiver to receive said RF transmissions, said PC being connected to the Internet and having software that forwards trap status data contained in the RF transmissions to a remote notification website through which website a user, using an Internet enabled device, can monitor trap status. 
     
     
         7 . The remote notification electronic rodent trapping system as set forth in  claim 6 , wherein the remote notification website is able to send email and text notification to any remote device capable of receiving email or text messages. 
     
     
         8 . The remote notification electronic rodent trapping system as set forth in  claim 1  wherein the plurality of repeating devices is a plurality of electronic trapping devices. 
     
     
         9 . The remote notification electronic rodent trapping system as set forth in  claim 4  wherein said base station computing device is a PC having a USE transceiver to receive said RF transmissions, said PC being connected to the Internet and having software that forwards trap status data contained in the RF transmissions to a web server hosting a remote notification website, the web server being directly accessible to a user having a smartphone with a smartphone app through which the user, using the smartphone, can monitor trap status. 
     
     
         10 . The remote notification electronic rodent trapping system as set forth in  claim 4  wherein said base station computing device is a PC having a USE transceiver to receive said RF transmissions, said PC having software loaded thereon that allows a user to check trap status data directly from the PC. 
     
     
         11 . (canceled) 
     
     
         12 . The remote notification electronic rodent trapping system as set forth in  claim 4  wherein said base station computing device is a cellular device which sends updates to the web site and said output is shown on a display of the cellular device. 
     
     
         13 . The remote notification electronic rodent trapping system as set forth in  claim 4  wherein said base station computing device is an Ethernet device with Internet connection which sends updates to the web site. 
     
     
         14 . The remote notification electronic rodent trapping system as set forth in  claim 4  wherein said system further includes a remote notification website to which the base station computing device forwards trap status data over the Internet, said remote notification website being able to send email and text notification to any remote device capable of receiving email or text messages. 
     
     
         15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . (canceled) 
     
     
         17 . The remote notification electronic rodent trapping system as set forth in  claim 4  wherein the repeaters are USB dongles. 
     
     
         18 . A method for remote monitoring of one or more electronic rodent trapping devices from a base station comprising:
 providing a system having a plurality of electronic trapping devices, a plurality of repeaters and a base station, each of said electronic trapping devices having a sleep state and an awake state, and further having an RF transceiver to send an RF transmission containing trap status data as a message, said base station computing device configured to receive said message at a distance from said trapping device and to provide a user with a computer output indicating the trap status data contained in said message;   entering, by one of said electronic trapping devices, the awake state and transmitting a message containing said trap status data;   upon completion of transmitting said message, electronic trapping device entering the sleep state;   receiving, by a first one of said repeaters, said message and said first repeater repeating said message to the base station and/or to another repeater within range of said first repeater;   receiving said message from said first repeater by said base station computing device;   said base station computing device providing a user with a computer output indicating the trap status data contained in said message; and   forwarding the computer output indicating the trap status data contained in said RF transmissions to a remote notification website where a user with an internet portal can review and monitor the trap status data by logging onto the website, said website sending an email and text notification to any remote device capable of receiving email or text messages.   
     
     
         19 . (canceled) 
     
     
         20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . The method as set forth in  claim 19 , wherein said step of providing a system having a plurality of electronic trapping devices and a plurality of repeaters includes having a first group of said plurality of repeaters repeat those messages within range of said first group of repeaters, a second group of said plurality of repeaters in range of said first group of repeaters in turn repeating the message, said message being received by said base station from at least one of said second group of repeaters. 
     
     
         22 . (canceled) 
     
     
         23 . The method as set forth in  claim 19 , wherein said remote notification website includes an over-the-air update feature that sends a notification to the user's portal when an update is available from the website, said user providing an input to said portal that causes the update to be automatically loaded over the air to a reporting trap when a next trap status message is received from said reporting trap. 
     
     
         24 . The remote notification electronic rodent trapping system as set forth in  claim 7 , wherein said remote notification website includes an over-the-air update feature that sends a notification to the user's Internet-enabled device when an update is available from the website, said user providing an input to said device that causes the update to be automatically loaded over the air to a reporting trap when a next trap status message is received from said reporting trap.