Animal trap

Claim 1

AN ANIMAL TRAP COMPRISING: A BASE; A HOLLOW TUBE MADE OF AIR-TIGHT MATERIAL, THE HOLLOW STRUCTURE BEING A PASSAGEWAY PERMITTING AN ANIMAL TO MOVE THROUGH THE TUBE; MEANS SUBSTANTIALLY HERMETICALLY SEALING ONE END OF SAID TUBE; PIVOT MEANS CONNECTING SAID TUBE TO SAID BASE AND PROVIDING FOR THE TUBE TILT IN ONE DIRECTION TO A SET POSITION AND IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION TO A CATCH POSITION; A DOOR MADE OF AIR-TIGHT MATERIAL FOR CLOSING OFF THE OTHER END OF THE TUBE; HINGE MECHANISM CONNECTING THE DOOR WITH THE TUBE AND PROVIDING FOR THE DOOR TO SWING B ETWEEN AN OPEN POSITION AND A CLOSED POSITION, SAID PIVOT MEANS BEING LOCATED SO THAT THE MOMENT ARMS ON THE OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE PIVOT MEANS CAUSE THE TUBE TO TILT TO THE SET POSITION AND SO THAT THE WEIGHT OF AN ANIMAL MOVING THROUGH THE TUBE WILL EFFECT UNBALANCE OF THE MOMENT ARMS AND CAUSE THE TUBE TO TILT TO THE CATCH POSITION; DOOR RELEASE MEANS CONNECTED WITH SAID FOR ENGAGING THE DOOR WHEN THE TUBE IS IN SAID SET POSITION AND TO CAUSE THE DOOR TO SWING TOWARD ITS CLOSED POSITION WHEN THE TUBE IS TILTING TOWARD THE CATCH POSITION; A RESILIENT SHEET ON SAID DOOR ADAPTED TO ENGAGE THE OTHER END OF THE TUBE AND SUBSTANTIALLY HERMETICALLY SEAL THE SAME WHEN THE DOOR IS IN CLOSED POSITION AND SAID RESILIENT SHEET AND SAID MEANS SUBSTANTIALLY HERMETICALLY SEALING SAID ONE END OF THE TUBE PROVIDING FOR THE HERMETIC SEALING OF THE TUBE SO AS TO ASPHYXIATE AN ANIMAL CONFINED WITHIN THE TUBE; AND LATCH MEANS TO ENGAGE AND HOLD THE DOOR WHEN THE DOOR IS IN THE CLOSED POSITION, THE LATCH MEANS INCLUDING A PERMANENT MAGNET ADJACENT SAID OTHER END OF THE TUBE AND MAGNETIZABLE MATERIAL ON SAID DOOR WHICH IS ATTRACTED AND HELD BY THE MAGNET WHEN THE DOOR IS IN THE CLOSED POSITION.