ANIMAL TRAP
Four catch levers release one another in sequence before the jaws close.
Two serrated, toothed arms are held apart against a U-shaped spring by a chain of four pivoted catch levers, each one holding the next. A string is stretched across the front of the trap. The mouse pushes against the string while reaching for the bait, swinging the fourth lever, which releases the third, which releases the second, which releases the first. The spring then swings the arms together and the teeth along their facing edges embed in the animal.
“This causes the rearward end of lever 27 to release the forward end of lever 25, the forward end of 25 releases the rearward end of 23, the forward end of 23 releases the rearward end of 21, and the forward end of 21 moves free from the serrations 19. The spring 15 then swings the arms 10 and 13 together, and the teeth 30 embed themselves in the animal, holding the animal against escape.”— Kornelius P. Kvalvik, from the specification
And the world did not beat a path to his door.