ANIMAL TRAP
A thumb lever for releasing the dead mouse without touching anything.
The mouse moves the bait trigger and the torsion spring drives a wire bail against its neck or back, killing it. A stiff-wire lever, pivoted on the same staples that hold the bail, extends to a thumb grip at the opposite end of the base. The user holds the trap over a garbage can or dump and presses the thumb grip. The lever lifts the bail against the spring and the animal drops clear of the trap.
“Moreover, certain small animals, such as rats and mice, are apt to be unclean or infected, by reason of their habits. Therefore it is very desirable to be able to release the entrapped animal without danger of touching it.”— Carl Gebhard, from the specification
And the world did not beat a path to his door.