The Little Nipper slams shut in 38,000s of a second and that record has never been beaten. This is the design that has prevailed until today. This mousetrap has captured a sixty percent share of the British mousetrap market alone, and an estimated equal share of the international market.
James Atkinson sold his mousetrap patent in 1913 for 1,000 pounds to Procter, the company that has been manufacturing the "Little Nipper" ever since, and has even erected a 150-exhibit mousetrap museum in their factory headquarters.
American, John Mast of Lititz, Pennsylvania received a patent on his similar snap-trap mousetrap in 1899.
Humane MousetrapsAustin Kness had an idea for a better mousetrap back in the 1920s. The Kness Ketch-All Multiple Catch mousetrap doesn't use bait. It catches mice alive and can catch several before it needs to be reset.