Remote-sensor bear trap earns patent for East Missoula entrepreneur – Alter Enterprises

U.S. Patent No. 8,112,934 B2 showed up in Ryan Alter’s mailbox last week, and grizzly bears everywhere are hibernating a little easier now.

The East Missoula entrepreneur has spent three years field-testing a better bear trap – one that phones home when it’s caught something, remotely releases wrong bears and can even reset itself. The patent means Alter Enterprises http://www.alterenterprise.com/ can start marketing its invention to bear managers and researchers around the world.

"For a small business, this is a really big deal," Alter said on Monday. "We’ve spent three years and invested $25,000. It’s like getting the Pulitzer Prize in the mail."

By ROB CHANEY of the Missoulian

Full Story: http://missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/remote-sensor-bear-trap-earns-patent-for-east-missoula-entrepreneur/article_17584862-6741-11e1-a2a1-001871e3ce6c.html