US2168712A - Tongue protector - Google Patents

Description

g- 8, 1939- c. LOHNER ET AL 2,168,712

TONGUE PROTECTOR Filed March 29, 1937 INVENTOR ATTORN E Patented Aug. 8, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,168,712 TONGUE PROTECTOR Application March 29, 1937, Serial No. 133,725

3 Claims.

This invention relates to means for protecting the tongue of a carcass during processing.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide means for protecting a hog tongue from the teeth and from the dehairing beaters during dehairing of the carcass.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the description and claims which follow.

The present invention is an improvement on the tongue protector described and claimed in the application of Nicholas J. Dziedzic, Serial No. 112,133, filed November 21, 1936.

In the drawing similar reference characters in the several figures indicate similar elements. Figure 1 is a top view of the tongue protector of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a side view.

Figure 3 is a side view.

Figure 4 is a side view partly in section of a go hog head with a tongue protector in position The tongue protector of the present invention may be formed of a single piece of wire I, forming a helical coil 2. The ends of the wire provide arms 3 and 4 which may be bent as at 5 25 and 6, respectively, to provide gripping recesses.

Flesh engaging points I and 8 are provided by bending arms 3 and 4, respectively, at 9 and It]. It will be noted that the coil 2 is conical in shape, having the apex of the cone as at H.

3 The cone may be oval as shown in Figure 1, or

any other desired shape such as cylindrical.

It will be readily apparent that arms 3 and 4 are tensionable, that is, they may be placed under tension when pressed together for inser- 35 tion or holding in a carcass mouth.

The conical shape of the tongue protector shown in the drawing is adapted to fit into the cavity of the mouth of a hog and to definitely hold back the tip of the tongue. The fit which 40 is secured with the tongue protector of the present invention renders it possible to completely close the hogs mouth after the tongue protector is inserted.

The tongue protector of the present invention is inserted into the mouth of the hog by compressing the arms, preferably with a tool or forceps, the tip of the tongue being caught in the coil. After the tongue protector is in position, the pressure on arms 3 and 4 is released, 5 whereupon the flesh engaging points 1 and 8 are securely embedded into the flesh inside the cheeks. It is apparent that the tongue protector may be readily removed from the hogs mouth by again compressing the arms to disengage the 19 points I and 8 permitting removal of the tongue protector.

The tongue protector of the present invention has been found to be effective in practice in preventing the teeth of a hog from mutilating 15 the tongue while the hogs head is being struck with heaters in a dehairing machine.

One difficulty which has been experienced with some hog tongue protectors is the tendency to hold the mouth open, causing excessive damage 20 to the jaws and breaking the protectors in the dehairing machine. The tongue protector of the present invention permits the mouth of the hog to entirely close in normal fashion, whereby the contact between the two jaws produces a cushioning effect veliminating damage to the jaws.

We claim:

1. A tongue protector comprising a helically wound conical spring provided with tensionable arms adapted to be inserted within the mouth of an animal carcass to secure the spring within the mouth of the carcass.

2. A tongue protector comprising a conical guard means and tensionable arms adapted to be inserted within the mouth of an animal carcass to secure the guard means within the mouth of the carcass.

3. A tongue protector comprising a continuous rod of resilient material bent to form a protecting conical coil having arms integral therewith, said arms terminating in flesh engaging points.

CARL L. LOHNER. HARRY H. MCKEE.

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