US2168713A - Tongue protector - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 8, 1939. H. H. McKEE 2,168,713

TONGUE PROTECTOR Filed March 29, 1937 Yen 12'. 111 422 INVENTOR 4 T 1 E 7' BY 6% c w g ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 8, 1939 UNiTED STATES PATENT OFFICE TON GUE PROTECTOR Application March 29, 1937, Serial No. 133,726

7 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 an improved tongue protector for use in protecting a hog tongue from the teeth of the carcass and from the dehairing heaters during dehairing of the carcass.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved means for holding a tongue protector in the mouth of the carcass.

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

In the drawing, similar reference characters in the several figures indicate similar elements. 15 Figure 1 is a plan vieW of a hog tongue protector embodying the improved holding means of the present application.

Figure 2 is a side view of the tongue protector shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a plan view of a variation of the hog tongue protector shown in Figuresl and 2.

Figure 4 is a side view of the tongue protector shown in Figure 3.

The tongue protector shown in Figure 1 may be formed of a single piece of wire 1 forming guard means in the form of coil 2 provided with arms -3 and 4 merging into shoulders 5 and 6. The resilient arms 3 and 4 are held-within the coil in the preferred construction shown in Figure 1.

A somewhatsimilar construction is shown in Figures 3 and 4, in which one of the arms is an extension from the upper end of the coil and the other arm is on the outside of the coil.

The construction shown in Figure 1 is preferred, since insertionis simplified. Placing the extensions within prevents the coil from pulling away from the extensions if the coil becomes engaged with the teeth in the hogs mouth during insertion. Furthermore, the inside arrangement of the arms simplifies the compression of the arms.

It will be seen that the construction of the device of the present invention provides a wire locking head I integral with the device, defined by shoulders 5 and 6, sides 8 and 9, and apex II].

It will be. readily apparent that the tongue protector of the present invention may employ any means for holding the tongue, for example, a coil spring such as is shown in the drawing or a total or partial sheath.

The arms 3 and 4 may be compressed preferably with a pair of tongs or other tool, thus reducing the distance between the points II and 12 of shoulders 5 and 6. The locking head is thus readily forced into the hogs throat, the end of the tongue being held within the coil spring. After insertion, pressure on arms 3 and 4 is released, and points H and 12 of shoulders 5 and 6 assume their normal distant position, firmly holding the tongue protector in the hogs mouth.

It will be noted that no hooks are employed to hold the tongue protector in the mouth, and for this reason it can not damage the tongue during insertion or removal or tear the inside surface of the mouth of the hog.

Locking head I may be made with any desired spread, and if it is desired can be made of such a size that once inserted, it can not be knocked out or removed until the head is severed from the carcass.

I claim:

1. A tongue protector comprising guard means for the tongue and a locking head providing relatively oppositely disposed securing means.

2. A tongue protector comprising guard means for the tongue and a locking head including relatively oppositely disposed shoulders adapted to hold the guard in a carcass mouth.

3. In a tongue protector, locking means comprising shoulders integral with resilient arms for movement toward and from one another.

4. A tongue protector comprising a guard means, resilient arms affixed thereto, and a looking means integral with the resilient arms, said locking means comprising shoulders adapted to hold the tongue protector in a carcass mouth and adapted for movement toward one another by the application of pressure on the resilient arms.

5. A tongue protector comprising a continuous wire formed into a guard means for a tongue in a carcass head, resilient arms extending from the guard means and a shouldered locking head.

6. A tongue protector comprising a continuous wire formed into a guard means for a tongue in a carcass head, resilient arms extending from the guard means and a shouldered locking head, said arms being disposed within the guard means through a portion of their length.

7. In a tongue protector a substantially triangular locking head providing locking shoulders adapted for movement toward and from one another.

HARRY H. McKEE.

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