US2181370A - Device for and method of protecting hog-carcass tongues - Google Patents

Description

N Ov. 28, 1939. R. 1 GUNDERSON l 2,181,370

DEVICE FOR AND METHOD OF PROTECTING HOG-CARCASS TONGUES Filed Fb. 42s, 1957 2 sheets-sheet 1 Nov. 28, 1939. R. J. GUNDERSON DEVICE FOR AND METHOD 0F PROTECTlNG HOG-CARCASS TONGUES 2 sheets-sheet 2 Filed Feb. 23, 1957 Patented Nov. 28, 1939 n, fUNlTEusrrEs PATENT 'OFFICE' DEVICE FOR. AND IMETHOD OF PROTECTIN HOG-CARCASS TONGUES Reuben J. Gunderson, Chicago, Ill. .Application February 2s, 1937, serial No. 127,059

9 Claims.

The invention relates to the protection of the tongues of hog carcasses during the machine dehairing operationV .following the sticking or slaughtering step.

51 In machine dehairing a hog the carcass is subjected to severe beating which frequentlyr displaces the tongue and causes it to be mutilated or punctured by the teeth. Any such mutilation requires removal of the mutilated or punctured por- 10; tion of the tongue to avoid contamination and reduces the value of theftongue as a food product. It has heretofore been proposed, to use a sheathlike protector enveloping the loose portion of the tongue to prevent mutilation during the machine dehairing operation. Such a protector has proved in practice to be unsatisfactory on account of the failure of the protector to remain in its proper place in the mouth Aof the hog during the beating to which the-carcass is subjected in connection with the dehairing. operation, and also on account ofthe labor and dimculty involved. in the insertion of the protector in, and its removal from, the mouth of the hog.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a tongue protector device which will not be displaced. from the mouth of the hog during the machine dehairing operation and is so designed and constructed that it servesl efficiently to protect the tongue against mutilation. In general this device comprises a plurality of resilient arms which serve to hold the tongue within the teeth of the lower jaw. of the carcass and are adapted to be interposed between the top of the tongue and the roof and sides of the mouth of the hog,

as contra-distinguished from around or in enveloping relation with the tongue. When the tongue is confined in, and pressed into,v the lower jaw of the hog and retainedv by resiliency or spring pressure, it will be effectively held. against displacement by the beaters of the dehairing machine. The device as the result of its design and construction vpermits of ready placement within, and removal from, the mouth of the hog carcass and thus effects a saving of labor.

Other objects of' the invention are to provide: an` improved protector device which comprises resilient arms or members adapted to expand in the jaw, and to conne the tongue in the lower jaw against displacement; and a protector which 5 0;- is eicient in operation and can be manufactured at a low and reasonable cost.

Additional objects of the invention will be apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description.

5.5;y The invention consists inthe severalnovel fea- (Cl. I7-1) tures which are hereinafter set forth and are more particularlydened by claims at the conclusion hereof. In the drawings which accompany and form a part of this specification or disclosure and in l5; which like numerals of reference denote corresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure l is a side elevation showing a tongue protector device embodying the invention in its operative position in the mouth of a carcass; 10;

Figure 2 is a section onthe line 2 2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a perspective of the protector device after removal from the mouth ofthe hog carcass;

Figure 4 is a vertical section illustrating a tool l5'. for use inv inserting the protector into the mouth of the hog', in readinessv to release the protector device so it will spring into itsv operative position; and

Figure 5 is a horizontal section illustrating the 2.07, tool after the protector device has been released and has sprung into operative position.

'I'he improved protector device is preferably made of two U-shaped at spring-metal strips a and b which form arms or members adapted to 2.5` expandV automatically in the mouth of the hog so they will be secured therein against displacement and press the tongue into-and confine it in the 'lower jaw. The medial portions of the strips are crossed and securedv together, as by welding, 30l at their crossing.'4 The arms or members on one strip are adapted to be expanded and contracted in a plane substantially at right angles tothe arms of the other strip. y 1

The strip a comprises two divergent lower and upper arms or mem-bers 8 and 9 which are normally held apart or in expanded. relationfby the inherent resiliency ofthe strip. Arm or lmember v 8 is adapted tooverlie and press directly against the tongue of the hog-carcass` and arm or member 4m 9T` is provided at itst freeend with upturned or bent teeth l for engaging the soft formation at the back of they roof of the mouth of the hogv toprevent-displaoement of said'member. When the protector. has been placed in' its operative'45, position inthe mouth of Vthe carcass,V the free ends -of arms 8 and:Y 9 will be ilexed and pressed together, as illustrated' in Fig. 1, sufficiently to cause arm 8 to exert a very rmpressure on the top of the tongue and confine the latter in the 5,0;`

I3 at their free ends, to enter and engage the inner sides of the cheeks oi the carcass. Normally, the free ends of arms or members Il and I2 are spread apart suciently so that when they are compressed to engage the cheeks they will be under suii'icient spring pressure or compression to cause the teeth on their free ends to remain embedded in the cheeks and aid in securing the protector against displacement. The arms or members Il and I2, when secured in the mouth of the hog, are forwardly convergent at the crossing of the strips cv and b and serve to secure the upper and lower arms or member 8 and 9 against lateral displacement and to aid in holding the protector against displacement.

The protector constitutes a resilient device which is adapted to be placed in the hogs mouth over the top of the tongue and which will be under sufficient pressure, when in the mouth of the carcass, to conne completely and firmly the tongue against displacement in the lower jaw and to secure the protector against displacement from the mouth. The opposed upper and lower arms 8 and 9 will provide the desired pressure to hold'the tongue in the lower jaw and the opposed laterally compressed arms or members I8 and Il coact with the upper arm 9 to secure the protector against displacement from the mouth of the hog during the beating of the hog carcass in the dehairing operation.

In practice, it has been found that a protector device composed of resilient or spring arms whereby the tongue will be pressed into and coniined in the lower jaw, and secured against displacement, will efectively protect the tongue because the blows imparted to the carcass while it is being dehaired will not cause the springpressed members to lose their grip in the upper jaw and the cheeks.

In order to facilitate placement of the resilient protector device in the mouth of the hog carcass a tool like that shown in Figures 4 and 5 is provided. This tool is adapted to press or flex together the resilient arms or members of the protector device while they are being inserted into the mouth of the hog and to release them in such mann-er that they will spring outwardly into their operative position. As shown in the drawings, the tool comprises a hollow cylindrical body I6 with a handle I1; a barrel I8 slidably fitted around the outside of the body I6; a plunger I9 slidable in the bore of the body I6 and connected to the barrel I8 by a cross-pin 20 which extends through longitudinal slots 2l in body I6; a spring 22 for retracting the barrel I8 interposed between the closed outer end 23 of body I5 and plunger I9; and a spring-pressed trigger 24 which is adapted to lock the plunger I9 and the barrel I8 in its extended or operative position, as shown in Fig. 4, at which time the outer end of the barrel I8 projects beyond the closed end 23 of body I6 sufficiently to receive and retain the arms 8, 9, II and I2 in compressed or contracted relation for insertion into the mouth of the hog.

The method of inserting the protector consists in pulling the barrel I8 outwardly against the force of spring 22 so that the barrel is locked in its extended position by trigger 24, the plunger I9 being simultaneously pulled outwardly and compressing the spring 22 which is adapted to retract the barrel; inserting the small end of the resilient protector device into the barrel I8 until it strikes the closed end 23 of body I6 which will :liex and spring all of the arms 8, 9, II and I2 together and cause them to be automatically retained in the barrel, as illustrated in Fig. 4, with their free ends close together for easy insertion into the rear portion of the mouth of the hog; inserting the protector device and barrel I8 into the mouth of the hog and bringing the free ends of the resilient arms into position to snap, when released, into operative position; and pulling the trigger 24 so that plunger I9 will be released and barrel I8 and the plunger will be shot by spring 22 to withdraw the extended portion of the barrel from the mouth of the hog, as shown in Fig. 5.

As the spring-arms of the protector device are released by the barrel, they will snap outwardly and spread apart. 'Ihe arm 8 will be firmly pressed against the top of the tongue and arm 9 will be pressed upwardly so its teeth IIJ will dig into the soft portion at the top and back of the mouth. Arms Il and I2 will be spread and pressed laterally so their teeth I3 will dig into the cheeks of the hog and, thereupon, the protector will be automatically and securely held in the mouth of the hog, and will hold the tongue firmly seated within the lower jaw so it cannot escape or pass between the hogs teeth with sufficient pressure effectively to prevent the protector device from being displaced from the mouth while thc carcass is passing through the dehairing machine. Aft-er the hog has been dehaired, the protector can be easily removed by pressing the members together sufficiently to release the teeth I0 and I3 from the mouth and the cheeks and withdrawing the protector device from the mouth.

The invention exempliiies a protector device for the tongue of a hog carcass while it is being dehaired, which effectively prevents the mutilation or puncturing of the tongue and is simple and can be readily inserted and removed. The invention also exemplifies a tool which expedites the placement of the protector in its operative position.

The invention is not to be understood as restricted to the details set forth, since these may be modified within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A tongue protector comprising a pair of expansible arms adapted to be pressed together and placed in the mouth of a carcass between the tongue and the top of the mouth and operating, when so placed and then released, to spring apart vertically and hold the tongue against the lower jaw, and a pair of laterally expansible arms connected to the first mentioned arms and adapted tol be pressed together in connection with placement of said iirst mentioned arms in the mouth of said carcass and upon release thereof to engage the sides' of the mouth and hold the protector in place.

2. A tongue protector comprising a pair of rearwardly divergent expansible arms adapted to be pressed together and inserted into the mouth of a carcass and arranged in such manner that upon release thereof one is adapted to overlie and press the tongue downwardly againstk the lower jaw and the other is adapted to engage the upper jaw, and rearwardly divergent, laterally expansible arms for engaging the sides of the mouth of the carcass and holding the first mentioned arms in place.

3. VA tongue protector comprising a one-piece,

U-shaped spring-strip adapted. to be vvinserted while in a compressed condition into the mouth of a carcass and then released, consisting of a lower spring-arm for pressing the tongue downwardly against the lower jaw and an upper arm adapted to press against and engage the upper jaw, and means connected to the central portion of the spring-strip for holding the strip-formed arms in place.

4. A protector of the character described com.- prising a member for retaining they tongue of an animal carcass in the lower jaw and a pair of laterally eXpansible resilient strip formed arms having free ends adapted to engage yieldingly the sides of the mouth of the carcass and having portions connected together and to the member so that they operate when in their operative position to hold said member in place.

5. A tongue protector comprising a pair of spring-arms for pressing the tongue of a carcass downwardly and retaining it against thev lower jaw, and a pair of laterally expansible resilient arms having their free ends adapted to engage the sides of the mouth of said carcass and hold the first' mentioned arms in place, the front portions of said arms being all joined together.

6. That improvement in slaughteringhogs which consists in contracting an expansible tongue protector, inserting the contracted pro tector into the mouth of a hog carcass between the top of the tongue and the roof of the mouth,

and releasing the protector to cause it to expand lower jaw, and a plurality ofl divergent spring arms for holding the member in place adapted to be pressed toward one another upon insertion ofthe device into the carcass mouth and arranged and designed so that upon release thereof one of them is adapted to engage the top of the mouth and another is adapted to engage one side of the mouth. t

8. A device for protecting the tongue of a hog carcass. against mutilation during machine de hairing of the carcass, comprising ar memberr carcass against mutilation during machine dehairing of the carcass, comprising a member adapted to engage the tongue and hold it in the lower jaw, and a plurality of rearwardly diver-` gent spring arms for holding the member in place having the front ends thereof connected into the mouth of the carcass and upon release thereof to expand orspring outwards in such manner that one of them engages the top of the mouth and others engage the mouth sides.

REUBEN J. GUNDERSON.

.to the front portion of the member and having their rear ends free and provided with out-turned. teeth and adapted to be pressed toward one an-v other in connection with insertion of the device

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