Improved Instruments or Pliers for Chewing or Masticating Food.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 10th July, 1893
Complete Specification, Left, 20th Mar., 1894-Accepted, 21st Apr., 1834
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Instruments or Pliers for Chewing or Masticating Food.
I EDWIN JAMES WHITE of 20 Erpingham Road Putney, in the County of
Surrey, Civil Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in hand instruments or pliers, and the
application of such instruments to the chewing or masticating of food, principally
meat.
Persons with defective teeth are often incapable of masticating their food satis-
factorily, and the object of this invention is to provide plier-like hand instruments
for this purpose, which may be used by the person at meal times, on the ordinary
hot or cold dinner plate, in addition to the usual knife and fork.
According to this invention, the instruments have two handles with shanks or
stems crossing each other, and pivoted in any convenient manner like pliers or
scissors; on each of the opposite ends of the stems to the two handles I form
or fix a kind of jaw with tooth-like projections, somewhat imitating human teeth;
these projections, ridges, teeth or blades facing each other, so that if a small piece
be cut off a slice of meat, in the usual way, with the ordinary knife and fork, on a
plate; this piece of meat may be pinched, chewed or bitten between the jaws of
the masticating instruments.
The jaws of the instruments may be closed on to the piece of meat either one or
more times until the meat or food is masticated as much as desired, and the food
may be moved about in the jaws if necessary: this food can then be put into the
mouth with a fork in the usual way.
I prefer to make these instruments entirely of metal, electroplated, but any other
materials may be used, such as metal handles and shanks with ivory or bone teeth.
The handles may be any convenient shape, but I prefer bow handles like the
handles of scissors.
I shape the jaws, shanks &c. of the instruments so that they are easily kept
clean and are conveniently used.
I sometimes make these instruments to shut or fold up for conveniently carrying
in the pocket.
Dated this Tenth day of July 1893.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Instruments or Pliers for Chewing or Masticating Food.
I, EDWIN JAMES WHITE of 20 Erpingham Road, Putney, in the County of
Surrey, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described, and
ascertained. in and by the following statement:-
'
My invention relates to improvements in hand instruments or pliers, and the
application of such instruments to the chewing or mastication of food, principally
meat.
1..
'
Persons with defective teeth are often incapable of masticating their food 'satis-
factorily, and the object of this invention is to provide plier-like hand instruments

page_text: for this purpose, which may be used by the person at meal times, on the ordinary
hot or cold dinner plate, in addition to the usual knife and fork.
According to this invention the instruments have two handles, with shanks or
stems crossing each other, and pivoted in any convenient manner like pliers or
scissors; on each of the opposite ends of the two stems to the handles, I form
or fix a kind of jaw with tooth-like projections somewhat imitating human teeth,
these projections, ridges, teeth, or blades facing each other, so that if a small piece
be cut off a slice of meat in the usual way, with the ordinary knife and fork, on a
plate, this piece of meat may be pinched, chewed or bitten between the jaws of the
masticating instrument.
The jaws of the instrument may be closed on to the piece of meat either one or
more times, until the meat or food is chewed, masticated or bitten as much as
desired, and the meat may be moved in the jaws or not: the food can then be put
into the mouth, with a fork, in the usual way.
I prefer to make these masticating instruments entirely of metal, electroplated,
but any other materials may be used, such as metal handles and shanks with ivory
or bone teeth.
Any kind of handles may be used, but I prefer bow handles like the handles of
scissors.
I shape the jaws, shanks &c. of the instruments so that they are easily kept clean,
and are conveniently used.
..I sometimes make these instruments to shut or fold up, for conveniently carrying
in the pocket, as is often done with some kinds of scissors.
In order that this invention may be more easily understood I will now refer to
the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters denote similar parts throughout
the several views. Scale Full size.
On Sheet 1
Fig. 1 is an elevation of one form of my invention, having a permanently
connected joint.
Fig. 2 is a plan of same.
Fig. 3 is a plan of one shank or arm, shewing inside of jaw, teeth a, a, and
spaces c, c; the pivot-pin is removed.
Fig. 4 is a plan of the other shank or arm, shewing outside of jaw.
Fig. 5 is a section through the jaws b, b.
Fig. 6 is a section through the pivot or joint d.
Fig. 7 is a section through the one jaw..
Fig. 8 is a section through the other jaw.
On Sheet 2
Fig. 9 is an elevation of another form of my invention, having a take-apart joint,
which may be coupled and uncoupled at will.
Fig. 10 is a plan of same.
Fig. 11 is a plan of one shank or arm, uncoupled, shewing inside of jaw, teeth a, a,
spaces c, c, and coupling-strap g.
Fig. 12 is a plan of the other shank or arm, uncoupled, with pivot-pin d fixed in
same, shewing outside of jaw.
Fig. 13 is a section through the jaws b, b.
Fig. 14 is a section through the coupling-strap g, and arms e, e..
Fig. 15 is a section through one jaw.
Fig. 16 is a section through the other jaw.
On all the views a, a, are the teeth or blades, formed in the jaws b, b, these
teeth face and meet each other, and are moderately sharp, so that a piece of
meat bitten between the jaws is cut through by each pair of teeth or blades,
and squeezed between the jaws, and flows out at the sides of the jaws along the
spaces c, c, between the teeth, without being compressed or hardened: this process
is repeated every time the jaws are closed on to the meat, and thus the meat is
masticated. d is the pivot or joint, which may be made in any convenient manner,
but I prefer those shewn on the drawings: On Sheet 1 a permanently connected

page_text: Joint, of an ordinary type, is shewn, and on Sheet 2 a take-apart joint is shewn,
which latter is capable of being readily coupled and uncoupled, to allow of the
instrument being more conveniently cleansed after use: This kind of joint is
commonly applied to certain surgical instruments. e, e, are the shanks or arms,
and ff, are the bow handles of same.
:
A convenient way of using the instrument, is to take one bow handle in each
hand and then "bite away "with it at the cut-up meat on the plate, working the
instrument nearly horizontally in this way the meat need not be lifted from the
plate, and the cut-up pieces of meat are bitten and chewed one with another and
together and cut and cross-cut in all directions, until they are perfectly masticated.
The blades may be warmed in hot water to avoid chilling warm food.
I sometimes make the teeth or blades shear past each other, or between each
other, instead of exactly meeting each other, and modify their shape a little, and
sometimes I arrange them lengthwise of the jaw instead of crosswise of it, and (still
imitating the action of human teeth) I sometimes impart a slight grinding or
sliceing motion to the jaws, in addition to the before described opening and closing
motion: this motion is obtained by any well-known means, such as applying a kind
of crank or cam action to the pivot, or a wedge action to the jaws, but these are
only superfluous modifications, and I much prefer the simpler, forms of the instru-
ment described and illustrated on the drawings, although I do not confine myself
exclusively to those exact forms.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
.
1. Instruments such or similar to those described, for chewing or masticating
food, principally meat.
2. The application of instruments substantially such as those described, to the
chewing or mastication of food, principally meat.
3. Teeth or blades meeting each other, and with spaces between them, as
described, which cut and squeeze the meat without compressing or hardening it,
applied to instruments of the nature of those described, for chewing or masticating
food, principally meat.
Dated this 20th day of March 1894.
EDWIN JAMES WHITE.