Improvements in the Construction of Muzzles for Dogs or other Animals.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 16th July, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 14th Apr., 1892-Accepted, 28th May, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction of Muzzles for Dogs or other
Animals.
1 CHARLES MOHR of 113 Bradford Street Birmingham in the County of,
Warwick, Japanner do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention has for its purpose the improvement of automatic muzzles made
wholly of wire, or partly of wire and leather, or some textile material instead of.
leather, so as to make them more comfortable to the wearer.
Hitherto the construction of so called automatic muzzles i.e. muzzles which have
a moveable lower part hinged on to an upper part, (called the upper and lower jaws)
and having a spring, action to allow such jaws of the muzzle to be opened and
automatically shut again, has not been satisfactory; and by my improvements it is
intended to make automatic muzzles really perform what they profess to do, and at
the same time make them more comfortable to the wearer.
In my invention I connect. the lower jaw of an automatic muzzle to the upper
jaw of the same by means of a spring hinge placed at the back of the muzzle
immediately underneath the animals throat. I form this hinge by means of two
spiral springs made of thin bronze wire closely wound, each spring to be about one
inch in length and about one eighth of an inch in diameter. One end of each of
these wire spiral springs is left straight, projecting about one inch at right angle of
the same, for a purpose to be explained hereafter.
The aforesaid two spiral springs are slipped over a piece of tinned wire, (which
I shall hereafter refer to as the inner tinned wire,) of such a thickness. as to allow
the spiral springs to slip over easily, and long enough to leave a small open space
between the two springs when slipped over the said wire, and also leave about half
an inch of the aforesaid inner tinned wire projecting at each end beyond the
combined length of the two spiral springs. These spiral springs when slipped over
the inner tinned wire have their straight projecting ends near the ends. of the inner
tinued wire. The two projecting ends of the inner tinned wire are turned into a
loop or curl to enable them to be clipped or fixed over a wire, one on each side,
belonging and attached to the part forming the upper jaw of an automatic muzzle.
The bronze wire spiral springs in connection with the inner tinned wire form the
hinge of the muzzle.
To make my automatic muzzle more comfortable to the wearer I form the
foundation of the lower jaw by means of a tongue shaped piece of leather, or some
textile material (but leather by preference) and bind it with a narrow metal frame
all but the back part of the same; this tongue shaped piece of leather may also be
perforated. On the metal frame on each side of the tongue shaped piece of leather
I fix a piece of wire shaped so as to form the sides of the lower jaw of an automatic.
muzzle; these two side wires have cach a formation at the jaw extremity similar to
that of an acute angle, the apex of the same projecting to the front of the muzzle
to act as a guard to prevent the animal biting when the jaws. of the muzzle are
open; these side wires have also a loop or curl turned on the upper part of the
same; this loop or curl will clip loosely over a guiding rod or wire about half an
inch long, belonging and attached, one on each side, to the upper jaw of the said
muzzle; this guiding rod is placed about half way between the front and the back
of the said automatio muzzle.
Now to give the above described hinge a spring action in connection with the
opening and closing of the jaws of the muzzle, firstly I clip the loops at both ends
of the inner tinned wire of the hinge to the lower side wires or bars belonging and

page_text: attached to the upper jaw of the muzzle; secondly I solder the inner ends of the
spiral springs to the aforesaid inner tinned wire near the middle of the latter; and
thirdly I solder the previously mentioned straight ends of the spiral springs and
projecting at right angles of the same parallel with the extreme ends of the metal
frame belonging to the tongue shaped piece of leather. On a slight pressure now
being put on the lower jaw of such above described muzzle the same will open
easily, and by releasing the pressure the jaw will olose again automatically.
Dated Il 16th 1001
'
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction of Muzzles for Dogs or other
Animals.
I CHARLES MOIR, of 113 Bradford Street, Birmingham, County of Warwick,
Japanner, 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 statoment:―
This invention bas for its object the improvement in the construction of automatio
dog muzzles, i.e. muzzles which have a moveable jaw which can be opened and will
close again automatically; such muzzles to be made partly of wire and partly of
leather, or any other textile material instead of leather, but leather by preference,
and to make such muzzles more comfortable to the wearer.
In order that my said invention may be more fully understood I will explain the
same with the aid of the accompanying drawing which forms part of this Specifi-
cation, reference being made thereto by the numerals and letters marked thereon ;
each reference letter applying to the same part in the several figures of the said
drawing, such drawing representing a muzzle chiefly made of wire.
Fig. 1. is a side view of an elevation of a dog muzzle.
Fig. 2 is a plan of the same.
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a dog muzzle with the jaws closed.
Fig. 4. is a perspective view of a dog muzzle with the jaws opened.
Fig. 5. is a perspective view of a dog muzzle showing how the formation of the
connection of the upper with lower jaw may also be constructed.
This invention consists of forming the lower jaw of an automatic dog muzzle of
a tongue shaped piece of leather A (Figs. 2. 3. 4. and 5), the same being bound
with a narrow metal frame (B Fig. 2). On this metal frame are attached two
bronze wire spiral springs, which in connection with a wire passing through said
springs, and the ends of such wires being attached to the sides of the lower jaw,
help to form the spring hinge of the muzzle. The wires E (Figs. 3. 4. 5.) form the
sides of the lower jaw. The front part of each of the said side wires is formed in
the shape of an acute angle, E (Figs. 3. 4. 5) such angle acting as a guard to
prevent the animal biting when the jaws of the muzzle are opened. A loop is
formed at the ends of each of the said angles; this loop clips loosely over a guiding
wire on either side of the said dog muzzle F (Figs. 3. 4.), and thereby forms the
connection of the upper and lower jaws. The guiding contrivance may also be
formed by means of a double wire or long loop on the upper jaw, in that case the
side wires of the lower jaw pass through the said long loop (as shown by E Fig. 6).
The lower part of the aforesaid side wire is attached to the metal frame of the tongue
shaped piece of leather (as shown in Fige. 1. 3. 4. 5). On a slight pressure being
put on the lower jaw of above described dog muzzle the same will open easily, and
on the removal of such pressure the jawe will close' again automatically through the
action of the spring hinge.
It will be perceived that by placing the connection guide contrivance at the side
about half way between the front and back of above described dog muzzle..less
'power is required for opening the jaws than if such connection contrivance were at

page_text: the front of a dog muzzle; also, by using the tongue shaped piece of leather in the
lower jaw it will add greatly to the comfort of the wearer when applying pressure.
for opening the jaws of the muzzle; and, the spring hinge being placed underneath
at the extreme back of the said muzzle will in that position conform to the action
of the animal's jaws, and the wearer will be able to breathe and lap freely.
The upper portion of the said muzzle, i.e. the portion not utilized for opening
and closing the jaws may, if required, be made of leather or any other textile
material.
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. The tongue shaped piece of leather (or any other suitable textile material
instead of leather) in the lower jaw of the said muzzle.
2. The guiding contrivance, connecting the upper and lower jaw at the side about
half way between the front and back of the said muzzle.
3. The bronze wire spiral springs in connection with the spring hinge being
placed underneath at the extreme back of the said muzzle, substantially as herein
described.
The 19 tow of Amil 1900
CHARLES MOHR.