BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION;

Killing of birds can be difficult. The normal method is to break a bird's neck. However, there is a risk that the neck will become completely severed, which causes excessive bleeding and reduces the value of the bird.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS;

To help understanding of the invention, specific embodiments thereof will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a view of a first embodiment of humane dispatcher according to the invention with its jaws open.

Figure 2 is a view of the device of Figure 1 with its jaws closed.

Figure 3 is a side view of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a side elevational view of a second embodiment of humane dispatcher according to the invention in the closed position.

Figure 5 is a similar view, partly broken away, of the device of Figure 4 in the open position.

Figure 6 is an end eleyational view ^" of the device of Figure 4.

Figure 7 is a plan view, partly broken away, of the device of Figure 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS;

The humane dispatcher shown in Figures 1 to 3 of the drawings shows a pair of pliers type levers 1,2 with handle grips 3,4, a pivot pin 5, an opening spring 6, a catch 7 and pin 8 for keeping the device closed against the spring 6, and a pair of operative ends 9,10 closed together on closure of the handle grips 3,4. On each operative end 9,10 a boss 11,12 is secured,

with the two bosses 11,12 facing towards each other. The bosses are secured to faces 13,14 of the ends 9,10.

L-shaped, in side view as shown in Figures 1 and 2, jaw upstand members 15,16 are brazed to the bosses 9,10 and faces 13,14 respectively at points B on jaw parts 17,18. The members 15,16 are of 4 mm steel wire. They have neck-restraining upstands 19,20 bent at right angles to the jaw parts 17,18 and off-set with respect to the jaw parts so as to allow the jaw parts to come close together. The off-set is shown in Figure 3. The upstands are of such length as to abut the free ends of the faces 13,14 as shown in Figure 2, leaving a gap 21 between the jaw parts 17,18 of 0.25 mm. These then form blunt jaws. The bosses 9,10 are relieved at 45° on their ends 22.

In use, a bird's neck is placed on the bite of the jaws 17,18. As the device is closed, the neck is restrained from being wedgedly forced out of the jaws by the restraining upstands 19,20. On final tightening closure, the spinal cord in the neck is severed, whereas the skin trapped in the gap 21 is not severed.

In the second embodiment of humane dispatcher shown in Figures 4 to 7 of the drawings, there are two blunt jaws 31,32 pivotally connected by a pivot pin 33, the jaws being connected respectively to levers 34,35 with hand grips 36,37 by which the jaws are relatively movable.from a closed positions (Figure 4) to an open position (Figure 5). The jaws 31,32 are similar in construction but fitted in opposite directions, so that similar parts have been given the same reference numerals for simplicity. The jaws 31,32 have generally circular pivot ends 38 from which extend straight relatively thin blade portions. The pivot ends and blade portions are made of single pieces of relatively thin metal plate. Adjacent the pivot ends 38, the blade portions 39 are offset at 40 (Figure 7) so that the pivot ends 38 are in face contact and the blade portions are aligned. The metal of which the jaws 31,32 are made is approximately 3 mm in thickness and the blade portions 39 are approximately 15 mm in depth. At their

ends remote from the pivot pin 33, the blade portions of the jaws have very small projections 41 of approximately 0.5 mm, formed by shaping the jaws, so that, in the closed position, the projections 41 engage to act as stop means to prevent the aws abutting along the majority of their length, whereby a small gap of approximately 1 mm is left between facing edges 43 of the jaws. The effect of the projections 41 is to limit the approach of the jaws, whereby the small gap 42 is left between the majority of the length of the closed jaws. The distance from the pivot pin 33 to the free ends of the jaws is approximately 60 mm, and the edges 43 of the jaws separated by the gap 42 are approximately 40 mm long.

The pivot ends 38 of the jaws have two peripheral recesses; the first recess in the pivot end of one jaw is just large enough to receive a pin 44 in the corresponding lever 34 or 35, which pin 44 passes through the second recess in the pivot end of the other jaw, which second recess extends peripherally sufficiently to allow relative opening and closing movement of the jaws.

At the free ends of the jaws 31,32, restraining means are mounted in the form of upstands 45 similar to square section metal cotter pins. The upstands 45 are approximately 23 mm in length and are secured to the one sides of the blade portions 39, so as to project about 10 mm at right angles to the edges 43 in the vicinity of the projections 41. The upstands 45 are of the same gauge metal plate as the jaws.

The edges 43 are blunt and may be of semi-circular cross section. The projections 41 may have flat engaging surfaces the better to define the gap 42 between the edges 43 in the closed position of the jaws.

In use, a bird's neck is placed in the bite of the jaws 31, 32 in the open position. The levers 34,35 are pivoted by gripping the hand grips 36,37 to move the jaws 31,32 towards the closed position. As the device is closed, the neck is restrained from being wedgedly forced out of the jaws sideways be the restraining upstands 45 which close off the bite before the jaws

reach their closed position. On final tightening closure, the stop projections 41 engage to limit the approach of the edges 43 to the gap 42 which is small enough to ensure that the spinal cord in 42 which is small enough to ensure that the spinal cord in the neck is severed, but wide enough to ensure that the trapped skin is not severed.

In the second embodiment of humane dispatcher shown in Figures 4 to 7 of the drawings, there are two blunt jaws 31,32 pivotally connected by a pivot pin 33, the jaws being connected respectively to levers 34,35 with hand grips 36,37 by which the jaws are relatively movable from a closed position (Figure 4) to an open position (Figure 5). The jaws 31,32 are similar in construction but fitted in opposite directions, so that similar parts have been given the same reference numerals for simplicity. The jaws 31,32 have generally circular pivot ends 38 from which extend straight relatively thin blade portions. The pivot ends and blade portions are made of single pieces of relatively thin metal plate. Adjacent the pivot ends 38, the blade portions 39 are offset at 40 (Figure 7) so that the pivot ends 38 are in face contact and the blade portions are aligned. The metal of which the jaws 31,32 are made is approximately 3 mm in thickness and the blade portions 39 are approximately 15 mm in depth. At their ends remote from the pivot pin 33, the blade portions of the jaws have very small projections 41 of approximately 0.5 mm, formed by shaping the jaws, so that, in the closed position, the projections 41 engage to act as stop means to prevent the jaws abutting along the majority of their length, whereby a small gap of approximately 1 mm is left between facing edges 43 of the jaws. The effect of the projections 41 is to limit the approach of the jaws, whereby the small gap 42 is left between the majority of the length of the closed jaws. The distance from the pivot pin 33 to the free ends of the jaws is approximately 60 mm, and the edges 43 of the jaws separated by the gap 42 are approximately 40 mm long.

The pivot ends 38 of the jaws have two peripheral recesses; the first recess in the pivot end of one jaw is just large enough to receive a pin 44 in the corresponding lever 34 or 35, which pin 44 passes through the second recess in the pivot end of the other jaw, which second recess extends peripherally sufficiently to allow relative opening and closing movement of the jaws.

At the free ends of the jaws 31,32, restraining means are mounted in the form of upstands 45 similar to square section metal cotter pins. The upstands 45 are approximately 23 mm in length and are secured to the one sides of the blade portions 39, so as to project about 10 mm at right angles to the edges 43 in the vicinity of the projections 41. The upstands 45 are of the same gauge metal plate as the jaws.

The edges 43 are blunt and may be of semi-circular cross- section. The projections 41 may have flat engaging surfaces the better to define the gap 42 between the edges 43 in the closed position of the jaws.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS;

The object of this invention is to provide a humane dispatcher for breaking a bird's neck without severing it.

According to the invention, a humane dispatcher comprises a pair of blunt jaws from abutting along the majority of their length when closed, whereby a small gap is left between the closed jaws.

This gap is important because, although closure of the jaws on a bird's neck is intended to break the spinal cord in the bird's neck and in the process is likely to break the bird's windpipe as well, it prevents the jaws from severing the skin on the neck. Thus, the head is not severed from the body.

Preferably the stop means is such that the gap between the closed jaws is approximately one millimeter or less. In the described embodiments, the gaps are one quarter of a millimeter and one millimeter, respectively.

Conveniently, the jaws are pivotally connected. In this case, it is preferred, because closure of the jaws tends to displace a neck in the bight therebetween sideways, to provide restraining means for restraining the neck from moving sideways on closure of the jaws. Such restraining means may be formed by upstands at the free ends of the jaws. The upstands face each other, but are laterally displaced to pass alongside each other on closure.

The jaws and upstands may be conveniently made of heavy gauge wire bent to L shape, and welded to a pliers type body.

Alternatively, the jaws may be of relatively thin metal plate. In this case, the upstands may be keys of similar thickness.

The stop means may be provided by shaping the jaws so that they abut at one, the other or both ends. Alternatively, the stop means may be provided by abutment of one or both restraining means' upstand with a portion of the pliers type body. The gap is set to dispatch games birds, domestic birds such as turkeys and small mammals such as rabbits. The dispatcher is manually operated for game in the field. It is electronically operated for domesticated animals such as turkeys.

Other forms of jaw closure means may be used, though pliers type gripping levers are preferred. Such may, for example, have parallelogram linkages to give parallel movement of the jaws to the closed position. Restraining means at both ends of the jaws might then be advantageous as well as stop means at both ends. It will be appreciated that the restraining means prevents the bird's neck interfering with the engagement of the stop means.

SUBST/TUTE SHEET