US 5,626,513 AGranted

Clamping device during skinning of a fish

OwnerJames L. Curtisinventor

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Abstract

A tool 15 for clamping and hand holding of a head 16 of a fish 17 while its body 19 is skinned. A pair of handles 21, 22 in tool 15 are manually manipulated to provide a pivotal action for prongs 31, 32 mounted on extensions members 25, 26, respectively, to the handles 21, 22, piercing the head 16. The single prong 32 and the prongs 31 grip the head 16 while skinning of the fish's body 17 proceeds after cutting a line 46 behind its head 16. Bosses 37, 38 are provided in the handles 21, 22, respectively, engaging one another in a full closure mode for the tool 15. A pocket 40 is provided in handle 22 for seating of a portion 39 of handle 21 adjacent a pivotal assembly 23 for handles, extensions, and prongs, the bosses 37, 38 in alignment with one another for cooperative engagement to limit pivotal action of the tool 15 to its closed mode.

Claims12

Dependent claims

In a tool that is hand-held during the process of skinning a catfish or the like, and said tool including a pair of handles mounted to one another in a pivotal assembly, crossing over each other, and an extension member integrally mounted on each of said handles and which crosses over the other of said handles past beyond said pivotal assembly, the improvement comprising

each said extension member in the tool extending forwardly of said handles an in a direction away from a plane passing through said pivotal assembly and laterally through a spatial area disposed between said handles in their closed mode,
a first said extension member including a bifurcated yoke positioned on the side of the plane passing through the pivotal assembly opposite of the other of said pair of handles on the other side of such plane, said yoke having separate arms extending therefrom and first prong means extending towards the plane mounted on each of said arms,
a second said extension member including a single prong means also extending towards the plane, and
boss means mounted in alignment on said handles for engaging one another to stop further closing between said handles in the step of said first and second prong means gripping the catfish or the like during the skinning thereof.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.