CZ294197A3 - Can opener - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides an improved can opener adapted to separate an end wall (E) from a can body (C) by cutting from the outside into the upstanding rim (R) formed at the end of the can, the rim (R) comprising overlapped portions (T, U) of the perimeter of the end wall (E) and the side wall (S) of the can, the can opener comprising two body portions (1, 3) arranged for relative pivotal movement about an axis, one body portion (3) carrying a rotary cutting wheel (7) and the other body portion (1) carrying a rotary traction wheel (12), the opener being arranged, in use, to receive the rim (R) of the can (C) between the two wheels (7, 12) and to orbit the can as the traction wheel (12) is rotated while the cutting wheel (7) makes a peripheral cut into the outside of the rim (R), the body portions (1, 3) carrying a pair of spaced abutments positioned to provide contact points (23, 24) on the rim when the rim is received between the two wheels, the contact points (23, 24) being located one on each side of the cutting point and in use exerting a downward force across the traction wheel (12) to counterbalance the upward force incurred during cutting and ensuring that the axis of the traction wheel (12) lies normal to the end wall (E) of the can.

Description

(57)

The can opener has two mutually rotatable body portions (1, 2), one of which carries a cutting wheel (8) and the other a rotatable draw wheel (12) having parallel axes, the opener adapted to insert a can (R) flange (R) between the two wheels and for circulating the can while the pulling wheel is rotating, while the cutting wheel simultaneously makes a circumferential cut. The traction wheel (12) is shaped to collapsibly deform during cutting of the skirt, wherein the cutting wheel (8) has outwardly inclined slanting surfaces (10c, 10d) at the cutting portion (10a, 10b) adapted to contact the outside of the skirt. below the cut to generate a force opposing the direction of action of the pull wheel (12).

• • •

Can opener

Technical field

The invention relates to a can opener of the type that separates the end wall or can lid by cutting outwardly into a standing bead formed at the end of the can and comprising mutually overlapping portions of the periphery of the end wall and the can side wall.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A can opener of this type is described in EP-A-169 224. The opener comprises two rotatably mounted body portions, one of which carries a cutting wheel and the other a pulling wheel, and the can flange can be opened using an opener inserted between the wheels. The wheel axes are essentially parallel. A problem that may arise when using an opener is that even when the opener has cut around the entire periphery of the skirt, it may still be difficult to remove the cut end wall. This document proposes the use of means, separated from the cutting wheel, for separating the cut end wall. For this purpose, the opener comprises, in one embodiment, a separate release hook, and in the other embodiment, a lever that collapses the side wall of the can.

It has been shown in the patent application WO 92/02445 that by suitably shaping the can flange supporting portions, the end portion can be cut so that it can be easily detached from the can.

WO 92/02445 discloses a can opener for separating an end wall from a can body by cutting in the direction of

REPLACEMENT SHEET

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Externally into a standing flange formed at the end of the can, the flange comprising mutually overlapping portions of the peripheral end wall and the can side wall, the can opener comprising two body portions adapted to rotate relative to each other about an axis of which one portion carries a rotating cutting wheel and the second portion carries a rotatable pull wheel, the axes of which are substantially parallel to each other (and substantially parallel to the main axis of the can body when the can is in the cutting position) in one vertical plane, the opener adapted to be used in use. can insert a can of the can between the two wheels and rotate around the can when the pull wheel is rotating while the cutting wheel makes a circumferential cut into the outer portion of the flange, the pull wheel being shaped for collapsing the distortion when the flange is cut by the cutting wheel release overlapping between the end wall and the side wall of the can.

Preferably, for collapsing the bead, the pull wheel comprises a portion having a surface adapted to engage, in use, an inner side wall of the bead inclined at an angle greater than the bevel angle of the bead relative to the vertical axis of the can.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present inventors have now found that a further improvement in the separation of the end wall and side wall portions of the can in the overlapping area by adjusting the shape of the opener wheel according to WO 92/02445 can be achieved.

The invention provides a can opener adapted to detach the end wall from the can body by cutting externally into

REPLACEMENT SHEET • · · · · ·

- standing flanges formed at the end of the can, the flange comprising mutually overlapping portions of the end wall and the can side wall, the can opener comprising two body portions adapted to rotate relative to each other about an axis, one portion carrying a rotating cutting wheel and the other a rotary draw wheel, the axes of which are substantially parallel to each other (and substantially parallel to the main axis of the can body when the can body is in the cutting position) in one vertical plane, the opener adapted to be slid between use both wheels of the can flange and to be able to rotate around the can when the pull wheel is rotating while the cutting wheel makes a circumferential cut to the outside of the flange, the pull wheel being shaped for collapsing the flange when the flange is cut by the cutting wheel to release The opener comprises abutment means for abutting the can rim at spaced locations between the draw wheel and the cutter wheel when the abutment means rests on the top of the can, the principle being that the cutter wheel it has an inclined body portion to abut the can flange below the level at which the cutting wheel performs a spiral cut, the can being held in a stable position and the cut lid can then be pulled away from the can body by hand.

By means of this contact, the can is held in a stable position with its main axis held substantially parallel to said wheel axes.

Although the wheel axes are substantially parallel in one vertical plane, the cutting head of the cutting wheel can be mounted

REPLACEMENT SHEET • · · ·

At an angle of 5 ° to 12 ° relative to the axes of the draw wheel and the can body in the second vertical plane. By means of this solution, the metal of the flange is supported in its cutting after the cutting wheel has been cut.

REPLACEMENT SHEET • ·

Preferably, the inclined body portion orbits the entire circumference of the cutting wheel.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the inclined body portion terminates at a lower end in a flange or shoulder configured to be arranged substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of rotation of the cutting wheel. By suitably dimensioning the flange with respect to the cutting edge of the wheel, this outer surface may, during the cutting operation, abut the can surface below its can flange to stabilize the can.

Preferably, for collapsing the bead deformation, the pull wheel comprises a surface adapted to engage, in use, in the inner side wall of the bead, the surface inclined at an angle greater than the bevel angle of the bead relative to the vertical axis of the can.

Advantageously, rotation of the pull wheel causes passive rotation of the cutting wheel.

Due to the shaping of the cutting wheel below the cutting circumference, the can can also be held more firmly in the desired position without the tendency to undesirably rotate. The cutting wheel gains a better down pressure against the stiffer flange than was developed against the thinner wall of the can.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view from below of one embodiment of a can opener according to the invention; FIG.

Fig. 5 shows an enlarged detail of Fig. 2 showing the can rim in a cutting position with more details of the cutting wheel according to the invention; Fig. 4 a schematic plan view of the embodiment of Fig. 1; FIGS. 2 and 6a show a sectional detail of the can showing the can flange before opening and FIG. 6b the same detail after using the opener according to FIGS. 1 to 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As best seen in Fig. 6a, the open can C comprises a circumferential upright bead R having an upwardly facing upward portion T and a downwardly facing downward portion U. The flange R is formed of overlapping portions of the peripheral end wall E of the bead and the end portion side walls With cans.

The can opener shown in the drawings is intended to be held by a user and comprises a first body portion 1 of relatively wide width having a handle portion 2 and a second relatively smaller body portion 3 with a grip handle 4. Both body portions 1, 3 are made separately as plastic moldings. The body portion 2 is provided with a U-shaped recess on the underside comprising a metal insert 5 cast under pressure and held in the body portion 2 by bolts 6. A pin pin extends from the insert 5 passing through the two body portions stacked thereon to rotate them together .

The two can opener bodies 1, 2 are movable relative to each other between the mutually closed positions shown in the drawings, in which the handle 4 of the can opener 2 faces the handle 2 of the first portion 1 and not shown relative to each other.

-6 • · · Open position in which the two handles are pulled apart.

The opener has a cutting wheel 7 rotatably mounted on the housing 9 in the recess 9A in the metal insert 5. The cutting wheel 7 comprises an annular cutting body 10 projecting from the recess 9A and a lower flange 13 projecting outwardly. The body 10 comprises two inclined faces 10a, 10b (FIG. 3) which converge to define a cutting edge. The inclined surfaces are asymmetric, ie the upper inclined surface 10a is inclined at a very small angle, for example about 5 ° relative to the horizontal, while the lower inclined surface 10b is inclined at a relatively steeper angle of 45 to 65 ° relative to the horizontal, preferably around 55 °. Such an arrangement has been found to provide a durable cutting edge requiring minimal force to perform the cut. Above the upper inclined surface 10a, the cutting wheel has another inclined surface 7a for generating a clearance between the cutting and the pulling wheel, as discussed below.

Underneath the cutting portion, the cutting body 10 has a body portion with an inclined surface 10c that is arranged to extend outwardly away from the cutting edge. The inclined face 10c is connected to the aforementioned flange 11 by a shorter, less steeply inclined inclined face 10d. The inclined face 10c may have an angle of inclination of 5 ° to 20 ° relative to the longitudinal axis of rotation of the cutting wheel, and the inclined face 10d may have an angle of, for example, from 25 ° to 35 °. The flange 11 has an outer circumferential surface 11a that is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cutting wheel.

The opener further comprises a pull wheel 12 with a pin 13 extending through the body portion 1 at its end facing away from its handle portion. The pin 13 rotates in the sleeve 14. A letter-shaped handle 15 is fastened to the upper end of the pin 13.

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T for rotating the pull wheel 12, and between the lower surface of the handle 15 and the opposite surface of the first body portion 1, a ring clip assembly 16 and a resilient washer 16 are mounted. The pull wheel 12 comprises an inverted truncated cone portion 17, as best seen in FIG.

Most commercially available cans usually comprise a flange R having an inner surface that diverges from the vertical axis of the can at an angle of about 8 to 10 °. It has been found that by forming a truncated cone portion 17 on the traction wheel such that the skirt R is bent or otherwise moved outward at an angle greater than this angle during cutting, any residual frictional engagement between the skirt walls on each side of the cut is disrupted. . The bending action will thus lead to the rupture of any glue or gasket in the bead or plastic or other lining in the can. Therefore, the inclination angle of the portion 17 may be selected to be greater than about 10 °. The maximum tilt angle should be less than the one that makes the pull wheel difficult to rotate, which is especially important when the can opener is of the manually operated type.

The inverted truncated cone portion 17 is provided with ribs 18 to ensure good engagement.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the underside of the body portion 1 is provided with a seating plate 20 having a substantially U-shaped plan view, the central U-shaped portion 21 having a recess and an opening for receiving said pin 13. Drawwheel 12 it is positioned centrally in the U-shape and extends slightly below its lowest plane. As can be seen in FIG. 4, the cutting wheel 7 lies partly between the open arms of the U-shape when the body parts are in the closed position. Between the two wheels

-8 is the gap d-d for inserting the can flange R.

The seating plate 20, as shown in FIG. 5, defines two opposite end regions 22 forming the ends of the U-arms. When the can is inserted with its flange R between the pull wheel 12 and the cutting wheel 7, the ends 22 rest on the top of the can at contact points 23. and 24 and ensure that the axis of the draw wheel is perpendicular to the can lid or end E. A downward pressure of these contact points, which are straddling the sides of the cutting point, is thus provided around the pull wheel, which is indicated as the reaction force F / 2 at each contact point for counterbalance the upward force F during cutting.

However, it will be seen that due to the curvature of the can, there will be a tendency for the can to tilt as indicated by the arrow A in Fig. 4 due to the relative displacement between the forces F and F / 2. To prevent this unwanted movement, the inclined cutting wheel surface 10c abuts the can flange. Since the abutment occurs against the flange and not against the thin wall of the can, it is possible to resist this movement without distorting the can. By preventing the can from tilting, the skirt is held in a stabilized position so that the cutting edge 10 can cut at the correct level from the top of the skirt. As can be seen, the longitudinal axis or axis of rotation of the cutting wheel is inclined at an angle D of approximately 8 ° relative to the axis of the draw wheel and the can body.

In use, the user first brings the body parts into an open state and introduces the can of the canopy C rim into the space between the draw and cutting wheels, i.e. the gaps d-d (Fig. 3), and then move the two body parts together

-9 to the closed position shown in the drawings.

As the body portions continue to move to the fully closed position, the cutting edge 10 contacts the top of the outside of the skirt R and then begins to cut it. The upper portion of the skirt R is supported on the inside of the truncated conical portion 17, while on the outside of the upper portion of the skirt R the sloping surface 10c engages under the cut and is pushed inwards (FIG. 3). The contact of the handle portions provides a safeguard against excess force exerted on the flange and maintains a horizontal distance between the pulling and cutting wheels at a substantially fixed distance.

When the pulling wheel 12 rotates, it drives the passive cutting wheel due to the existence of the angle D. The cutting edge 10 performs a spiral cut which is directed vertically down into the flange until the upper side of the flange is raised away from the lower half of the flange R 10a. The cutting wheel will then continue with the remainder of the cut, but will remain substantially parallel to the top of the skirt, with the cutting edge 10 tending to separate the cut edge at the end wall S and the cut edge at the side wall S in the manner of a plow blade. The truncated cone portion 17, when interacting with the cutting edge 10, exerts a force component outwardly and downwardly into the skirt, thereby deforming the skirt R, with the counter-directional force exerted by the surface 10c supporting the separating effect applied to the skirt. Thus, the combined forces effectively hold the can rim in a stabilized position so that the cutting edge can cut through the outer rim layer R and lift the cut off portion T. The opener is then removed from the can and the lid simply pulled away by hand, leaving smooth edges.

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A comparison of the can flange before and after opening is shown in Figs. 6a and 6b. As can be seen from FIG. 6b, after cutting, the skirt has been deformed just enough to allow the end wall E to be easily lifted from the can body by simple manual movement and without the need for separate tool parts.

Claims (11)

PATENT CLAIMS A can opener adapted to detach an end wall from a can body by cutting externally into a standing bead (R) formed at the end of the can, the flange (R) comprising mutually overlapping portions of the end wall and side wall of the can (C), two body parts (1, 2), adapted to rotate relative to one another about an axis, one portion of which carries the rotary cutting wheel (8) and the other part carries the rotary draw wheel (12), the axes of which are substantially parallel to each other (and substantially parallel to the main axis of the can body) when the can body is in the cutting position) in one vertical plane, wherein the opener is adapted so that, in use, the can (r) of the can (R) can be rotated between the two wheels (8, 12) and rotate around can (C) when the pulling wheel (8) rotates while the cutting wheel (12) makes a circumferential cut into the outer part of the flange (R), the pulling wheel (12) being shaped for collapsing deformation of the flange (R) when the flange is (R) cut by a cutting wheel (8) to release an overlapping engagement between the end wall and the side wall of the can, the opener comprising a abutment means (20) for abutting the flange at (R) of the can (C) at spaced locations (22, 24) between the draw wheel (12) and the cutting wheel (8) when the abutment means (20) rests on the top of the can, characterized in that the cutting wheel (8) has an inclined inclined body portion (10c) to abut the can rim below the level at which the cutting wheel (8) performs a spiral cut, the can is held in a stable position and the cut lid can then be pulled away from the can body by hand. REPLACEMENT SHEET -122. A can opener according to claim 1, characterized in that the cutting head of the cutting wheel (8) lies in a vertical plane at an angle formed with respect to the axis of the draw wheel (12) and the can body (C). A can opener according to claim 2, characterized in that the angle is from 5 ° to 12 °. Can opener according to at least one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the inclined body part (10c) orbits the entire circumference of the cutting wheel (8). Can opener according to at least one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the inclined body portion (10c) terminates at the lower end in a flange or shoulder (11) around the wheel (8), wherein the outer surface of the flange or shoulder is cut out They are arranged substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of rotation of the cutting wheel (8). Can opener according to at least one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the draw wheel (12) comprises a part (17) having a surface adapted to engage, in use, in the inner side wall of the skirt, the surface being inclined at an angle greater than the angle of inclination of the skirt relative to the vertical axis of the can. Can opener according to at least one of Claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the rotation of the pull wheel (12) causes the passive rotation of the cutting wheel (8). Can opener according to at least one of Claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the cutting wheel (8) has an annular ring. REPLACEMENT SHEET • · • · · · A cutting body comprising two inclined faces (10a, 10b) converging to define a cutting edge, the inclined faces being asymmetrical. A can opener according to claim 8, wherein the lower incline (10b) is inclined at an angle of 45 ° to 65 ° relative to the horizontal and the upper incline (10a) is inclined at a shallow angle to the horizontal. A can opener according to claims 5 and 8 or 9, characterized in that the inclined face (10c) is then connected to the flange (11) by a less steep shorter inclined face (10d). Can opener according to at least one of Claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the draw wheel (12) has a frustoconical portion (17) for contacting the can flange.