EP1453755B1 - Can opener - Google Patents

Abstract

So-called safety can openers are mechanically more complex than standard can openers. The invention aims at producing a can opener capable of being economically produced in a number of different shapes. Therefor, the inventive can opener comprises a body in the form of a handle and a head (1) in the form of a housing wherein is provided a cutting mechanism (S, T) which includes a drive wheel (T) with rotary head (20), co-operating with the inner rim of a can, and a cutting wheel (S) which cuts the outer rim of the can. The head (1) is a housing wherein the axes of the two wheels are mutually perpendicular. Said can opener has a modular design. The injection-moulded head (1) forms an element separate from the body (11) in the shape of a handle, likewise injection-moulded, or can be assembled to the latter (11) by completely releasable or partly releasable coupling means (6).

Description

The present invention relates to a manually operable can opener with a single handle injection-molded body and a head, in the form of a housing in which a cutting mechanism is incorporated, which cooperates with the inner and upper portion of the edge of a can by means of a rotary knob operable driving wheel and a cutter wheel cutting at the outer edge of the can, the axes of both wheels being mounted perpendicular to each other in the housing. This prior art can opener is known from US-A-2001/0022030.

Can openers are available in virtually every household. They are among the most widely used kitchen appliances ever. For about thirty years, the market of can openers according to DE-A-19619 989 dominated, which are designed pliers-shaped and in which a cutting wheel cuts through the can within the peripheral edge, while a drive wheel on the Dosenaussenkante is supported. Drive wheel and cutting wheel are usually over in these designs Interlocking gears coupled together. This creates a sharp-edged rondelle, where you could often injure yourself. The reclosability was only possible if the rondelle was not completely severed. After a few bow movements the rondelle broke off mostly from the can.

The new generation of can openers that are of interest here uses a cutting wheel that cuts through the edge of the can edge while the drive wheel runs along the inside and top of the rim. A support element holds the can to be opened in a predetermined, desired angular position to the can opener. Can openers of this type are known, for example, from US-A-4,782,594, US-A-5,946,811, GB-A-2334939, EP-B-0'541'620 or also WO-A-01/40096.

In principle, two basic types are distinguished in these mentioned embodiments, namely those with two handle-shaped bodies and versions according to US-A-2001/0022030 with a single, handle-shaped body. The grip-like body serve only to be able to change the relative distance between the cutting wheel and the drive wheel when applying the can opener. During operation, however, the distance between the cutting wheel and the drive wheel is virtually identical within a small tolerance range. This is not surprising, since the mass of the cans to be opened are standardized and corresponding hardly any variations. For this reason, practically eliminates the pincer-like version, and the intervention versions prevail increasingly in the market.

In today's can openers, the parts in operative connection with the can, such as cutting wheel and drive wheel and their axes are always made of metal. These metal parts, and usually also corresponding bushings made of metal are usually stored in a plastic housing, which usually also consists of several parts to allow a corresponding installation. This head part is integrally connected to the handle-shaped body.

Although there are ready for seventy years can opener with a single handle-shaped body, which also have a drive wheel and a cutting wheel, but here the axes of both wheels are parallel and accordingly no housing-shaped head in which the axes are perpendicular to each other required.

In embodiments of the above-mentioned type, as known from US-A-1756 487 or CH-A-455 547, the head consists of a stamped sheet metal part to which a handle made of any material and produced with completely different manufacturing processes releasably secured is.

However, it is completely different situation with can opener with an injection-molded handle-shaped body and an injection-molded head. Here, the economic production requires the one-piece production, thereby saving injection molds, as clearly the solutions according to US-A-4365417 or the previous solution of the applicant, namely US-A-2001/0022030 or US-A-5 946 811 show.

The individual design of household appliances is of eminent importance in the market. Virtually every major independent sales channel requires an individualized can opener. This requires a set of corresponding production tools each time, which is extremely expensive. Particularly expensive is the design, because with a change in shape and the entire mechanical part had to be adjusted.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a can opener according to the preamble of claim 1, which can be designed individually customizable with much lower investment.

This object is achieved by a manually operable can opener with a handle-shaped body with a head having the features of claim 1.

The inventive modular design allows to produce the complex and costly headboard of the can opener always in large numbers always consistent, while all adjoining parts, namely the handle-shaped body, the knob for actuating the drive wheel and the support element separately manufactured and individually designed elements may be adapted only with respect to the connecting means and the connection dimensions on the mass produced head, while otherwise completely can be designed freely. These elements are much easier to manufacture, and it can already be made from the beginning in a single multiple tool several different handle-shaped body and / or more differently designed knobs for actuating the drive wheel. In addition, thanks to the modular design, the individual elements can be combined in virtually any way. In this way, a large variety of can openers can be realized with relatively few injection molds.

In addition, thanks to the large numbers on the one hand and on the other hand by the separation of the head of the handle-shaped body is also possible to realize the head of other materials, such as higher quality plastics, so that the head, practically as the only part certain wear parts has, can be made more durable.

Figuren 1-4

vier Ansichten einer ersten Ausführungsform eines separat gestalteten Kopfes eines erfindungsgemässen Dosenöffners und

Figuren 5-8

entsprechende vier Ansichten einer zweiten Ausführungsform eines Kopfes eines modular aufgebauten Dosenöffners. Die

Figuren 9-11

zeigen einen teilweise zusammengebauten Dosenöffner mit verschieden gestalteten Griffkörpern unter Verwendung eines Kopfes gemäss den Figuren 1-4 und

Figur 12

zeigt die Aufsicht auf eine Ausführungsform eines solchen Dosenöffners.

Figuren 13 und 14

zeigen eine erste Ausführungsform eines Drehknopfes in zwei Seitenansichten und die

Figuren 15 und 16

eine zweite Ausführungsform in denselben

Figuren 17-19

Seitenansichten. In den sind drei Ausführungsformen dargestellt, bei denen der Kopf eines Dosenöffners gemäss den Figuren 5-8 verwendet worden ist und mit den Drehgriffen gemäss den Figuren 9-11 kombiniert worden ist.

Figur 20

zeigt die Ansicht eines Dosenöffners gemäss einer der Figuren 17-19 in der Ansicht von oben, wobei hier der Dosenöffner mit einem Drehknopf gemäss den Figuren 15 und 16 und mit einem Auflageelement kombiniert ist, wobei in

Figur 21

dieses Auflageelement separat dargestellt ist.

Other embodiments will be apparent from the dependent claims, and their meaning and effect will be more apparent in the following description with reference to the appended claims Drawings explained. In the drawings, only the basic designs are reproduced by simplifying or omitting the mechanical functional parts corresponding to the known technology. Show it:

Figures 1-4

four views of a first embodiment of a separately designed head of a can opener according to the invention and

Figures 5-8

corresponding four views of a second embodiment of a head of a modular can opener. The

Figures 9-11

show a partially assembled can opener with differently shaped handle bodies using a head according to Figures 1-4 and

FIG. 12

shows the top view of an embodiment of such a can opener.

FIGS. 13 and 14

show a first embodiment of a knob in two side views and the

FIGS. 15 and 16

a second embodiment in the same

Figures 17-19

Page views. In the three embodiments are shown in which the head of a can opener has been used according to the figures 5-8 and has been combined with the rotary handles according to the figures 9-11.

FIG. 20

shows the view of a can opener according to one of the figures 17-19 in the view from above, in which case the can opener is combined with a rotary knob according to the figures 15 and 16 and with a support element, wherein in

FIG. 21

this support element is shown separately.

In all figures, the mechanical action parts, such as cutting wheel and drive wheel, and their axes are omitted. This mechanism is known from US-5,946,811 and US 2001/0022030, and reference is made to these documents in this regard. In the drawing, the inventive head is designated 1. In the embodiment according to FIGS. 1-4, the latter has essentially the shape of a cylindrical disk 2, which has a cambered surface 3 along the outer circumference. With 4 a molded-on approach is referred to, which is integrally formed with the cylindrical disc 2. The projection 4 ends in a circular connection surface 5, in which is arranged centrally with a coupling means 6. In the embodiment shown here, this coupling means 6 is designed as a blind hole with internal thread 7. The handle-shaped body, not shown here, should have for connection a correspondingly matching coupling means, namely an in the blind hole with internal thread matching threaded rod portion. Of course, the arrangement may be reversed and the head 1 may center in the circular pad a helical coupling means 6, while the handle-shaped body should then have a corresponding blind hole with internal thread. The latter variant is the more preferred form, since it makes sense the handle-shaped body should be as easy as possible to be produced plastic part.

For hygienic reasons, the connection surfaces 5 are made exactly the same from the head and the grip-shaped body. Thus, in the assembled state results in a paragraph-free transition that leaves no approach space for leftovers from the opened can. This preserves the hygienic design of the one-piece solution.

In FIG. 1, one looks at a spherically inwardly curved surface 2 ', which is formed in the cylindrical disk 2. On this side of the head 1, the mechanical parts shown schematically in dashed lines, namely the cutting wheel S and the drive wheel T are arranged. The spherically inwardly shaped surface 2 'takes into account the circular shape of the edge of the can to be cut through. On this page, the receiving holes 8 are formed, which serve to receive a support element. The support element has also been omitted in this illustration.

The second embodiment of a head 1 is shown in Figs. 5-8. In principle, the embodiment according to FIGS 5-8 differs from the first shown embodiment essentially by the aesthetic design. The actual body is here not designed as a cylindrical disc 2 but practically as a somewhat flattened and curved drops. Otherwise, the housing 9 also opens into a circular connection surface 5. Here, too, the circular connection surface 5 is provided with a coupling means 6. The coupling means 6 is designed here as a pine cone-shaped connecting pin 10. This results in a simple, only partially releasable, irreversibly cooperating connection with the handle-shaped body, also not shown here, which must have a matching blind hole accordingly. Such a connection is particularly suitable when the entire housing 9 is made with the connecting pin 10, for example, made of metal, preferably die-cast aluminum, and the handle-shaped body to be attached thereto is made of a relatively soft plastic.

The figure 5 is shown here with a view of those side surface of the housing 9, on which the rotary knob, not shown here for actuating the cutting wheel is arranged. The concave depression 2 'lies on the opposite side and is therefore shown only in dashed lines, as in FIG. 8.

In FIGS. 9-12, the head 1 according to the embodiment according to FIGS. 1-4 is connected to various gripped bodies 11, 12, 13. In the embodiment according to FIG. 9, the handle-shaped body is shown, for example, as a cylindrical element with a rounded end. In contrast, FIG. 10 shows a variant in which the handle-shaped body 12 shows an oval cross-section with a corresponding adaptation, while FIG differently shaped handle-shaped body 13 shows. Finally, the view 12 shows a view from above of the embodiment according to FIG. 9. Of course, the rounded end 14 could also be designed as a separate part.

A first embodiment of a rotary knob 20 is shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, wherein the actual gripping surface 21 in the embodiment according to FIGS. 13 and 14 is formed from two circular discs 21, which are integrally connected to a hemispherical body part 22. In the embodiment according to FIGS. 15 and 16, the actual wing of the rotary knob 20 is drawn as an oval wing.

In FIGS. 17-20, combinations of the head 1 with the housing mold 9 combined with the handles 11-13 are shown as shown in FIGS. 9-11. These representations serve essentially to show how a relatively large number of combinations can be achieved with relatively few elements. Finally, Figure 21 shows yet another embodiment of a support element 30. This is usually made of metal manufactured and can be plugged inserted into the connection holes 8. Of course, here too various embodiments of the support element 30 can be realized, even if only one embodiment is shown in the accompanying drawings.

List of reference numbers

1

head

2

cylindrical disc

2 '

spherical inward arched surface

3

cambered surface

4

approach

5

circular connection surface

6

coupling agent

7

Blind hole with internal thread

8th

receiving holes

9

casing

10

pine cone-shaped connecting pin

11

cylindrical, grip-shaped body

12

oval, grip-shaped body

13

handle-shaped body

14

rounded end

20

knob

21

circular

22

hemispherical body part

23

oval wing

30

support element

Claims (6)

1. A can opener which is to be operated manually, with a single grip-like body (11, 12, 13) which is manufactured according to injection moulding technology and with a head (1) in the shape of a housing in which a cutting mechanism is incorporated, which comprises a driver wheel (T) which cooperates with the inner and the upper region of the edge of a can and may be actuated by way of a rotary knob (20), and a cutter wheel (S) cutting at the outer edge of the can, wherein the pivots of both wheels are mounted running perpendicular to one another in the housing, characterised in that the can opener is constructed in a modular manner, wherein the head (1) is an element which is manufactured according to injection moulding technology, is separate from the single grip-like body (11, 12, 13) and is connected to the single grip-like body (11, 12, 13) with coupling means (6) which are releasable or conditionally releasable, wherein the head (1) and the grip-like body (11, 12, 13) both have an identical connection surface (5) and ensure a transition from the head to the grip-like body which is free of steps.
2. A can opener according to claim 1, characterised in that the rotary grip (20) which is in active connection with the driver wheel (T) may be placed on the pivot of the driver wheel in a releasable or conditionally releasable manner.
3. A can opener according to claim 1, characterised in that receiver means (8) for the releasable or conditionally releasable connection of a support element (30) to the head (1) are arranged in the head (1) of the can opener.
4. A can opener according to claim 1, characterised in that the head (1) is manufactured of a material which is more robust with respect to the grip-like body (11, 12, 13).
5. A can opener according to claim 1, characterised in that the head (1) is manufactured of a plastic which is improved with active fillers.
6. A can opener according to claim 1, characterised in that the head (1) is manufactured of aluminium die-cast.

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