GB2265598A

GB2265598A - Can-opener

Info

Publication number: GB2265598A
Application number: GB9206751A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Wing-Hau Lam
Original assignee: FOREXIM
Current assignee: FOREXIM
Priority date: 1992-03-27
Filing date: 1992-03-27
Publication date: 1993-10-06
Anticipated expiration: 2012-03-27
Also published as: GB2265598B; HK1000420A1; GB9206751D0

Abstract

A can-opener 10 comprises a body 11 formed by two elongate body members 12, 13 pivotably connected together at 14, rotary cutting means (18 and 19, Fig 1), a turning knob 21 for operating the rotary cutting means, a magnet 33 for holding by magnetic attraction a loose piece 35 cut out from a can by the cutting means, and releasing means 34 operable by the relative movement of the body members 12, 13 to release the loose piece 35 from the magnet 33. As the elongate members open, the releasing means 34 push the loose piece off the magnet 35 (see Fig 5). The elongate members 12, 13 may be biassed towards an open position by a spring 17. A locking member 22, which may take the form of a pivoted rocker arm, may be provided to lock the elongate members into a closed position. The locking is released by depressing a button 28 which pivots the rocker arm, thus enabling an extension 30 on one of the elongate members to move, not the rocker arm. <IMAGE>

Description

CAN OPENER The present invention relates to a can-opener.

According to the invention, there is provided a can-opener which comprises a body formed by first and second elongate body members pivotably connected together near their front ends for relative pivotal movement between extended and contracted positions by a user gripping over their rear ends, rotary cutting means provided at the front end of the body for cutting open a can when the body members are in the contracted position, a turning knob provided at the front end of the body for operating the rotary cutting means, a magnet provided at the front end of the body for holding by magnetic attraction a loose piece cut out from a said can by the cutting means, and releasing means provided at the front end of the body and operable by the relative movement of the body members to release a said loose piece from the magnet.

Preferably, the releasing means is operable by the body members moving relatively to each other from the contracted to the extended position.

In a preferred embodiment, the releasing means comprises a part of the first or second body member and the magnet has a holding surface, said releasing part and said magnet being movable relative to each other upon said relative pivotal movement between the first and second body members thereby resulting in the releasing part and an imaginary plane containing the magnet holding surface crossing each other to effect the release of a said loose piece held on the holding surface from the magnet.

More preferably, the releasing part is provided at the front end of the first body member and the magnet is provided at the front end of the second body member, in that the releasing part and the magnet may be fixed at the front ends of the corresponding body members.

In a specific construction, the releasing part is provided by the front end of the first body part and has a rim surrounding the magnet behind the imaginary plane containing the magnet holding surface when the first and second body members are in the contracted position.

Advantageously, the body members are resiliently biassed towards the extended position by a spring.

In a preferred embodiment, such a can-opener further comprises first and second releasable interlocking means associated with the first and second body members, respectively, and co-operable to lock the first and second body members in the contracted position automatically when the body members are pivoted to that position.

More specifically, the first interlocking means is pivotably supported by the first body member for pivotal movement between a locking position with the second interlocking means and an unlocking position from the second interlocking means.

It is advantageous that the first interlocking means is resiliently biassed by a spring towards the locking position.

The can-opener may further comprise a push-button arranged to be pressed by a user to pivot the first interlocking means to the unlocking position.

In a particular arrangement, the first interlocking means is provided by a rocker having a front end engageable with the second interlocking means and having a rear end at which the push-button is arranged to pivot the rocker.

Advantageously, a spring is provided co-acting between the first interlocking means and the push-button to bias resiliently the push-button towards a raised position.

The second interlocking means may be provided by a fixed part of the second body member.

The invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side view of an embodiment of a can-opener in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is an opposite side view of the can-opener of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a sectional side view of the can-opener of Figure 1, in a fully contracted position; Figure 4 is a sectional side view of the can-opener of Figure 1, in a partially extended position; Figure 5 is a sectional side view of the can-opener of Figure 1, in a fully extended position; and Figure 6 is front end sectional view of the can-opener of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a can-opener 10 embodying the invention, which can-opener 10 comprises a body 11 formed by a elongate first body member 12 and a elongate second body member 13. The body members 12 and 13 are connected together at their front ends 12 and 13a by means of a pivot pin 14 for relative pivotal movement between a contracted position (as shown in Figures 1 to 3) and an extended position (as shown in Figure 5). The second body member 13 carries therein a spring 15 which is located in position by a transverse shaft 16 passing there through. The spring 15 has two legs 17 co-acting between the inner sides of corresponding body members 12 and 13, thereby biassing the body members 12 and 13 apart into or towards the extended position.

As shown in Figure 6, the body members 12 and 13 carry, on one side and at the front end of the body 11, a rotary cutting blade 18 and a toothed driving disc 19. The cutting blade 18 is supported by means of a spindle 20, whereas the driving disc 19 is fixed on the shaft 16. The spindle 20 lies in the same vertical plane as and extends at an angle of about 25 degrees to the shaft 16. The cutting blade 18 and driving disc 19 are so positioned such that the former overlaps slightly with the latter from outside when the body members 12 and 13 are in the contracted position. A winged turning knob 21 is fixed on the other end of the shaft 16, on the opposite side of the body 11.

With the can-opener 10 in the contracted condition, the driving disc 19 can be rotated by a user by means of the turning knob 21 in order to move a rim of a can along for cutting by the cutting blade 19, in a manner as generally known in the art.

The can-opener 10 is automatically locked in the contracted condition as soon as the two body members 12 and 13 are squeezed together to their contracted position by a user gripping their rear ends 12b and 13b which serve as a handle for the can-opener 10. The locking mechanism is provided near the front end 12a of the first body member 12 by a rocking lever 22 which is pivotably supported on a transverse pin 23. The rocking lever 22 has a front end 22a which is resiliently biassed downwards by a coil spring 24 above received at least partially in a collar 25 depending from the top wall of the first body member 12.

A second coil spring 26 is provided acting from above against a rear end 22b of the rocking lever 22. The spring 26 is located by a downwardly extending collar 27 of a push-button 28 which is vertically slidably received in an aperture 29 in the top wall of the first body member 12.

The relative strength of the springs 24 and 26 is designed such that the rocking lever 22 is always subject to an anti-clockwise biassing force even in its extreme anticlockwise position (as shown in Figure 3) which is defined by the lever rear end 22b engaging the bottom end of the collar 27.

In this extreme anti-clockwise position, the front end 22a of the rocking lever 22 engages behind an upper end 30a of a wall 30 upstanding from the bottom wall of the second body member 13 near the front end 13a thereof. The wall 30 is located immediately behind the pivot pin 14 and its upper end 30a is way above the pivot pin 14 such that any tendency of the second body member 13 pivoting relatively clockwise away from the first body member 12 under the action of the spring 15 will be counter-acted by the engagement between the wall upper end 30a and the lever front end 22a. As a result the two body members 12 and 13 are locked together in this relative position.

In order to release the can-opener 10 from the contracted condition, the push-button 28 is pressed downwards, thereby pivoting the rocking lever 22 clockwise against the action of the spring 24, until the lever front end 22a is moved clear of the upper end 30a of the wall 30. When this happens, the wall 30 is free from pivoting clockwise, and so is the second body member 13, under the action of the spring 15, as shown in Figure 4.

Another upstanding wall 31 from the bottom wall of the second body member 13 is provided in front of the pivot pin 14, whereas a depending wall 32 is formed from the top wall of the first body member 12 behind the wall 31 but in front of the wall 30. The free ends of the walls 31 and 32 engage with each other in order to stop the two body members 12 and 13 over-pivoting from each other, thereby defining the extended condition of the can-opener 10, as shown in Figure 5.

With the can-opener 10 in the extended condition, the spring 26 serves to return the push-button 28 to its original uppermost position. The front end 22a of the rocking lever 22 has an inclined surface 22c at which the lever front end 22a bears against the upper end 30a of the wall 30. The inclined surface 22c serves to permit the lever front end 22a to ride down behind the wall upper end 30a when the two body members 12 and 13 are squeezed together again.

As generally known in the art, the body members 12 and 13 are squeezed together in order to engage the rotary cutting blade 18 and the toothed driving disk 19 onto opposite sides of the rim of a can and to effect the first cut into the can. It will be appreciated that during the squeezing action the can-opener 10 will operate generally in the reverse sequence, namely from Figure 5 back to Figure 3, but without any action or movement of the push-button 28.

Referring now to the front end of the body 11, the second body member 13 carries a fixed magnet 33 which has a generally flat surface 33a against which a loose piece 35, namely the top plate or lid, cut off from a can by means of the rotary cutting blade 18 is to be attached to the magnet 33 by virtue of magnetic attraction.

The front end 12a of the first body member 12 curves down to form a rim 34 which surrounds the magnet 33 immediately behind (above) an imaginary plane containing the magnet surface 33a, when the can-opener 10 is in the contracted condition (Figure 3). As the body members 12 and 13 pivot apart towards the extended position, the rim 34 will move relatively across the imaginary plane or in other words the magnet 33 will retract relatively to behind the rim 34.

When the occurs, the loose can piece 35 originally attached to the flat surface 33a of the magnet 33 will be separated therefrom by engagement with the rim 34 and the part of the second body member 13 immediately behind the magnet 33, as shown in Figure 4, until the loose can piece 35 is pushed too far away from the magnet 33 to remain attached and is thus released therefrom.

In operation, the can-opener 10 is used to open a can by cutting off the top plate or lid 35 from the can, in the manner as described above. The can-opener 10 will remain in the contracted condition through operation of the automatic locking mechanism, with the magnet exposed which is then used to lift conveniently the cut-off lid 35 from the can body. Once the lid 35 is delivered to say over a waste bin, the push-button 28 is pressed in order to release the lid 35, again in the manner as described above.

The operation of the push-button 28 will also permit the can-opener 10 to return to the operative fully extended condition ready for future use.

It will be appreciated that the automatic locking mechanism provided by the rocking lever 22, the spring 24 and the body wall 30, etc. is not necessarily an essential element of the can-opener according to the invention, in that the can-opener body members will usually remain gripped by a user when the user is carrying the cut-off lid for disposal. In order to release the lid, the body members may be spread apart with one hand or the lower body member may be allowed to pivot downwards.

It is envisaged that in a further different embodiment, the magnet may be pivotably supported and arranged to turn in response to the spreading apart of the can-opener body members in order to turn away from the cut-off lid held thereby while the lid is stopped from moving together with the magnet by abutment with an adjacent part of the canopener body.

The invention has been given by way of example only, and various other modifications of and/or alterations to the described embodiment may be made by persons skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as specified in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A can-opener comprising a body formed by first and second elongate body members pivotably connected together near their front ends for relative pivotal movement between extended and contracted positions by a user gripping over their rear ends, rotary cutting means provided at the front end of the body for cutting open a can when the body members are in the contracted position, a turning knob provided at the front end of the body for operating the rotary cutting means, a magnet provided at the front end of the body for holding by magnetic attraction a loose piece cut out from a said can by the cutting means, and releasing means provided at the front end of the body and operable by the relative movement of the body members to release a said loose piece from the magnet.

2. A can-opener as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the releasing means is operable by the body members moving relatively to each other from the contracted to the extended position.

3. A can-opener as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the releasing means comprises a part of the first or second body member and the magnet has a holding surface, said releasing part and said magnet being movable relative to each other upon said relative pivotal movement between the first and second body members thereby resulting in the releasing part and an imaginary plane containing the magnet holding surface crossing each other to effect the release of a said loose piece held on the holding surface from the magnet.

4. A can-opener as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the releasing part is provided at the front end of the first body member and the magnet is provided at the front end of the second body member.

5. A can-opener as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the releasing part and the magnet are fixed at the front ends of the corresponding body members.

6. A can-opener as claimed in Claim 5, wherein the releasing part is provided by the front end of the first body part and has a rim surrounding the magnet behind the imaginary plane containing the magnet holding surface when the first and second body members are in the contracted position.

7. A can-opener as claimed in any one of Claim 2 to Claim 6, wherein the body members are resiliently biassed towards the extended position by a spring.

8. A can-opener as claimed in Claim 7, further comprising first and second releasable interlocking means associated with the first and second body members, respectively, and co-operable to lock the first and second body members in the contracted position automatically when the body members are pivoted to that position.

9. A can-opener as claimed in Claim 8, wherein the first interlocking means is pivotably supported by the first body member for pivotal movement between a locking position with the second interlocking means and an unlocking position from the second interlocking means.

10. A can-opener as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first interlocking means is resiliently biassed by a spring towards the locking position.

11. A can-opener as claimed in Claim 10, further comprising a push-button arranged to be pressed by a user to pivot the first interlocking means to the unlocking position.

12. A can-opener as claimed in Claim 11, wherein the first interlocking means is provided by a rocker having a front end engageable with the second interlocking means and having a rear end at which the push-button is arranged to pivot the rocker.

13. A can-opener as claimed in Claim 11 or Claim 12, wherein a spring is provided co-acting between the first interlocking means and the push-button to bias resiliently the push-button towards a raised position.

14. A can-opener as claimed in any one of Claim 8 to Claim 13, wherein the second interlocking means is provided by a fixed part of the second body member.

15. A can-opener substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.