MXPA97007211A - Open - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a manual can opener adapted to separate an end wall of a can body by cutting from the outside to the vertical edge formed at the end of the can, the edge comprising overlapping portions of the perimeter of the end wall and the wall side of the can, characterized in that it comprises two body portions arranged for their relative movement in pivot about an axis, one portion carrying a rotary cutting wheel and the other portion carrying a rotary wheel of tension, the axes of the wheels being substantially parallel one to another and to the main shaft of the can body when in cutting position, the rotary cutting wheel comprising a body having an annular cutting edge, the can opener being arranged, in use, to receive the edge of the can between the two wheels and to orbit the can as the traction wheel is rotated while the cutting wheel makes a peripheral cut in the former At the edge of the edge, a portion of the body of the cutting wheel below said cutting edge is angled to have a wall that overlaps outwardly and downwardly relative to the axis of the cutting wheel, by means of which the angled body portion it is adapted to make contact with the outside of the edge under the cut and exert a force in the opposite direction to the traction wheel to prevent the can body from tilting when it is received in the can opener and to bend the edge when it is cut to increase the separation of the wall extre

Description

OBRELOTPS DESCRIPTIVE ME? ORIO The invention relates to a can opener of the type operating to separate an end wall or a + apa from the can by cutting from the outside to the vertical edge formed at the end of the can and comprising overlapping portions of the perimeter of the end wall and The lateral wall of Ja lt - An opener of this type is described in European Patent Publication EP-0-169224. This opener comprises two body portions arranged with a pivot, one cutting wheel and the other carrying a traction wheel, and the edge of the can to be opened is in use of the opener received between the wheels. The axes of the wheels are substantially parallel. A problem may arise with that opener in the sense that even when the opener has been cut around the entire periphery of the rim, it may still be difficult to remove the separated end wall. It is proposed in that description to provide different means of the cutting wheel to detach the separated end wall. For this purpose, the opener, in one embodiment, includes an additional release hook and in another embodiment, a lever that distorts the side wall of the can. In our UO international patent application 92/02445, we have shown that by appropriate molding of the parts supporting the edge of the a + a, the end wall can be cut off so that it can be easily detached from the can. Accordingly, in 10 92/02445 a can opener is provided adapted to separate an end wall from the body of a can by cutting from the outside to the vertical edge formed at the end of the can, comprising of the edge overlapping portions of the perimeter of the end wall. and the end wall of the can, the can opener comprising two body portions arranged for pivotal reactive movement about one axis, one portion carrying a rotating cutting wheel and the other portion carrying a rotating traction wheel, the latter being substantially parallel to each other (and to the main axis of the can body when in position to cut) in a vertical plane, the opener being disposed, in use, to receive the edge of the la + a between the two wheels and to rotating the can as the traction wheel is rotated while the cutting wheel makes a peripheral cut to the outside of the edge, the traction wheel being formed for distorting the edge while being cut by the cutting wheel to loosen the overlap coupling between the end wall and the side wall of the can. Preferably, to distort the edge, the traction wheel includes a portion having a surface adapted to engage, in use, the inner side wall of the edge, said surface being inclined at a greater angle than the angle of inclination of the edge with with respect to the vertical axis of the lta. We have now found that the greatest improvement in the separation of the overlapping coupling of the end wall and the side wall of the can can be achieved by a modification of the figure of the cutting wheel of the opener described in "0 92/02445. Accordingly, the present invention provides a can opener adapted to separate an end wall from a can body by cutting from the outside to the vertical edge formed at the end of the can, the edge comprising overlapping portions of the perimeter of the end wall and the wall side of the can, the can opener comprising two body portions arranged for relative movement in a pivot about the axle, one portion carrying one cutting wheel and the other portion carrying a rotating traction wheel, the axes of the wheels being substantially parallel one to another (and to the main axis of the can body when in position to cut) in a vertical plane, the can opener being disposed, in use, to receive the edge of the can between the two wheels and to be rotated the can as the drive wheel is rotated while the cutting wheel makes a peripheral cut on the outside of the edge, the traction wheel being configured to distort the edge while being cut by the cutting wheel to loosen the overlap coupling between the end wall and the side wall of the can, adjacent means being present to couple the edge of the can at separate locations between yes ent the traction wheel and the cutting wheel when the adjacent means rest on the top of the can, characterized in that the cutting wheel includes an angled body portion to be adjacent to the edge of the can below the level at which the wheel Cutting makes a spiral cut with which the can can be kept stable and the cut cap can be separated by pulling the can body with the hand. By means of this contact the can can be held in a stable position with its substantial principal axis being parallel to said axes of the wheels. Although the axes of the wheels are substantially parallel in a vertical plane, the cutting head of the cutting wheel can be angled to be at an angle, preferably 5 to 12 °, to the axes of the traction wheel and the body of the wheel. can in a vertical second plane. By this means, the edge metal after cutting by the cutting wheel is forced to separate. Preferably, the angled body portion extends around the entire perimeter of the cutting wheel. In a specifically preferred embodiment, the angled body portion terminates at its lower end in a flange or shoulder around the wheel, the outer face of the flange being aligned to extend substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of rotation of the cutting wheel. By appropriately designing the flange with respect to the cutting edge of the wheel, this outer face can be adjacent to the side of a can under its edge during the cutting operation to stabilize the can. Preferably, to distort the edge, the traction wheel includes a portion having a surface adapted to engage, in use, the inner side wall of the edge, said surface being inclined at an angle greater than the angle of the edge inclination with with respect to the vertical axis of the can. Preferably, the rotation of the traction wheel causes the passive rotation of the cutting wheel. By means of the configuration of the cutting wheel below the cutting perimeter, the can can be held more firmly in the desired ratio without undesired rotation or pivoting tendency. The cutting wheel obtains a better inclination against the can against the stiffer edge as it would against the thinner wall of the body of the can. The embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of an embodiment of a can opener which modalizes the invention; Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view along the line X-X of Figure 1; Figure 3 is an enlarged scale view of part of Figure 2, but showing also the edge of a can in the cutting position and showing the cutting wheel of the invention in greater detail; Figure 4 is a schematic plan view of a portion of the embodiment shown in the Figure 1; Figure 5 is a partial sectional view along the line Y-Y of Figure 2; and Figure 6a is a partial sectional view showing the edge of a can before, and Figure Bb is the same view afterwards, of cutting using the can opener of Figures 1 to 5. The can opener C to be opened, as best seen in Figure 6a, it includes a peripheral vertical rim R, having an upper portion oriented upward T and a lower portion oriented downward U. The rim R is formed from the overlapped portions of the periphery of the end wall E of the can and the end portion of the side wall S of the can. The can opener shown in the drawings is designed to be held in a user's hand and comprises a first portion of body 1 of relatively large size having a handle portion 2 and a relatively smaller second body portion 3 having an handle handle portion 4. The two body portions 1, 3 are molded separately from plastic. The u-shaped cavity in the lower part of the body portion 2 contains a casting metal insert with die 5 held in its position μor the screws 6 in the body 2. A pin 7 extends from the insert 5 through of both body portions for joining the body portions together in relation to pivoting. The two body portions of the can opener 1, 3 are pivotally movable relative to each other and a relatively closed connection, shown in the drawings, in which the handle L 4 of the body portion 3 is flush with the handle 2 of the first portion 1 and a relatively open condition, not shown, in which the two handles are separated from each other. A cutting wheel 8 is rotatably mounted on a bucket 9 within a cavity 90 in the metal insert 5. The cutting wheel 7 includes an annular cutting body 10 protruding beyond the cavity 90 and a lower flange extending outwardly 11. The body 10 comprises two ramp portions 10a and 10b, Figure 3, which converge to define the cutting edge. The portions are asymmetric, ie the upper portion 10a is inclined at a small angle rnuy, ie approximately 5o with the horizontal plane, while the lower portion 10b is inclined at a relatively steeper angle of between approximately 45 ° and 65 °. ° with the horizontal plane, preferably about 55 °. It has been found that such an arrangement gives a durable cutting edge that requires a minimum force to make a cut. Above the portion 10a the cutting wheel includes a more inclined portion 7a to provide a clearance between the cutting wheel and the tension wheel, which is to be described later. Beneath the body portion 10, the cutting wheel has a body portion 10c that is angled to protrude outwardly away from the cutting edge. The angled body portion 10c is attached to the aforementioned flange 11 by a shorter, less sharply angled body portion 10D. The body portion 10c can be formed at an angle of, for example, 5 ° to 20 ° with the longitudinal rotational axis of the cutting wheel and the body portion 10d at an angle of, for example, 25 ° to 35 ° with its e e. Figure 11 has an outer circumferential face which extends substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cutting wheel. A traction wheel 12 includes a pin 13 which extends through the body portion 1 at its remote end of its handle portion. The pin 13 rotates inside a sleeve 14. A T-shaped handle 15 is secured to the upper part of the pin 13 for rotating the traction wheel 12 and an arrangement of the circular and spring-loaded sheave lip 16 is present. in the middle of the lower face of the handle 15 and the opposite face of the first body portion 1. A traction wheel 12 comprises an inverted fruto portion 17, seen in the best way in Figure 3. Most currently available cans include an R edge that has an inner face that diverges from the vertical of the can at an angle of about 8 to 10 °. We have discovered that by configuring the frustoconical portion 17 of the traction wheel such that the rim R is tilted or otherwise moved outwardly at an angle greater than this angle during cutting, any r-bearing friction coupling is interrupted between the edge walls on each side of the cut. The bending action will also tear off any similar adhesive or sealant present on the edge or for example plastics or similar coating within the can. Accordingly, the angle of inclination of the portion 17 is selected to be at least greater than about 10 °. The maximum angle of inclination must be less than that which inclines the edge in this manner so that it makes the traction wheel difficult to turn, which is of special importance when the can opener is of the hand operated variety. The frusto-conical portion 17 includes the ribs 18 to provide grip. Referring now to Figures 4 and 5, the lower portion of the body portion 1 is provided with an adjacent plate 20 generally u-shaped in plan, with the central region 21 being U-shaped and open to receive the pin. 13 previously mentioned. The traction wheel 12 is thus centrally provided with the "U" and protrudes slightly below the lower plane of the "U". As shown in Figure 4, the relative wheel 7 partly lies within the open arms of the "U" when the body portions are in the closed position and a gap is provided between the two wheels to receive the rim R of a can. The adjacent plate 20, as shown in the Figure , define two opposite extreme regions 22 being the ends of the arms of the "U". When a can with its edge R is inserted between the traction wheel 12 and the cutting wheel 7, the ends 22 rest on the top of the can at the contact points 23 and 24 and ensure that the ee of the traction wheel be perpendicular to the lid or end E of the can. The downward pressure by these contact points that are seated on the cutting edge is thus provided through the traction wheel, showing this as a reaction force F / 2 at each contact point to counteract the force. -za up F applied during cutting. However, it will be appreciated that, due to the curvature of the can there will be a tendency for the can to bend as shown in Figure 4, arrow 0, due to the compensation d-d between the forces F and F / 2. The angled face 10C of the cutting wheel remains adjacent to the edge of the can to prevent it from causing unwanted movement. Since this adjacent position is against the edge and not against the thin wall, this movement can be opposed without distortion of the can. By preventing the can from tilting, the edge is held in a stabilized position so that the short edge 10 can run at the correct level from the top-of the edge .. As shown, the longitudinal or rotational axis of the The cutting wheel is inclined at an angle "ü" of approximately 8o with that of the traction wheel and the body of the can. In use, the user imitatively moves the body portions to the open condition and introduces the rim R of the can C to the space between the traction and cutting wheels, ie the cutting gap dd (Figure 3), and then the two body portions are moved like scissors towards the closed condition shown in the drawings. As the body portions move further to the fully closed condition, the cutting edge 10 contacts and then cuts into an upper portion of the outer edge portion R, which is supported on the lower face by the frusto-conical portion 17, while that the outer side of the edge R is coupled by the angled body portion 10c under the cut and is thus forced inwardly (Figure 3). The meeting of the handle portions provides a lock against the excess force applied to the edge and maintains the horizontal separation between the traction and cutting wheels at a substantial distance. As the traction wheel 12 is rotated, it drives the passive cutting wheel and, due to the angle "D", the cutting edge 10 makes a spiral cut that extends vertically downwards to the edge until the upper side T of the edge is raised from the lower half of R by the body portion 10a. The cutting wheel will then continue the rest of the cut, but will remain substantially par-alleled to the top of the edge with the cutting edge 10 tending to separate the cutting edges of the end wall F and the side wall S in the manner of a re of agricultural plow. The frusto-conical portion 17, in cooperation with the cutting edge 10, exerts a force component outwardly and downwardly on the edge to thereby distort or bend the edge R while the opposing force applied by the surface 10c increases the effect of separation on the surface. e the cutting edge. In this way, the combined forces effectively hold the edge of the can in a stabilized position so that the cutting edge 10 can cut through the outer rind of R and lift the cutting portion T. The can opener is then removed from the can. the can and simply pull the lid off by hand and leaving the edges smooth. A comparison of the edge of the a + a before and after opening is shown in Figures 6a and 6b. As clearly shown in Figure 6b, after cutting, the edge has been distorted just enough so that the end wall E can be lifted simply from the can body by simple manual operation and without the need for additional parts. of tool.

Claims (4)

NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION CLAIMS

1. A can opener adapted to separate an end wall of a can body by cutting from the outside to the vertical edge R formed at the end of the Can, the edge R comprising overlapping portions of the perimeter of the ex-wall and the side wall of the can C, the opener comprising two body portions i, 2 arranged for their relative movement in pivot about one ee, one portion carrying a rotating cutting wheel 8 and the other portion carrying a rotary drive wheel 12, the axes of the wheels being substantially parallel to one another (and to the main axis of the can body when in the cutting position) in a vertical plane, the opener being disposed, in use, to receive the rim R of the can C between the two wheels 8, 12 and for rotating the can as the traction wheel 12 is rotated while the cutting wheel 8 makes a peripheral cut on the outer side of the edge R, the traction wheel 12 being configured for dist. orsionate the edge R while it is cut by the cutting wheel 8 to loosen the overlap coupling between the extrusion wall and the side wall of the can, adjacent means 20 being present for coupling the edge R of the + a C in indications separated from one another 22, 24 between the traction wheel 12 and the cutting wheel 8 when the adjacent means 22 rests on the upper pair + e of the can, further characterized in that the cutting wheel 8 includes an angled body portion 10c to be adjacent at the edge of the can below the level at which the cutting wheel 8 makes a spiral cut by which the stable can is held and the cut cap can be detached by pulling the can body with the hand.

2. A can opener according to claim 1 further characterized in that the cutting head of the cutting wheel 8 is at an angle with the ee of the traction wheel 12 and the can body C in a vertical plane .

3. A can opener according to claim 2, further characterized in that the angle is from 5 to 12 °.

4. A can opener in accordance with the rei indication 1, 2 or 3, further characterized in that the angled body portion 10c extends around the entire perimeter of the cutting wheel 8 »5.- A can opener in accordance with any claim from , further characterized in that the angled body portion 10c terminates at its lower end in a flange or shoulder 11 around the wheel 8, the outer face of the flange or shoulder being aligned to extend substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of rotation of the wheel. cutting wheel 8. 6. A can opener in accordance with any claim, further characterized in that the traction wheel 12 includes a portion 17 having a porphlet adapted for coupling, in use, the interior side wall of the edge. , said surface being inclined at an angle greater than the angle of inclination of the edge with respect to the Leal eev of the can. 7. A can opener according to any claim, further characterized in that the rotation of the traction wheel 12 causes the passive rotation of the cutting wheel 8. 8. A can opener in accordance with any claim, further characterized because the wheel Cutter 8 has an annular cutting body comprising two portions 10c, 10b that converge to define a cutting edge, the portions being symmetrical. 9.- A can opener in accordance with the claim 8, further characterized in that the lower portion 10b is inclined at 45 ° and 65 ° by the horizontal plane and the upper portion 10a is inclined at a less pronounced angle with the horizontal plane. 10. A can opener according to claims 5 and 8 or 9, further characterized in that the angled body portion 10c is then attached to the flange 11 by a shorter body portion 10o shorter less sharply angled. 11. A can opener according to any claim, further characterized because the wheel 1?of traction 12 has a portion frus + ocomca 17 par-e making contact with the edge of the can.