US1469398A

US1469398A - Automatic can-opening machine

Info

Publication number: US1469398A
Authority: US
Inventors: Wade L Street
Original assignee: T A SNIDER PRESERVE Co
Current assignee: T A SNIDER PRESERVE Co
Priority date: 1922-04-10
Filing date: 1922-04-10
Publication date: 1923-10-02
Anticipated expiration: 1940-10-02

Description

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' W. L. STREET AUTOMATIC GAN OPENING MACHINE 3 /723241 z 7 2 51x /qf W. L.. STREET r AUTOMATIC CAN OPENING MACHINE Filed April lo 1923 z Sheets-Smet 2 3a i el? Patented @et 2., lg..

err srs WDE L. STREET, 0F CHI-CAGO, ILLNOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE T. A. .::v

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COMPANY, 0F CHICAG, ELLNOIS, A CORPORATION OE' ILLINOIS.

AUTOMATIC CAN-OPENING CHINE.

Vappiiaaioaaiea apra 1o, waa. aerial no.

asaeea braces

15, 16, all bolted foreourely fastened To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WADE L. STREET, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, Cook County, and State of llinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Can-Opening Machines, of which the following is declared to be a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to automatic can opening machines and its principal object is to provide power operated mechanism of strong, substantial and practical construction, for automatically Severin the tops or top portions of tin cans from t e remainder thereof, whereby the contents may be dlscharged from the cans.

In many `large establishments, great quantities of canned vegetables, frults and the like are used in certain seasons of the year, particularly when fresh vegetables and frult are not obtainable, and the task of opening the tin cans, containing the vegetables, fruits, etc., is a laborious and tedious one, requiringthe time of several worlnnen'in a plant of any considerable capacity.

With a machine embodying the present invention, the cans are automatically opened, and the contents discharged as quickly as one or two men .can feed thecans to the machine. rlhe invention consists in the several novel features hereinafter fully set forth and claimed..

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an automatic can opening machine embodying one form of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a plan thereof ;"'Fig. 3 is a view of the knife mechanism looking at the underside thereof; Fig. 4 is a detail, vertical, longitudinal section taken on line 1 -f1 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 .is a detail vertical cross sect-ion taken online 5 5 0f Fig. 2, and Fig. 6 is a detail, vertical, cross section taken on line 6-6 of eferring to said drawings, wh1ch illustrate a simple embodiment of the invention, the reference character 10 designates a main frame of strong and substantial construction, up'on which the working parts are mounted. Conveniently, the. frame may comprise horizontal lengthwise extending frame members 11, horizontal crosswise extending frame members 12,

legs

13, 14, and

to ether, to provide a rigid framework.

ournalled in

bearing boxes

17, 18, that are secured upon the frame members'll, are two

shafts

19, 20, uponwhich are mounted sprocket wheels 21, that ,are arranged in pairs, one pair'on each shaft, and those on each shaft bein in alignment with those on the other sha, and around the aligned vsprocket wheels are trained link belts-or sprocket chains-22. The bearing boxes v17 are adjustably mounted and are .provided l with adjusting screws 23, mounted in brackets 24, whereb Vthey may be adjusted to take up slack in t e sprocket chains 22.l

The shaft l20 projects ,beyond the side of the main frame, and is connected to anddriven from any suitable source of power, and, as shown,l a gear wheel 26 is mounted on the end of the shaft 20, and 'meshes with a pinion 27 mounted on a pulley shaft 28 which is journalledun bearing boxes 29 secured to frame members 30, the latter being secured to and supported byA legs 3l, connected to the main frame by frame members 32. Upon the shaft 28 is a belt pulley 50 which may be belted to the drive pulley of a motor or other drive mechanism.

At equidistant places on the sprocket chains 22 certain oppositely'disposed links are provided with lugs 33 to which are rig-- idly secured can propelling heads 34 which extend from one chain to the other. Said can propelling heads 34 may have semicir cular or U shaped portions 35, of such size and shape as to fit partly around a tin can, of a given size. rlhe chains 22 and heads 34 provide an endless can conveyer, of strong. and substantial construction, capable of poitively propelling the cans past the can opening knife mechanism, which will be presently described. A table or platform 36 supported by the members 12 of the frame work 10 extends between the

shafts

19, 20, at a suitable distancebelowthe upper bights of the conveyer chains 22, and receives and supports the tin cans, X, while they are being moved from the receiving end of. the machine (lettered a) to the discharge end (lettered b). Chain supporting and guiding rails 37 are secug'ed to the table and have llanges38 (see Fig. 6) that underlie thel upper bights of the chains and carry the weight thereof. They also act to guide the chains to move in a horizontal plane parallel with is I eo l

as l

' ated on.

the table. The table 36 and rails37 form a trough through which the cans are propelled by the conveyer chains.

-'ll`he legs 14 extend up above the upperl bights of the chains and support the can opening knife mechanism. Secured to and connecting theupper ends of the opposing legs 14 are

cross frame members

38, 39, and secured to the latter are two horizontal knife carrying bars 40 that extend length-4 wise ofthe machine. lltemovably secured to said knife carrying bars 40 as by bolts and nuts or,screws 41, (see Fig. 5) is a knife blade 42 which extends in a horizontal direction, across 4and above the top of the trough, and in a plane slightly below the tops or upper ends of the `cans to be oper- 'lhe forward or kcutting edge43 of the kniteblade 42 is rpreferably made V shaped and saidjedge is beveled and sharpcned.

The knifecarrying bars 40 project beyond the cutting edges ot the knife blade 42 and sur'iportl a pressure bar 44, which overlies the trough imiediately in front of the knie blade and prevents the cans from being tilt- 'ed back when@ they encounter the knife yau blade. The pressure bar 44 is capable of yielding slightly in an upward direction to accommodate slight inequalities in the bights ot the cans.. lt is secured to and supported by two cross bars 45 (see Figs. 6, 3 and 4) which rest on the knife bars 40. @oiled compression springs 46 confined between the upper faces of the bars 45 and heads of bolts 47 that are secured to the knife bars l 4() and extend through the bars 45, act to titl y hold the ressure bar 44 cans, whi' e passing thereunder, whereby they. are prevented from being tilted when encounterin the knife blade 42.`

Beyond t e knife blade 42 is a cover receiving chute or guide 48, which leads oil to one side of the machine and has a vertical y flange 49 for guiding the severed tops of the cans to one side of the machine where they fall into a suitable receptacle. The chute or guide 48 is secured to the bars 40 in any sultable manner.

ln the operation olf the machine, the conveyer is propelled in the direction of the arrows in Figs. l and 2. An attendant places the illed cans on the table 36 at the receivingend, a, one can only being placed in front of each can propelling head 34. When the head engages the can, it moves it forward toward the knife blade 42 and, as it encounters it, thev pointed end of the blade penetrates the wall o the can adjacent its upper end, as seen in Fig. 4, and severs the top portion from the remainder ot the can, said severedportion passing over the knife blade, and remaining in a position where the following severed top will engage it and move it upon the chute 48 from which it will can is discharged down upon the be encountere igieeee finally be discharged. rllhe opened can is propelled under the knife blade and ch'ute and is dischar ed from the machine at the discharge end, as the conveyer passes. over the sprocket wheels '21. Conveniently, the into a receptacle or chute (not shown) located at the discharge lend of the machine, and having a wire mesh screen at its upper end upon which the cans tall, when discharged from the machine. rllhe contents pass through the screen into the receptacle or chute,and an attendant removed the empty cans.

The machine is automatic in operation, is positive in action. separates the tops from. the can bodies and requires practically no attention. 'llwo attendants, one forV eeding the cans to the machine, and one 'for removing the empty cans, great number ont cans which it would otherwise require many other workmen to do the same amount of work.

More or less variation of the exact details of construction is possible without departing from the spirit of this invention l desire, therefore, not to limit myself to thel exact form of the construction shown and described, but intend in the following claims Letters Patent:

l. A can opening machine comprising, a table, a can deheading knife blade parallel with said 'table and stationarily supported thel'eabove, said blade heilig unobstructed from front to back, and can propelling mechanism for moving lled cans along said table and past said' knife blade, being placedin position to be encountered by the upper ends of the cans.

2. A. can openin traveling can rope ling mechanism and a can deheading nife blade parallel with said conveying mechanism and stationarily mounted along the path of movement of said can propellin mechanism by the upper ends of the cans.

3. Ar can opening machine comprising, traveling can propelling mechanism, a can deheading knife blade parallel with said conveying mechanism and stationarily mounted along the pathv ol movement of said can conveyer in position to be encountered by the upper ends ol: the cans, and a spring pressed pressure bar for engaging the tops of the cans, and located in advance of the knife blade.

4. A can opening machine comprising, traveling can propelling mechanism, a can deheading knife blade parallel with said conveying mechanism and stationarily mounted along the path oit movement of' said can conveyer in position ta be encountered the latter machine comprising,`

in position to lll@ VLeeaaee by the upper ends of the cans, a spring' pressed pressure bar for enga ing the to s of the cans, and located in a vance of t e knife blade, and a chute for receiving the severed can ends located behind the knife blade.

5.'A can opening' machine, comprising, a table, an endless power driven can conve er,l traveling over` said table, and a can de eading knife blade, parallel with said table and stationarily supported thereabove in unobstructed condition from front 'to back, in position to be encountered by the upper ends of cans propelled by the can conve er.

6. can opening machine comprising, a table, an endless power driven can conve er, travelin over said table, a can deheadling knife bade, parallel with said table and stationarily supported thereabove in osition to be encountered by the upper en s of cans propelled by they can conveyer, and a spring pressed pressure bar for engaging the tops of the cans and located in advance of the knife blade.

7. A can opening machine comprising, a table, an endless power driven can conveyer, travelin over said table, a can deheadinggl knife b ade, parallel with, said table and,

stationarily supported thereabove in osition to be encountered by the upper en s of cans propelled by the can conveyer, a spring pressed pressure bar for enga 'ng the to s of the cans, and located in a vance of t e knife blade, and a chute for receivin `the severed can ends located behind the nife blade.

8. A can opening machine comprising, a

table, a shaft at each -end of said table, one of which is power driven, a pair of sprocket wheels on each shaft, sprocket chains trained around opposite the sprocket Wheels on said shafts, can propelling heads secured to and connecting said sprocket chains, and a knife blade, parallel with said table, stationarily supported therebove in position to be encountered bv the upper ends of said cans, when propelled by said heads.

9. A can opening machine comprising, a table, chain supporting' rails at the sides thereof, and forming therewith, a trough, a shaft at each end of said table, one of which is power driven, a pair of sprocket. wheels on each shaft, sprocket chains trained aroundoppositepthe sprocket wheels on said shafts,kand supported in part by said rails, can propelling heads secured to and connecting said sprocket chains, and a knife blade,

Aparallel with said table, stationarily sup- Yported encountered by the'uper ends of 'said cans,

thereabove in position to be When propelled by said heads.

10. A can 'opening machine comprising, a framework, a table supported thereon, an endless can conveyor traveling over said table, knife supporting bars mounted on said frame Work, a can deheading knife blade parallel with said table and secured to said bars in position to be encountered by the upper'ends of the cans when propelled by said can conveyor, and a) spring pressedA pressure bar carried by said knife support- 111g bars in advance of said knife blade.

WADE L. STREET.