US1793040A - Can-opening device - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 17, 1931. G. AHLQUIST CAN OPENING DEVICE Filed Dec. 8, Y 1928 Patented Feb. 17, 1931 UNITED *STATES GUNNAR AHLQUIST, OI MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA I CAN-OPENING DEVICE Application filed December 8, 1928. Serial No. 324,611.

, My invention relates to can opening devices and has for its object to improve the same as will hereinafterappear, and to this end it consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and defined inthe claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the device;

Fig. 2 is a section taken'approximately on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, some parts being shown in full;

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 83 of Fig. 2; showing the parts in an operative position; and

' Fig. 4 is a section similar to Fig. 3, but

with the cutting wheel drawn away from the feeding wheel for insertion over the rim of the can.

The device includes a mounting bracket 5 that is securable to any suitable support, but which is shown as being secured to a table or counter top 6 by means of screws or the like 7. The mounting bracket 5 has an outwardly and upwardly inclined projection 8 in which, near the outer end thereof, is journaled a shaft 9 that projects from a toothed or knurled rotary feeding .wheel 10. Near the end of the shaft 9 opposite the feeding roller is a handle-equipped crank 11 that is removably secured thereto for movements therewith by a screw 12 and a washer 13. The upper end of the shaft 9 to which the handleequipped crank is applied is reduced to form a shoulder 14 between which and the washer 5' the under side of the mounting bracket and 'ing lever 16 is turned .from the position 7 shown by full lines in Figsrl and 2, the rotary cutting wheel will be caused to revolve around the axis of the stub shaft 15 and will be moved away from its normal operative position. .When the parts are in their normal positions, the cutting edge 18 of the rotary cutting wheel slightly underlies the knurled or toothed edge of the feeding wheel 10. showing the parts in an inoperative position Formed near the end of the lever 16 and surrounding but spaced from the stub shaft 15, is a cup-like flange 21, the free edge of which engages the top side of the outwardly projecting portion 8 of the mounting bracket 5. This cup-like flange 21 serves as a bearing to hold the stub shaft and co-operating parts against downward movement and also encloses a spring 22that is coiled around the stub shaft 15. One end of this spring 22 is inserted into a hole 23 in the lever 16 and the other end thereof is inserted into a hole 24 in the mounting bracket- Thesaid spring 22 acts to normally hold the lever 16, stub shaft 15, crank pin 17, and cutting wheel 18 in an operative position, as shown'in Figs. 2 and 3, but will allow the cutting wheel to be moved away from the feeding wheel by manual manipulation of the lever 16.

The device is illustrated as being applied to a can indicated by the numeral 25. The top of the can is indicated by the numeral 26, the rim by the numeral27, and liquid contents therein by the letter 3 r The device is operated as follows:

The lever 16 will be turned against the tenr sion of the spring 22 from the position shown byfulllines in Figs. 1 and 2, to the positions shownby dotted lines in Fig. 1, in which position the cutting wheel 18 will be'retracted to the position shown in Fig. 4. In this position of the parts, the rim 27 of the cam may be inserted between the feeding wheel 10 and the cutting wheel 18 and the lever 16 released. hen the lever 16 is released the tension spring 22 will move the cutting wheel 18 toward the feeding wheel 10 so that its cutting edge 18 will engage and be held under pressure of the spring 22 against the outside of the can just below the rim 27. The rimengaging portion 18 of the cutting wheel will now be slightly spaced from the rim of the can. By applying a slight hand pressure to the lever 16, the cutting edge 18 of the cutting wheel will be inserted slightly throughthe side of the can and the rim-engaging portion 18 of the cutting wheel will be moved into contact with the rim 27. The rim 27 of the can 25 will now be pressed between the knurled feeding wheel 10 and the rim-engaging portion 18 of the cutting wheel 10 and when the handle-equipped crank. is rotated, the rim 27 will be rolled between the feeding wheel and said rim-engaging portion of the cutting wheel; lVhile the can is being thus rotated, it will, due to the angle at which the feeding and cutting wheels are disposed, remain insubstantially vertical positions, so that the contents y thereof will not be spilled. lVhen the canhas been turneda complete revolution, the top thereof will be entirely severed from the main body ofthe can and the rim- 27 may be readily released from its position between the wheels 10 and 18 by manipulation of the lever 1.6.. After the can has been primarily punctured by manually forcing the cutting edge of. the wheel 18 therethrough, the spring 22 will hold the cutting wheel'18 in an operative position through the balance of the complete cutting operation.

The angle at which the feeding wheel 10 andcutting wheel 18 are disposed is very important. These wheels 10 and 18 are disposed in a plane upwardly inclined from the horizontal corresponding tothe incline of the outwardly and upwardly projecting portion 8 of the bracket Inpractice, it has been found that a can being cut by an-opener employing a rotary feeding wheel and a rotary cutting wheel will have a strong tendency to tilt at an angle to the plane in which said wheels are disposed and a great dealof dilii culty has heretofore been experienced when openers of this general type have been rigidly secured to a support. In my device, however, the wheelsare disposed at anangle to the horizontal and the can may remain in an upright position during the complete openingoperation so that the contents thereof will not be spilled.

lVhat I claim is:

1. In acan opening device, a mounting bracket securable to a support, a shaft journaled in said bracket, a feeding Wheelmounted on one end of said shaft and operating means-on the other end thereof, a lever having a stub shaft on one end that is journaled in the bracket, a crank pin projecting from the free end of the stub shaft and eccentric to the axis thereof, a rotary cutting wheel journaled on said crank pin, said cutting wheel being movable about the axis of the stub shaft, when said lever is turned, to move the same toward and away from the rotary feeding wheel, and a spring for normally keeping the lever and cutting wheel in their operative positions.

2. In a can opening device, a mounting member, a rotary :l'eedi-ng wheel j ournaled to said mounting member, a lever means journal'edtosaid mounting member, a rotary cut ting wheel ournaled to the ournaled portion of'sa-id lever nieanseccentric to the axis thereof and. movable toward and away from. said feeding wheel when said lever means ismanipulated, :ind'resilient means normally tending to move said cutting wheel to its operative position.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature GUNNAR AHLQUIST.

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