US2110697A - Serving device for cans - Google Patents

Description

March 8, 1938. N. H. BUSCHMAN SERVING DEVICE CANS Filed Sept. 25, 1935 INVENTOR Na/han H Buschman ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 1938 I Nathan n. Buschman, New York, N. Y.

Application September 25, 1935, Serial No. 41,985

12 claims.

My invention relates to improvements in means for receiving a can or container and dispensing or serving the contents thereof, and the same has for its object to provide a simple, reliable and eflicient device which serves as a cutting or tapping means for the container or can and as an enclosure therefor ofsightly or pleasing appearance.

Further, said invention has for its object to provide a device of the character specified in which the container or can may be placed therein and opened thereby without causing the contents of the container to be spilled or slopped out.

Further, said invention has for its object to provide a device of the character specified in which the cutting or puncturing element thereof serves as a guide for directing the flow of liquid from the can to the outlet of the device in serving or dispensing the contents.

Further, said invention has for its object to provide a device of the character specified in which a spout thereon serves as a trap for preventing discharge of liquid from the device when the can is opened therein.

Further, said invention has for its object to provide. a device of the character specified in which said spout serves as a pivotal support for the cover.

Other objects will in part be obvious and in part be pointed out hereinafter.

To the attainment of the aforesaid objects and ends my invention consists in the novel features of construction, and in the combination, connection and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described and then pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective of one form of device constructed. in accordance with and'embodying my said invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof with parts broken away and in section} Fig. 3 is a cross-section thereof on the line t3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation on the line t-tl of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a cross-section illustrating a device with a modified form of body.

Referring to the drawing, the device comprising a body or receptacle I having a spout H at one side thereof and a handle I2 at the opposite side thereof. The body I!) is adapted to receive the can or container it having a liquid commodity It therein, such as beer, carbonated beverages, fruit juices or the like. The can I3 is usually constructed with the beaded ends l forming the joints between the can body and the heads or ends l6 and providing outward recesses I! at the ends of the can. Cans are usually made of tin plate although the device embodying the in-' vention is adapted for receiving containers made of other materials.

The body 10 is preferably of-a size large enough fpr loosely receiving the can [3, and, as shown in Fig. 2, the bottom l8 thereof is formed with a reentrant central portion IQ for receiving and seating the recessed end I l of the can It. The interior groove in the bottom It surrounding the reentrant portion It forms a sump for receiving any liquid escaping from the can It and passing downwardly through the clearance 2i provided between the body ill and can it.

At Fig. 5 I have illustrated a modified body Illa having longitudinally extending corrugations 22 therein in engagement with the can it for locating or centering the same within the device and providing clearance passages 23. for any slight amount of liquid which may escape from the can when the same is opened or during the dispensing operation. This body We when constructed of aluminum will, as a result of these corrugations, serve as an insulator of the cam 13 and will keep fluids cold for a longer period of time.

The top of the body MB is closed by a hinged cover at having a depending flange 25 adapted to fit the inside of the mouth of the device and a horizontal tongue portion 23 extending beyond the body it above the mouth of the spout it. A channel member 2'6 is welded or otherwise secured at the flange edges to the bottom of the cover 26 and the tongue portion 26 thereof to form with the cover 241 and the projecting tongue portion 26 a conduit 28 having the discharge end or nozzle 2t extending into the spout it below the upper edge till thereof. The flange 25 of the cover is preferably cut away as indicated at hi to allow the channel member 2t to clear the same. The upper portion of the body it at the spout M is also cut away, as indicated at st, to provide clearance for the channel member M where it projects into the spout i i,

In forming the spout M, the body it at the I clearance 32 is bent outwardly to form ears 3% between which the cover 2% is mounted for pivotal movement by means of the rivets 3t passing through the outer ends of the sides of the channel member 2! and the ears 33 The spout ii is preferably made of a separate piece welded or otherwise secured to the outside of the cars 33 and the contiguous surface of the body ill and serving to conceal the pivot members or rivets 3%.

A can cutting or rupturing element 35 in the, form of a tapered blade having a piercing point 36 and diverging cutting edges 31 projects downwardly and inwardly with a slight curve from the base or lower wall portion 38 of the channel member 21 at a point contiguous to the margin of the can l3 in the closed position of the cover 2 3. The base 38 is provided with an inlet opening 39 located in advance of the base of the blade 35..

The blade 35 constitutes an apron depending from the opening 39 at the end thereof towards the discharge outlet 29. When the cover is closed the opening 39 registers with the opening 49 formed in the can l3 bythe cutter 35. The cutter 35 is preferably formed integrally with the base portion 38 by striking out the material from the plane of said base portion, leaving the opening 39 of corresponding shape.

The opening 39 has the opposite margins thereof adjacent to the depending cutter 35 bent outwardly to form depending flanges 4| adapted, when the cover is closed, to engage the yieldable head iii of the can I3 at opposite sides of the opening 40 formed therein by the cutter to confine the fiow of the liquid contents to a path over said apron 35 and through said opening 39 and minimize the escape of liquid at opposite sides of the opening 40 over the top of the can I 3 and into the interior of the receptacle Ill.

When it is desired to serve the contents of a can or container, the can is placed in the device duly centered therein, and the cover 24 is then closed by exerting pressure thereon at the side remote from the hinge 33. The leverage thus aiforded causes the cutter 35 to penetrate the top of the can at an intermediate point thereon and to shear a portion thereof out to form the opening 40 of a shape conforming to that of the cutter, the opening formed being of substantial width at the base thereof near the can margin and tapering in width towards the center of the can.

When the cover 24 is thus actuated to tap the can or form the opening therein, the cutting apron 35 enters the can, as shown more clearly in Fig. 2, the apron 35 overlying the edge of the can at the base of the opening 49 and merging with the base of the discharge nozzle 29. The cover 24 is preferably provided with a detent 42 for looking the same in closed position with the flanges 4| in gasket-like engagement with the top of the can.

When containers, or bottles, of beer or other live or carbonated beverages are opened there is a tendency for the contents to froth, or to violently discharge through the mouth of the bottle or opening in the container, particularly when the contents has been overcharged with gas or Where the container has been filled too full. With the present invention the can or container is completely enclosed when the same is opened andany discharge or frothing occurring upon the tapping operation is directed against the upper wall portion or cover -24 serving as a baflle and through the conduit 28 into the spout II which serves as a bafile or trap for the small quantity of liquid ejected from the nozzle 29. Applicant's I construction prevents the spilling or slopping of the liquid upon the table or other support and the liquid received by the trap H is vented into the interior of the receptacle l0 through the opening I la formed in the body ID at the lower end of the spout ll below the nozzle 23.

The device embodying my invention is therefore sanitary and clean in use and effectively prevents the contents from slopping or spilling out when the can is opened.

When the cover 24 is closed, the can I3 is opened and is retained firmly in place within the device by the engagement of the cutter 35 and flanges 4| therewith ready for use. When the contents of the can are poured from the device the liquid fiows from the can 13 along the apron 35, through the opening 39 for discharge from the nozzle 29 over the margin 39 of the spout H.

I have found that the liquid in being poured tends to follow a path confined to said apron 35, the liquid, apparently, having an affinity for said apron and being directively guided thereby. The phenomenon is possibly due to surface tension, capillary, molecular or other physical effect, although I do not desire to be bound by any theory as to the mode of operation. It sumces that the member 35 insures an effective transfer of the liquid contents from the can to the passage 29 across the intervening gap between the top of the can and the base of the channel member 2'| without appreciable flow of liquid over paths into the interior of the device III.

In the present invention, the spout H serves primarily as a trap for liquid ejected during the opening operation. It also preferably serves as means for pivotally supporting the cover with the projecting nozzle portion 29 of the channel member housed therein to provide a structure sufllciently strong to function as a can opener while retaining a neat appearance when in use for serving.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A device of the character described comprising a receptacle for receiving a container, a cover, a conduit including a projecting discharge portion upon the inner side of said cover, means at the I base of said conduit for opening said container and placing the same in communication with said conduit, means on the receptacle for receiving said discharge portion,v and a piyotal connection between said last named means and said projecting portion.

2. A device of the character described comprising a receptacle having an opening in the margin thereof, and portions extending outwardly from the opposite sides of said opening, a cover, a conduit upon the inner side of said cover including a projecting discharge portion extending through said opening between said outwardly extending portions and pivotally connected thereto, and means at the base of the conduit for cutting open said container andplacing the same in communication with said conduit.

3. A device of the character described comprising a receptacle having an enlarged marginal portion forming a spout, a cover, a conduit upon the inner side of said cover including a projecting discharge portion extending into said spout,'a pivotal connection between the spout and the projecting discharge portion, and means on the conduit for opening said container and placing the same in'communication with said conduit.

4. A device of the character described comprising a receptacle for receiving a container, a cover hinged to said receptacle, a conduit upon the inner side of the cover including a transversely extending discharge portion provided with a horizontally extending lower wall and an outlet, an inlet opening of substantial area in the base of said conduit lying in the plane of said lower wall portion and in spaced relation above the container to be opened, and a transversely disposed, tapering blade depending from said lower wall portion at the margin of said inlet opening towards said outlet, said blade serving to cut the top of said container when the cover is closed to form an opening in spaced relation below said inlet opening of an area enlarged relative to the cross-section of the blade,

and said blade serving as a liquid conducting apron connecting the two openings at the mar-' gins thereof towards said discharge portion.

5. A device of the character described comprising a receptacle for receiving a container, 2. cover hinged to said receptacle, a transversely extending conduit on the cover at the inner side thereof including a discharge portion having a horizontally extending lower wall and an outlet, an inlet opening of substantial area in the base of said conduit lying in the plane of said lower wall and in spaced relation above thecontainer, said inlet opening facing the upper side of the. conduit and being baflled thereby, a blade depending from said lower wall at the side of said inlet opening towards said outlet, and means on the receptacle forming a spout registering with said discharge portion and serving as a bafiie exposed to the discharge of liquid from said outlet.

6. A device of the character described comprising a. receptacle having a spout, a cover, a conduit upon the inner side of the cover provided with an inleiropening in the plane of the base thereof facing the opposite side of the conduit and bafiied thereby and a discharge portion extending into said spout and pivotallyconnected thereto, said discharge portion having an outlet facing said spout and bafiled thereby, and a blade depending from the 'base of said conduit below said inlet opening at the side thereof towards said outlet.

'7. A device of the character described com-- prising a receptacle for receiving a container, 9. cover hinged to said receptacle, a transversely extending conduit upon the inner side of the cover having a discharge portion including a lower wall, and an inlet opening at the bottom thereof lying substantially in the plane of said lower wall, said lower wall and said inlet open ing being spaced above the container, a transversely disposed, tapering blade extending downwardly and inwardly from said wall in the closed position of the cover at the side of said inlet opening towards said discharge portion for forming an opening in the container of an area enlarged relative to the cross-section of the blade and in open communication with the space between said conduit and the container, and portions of reduced depth depending from said conduit at opposite sides of said inlet opening contiguous to said blade for engagement with the top of the container, said blade and said depending portions co-operating to direct the flow of liquid into the discharge portion. 8. A device of the character described comprising a receptacle for receiving a container, a cover, a conduit upon the inner side of said cover including a projecting discharge portion having a lower wall, and pivotally connected to the receptacle at the discharge end of said conduit, said conduit inwardly of said discharge portion having an inlet opening Lying substantially in the plane of said lower wall, and a transversely disposed, tapering blade depending from said lower wall at the contiguous side of said inlet opening and in relatively close relation to the pivotal connection, said blade, when the cover is closed, swinging downwardly and outwardly to cut an opening in the container of an area enlarged relative to the cross-section of the blade. and said blade serving as a liquid conducting apron between said openings at the sides thereof towards said discharge portion.

9. A device of the character described comprising a receptacle for receiving a container, a. spout projecting from the receptacle at one side contiguous to the upper end thereof, a cover, a conduit upon theinner side of said cover including a discharge portion extending through the wall-of the receptacle into said spout and connected thereto for pivotal movement of the cover, said conduit having an inlet opening at the bottom thereof above the container contiguous to said spout, and a transversely disposed, tapering blade depending from said conduit between said inlet opening and said pivot for swinging movement downwardly and outwardly to cut a relatively enlarged opening in the container, and means at the opposite side of the cover for locking the same in closed position.

10. A device of the character described comprising a receptacle for receiving a container, a spout projecting from said receptacle contiguous to the upper end thereof, a cover having liquid directing means upon the inner side thereof extending into and pivotally connectedto said spout, said liquid directing means having an inlet opening in the base thereof above the container contiguous to said spout, and a tapering blade depending from the base of said liquid directing means between said inlet opening and the pivot.

11. A device of the character described comprising a receptacle for receiving a container, a liquid baflling means projecting from the side of the receptacle contiguous to the top thereof and serving as a spout, a hinged cover for the receptacle, a transversely extending liquid conducting means depending from the inner side of the cover and communicating with said bafliingmeans, said liquid conducting means in the closed position of the cover having the base thereof lying substantially in a horizontal plane in spaced relation to the container and an inlet opening of substantial area in said base above the container contiguous to said spout, and a tapering blade depending from the base of the liquid conducting means transversely of and between said inlet opening and said spout and at an angle leaving said inlet opening in exposed relation to the top of the container when the cover is closed, said blade having converging lateral cutting edges disposed to form an opening in the top of the container enlarged relative to the cross-section of the blade at the base thereof and directly below said inlet opening in spaced relation thereto.

12. A device of the character described comprising a receptacle for receiving a container, a spout on the receptacle contiguous to the top thereof, a cover having liquid conducting means upon the inner side thereof extending through the wall of said receptacle into said spout and pivotally connected to the spout, said liquid conducting means havlng an inlet opening of substantial area in the base thereof in spaced relation above the container, and a tapering blade having converging lateral cutting edges depending from the base of the liquid conducting means transversely of and between the inlet opening and said pivotal connection in position leaving the inlet opening exposed to the top of the container, said blade being disposed to form an opening in the top of the container enlarged relative to the cross-section of the blade at the base thereof and directly below the opposed inlet opening.

NA'I'HAN H. BUSCHMAN.

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