US2636259A - Can opener - Google Patents

Description

April 1953, D. FARANDATOS 2,636,259

Filed Apri l 2 l 1 9 50 Patented Apr. 28, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT .OFFICE CAN OPENER Denis Farandatos, New York, N. Y. Application April 21, 1950, Serial No. 157,282

7 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a can opener. The modern can opener is a hand operated device of remarkable cutting efficiency which has several imperfections, among which are its tendency to release the neatly severed can top into the contents of the can from whence it must be recovered, an unsatisfactory and usually an unsanitary operation, and its tendency in the cases where the operator leaves a fragment of metal still connecting the can with its top, to cut the fingers of the operator in fumbling with it to open it.

These problems exist in the home where they are suificient, but in the restaurant, where hundreds or even thousands of cans must be opened in a single day, the problem develops substantial magnitude and becomes acute. There the problems of sanitation and eificiency, emphasized by municipal ordinances and enforced by inspectors, are controlling, and problems of employee safety and insurance are considerable.

It is an object of this invention to make a can opener capable of meeting the severe demands of the restaurant and of continuous use, that will reduce unsanitary treatment of the contents, and which will prevent the cutting of the hands of the operators.

Another object of the invention is to make a self-contained magnetic unit, which is capable of being maintained at peak efficiency continuously, and which does not require attachment to a source of current, thus eliminating the use of transformers to step down the current from power lines. It is to be understood that the ordinary power circuits could be employed if desired, but in the preferred form of the invention, which will be described hereinafter, selfcontained units are used.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description of the preferred embodiment proceeds.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a can opener constructed in accordance with the principles of this invention; and

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the can rest broken away horizontally to show concealed working parts.

In the figures, wherein like numerals indicate like parts, ID indicates a table or other support upon which a can opener, having a can rest II, is held by screws l2. The can rest has a vertically aligned mast support 13 consisting of a guide having the same exterior shape as channel l4 and a flange l5 which overlaps one edge of the mast. The mast is a metal channel which is vertically movable through the mast support l3 and carries at its upper end a cutter head l6 which has a retractable cutter l1 and a crank it.

The construction of the cutter as-such is not a part of this invention and the cutting means are consequently indicated to be of a known variety in which the cutter is raised out of operating position by lifting the crank to the dotted line position, an incision in the can top being made by pressing the crank from the dotted to full line position. By turning the crank around after it has been lowered to full line position the can is rotated and the cutter I! severs itsv top.

The novelty in this invention includes a support l9 which is attached by screws 20 to the cutter head [6, projecting outward to a position directly over the top of a can being cut. This holder 19 has a downwardly directed, tubular part 20 which extends to within a short distance of the position of a can top during the operation of the cutter. Inside this tubular support 2!! is an electromagnet 21 in a water-proof casing, the coil ofthe magnet being grounded to the frame of the machine at 22, which is regarded as its negative side, and at its other end is connected by a lead 23 to a copper strip 24 which is mounted on and insulated from the inside of channel I l by a strip of insulation 25.

The can rest II is hollow and supports, within the hollow, switch contacts 26, 21. The contact 26 has a rider 28 which projects outwardly from one side and engages the strip 24 so that contact is made between the switch contact 26 and the electromagnet in all positions of the mast I l. The other contact 2'! is connected by a lead 29 to the terminal 36 of a battery case 3! within which are shown three batteries 32 of the type employed in flashlights of the fountain pen type. The battery case may be made to contain as many batteries of whatever capacity is decided upon as most satisfactory for a particular use. A pivoted spring contact 33 grounds the other end of the battery to the frame of the can opener. A removable cover 34 encloses the battery compartment and can be removed at will to replace the batteries.

The contacts 26, 21 are mounted at their ends on a block of insulating material 35 and are not connected to each other. The connection from contact 21 to contact 26 and the electromagnet In operating the opener a can 41 is moved against the outer edge of blade 33, forcing the blade all the way in between the contacts 28, 2! and energizing the electromagnet, the cut is made, the can top is attracted and held by the electromagnet, the cutter [l is retracted by'rais-- ing the lever 18, which simultaneously lifts. the I mast, the cutter head and the electrcmagnet with its electromagnetically gripped can top, and the can is removed from the rest. The spring 39 pullsthe-bl'ade- 3:8 through the contacts 2%, but does not turn off the current to the electromagnet until the can has been withdrawn. When the current to the magnet is cut off it releases the can top which falls onto the rest and is knocked off into. a receptacle by the next can.

The operating end of the electromagnet may conveniently be placed in a plane somewhere between the lowest operating position of the blade and its upper inoperative position. fhe electromagnet need not be in contact with the can top, although it may be, during the cutting operation. Its pull is calculated to be sufficient to lift the can top out of the can. as soon as it has been severed, in those cases in which it does not engage the can top in the first instance.

An advantage of the invention is that the operators hands never touch the contents of the can in retrievin a'severed can top.

As many apparently widely different embodiments of the present invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it is to be understood that the inventionis not limited to the specific embodiments.

What is claimed is:

l. A can opener having a hollow can rest and a mast support, a cutter-supporting, channelshaped mast slidably mounted in said support, cutter means mounted on said mast, an electromagnet carried by said mast over the can rest,

a contact strip mounted on insulation inside the channel of said mast and connected to said magnet, a knife switch having a pair of contacts insai'd can rest, one of said contacts being in sliding engagement with said strip, a battery holder in said rest having a terminal connected to. the other of said contacts and a grounded terminal, a slot in the can rest aligned with said contacts a, pivoted switch blade extending into said slot in position to be moved by a can into engagement with said contacts, and spring means attached to said blade having strength enough to disengage it from said contacts.

2. A can opener having a can rest and a mast support, a cutter supporting mast slidably mounted in said support, an electromagnet carried by said mast over the can rest, a switch having a pair of contacts in said can rest, one of said contacts being connected to said magnet, a battery holder in said rest having a terminal connected to the other of said contacts and a grounded terminal, a slot in the can rest above the said contacts, a pivoted switch blade extending into said slot in position to be moved by a can into engagement with said contacts, and spring means attached to said blade having strength enough to disengage it from said contacts.

3. A can opener having a base adapted to hold a" can, a vertically adjustable mast, a cutter carried by said mast, an electromagnet carried by said mast beside said cutter, a current supply circuit connected to said magnet, a switch electrically connected to the said supply circuit of said magnet, and switch operating means biased to'ofi position and connected to said switch, projecting from said base in a position adapted to be: operated, by the emplacement of a can to be opened, to energize said magnet.

4. A can opener having a vertically adjustable cutter supporting mast, an electromagnet carried by said mast beside said cutter, a source of electrical energy connected to said electromagnet through a switch, means operableto close said switch by the action of positioning a can in alignment with said cutter, and means to open the switch when the can is removed.

5. A can opener havingv a cutter adapted to excise a can, electromagnetic means associated with said cutter adapted to impose an attractive magnetic force upon a part of the can removed. from the can by said cutter, current supply means connected to said electrcmagnet, andswitch means connected to said current supply means biased to on position, said switch means having a part adapted to be engaged by a can and moved to on position to energize said electromagnet when such can is emplaced to be opened.

6'. In a can opener having a cutter constructed and arranged to make an incision in a can top and to out out the top, an electromagnet having its operative end located in magnetically attractive proximity to the top of a can being opened, battery m ans connected to said electroinagnet, and switch means constructed, positioned and arranged to be engaged and operated by a can being emplaced in the opener for opening, in the battery-electromagnet circuit.

7. The opener of claim 6 in which the switch is spring biased to off position and is engaged and closed by movement of the can into cutting position.

DENIS FARANDATOS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,262,994 Stokes Apr. 16, 1918 1,713,823 Edlund May 21, 1929 2,386,490 McLean Oct. 9, 1945 2,456,307- Noblett Dec. is, 19% 2,494,616 Hensel Jan. 17, 1950 2,579,139 Jenson Dec. 18, 1951

Images