US2743840A - Hudman - Google Patents

Description

May 1, 1956 w. HUDMAN 2,743,840

CAN OPENER Filed May 12, 1952 INV' EN T OR.

M/[JZFY HUD/MAN ATTORNEY United States Patent 2,743,840 CAN OPENER Wesley Hudman, Los Angeles, Calif. Application May 12, 1952, Serial No. 287,269 1 Claim. (Cl. 220-52) Generally speaking, the present invention relates to an improved can opener. More particularly, it relates to an improved can opener adapted for use in opening a can of the type which is sealed by the junction of a can sealing strip with the wall of the can in a manner whereby the application of force will tear the junction (or plurality of junctions) of the can sealing strip and the can wall to effectively open the can. The present invention is adapted for use in grasping the free engageable end of such a can sealing strip and winding it around a spindle in a virtually planar manner, and is provided with means for easily disengaging the wound fastening strip from the spindle after the can opening operation is completed. I

At the present time, a great many cans of the sealed type adapted to contain perishable food or other means therein, are sealed by means of a narrow circumferential (or peripheral) sealing strip lying in a horizontal plane near either the top or the bottom edge of a can. Said sealing strip is usually defined by weakened edge junctions with the adjacent portions of the can walls whereby the application of sufficient force to the sealing strip will cause it to be forcibly torn out of sealing relationship with respect to the can wall, to effectively open the can.

The application of the necessary force to accomplish this operation is usually provided by engaging a slotted key with a free engageable end of the can sealing strip and rotating the key to wind the strip therearound, thus applying sufficient force to tear the weak tearable junction (or junctions) of the can sealing strip and the can wall.

It will be understood, that at the conclusion can opening operation, the sealing strip is wound around the key and both the wound sealing strip and the key are usually thrown away. This is so for several reasons. First, it would be necessary to completely unwind the strip from the key in order to disengage them. Second, the edges of the can sealing strip are usually very sharp and it is undesirable to bring the hands of a user of the device into contact with said sharp edges because of the likelihood of injury. Therefore, as hereinbefore stated, each key is usually utilized for one can opening operation, only. This necessitates a new key for each new can to be opened, and is usually provided for by placing a key in removable association with each can, before placing the cans on sale to the ultimate consumer.

This is undesirable for several reasons. First, because the keys frequently become dis-associated from the cans and lost, and also because of the additional expense involved.

Another disadvantage of such prior art arrangements is the fact that no means is provided for guiding the winding operation of the can scaling strip around the key. Frequently this does not occur in a planar mannerin other words portions of the wound strip become displaced from the remainder thereof. This seriously interferes with the can opening operation and, in some cases, may virtually entirely prevent it. Also, in an attempt to 2,743,840 Patented May 1, 1956 ice straighten-out the wound strip, the operator of the device may very easily cut his fingers.

Generally speaking, the improved can opener of the present invention includes spindle means (usually virtually vertically carried in vertical aperture means in base means) provided with actuating handle means (usually at the top thereof) for rotating said spindle means. Said spindle means is provided with open-ended longitudinal slot means adjacent the opposite end thereof (usually the bottom end thereof), which is adapted to removably engage a free engaging end of a can sealing strip (usually laterally arranged around at least a portion of the periphery of the can), whereby the handle means can be forcibly rotated to remove the sealing strip from the can sealed thereby, while simultaneously winding said sealing strip around said spindle in a virtually planar manner, and whereby said sealing strip can be removed from engagement with said spindle means and said openended slot means therein by relative longitudinal movement of the spindle means with respect to the strip means and/ or with respect to the base means.

One preferred generic form of the present invention, may also include engaging guide means elfectively carrying said spindle means (and/or said base means); said guide means being slidably cooperable with respect to a projecting edge (usually the upper edge) of a can, whereby the spindle means will be supported and carried in the proper can opening relationship with respect to a sealing strip and will effectively wind said sealing strip on the spindle means, during the can opening operation, in a spiral, virtually planar manner.

From the above general description of the basic and one preferred generic forms of the present invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art, that virtually all of the hereinabove mentioned prior art disadvantages are virtually entirely eliminated and overcome in and through the use of the present invention.

For example, the present invention can be used repeatedly to open any desired number of cans of the stripsealing-type. Therefore, the prior art requirement of one can opening key in association with each can, is completely eliminated.

After the completion of a can opening operation, the can sealing strip wound around the spindle means can be eliectively removed from the spindle means without any unwinding of the strip and by a simple longitudinal movement of the spindle means through the medium of the handle means. Thus, the strip need never be handled, and all likelihood of cutting the fingers is eliminated.

Furthermore, the base means and the engaging guide means effectively cause the sealing strip to be wound on the spindle, during the can opening operation, in a spiral virtually planar manner thus eliminating all prior art disadvantages comprising loss of can-opening force and the likelihood of cutting the fingers in an attempt to straighten the wound strip.

Furthermore, the device of the present invention supplies substantially greater can-opening torque, thus mak-. ing it possible for a small woman or a child to easily and rapidly open such a can. a

With the above points in mind, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved can opener adapted for use in opening a can of the strip-sealed type, and to do so in a manner allowing the easy disengagement of the wound sealing strip from the can opening device after the completion of the'can opening operation, whereby the device will be ready for subsequent can opening use.

It is a further object'of the present invention to provide an improved can opener of the type set forth in the preceding object, which is provided with means adapted to cause the wound sealing stripproduced by the can opening operation to be of a virtually planar type, whereby to overcome the disadvantages of prior art non-planar can opening, sealing strip removing operations.

Other and allied objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art after a careful perusal, examination and study of the accompanying illustrations, the present specification and the appended claim.

To facilitate understanding, reference will be made to the hereinbelow described drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a front elevational view of one illustrative embodiment of the present invention shown with the engaging guide means arranged in slidable cooperation with respect to the projecting upper edge of a can (shown broken away). This view also shows a can sealing strip in partially removed relationship with respect to a can which had been sealed thereby, and shows the spindle means moved into upper disengaged position with respect to the wound portion of the can sealing strip which has been removed from sealing relationship with respect to the can. It should be understood, that, in reality, the spindle means would ordinarily not be disengaged from the can sealing strip until after it has been completely removed from the can. However, the spindle means is shown in disengaged relationship with respect to the can sealing strip before the can sealing strip has been completely removed from the can, for reasons of clarity.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the form of the invention shown in Fig. l with the engaging guide means in slidable cooperation with the projecting upper edge of a can and with the spindle means in downward position engaging the free end of a can sealing strip for the purpose of beginning of a can opening operation.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken in the direction of the arrows IIIIII in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a view of the spindle means alone.

Generally speaking, the present invention includes spindle means provided with actuating handle means for rotating said spindle means. Said spindle means being also provided with open-ended slot means longitudinally carried thereby and adapted to removably engage a free engaging end of a can sealing strip.

In the specific example illustrated, base means provided with virtually vertical aperture means is also included and is also adapted to mount the spindle means for rotary movement and for limited vertical movement.

As illustrated, the base means is indicated generally at 1, and comprises a longitudinal fiat member 2, curved slightly about an imaginary vertical axis and centrally apertured at 3; a similar bottom member 4 which is not centrally apertured and which is spaced below the upper plate 2 by means of two laterally spaced posts 5 and 6, which may be welded, soldered, or otherwise suitably fastened with respect to the spaced plates 2 and 4. The base member 1 also includes a similar central plate 7, which is centrally apertured at 8 in alignment with the aperture 3 in the upper plate 2 and which is fastened at the ends thereof to the spacing posts 5 and 6. It should bev noted, that in the specific example illustrated, the upper aperture 3 is somewhat smaller than the lower aperture 8. The purpose of this will be explained hereinafter.

In the specific example illustrated, the spindle means is indicated generally at 9, and comprises an upper shaft portion 10 carrying a manual actuating handle 11 at the top thereof; and an enlarged lower shaft portion 12 longitudinally carrying an open-ended slot 13 in the bottom thereof.

It will be understood that the aperture 8 is of sufiicient size to allow the enlarged spindle shaft portion 12 to move upwardly and downwardly therethrough, and that the aperture 3 is of sutficient size to allow the reduced size spindle shaft portion 10 to slidably, vertically move therethrough, but that the upper aperture 3 is too small to allow the lower, enlarged spindle shaft portion 12. to move upwardly therethrough. In other words, the upward limit of travel. of the handle 11 and the spindle means 9 is defined by contact of a shoulder 19, at the top of the enlarged spindle portion 12, with the underside of the top plate 2 around the aperture 3, as is shown in Fig. 1. This arrangement is for the purpose of facilitating the essay disengagement of a can opening strip which has been wound around the enlarged spindle shaft portion 12 during a can opening operation.

Also, generally speaking, engaging guide means may be effectively provided for effectively carrying the spindle means (and/or the base means) for slidable cooperation with respect to a projecting edge of a can, whereby the spindle means will be supported and carried in the proper can opening relationship with respect to a sealing strip and will effectively wind said sealing strip on the spindle means, during the can opening operation, in a spiral, virtually planar manner.

In the specific example illustrated, this comprises the base means 1 and the outwardly and downwardly projecting car 14, which is adapted to engage an upwardly projecting edge 15 of a can. indicated generally at 16, whereby engagcment of the slot 13 with the free end 17 of a can engaging strip 17A (as shown in Figs. 2 and 3), and subsequent rotation of the handle means 11 will cause the strip 17A to be wound around the enlarged portion 12 of the spindle 9 between the middle plate 7 and the lower plate 4 and will cause the entire device (through the medium of the engaging means 14) to ride around the upper periphery of the can 16 until the entire strip 17A has been wound on the enlarged spindle portion 12 and has been completely severed from the can wall 18, both above and below the sealing strip 17A, at which time the handle 11 can be moved upwardly with respect to the base 1 from the lower-most position illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 into an upper-most position of the type illustrated in Fig. l, which will effectively disengage the wound strip 17A from the enlarged spindle portion 12 and the slot 13. In this connection, please note that, in reality, the spindle 9 would be wound farther than shown in Fig. 1, before disengaging the siot 13 fro-m the wound strip 17A. For reasons of clarity only the spindle 9, in Fig. 1, is shown disengaged from the strip before completion of the can opening operation.

It will be noted that the arrangement is such that the strip 17A is forced to assume a virtually planar position during the spiral winding thereof around the enlarged spindle portion 12, thus overcoming the hereinabove mentioned prior art disadvantages.

Numerous modifications, and variations of the present invention will occur to those skilled in the art after a careful study hereof. All such properly within the spirit and scope of the present invention are intended to be included and comprehended herein as fully as if specifically described, illustrated and claimed herein.

The spindle means and the handle means can be substantially modified, as can the means for limiting the longitudinal travel of the spindle means.

While I contemplate making the device of steel, with the enlarged portion of the spindle adjacent the slot hardened by suitable treatment, I do not limit the present invention to special material or treatment.

The exact compositions, configurations, constructions, relative positionings, and cooperative relationships of the various component parts of the present invention are not critical, and can be modified substantially within the spirit of the present invention.

The embodiments of the present invention specifically described and illustrated herein are exemplary only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, which is to be interpreted in the light of the prior art and the appended claim only, with due consideration for 'the doctrine of equivalents.

I claim:

An improved can opener for use in opening a can of the type which has a projecting upper edge and which is sealed by a weak tearable junction, with a virtually vertical wall of the can, of a virtually lateral sealing strip having a free engageable end, comprising: base means including an upper longitudinal fiat member having an inner concave edge curved in a predetermined manner about an imaginary vertical axis and provided with a vertical aperture adjacent the center thereof, and including an intermediate longitudinal fiat member also curved in said predetermined manner about said imaginary vertical axis and provided with a vertical aperture adjacent the center thereof and larger than the vertical aperture in the upper flat member, and including a lower flat member also curved in said predetermined manner about said imaginary vertical axis; said upper flat member, said intermediate flat member and said lower flat member being vertically spacedly mounted with respect to each other to comprise said base means and said vertical apertures in said upper flat member and said intermediate flat member being vertically aligned with respect to each other to comprise vertical aperture means within said base means; vertical spindle means carried in the vertical aperture means for rotation and for limited vertical movement with respect to the base means, said spindle means being provided with an upper shaft portion rotatably and vertically slidably positioned in the vertical aperture in the upper fiat member of the base means and being provided with an enlarged lower shaft portion larger than the aperture in the upper flat member and rotatably and vertically slidably positioned in the vertical aperture in the intermediate flat member and extending downwardly into the region between the intermediate fiat member and the lower flat member of the base means, said enlarged lower shaft portion being provided with longitudinal openended slot means at the bottom thereof cooperable to removably engage the free engaging end of a virtually lateral can sealing strip, and the upper end of said upper shaft portion being provided with actuating handle means, whereby said handle means can be forcibly rotated to remove the sealing strip from a can sealed thereby and to wind said sealing strip around said enlarged lower shaft portion, and whereby said sealing strip can be removed from engagement with said enlarged lower shaft portion and said open-ended slot means therein by relative upward movement of said spindle means with respect to the aperture means in the base means; and engaging guide means efiectively carried by the inner concave edge of said upper fiat member of said base means and effectively slidably cooperable with respect to an upwardly projecting edge of a can, whereby the base means and the vertical spindle means will be supported and carried in the proper can opening relationship with respect to the lateral sealing strip and will eifectively cooperate to wind said sealing strip on the spindle means during the can opening operation in a spiral lying in a virtually horizontal plane.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,646,719 Young Oct. 25, 1927 1,985,290 Hildebrandt Dec. 25, 1934 2,140,151 Dazey Dec. 13, 1938 2,286,039 Reynolds June 9, 1942 2,588,244 Johanson Mar. 4, 1952 2,649,990 Lyle Aug. 25, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 145,480 Austria. -1 Apr. 25, 1936

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