US2897589A

US2897589A - Can opening and knife sharpening device

Info

Publication number: US2897589A
Application number: US626114A
Authority: US
Inventors: Walter H Bodle
Original assignee: UNION DIE CASTING Co
Current assignee: UNION DIE CASTING Co
Priority date: 1956-12-04
Filing date: 1956-12-04
Publication date: 1959-08-04
Anticipated expiration: 1976-08-04

Description

Aug. 4, 1959 Eg w v W. H. BODL .E

GAN OPENING AND KNIFE SHARPENING DEVICE Filed Dec. 4, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Musilli..

w. H. BOULE CAN OPENING AND KNIFE SEARPENING DEVICE Filed Dec. 4, 195el Aug. 4, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. 4, 1959 w. H. BoDLE 2,897,589

CAN OPENING AND KNIFE SEARPENING DEVICE Filed Dec. 4, 195e s sheets-sheet 5 rramgy Walter H. Bodle, Montebello, Calif., assignor to Union Die Casting Company, Whittier, Calif., a corporation of California Application December 4, 1956, Serial No. 626,114

12 Claims. (Cl. 30 4) This invention relates to improved can opening and knife sharpening devices, of a type having a single motor acting to drive both a can opening mechanism and a grinding wheel for sharpening knives.

The general object of the invention is to provide a unit of this type having such structural features as will give it maximum overall utility in the ordinary kitchen. Preferably, the device is contained within a portable housing adapted to be placed on a table or other supporting surface and having a relatively tall portion at one side carrying the can opening mechanism and a reduced height portion at the opposite side containing the grinding wheel, with a common motor in the housing between these two opposite sides for driving both of the mechanisms.

In prior can opening devices, one problem which has been encountered is the diiculty of maintaining the can opening parts sutiiciently clean to assure against any contamination of the canned foods by these parts. With this in mind, a major object of the present invention is to provide a device which is especially designed for easy cleaning and particularly for washing of those parts which engage the top of the can and thus have an opportunity to contact the contents of the can. For this purpose, I preferably form these portions of the mechanism as a separate unit or assembly which is completely detachable from the body of the device for washing. More specifically, this unit includes a mounting plate which carries the usual rotary cutter for engaging and cutting the can lid, and which is actuable by a suitable pivoting actuating element to shift the cutter into and out of its cutting position.

The mounting plate may be pivotally attached to the actuating element at an eccentric location by a suitable detachable fastener or connection, and may be essentially pivotally attached to the body of the device at a second location and by a second connection. Each of these connections may be formed by a removable screw acting as a pivot pin, with the second screw preferably being received in a slot in the mounting plate to allow limited shifting movement of the latter. The plate is desirably capable of limited movement outwardly away from the body to be automatically adjustable for reception of cans formed of various different thicknesses of metal. A spring may be provided for urging the plate and carried parts toward the body.

The removable mounting plate preferably carries, in addition to the rotary cutter, a pair of guides for engaging the can bead and holding it downwardly, one of which guides is spring urged downwardly.

An additional feature of the invention has to do with a unique `manner of mounting a magnet which is utilized for holding the lid of a can after its removal from the can. Specifically, this magnet is mounted to automatically swing upwardly with the can lid to a retracted position when the cutting operation is completed. The arm mounting the magnet for this swinging movement may be mounted to the removable plate, to allow removal and cleaning of the magnet with the rest of the detachable assembly.

One further feature of the invention resides in the manner of guiding a knife blade during a sharpening operation. For this purpose, l prefer to provide the housing of the device with two elongated guide slots which receive the blades and which converge and are inclined in a manner assuring continued guiding of the blade during each of two sharpening strokes.

The above and other features and objects of the present invention will be better understood from the following detailed description of the typical embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a can opening and knife sharpening device constructed in accordance with the invention, and showing the can opening mechanism in position for reception of a can;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on line 2 2 of Fig. l, with the actuating handle shown in its lowered position;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the device of Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side elevation of the can opening mechanism, shown in the Fig. l condition.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, but showing the appa ratus in the condition for holding and acting on the can;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary vertical section taken on line 6 6 of Fig. 3.

Figs. 7, 8, 9 and 10 are fragmentary vertical sections taken on lines 7 7, 8 8, 9 9 and 10-10 respectively of Fig. 5.

Fig. 11 is a schematic representation of the path of movement of the cutter blade in initially cutting into the lid of a can.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the lowermost gear part in the speed reduction gear assembly;

Fig. 13 is a section taken on line 13 13 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 14 is an exploded perspective view of the knife sharpening parts shown in Fig. 13.

Referring first to Figs. l and 2, l have shown at 16 a combined can opening and knife sharpening device constructed in accordance with the invention. This device includes a housing i1, carrying at its left side the can opening mechanism generally represented at 12, and containing toward its right end a rotary grinding wheel 13 which is accessible to a knife through a pair of elongated slots 14 and 15 for sharpening the knife. The can opening mechaism 12 is driven by a motor 16 contained within the housing, through a gear train 17, and the motor 16 functions also to drive the rotary grinding wheel 13.

Housing 11 may be formed of several cast metal sections, including a main body section 18, a left section 19 for carrying the can opening mechanism 12, and two smaller sections 2t) and 21 enclosing the grinding wheel 1'3 and forming the two slots 14 `and 15. The main housing section 18 is desirably contoured as shown, having a relatively high upstanding portion 22, which reduces progressively in both vertical height and front to rear dimension to form a reduced dimension portion 23 of the housing toward its right end. As will be discussed at a later point, the

small sections

20 and 21 of the housing 11 merge with section 18, to form reduced dimension right-hand end portion 23 of the housing. Along its entire extent from right to left, the housing structure formed yby parts 18, 2t) and 21 may be of essentially rectangular transverse vertical section, in planes extending perpendicular to the plane of the paper in Fig. 2. As the top wall of section 18 curves downwardly from the high portion 22 of the housing to its reduced dimension portion 23, the top wall may be interrupted by an opening 24 of a size to receive the four fingers of a user, so that this opening may be utilized for gripping the housing to lift the device and thus render it easily portable.

The underside of housing section 1S may be closed by a horizontal bottom plate 25, which is attached to three lugs 26 projecting inwardly from section 18. The connection between bottom plate 25 and lugs 26 may be formed by three screws 27, whose lower ends carry mbber cushions 28 for engagement with the supporting surface 29 on which the device 10 is positioned. The vertical essentially rectangular section 19 of housing 11 closes the left end of section 18 of the housing, `and may have a pair of spaced essentially parallel feet 30 projecting to the left as seen in Fig. 2, and carrying a pair of rubber cushions 31 whose bottom surfaces lie in the same horizontal plane as the bottoms of the three previously mentioned cushions 28, to thus engage the supporting surface 29 and coact with cushions 28 in very effectively supporting the device 10 on `the surface 29.

Sections

18 and 19 may be secured together in any suitable manner, as by a number of screws 32 extending through overlapping ilanges formed on these two body sections.

The can opening mechanism 12 includes an essentially conventional toothed drive wheel 33, which is mounted at the left side of plate 19 for power driven rotation about a horizontal axis 34 projecting perpendicularly from plate 19. This wheel 33 engages the underside of the bead 135 of a conventional can 36, to coact with an essentially conventional rotary cutter 35 in removing the top 37 from the can. As will be understood, the rotary cutter 35 is mounted to turn about an inclined axis 3S which converges downwardly and outwardly toward, and may intersect, axis 34, so that the annular cutting edge 39 of cutter 35 may engage the top 37 of the can directly adjacent the inner side of bead 135 to effectively cut the top at that location. Wheel 33 and cutter 35 should be formed of very hard material, preferably a very hard steel, to avoid damage to these parts from repeated and extended use.

The wheel 33 may be mounted for its rotation about axis 34 by providing the wheel 33 with an integral reduced diameter externally cylindrical integral portion 40, which is received and journalled within a bore 41 formed in the housing section 19. At the inside of housing section 19, wheel 33 may be rigidly attached to and driven by a gear 42, which is secured to wheel 33 by a screw 43 threadedly connected into an outer portion 44 of the gear piece 42. The head of screw 43 is received within a recess in wheel 33, and bears against a shoulder 45 in wheel 33, to tighten the latter against the various shoulders on gear piece 42 as a result of tightening of the screw 43. As will be apparent, the rotary unit formed by parts 33 and 42 is fixed against axial movement in either direction by virtue of the engagement of these two parts with the opposite sides of housing section 19.

The gear 42 and the rest of the gear train 17 is all contained within a hollow preferably die cast inner housing element 46, which engages vertical housing plate 19 entirely about the peripheral edge 47 of element 46, in a manner forming with section 19 a sealed gear case completely enclosing the gears against the admission of any dust or other contaminants into the case, and preventing the escape of lubricant from within that case. Element 46 may be secured to the inner side of plate 19 by a number of lugs 43 formed integrally with plate 19 and projecting through coacting openings in element 46, with lugs 48 being upset or staked at their inner ends to permanently secure element 46 to housing section 19'.

In addition to the previously discussed gear 42, the gear train 17 includes a bottom gear 49, which engages and drives one of three successive identical intermediate gears t), 51 and 52. As will be understood, the drive goes progressively from gear 49 through the three gears 50, 51 and 52 to the discussed gear 42 which turns wheel 33. All of these discussed gears are mounted for rotation about their various horizontal axes, parallel to 4 axis 34, by means of integral externally cylindrical stub shafts or lugs formed on the different gears and rotatably received and journalled within internally cylindrical tubular bearing lugs 54 formed by the two

housing parts

19 and 46. The hermetica-lly sealed gear case formed by

parts

19 and 46 preferably contains a body of lubricant 154 in the bottom of the case, which lubricant may be fed upwardly by means of three circularly spaced paddles or lugs 55 which are formed integrally with gear 49 and its shaft (see Fig. l2). Thus lugs 55 may feed the oil or other lubricant upwardly to the point of engagement between gear 49 and gear 50, with the lubricant then being progressively fed upwardly through the train by the various gears themselves. If desired, an oil lill opening 56 may be provided in the bottom of the element 46, to be normally closed by a `screw 57 removably and threadedly connected into opening 56` The stator portion of motor 16 is rigidly mounted to gear housing 46, as by means of a pair of rigid parallel connector units represented at 58 and including securing screws 59. The rotary shaft of the motor has a portion 60 at one end for driving the can opener mechanism, and a portion 61 at its other end for driving grinding wheel 13. The shaft portion 60 at the left of the motor rigidly carries a small gear 62, suitable keyed to the shaft, which gear drives a larger gear 63, which is rigidly secured to gear 49 by a screw 64, gears 63 and 49 of course being keyed against relative rotation. Electricity is supplied to motor 16 by means of a cord 65 extending outwardly through an opening in the housing, and carrying the usual plug 66 connectible to a conventional 120 vo-lt 60 cycle A.C. power supply.

At a location above drive wheel 33, the can opening mechanism 12 includes a mounting plate 67, which is movably mounted tol the outer side of housing section 19, and which forms with the cutter 35 and various other portions of the mechanism an assembly which is completely removable from the rest of the apparatus for washing. This plate 67 has an inner vertical surface which engages and bears against the outer vertical surface of housing section 19 at 68, to hold the plate 67 and carried parts in xed vertical orientation with respect to section 19, though plate 67 is free for limited shifting movement relative to section 19.

The cutter 35 is rotatably mounted to a projection 69 on plate 67 by means of a mounting screw 70 which extends through the cutter and is threadedly connected into projection 69. Rearwardly of cutter 35, plate 67 carries an integral outwardly projecting lug 71, whose horizontal undersurface engages the upper edge of the can bead 135 to hold the rear portion of that bead against upward movement during a cutting operation. Forwardly of the cutter 35, the can bead is engaged and yieldingly urged downwardly by a spring pressed positioning element 72, which is movably mounted to the removable plate 67. This element 72 (see Fig. 9) has a lower horizontal portion 73, whose horizontal undersurface engages the can bead, and which is pressed down- Vwardly by a spring 74 confined within a hollow downwardly opening spring housing 75 which projects forwardly from and is integral with plate 67. At the rear of plate 67, element 73 is turned upwardly at 76 and is slidably received within a vertical guide way 77 formed in the back side of plate 67. This vertical portion 76 of element 73 contains a slot 78, into which a lug 79 formed by plate 67 projects, to form a pin and slot type of connection limiting the vertical movement of element 73 relativeV to plate 67. When plate 67 is in position against plate 19, the latter engages the vertical portion 76 of element 73 to positively prevent detachment of element 73 from the rest of the parts. Also, when plate 67 and the carried parts are detached from housing section 19, the spring 74 holds element 73 tightly against lug '79 in a manner electively securing

parts

73 and 74 against detachment from part 67 unless anser purposely` S detaches thse parts. During a can opening operation, the bead of the can being opened normally holds element 73 upwardly in a position in which the undersurface of this element 73 is substantially horizontally aligned with the undersurface of the rear bead engaging lug 71.

At the underside of wheel 33, the can is engaged by a rigid positioning element 80, which is attached to housing section 19 in fixed relation thereto by a pair of screws 81. As seen in Fig. 2, part Si) may project out- Iwardly slightly beyond the outer face of wheel 33. The lower portion of this element 80 may be of essentially V-shaped cross section, and part 80 preferably continues upwardly at the rear of wheel 33, to a location directly beneath lug 71.

In addition to the other parts discussed above, the removable plate 67 also preferably carries a permanent magnet 82, which is adapted to engage the upper surface of the lid or cover 37 of a can, to hold that cover and thus prevent it from falling downwardly into the can after it has been completely severed from the rest of the can. Desirably, the magnet 82 is mounted for upward and inward retracting movement, to thus lift the removed lid upwardly away from the can. For this purpose, magnet 82 may be carried by an arm 83, which is pivotally mounted by a pin 84 for upward and inward swinging movement toward the Vertical plane of housing section 19 and about a horizontal axis 85 which may extend parallel to the outer vertical surface of section 19. The pivot pin 84 may be connected at its opposite ends into a pair of parallel vertical upstanding ears 86 formed on the previously mentioned can-engaging lug 71, with the pin typically being fixed relative to ears 86, but allowing swinging movement of arm 83 relative to and about the ptn.

In its lowered position, the magnet 82 has its lower horizontal pole surfaces in direct engagement with the flipper horizontal surface of lid 37 of a can which is being acted upon by cutter 35. The strength of magnet 82 is sufficient to hold the magnet and arm 83 in this lower position, against the tendency of a coil spring 87 which is disposed about pin 84 and acts to normally yieldingly urge arm 83 and the carried magnet upwardly and inwardly to a position in which the arm and a can lid carried by the magnet both will extend substantially vertically. When the cutter 35 completes a cover removing operation, spring 87 then automatically swings the arm 83 and carried lid upwardly to a retracted position away from the can, to facilitate removal of the can from the device. The upper or outer end of arm 83 has a portion 88 which extends angularly downwardly and outwardly in the lower outwardly projecting position of the arm, and which projects angularly upwardly and away from the vertical plane of member 19 in the uppermost position of arm 83. In this upper position, the arm 83 is so positioned as to be engaged by the thumb of a user as that user swings the later to be described actuating arm or lever 89 in the direction for performing a can opening operation, with the positioning of arm 83 being such that the thumb of the user rst engages the angular portion 8S of the arm 83 and then gradually and automatically cams or dellects that portion and the rest of the arm outwardly and downwardly to a position causing magnet 82 to engage and adhere to the lid of the can.

The actuating lever or arm 89 is mounted to swing about a horizontal axis 90 extending parallel to the axis 34 of wheel 33, and located forwardly and upwardly with respect to axis 34. This arm 89 swings about axis 90 between the forwardly and upwardly projecting position of Fig. 4 and the rearwardly extending can opening position of Fig. 5. To mount arm 89 for this swinging movement, the arm has an externally cylindrical hub portion 91 at its left side, which portion is received and rotatably journalled within a cylindrical opening 92 formed in housing side plate 19. The forward portion of the removable plate 67 is attached to this circular portion 91 of arm 89 by means of a thumb screw 93, having' a portion 94 which is threadedly connected into circular portion 91 of arm 89 at a location offset eccentrically with respect to axis 90. 'Ihis thumb screw 93 has an externally cylindrical portion 95 received within an opening in plate 67, and suiciently loose within that opening to permit pivotal movement of plate 67 relative to screw 93. The screw is adapted to be removed from plate 67, to allow detachment of the latter and its carried parts from the housing.

The rear portion of plate 67 is removably attached to housing part 19 by means of a second thumb screw 96, which is threadedly connected into housing section 19, and has an externally cylindrical portion 97 received within a slot 98 in plate 67. This slot extends from front to rear with respect to plate 67, and has a vertical dimension corresponding substantially to the diameter of portion 97 of screw 96, to thus allow front to rear movement of plate 67 as lever 89 is swung in an actuating or retracting direction. The enlarged head 99 of screw 96 is spaced outwardly from plate 67, with a coil spring 100 and washer 191 being interposed between the head and plate 67, to thus yieldingly urge the rear portion of plate 67 against housing section 19. The enlarged head of forward screw 93 retains the forward portion of plate 67 against substantial movement outwardly away from portion 91 of arm 89, but the connection at this point is suiciently loose to allow slight movement of the rear portion of plate 67 and the carried cutter 35 outwardly away from section 19, to allow for reception between wheel 33 and cutter 35 of the upper edge portions of cans formed of different thicknesses of metal. The spring 100 resists such outward deflection of the rear portion of plate 67, to thus always hold cutter 35 tightly against the bead of the can. Also, this outward movement of the rear portion of plate 67 is limited to a very slight amount of movement by means of the upper portion 102 of housing-carried lug 86, the latter being received outwardly of and slightly spaced from the plate 67.

The eccentric mounting of the forward connector screw 93 relative to axis 90 is such that, when lever 89 is swung rearwardly, the forward portion of plate 67 is caused to swing downwardly in a manner tightly clamping between cutter 35 and wheel 33 the upper bead portion of a can, in a relation such that rotation of wheel 33 will then cause the can to turn, and cause cutter 35 to sever the lid 37 from the can. During this movement, the rear portion of the plate 67 pivots about screw 96, and shifts slightly transversely of that pin as permitted by the reception of the pin within slot 98. During the nal portion of the downward swinging movement of cutter 35, the eccentric positioning of screw 93 is such as to cause cutter 35 to progressively advance forwardly relative to wheel 33 during the final downward movement of the cutter. This simultaneous downward and forward movement is found to be desirable for performing a most effective initial slicing action into the material of the can lid.

The very last part of the rearward swinging movement of lever S9 actuates a switch mechanism 103 (see Fig. 7), which automatically closes the electrical circuit to motor 16, to commence the powered rotation of can advancing wheel 33. Switch mechanism 103 includes a vertically movable slide member or actuating part 104, which is mounted to the inner side of housing section 19 for only vertical movement, and which projects upwardly at 105 through a slot 196 formed between the Lipper edge portions of

housing sections

18 and 19, for engagement by the rear end portion of lever 89. Slot 106 may extend along the entire front to rear dimension of the upper portion of the housing, to receive a ange portion 107 of lever 89, which flange portion terminates in and carries the cylindrical hub or mounting portion 91 of the lever. Element 104 extends downwardly at the inner side of housing section 19, and is guided for-only vertical slidingl movement by means of a lug 108 projecting inwardly from section 19 andreceived within a slot 169 formed in pan: 104. This slot 109 has a horizontal dimension from front to rear corresponding to the width of lug 108, but is longer vertically than the lug, to allow the desired vertical movement. A screw 110 connected into lug 133 'has an enlarged head which engages `part 104 at opposite sides of slot 109, to retain element 165 against inward separation from section 19. The lower end portion 111 is received and guided within an opening 112 formed in an electrically insulative typically plastic switch body 113, which is rigidly attached to the inner side of section 19. A spring 114 yieldingly urges element 104 upwardly, While lever 89 is adapted to actuate element 104 downwardly to move an upper resilient spring contact 115 into engagement with a lower contact 116. These contacts are suitably mounted to switch body 113, and normally assume an open switch position. The two contacts 115 and 116 are of course connected in series with motor 16 to the power leads 65, to start and stop the motor in accordance with the actuation of element 104.

The grinding wheel 13 is a generally conventional abrasive wheel, which is mounted to motor shaft 61 on a hub element 117, between a pair of resilient split washers or retaining rings 11S and 119, which are received and positioned within a pair of spaced grooves formed in shaft 61. The grinding wheel 13 turns about a horizontal axis 120, winch extends perpendicularly to the vertical side wall 19 of the device.

The housing section 20 is attached to three sides to the upper edges of the corresponding three sides of housing section 18 by means of three screws 121. Section 20 has a vertical end wall 122, two vertical front and

rear walls

123 and 124, and a top horizontal wall 125. The

walls

123, 124 and 125 are interrupted at the location of section 21, which forms in elfect continuations of

walls

123, 124 and 125, but with the previously mentioned knife blade receiving slots 14 and 15 being formed between

sections

20 and 21 for guiding a knife during a sharpen ing operation. As seen in the plan view of Fig. 3, the slots 14 and 15 converge as they extend from front to rear, with the angle formed between one of these slots and axis 120 being the same as but the reverse of the angle formed between the other slot and that axis. Also, the portions of the slots 14 and 15 which are formed between the vertically extending front walls 123 and 123e of

sections

20 and 21, and the vertically extending rear walls 124 and 124:1 of

sections

20 and 21, converge downwardly, so that a blade received within either the slot 14 or the slot 15 is inclined downwardly and inwardly toward grinding wheel 13, as well as being disposed at an angle with respect to its front to rear extent. Section 2t) has two inclined and angularly extending

walls

126 and 127 formed within the housing beneath the level of the upper walls 125 and extending all of the way from front walls 123 to rear walls 124, these

walls

126 and 127 being disposed at an angle corresponding to the angle of a blade received within and guided by slots 14 and 15 respectively, to thus laterally support the blade as it is drawn forwardly through the slots while engaging the grinding wheel 13. As will be understood, during such forward movement, the cutting edge 128 of the knife blade engages the opposite tapering surfaces 129 and 130 of grinding wheel 13, at a forward side of the grinding wheel, so that the knife may be sharpened on both of its sides by rst pulling it forwardly through slot 14, and then pulling it forwardly through slot 15. The grinding wheel 13 turns in a direction such that the forward portion of the grinding wheel which engages the blade being sharpened is moving upwardly, to thus perform a most effective sharpening operation.

In order that the part 21 may form the inner edges of the two converging knife guiding slots 14 and 15, this part 21 has opposite side edges 131, which converge rearwardly along the top of the housing, and which converge downwardly at both the rear side and front side of the housing (but with the edges being spaced farther apart at the rear of the housing than at its front). The opposed edges of part 20,which co-act with part 21 in formingthe knife blade guiding slots, are of course parallel to and converge in correspondence with the edges 131 of part 21. Part I21 is mounted in fixed relation to the other housing parts in suitable manner, as by means of two

lugs

132 and 133 which project downwardly at the front and rear respectively of the lower portion of part 21, and are attached to adjacent lower wall portions 135 of part 20. Lug 133 may be secured to its associated wall 135 by a screw 136, while lug 132 may be provided with a lower pin portion 137 extending through an opening in wall 135 and then upset beneath the wall to hold the parts in place.

In now considering the operation of the device, assume first that it s desired to utilize the device for removing the lid of a can 316. The rst step is to swing control arm 89 to the Fig. 4 forwardly retracted position to allow insertion of the upper bead 35 of can 36 to a position above drive wheel 33. The operator then swings lever 89 forwardly and then downwardly to the Fig. 5 position, to clamp the can bead between cutter 35 and wheel 33 (see Fig. 2.). As the handle 89 swings downwardly, cutter 35 moves downwardly to slice into the peripheral portion of lid 37, with the final portion of the cutter movement being a downward and forward movement (see Fig. ll), to progressively advance the cutter downwardly and forwardly into the metal of the lid, in a manner performing a most effective cutting action. The very last portion of the downward movement of handle 39 moves part 104 (see Fig. 7) downwardly, to close the switch mechanism 103 in a manner energizing motor 16 and commencing the rotation of wheel 33. The reduction gear train reduces the speed of wheel 33 relative to the rate of turning of the motor shaft, to thus turn the can at a practical speed for making a cut circularly about the periphery of the lid. When the cutting action has been completed, the handle 89 is swung forwardly to its Fig. 4 position, to release the can for removal from the apparatus. As previously described, upon the actuation of handle 89 from its Fig. 4 position to its Fig. 5 position the thumb of the operator deilects magnet unit 82-83 downwardly to a position of holding engagement with the can lid, so that when the cutting action on the lid has been completed, spring 87 may retract the magnet and carried lid upwardly and inwardly to a position in which the lid extends essentially vertically, and thus does not interfere with removal of the can from the device. This unique arrangement allows the operator to either use the magnet or not, as he may see lit, since he can of course purposely so hold his thumb as to avoid actuating the magnet, if desired.

When it is desired to sharpen a knife with the device, the operator swings lever 39 forwardly to the Fig. 5 position, to thus start motor 16 and the grinding wheel 13, and the user then pulls a knife forwardly through the slot 14 and then through slot 15, perhaps several times, so that the opposite sides of the cutting edge of the knife can engage the tapering surfaces 129 and 130 of the grinding wheel (at a proper angle determined by the angularity of the slots and of faces 129 and 130), to thus produce an accurately predetermined type of cutting edge on the blade. When either a can opening or knife sharpening operation is being performed, the gears within inner housing 46 are continously lubricated by lubricant which is elevated upwardly by paddles 55 to` the point of engagement at 49 with the two lower gears, and the various gears themselves then act to progressively advance the lubricant upwardly through the rest of the gear train. When it is desired to clean the portions of the apparatus which may contact the contents of the can during a can operation, such cleaning of the parts'may be effected by detaching the entire cutter assembly, including the cutter mounting plate, the rotary 9 Cutter itself, the can bead engaging lugs, and the magnet unit, so that this ent-ire assembly may be thoroughly Washed While separated from the motor and other portions of the apparatus, following which the cutter assembly can be remounted on the device for further use.

I claim:

l. A can opener comprising a supporting body having a generally vertical wall, a drive wheel rotatably mounted to said body at a side thereof and adapted to engage the underside of a can bead and act thereagainst to turn the can, means for rotatably driving said wheel, a cutter assembly removably and movably attached to said side of the body and including a generally vertical mounting plate removably mounted adjacent said wall of the body and shiftable relative thereto, and a cutter carried by said plate at a location closely adjacent and above said drive wheel for engaging and cutting the top of a can, means for shifting said plate downwardly and upwardly relative to said body Wall to shift said cutter into and out of cutting position with respect to said wheel, said removable cutter assembly including a hold down part for engaging a can bead and urging the bead downwardly during a cutting operation, said part having a first portion turned upwardly at the inner side of said plate and confined between said plate and said body wall for vertical sliding movement when the removable plate is attached to the wall, said part having a second portion projecting outwardly from the bottom of said first portion and having an undersurface adapted to engage the can bead and urge it downwardly, a spring carried by said mounting plate and bearing downwardly against the upper side of said second portion of the hold down part to press the can bead downwardly, and means at said inner side of the mounting plate engageable with said first portion of the hold down part to limit its range of downward movement by the spring.

2. A can opener as recited in claim l, in which said rst portion of the hold down part contains a slot at the inner side of said plate, and said last mentioned means includes a lug projecting from the back side of said plate and received in said slot to limit downward movement of said part relative to said plate.

3. A can opener as recited in claim l, in which said plate has a generally vertically extending guide way groove formed in its back side adjacent said body wall and within which said first portion of the hold down part is received and guided for essentially vertical sliding movement, said last mentioned means of claim l including a lug projecting rearwardly from said removable plate within said guide way groove and received within a slot formed in said first portion of the hold down part to limit the vertical movement of said part.

4. A can opener as recited in claim l, in which said plate has a spring housing portion containing a downwardly opening recess within which said spring is receiVed and from which the spring projects downwardly into engagement with said second portion of the hold down part.

5. A can opener comprising a supporting body having a generally vertically extending side Wall containing an essentially circular opening, a drive wheel rotatably mounted to said body at a side thereof and adapted to engage the underside of a can bead and act thereagainst to turn the can, means for rotatably driving said wheel, a cutter assembly removably and movably attached to said side of the body and including a generally vertical mounting plate alongside said body wall and a cutter positioned closely adjacent and above said drive wheel for engaging and cutting the top of a can, an actuating element mounted to said body for pivotal movement about a predetermined generally horizontal axis, said actuating element having an externally essentially circular hub portion projecting laterally into said circular opening in said body wall from the inner side thereof and journalled within and by said opening for said pivotal movement about said axis, a detachable threaded fastener pivotally connecting said plate to said hub portion of the actuating element for relative pivotal movement about a second axis which is offset eccentrically from said first axis but is within the circular area defined by said opening, whereby swinging movement of said actuating element about said first axis acts to shift said plate and cutter upwardly and downwardly between active and retracted positions, and a connection detachably and essentially pivotally attaching said plate to said body at a location offset from said fastener, said plate and carried cutter being removable from the body as a unit, without removal of said Wheel and without detachment of said pivotable actuating element from the body, when said fastener is detached from said hub portion of the actuating element and said connection is broken.

6. A can opener as recited in claim 5, in which said body includes two separately formed sections meeting at the location of said actuating element and secured together in fixed relation, a first of said sections including said essentially Vertical wall of the body, said actuating element having said hub portion at one of its sides and being engaged at its opposite side by the second of said body sections in a relation holding the hub against movement out of said opening, there being a gap formed between said two body sections within which said actuating element is movably received and through which said element projects to a location accessible for manual actuation at the outside of the body.

7. A can opener as recited in claim 5, in which said fastener is a screw extending through an aperture in said plate and threadedly connected into said hub portion of the actuating element within the area defined by said circular opening, said screw having a head at the outer side of said plate and having a shoulder engageable with said hub to limit the extent of tightening of the screw into the hub at a position leaving sufiicient clearance between said head and said hub for the plate to be pivotable relative to the hub and about the screw.

8. A can opener as recited in claim 5, in which said connection includes a screw extending through a slot in said plate and removably threadedly connected into the body and allowing limited shifting movement of the plate relative to the body.

9. A can opener as recited in claim 5, in which said connection includes a screw extending through a slot in said plate and removably threadedly connected into the body and allowing limited shifting movement of the plate toward and away from the body, there being a spring about said screw yieldingly urging said plate toward the body.

10. A can opener as recited in claim 5, in which said cutter assembly includes a spring pressed hold down unit carried by and removable with said mounting plate for engaging a can bead forwardly of said cutter and urging the bead downwardly, and a lug carried by said plate for engaging the bead rearwardly of the cutter.

11. A can opener comprising a supporting body having a generally vertically extending side wall containing an essentially circular opening, a drive wheel rotatably mounted to said body at a side thereof and adapted to engage the underside of a can bead and act thereagainst to turn the can, means for rotatably driving said wheel, a cutter assembly removalbly and movably attached to said side of the body and including a generally vertical mounting plate alongside said body wall and a cutter positioned closely adjacent and above said drive wheel for engaging and cutting the top of a can, an actuating element mounted to said body for pivotal movement about a predetermined generally horizontal axis, said actuating element having an externally essentially circular hub portion projecting laterally into said circular opening in said body wall from the inner side thereof and journalled within and by said opening for said pivotal movement about said axis, said body including two separately formed sections meeting at the location of said actuating element and secured together in fixed relation, a first of said sections including said essentially vertical wall of the body, said actuating element having said hub portion at one of its sides and being engaged at its opposite side by the second of said body sections in a` relation holding the hub against movement out of said opening, there being a gap formed @between said two body sections within which said actuating element is movably received and through which said element projects to a location accessible for manual actuation at the outside of the body, a detachable screw extending through an aperture in said plate and threadedly connected into said hub portion of the actuating element at a location offset eccentrically from Vsaid axis but within the circular area defined by said opening within which the hub is journalled, and thereby connecting said plate to the hub for relative pivotal movement about a second axis offset from the first axis so that swinging movement of the actuating element acts 'to shift said :plate upwardly and downwardly between active and retracted positions, said screw having a retaining head at the outer side of said plate and having a shoulder engageable with said hub to limit the extent of tightening of the screw into the hub at a position leaving suicient clearance between said head and said hutb for the plate to be pivotable relative to the hub and about the screw, and a second screw extending through a slot in said plate and detachably threadedly connected into said Wall of the body and attaching said plate to said wall at a location offset from said rst axis for essentially pivotal movement and limited shifting movement, said plate and carried cutter being removable from the body as a unit, without removal of said wheel and without detachment of said pivotable actuating element from the body, when said two screws are detached from said hub and wall respectively.

12. A can opener comprising a supporting body, can opening mechanism carried by the body and including a relatively shiftable drive Wheel and rotary cutter, a .magnet for holding the removed top of a can, an .arm carrying said magnet, a pivotal connection mounting said arm and magnet for upward pivotal lmovement relative to said body Mbetween a lower position adjacent the cantop and an upwardly projecting retracted position, a spring formed separately fromsaid arm and yieldingly urging said arm and magnet from said rst Vposition to said second ,position, said can opening mechanism including a manually operated swinging actuating arm adapted to actuate said mechanism to open a can upon downward swinging movement of said actuating arm by corresponding downward movement of the hand of a user, said irst 4mentioned arm and magnet when held in said upwardly projecting retracted kposition by said spring being located for actuation from said upwardly projecting position to said lower active position by said users hand 'during and as a result of said downward movement thereof with said actuating arm.

vReferences Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STAT-ES PATENTS 1,939,349 Holman Dec. 12, 1933 2,204,368 Kublin June 11, 1940 2,236,974 Long Apr. l, 41941 2,265,491 Powers Dec. 9, l1941 2,318,764 YDorris May A11, 1943 2,437,234 Webb Mar. 2, 1948 2,522,382 Lampl Sept. 12, 1950 2,522,942 Gillen Sept. 19, 1950 2,555,931 Raab lune 5, y1951 2,591,155 Horstmann Apr. 1, 1952 2,595,162 Nessler Apr. 29, -1952 2,648,897 McLean Aug. 18, 1953 2,706,852 Straub et al. Apr` 26, 1955 2,745,174 Herrick May 1.5, 1956