US2912752A - Wall type can opener - Google Patents

Description

I 1959 M. J. LA FORT-E WALL TYPE CAN OPENER Original Filed Sept. 16, 1954 Am/ @567? yd; awm #5 United tates Patent WALL TYPE CAN OPENER Michael J. La Forte, Park'Ridge, Ill., assignor'to yanghan Mfg. Co., Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Original application September 16, 1954, Serial No. 456,507, now Patent'No. 2,802,258, dated Angustls, 1957. Divided and this application May 22, .1957, Serial No. 660,805

2 Claims. 01'. 30--6.4)

poration of the structure there set forth in a wall type can opener with improvements and additions as will be described. One object of my invention may, therefore, be considered to be a wall type can. opener embodying the advantages of the portable type opener disclosed in the above referred to patent.

In the course of incorporating this opener intoa wall mount, 1 have provided certain improvements in accessory features. The first of these is an improved flexible magnetic can top holder to retain the can top after it has been severed from the can, first for the purposeof preventing the top from falling into the contents of the can and second, for the purpose of holding the can top when the can is removed from the opener in order to provide a clean method of removing the can top from the can after severance as compared to the usual somewhat messy method of pushing one edge of the can top down as it rests on the contents in order to elevate the other edge. Although magnetic can top retainers are old, my retainer enjoys the advantage of being exceedingly flexible and adaptable to the tops of cans whose sides may be variably angled and whose tops may be variably recessed below the bead. In short, my retainer is flexibly mounted in a fashion that permits, first, a natural engagementof the retainer with the can top as the user of the opener inserts. the can into the opener. engagement, the retainer follows the can top to the position. imposed .on'it by the opener during severance and still remains in engagement therewith.

Another improvement which I have effected is a method of storing the can opener on its wall mounting bracket in a way which is'simple and sightly and steady.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the following description and drawings of which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a can openerembodying my invention shown in operative position;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing, however, the opener suspended in non-operating or storage position;

Fig. 3 is a section which may be regarded as being taken along the line 33 of Fig. 1 looking in .the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is an elevation of the mounting bracket;

Fig. 5 is an elevation of the base of the mounting arm of the opener;

Fig. 6 is asection'which may be regarded as being Second, after 2,912,752 Patented Nov. 17, 1959 2 taken along the line 66 of Fig.2 looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the magnet housing of my invention broken away in part.

The illustrated can opener is a wallltype opener, and, as such, includes an arm 10, one end of which is adapted for attachment to a wall or the like and the other end of which carries the can opener operating mechanism.

As shown in Fig. 4, a bracket 12, secured to a wall by screws 14, has the longitudinal edges 16 thereof inclining upwardly andrearwardly toward each other. The base 18 of the arm, as shown in Fig. 5, has 'a vertical slot or keyway 20 in the end thereof complemental to the front surface and edges 16 of the bracket 12 so that when the keyway 20.0f the arm is inserted over the bracket 12 and dropped thereon, the matching surfaces of the arm and bracket suffice to hold the'arm with a wedging fit rigidly and firmly to the wall.

A distinctive feature of my invention lies in the provision of an upper extension 24 of the base of the arm in which is formed a second keyway 26 again comple- .mental to the operative surfaces of the bracket 12. The

width of the supplemental keyway is intermediate the width of the narrow upper end of the bracketand the wider lower end of the bracket. Thus, when it is desired that the opener be stored on the wall between occasions of use, it may be conveniently hung from the bracket by virtue of the secondkeyway 26 so'that the arm hangs vertically in the fashion illustrated in Fig. 2, and does not project out into the working area.

As illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3, the arm of my invention may be divided into two parts: a lower die cast main portion 28 and an upper plastic cap 30 for convenience of'assembly, for purposes of a more colorful, attractive article and for a greater finish permanence. on the upper surfaces where marring is most likely to occur. The die cast portion includes the base 18. 1

The other end, the outer end, of the die cast-arm part is formed 'to have a pocket 32 therein which. opens to the left side and bottom of the arm, viewing the opener from the front. An integral'rib 34 extends outward from the arm and downward beside the inside edge of the pocket 32 and terminates at the bottom thereof. fHoles 36 to accommodate rivets are formed in the bottom surface of the arm on either side of the bottom pocket opening 32.

A pair of vertical grooves 38 are also provided inside the pocket 32 and adjacent its side opening which continue a short distance on the bottom faces of the arm for purposes to be described later.

l incorporate into the arm of my opener an opening mechanism which resembles the opening mechanism disclosed in my above-mentioned Patent No. 2,573,031. This mechanism consists first of a generally rectangular body 40 with three extensions or appendages on the upper edge and one on the lower which are bent relative to the body to accomplish various purposes. This member is preferably a heavy sheet metal stamping. The lowerextension is bent outwardly to a right angle on a horizontal line to constitute a guide lug 42. The two outer of the upper edge extensions are also bent outwardly to a right angle on a horizontal line to define'guide. members .44 and 46. These guide members are punched for the reception of rivets 48 by which theopening mechanism is attached to the arm 10- The central upper edge extension constitutes a mounting lug 50 which likewise is loutbent but only slightly to be at a large obtuse angle to the plane of the body. The bend of. the mounting lug is along an upwardly inclined line so-that:the\l'ug not only has the inward slope but a forwardslope as well for purposes to be brought out later. The mounting lug has a bore 52 therethrough.

I contemplate that a disk type cutter 54 be used in conjunction with my invention. This cutter has an axle 56 therefor and the end of the axle is contained in the bore 52 of the mounting lug 50 so as to be both rotatable and axially slidable therein.

I provide further a U-shaped spring 58 having inturned clips 60 at one end thereof. The clips are sufliciently spaced so that that end of the spring may be forcibly driven over the mounting lug 50 with the clips in firm engagement with the sides thereof. The other, free, end 62 of the spring bears against the center of the disk cutter and serves to hold the axle 56 of the cutter in the bore 52.

The body member has a quadrant-shaped slot 64 formed therein and a small point of metal 66 pressed out of the metal to form a cam abutment on the inside surface thereof.

A driving wheel 68 is provided which has a hub 70 of smaller diameter than the wheel itself. The hub 70 is contained in the quadrant-shaped slot 64 to fit said slot relatively closely but to be freely rotatable and slidable therein. A rivet 72 serves to interconnect fixedly the driving wheel and a crank handle 74. interposed between the handle and hub of the driving wheel is a kidney-shaped cam 76. For purposes of ornamentation, a plastic cap 78 may be provided to overlie the connected end of the handle and the rivet may terminate in an ornamental head 80. The rivet 72 may be flatsided and the holes receiving the rivet in the driving wheel, the handle and the cam substantially rectangular so that the three members rotate together as a unit. This detail has not been illustrated, as it is entirely obvious. The slot 64- is such that the driving wheel may move from a position downwardly and rearwardly of the disk cutter 54 and substantially spaced therefrom, first generally upwardly and then forwardly to bring it immediately under the cutting wheel and overlapped therewith.

The grooves 38 are employed to contain a magnet bracket 82. This bracket, as shown in Figs. 3 and 7, may consist of relatively light but stifif wire bent through approximately 540 to define a U with a loop 84 at the bottom thereof. The free ends of the wire 82 each are bent through approximately a right angle out of the plane defined by the U-shaped bend. These bent ends are contained within the grooves 38. The extremities of the wire may be further bent away from each other to lie in those portions of the grooves 38 which extend across the bottom of the arm, these extremities being clamped in these groove portions by the guide member 44 and 46 as riveted to the arm 10.

The two arms of the U enter the magnet housing 86 through a pair of windows 90 formed therein. As shown in Fig. 7 the housing 86 is of hollow construction and is provided with an axially extending or vertical rod 92 fixed between the top and a closure member 86' of the housing. The loop 84- encircles loosely the vertical rod 92 within the housing. A small washer 88 encircles the rod 92 and a light spring 94 interposed between the washer and the top of the housing urges the housing upward. A permanent magnet is embedded in the bottom closure member 86' of the housing with the poles thereof exposed in the bottom surface of the closure member 86'.

The operation of my invention will be understood from the foregoing description. With the driving wheel 68 in the lower rearward end of the slot 64, as shown in Fig. 1, and the cam oriented so that the notch therein lies against the stud 66, a can is inserted with the bead thereof overlying the top edge of the driving wheel 68. The guide lug 42 hearing against the side of the can will cause the can to assume a slight angle with respect to the opener body 40. Upon rotation of the handle in the clockwise direction (or counterclockwise as viewed in Fig. 1) the cam serves to raise the driving wheel through the vertical portion of the slot 64 and force the can bead inside the disk cutter and up against the guide members 4-4 and 46, as shown in Fig. 3, to effect initial penetration of the can top. At the same time, the top of the can is brought sutficiently close to the lower surface of the magnet housing so that the magnet will be attracted thereto and hold the can top. The amount of downward vertical movement permitted by the spring 94 insures that even though the can top be not brought into direct contact with the magnet housing the spring 94 is light enough and the magnet in the housing strong enough so that the housing as a unit will be brought into contact with the can top by magnetic attraction. The normal elevated position of the magnet housing insures that the housing will not interfere with inserting a can into the opener. The mounting of the housing on the bracket 82 is loose enough to permit angular changes of the housing with respect to the bracket so that the magnetic poles lie flat against the can top regardless of variations in the can top angle during opening.

Thereafter, continued rotation of the handle moves the driving wheel to the forward end of slot 64 and the thrust on the driving wheel resulting from the continued rotation of the handle serves to maintain the driving wheel at that end and the disk cutter 54 in continuous cutting relation with the can until the can top is completely severed. When 'the can top is totally severed, the direction of rotation of the handle is reversed. This applies a reverse traction on the driving wheel and, the can being held within the opener with substantial frictional force, it is the driving wheel which will move first to the rear and then, when the notch in the kidney-shaped cam lies opposite the stud 66, the driving Wheel will drop to the lower rearward end of the slot 64, releasing the can. The can may be moved and the top will adhere to the magnet.

It will be evident from the foregoing description that I have adapted in highly ingenious fashion a popular portable can opener to wall mounted usage. I have provided a novel and ingenious magnetic can top holder to be employed in conjunction with the opener, and the opener contains novel and successful provision for wall storage on the wall bracket when not in use.

I claim:

1. A magnetic can-top holder for a can opener comprising a housing having a permanent magnet enclosed therein with the poles thereof exposed on the underside of said housing, said housing having two windows in one side thereof, a vertical shaft inside said housing, a mounting bracket for said housing including a length of stiff wire entering said housing through one of said windows, encircling said shaft and merging from said housing from the other of said windows, the ends of said wire being adapted for attachment to said can opener, a washer on said shaft above said bracket and a light compression spring on said shaft interposed between said washer and the top of said housing.

2. In combination with a wall type can opener, a magnetic can-top holder comprising a housing having a window through a side thereof, a permanent magnet enclosed in said housing and having its poles exposed on the underside thereof, an upright rod fixed substantially centrally in said housing, a mounting member encircling said rod in said housing and extending outside thereof through said window, said mounting member having a portion outside of said housing attachable to an arm for positioning said magnet in cooperative relationship with an opening means relative to a can to be opened thereby, and resilient means on said rod yieldably supporting said housing and magnet with the latter spaced above the top of a can in cooperative relationship with said opening means and yieldable under the force of said magnet to move into magnetic engagement with the top of said can.

(References on following page) References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Nelson May 10, 1949 6 Acker Jan. 6 1953 Nelson Aug. 11, 1953 Moore Feb. 28, 1956 Moore Mar. 27, 1956 Rhodes Nov. 27, 1956

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