US2984002A - Palm-operated can opener - Google Patents

Description

May 16, 1961 H. w. HALvoRsEN- PALM-OPERATED CAN OPENER Filed June 18, 1959 3 United States Patent PALM-OPERATED CAN OPENER Harry W. Halvorsen, 15646 Eastwood Ave., Detroit 5, Mich.

Filed June 18, 1959, Ser. No. 821,230

`1 Claim. (Cl. 30-16) This invention relates to can openers and, in particular, to can piercers.

One object of this invention is to provide a can piercer having an arcuate locating flange and a can-piercing punch so related to one another that the llange rests against the rim of the can to be pierced and predetermines the exact location at which the punch will enter the can.

Another object is to provide a can piercer of the foregoing character which has a palm rest above the punch for enabling the pressure for causing the punch to pierce the can top to be exerted primarily by the users palm, thereby enabling him to use his arm muscles and weight most effectively in piercing the can.

Another object is to provide a can piercer of the foregoing character wherein the palm rest protects the palm from injury either by the can, piercing punch or locating flange and also from being squeezed or pinched between any of these members.

Another object is to provide a can piercer of the foregoing character wherein the palm rest, punch and locating flange are so located relatively to one another as to place the punch remote from the cheek of the users palm and wrist so as to enable the exertion of the maximum leverage by the user upon the punch.

Another object is to provide a can piercer of the foregoing character wherein no bead is required on the can for eiective operation of the piercer, the piercer being usable equally well on cans with or without such beads.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following description of the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a top plan view of a can piercer, according to one form of the invention;

Figure 2 is a central longitudinal section through the can piercer of Figure 1, taken along the line 2 2 there- 1n;

Figure 3 is a left-hand end elevation of the can piercer shown in Figure 1, looking in the direction of the line 3--3 in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a top plan view of a modified can piercer having a piercing punch attached by fasteners to the palm rest;

Figure 5 is a central longitudinal section taken along the line 5-5 in Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a top plan view of a further moded can piercer having a piercing punch integral with the palm Y rest and locating flange; and

Figure 7 is a central longitudinal section taken along the line 7-7 in Figure 6.

Referring to the drawings in detail, Figures 1 to 3 show a palrn-operated can piercer, generally designated 10, according to one lform of the invention as consisting generally of a punch holder 12 and a can-piercing punch 14 embedded or cast therein, the punch holder 12 in turn consisting generally of a palm rest 16 and a locating ange 1'8. The palm rest 16 of the punch holder 12 is conveniently made from molded plastic, die cast metal Patented May 16, 1961 or the like. It has a relatively broad arcuate front end portion 20, the sides 22 of which are slightly concave and converge from the opposite extremities of the locating ilange 18 toward the rearward end portion 24, the top surface 26 being substantially flat. It will be evident from Figure 1 that the palm rest 16 is approximately sector-shaped and that its arcuate front end portion 20 subtends an angle of at least degrees from its center of curvature, so as to provide a sufliciently broad area for the application of the users palm in applying pressure. The locating ange 18 is integral with and depends from the front end portion 20 and is of arcuate shape corresponding in curvature roughly to the curvature of the rim R of the top T of the can C which is to be pierced with a hole H (Figure 2). The locating ange 18 thus serves as a stop to rest against the rim R or side wall S of the can C, the latter being the situation when the can C lacks the usual bead B. The locating flange 18 preferably has a notch 28 (Figure 3) in line with the point 30 of the piercing punch 14, so as to enable the point 30 to be easily cleaned.

'Ihe can-piercing punch 14 has its point 30 located on a downturned prong 32 (Figure 2) which is integral with and depends from an elongated approximately rectangular base portion 34. The punch 1-4 is conveniently made in the form of a stamping from sheet'metal, such as sheet steel, which is preferably heat-treated after stamping in order to harden the prong or tip 32 and reduce wear upon the point 30. The punch 14, thus produced, is embedded in the punch holder 12 during the process of manufacture in such a manner as to produce an elongated seat 36 near the lower side 38 in which the punch base portion 34 is disposed at a location spaced inwardly from the lower side 38. The can piercer 10 of Figure l is conveniently produced by plastic injection molding using conventional plastic injection molding machines with dies having die cavities configured to the shape of the punch holder 12, with provision for locating the punch 14 in the desired relative location therein. These machines are well-known in the plastic injection molding industry and are beyond the scope of the present invention.

The modied can piercer, generally designated 40, shown in Figures 4 and 5 is similar in principle to the can piercer 10 of Figures l to 3 inclusiveand similar parts are .designated with similar reference numerals. In the can piercer 40, however, the punch holder 12 is of similar shape to the punch holder 12 of Figures 1 and 2, but lacks the recess 36 because the punch 14 is separately attached to the punch holder 12. To do this, the punch 14 and punch holder 12 are drilled or otherwise perforated in alignment as at 42 and 44 respectively to receive rivets or other suitable fasteners 46. The remainder of the construction is substantially the same as that shown in Figures l to 3 inclusive. It will be evident, however, that the punch holder 12 of Figure 5 may also consist of a sheet metal stamping, because the punch 14 is not embedded in it as in the case of the punch 14 of Figures 1, 2 and 3.

The -further modified can piercer, generally designated 50, shown in Figures 6 and 7 diiers from the can piercers 10 and 40 of Figures 1 and 4 respectively in that a one-piece construction is employed rather than the twopiece construction of the previous forms of the invention. In particular, the can piercer 50 consists of a single stamping having a punch holder, generally designated 52, a substantially flat-topped palm rest 54 terminating at a broad front end portion 56 in an integral arcuate locating ange 58 and having slightly concave side edges 60 converging toward the narrower rear end portion 62. Approximately in the center of the front end portion 56 is located an approximately triangular hole 64 produced by striking up the punch 66 with its point 68 directed toward but spaced away from the locating flange 58. The flange 58 and punch 66 are produced in suitable stamping dies, preferably simultaneously for achieving a low cost of production in mass quantities. The can piercer 50 is preferably stamped from sheet steel, with the punch 66 subsequently heat-treated to increase its hardness and wear-resisting qualities.

In the use of the invention, of whatever form, the operator rests the point 30 or 68 lightly upon the top T of the can C while grasping the opposite edges 22 or 60 of the punch holder 12 or 52 in one hand and pulls it toward him until the locating flange -18 or 58 rests against the bead B of the can rim R, if it is provided with a bead, or otherwise against the rim R of a beadless can. With the tip or point 30` or 68 thus properly located, the operator brings the palm of his hand into contact with the palm rest 1'6 or 54 and presses downward upon it, making use of the leverage and mechanical advantage gained by the facility with which he is able to rest most of his palm upon the device. In this manner, he is enabled to exert a powerful pressure upon the punch 14 or 16 so as to cause its point 30 or 68 to penetrate the can top T and produce the desired hole H at the desired location relatively to the can rim R. The relatively great breadth of the punch holder 12 or 52 protects both the palm and the ngers from being pinched between the can C and the can piercer 10, 40 or 50, so that the operator is protected against injury of any sort.

After the can has been pierced in one location, the can piercer of the present invention is preferably shifted to a diametrically opposite location on the can top T and the operation repeated to kform a second hole H (not shown) in the can top T to permit air to enter the can and replace the liquid being poured out through the first hole and cause a smooth llow of liquid to occur. After the piercing has been completed, the can piercer 10, 40 or is easily cleaned by placing it under an ordinary water tap in line with the notch 28 (Figure 3) which permits the jet stream of water to flow through the notch and clean the point 30 or 68.

What I claim is:

A palm-operated can piercer comprising a can-piercing punch holder having an approximately sector-shaped palm rest portion having an arcuate forward end of extended width subtending an angle of at least degrees from its center of curvature and adapted to radially overlie the top of the can to be pierced, said punch holder also having an arcuate stop flange portion depending from said palm rest portion at the forward end thereof and extending substantially between the opposite extremities of said forward end, said arcuate stop flange portion having a radius of curvature approximating the expected maximum radius of the top of the widest can top to be pierced; and a can-piercing punch having a base portion secured to said palm rest portion and having a pointed can-piercing portion extending downwardly from said base portion in radially-spaced relationship with said arcuate stop flange portion, said palm rest portion having a rearward end of narrower width than said forward end disposed remote from said forward end and also having side edges converging from the lateral extremities of said forward end to the lateral extremities of said rearward end.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNTTED STATES PATENTS 1,295,004 Coffman Feb. 18, 1919 1,416,577 Reller et al. May 16, 1922 1,670,676 Anderson May 22, 1928 2,596,892 Eckmayer May 13, 1952 2,703,993 Staggers Mar. 15, 1955 2,778,103 Hudson Jan. 22, 1957 2,865,095 Mahoney Dec. 23, 1958

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