US3126771A

US3126771A - Tool for lifting bottle caps and lids

Info

Publication number: US3126771A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1964-03-31
Anticipated expiration: 1981-03-31

Description

March 31, 1964 R. A. FEILER 3,126,771

TOOL FOR LIFTING BOTTLE CAPS AND LIDS Filed July 30, 1962 0 28 /8 FIG. 4

22 /6.1 Q 52 6 A INVENTOR Rober/ ,4. Fe/'/er ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,126,771 TOOL FOR LIFTING BOTTLE CAPS AND LIDS Robert A. Feiler, 1002 E. St. Germain St, St. Cloud, Minn. Filed July 30, 1962, Ser. No. 213,244 Claims. (Cl. 81-346) This invention relates to a tool for lifting or removing pressed on covers, lids or caps from glass jars, bottles, cans or other types of containers.

A further object of this invention is to provide a combination tool whereby a metal or other cover or lid, having a peripheral depending flange press fitted over the top of the container, may be lifted and removed from the container without being seriously damaged so that it may be readily used as a cover for the container while the contents are being used up, and in the case of a crown cap, may be rescaled to the container by use of this tool.

A further object of this invention is to provide combination tool which, in addition, may be provided with a can puncturing tooth at an end thereof opposite from the handle end.

A further object of this invention is to provide a cap and lid lifting tool which may be used for lifting or opening not only crown caps but also pressed on jar lids of various diameters, and which is provided with a secondary fulcrum area as well as a primary fulcrum which come into successive operation, particularly in use on a large diameter lid.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide serrated projections on each lid or cap engaging portion of this tool to facilitate the operation of the tool.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a tool which is an integrally formed or integrally joined one piece structure with no movable parts.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, as will hereinafter become apparent, this invention comprises the construction, combination and arrangement of parts as hereinafter disclosed, claimed and illustrated in the drawing wherein,

FIGURE 1 is a bottom plan view of the tool of this invention.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view on line 3-3 of FIG- URE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary detail sectional view of the recapping apertured flange of this tool.

FIGURE 5 is a bottom plan view of a modified form.

FIGURE 6 is a side elevational view of FIGURE 5.

There is shown at 10 the combination tool of this invention having a longitudinally extending handle 12 and a laterally widened head portion 14 having at two of its side edge depending flanges 16 forming substantially a right angle to each other. Extending from the bottom of the flanges 16 on the side away from the apex of the right angle is a lid or cap flange engaging ledge provided with serrated projections 20 along its upper edge to facilitate engagement with the cap or lid flange.

Located in the widened head portion and silghtly spaced from the flanges 16 is a somewhat V-shaped primary fulcrum depending ridge 22, with its apex 24 pointing toward the apex 26 between the flanges 16. This 3,126,771 Patented Mar. 31, 1964 fulcrum ridge 22 Widens out toward its apex 24 and a series of serrated projections 28 is located on this fulcrum ridge 22 as shown. The widened head portion 14 is somewhat spade shaped, and along its longitudinal axis there is provided secondary fulcrum area 30 having serrated projections 32 depending therefrom. Intermediate the fulcrum area 30 and the V-shaped fulcrum ridge 22 there is located a recapping portion consisting of upwardly and inwardly inclined flange 34 about an aperture 36 of a diameter suitable to permit the flange 34 to fit over a crown cap 38 for pressing it down on the mouth 48 of a bottle 42 as shown in FIG. 4. To operate this feature the flange 34 is merely placed about the crown cap 38 in position on the bottle mouth and pressed downwardly, with suflicient pressure.

In operation, to remove the cap 38, the tool is placed with the ledges 18 under the cap flange 44, as illustrated in FIG. 1 and the apex 24 of the primary fulcrum is pressed down on its further edge while the cap flanges 44 are lifted by the ledges 18, the serrated projections 20 serving to engage the cap flanges 44 more securely to lift the crown cap with a minimum of deformation, so that it may readily be recapped, as set forth above.

This tool 10 serves equally for opening the lid 46 of a large jar 48 by engaging the same ledges 18 under the flange 50 of the lid 46, as illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3.

In this case, the serrations 20 of ledges 18 on flanges 16 engage under spaced apart areas of the edge of lid 46, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, and the outermost serrations 28 on primary fulcrum ridge 22 contact the top of the lid 46 at spaced apart areas, so as to cause a spreading apart action on the lid edges as the secondary fulcrum ridges 32 contact the diametrically opposite edge of the lid 46 and the jar 48 to thus spread out the lid edges and lift the lid from the jar.

The tool 10 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 has its handle 12' extend from the opposite end of the spade shaped widened head portion 12', and while the flanges 16' and ledges 18 extend at right angles to each other, they do not meet at the apex, but a can puncturing tooth 52 having a can edge engaging lip 54 extends from apex area of the flanges 16'. Except that the handle 12' is pressed downwardly instead of being lifted upwardly in operation, the operation is otherwise the same, and the parts are pointed out by the same reference numbers but with primes attached thereto, whereby the above description applies equally thereto.

It is to be understood that the preferred forms of this invention have been described and illustrated, but that obvious changes and modification may be made within the scope of this invention as hereinafter claimed.

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, what is claimed is:

1. A combination tool for lifting various sizes of caps and lids from containers comprising a longitudinal handle lever, a laterally widened head portion at the forward end of said handle lever, said head portion having at each of two sides of its longitudinal axis a downwardly extending flange and a forwardly extending cap and lid edge engaging ledge, said two flanges being substantially at right angles to each other, a somewhat V-shaped primary fulcrum depending ridge with its apex extending 3 toward the apex between said flanges, and a secondary flange ledges, on said primary fulcrum depending ridge, fulcrum area in said head portion along its longitudinal and in said secondary fulcrum area.

axis and spaced from said primary fulcrum.

. Ref e t h' t t 2. The tool of claim 1, and serrated pro ections on erenc s Clted m he file oft 18 pa en said flange ledges. 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS 3. The tool of claim 1, and serrated projections on 2,031,420 Lebherz Feb. 18, 1936 said primary fulcrum depending ridge. 2,1 18,159 Castner May 24, 1938 4. The tool of claim 1, and serrated projections in said 2,430,651 Shanahan Nov. 11, 1947 secondary fulcrum area. 2,545,979 Tregear Mar. 20, 1951 5. The tool of claim 1, and serrated projections on said 10 2,801,557 Belpedio Aug. 6, 1957

Claims

1. A COMBINATION TOOL FOR LIFTING VARIOUS SIZES OF CAPS AND LIDS FROM CONTAINERS COMPRISING A LONGITUDINAL HANDLE LEVER, A LATERALLY WIDENED HEAD PORTION AT THE FORWARD END OF SAID HANDLE LEVER, SAID HEAD PORTION HAVING AT EACH OF TWO SIDES OF ITS LONGITUDINAL AXIS A DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING FLANGE AND A FORWARDLY EXTENDING CAP AND LID EDGE ENGAGING LEDGE, SAID TWO FLANGES BEING SUBSTANTIALLY AT RIGHT ANGLES TO EACH OTHER, A SOMEWHAT V-SHAPED PRIMARY FULCRUM DEPENDING RIDGE WITH ITS APEX EXTENDING TOWARD THE APEX BETWEEN SAID FLANGES, AND A SECONDARY FULCRUM AREA IN SAID HEAD PORTION ALONG ITS LONGITUDINAL AXIS AND SPACED FROM SAID PRIMARY FULCRUM.