Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B67—OPENING, CLOSING OR CLEANING BOTTLES, JARS OR SIMILAR CONTAINERS; LIQUID HANDLING
  • B67B—APPLYING CLOSURE MEMBERS TO BOTTLES JARS, OR SIMILAR CONTAINERS; OPENING CLOSED CONTAINERS
  • B67B7/00—Hand- or power-operated devices for opening closed containers
  • B67B7/30—Hand-operated cutting devices
  • B67B7/34—Hand-operated cutting devices with rotatable cutters

Definitions

• the invention relates to a can opener of the type which operates to separate an end wall or lid of the can by cutting from the outside into the upstanding rim formed at the end of the can and comprising overlapped portions of the perimeter of the end wall and the side wall of the can.
• a can opener of this type is disclosed in European patent publication EP-A-169224. That opener comprises two pivotally arranged body portions, one carrying a cutter wheel and the other a traction wheel, and the rim of the can to be opened is in use of the opener received between the wheels. The axes of the wheels are substantially parallel. A problem can arise with that opener in that even when the opener has cut around the entire periphery of the rim, it can still be difficult to remove the severed end wall. It is proposed in that disclosure to provide means separate from the cutter wheel to detach the severed end wall. For this purpose the opener, in one embodiment, includes an extra release hook, and in another embodiment, a lever which distorts the side wall of the can.
• a can opener adapted to separate an end wall from a can body by cutting from the outside into the upstanding rim formed at the end of the can, the rim comprising overlapped portions of the perimeter of the end wall and the side wall of the can, the can opener comprising two body portions arranged for relative pivotal movement about an axis, one portion carrying a rotary cutting wheel and the other portion carrying a rotary traction wheel, the axes of the wheels being substantially parallel to each other (and to the main axis of the can body when in position for cutting) in one vertical plane, the opener being arranged, in use, to receive the rim of the can between the two wheels and to orbit the can as the traction wheel is rotated while the cutting wheel makes a peripheral cut into the outside of the rim, the traction wheel being shaped to distort the rim while it is cut by the cutting wheel to loosen the overiapping engagement between the end wall and the side wall of the can.
• the traction wheel includes a portion having a surface adapted to engage, in use, the inner side wall of the rim, the said surface being inclined at an angle greater than the angle of the inclination of the rim with respect to the vertical axis of the can.
• the present invention provides a can opener adapted to separate an end wall from a can body by cutting from the outside into the upstanding rim formed at the end of the can, the rim comprising overlapped portions of the perimeter of the end wall and the side wall of the can, the can opener comprising two body portions arranged for relative pivotal movement about an axis, one portion carrying a rotary cutting wheel and the other portion carrying a rotary traction wheel, the axes of the wheels being substantially parallel to each other (and to the main axis of the can body when in position for cutting) in one vertical plane, the opener being arranged, in use, to receive the rim of the can between the two wheels and to orbit the can as the traction wheel is rotated while the cutting wheel makes a peripheral cut into the outside of the rim, the traction wheel being shaped to distort the rim while it is cut by the cutting wheel to loosen the overlapping engagement between the end wall and the side wail of the can and the cutting wheel having an outwardly angled body portion adjacent its cutting tip, the a
• the can is held in a stable position with its main axis substantially parallel to said axes of the wheels.
• the cutting head of the cutting wheel may be angled to lie at an angle, preferably of 5 to 12°- to the axes of the traction wheel and the can body in a second vertical plane.
• the angled body portion extends around the entire perimeter of the cutting wheel.
• the angled body portion ends at its lower end in a flange or shoulder around the wheel, the outer face of the flange being aligned to extend substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of rotation of the cutting wheel.
• the traction wheel includes a portion having a surface adapted to engage, in use, the inner side wall of the rim, the said surface being inclined at an angle greater than the angle of the inclination of the rim with respect to the vertical axis of the can.
• rotation of the traction wheel causes passive rotation of the cutter wheel.
• the can By means of the shaping of the cutter wheel below the cutting perimeter, the can can also be more firmly maintained in the desired relationship without tendency for unwanted rotation or pivoting.
• the cutting wheel obtains a better bias against the can against the more rigid rim than it would against the thinner wall of the can body.
• Figure 1 is an underneath plan view of one embodiment of a can opener embodying the invention
• Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view along line X-X of Figure 1 ;
• Figure 3 is a view to an enlarged scale of part of Figure 2, but also showing a can rim in the cutting position and showing the cutting wheel of the invention in greater detail.
• Figure 4 is a diagrammatic illustration in plan view of a portion of the embodiment shown in Figure 1 ;
• Figure 5 is a part-sectional view along line Y-Y of Figure 2.
• Figure 6a is a partial sectional view showing a can rim before, and Figure 6b is the same view after, cutting using the can opener of Figures 1 to 5;
• the can C to be opened includes a peripheral upstanding rim R, having an upwardly facing topmost portion T and a downwardly facing underside portion U.
• the rim R is formed from overlapped portions of the periphery of the end wall E of the can and the end portion of the side wall S of the can.
• the can opener shown in the drawings is designed to be held in one hand of a user and comprises a first body portion 1 of relatively large size having a handle portion 2, and a second relatively smaller body portion 3 having a handle grip portion 4.
• the two body portions 1 , 3 are separately moulded of plastics.
• a U-shaped recess in the underside of body portion 2 contains a diecast metal insert 5 held in position by screws 6 into body 2.
• a spigot 7 extends from insert 5 through both body portions to join the body portions together in superimposed pivotal relation.
• the two body portions of the can opener 1 , 3 are pivotally movable relative to one another between a relatively closed condition, shown in the drawings, in which the handle 4 of body portion 3 lies flush against the handle 2 of the first portion 1 and a relatively open condition, not shown, in which the two handles are moved apart.
• a cutter wheel 8 is rotatably mounted upon a bushing 9 within a recess 9A in the metal insert 5.
• the cutter wheel 7 includes an annular cutting body 10 which protrudes beyond the recess 9A, and a lowermost outwardly extending flange 11.
• the body 10 comprises two ramp portions 10a and 10b, Figure 3, which converge to define the cutting edge.
• the portions are asymmetrical, i.e. the topmost portion 10a is inclined at a very shallow angle, e.g. about 5 degrees to the horizontal plane, while the lowermost portion 10b is inclined at a relatively steeper angle of between about 45 degrees and 65 degrees to the horizontal plane, preferably about 55 degrees.
• Such an arrangement has been found to give a durable cutting edge which requires minimum force to make a cut.
• the cutter wheel includes a further inclined portion 7a to provide a clearance between the cutter and the traction wheel, to be described later on.
• the cutting wheel has a body portion 10c that is angled to project outwardly as it gets further from the cutting edge.
• the angled body portion 10c is joined to the above-mentioned flange 11 by a shorter, less steeply angled body portion 10d.
• Body portion 10c may be formed at an angle of, for example, from 5° to 20° to the longitudinal rotational axis of the cutting wheel and body portion 10d at an angle of, for example, from 25° to 35° to that axis.
• Flange 1 1 has an outer circumferential face 1 1a that extends substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cutting wheel.
• a traction wheel 12 includes a pin 13 which extends through the body portion 1 at its end remote from its handle portion.
• the pin 13 rotates within a sleeve 14.
• a T- shaped handle 15 is secured to the top of the pin 13 for rotating the traction wheel 12 and a circlip and spring washer arrangement 16 is present in between the lowermost face of the handle 15 and the opposing face of the first body portion 1.
• the traction wheel 12 comprises an inverted frusto-conical portion 17, best seen in Figure 3.
• the majority of cans currently available include a rim R having an inner face that diverges from the vertical axis of the can at an angle of about 8 to 10 degrees.
• the bending action will also tend to break any glue or like sealant present in the rim or, say, a plastics or like lining within the can.
• the angle of inclination of the portion 17 is selected to be at least greater than about 10 degrees.
• the maximum angle of inclination should be less than that which so bends the rim that it makes the traction wheel difficult to turn, which is of especial importance where the can opener is of the hand operated variety.
• the fr ⁇ sto-conical portion 17 includes ribs 18 to provide grip.
• abutment plate 20 of generally U-shape in plan, the central region 21 of the U- being recessed and apertured to receive the above-mentioned pin 13.
• Traction wheel 12 is thereby provided centrally of the 'IT and projecting a little below the lowermost plane of the 'U * .
• cutting wheel 7 lies partly within the open arms of the 'IT when the body portions are in the closed position and a gap d-d is provided between the two wheels to receive the rim R of a can.
• Abutment plate 20 defines two opposed end regions 22 being the ends of the arms of the 'IT.
• ends 22 rest on top of the can at contact points 23 and 24 and ensure that the axis of the traction wheel is normal to the lid or end E of the can.
• Downward pressure by these contact points straddling the cutting point is thereby provided across the traction wheel, this being shown as reaction force F 2 at each contact point to counterbalance upward force F incurred during cutting.
• reaction force F 2 at each contact point to counterbalance upward force F incurred during cutting.
• Angled face 10C of the cutting wheel abuts the rim of the can to prevent this causing unwanted movement. As the abutment is against the rim rather than the thin wall of the can, this movement can be opposed without distortion of the can. By preventing the can from tilting, the rim is held in a stabilised position so that the cutting edge 10 can cut at the correct level from the top of the rim.
• the longitudinal or rotational axis of the cutter wheel is inclined at an angle 'D' of about 8° to that of the traction wheel and the can body.
• the user initially moves the body portions to the open condition and introduces the rim R of the can C into the space between the traction and cutter wheels, i.e. cutter gap d-d ( Figure 3), and then the two body portions are moved in scissor-like fashion towards the closed condition shown in the drawings.
• the cutting edge 10 contacts and then cuts into an upper portion of the outside of the rim R, which is ⁇ supported on its inner face by the frusto-conical portion 17, while the outside of the rim R is engaged by angled body portion 10c below the cut and urged inwardly thereby ( Figure 3).
• the meeting of the handle portions provides a lock against excess force being applied to the rim and maintain the horizontal spacing between the traction and cutter wheels at a substantially fixed distance.
• the traction wheel 12 As the traction wheel 12 is rotated it drives the passive cutting wheel and, because of the angle 'D ⁇ the cutting edge 10 make a spiral cut which extends vertically downwardly into the rim until the topside T of the rim is lifted away from the lower half of R by body portion 10a. The cutting wheel will then continue the rest of the cut, but will remain substantially parallel to the top of the rim with the cutting edge 10 tending to separate the cut edges of the end wall E and the side wall S in the manner of an agricultural ploughshare.
• the combined forces effectively hold the rim of the can in a stabilised position so that the cutting edge 10 can cut through the outer skin of R and lift the cut portion T.
• the opener is then removed from the can and the lid is simply pulled off by hand leaving smooth edges.
• FIG. 6a A comparison of the can rim before and after opening is shown in Figures 6a and 6b. As shown clearly in Figure 6b, after cutting the rim has been distorted just sufficiently that the end wall E may be simply lifted from the can body by simple hand operation and without the necessity for extra tool parts.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Devices For Opening Bottles Or Cans (AREA)

Priority Applications (22)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=26306319

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (7)

Cited By (1)

Families Citing this family (3)

Citations (3)

Family Cites Families (3)

• 1995
  • 1995-03-21 EP EP97121274A patent/EP0855363A1/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 1995-03-21 RU RU97117343A patent/RU2149823C1/ru active
  • 1995-03-21 CZ CZ972941A patent/CZ294197A3/cs unknown
  • 1995-03-21 DE DE69506448T patent/DE69506448T2/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1995-03-21 EP EP95912329A patent/EP0815049B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1995-03-21 WO PCT/GB1995/000642 patent/WO1996029276A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1995-03-21 JP JP8528149A patent/JPH11502176A/ja active Pending
  • 1995-03-21 SK SK1271-97A patent/SK127197A3/sk unknown

Patent Citations (3)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events