WO1997013625A1

WO1997013625A1 - A tool for punching holes in open cans

Info

Publication number: WO1997013625A1
Application number: PCT/EP1995/003104
Authority: WO
Inventors: Michael M. HÖNES
Original assignee: Hoenes Michael M
Priority date: 1994-08-03
Filing date: 1995-10-10
Publication date: 1997-04-17
Also published as: ZA956355B; BR9510528A

Abstract

A tool for making holes in an empty beverage can or other can is described which provides two articulated arms (1, 2) having formations at their distal ends (4, 5) which can co-operate to produce the hole. One distal end of one arm is inserted inside the can while the other remains outside and when the distal end formations are brought together they co-operate to, for example, punch a hole. The tool provides for quality control in punching holes in the cans where the cans are to be ued in a project for the manufacture of useful articles.

Description

D E S C R I P T I O N A TOOL FOR PUNCHING HOLES IN OPEN CANS

This invention lies in the field of tools, although this specification will describe embodiments of the invention primarily in the context of hand tools, the invention could be adapted for mechanised operation in principle.

The invention arises in the context of a project which has both ecological and economic implications, specifically it is a project for the productive use of empty beverage cans. The project involves the use of empty beverage cans for the manufacture of structures which can be of a great diversity of different kinds and which can be useful in various communities, particularly in many cases in less developed communities but also in highly developed communities. Merely by way of example beverage cans can be assembled to form open fireplaces, a miscellany of items of furniture, small structures, such as vending stalls and outdoor puppet theatres, even small buildings such as storerooms and small houses and sun shades and water retaining structures for the growth of plants, such for example as vegetables.

The problem which has arisen in connection with the promotion of this project has been to provide a degree of quality control where the skills of the project are to be passed on to various communities since it is by the popularisation of the techniques of the project amongst the general population that the project can achieve Its greatest goals of ecological benefits as well as economic benefits to the community or even an entire nation. For example, even only within the Republic of South Africa approximately 3 billion beverage cans are manufactured every year and at present have to be disposed of representing an enormous economic waste and a serious ecological problem. Whereas the project has shown remarkable promise in private studies in well supervised small groups in order successfully to disseminate the use of the project in wider population groups it is necessary to provide, as mentioned above, for some manner of quality control in the products produced using empty beverage cans. If some measure of quality control is not achieved the products made will not achieve adequate levels of durability, strength and stability and this would very likely result in the discrediting of the project and the failure of it to receive general acceptance and therefore achieve the objectives for it which has been mentioned. The problems therefore addressed by this invention is to provide a degree of quality control for the use of empty beverage cans in a manufacture of products.

This problem is solved in accordance with the invention by the provision of a tool for punching holes in open cans which comprises a pair of articulated arms, articulated at a pivot, having a distal end to each arm on one side of the pivot and the proximal end to each arm on the other side of the pivot, the proximal ends serving for actuation of the tool, characterised in that the distal ends have co-operating formations adapted for the forming of a perforation or perforations in the can when the distal ends are brought together by articulation of the arm.

It has to be explained that in the use of this tool the distal end of one of the arms is to be inserted inside the open can while the distal end of the other arm remains outside the can so that when they are brought together they co-operate to produce the perforation in the can wall.

It should incidentally further be explained by providing controlled application in this manner of holes in the can walls the cans can be strung together by wire passed through the holes and with the holes correctly formed and iocated which is made possible by the benefit offered by this tool the adequate quality standards in the production of articles with the cans can be achieved if one supplies the tool and an instruction manual for its use to the user.

Although in the widest conception of this invention it has been mentioned that the tool could possibly be mechanically actuated, in most applications probably the tool will be adapted for manual actuation. In this form the proximal ends of the tools will each constitute handles for manual actuation.

It will be appreciated that in the case of beverage cans which have not had the entire top wall of the can cut out but have only an opening of relatively small dimension opened in the top of the can, as is the well known arrangement in the majority of cans, at least the distal parts of the arms of the tool will have to be specially adapted so that the formations can come together inside the can without crushing any part of the can.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention therefore the tool is characterised in that the distal parts of each arm of the pair of arms are displaced laterally from a line or lines joining the pivot and the formation.

Of course, it will be understood that this reference to a line is the reference to an imaginary line or geometrical projection joining the pivot and the formation and in accordance with this characteristic of the invention at least the distal parts of each arm are displaced therefrom.

In order structurally to implement this characteristic of the invention, in a preferred embodiment the tool is characterised in that the arms carry orthogonally and inwardly directed brackets on which the pivot is provided, thereby displacing the arms from a line joining the pivot and the formation.

A problem which can potentially arise in connection with the provision of brackets of this kind is to ensure the long term stability of the arms of the tool with respect to each other in their articulatory movement. This problem is solved in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention in that the brackets are characterised by one bracket being in the form of a clevis and the other bracket in the form of a single element pivoting within the clevis.

The formations of the tool may be adapted to provide a simple round and single hole and in this embodiment of the invention the tool is characterised in that the formations comprise a nail and a hole, the nail on the distal end of one arm and the hole on the distal end of the other arm, adapted for the nail to go through the hole when the said distal ends are brought together by articulating the arms of the tool.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the tool is characterised in that the hole is only a partial hole, formed as a U-shaped groove in the distal end of one arm. The invention will be more fully described by way of examples with reference to the accompanying drawings in which :

Figure 1 is an elevation of a tool in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention,

Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof.

Figure 3 is an enlarged elevation of the distal parts and pivot of the tool shown in the preceding figures,

Figure 4 is a plan view on to the part shown in figure 3, and

Figure 5 is an elevation of an alternative embodiment.

As shown in figures 1 to 4 the preferred tool for punching holes in open cans comprises a pair of straight articulated arms 1 and 2, articulated at a pivot 3, each arm having a distal end 4 and 5 respectively on one side of the pivot and a proximal end 6 and 7 respectively at the other side of the pivot. The proximal end serve for the actuation of the tool, in this case a manually actuated tool where the proximal ends 8 and 9 serve as handles. The distal ends 4 and 5 of the tool have co-operating formations adapted for the forming of a perforation in this case only a single perforation in the can wall when the distal ends are brought together by articulation of the arms. In this example the formations comprise a nail 10 and a hole 1 1 (see figure 3). In this example, furthermore, the hole 1 1 comprises only a half hole, being in the form of a U-shaped groove 1 1 (see figure 4).

It is a significant and important feature that the distal parts 4 and 5 of the arms are displaced from a line, shown as the broken line 1 2, in figure 1 , or 12A - 1 2B in figure 3, the displacement being indicated by the arrows 13 and 14. (See figures 1 and 3). It will be noted that the displacement arises at least in that part of the distal parts 4 and 5 which tends towards the position of the pivot 3.

In the embodiment shown in figures 1 to 4, this displacement is attained by means of a pair of orthogonally and inwardly directed brackets 15 and 16. The bracket 15 is in the form of a single element and the bracket 16 in the form of a clevis thus providing a stable pivoting arm to arm.

Figure 5 shows merely by way of example to indicate the potential scope of the patent, another embodiment of the invention which still achieves the desirable displacement of the distal part of the arms from a line joining a pivot and the formation. In this case the arms are not pivoted on brackets but instead one of the arms, the arm 20 has at its distal part 21 a cranked end, a half hole formation 30 being provided again at the distal end of this arm to co-operate with the nail 22 provided at the end of an extension bracket 23 at the distal end 24 of the arm 25. The arms 20 and 25 are pivoted at the pivot 26 and the displacement of the distal ends 21 and 24 of these arms from a line indicated by the broken line 29 which joins the pivot 26 and the formations 22 - 30 is indicated by the arrows 27 and 28.

In this illustration a can 31 is indicated by broken lines of the cross section outline of the can, showing how the distal end 21 of the one arm enters inside the can through a relatively small opening of the can and the distal end 24 of the other arm is outside the can. Two formations 22 and 30 are then brought together to co-operate to provide the hole in the wall of the can. The displacements 27 and 28 are also sufficient to allow for providing holes around the periphery of the can including at 180° from the position shown without the can interfering with the distal parts of the arm being crushed thereby.

In figures 1 and 3 certain dimensions are shown but these are merely exemplary of one particular possible application of the invention and are in no way limiting. The scope of the invention is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

. A tool for punching holes in open cans which comprises a pair of articulated arms (6,7), articulated at a pivot (3), having a distal end (4,5) to each arm on one side of the pivot and a proximal end (6,7) to each arm on the other side of the pivot, the proximal ends serving for actuation of the tool, characterised in that the distal ends have co-operating formations (10,1 1 ) adapted for the forming of a perforation or perforations in the can wall when the distal ends are brought together by articulation of the arms.

2. A tool as claimed in claim 1 , characterised in that the proximal ends have handles (8,9) for manual actuation of the tool.

3. A tool as claimed in either one of claims 1 or 2, characterised in that at least the distal parts of each arm of the pair of arms are displaced laterally ( 13.14) from a line or lines (12) joining the pivot and the formations.

4. A tool as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that the arms carry orthogonally and inwardly directed brackets (15,16) on which the pivot is provided, thereby displacing the arms from a line joining the pivot and the formations.

5. A tool as claimed in claim 4, characterised in that the brackets are in the form of one being a clevis (16) and the other a single element (15) pivoting within the clevis.

6. A tool as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the formations comprise a nail (10) and a hole (11 ), the nail on the distal end of one arm and the hole on the distal end of the other arm, adapted for the nail to to go through the hole when the said distal ends are brought together.

7. A tool as claimed in claim 6, characterised in that the hole is a partial hole, formed as a U - shaped groove ( 1 1 ) in the distal end of one arm.