HK1043582B - Can opener - Google Patents

Description

Can opener

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a can opener, and more particularly to a manually operable can opener having two handles pivotally connected together.

Background

Some known can openers consist essentially of a pair of handles pivoted together, one of which carries a slidably or fixedly mounted cutting wheel or blade and the other carries a toothed wheel or drive wheel mounted on an axle which is in turn driven by a butterfly plate or handle.

It has long been desirable to have a simple can opener that can be operated with one hand and that is simple in construction. In document GB2161449A a can opener is disclosed in which a cutting assembly is slidably mounted so that squeezing the handles together forces the cutting assembly to pierce the can and another handle forces rotation of a shaft on which a drive wheel is mounted.

In this and other references, the cutting assembly is typically mounted by sliding on a carrier, moving it on the carrier by rotation of an eccentric or other device to facilitate shearing or piercing of the top or side wall of the can. Other references disclose a drive wheel mounted on a drive shaft and rotatable by a ratchet or clutch arrangement.

All of the foregoing disclosures suffer from the disadvantages of being relatively costly to manufacture and use, requiring the use of gear drives, and having a complex construction.

Disclosure of Invention

Therefore, the can opener disclosed by the invention mainly aims to solve the problems that the manufacturing and using cost of the can opener is high, and the structure is complex due to the need of gear transmission and the like.

In order to achieve the purpose, the technical scheme of the invention is to provide a can opener which comprises a first handle assembly, a second handle assembly, a cutting device, a driving wheel, a ratchet wheel device and a coil spring, and is characterized in that:

the first handle component and the second handle component are pivotally connected through a shaft, a groove (4) with a radial opening is arranged on the first handle component, and meanwhile, a protrusion part with a proper shape is arranged on the upper part of the first handle component;

the cutting device is rigidly secured to the first handle assembly;

the driving wheel partially protrudes through the groove (4) and is pivoted with the first handle component and the second handle component through the shaft;

the ratchet device and the coil spring are arranged below the second handle assembly and above the driving wheel, wherein one end part of the coil spring is fixed on the first handle assembly, and the other end part of the coil spring is fixed on the second handle assembly.

The first handle component of the can opener is provided with a double-bent flat plate, the groove (4) is arranged on the flat plate, and meanwhile, the protruding part is also positioned at the upper end part of the flat plate.

The shaft of the can opener pivoted with the first handle component, the second handle component and the driving wheel is a rivet, the driving wheel is rotationally connected to the second handle component by the rivet, and meanwhile, the driving wheel is slidably arranged in a groove (8) arranged on a flat plate of the first handle component by the rivet.

The rivet of the can opener has a head of larger diameter which is located on the same side as the cutting means in the first handle assembly plate.

The second handle component is provided with a bearing material which is positioned at the upper part of the handle and is close to the position of the driving wheel.

The flat plate of the first handle component of the can opener is provided with an inclined part, and the middle of the inclined part is provided with the groove (4).

The can opener is provided with a magnet near the cutting device.

The cutting device of the can opener is a cutting wheel or a cutter device.

The side of the first handle assembly of the can opener, which is far away from the cutting device, is provided with a lug or a similar fixed object.

The ratchet device is arranged on the second handle component, so that when the two handles are squeezed together, the ratchet device can enable the driving wheel to rotate only in the direction;

the coil spring is arranged below the second handle assembly and above the driving wheel, wherein one end of the coil spring is fixed on the first handle assembly, and the other end of the coil spring is fixed on the second handle assembly, so that the second handle assembly can be far away from the first handle assembly after the extrusion motion is completed.

Wherein the first handle assembly may be a double curved plate forming two curves and the slot is provided in the plate, and the protrusion is also located at the upper end of the plate.

The shaft of the pivot joint driving wheel can be a rivet, the driving wheel is rotatably arranged on the second handle by the rivet, and meanwhile, the driving wheel is slidably arranged in a groove which is positioned on the flat plate of the first handle by the rivet. Further, the shaft is preferably not fixed to the drive wheel and does not provide any rotational drive to the drive wheel, and the shaft preferably does not rotate continuously but is able to slide in the slot.

Alternatively, the shaft may have a larger diameter head portion which is located on the same side as the cutting means fixed to the plate in said first handle assembly. So that the driving wheel is free to rotate outside the double bend and around the shaft while being placed flat on the side of the first handle panel, while the driving wheel is free to slide in a slot provided in the panel.

Alternatively, the second handle assembly may be provided with a carrier material located on the upper portion of the handle, near the drive wheel, while the second handle assembly fits over and rotates freely on the same shaft or rivet.

Additionally, the coil spring is a coil spring and an appropriate end of the coil spring may be mounted to the end of the second handle assembly to facilitate operation of the ratchet mechanism, thereby obviating the need for a separate coil spring component to effect the ratchet action.

In addition, a lug or similar fixed object is arranged on the side of the first handle component, which is far away from the cutting device, and the lug or similar fixed object can limit the normal opening of the handles in the next squeezing operation.

In addition, the plate of the first handle assembly may have an inclined portion and the slot is provided in the middle of the inclined portion to facilitate the insertion of the unopened can into the space under the cutting means, and the inclined portion can secure a proper angle between the can and the cutting means. At the same time, the teeth on the drive wheel are at this stage below the surface of the plate to facilitate the proper insertion of the can.

When the second handle assembly is first pressed towards the first handle assembly after the can is in place, pressing the second handle assembly against a suitably shaped projection on the plate of the first handle assembly provides strong leverage for the shaft or rivet and grips the drive wheel along the slot so that the teeth on the drive wheel project through the slot intermediate the inclined portions and engage the flange of the can on its underside forcing it against the fixed cutting means to pierce the top of the can.

At this point, as the coil spring is released from the cutting or ripping position, it is also possible to return it to the non-cutting or releasing position by sliding the shaft into the slot and by doing so, pull the teeth on the drive wheel from the side of the first handle assembly to a position close to the cutting wheel or cutter arrangement, so as not to cause the handle to release the can further and possibly with an unwelcome opening.

It will be appreciated that rotation of the drive wheel will be caused by the drive action of the ratchet arrangement on the second handle and will be forced further along the slot in the plate of the first handle assembly in a direction generally parallel to the axis of the first handle as the hard teeth on the drive wheel engage the soft material in the can flange.

The movement will cause the second handle assembly, the drive wheel, the coil spring and the ratchet wheel to move several millimeters in the aforementioned direction, thereby causing the top end of the second handle assembly to come loose from the boss on the first handle and further enabling the second handle assembly to perform a full squeezing motion.

After the squeezing operation is completed, the coiled spring loaded on the second handle is released and will open outwards until the upper part of the second handle assembly, i.e. above the shaft or rivet, is restrained by another projection or similar securing object provided on the first handle assembly, thereby limiting the normal opening of the handles from each other for the next squeezing operation.

However, if the second handle assembly is pushed against the aforementioned coil spring near this position, the drive wheel and second handle assembly and the coil spring will move in the opposite direction along the slot so that the cutting device is forced to perform the shearing and cutting operation, and the coil spring will urge the drive wheel back away from the flange of the can and towards the boss and thereby form a lever for shearing piercing the can.

The can may be securely gripped while the two handle assemblies are held together to facilitate pouring hot soup or the like from the can, which can then be discarded by opening the handles as previously described.

In addition, a magnet may be mounted on or near the cutting means to retain the cut lid in the can.

The use of the larger drive wheels described above makes it possible to avoid the gears and similar devices attempted in document EP 0503931B1, thereby reducing the number of squeezes required to open a can. A larger drive wheel such as this in this example cannot reasonably be used to open a smaller or irregularly shaped can or where it is desired to cut off the top of the can by cutting the cylindrical can side wall.

For this reason, the present invention is generally configured to trim away the lid or the inside top surface of the can leaving a safe top edge and avoiding spillage, while the larger drive wheel is able to rotate around the outside lower edge of the can flange and force a smaller cutting device to move around the upper inside edge of the can, removing the top surface of the can, leaving a smooth edge on the can.

Drawings

An embodiment of the invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1 is a front view of the first handle as seen from the side facing away from the cutting device;

FIG. 2 is an end elevational view of the handle illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the handle illustrated in FIG. 1;

fig. 4 is a front view of the second handle (seen from the side facing away from the cutting device);

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the second handle illustrated in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a front view of the drive wheel;

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the drive wheel illustrated in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of a rivet used to assemble the can opener;

FIG. 9 is a schematic front view of a coil spring used in the can opener;

FIG. 10 is a front elevational view of an assembled can opener;

FIG. 11 is a front view of the can opener shown in FIG. 10 from another side;

FIG. 12 is a schematic elevational view of the can opener illustrated in FIG. 10 in a clamped condition;

FIG. 13 is a reverse front view of the can opener shown in FIG. 12;

fig. 14 is a schematic front view of the can opener of fig. 10 and 12 in a maximum open state.

Detailed Description

As shown in fig. 1 to 3, the first handle assembly of the can opener of the present invention is composed of a handle 1 and a plate 2, the handle 1 and the plate 2 are integrally formed, a double-bending portion 3 is formed on the plate 2, and a radial slot 4 penetrating through the double-bending portion is formed in the double-bending portion 3.

As shown in fig. 1, a boss 5 is provided integrally with the plate 2, and the boss 5 must be bent to a proper state to be engaged with the second handle 9 as required, and in addition, the boss 5 must be separated from the cutting wheel 6.

As shown in fig. 2 and 3, a cutting groove 4 is formed in the middle of the double-bent portion 3 between the plate 2 and the handle 1, and a cutting wheel 6, or the like cutting blade or device, is permanently fixedly installed at a suitable position on one side of the handle 1, but the exact inclination or angle of installation is not considered for clarity of the drawing and ease of description.

As shown in fig. 1, a groove 8 for allowing a shaft or rivet 12 to slide therein is provided in the middle of the plate 2, and the groove 8 is located at the approximate position and shape shown in the drawing.

As shown in fig. 4, the second handle 9 of the present invention is formed integrally with a second plate 10. the second plate 10 is provided with a through hole 11 adapted to engage a bearing surface, and a shaft or rivet 12 (shown in fig. 10 and 11) adapted to support a drive wheel 13 is inserted through the through hole 11 to clamp the second handle 9, the second plate 10 and the coil spring 14 to the plate 2 and the first handle 1 via the slot 8 in the plate 2. At the upper end of the second plate 10 there is a curved boss 15, the boss 15 being designed to cooperate with the boss 5 to provide the leverage necessary to compress, shear or pierce the can top or lid.

As shown in fig. 5, the second handle 9 is provided with a small stud or fixing means 16 at a suitable location where it can clamp the coil spring 14 thereto.

As shown in fig. 9, the coil 17 of the coil spring 14 may fix the coil spring 14 to the second plate 10, and a tail or an end portion of the coil spring 14 protruding from the coil 17 may also be used as a coil spring of a ratchet device 19, which ratchet device 19 may be engaged with teeth on the driving wheel 13.

As shown in fig. 6 and 7, the drive wheel 13 of the can opener of the present invention is identical on both sides, but may also be adapted to the configuration of the ratchet or drive action. The drive wheel 13 has circumferential teeth and a suitable perforation 11, and a support material which can be fitted in the perforation 11 is also provided. The teeth of the drive wheel 13 are cut circumferentially around the circumference of the drive wheel 13 and the drive wheel 13 is made of a hard material.

As shown in FIG. 8, the shaft or rivet 12 used in the present invention for assembling the can opener has a partially flattened head 18, the head 18 being able to slide against the side wall of the can to correct the cut angle of the can top.

The can opener of the present invention first retains the rivet or shaft 12 in the slot 8 in the panel 2 and provides support for the drive wheel 13 but does not enable the drive wheel 13 to rotate and then retains the second panel 10 in position. The shaft or rivet 12 may be secured to a stud 16 on the second handle 9 by a coil 17. The tail or outer end of the coil 17 acts on a ratchet arrangement 19.

As shown in fig. 9, the coil spring 14 in the present invention has the following three functions. First, it is used as a return coil spring that can manually squeeze a can opener. Secondly, it is used as a return coil spring for the ratchet. Third, it is used to ensure that the second handle 9 and second plate 10 return to the fully released position in order to release the can. The operation of releasing the can be performed after the can has been opened by pulling the drive wheel 13 completely out of the slot 4 and placing the projection 15 on the second plate 10 in the position of the projection 5 after the projection 15 has hit the projection 20 on the top surface of the first handle 1 to release the shearing action. The coil spring 14 may have a slight twisting force due to the resistance against the return opening of the second handle 9, so that when the second handle 9 impacts the bump 20, the opening or return movement will stop unless further force is applied thereto. If further force is applied, the leverage between the projection 20 and the shaft 12 will cause the shearing action to be released and the coil spring 14 to complete the opening or return action on the second handle 9. Said coil spring 14 can also be designed to generate, through its other fixing point 21, an outward thrust towards the second plate 10 that can be applied to the body of the first handle 1 and the plate 2, so that the second handle 9 and the second plate 10 return to the correct position, so that the projection 15 cooperates with the projection 5 of the plate 2, ready for opening the next can, without transitional or undesired opening phenomena, so that the can opener can be comfortably used also by persons with small or weak hands.

As shown in fig. 10 and 11, the drive wheel 13 of the can opener is in a pulled apart condition so as to bring the flange of the can into the space below the cutting wheel 6 or cutter arrangement. The coil spring 14 has now moved the second panel 10 to a fully extended position so that the teeth on the drive wheel 13 do not interfere with the entry of a new can therein and the projection 15 in the second handle 9 automatically engages the projection 5 on the panel 2. The can opener is thus ready for a first pressing operation of the handle 1 and the second handle 9, which operation will press against the shaft or rivet 12 with leverage between the boss 5 and the nose 15 of the second handle 9 and exert pressure upwards through the drive wheel 13, causing the cutting device to pierce the top of the can. (it should be noted that the cutting device does not slide or change position other than by rotation).

As shown in fig. 12 and 13, the can opener can now be provided with a can that has been opened, i.e. the teeth on the drive wheel 13 engage the flange of the can on its underside and, while continuing to exert a squeezing action on the handle, force the cutting wheel 6 to pierce the lid of the can, thereby causing the can to rotate while the cutting wheel 6 cuts off said top lid. It will be appreciated that under such rotational action and the frictional force generated by the drive wheel, the shaft or rivet 12 is caused to move along the slot 8 and is held in this position during the movement of the return coil spring until the next pressing operation. In addition, so that looking from the other side of the can opener, it will be seen that the projection 15 of the second handle 9 is disengaged from the boss 5 on the second panel 2. The second handle 9 is thus free to be repeatedly squeezed and then released to return to the cutting position under the action of the coil spring 14 without again contacting the boss 5 until the can is opened and released as shown in figure 10. The ratchet device 19 is located behind the second handle 9 and cannot therefore be seen in this figure. A coil spring loaded button or other device may also be fitted between the handles to hold the handles in a generally parallel position for storage or display.

The can opener shown in fig. 14 is at the end of the return coil spring stroke between the two handles or in the opening stroke. At this point, the projection 15 on the second handle 9 strikes against the plate 2 of the first handle, preventing it from opening further, to facilitate its operation by hand. However, if the second handle 9 is pushed open further, the leverage between the tab 20 and the projection 15 and shaft 12 will force the shaft 12 back into the slot 8, thereby releasing the can body and allowing the can opener to return to the condition depicted in fig. 10.

Claims (9)

1. The utility model provides a can opener, includes first handle subassembly, second handle subassembly, cutting device, drive wheel, ratchet and coil spring, its characterized in that:

the first handle component and the second handle component are pivotally connected through a shaft, a groove (4) with a radial opening is arranged on the first handle component, and meanwhile, a protrusion part with a proper shape is arranged on the upper part of the first handle component;

the cutting device is rigidly secured to the first handle assembly;

the driving wheel partially protrudes through the groove (4) and is pivoted with the first handle component and the second handle component through the shaft;

the ratchet device and the coil spring are arranged below the second handle assembly and above the driving wheel, wherein one end part of the coil spring is fixed on the first handle assembly, and the other end part of the coil spring is fixed on the second handle assembly.

2. The can opener of claim 1, wherein: the first handle assembly has a double curved plate and the slot (4) is provided in the plate, with the boss also being located at the upper end of the plate.

3. The can opener of claim 2, wherein: the shaft pivotally connecting the first handle assembly, the second handle assembly and the drive wheel is a rivet, the drive wheel is rotatably connected to the second handle assembly by the rivet, and the drive wheel is slidably mounted in a slot (8) provided in the plate of the first handle assembly by the rivet.

4. A can opener according to claim 3, wherein: the rivet has a larger diameter head which is located on the same side as the cutting means in the plate of the first handle assembly.

5. The can opener of claim 1, wherein: a load bearing material is provided on the second handle assembly at a location above the handle and proximate to the drive wheel.

6. The can opener of claim 2, wherein: the flat plate of the first handle component is provided with an inclined part, and the groove (4) is arranged in the middle of the inclined part.

7. The can opener of claim 1, wherein: the can opener is provided with a magnet near the cutting device.

8. The can opener of claim 1, wherein: the cutting device is a cutting wheel or a cutter device.

9. The can opener of claim 1, wherein: the first handle assembly is provided with a projection or similar fastening means on the side facing away from the cutting device.