Patent GB-685648-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in can openers
IPC: B67B7/70
Filed: 1950-04-20
Abstract: 685,648. Can openers. VAUGHAN MFG. CO. April 20, 1950 [April 27, 1949], No. 9789/50. Class 66 In a can opener comprising a cutter 16 having guides 56 projecting outwardly on either side thereof and preferably formed in a single sheet metal stamping with the cutter, a traction wheel 30 having a can bead engaging edge and means to move the traction wheel and the guides relatively towards and away from each other whereby opposite edges of a can bead may be respectively engaged, the guides are yieldable and have at least one can bead engaging surface facing towards the traction wheel, the minimum distance between the plane in which said surface lies and the confronting edge of the traction wheel when the opener is not applied to the bead of a can being less than the opposite edges of the can bead so that when the opener is applied to the can the can bead is held between said guides and said traction wheel by the yielding action of the guides. As shown the can opener includes a handle 10 and an operating head 12 formed as separate or a single metal stamping the lower part of the operating head being offset at 24 which provides a support 26 for the drive assembly 14. The latter includes a serrated traction wheel 30 secured to the end of a shank 32 on a key 34 on which shank also is fixed an operating cam 38 having a dwell 46 formed therein spaced from the traction wheel 30 a distance slightly greater than the thickness of the support 26, and a disc 40 being also mounted on the shank between the cam and the traction wheel. In the support 26 is formed an arcuate shaped cam slot 42 one quadrant in length which at its upper end terminates in a short horizontally extending portion 44 which co-operates with the drive assembly described below. Before the opener can be applied to a can the key 34 is turned until the dwell 46 in the cam is brought opposite an abutment 50 on the support 26 when the drive assembly 14 can be moved longitudinally of the cam slot 42 until the disc 40 engages its lower end and the dwell is brought into engagement with the abutment 50 thus locking the drive assembly against clockwise rotation as seen in Fig. 1 but being free to rotate in a counterclockwise direction as seen in Fig. 1. In this position the lower end of the blade 16 and the upper side of the traction wheel 30 are sufficiently spaced so that the opener may be placed on the bead 52 on the can with the blade resting on the top of the can at the inner side of the bead and the traction wheel below the bead. On rotating the drive assembly 14 clockwise (Fig. 2) the back of the dwell 46 and the arcuate portion 48 engaging the abutment 50 cause the assembly to be raised toward the upper end of the cam slot 42 thus bringing the traction wheel 30 into engagement with the underside of the beat 52 and then drawing the whole operating head downwardly causing the blade to pierce the can and later bringing the guides 56 into engagement with the bead 52 which occurs when the disc 40 enters the upper end part 44 of the cam slot which then forms a bearing for the continued rotation of the drive assembly and so long as this is maintained the bead 52 is held against the traction wheel 30 by the guides 56 the opener thus serving as a handle.