Patent Abstract:
An opener having a grip-like body in which at one end is integrated a cutting mechanism for cutting open tins. An oppositely-lying thickened end has a receiving groove in which a pull hook is pivotally mounted about a pivot pin over a predetermined angle. For opening tear-open lids, a pull-ring is captured within an attachment recess on a pull hook inner edge. When pivoting the grip-like body the pull hook rolls along a rolling back of the pull hook, on the can lid and pulls up.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to a combined can opener for separating a lid from a can and for tear-opening a can. 
     2. Description of Prior Art 
     For years the applicant has successfully produced and marketed can openers for opening conventional cans. With many conventional systems the can lid is cut through along an inner edge and separated from a lateral wall of the can. Since the separated part of the lid is sharp-edged and may cause injury, in the last years so-called safety can openers have been introduced which cut through the can lid along an outer edge. The connection between the can wall and the lid is released without sharp edges remaining on the lid to be removed or on the can edge. Because the cutting wheel does not contact the can contents the cutting mechanics of the opener are not dirtied and the can contents are protected from contamination from the cutting mechanics. 
     Such safety can openers are for example known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,782,594 and German Patent Reference 298 02 030. For both cutting principles, pincer models as well as one-armed models are known. 
     In order to open cans without a can opener, the packaging industry offers cans wherein the lid is released, by a pull or tear-open ring, from the can along a peripheral break-off line. Such tear-open cans are more complicated to manufacture and thus more expensive than conventional cans. The break-off lines create tight manufacturing tolerances and are thus more susceptible to erroneous functions. 
     If for example a material thickness along the break-off line is too great, then opening requires the application of a considerable pulling force. Older or weaker persons opening such a can causes particular problems. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,018,409 discloses an opener for tear-open cans. On the front end of this opener on an upper side there is a recess which defines a lug for suspending the tear-open ring. The rear part of the flat opener is formed parabolically and blends into a narrower grip part. For opening a tear-open can, the ring attached on the lid at the edge is lifted up and at the same time the break-off line directly in front of the ring is broken through, in the known manner. Now the ring is suspended into the recess on the front end of the opener and by pressure on the grip part while exploiting the lever arm, the can lid is released from the can. The opener at the same time with its parabolic back is rolled over the can lid and simultaneously the lid region which carries the tear-open ring is lifted and pulled upwards and to the rear. The opener which, for example, may be punched from one piece of sheet metal is relatively narrow. The contact surface of the opener back on the can lid is therefore small and on account of this on opening a can of the opener may easily slip. 
     A further opener for tear-open cans is disclosed in the U.S. Design Pat. No. D 267,925. This opener is manufactured from a flat piece of sheet metal. It has a hook-like end for opening the tear-open can as well as an opposite end for opening bottles with crown tops. The very narrow opener can easily slip when being used. 
     If the two previously mentioned conventional openers are for opening larger cans then the conventional openers are designed correspondingly large, which makes them unwieldy and bulky. 
     Both of the previously mentioned conventional openers do not open conventional cans. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     One object of this invention is to make available a space-saving can opener which permits all commercially available cans to be opened securely and comfortably and which does not have the previously mentioned disadvantages. 
     These objects are achieved by a device according to the features and embodiments described in the specification and in the claims. 
     The can opener according to this invention can open common types of can packagings otherwise opened with only a single apparatus and is ergonomic and has a functionally advantageous shape that offers comfort and safety. Furthermore, the opener according to this, invention can be stored in a space-saving manner. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     In the drawings are embodiments of this invention which are explained in the subsequent description, wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a side view of one embodiment of the opener according to this invention, with a folded out pull hook, wherein a body of the opener in a region of an attachment of the pull hook is shown in a partial cross section; 
     FIG. 2 is a top view of the can opener according to this invention, as shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a side view of a further embodiment of the opener according to this invention, partly in cross section, with a folded-in pull hook, wherein the pull hook in a folded-out position is shown in phantom lines and the cutting mechanics are not shown; 
     FIG. 4 is a top view of the can opener according to this invention, as shown in FIG. 3, wherein the cutting mechanics are not shown; and 
     FIG. 5 is a side view of a pull hook according to this invention. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The drawings show two embodiments of the subject matter of this invention, which essentially differ in the design of the pull hook and the adaptations connected to the pull hook. For functionally equal elements in the following specification, the same reference numerals are applied. A first embodiment form is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, having the cutting mechanism  20  while FIGS. 3 to  5  show a second embodiment form) wherein the cutting mechanism is omitted. 
     The opener as a whole is indicated with element reference numeral  1 . This has, as an essential element, a grip-like body  10 . The grip-like body  10  has two parallel, planar side surfaces  11  as shown in the top view of FIG.  2 . The grip-like body  10  has an upper arcuate back surface  12  and an opposite lower curved surface  13 . The curved lower surface  13  at one end there forms a head  15  in which the cutting mechanism  20  is accommodated and at the other end a thickened grip end  16  in which the pull hook  30  at least partly is accommodated. Between the head  15  and the thickened grip piece  16  there is formed a grip trough  14  in the curved lower surface  13 . In the thickened grip end  16  centrally and parallel to the two side surfaces  11  there is a receiving groove  17 . The receiving groove  17  begins at the thickened grip end  16  and is directed inclined towards the grip trough  14  runs out into the curved lower surface  13 . The receiving groove  17  in the thickened grip end  16  forms two side cheeks which are transversely passed through by a pivoting axis bearing  18 . 
     In the thickened head  15  there is located the cutting mechanism indicated as a whole at  20  which comprises a traction wheel  21  seated on a traction pin  26  in a rotationally secure manner. The traction pin  26  runs perpendicular to the planar side surfaces  11  and completely passes through the grip-like body  10 . On that end of the traction pin  26  lying opposite the traction wheel  21  there is a rotary grip  22  by way of which the traction wheel  21  is actuated. Perpendicular to the traction pin  26  there runs a pin of the cutting wheel  23 . The cutting wheel  23  during the actuation of the cutting mechanism lies on an outside on the weld bulge of the tin or can to be opened and cuts through the tin or can. A two-point contact bow  24  also lies on the upper edge of the can bulge. The cutting wheel  23  with the two-point contact bow  24  encloses an acute angle in order to produce a separating force directed upwards. Such cutting mechanisms are known. 
     In the receiving groove  17  of the grip-like body  10  there is partly accommodated a pivotal pull hook  30 . The pull hook  30  is pivotable by a certain angle about a pivot pin  31  which passes through the pivot pin bearing  18 . In the pivoted-in position the pull hook  30  with its pull hook inner edge  35  bears on the groove base  17 ′. In the pivoted-out condition the rear-side end near the pivot pin  31  comes to bear on the groove base  17 ′ by which means the pivoting movement of the pull hook  30  is limited. 
     The pull hook  30  is a planar, relatively thick element. It can be formed of a steel plate or also of a high-strength, for example glass-fibre reinforced plastic. The pivot pin  31 , which as already mentioned lies in the pivot pin bearing  18 , passes through the pull hook  30 . The pull hook  30  in the embodiment according to FIG. 1 has a straight-running pull hook inner edge  35  and a convex rolling back  33 . At an end distant to the pivot pin  31  the pull hook  30  on the pull hook inner edge  35  comprises an attachment recess  32 . On actuation the pull ring R lies in the attachment recess  32 . The shape of the attachment recess  32  may be configured in any way but it must be formed so that the pull ring R during the actuation does not slip out of the attachment recess  32 . This, for example, is achieved by an approximately rectangular or trapezoidal recess. 
     The course of the pull hook inner edge  35  is not of a direct importance. Instead of the straight course shown here the inner edge  35  may be shaped curving inwards or outwards. If the inner edge  35  is curved inwards then the pull hook  30  has more of a crescent-shape configuration, by which the strength of the pull hook itself is reduced. If however the inner edge  35  of the pull hook  30  is curved outwards then correspondingly the receiving groove must be deepened, respectively the groove base  17 ′ be directed concavely inwards. This then accordingly leads to a reduction of the cross section of the grip-like body  10  in this region and accordingly to a certain weakening. 
     FIG. 5 shows an optimized form of the pull hook  30 . The attachment recess  32  is located roughly at the opposite end to the pivot pin  34 . In contrast to the embodiment form according to the FIGS. 1 and 2, the pull hook inner edge  35  is shown running straight and then slightly angled toward a pivot bow  37  which transitions into a contact edge  38 . The rolling back  33  is shaped roughly equal to that of the previously described solution. Near the attachment recess the rolling back  33  has a radius r 1  while in the region near the pivot pin bearing  34  the rolling back  33  has a radius r 2 . The radius r 1  is shown smaller than the radius r 2  and thus the pull ring R initially exerts a more upwardly directed pulling component. FIG. 1 schematically shows the opening operation in a dashed line. The pull ring R lies in the attachment recess  32  and the tear-open lid D is pulled upwards, while the pull hook  30  rolls on the not yet opened region of the lid of the tin B or can. 
     As already mentioned the pull hook  30  in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 comprises the pull hook inner edge  35  running angled. With the angled location  36  the pivot pin bearing  34  is positioned practically above the extended pull hook inner edge  35 . This permits the formation of the contact edge  38  which bears on the base of an abutment recess  19  in the grip-like body. With this configuration an improved force transfer from the pull hook  30  into the grip-like body  10  takes place. Simultaneously, however the pull hook  30  is rather reinforced while the cross section of the grip-like body with the angled course of the groove base  17 ′ is slightly reduced and because at the same time the pivot axis  31  is practically arranged in the extension of the groove base  17 ′, the force via the abutment surface is directly introduced into the stiffened region. In the previously described embodiment, practically the entire force was introduced via the bearing into the mentioned side cheeks laterally of the receiving groove  17 . 
     In the FIGS. 3 and 4, the described cutting mechanism is not shown. In the grip-like body  10  preferably manufactured of plastic only the driving pin bearing  25  and the receiving bores  27  for the contact bow  24  are evident.

Technology Classification (CPC): 1