Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 1st July, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 1st Apr., 1897-Accepted, 26th June, 1897..
We HENRY WREN ROWLAND, of 3 Regent Road, Blundlesands, near Liverpool,
and WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON, of Mayfield Villas, Aughton, Ormskirk, both
in the County of Lancaster, Commercial Travellers, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to machines to be used for opening cans or tins and
especially cylindrical tins, the object being to construct a machine which is self
adjusting to cut open cans or tins of various heights and diameters.
For this purpose we provide a suitable base plate with a standard or standards
upon which are mounted a pair of parallel levers or arms swinging upon pivots
the one vertically above the other and at a suitable distance therefrom, the
lower being at a convenient height from the base plate which is quite plane
and flat.
The free ends of these two levers or arms are connected together by a vertical
link rod or bar and the upper lever or arm is lengthened beyond this link so as to
form a handle.
The vertical link rod or bar carries a horizontal truncated hollow cone (or
ring with a conical inner surface) of suitable depth open at top and bottom.
Inside this hollow cone or ring we fit a conical block of less depth and filling the
upper part thereof being held in place by a circular plate of larger diameter than
its upper
side to which it is bolted or screwed or otherwise fixed. This block is
thus free to turn or rotate with the circular plate in the cone or ring.
Upon the upper side of the rotatable plate we form or fix two raised ridges or
cheeks parallel to each other and equidistant from the centre of the said plate and
forming between them a groove or recess in which we fit a suitable handle or lever
pivotted at one end of the groove. This handle or lever is suitably connected to
the upper end of a rod or bar which is passed through a hole or slot made between
the above named ridges or cheeks through the plate and the conical block in a
direction parallel with the side of the cone. The end of this bar or rod is provided
with a knife or cutter of suitable form.
In some cases the fulcrum of the handle or lever upon the rotatable plate may
be set lower and the bar or rod carrying the cutter or knife may be fixed like an
arm to the said handle or lever and curved to part of a circle struck from the
centre or fulcrum of the handle or lever, in which case the conical block may
be dispensed with and the cone formed to a curve corresponding with that of the
cutter arm.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-
The can or tin to be opened is placed upon the base plate of the machine in such
a position that the conical ring will fit down upon the top thereof and concen-
trically therewith. The cone is always horizontal as it is connected by its vertical
rod or handle parallel arms or levers pivotted vertically one above the other and
will thus fit upon a tin of ordinary height and diameter.
The conical ring is held down firmly by its handle and thus securely holds the
tin in place. The handle or lever on the rotatable plate is then lowered until the
cutter or knife pierces into the top of the tin; the handle or lever last named is

page_text: then moved round causing the conical block to rotate on its vertical axis and the
knife to describe almost an entire circle and to make a corresponding cut in the top
of the tin, this cut being similar to that made by the machine which forms the
subject of an application for Letters Patent made by us No. 17223 dated
September 16th, A.D. 1895.
Our present machine is however more universally adaptable than our former one
as it will open cans or tins of various sizes, to which it practically adjusts
itself.
Dated this 30th day of June 1896
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicants.
An Improved Machine for Opening Metal Cans.
We HENRY WREN ROWLAND, of 3 Regent Road, Blundlesands, near Liverpool,
and WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON, of Mayfield Villas, Aughton, Ormskirk, both
in the County of Lancaster, Commercial Travellers, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :--
This invention relates to machines to be used for opening cans or tins, and
especially cylindrical tins, the object being to construct a machine which is self
adjusting to cut open cans or tins of various heights and diameters.
The manner in which our said invention is to be performed or carried into
practical effect will be readily understood on reference to the two sheets of drawings
hereunto annexed and the following explanation thereof.
On Sheet 1 of the drawings Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal section, and Fig. 2
a plan view of our improved machine, and on Sheet 2 of the drawings, Figs. 3
and 4 are similar views of a modification of the same.
Fig. 5 (Sheet 1) is a vertical transverse section of the cone and its adjuncts as
used in the machine shewn at Figs. 1 and 2, and
Figs. 6 and 7 show other detached parts hereinafter more particularly
referred to.
For the purposes of our invention we provide a suitable base plate a with a
standard b (Figs. 1, 2 and 3) upon which are mounted a pair of parallel levers or
arms c and d swinging upon pivots e placed the one vertically above the other and
at a suitable distance therefrom, the lower one being at a convenient height from
the base plate a which is quite plane and flat.
The free or movable ends of these two levers or arms may be connected together
by a link as at gx, Fig. 3 so as to work like a parallel motion or they may be both
attached to a truncated cone f by two pivots g placed at the same distance apart as
the pivots e, which will have the same effect."
The upper lever or arm c is cranked and prolonged forwards so as to form a
handle as shewn at c*.
The pivots g carry the horizontally truncated hollow cone for ring with a
conical inner surface of suitable depth open at top and bottom (see also detached
view Fig. 5).
Inside this hollow cone or ring f we fit a conical block of less depth (shewn
detached at Fig. 5 in plan), and filling the upper part thereof, being held in its
place by a circular block or plate i with a projecting rim of larger diameter to
which it is bolted, screwed, or otherwise fixed. .This block or plate i is thus

page_text: free to turn or rotate together with the conical block inside the cone or
ring f.
Upon the upper side of the rotatable block or plate i we form or fix two raised
ridges or cheeks k, parallel to each other and equidistant from the centre of the
block, and forming between them a groove or recess in which we fit a suitable
handle or lever I pivotted at one end of the groove. This handle or lever is
suitably connected to the upper end of a rod or bar m which is passed through a
hole or slot made between the cheeks through the block or plate i and conical
block h in a direction parallel with the inside of the cone or ring f.
The lower end of this bar m is provided with a knife or cutter n which may be
of the form shown at Fig. 1, or as shown detached at Fig. 6 with a projecting
guide or lip n*, or as shown at Fig. 7 with a plate n** which rests upon the top of
the can.
In some cases the fulcrum of the handle or lever I may be set lower down as
shewn at Figs. 3 and 4, a ring o working in a groove outside the cone or ring f
being used instead of the rotatable plate i, and the bar m carrying the knife may
be fixed like an arm to the said handle or lever and curved to part of a circle
struck from the centre or fulcrum of the handle or lever, in which case the conical
block h inside the cone may be dispensed with, and the cone or ring formed to
a curve corresponding with that of the cutter arm m as shown.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-
The lever or handle ex being raised as shown by dotted lines on Fig. 1 the can
or tin to be opened is placed upon the base plate a of the machine in such a position
that the conical ring f will fit down upon the top thereof and concentrically
therewith. The cone f is always horizontal owing to the parallel arms or levers c
and d pivotted vertically one above the other, and will thus fit upon a can or tin of
ordinary height and diameter.
The conical ring f is held down firmly by its handle c* and thus securely holds
the can or tin in place. The handle or lever on the rotatable plate i (or on the
ring o Fig. 3) is then lowered until the cutter or knife n pierces the top of the tin;
this handle or lever is then moved round horizontally causing the conical block h
to rotate on its vertical axis and the knife n to describe almost an entire circle and
to make a corresponding cut in the top of the tin, this cut being similar to that
made by the machine which forms the subject of Letters Patent No. 17223 of the
year 1895, granted to us and dated Septr. 16th.
Our present machine is however more universally adaptable than our former
one as it will open cans or tins of various sizes to which it practically adjusts
itself.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is :-
The improved machine for opening metal cans substantially as herein before
described and illustrated by the drawings annexed.
Dated this 20th day of March 1807
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicants.