Certain Improvements in Can Openers, and in the Manufacture of the same.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Aug., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 24th May, 1895-Accepted, 6th July, 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Certain Improvements in Can Openers, and in the Manufacture of
the same.
I BENJAMIN MARSLAND, of Laurel Lane, Halesowen, in the County of
Worcester, Grocer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:
:-
This invention consists of the herein described improvements in can openers and
in the manufacture of the same which can openers are used for cutting open sheet
metal cans so as to enable the contents to be removed. By my invention I so
construct a can opener that it can be made entirely from sheet metal, such as mild
sheet steel, and moreover my improved can opener is very effective in use as it
makes a clean cut and is not liable to slip.
A can opener constructed according to this invention consists of a handle having
a metal nose piece projecting from its fore-end this handle and nose piece being by
preference made in one piece from a sheet metal blank as hereinafter described;
or the handle and nose piece may be made of cast metal or otherwise formed. The
said nose piece is made of inverted trough section that is to say it is rounded on
the top and has a deep longitudinal groove underneath. Immediately below this
groove and projecting for some little distance in front of the nose piece I provide
the cutting blade which is pointed as usual and has a cutting edge (preferably
straight) parallel with the groove of the nose piece. The back part of this cutting
blade projects upwardly and is formed with the nose piece behind the groove, or is
fixed to the nose piece by any convenient means such for instance as the top part of
the blade being shouldered down and inserted in a longitudinal slotted hole in the
top of the nose piece and then rivetted over, a cross rivet or pin also passing
through the blade and through or into downwardly projecting side ears formed on
the nose piece and between which the blade fits.
The can opener above in part described is used as follows:-The pointed end of
the blade is driven into the can at or near the upper edge of the same and then
the can opener is pressed forwards and the handle part raised in the usual way
above the nose piece as a fulcrum the cutting blade at the same time making a
certain length of cut in the can; the handle part is then depressed and again
raised making another short cut and so on until the cut has been continued all
round the can the grooved nose piece effectually preventing the can opener from
slipping whilst in use.
According to one method of making the can opener above described from sheet
metal I cut, from ductile sheet steel or other suitable sheet metal by means of
tools worked in a press, a blank of about the same length as the required can
opener but of somewhere about twice the width of the same and made with
projecting side ears at the part where the blade is to be fixed. This blank is then
by means of suitable tools pierced where required for fixing the blade thereto and
is raised into a trough section and the handle part is if desired closed into a
tubular or rounded form; the side ears are closed down against the blade which is
inserted between them and the blade is secured as above described or by any other
convenient means. The said side ears may if preferred be turned upwardly and
inwardly against the sides of the blade the latter being made with one or more

page_text: side projecting pips which engage in holes in the ears and thus assist in fixing the
blade.
According to another method of making the can opener above described from
sheet metal I proceed as above described but I make the handle part and nose
piece and blade together in one piece from a sheet metal blank the said blade
being a prolongation of one of the side ears above described so that when the
blank is raised into the tubular or rounded form as above described the two side
ears are bent and brought together in a line with the centre of the tubular nose
where the blade is situated and the two ears are secured together by one or more
rivets passing therethrough or by other means.
Dated this 20th day of August 1894.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Certain Improvements in Can Openers, and in the Manufacture of
the same.
I, BENJAMIN MARSLAND, of Laurel Lane, Halesowen, in the County of
Worcester, Grocer, 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 consists of the herein described improvements in can openers and
in the manufacture of the same which can openers are used for cutting open sheet
metal cans so as to enable the contents to be removed. By my invention I so
construct a can opener that it can if desired be made entirely from sheet metal,
such as mild sheet steel, and moreover my improved can opener is very effective in
use as it makes a clean cut and is not liable to slip.
I will describe my invention by referring to the accompanying drawings on
which
Fig. 1 is a part sectional elevation of a can opener constructed according to this
invention;
Fig. 2 is an inverted plan of the same :
Fig. 3 is a view of the front of the same;
Fig. 4 shews the cutting blade of the same separately;
Fig. 5 is a side elevation and Fig. 6 is a sectional side elevation of a modified
form of the said can opener;
Fig. 7 is an inverted plan of the can opener shewn by Figs. 5 and 6, and Fig. 8
is a cross section of the same on line X X of Fig. 6;
Fig. 9 shews separately the cutting blade of the can opener illustrated by
Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8; and
Fig. 10 is the sheet metal blank from which the main portion of the said can
opener is formed;
Fig. 11 is a side elevation and Fig. 12 is an inverted plan of a further modifica-
tion of my invention.
Fig. 13 is a side elevation of the can opener shewn by Figs. 11 and 12 but
looking from the other side of the same;
and
Fig. 14 is a cross sectional view of the said can opener on line Y Y on Fig. 11;
Fig. 15 is the sheet metal blank from which the can opener shewn by
Figs. 11, 12, 13, and 14 is formed.
The same letters of reference indicate the same or corresponding parts in all the
figures of the drawings.
A can opener constructed according to this invention consists of a knife

page_text: handle A having a metal nose piece B projecting from its fore-end, this handle and
nose piece being made in one piece of metal, from a half round section rolled metal
bar (Figs. 1 and 2) or from a sheet metal blank as hereinafter described, or by
being made in the form of a metal stamping or casting. The nose piece B is made
of inverted trough section, that is to say, it is rounded on the top 61 and has a deep
longitudinal groove 63 underneath. Immediately below this groove 6 and
projecting for some little distance in front of the nose piece B I provide the
cutting blade C which is pointed at c' as usual and has a cutting edge c³
preferably made straight and parallel with the groove 62 of the nose piece B. The
back part of the cutting blade C projects upwardly and is fixed to the nose
piece B at some little distance back from the front of the same by any convenient
means such for instance as by the top part 3 of the blade C being shouldered
down at c to bear against the underside of the handle part A, the part e³ being
inserted in the longitudinally slotted hole a¹ in the top of the nose piece and
rivetted over.
When the handle part A and nose piece B are made of a wrought
metal stamping or of a rolled metal bar as shewn in Figs. 1 and 2, this method
of fixing the cutting blade C is sufficient, but when the handle part A and nose-
piece B are made from a sheet metal blank as hereinafter described and shewn in
Figs. 5, and 7 then, in addition to the top part of the blade C passing through
the hole a¹ of the handle A. and being rivetted over, there is also a cross rivet or
pin e passed through the blade and through downwardly projecting side bars 64 65
formed on the nose piece B and between which the blade C fits.
The blade C is by preference made with an outwardly projecting spike or tooth c
at its underside for the purpose of punching a hole in the can into which the
pointed end c¹ is inserted for opening the can; or if desired this tooth or spike c³
may be dispensed with.
The can opener above in part described is used as follows:-A starting hole is
first made in the can at or near the upper edge of the same by the pointed end c¹
or by the spike part c of the blade C; the end e¹ of the blade is then inserted in
this hole and the can opener is pressed forward as usual and the handle part A
raised in the usual way above the nose piece B as a fulcrum, the cutting blade at
the same time making a certain length of cut in the can; the handle part A is
then depressed and again raised making another short cut and so on until it has
been continued all round the can, the grooved nose piece B riding on the edge of
the can and effectually preventing the can opener from slipping while in use.
According to one method (which is illustrated by Figs. 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10) of
making the can opener above described from sheet metal, I cut from ductile sheet
steel or other suitable sheet metal by means of tools worked in a press a blank as
shewn by Fig. 10 having about the same length as the required can opener and of
somewhere about twice the width of the same and made with projecting side
ears 66 at the part where the blade C is to be fixed. This blank is then by
means of suitable tools pierced at a¹ for fixing the blade C thereto and is raised
into a trough section shewn by Figs. 5, 6 and 7 and the handle part A is also if
desired closed into a tubular or rounded form; the said ears 6 5 are closed
down against the blade C which is inserted between them and the blade C is
secured as above described or by any other convenient means.
According to another method (which is illustrated by Figs. 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15)
of making the can opener as above described from sheet metal 1 proceed as above
described with reference to Figs. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 but I make the handle part A
and nose piece B and blade C together in one piece out of a sheet metal blank of
the shape shewn by Fig. 15 the said blade C being a prolongation of the side
ear 6 above described so that when the blank shewn by Fig. 15 is raised into the
tubular or rounded form as above described and shewn in Figs. 11, 12 and 13 the
side ears are bent and brought together in a line with the centre of the trough
section nose piece B where the blade C is situated and the two ears 64 65 are
secured together by one or more rivets e passing therethrough or by other means.
When the can opener is made from sheet metal in the manner last above described

page_text: the ear 6 is by preference made with a spike c³ projecting from it for making the
first hole in the can as stated above.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a can opener, the combination of the metal handle A. formed with the
inverted trough section nose piece B, and the blade C projecting beyond said nose
piece and fixed immediately below and in the centre of the same, so that when the
can opener is in use the trough of the nose piece will ride on the edge of the
can and prevent the can opener slipping, all substantially as hereinbefore set
forth.
2. In a can opener, the combination of the metal handle A formed with the
inverted trough section nose piece B, and the blade C projecting beyond the said
nose piece and fixed immediately below and in the centre of the same in the
slot a in the combined handle and nose piece, all substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated by Figs. 1; 2, 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.
3. The improved can opener consisting of the sheet metal handle A and nose
piece B formed together from a sheet metal blank such as shewn by Fig. 10 which
is bent into an inverted trough section and made with side ears 6 6 in combination
with the blade C projecting beyond said nose piece and fixed immediately. below
and in the centre of the same between the ears 64 65, all substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated by Figs. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 on the accompanying
drawings.
4. The improved can opener consisting of the sheet metal handle A and nose
piece B and blade C all formed together from a sheet metal blank such as
shewn by Fig. 15 which is bent into an inverted trough section and made with
side ears 64 65 which are fixed together so that the blade part C will be immediately
below and in the centre of the trough of the nose piece B, all substantially as
herein before described and illustrated by Figs. 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 of the
accompanying drawings.
Dated this 23rd day of May 1895.