Improvements in Implements for Opening. Tins of Preserved Food and the like.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Jan., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 6th Oct.,. 1893-Accepted, 11th.Nov., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION:
Improvements in Implements for Opening. Tins of Preserved Food
and the like.
We, CHARLES Moss, late of 31 St. Johns Villas, Holloway Road; but now of
1 White Conduit Street, Islington, in the County of London; Merchant, and
JAMES GEORGE MERSER, of 573 Holloway Road, in the County of London,
Oilman do hereby declare the nature of our invention to be as follows:-
In opening tins of preserved food and the like it is found more particularly when
the ordinary single lancet shaped, blade with a fulcrum is used, that the operator
frequently depresses the handle so far.as to prolong the cut unduly to the point of
the blade.so that the point rises through the. cut and the tool thus becomes suddenly
disengaged from the can and possibly slips on it in a manner causing the operator
to wound his fingers on the ragged edges, of the cut metal... Now we propose to so
construct the, blades, according,, to our, invention that the cut cannot, easily be
prolonged to quite. the. end, of the, blade and the point. therefore has. .no opportunity
of rising, through, the, cut...
According to our invention the tip, or point of the,.blade has a shoulder, or
projecting.stud, or boss, or stop, or is otherwise thickened, or protected, or the cutting
edge,is, not extended so far, as the point, so that as the point, rises towards the under
surface of the metal when a cut is being made, the shoulder, stud, boss, or the like
comes against the under surface of the metal, or the end of the cutting edge..being.
reached, or both of these, stops the further extension of, the cut and keeps.the.point.
below the surface of the metal....
It will be obvious that the shoulder or projection may be formed in various ways
but a convenient method of producing the required stop or shoulder on ordinary
lancet shaped blades is to so grind, or bevel the edges that the,bevel..on,one edge,
the lower, edge, of, the blade preferably on the opposite side of the blade to the
bevel,on the upper, edge and extends quite to the point, while on the other, the
upper, edge the bevel.stops abruptly a short distance, from the point, so as to forin
a shoulder. where the cutting edge terminates and the full thickness, of. the. blade is
left. By this arrangement the point. is produced, by the bevel or bevels on the
lower side of theдblade. only.. I prefer also to make.my blade rather. narrower
than is usual, so as to, facilitate the turning at the corners, (if any) of the box,
or can.
Dated the Sixth day of January 1803
NEWNHAM BROWNE,
Agent for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.“
Improvements in Implements for Opening, Tins of Preserved Food
and the like.;
Weļ CHARLES Moss, late of 31 St. John's Villas, Holloway Road, but now of
White Conduit Street, Islington, in the County of London, Merchant, and
JAMES GEORGE MERSER; of 573 Holloway Road, in the County of London,
Oilman, do hereby declare the nature of our invention and in what manner the
Price &dl

page_text: same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
In opening tins of preserved food and the like it is found, more particularly
when the ordinary single lancet-shaped blade with a fulcrum is used, that the
operator frequently depresses the handle so far as to prolong the cut unduly to the
point of the blade so that the point rises through the cut and the tool thus becomes
suddenly disengaged from the can and possibly slips on it in a manner causing the
operator to wound his fingers on the ragged edges of the cut metal.
Now we
propose to so construct the blades according to our invention that the cut cannot
easily be prolonged to quite the end of the blade and the point therefore has no
opportunity of rising through the cut.
According to our invention the tip or point of the blade has a shoulder, or
projecting stud, or boss, or stop, or is otherwise thickened, or protected, or the
cutting edge is not extended so far as the point, so that as the point rises towards
the under surface of the metal when a cut is being made, the shoulder, stud, boss,
or the like comes against the under surface of the metal, or the end of the cutting
edge being reached, or both of these, and stops the further extension of the cut
and keeps the point below the surface of the metal.
It will be obvious that the shoulder or projection may be formed in various ways
but a convenient method of producing the required stop, or shoulder, on ordinary
lancet-shaped blades is to so grind, or bevel the edges that the bevel on one edge,
the lower edge of the blade, is preferably on the opposite side of the blade to the
bevel on the upper edge and extends quite to the point, while on the other, the
upper edge the bevel stops abruptly a short distance from the point so as to
form a shoulder where the cutting edge terminates and the full thickness of the
blade is left. By this arrangement the point is produced by the bevel, or bevels
on the lower side of the blade only. We prefer also to make my blades rather
narrower than is usual, so as to facilitate the turning at the corners (if any) of the
box, or can.
In the accompanying sheet of drawings
Fig. 1, represents a side view and Fig. 2, a plan of my improved implement.
Fig. 3 and 4 elevations of the opposite sides of the blade separated from the
other parts and
Fig. 5 is the fulcrum-piece shown separately.
A, is the blade which I prefer should be, as shown, rather narrower than such
blades are generally made: b is the bevel of the lower edge, made, say, on the right
hand side of the blade and extending quite to the point which is thus made sharp
for the purpose of piercing the sheet metal when commencing to open a can; c is
the bevel of the upper edge of the blade on say the left hand side and extending
nearly but not quite to the point, and forming thus a more or less abrupt shoulder
between the end of the cutting edge and the point whereby the operation of cutting
is stopped before the point is reached and the point prevented from rising through
the cut.
d is a stud which passes through a slot in the piece which forms the fulcrum and
the end of which may be riveted or burred over, so as to hold the two pieces firmly
together. e is the tang of the blade; f is a slot in the fulcrum for the reception
of the stud d, and g is the tang of the fulcrum-piece.
Although we have shown and described a peculiar arrangement of fulcrum, which
we have found to be more advantageous than the ordinary cross-pin, or other well
known contrivances for the like purpose we wish it to be understood that we do
not claim such fulcrum, nor is our invention limited to openers fitted with such
fulcrums, for it is equally applicable and advantageous for openers constructed
with a cross-pin or wire fulcrum, or the like, nor is our invention limited to the
exact form of stop, or shoulder, near the point of the blade for it is obvious that
the stop, or shoulder, which keeps the point of the blade below the surface of the
metal may be formed in many other ways, none of which however we have found

page_text: so convenient, advantageous, and so cheaply constructed as that shown in the
drawings.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that we do
not claim the particular formation or arrangement of the fulcrum described but
that what we claim is :
1. Constructing the blades of can-openers with a stop near the point to prevent
the point rising through the cut made by the blade.
2. A can opener having a shoulder, projecting stud, boss, stop, or equivalent
device near the point of the blade substantially as and for the purpose described.
3. A can opener the blade of which has its upper and lower edges respectively
so bevelled that the blade has a sharp point formed by the end of, oue edge and a
shoulder forined by the termination of the other edge, a short distance therefrom
for the purpose and substantially as described.
Dated the 5th day of October 1893.
JAMES GEORGE MERSER.
CHARLES MOSS.