An Improvement in Metal Canisters and Cases to Facilitate the Opening thereof.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement in Metal Canisters and Cases to Facilitate the
Opening thereof.
I, GEORGE WISTON BAKER, of 6, Acacia Grove, West. Dulwich, London,
Physician and Surgeon, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to metal canisters or cases that are hermetically closed
by soldering and have a groove formed on the inner surface of the body or of
the lid, by bulging the metal outwards in the form of a bead in which groove
a wire is inserted, the one end of which is fixed in any suitable manner, while
the other end is passed through a hole to the outside where it is provided with
a loop, so that on exerting a pull upon the wire it will cut through the metal
of the bead and thus effect the opening of the canister.
My present invention has for its object to provide simple and effectual means
for retaining the wire in the groove after it has been inserted. For this purpose
I make a circular groove on the inner surface of the lid by bulging the metal
outward, so as to form an external bead, this being effected by any known means.
Into this groove I then introduce a wire, one end of which is fixed in any
known manner, such as by passing it through a small hole in the bead and
bending it over into hook form, while the other is also passed through a hole
to the outside where it is formed with a loop. The wire having been inserted,
I then subject the canister or lid to a clamping operation, whereby the two
edges of the groove are brought close together, so as by this means to form a
closed groove in which the wire is confined.
Such clamping operation may be easily effected by placing the canister or
lid within a ring shaped support upon an acute edge of which it rests with one
side of its bead; a second ring is then slid downward over the other part of
the canister or lid so as to rest with an acute edge on the other side of the
bead, so that on then exerting pressure upon the second ring, the two edges
of the bead will be forced together.
When applying my said invention to canisters containing solid food where a
lid is not required, such as for ox tongues, I make the bead with the said
groove for containing the wire about halfway down the canister so that on
cutting the canister through at that point by means of the wire it will be
divided into two halves, from which the food can be more readily removed
than from a canister that is opened at the end.
In some cases, instead of introducing the wire into the groove before this is
closed by clamping, as described, I first close the groove, and afterwards thread
the wire into it.
To facilitate this, the bead containing the groove has a small V shaped notch

page_text: cut in it so as to form two holes, through which the ends of the wire can
readily pass, and which are afterwards closed by soldering.
Dated this 11th day of February 1898.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
An Improvement in Metal Canisters and Cases to Facilitate the
Opening thereof.
I, GEORGE WISTON BAKER, of 6, Acacia Grove, West Dulwich, London,
Physician and Surgeon, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to metal canisters or cases that are hermetically closed
by soldering and have a groove formed on the inner surface of the body or of
the lid, by bulging the metal outwards in the form of a bead in which groove
a wire is inserted, the one end of which is fixed in any suitable manner. while
the other end is passed through a hole to the outside where it is provided with
a loop, so that on exerting a pull upon the wire it will cut through the metal
of the bead and thus effect the opening of the canister.
My present invention has for its object to provide simple and effectual means
for retaining the wire in the groove after it has been inserted. For this purpose
I make a circular groove on the inner surface of the lid by bulging the metal
outward, so as to form an external bead, this being effected by any known means.
Into this groove I then introduce a wire, one end of which is fixed in any
known manner, such as by passing it through a small hole in the bead and
bending it over into hook form, while the other is also passed through a hole
to the outside where it is formed with a loop. The wire having been inserted,
I then subject the canister or lid to a clamping operation, whereby the two
edges of the groove are brought close together, so as by this means to form a
closed groove in which the wire is confined.
Such clamping operation may be easily effected by placing the canister or
lid within a ring shaped support upon an acute edge of which it rests with one
side of its bead; a second ring is then slid downward over the other part of
the canister or lid so as to rest with an acute edge on the other side of the
bead, so that on then exerting pressure upon the second ring, the two edges
of the bead will be forced together.
When applying my said invention to canisters containing solid food where a
lid is not required, such as for ox tongues, I make the bead with the said
groove for containing the wire about halfway down the canister so that on
cutting the canister through at that point by means of the wire it will be
divided into two halves, from which the food can be more readily removed
than from a canister that is opened at the end.
In some cases, instead of introducing the wire into the groove before this is
closed by clamping, as described, I first close the groove, and afterwards thread
the wire into it.
To facilitate this, the bead containing the groove has a small ✓ shaped notch
cut in it so as to form two holes, through which the ends of the wire can
readily pass, and which are afterwards closed by soldering.
The accompanying drawing shews the manner in which my said invention can
be carried into effect.

page_text: Figures 1 to 6 shew the invention as applied to the lid of a canister or case,
while Figures 7, 8 and 9 shew the same applied to a canister or case having no
lid.
Figure 1 shews the side view Figure 2 a part plan and Figure 3 a part
section of a lid A having an internal groove a formed in it by an outward bulge
in a similar manner to that described in the specification to my application for
Letters Patent No. 71 of 1898.
In the externally projecting bead thus formed is cut a V shaped notch, as
shewn, thus forming two openings into the groove. Into the groove a is inserted
a cutting wire B, one end of which is secured by bending over the one edge of
the said notch at 6 Figures 1 and 2, while the other end is passed out of the
other side of the notch, and is formed with a loop.
After the wire has been inserted, the cap is placed in a circular support D
Figure 3 having an acute edge d on which the underside of the bead a rests;
a ring D¹ is then slid over the top of the lid so as to rest with its acute edge d
on the upper side of the bead a, and pressure being applied to D¹, it will effect
the closing of the groove as shewn at Figure 4, thus effectually securing the
wire B within the same.
The cover thus prepared is then fitted on a canister such as C, Figure 5, and is
secured by soldering at c, the V notch in the bead a being at the same time
closed by soldering.
On pulling at the wire B this cuts through the bead a, thereby separating the
lid A with a sufficient rim to be afterwards used for closing the canister, as
shewn at Figure 6.
Instead of introducing the wire B into the groove before this is closed as
described, it may be threaded in through the opening at 6 after the groove has
been closed, the wire being simply pushed round in the groove from the right
hand side of the opening, Figs. 1 and 2, until the end protrudes through the
left hand side, whereupon the end is bent over the edge as shewn.
Figs. 7 and 8 shew the invention as applied to the opening of a case E having
no lid; for this purpose the groove or bead e is preferably formed at about the
middle of the height of the case, as shewn, when this contains solid food, the
groove being afterwards closed in the manner described with reference to Figs. 3
and 4, either after or before the wire B has been introduced.
On tutting through the bead e with the wire the case will be divided into
two halves, as shewn at Fig. 9, thus greatly facilitating the removal of the food
therefrom.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is;-
In metal canisters and cases that are opened by a cutting wire, forming a
closed circular channel or hollow bead for containing the wire either on the
canister or case, or on the lid thereof, by first bulging the metal outward to
form an inner circular groove and external bead which is then closed by clamping
or pressing the edges of the groove together either before or after the cutting
wire has been inserted, a hole being formed in the said bead for the ends of
the wire to project through, substantially as described.
Dated this 2nd day of March 1898.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.