Improvements in or appertaining to Metal Cans or Cases for Provisions or the like.
Year: 1893

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or appertaining to Metal Cans or Cases for
Provisions or the like.
A communication by THE NAAMLOOZE VENNOOTSCHAP TOT EXPLOITATIE
VAN VERWER'S VERNIS EN STOOMMETAALDRUKKERIJ, of Krommenie, in
the Kingdom of Holland, Manufacturers.
1, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street Liverpool and 6, Bank Street,
Manchester, both in the County of Lancaster and 323 High Holborn, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, 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 metal cans or cases for provisions or other substances,
of which the lids are cut open in order to remove the contents, and it has for its
object a novel method of closing such cans or cases without any soldering being
required, by which closing method an opening device is formed at the same time,
which permits of the opening of the lid, when required, by means of the pulling of
a wire fitted in a groove or recess in the lid on top of the sharp bent-over edge of
the can.
The wire is held firmly in the groove between the lid and the can, so that it
cannot shift or leave the groove when pulled off, and it cuts the metal easily, thus
removing only the cover, and not a part of the can itself as similar arrangements
generally do; so that the contents, if liquid, will not flow out of the can when the
cover is removed.
The only part of the closing device where solder is wanted is that where the end
of the wire is brought outside through a small hole in the groove of the cover, so
that the tightness of the can is thus perfectly secured.
This novel closing and opening device may be applied to cans or cases of any
shape, such as cylindrical, square, oblong or oval; however, its use for cylindrical
cans is most general, and in the following Specification aud accompanying drawings,
reference is therefore had to the application of the closing and opening device to
cylindrical cans.
Figure 1 shows a vertical section of a cylindrical can with cover, the latter laid
loosely on it.
Figure 2, in its upper half, shows a plan of the can with cover before the closing
has been effected; the under half of this figure showing the can closed and the wire
partly pulled off.
In Figures 3, 4, 5 and 5^, the method of closing is shown in its different stages;
Figure 5 also showing, in a front view, the closed can with wire partly pulled off,
as it shown in a plan in Figure 2.
The can A may be stamped out of one piece of metal or be made in the usual
way; its extreme edge a is bent outward, thus forming a horizontal plane flange all
round the circumference of the can A.
The cover B enters for a short distance into the can A, forming a vertical
internal flange b, which fits exactly into the can and is provided with a similar
O flange c which bears on the flange a of the can, whilst an external vertical flange d,
connected to it, reaches downward over the flange a.
The top of the internal flange b of the cover B rises for the greater part of its
circumference somewhat higher than the horizontal flange c, thus forming an annular
recess or groove as shown in Figures 1 and 2, which extends nearly all round the
5 edge of the cover. In this recess, or groove, a wire g is laid. The wire projects
outside the groove at the spot k where the groove ends, and is here laid on that

page_text: part of the flange c where the groove does not extend. The outward portion gl of
the wire g is soldered at k in order to tightly close the hole at the end of the
groove.
:.
A flat ring of india rubber or some other suitable material is pressed warm
onto the flange a of the can thus sticking to the metal. This ring is for the
purpose of making the closing of the can perfectly tight, and is pressed between
the different flanges of the can and cover as the former is closed.
The first manipulation for closing the can consists in bending the external
flange d of the cover over the flange a of the can and pressing the flanges c, a and d
closely together, thus pressing the indiarubber ring between c and a. These
flanges then form together a horizontal flange d' near the top of the can, as shown
in Figure 3.
By so doing, the wire g is closely pressed in the groove on the top of the bent
over flange a of the can. The compact flange before mentioned is now bent to the
position shown in Figure 4, in order not to treat the metal too roughly at once, and
is then bent and pressed and laid flat against the body of the can, as shown in
Figure 5. The angle formed between the groove f and flange c vanishes by this
manipulation and the wire is held firmly in the groove between the sharp bent over
edge of the can and the cover.
Figure 5 shows in a sectional view in single lines the position of the different
flanges b, d, a, c, of the wire g in groove and of the rubber ring h.
The can is now closed perfectly tight, and shows at the top a smooth ring c' all
round. (Figure 5).
In order to open the can, the outward portion g' of the wire g is bent up and a
key or loop D fixed on it. By turning the key, the wire is wound thereon, and by
doing so cuts the metal of the cover at f. Figures 2 and 5 show the cut edges of
the opened groovef of the cover.
The circular piece of the cover is thus cut out and only remains attached to the
cover and can by the part between k and f¹, where the groove fis not formed
(Figures 1 and 2) and, when bent back, the contents of the can may be removed.
By this device, the cover is cut perfectly evenly at the angle of its groove fand
the can remains as high as it was before, so that its contents cannot flow out after or
during the opening.
It is not desired to make any claim generally for the use of a cutting wire nor
for the use of a key for the purpose of removing the covers of metal cans or
cases, but
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The method of closing metal cans or cases for provisions and the like, which
consists in forming the cover with a flange b which fits exactly into the body of the
can, a flange c which bears against the outwardly bent edge or flange a of the can,
a flat ring of india rubber or the like interposed between the flanges a and c, a
groove ƒ for the reception of a cutting wire, and a flange d, and bending the latter
under the flange a so as to compress the ring, the flanges c d and a with the ring h
being then turned down and pressed to the body of the can, substantially as herein-
before described and as shown in the accompanying drawings.
2. In a metal can or case for provisions and the like, the combination, with a
can-body A having an outwardly bent edge or flange a, of a cover B provided with
flanges b, c and d and with a groove for the reception of a cutting wire and of a
flat ring, the whole substantially as and for the purposes described, and shown.
Dated this 21st day of December 1893.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.