Improvements relating to Tins or Cans for Preserved Concentrated Provisions and other substances.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 26th June, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 25th Mar., 1892-Accepted, 30th Apr., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to Tins or Cans for Preserved Concentrated
Provisions and other substances.
1, JOHN FEAVER, of The Tin Factory, Long Walk, Bermondsey, in the County
of Surrey, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to tins or cans for containing preserved concentrated
provisions, meat, and other substances.
My said invention is chiefly designed to provide for the opening of the said cans
without the necessity for cutting the metal, and in such a manner that the contents
of such cans, when in a solid or coagulated forin, can be removed therefrom intact;
and my improvements are applicable with great advantage to tins or cans for
containing tongues, brawn, jellies, beef-tea and similar solid or coagulated sub-
stances, which it is difficult to remove from the cans as hitherto constructed, without
impairing or spoiling the shape and appearance imparted to the mass by the can.
Various devices are now in use for facilitating the opening of hermetically scaled
cans, and for enabling this operation to be performed without the necessity for
cutting the metal. In some instances, a piece of metal is partially severed from
one end of the can to form a lid, and is again united to the can by means of a strip
of metal soldered to the adjacent edges, in such a manner as to hermetically close
the can and leave a portion of the said strip loose, so that it can be seized and torn
from the can for the purpose of opening the latter. In other instances, a lid placed
upon one end of the can is secured thereon by a strip of metal soldered to the
adjacent edges in such a manner that it can be torn off to permit the removal of
the said lid or in place of securing a lid to one end of the can by means of such
metal strip, the can is made in two parts which are united by the said strip of
metal. In all these instances, it is impracticable, in the case of solid or coagulated
substances, to remove the contents intact, as they adhere more or less to the
cylindrical or tubular portions of the can and have to be detached therefrom by the
aid of a knife or similar instrument. This difficulty is experienced to a great
extent with cans made in two parts which are placed edge to edge and united by a
strip of metal, as, after the removal of the said strip, the separation of the two
paris cannot be effected without dividing or breaking the mass which they contain,
the contents adhering to both parts of the can, and it being impracticable to insert
a knife to detach the same therefrom.
I overcome these defects, according to my present invention, by constructing the
can in such a manner that the circumferential or tubular portion thereof can be
readily removed by means of a key, or a string or wire, or a pair of pliers, or other
For this purpose
suitable instrument, without the necessity for cutting the metal.
I make the circumferential or tubular portion of the can with an overlapping piece
which extends beyond the joint, and which can be seized by means of a key or
other suitable instrument, whereby the said circumferential or tubular portion may
then be readily separated from the ends of the can. The circumferential or tubular
portion of the can may thus be entirely stripped off, leaving only the ends of the
can adhering to the contents.
I make the circumferential or tubular portion of the can in one or more pieces
according to the length of the can. The overlapping piece may have a pointed or
taper end, which may be either nidway between the ends of the can or near one or
other end thereof, as may be found most convenient. To facilitate the stripping off
of the circumferential portion, I sometimes make the joint thereof extend obliquely
or diagonally, instead of at right angles to the end of the can.

page_text: It is evident that a can made in this. manner can be opened without cutting the
metal, and without altering or impairing the shape of the mass which it contains,
when this consists of a solid or coagulated substance.
I make my improved cans cylindrical, square, oblong, conical or pyramidal or of
other suitable shape as may be desired.
Dated this 26th day of June 1891.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to Tins or Cans for Preserved Concentrated
Provisions and other substances.
1, JOHN FEAVER, of The Tin Plate Factory, Long Walk, Bermondsey in the
County of Surrey, Manufacturer, 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 :—
My invention relates to tins or cans for containing preserved concentrated
provisions meat and other substances.
My said invention is chiefly designed to provide for the opening of the said tins
or cans without cutting the metal and in such a manner as to facilitate the removal
of the contents of the same intact. My improvements are especially applicable to
tins or cases for containing tongues, brawn, jellies, and similar solid or coagulated
substances which are with difficulty removed from tins as hitherto constructed
without impairing or spoiling the shape and appearance imparted by the tin or can
to the mass.
Various devices are now in use for facilitating the opening of hermetically scaled
cans without cutting the metal some of these devices when operated allow the lid
of the can or tin to be removed, others divide the can into two parts, but in most
cases it is impossible to remove. the solid or coagulated mass intact from the tin or
can even when the same is opened without first passing a knife or similar instrument
round the mass in order to detach it from the sides of the can.
According to my present invention I construct a tin or can in such a manner
that the whole of the circumferential or tubular portion thereof can be readily
removed by means of a key, string or wire, or a pair of pliers or other suitable
instrument without cutting the metal.
One method of carrying my invention into practice is shewn in the accompanying
drawings in which-
Figure is a side elevation shewing one of my improved cans unopened,
Figure 2 is a plan view of the same,
Figure 3 shows a key for opening the can,
Figure 4 is a side elevation and
Figure 5 is a plan, shewing the can partly opened by means of the key.
Figure 6 is a side elevation shewing one of my improved cans with the circum-
ferential portion made in two parts.
Similar letters of reference denote corresponding parts in all the drawings.
The circumferential or tubular portion a of the can is made with an overlapping
or tongue-like projecting piece a¹ which extends beyond the soldered joint. a² is
the tip of this projection which is preferably narrowed down to fit a slot in the
key shewn in Figure 3.
The end pieces c of the can or tin are flanged as heretofore but the said flanges
are situated within the circumferential strip and soldered thereto instead of being
placed outside the same as has frequently been the practice.
In order to open the can the slot b in the key is placed over the tip a³ of the
projecting piece a' and the said key is then turned round by means of its transverse

page_text: head so as to gradually strip the cylindrical part a from the can or tin and roll
the said part a on itself as shewn in Figures 4 and 5.
The circumferential or tubular portion of the can may thus be entirely stripped
off leaving only the plane end faces of the can or tin adhering to the contents of
the same.
The key may be of any suitable dimensions but I prefer to make the slot in the
same at such a place that the end of the key shall project beyond the ends of
the can as shewn in Figure 4 the can being thereby more easily and uniformly
stripped. For the same reason I sometimes make the joint of the circumferential
or tubular portion extend obliquely instead of at right angles to the end face of the
can as shown at a³ Figure 4.
When I purpose making a large or deep can tin or case I sometimes form the
cylindrical or tubular portion of the same in two parts as shewn in Figure 6,
the can is then opened by two operations of the key.
The tip a of the projecting piece of the can is preferably bent or curved inwards
so that it will not be liable to injure the person handling the can and so that the
projecting piece will not be so liable to be caught and bent back by contact with
other articles.
Instead of employing the key above described for stripping the cans I may use a
wire, or string for this purpose which wire or string may be attached to the over-
lapping tongue.
I make my improved cans cylindrical, square conical or of any other suitable
shape as may be desired.
It is obvious that my said invention is also advantageously applicable to sheet
metal covers or capsules for hermetically closing bottles, jars and other receptacles
for containing fruits, syrups or similar solid or liquid substances.
In applying my invention to capsules or covers for hermetically closing bottles,
jars and other receptacles, the tin capsule or cover is made with one closed end
only and is secured upon the jar or other receptacle by means of cement or in any
other well known or suitable manner. In this case, by removing or stripping off
the circumferential portion of the tin capsule or cover, the jar or other receptacle
can be very readily opened, and the end or top of the tin capsule can be removed
from the jar or other receptacle, leaving the latter without any portion of the cover
or capsule adhering thereto.
5 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: :-
5
First. A can or tin having a tongue-like piece overlapping the joint of the
circumferential or tubular portion to facilitate the stripping of the said circum-
ferential portion from the end faces substantially as and for the purpose specified.
Second. A can or tin constructed with a part of the circumferential strip
overlapping the joint and having the flanges of the end pieces situated within the
said circumferential or tubular strip and soldered thereto, substantially as and for
the purpose, specified.
Third. A can or tin constructed substantially as herein described with reference
to the drawings.
1000
LALEU LOIS 4 ISG UQ Y
March
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.