An Improved Device for Opening Metal Cans.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Oct.. 1895-Accepted, 30th Nov., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Device for Opening Metal Cans.
1, JAMES HENRY HOLLEN, of Providence, in the State of Rhode Island,
United States of America, Decorator, 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 that class of devices intended to facilitate the opening
of the tin cans in which fruit and the like is enclosed for preservation.
The object of this invention is to make an opener by means of which the centre
of the can head can be correctly located and a pivot entered at that point to
furnish a fulcrum around which the opener can swing, and give, in operating it, a
leverage to the hand over the knife that does the cutting so as to make the
operation easier to perform.
This invention is hereinafter fully described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawing in which-
Figure 1 represents a top view of the can opener applied to a can.
Figure 2 is a cross section partly in elevation of the same taken through the
centre of the can on line x, x Figure 1.
Figure 3 shows the underside of the opener.
The opener consists of two plates B, A, substantially of the same shape
r, made
excepting that plate B, has a handle a, and a socket v, for the knife
fast on it. Each plate B, A, has a slot n, made through it lengthways for about
one-half of its length from near the inner end, and a thumb screw b, is made with
a screw thread on its lower end tapering to a point to enter the head h, of the can,
and a smooth portions, between the screw thread and the thumb part, to slide
freely in the slots n, of the plates B, A. The two plates B, A, are hinged together
by a pivot d, and the curved cross arm of each plate has projections g, g, at its
ends on the under side extending downwards to press against the side of the can C.
A handle a, is made on the outside of the cross arm of the plate B, and a socket v,
to hold the knife r, is also made on plate B, on the inner side opposite to the
handle a, and a set screw c, is put through the inner side of the socket v, to hold
the knife fast.
The operation is as follows: The can opener is placed on the head , of the can
with the projections g, g down by the side of the can, and the two cross arms of
the plates are pressed toward the can so as to bring all four of the projections g, y,
against the outside of the can, and the two projections of each cross arin will bring
the slot n, in that plate across the centre of the head, and where the slots of the
plates cross each other will be the centre of the can head h. The thumb screw b,
being free to slide in the slots n, will naturally become located where the slots
cross, and consequently be in the centre of the can head. A slight blow on the
upper end of the thumb screw will cause its point to pierce through the tin, and by
turning the thumb screw by its upper end the taper screw thread will draw it down
until the tin head has passed up on to the smooth part of the set screw above the
thread. When a slight pressure on the handle a, will cause the pointed knife r, to
cut through the head of the can, a little way inside of the outer edge of the can
head, and by drawing the handle around the can head, using the set screw b, as a
pivot or fulcrum, the knife will cut out the head of the can and leave it entirely
open. In this way the thumb screw b automatically finds the centre of the can
without regard to its size, and, the pivot on which the opener swings being in the

page_text: centre, the knife will cut the whole head with a smooth cut, and leave the can in
the best shape to discharge its contents. It will readily be seen that this can
opener will answer for larger or smaller cans without any special adjustment and
thereby save much time and enable anyone to use it with facility.
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 :-
In a can opener the combination of two plates having cross arms with projections
on them, and pivoted together by said cross arms, and having slots made lengthways
of said plates, with a thumb screw fitted to slide freely in said slots, and a knife,
substantially as described.
D 1
2014 Jatahan 1005
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicunt.