Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Mar., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 1st Dec., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 8th Jan., 1889
I JOHN BENJAMIN MOORHOUSE of Skipton-in-Craven, Yorkshire, Ironmonger do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows, that is to say :-
It relates to tools for cutting sheet metal, said tools being usually styled and well
known as can openers and consists of forming and constructing same so that they
shall operate efficiently and yet be cheaply produced.
This is attained by making the tool somewhat of a flat-bladed-dagger shape, the
outer end of which, as also a suitable portion of each of its outer edges, is sharpened
for the purpose of penetrating the sheet metal which is to be cut, by pressure
longitudinally through said tool, as by a blow being struck on the outer end of the
handle, as will be well understood.
At a suitable distance from the outer sharpened end of the blade, it (said blade) is
bent or cranked laterally, a notch being cut in said bent part so that when the
sharpened end of the blade has penetrated the cover or lid of the sheet metal can, this
bended part will overhang the side of said can, and the upper edge of said side will
enter the notch in said bended part, when said tool is moved to utilize said side as a
fulcrum.
From this it will be seen that as the handle of the tool is moved so that the edge of
the can is utilized for its fulcrum, the outer edge of said tool will cut the sheet metal
cover a distance equal to the length of the outer sharpened end of said tool's blade if
the handle is inoved sufficiently far so to do, and that by the notch in said blade the
tool is held in proper position while said act of cutting is being performed.
Tools, of the above description, that are to be used for cutting the covers of
circular cans, have their outer sharpened ends bent laterally to suit the contour of the
cans.
1000

page_text: I, JOHN BENJAMIN MOORHOUSE of Skipton-in-Craven, Yorkshire, Ironmonger
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, that is to say :-
It relates to tools for cutting sheet-metal, said tools being usually styled and well
known as can-openers and consists of forming and constructing same so that they
shall operate efficiently and yet be cheaply produced.
In order that my said invention may be more readily understood I have hereunto
appended a sheet of drawings illustrative thereof to which, by figures and letters,
reference is made-in-the-following description.
Fig. 1 is a side view shewing the broad side of the blade and fig. 2 is a similar-
view but shows the edge of the blade, the can in each case being shewn in broken
lines. Fig. 3 is an end view of fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a perspective view shewing the
can-opener.
The object of this invention is attained by inserting or attaching the somewhat
dagger-shaped-blade a into or to the handle b. The outer end a' of this blade a is
pointed and its edges at c and d are sharpened so that it may easily be made to
penetrate the sheet metal forming the cover of the can.
At a the blade a is bent laterally and in this bent part is formed a notch e so that
when the sharpened end of the blade a has penetrated the cover or lid of the can
(shewn in broken lines figs. I and 2) the bended part a² will overhang the side of said
can and by the notch e being formed in this part, the blade will span the upper edge
of said can when the handle b is moved to utilize said edge as a fulcrum. From this
it will be scen that when the handle is moved and the edge of the can is utilized as
a fulcrum, the edge c of the blade a will cut the cover of the can a distance equal to
the length of said sharpened part c provided that the handle b is moved sufficiently
far so to do, and that by the notch e in said blade a, the can-opener or tool is held in
proper position while said act of cutting is being performed.
If these can-openers are to be used for opening cylindrical cans the outer end a¹
of the blade a is bent or curved to suit or correspond with the curvature of said cans.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :
с
1. A can-opener consisting of a handle to which is attached a blade a having its
outer end a formed as shewn, and its edges c d sharpened, said blade a being also
bent laterally and a notch e formed in said bent part, said can-opener being arranged
to attain the object described substantially as herein specified.
Dated this 30th day of November 1888.