IMPROVEMENTS IN INSTRUMENTS OR APPARATUS FOR OPENING CANS, TINS OR SIMILAR METALLIC RECEPTACLES
Year: 1884

page_text: I JAMES ASBURY MCKEAN of 10 Delahay Street in the City of Westminster
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN INSTRUMENTS OR APPARATUS FOR OPENING CANS, TINS OR SIMILAR METALLIC
RECEPTACLES," to be as follows:-
. My Invention relates to an instrument or apparatus by the aid of which the cans
tins or soldered metallic receptacles employed for containing milk, preserves and
other articles or substances, may be opened with greater facility accuracy and
expedition than is attainable with the Knives ordinarily used for that purpose.
The instrument or apparatus consists of a carrier for temporary attachment to
the can tin or receptacle and a Knife holder jointed to such carrier so as to be
capable of rotary motion and bearing at its outer end the Knife or cutting device.
The carrier is composed of an angular bar or piece one portion of which extends
down the side of the can tin or receptacle vertically for a sufficient distance and is
made of such a shape as to admit of the instrument being pressed by the hand
against the side of the can tin or receptacle, whilst the other limb of such bar
which forms a radius bar extends over the lid to about the centre of the can, tin or
receptacle at which point it is jointed to the Knife carrier at the opposite end to
that at which the Knife or cutting device is carried. The radius bar is formed at
one end with a point or points or Knife edges which when the instrument or
apparatus is applied to the can tin or receptacle for the purpose of opening the
same, are pressed in at any part at or near the line of severance round the lid or
end, and form a rigid support in conjunction with the other portion of the angular
bar or piece which extends down at the side of the can tin or receptacle; the Knife
which is carried by the Knife holder pivotted to the radius bar is then by the aid
of a handle with which it is provided moved round along the line of severance
turning on its joint of connection with the radius bar as on a centre and partially
or wholly severing the lid from the body of the box.
It will be understood that this description applies to cans tins or receptacles
having the line of severance at the end.
receptacles are to be opened round the side
slightly modified to suit the particular case.
vided with an additional point or points for
When however the cans tins or
the arrangement of the parts will be
The radius bar may if desired be pro-
entering the lid at the centre and thus

page_text: form a more rigid fulcrum for the knife holder. The points of the radius bar by
which the instrument or apparatus is temporarily attached to the can tin or
receptacle may be carried by pieces hinged to the carrier so as to admit of their
adjusting themselves more readily to the curvature of the side of the can tin or
receptacle, and the radius bar and knife holder may be slotted and their connecting
pin made movable so as to enable the radius described by the knife to be adjusted
to suit the size of the can, tin or receptacle The various parts of the instrument
or apparatus may also be so jointed together as to admit of their being folded into
a small compass, for the convenience of carrying in the pocket or otherwise. The
knife or cutting device may be formed in one with its carrier by forging, stamping
or casting. It may also be constructed with two blades, (which may also be formed
in one piece), at right angles to each other so as to admit of the same instrument
being used for opening by cutting a disc out of the end or cutting round the side,
one blade in either case forming a stop in the operation of cutting with the other.
Dated this thind dow of Anul 1901

page_text: I JAMES ASBURY MCKEAN of 10 Delabay Street Westminster in the County of
Middlesex, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVE-
MENTS IN INSTRUMENTS OR APPARATUS FOR OPENING CANS TINS OR SIMILAR
METALLIC RECEPTACLES and in what manner the same is to be performed, to bo
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to an instrument or apparatus by the aid of which the cans
tins or soldered metallic receptacles employed for containing milk, preserves and
other articles or substances may be opened with greater facility, accuracy and
expedition than is attainable with the knives ordinarily used for that purpose.
The instrument or apparatus consists of a Carrier for temporary attachment to
the can tin or receptaclo and a knife holder jointed to such Carrier so as to be
capable of rotary motion and bearing at its outer end the knife or cutting device-
The Carrier is composed of an angular bar or piece, one portion of which extends
down the side of the can tin or receptacle vertically for a sufficient distance and
is made of such a shape as to admit of the instrument being pressed by the hand
against the side of the can tin or receptacle whilst the other limb of such bar
which forms a radius bar extends over the lid to about the centre of the Can tin or
receptacle at which point it is jointed to the knife Carrier at the opposite end to
that at which the knife or cutting device is carried-The radius bar is formed at
one end with a point or points or knife edges which when the instrument or
apparatus is applied to the can tin or receptacle for the purpose of opening the
same are pressed in at any part at or near the line of severance round the lid or
end and form a rigid support in conjunction with the other portion of the angular
bar or piece which extends down at the side of the can tin or receptacle; the knife
which is carried by the knife holder pivotted to the radius bar is then by the aid
of a handle with which it is provided, moved round along the line of severance
turning on its joint of connection with the radius bar as on a centre and partially
or wholly severing the lid from the body of the box.
It will be understood that this description applies to cans tins or receptacles
having the line of severance at the end.-When however the cans tins or
receptacles are to be opened round the side the arrangement of the parts will be
slightly modified to suit the particular case. The radius bar may if desired be pro-
vided with an additional point or points for entering the lid at the centre and thus
form a more rigid fulcrum for the knife holder. The points of the radius bar by
which the instrument or apparatus is temporily attached to the can tin or
receptacle may be carried by pieces hinged to the Carrier so as to admit of their
adjusting themselves more readily to the curvature of the side of the can tin or
receptacle and the radius bar and knife holder may be slotted and their connecting
pin made moveable so as to enable the radius described by the knife to be adjusted
to suit the size of the can tin or receptacle-The various parts of the instrument or
apparatus may also be so jointed together as to admit of their being folded into a
small compass for the convenience of carrying in the pocket or otherwise-The

page_text: knife or cutting device may be formed in one with its Carrier by forging stamping
or casting It may also be constructed with two blades (which may also be
formed in one piece) at right angles to each other so as to admit of the same
instrument being used for opening by cutting a disc out of the end or cutting
round the side, one blade in either case forming a stop in the operation of cutting
with the other.
:
In order further to explain my said Invention I annex the accompanying sheet
of drawings wherein a few arrangements of the foregoing Invention are shewn,
but many other arrangements and modifications may be made to suit various
circumstances.
Figures, 1 and 2 represent the apparatus as generally constructed-In these
figures (a) is the Carrier which by means of the hooks shewn in the said drawing
and the centre pin attaches itself firmly to the can tin or other receptacle (b) is the
knife holder and (c) the knife-The handle (d) can be fixed to the knife holder as
shewn in the drawing or can be cast or made in one piece as shewn in fig 3-The
knife holder (b) is jointed to the Carrier at the pivot or pin (e).
In figure 3 the Carrier (a) is supplied with a loop by means whereof the operator
can hold the instrument firmly against the can or tin-Instead of the pin being
placed at the centre it is placed near the loop and the cutter or knife (c) is made
in a separate piece and attached to the kuife holder (b) by means of a screw
and nut.
Figures 4 and 5 are further modifications of the saine apparatus and in fig 6 the
handle is set at right angles to the knife holder which is jointed so as to allow of
its being moved vertically as well as horizontally.
In all these instruments and_in_other_modifications-and-arrangements of my
invention the Carrier and knife holder may be slotted at the end where the centre
pin is placed and the centre pin may be made with a screw so as to allow the
apparatus to expand or contract to the extent of the slot according to the size of
the can or tin to be operated upon-The apparatus could also be made to open a
square or oblong shaped tin by means of a correspondingly shaped piece of metal or
other substance interposed between the knife holder and the Carrier and so set as
to allow the knife to travel in a direction corresponding with the shape of the tin
or can to be operated upon.
Having now described the nature of my said invention and the manner in which
the same is to be performed I would remark in conclusion that I do not limit
myself to the precise details or configurations which I have expressed and shewn
as it must be obvious that many modifications and variations of apparatus may be
devised on the principle of my invention in order to suit the respective require-
merits of each particular case, but what I claim and desire to be secured to me is
the improved apparatus for opening cans tins or similar metallic receptacles
substantially as hereinbefore set forth.