Improvements in the Manufacture of Metal Cans and the like.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 7th July, 1896-Accepted, 22nd Aug., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Metal Cans and the like.
I, ALBERT FREDERICK REMY, of 250 West 3rd Street, Mansfield, Ohio,
United States of America, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of my
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 cans or packages, and dies for making the heads
thereof.
cans
My improved can or package is of the kind generally known as "key opening
or "self opening cans" which employ a ripping wire which is confined with
the can-head and is arranged between the edge of a can-body and the can-head.
In this kind of devices it is desirable that the can or package shall closely
resemble the ordinary can or package, and shall not be appreciably enlarged over
the size of ordinary cans, extensively used in the commercial package, storage, and
vending of fruits, vegetables, soups, and other edibles; that the ripping wire shall
be compactly arranged in order that the can-head or the can-body be not increased
in size for the accommodation of said wire; that the can-head or body be not
weakened or its strength impaired to provide for the reception of the wire or to
make the can-body or head responsive to the action of the wire; the ripping wire
should have its free or protruding end so disposed that it will not interfere with
packing or stacking the cans one on top of the other; that the ripping wire shall
be so arranged as to rip off the head close up to the can-body and practically sever
the head at all points, without leaving rough or jagged edges for lodgment of the
contents of the can when it is inverted and thus permit the contents of the can to
be emptied instantly on the simple inversion of the can; and that the can shall be
manufactured speedily and economically.
These desirable features are secured, and in a satisfactory and economical
manner attained, by my improvements in the construction of the can, its head, and
the dies for making the head.
The improvements which I have made in the construction of the head, in the
mode of attaching the ripping wire to the hoad, and in the mode of sealing the
aperture through which the free end of the ripping wire protrudes, all tend to
the production of cans which may be manufactured economically and speedily in
large quantities, because my improved can is devised with a view to making the
can and assembling its parts by machinery. I shall hereafter describe dies of
proper construction for making the heads of cans in a manner to contain the
ripping wire and assemblage with can-bodies.
In the manufacture of cans which are designed to be air tight for package and
storage of fruits for example, special provision must be made for hermetically
sealing the aperture through which the free end of the ripping wire passes, in
order to prevent air from having access to, and spoiling, the contents of the can;
and provision must also be made for holding the fastened end of the ripping wire
so tightly in place that it cannot be pulled out lengthwise when the ripping wire
is strained in the act of cutting out the head of the can to open the same.
To the accomplishment of the foregoing ends, my improvements in the can or
package contemplate the construction of a, head from a piece of sheet metal of
uniforin thickness and which is so manipulated or treated (preferably by dies
hereinafter described) as to produce in said head an annular raised bead, forming
an annular groove on. the inner side of the head, together with an inwardly and
outwardly extending portion which lies inside of the line of said bead and produces

page_text: a pocket on the inner side or face of said head, combined with a ripping wire
adapted to or fitted in said groove formed by the bead, one end of said ripping
wire having a hooked shaped end which is held or confined in the pocket of the
head and the other or free end of the ripping wire passing through a wall of the
bead so as to project beyond the can and enable the same to be readily grasped,
by a key, for the purpose of manipulating the wire to cut through the head and
sever the latter from the can-body. In the preferred embodiment of my can-head,
the bulged or raised portion has an aperture which is punched out in a manner to
have a metal fragment, lip or tongue, which latter partially closed the aperture in
the bulged or raised portion. The hook shaped end of the ripping wire is adjusted
to fit or press against one side or wall of this bulged portion of the head, while the
other end of said wire passes through the aperture in the raised or bulged part, so
that said last named (or free) end of the wire extends through the inner side of
the raised bead and extends inwardly toward the centre of the head and lies close
down to, or upon, said head, whereby the free or protruding end of the ripping
wire is disposed in a manner not to interfere with the packing and stacking of the
cans one on top of the other. To complete the head, it is simply immersed or
"floated" in melted solder, which operation. causes solder to enter the aperture in
the side of the bulged or raised portion of the head. Some of the solder finds its
way through this aperture and lodges in the pocket on the inner side of the head,
whereby the solder, when cooled, serves to hermetically seal the aperture through
which protrudes the free end of the ripping wire and the solder also serves to more
securely hold the other, hook-shaped end of the ripping wire in engagement with
the bulged or raised part of the head.
When the head and body of the can are assembled, the edge of the can-body is
fitted in the annular groove of the head, and the flange forming the circumference
or periphery of the head overlaps the edge of the body, thus enabling the head and
body to be united, by soldering, in the ordinary way of making cans. The edge
of the can-body rests against the ripping wire contained in the grooved bead of the
head, and said .can-body thus forms a seat for suid wire and assists in holding the
wire in place against displacement.
My invention further consists in a pair of. dies for making or stamping the can-
head, hereinbefore referred to, from a single sheet metal blank of uniform thickness,
one of which dies is provided with a punch. which rises or extends from the face
thereof and. is situated, preferably within the line of a bead and groove-producing
rib or flange of the die, said punch having at its upper end a tooth or spur, and the
other die of said pair provided with a cavity and a recess, which parts are so
arranged as to receive the bulged or.raised portion.and. the punched metal produced
in. the sheet metal blank by the operation of the punch and its tooth of the first
named die. The first named or female die.has, in addition to the punch, a yieldable
ring and a rigid bead and groove-forming rib or flange which latter is situated
within the yieldable ring, and the last named or male die has, in addition to the
cavity and recess before referred to, a groove or recess which is coincident with the
rigid rib or flange of the male die, whereby the yieldable ring in the male die is
adapted to be depressed, under pressure from the male die, to such an extent as to
allow the rigid rib or flange to force the metal into the groove of the male die and
thereby shape the metal to produce a can-head which, at its circumference, has a
flange and a hollow bead forming the annular. groove between the flange and the
flat portion of the head.
And the invention further consists in the construction and combinations of parts.
which will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.
To enable others to more readily understand my invention, I have illustrated
the same in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in
which,―
Figure 1 is a perspective view. of.a can embodying my invention.
Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view through a. part of the same, on the plane
indicated by the dotted line 2-2. of Figurer1.

page_text: Figure 3 is a view in bottom plan'showing one way of permanently fastening the
hook-shaped end of the ripping wire to the can-head.
Figure 4 is an enlarged detail sectional view on the plane indicated by the dotted
line 4-4 of Figure 3, showing the mode of fitting the hook-shaped end of the
ripping wire in the bulged portion and pocket of the head.
Figures 5 to 10 inclusive are views of the preferred construction of my can-
head; Figure 5 being a plan view looking at the outside top end of the can;
Figure 6 a vertical soctional view on the plane indicated by the dotted line 6-6 of
Figure 5 looking in the direction indicated by the arrow Y; Figure 7 a horizontal
sectional view, on the plane indicated by the dotted line 7-7 and looking in the
direction indicated by the arrow X in Figure 6; Figure 8 is a detail perspective
view of the head; Figure 9 a detail perspective view of the ripping wire;
Figure 10 is an enlarged detail sectional view to more clearly show the construction
of the bulged portion of the head and the ripping wire therein.
Figure 11 is a perspective view of the can, showing the key and the mode of
ripping off the head of the can.
Figures 12 to 17 inclusive illustrate the dies for making the can-heads; Figure 12
being a face view of the male die; Figure 13 a face view of the female die ;
Figure 14 is a detail perspective view, partially in section, and on an enlarged
scale, of a part of the female die, to better illustrate the punch and its prong or
tooth; Figure 15 is a vertical transverse sectional view through the female die on
the plane indicated by the dotted line 15-15 of Figure 13; Figure 16 is a similar
sectional view through the male die on the plane indicated by the dotted line 16-16
of Figure 12; and Figure 17, is a vertical sectional view through the two dies
(male or female) illustrating them adjusted together for shaping and forming a
sheet metal blank into a can-head such as described, said can-head being shown in
section between the two dies.
Like letters of reference denote corresponding parts in all the figures of the
drawings.
A designates a can-body and B is one of the heads thereof. The head which
I have illustrated largely in the various views of the drawing is the one which
is treated or manipulated to accommodate the ripping wire D in the manner con-
templated by my present invention, but the head at the other end of the can may
be of any approved or preferred construction.
Said
The head B is, by suitable machinery, stamped and struck up from a single
piece of metal which is of uniform thickness throughout its entire area.
head has a raised, circumferential, hollow bead C, which extends a suitable distance
above the plane or surface of the head for the accommodation of the ripping wire D.
The bead forms, on the under side or inner face of the head, an annular groove c
which is within the pendant flange cand said external flange c¹ constitutes
the perimeter or edge of the head and it is arranged to project below the lower or
inner side or face of the head for a suitable distance in order to provide for the
proper, secure attachment (by soldering) of the head B to the can-body. In the
manipulation of the metal to make the bead and groove in the head, the metal is
also made with the bulged or raised portion E which is produced by forcing out
the metal from the under or bottom side of the head and at a point next to the
raised bead, so that the bulged or raised portion E extends upwardly from the
head B and inwardly from the raised bead for a suitable distance, say one-fourth
of an inch () toward the centre of the head. This raised or bulged portion thus
produces a pocket e on the lower or underside of 'the' head, for a purpose to be
explained. In the preferred construction of the head shown by Figures 5 to 10
inclusive, this raised or bulged portion E is provided with an aperture which is
preferably on the inner side of the bulged portion. In producing this aperture f
the metal is not punched out or entirely removed 'from the bulged portion, but the
5 metal is cut or slitted on two or three sides so as to 'leave a fragment adhere to
and remain integral with the metal, thereby forming the lip' or tongue F:
In both embodiments of my invention'shown by Figures 1 to 4, and by Figures 5

page_text: to 10, the ripping wire D has, at one end, a small hook d formed or produced by
bending the wire at right angles, while the other end d' of the wire, which is to
protrude from the can-head, is extended or carried through the wall of the bead.
In Figures 5, 6, 7, and 10 I have shown this free end of the wire bent so as to pass
through the aperture f, below the lip or tongue F.
In the construction shown by Figures 5 to 10 inclusive, the wire D is fitted closely
in the groove c, within the hollow head C, to have the hooked end, d, thereof.take
or bear against one side of the bulged or raised part E of the metal, while the other
end d' of the wire is passed through the aperture or slit f. The tongue or lip F
is pressed down upon the end d' of the ripping wire after it has been placed properly
in the head A, and a suitable flux having been. applied to the head around those
parts where the solder is to adhere, the head is immersed or floated in melted.
solder. The solder runs through the aperture or slit f so that a portion of the
solder lodges. in the pocket e and in the slit f, and the tongue or lip F serves, in
this connection, to collect or accumulate solder around the slit or aperture f, whereby
the aperture or slit is hermetically sealed and the hooked end d of the wire is more
securely held in place against being pulled out when the wire is strained during the
operation of cutting out the head of the can.
It will be noticed by reference to Figures 6 and 10 that the free protruding
end d of the wire lies close down to or upon the head, and that it extends
from the inner side of the bulged or raised portion E towards the centre of
the head. This disposition of the wire enables the cans to be piled or stacked
one on top of the other without bindrance from the protruding ends of said
wires.
The head is attached to the can-body by soldering the flange c' to said body
in the usual, or any preferred, way.
In the operation of ripping open the can, the end d¹ of the wire D is engaged
with a key or other suitable implement as shown by Figure 11, which key is
manipulated to coil or wind the wire thereon and cause the wire to tear through.
the top edge of the raised bead C, and by this operation the head is cut entirely
from the can, directly over the upper.edge of the can-body, thus leaving but a
thin fragment of the head attached to the can-body. This is advantageous in that
it enables the contents of the can to be removed by simply inverting the can,
and there is no opportunity for the contents of this can to lodge against a portion
of the head.
This
It will be noticed that the ripping wire D is so confined that it cannot possibly
be displaced or pull out when the head B is properly attached to the can.
wire is compactly fitted in the hollow bead in which it is held by the upper edge
of the can-body fitting within the flange cand against the wire D, so that the
wire rests directly on the upper edge of the can-body. This, arrangement is also
advantageous, in that, the wire and raised bead provide a firm track and support
for the key or other implement to bear and turn upon in the operation of coiling
the wire to sever the head B. The two ends d, d' of the ripping wire ring D in
Figures 5 and 7 both terminate at the raised or bulged portion E, so that they
practically meet or touch within the pocket, e, although the wire B may be
arranged as shown by Figures 1 to 3 inclusive. Said construction shown by
Figures 6 and 7, however, ensures practically the entire severance of the head B
from the can, because the wire begins to cut at the point where the end d¹ protrudes
through the head and the cutting does not end until the point is reached where
the end d is attached to said head.
My improved self opening can may be advantageously used for packing any
substance in vessels which it is desirable to have sealed hermetically against the
admission of air, such as paints, fruits, vegetables, edibles and other substances.
While I have illustrated the can as cylindrical and the head as in the form of a
disk, yet it is obvious that the shape of the parts can be varied within wide limits
without departing from the spirit of my invention, as for example, the can may be
square, oval, oblong, or any other preferred form.

page_text: My improved cans are susceptible of manufacture at a price very little above-
the cost of the ordinary cans of commerce. I have estimated that they will cost.
less than one cent per dozen over the cost of ordinary cans such as are commercially-
used for canning vegetables and other substances.
The ripping wire which I use is of very small diameter and possesses great
tensile strength, and it is interposed between the bead and top edge of the can--
body, so that the groove need only be made slightly deeper than it is commonly
made to receive the can-body. By thus forming the bead in the can-head, and
placing the small ripping wire therein, the size of the can is not appreciably
increased by constructing it to accommodate the wire, and the can has the same
general appearance as ordinary cans not constructed or equipped with means for
opening the can.
I will now proceed to a detailed description of the pair of dies, shown by
Figures 12 to 17 inclusive, for making the can-heads embodying my preferred
construction illustrated by Figures 5 to 10 inclusive although it is evident by
changing the shape of the punch in the male die, the dies may be used to
make the raised or bulged portion shown by Figure 4 which preferably closed, as
shown.
Referring now to Figures 12 to 17 inclusive, G, H, designate the two co-acting
dies, the former (G) being the female die, and the latter (H) the male die.
The female die, proper, G is seated or fastened rigidly within a suitable base I
that is designed or adapted to be secured within a suitable metal stamping and
shaping machine. This die G has, around its circular edge, the annular rib or
flange J which extends above the flat horizontal dic-face g for a distance equal to
the depth of the groove to be produced, along with a bead, in the sheet metal
blank by the operation of the two co-acting dies G, H. This annular, groove-
and bead-forming rib or flange J is integral with said female die, as shown, or it
may be made separate from the die and rigidly attached thereto. Said female
die G is further provided with the punch K which is situated within the annular
rib or flange J. The preferred shape of this punch K is somewhat segmental in
horizontal section and tapers from the base to the top thereof; said punch being
approximately in the form of a half cone with its flat side next to the rib or
flange J, the tapered punch extending from the inner wall of said rib J inwardly
toward the axis of the die G. Said punch K extends upward from the flat face g
of the die G for a distance about equal to the depth of the rib J, and from the
upper extremity, or what may be termed the apex, of this punch K projects the
tooth or spur K. Said spur K' is rigid or integral with the punch and rib or
flange of the female die, and it projects a short distance above the punch and rib
of said dic, as shown more clearly by Figure 14 of the drawings. I prefer to
make the tooth K incline inwardly away from the rib or flange, and to make said
spur of tapered form.
The base I is of greater diameter than the female die G, and the latter is seated
centrally within said base in a manner to leave an annular space between the
circular edge of the die G and the inner face of the circular wall g¹ of the base.
In this annular space between the base and die is fitted a movable ring M which
surrounds the die and normally projects a suitable distance above the die-face g,
the rib J and punch K, K' of said die G. The circular wall, gl of the base has
its upper face, around the inner edge thereof, shaped to lie at different heights, or
elevations so as to produce a cutting edge 9" around the inner edge of said wall g¹
and this edge g" projects above the movable ring M at certain points while at
other points said cutting edge lies below the ring M when the latter is in its
normal position preparatory to the introduction of the sheet of metal between the
two dies; such forms of the cutting edge g" causing it to easily sever the metal.
in disk form from the sheet of metal.
The male die H carries an external ring L.of a diameter and width to exactly
register with the movable ring M of the female die. Within this rigid external
ring L, and in the face h of the male die, is produced an annular groove h¹ which

page_text: is concentric with the vertical axis of said die H and with its external rigid
ring L; and in said groove his seated a yielding clamping ring H¹. Said
clamping ring is backed or held by a suitable spring or springs, as is cominon in
sheet-metal shaping-dies, and said clamping ring H₁ and the hacking springs
thereof are so arranged that, normally, the lower edge of the clamping ring
extends below the corresponding (or lower) edge of the fixed external ring L
of said male die; said clamping ring H' being adapted to move in the groove h¹
a distance equal to its projection beyond the die-face h so that the outer or lower
edge of the ring H will lic flush with the face when the dies are brought
together.
This male die is further provided with a bead-forming groove N which is
produced in the face h within the rigid external ring L concentric therewith, and
also concentric with the vertical axis of the die H.
This groove is so formed in the die A as to register with the rib or flange J
when the two dies are properly adjusted, and said groove receives the metal raised
in the blank by the operation of the rib or flange J, whereby the groove N and
rib J in the two dies serve to produce in the sheet blank the flange, bead and
groove of the can-head.
The die H is further provided with a cavity O which is cut or produced in the
face of the die so as to open into the groove N, and this cavity conforms in shape
substantially to the contour of the punch K. In the die H is produced the
recess O¹ which is formed in the die immediately above the groove N and in a
plane at one side of the cavity O. The cavity O and the recess O¹ are produced
in the die H in such positions that, when the dies are brought together, the metal
struck up by the punch K is forced into the cavity O while the lip or fragment of
metal and the spur K' are forced into the recess 0¹.
In the face g of the female die is produced a recess K 2 and in the face h of the
male die is a matrix K 3 which are arranged to register when the dies are brought
together and produce a recess in the can-head suitable to receive a key which
is supplied with the can or package for the purpose of coiling the ripping wire
on said key in the operation of cutting the head from the body of the package
or can.
The operation of the dies may be described as follows:-The base I with the
female die G is suitably secured in an ordinary sheet-metal stamping and shaping
press, and the male die H is fastened to a reciprocating plunger of said press, said
dies being adjusted to insure registration of the ring M with ring L, the rib or
flange J with groove N, the punch K and prong K¹ with cavity O and recess O¹,
and the matrix K3 with the recess K2. Å sheet of flat metal, suitable for
making a can-head, is fed between the dies G, H, and the die H is forced
down on top of the ring M, thus clamping the metal between the rings M, L.
As the die H descends, the ring L is depressed, which caused the cutting
edge to sever the metal, and the disk, confined between the rings M, L, is
carried down with said rings so as to be presented to the rib J. The ring M
descends below the face g of the die G and the metal is forced up by the rib J
into the groove O, see Figure 17, thus producing the groove in one face of the
can-head and forming the bead and flange on the opposite face and edge of the
can-head. At the same operation, the punch K and its prong K¹ produce in
the head the bulged portion, the aperture and the tongue, the metal raised by said
punch and spur entering the cavity and recess 0, 0, respectively. During this
operation, the spring backed ring bears on the solid face g of the die G and it
yields upwardly so that the projection K 3 of die H will force the metal into the
recess K 2 thus producing the cavity in the middle of the can-head. The dies now
separate, and the can-head is ejected from the female die by a suitable ejector and
by the upward movement of the ring M. The' head emerges from the lower or
female die in a complete condition, ready to receive the ripping wire, and said
can-head is thus made or completed at one operation of the co-acting dies.
I am aware that changes in the form and proportion of parts and the details of

page_text: construction herein shown..and described as the preferred embodiment of my
invention can be made by a skilled mechanic without departing from the spirit or
sacrificing the advantages of my invention, and I therefore, reserve the right to
make such modifications as fairly fall within the scope of my invention. As for
example, I may dispense with the hook on the end of the ripping wire, and the
lip or fragment which partially closes the protruding end of said ripping wire.
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:
1. In a can or package, the head struck up from a single piece of metal and
provided with circumferential head and flange and with an inwardly-extending
recess which opens into said bead, combined with a ripping wire fitted in said
bead and having a hook-shaped end which is held in said recess and with its other
end passed through the wall of the bead, and a can-body seated in the bead, against
the ripping wire therein, and united with the flange of the head, as and for the
purposes described.
2. A head for packages, cans and the like, provided with a raised bead and
with a bulged portion forming a pocket which opens into a groove formed by said
bead, combined with a ripping wire one end of which is confined in said pocket and
the other end extended through the bulged portion of the head.
3. A head for packages, cans and the like, made of a single piece of metal with
a peripheral bead and with a bulged portion which lies out of the line of the bend
and forms a pocket that opens into said bead and having a hook-shaped end which
is confined in the pocket, the other end of said wire passing inwardly through the
bulged portion of said head.
4. A can-head provided with a raised or bulged portion and a slit or opening
which is formed to produce a tongue or lip, combined with a ripping wire having
one end held by the raised or bulged portion and its other end passed through the slit
or opening; said slit or opening being hermetically sealed, as and for the purposes
described.
5. A can-head provided with a raised or bulged portion, forming on one side of
said head a pocket, and with a slit or opening partially closed by a tongue or lip,
and a ripping wire having a hook shaped end fitted against the bulged portion and
its other end passed through the slit or opening; said slit or opening being
hermetically sealed, and the hooked end of the ripping wire securely attached, by
solder which accumulates around the lip or tongue and on the pocket, respectively,
of said head, substantially as and for the purposes described.
6. A can-head having a raised circumferential bead and the bulged or raised
portion which lies within said bead and is provided with a slit or opening partially
closed by a tongue, and a ripping wire seated in a groove formed by said raised
bead and having one end held by the bulged or raised portion and its other end
passed through the slit or opening which is hermetically sealed by a suitable agent,
substantially as and for the purposes described.
7. Co-acting dies for making can-heads, the female die provided with a punch
and with a puncturing tooth or spur, and the male die having a coincident cavity
and recess, for the purpose described, substantially as set forth.
8. In dies for stamping or shaping can-heads, a female die provided with a
bead-and-flange-forming rib, a punch within said rib, and a spur or tooth extending
above the rib and punch, combined with a male die having a groove coincident with
the rib, a cavity and a recess to register, respectively, with said punch and the
tooth or spur, substantially as and for the purposes described.
9. In dies for stamping and shaping can-heads, the female die provided with a
fixed punch within a rib and with a projecting tooth or spur, combined with
a movable ring which surrounds said female die, and a male die having a rigid
external ring an annular groove in its face coincident with the rib, a cavity and

page_text: the recess which register, respectively, with the punch and the tooth or spur of the
female die, substantially as and for the purposes described.
Dated this 7th day of July 1896.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.