Improvements in Cans.
Year: 1891

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Cans.
I, GEORGE BRAID HOPPER, residing at No. 5625 Wentworth Avenue, in
the City of Chicago, in the County of Cook and State of Illinois, United States
of America, Inventor, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVE-
MENTS IN CANS, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference being had to
the accompanying drawings, in which :-
Figure 1 is a vertical section on line 1-1 of Fig. 2; and
Figure 2 is a perspective view.
My invention relates to cans used in canning meats or other articles, which cans
Heretofore cans have
are adapted to be opened by tearing out a strip of the can.
been made with a double bead forming either a raised or depressed strip or band
around the can, near the top, which strip was adapted to be torn out to open the
can. In order to permit of tearing the strip out it was found necessary to make
incisions in the can at each side of the strip or band, whereby the can was greatly
weakened, and it was made liable to rust along the lines of incision.
The object of my invention is to avoid the above objections, and to provide a can
of the class described in which only one bead shall be necessary, and in which no
incisions will be required to facilitate the removal of the strip.
I accomplish this object as illustrated in the drawings and as hereinafter described.
That which I regard as new will be set forth in the claims.
In the drawings,
A, indicates the body of the can, which may be either round or square, or of any
other desired shape, and is provided with a cover B. The cover B is made in the
form shown, and is adapted to fit into the top of the can body, as best shown in
Fig. 1. The periphery of the cover B is adapted to fit closely against the upper
edge of the can, as shown in the drawings.
At a point a short distance below the upper edge of the can the side C is
provided with a bead c, which extends around the can at a uniform distance from
the top. This construction forms a narrow band or strip D, which extends around
the can as best shown in Fig. 2. At or about the seam a of the can, the strip D is
provided with a projecting tongue d, which is adapted to overlap the strip at that
point, the can being soldered underneath the strip to make it tight.
When it is desired to open the can, the tongue d is firmly seized by any suitable
device, and is turned outwards. The strip D will thereby be torn from the side of
the can at the bead c, and from the top of the can along the solder line at the upper
edge, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2. By this construction no incisions are
necessary, as the strip may readily be torn from the point of its union with the cover
and at the bead c.
The cover-plate is so formed around its border or edges that when the strip is
removed it may still be used as a cover for the remaining part of the can even when
the can is tapered towards the bottom, for the strip removed is so narrow that the
cover may be inset into the body of the can to protect the unused contents.
The bead produces a sufficient weakening of the tin to cause the tearing to follow
the beading, it being found that a weakening of the metal along the top of the bead
is caused in the formation of the can when made as herein described. The weakening
being on the outside of the can, the iron base of the material of the can is not
exposed to the contents, as is the case when incisions are made on the interior of
the can for the purpose of weakening along the line to be torn.
The tearing of the strip along the apex of the bead at its lower edge, and the
parting of the strip from the cap to which it is attached by solder at its upper edge,

page_text: may easily be accomplished by rolling the strip on a suitable instrument, leaving the
cover in good condition for use in protecting the contents of the can.
.
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,
A can having a raised bead with unbroken surfaces, said bead encircling the can,
near its top, whereby the metal of the can is weakened there, a cover attached to
the top of the can by solder, the metal between the bead and solder forming a strip
of metal of a single thickness, and this strip being provided with a tongue or
extension, substantially as and for the purpose described.
Dated 15th day of July 1891.
GEORGE BRAID HOPPER.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.