This invention relates to implements for removing the tops of cans, usually composed of metal, by cutting the top from the can. The invention relates more particularly to manually operable can openers that can be placed on the top of the can and having a cutting mechanism that is manually operated to travel around the typically curved top and open the can.
Can openers of a wide variety of types have been known and used for many years to open cans and gain access to their contents. These range from quite simple tools with cutting blades that puncture and cut the top, to more complex openers that can be secured to the top of the can and include a hand actuator for turning of a rotary cutting mechanism to sever the top from the can. One popular example of the more complex openers has “pliers” style handles that extend laterally from the side of the can, generally tangent to its curvature when the cutting mechanism is clamped on the rim of the can. The handles are gripped in one hand of the user as the other hand turns a crank, knob or other rotary actuator to produce the cutting action. A more recent type of can opener works with a cutting wheel that cuts along the outer rim of the can while a driving wheel runs along the inside and at the top of the rim. A support element holds the can to be opened at a desired angle to the can opener, this general type being shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,782,594 and 5,946,811. Other known types of can openers, such as that shown in U.S. Publication No. A2001/0022030, are handle-shaped units which permit a change of the relative distance between the cutting wheel and the driving wheel when the opener is placed on the can, and a so-called “single-arm safety can opener” as shown in German Publication No. DE-4-20220076 (
The can opener of the present invention has an improved handle or grip that is disposed on top of the can during operation, to be held by one hand of the operator above the can, with a cutting head that is engageable with the can and has a drive knob on the cutting head that is operable by the other hand of the operator to turn the cutter in engagement with the can. The handle counterbalances the cutting head and drive knob so that the center of balance or center of gravity of the opener in the operating condition is over the top of the can. Accordingly, the opener rests in a stable manner on top of the can in the operating position and the user can interrupt the operation and simply leave the opener in place on the can.
More specifically, the preferred embodiment of the invention shown herein has a cutting head that is engageable with the top of the can over the usual crimped rim around the top, an enlarged horn-shaped handle that is offset from the cutting head to lie over the top of the can, and an operating knob on the cutting head on the side opposite the handle. The horn-shaped grip has a generally flat top surface for engagement with the user's palm, the left hand of a right-handed user, and is ergonomically shaped to fit the user's hand and be held securely during use, somewhat like a door knob, with a beveled edge for engaging the user's thumb and a concavely tapering, undercut side opposite the cutting head for engagement with the user's fingers. The offset in the handle away from the cutting head and operating knob contributes to the counterbalancing, and produce a center of gravity that preferably is near the cutting mechanism.
Other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
As shown in the drawings for purposes of illustration, the invention is embodied in a can opener 10 for use by a user, whose hands 11 and 12 are shown, to open cans such as the representative cylindrical can 13 shown in
The can opener 10 has a cutting head, indicated generally at 18, that may be of basically conventional construction, including a block-shaped body 19 that can be positioned alongside the can 13 at the rim 15 and a rotary drive wheel 20 to be fitted over the can 13 and engaged with the inner side of the rim 15, as shown most clearly on
The cutter 22 is a blade that projects inwardly from the substantially flat inner side of the body 19 of the cutting head and is spaced below the drive wheel 20 to engage the can immediately below the rim 15. The cutter may take various forms, but herein is a disk 23 (see
Below the cutter disk 23 is a guide rib 25 on the body 19 for engaging the sidewall 17 of the can and positioning the body 19 and the blade edge relative to the can. As can be seen in
In accordance with the primary aspect of the present invention, the can opener 10 has a handle or grip, indicated generally at 26, in the form of an enlarged knob that is offset from the cutting head in the opposite direction from the drive knob 21 and is sized and positioned to overlie the top of the can 13 and to counterbalance the cutting head in use. This places the center of gravity of the opener 10 over the can 13, preferably near the cutting mechanism, when the opener is in the operating position on the can and the can is upright, so that the opener will be held in place by gravity alone if left unattended on the can.
The handle 26 is connected to the cutting head 18 by at least one support element 22 that supports the head on the handle and holds the adjacent sides of the handle and the head in spaced relation on opposite sides of a gap in which the drive wheel 20 is disposed. These sides preferably are disposed generally vertically when the opener 10 is in the operating position on top of an upright can 13 on a table top or counter, and two support elements 27 preferably are provided, in the form of parallel pins that are anchored at their opposite ends in the handle and the cutting head and extend substantially horizontally across the gap between them in the operating position. These support pins are positioned to lie just above, and bear on, the top edge of the rim of the can as shown in
As can be seen most clearly in
Shaped in this manner, the handle 26 can be held in one hand, typically the left hand as shown in
It is important to emphasize that the cutting head 18 and the drive knob 21 are counterbalanced by the handle 26 so that the center of balance, or center of gravity, lies over the top of the can. This is accomplished by selecting the size and weight of the handle to make it sufficient to counterbalance the head 18 and the knob 21, and their various components, and establishing a center of gravity for the opener closer to the handle than to the cutting head, positioning the weight far enough toward the handle to counterbalance the projection of the cutting head from the can. Of course, the offset of the mass of the upper portion of the handle away from the stem of the handle and its flat lower side 31 assists in such counterbalancing, as well as being ergonomically desirable for ease of gripping.
Preferably, the weight distribution of the parts of the opener 10 is such that the center of gravity lies just inside, or to the handle side of, the rim 15 of the can. As a result, the can opener 10 can be left in place, unsupported, on top of the can and need not be held or removed if, for any reason, the opening of the can is interrupted. It also is important to note that the opener is completely safe and very simple and convenient to operate. Different sizes of cans are readily accommodated by the opener 10, as indicated in phantom lines in
From the foregoing, it will be evident that the present invention provides a novel and effective can opener 10 that can be placed quickly and easily on top of a can 13 to be opened, engaged with the rim 15 of the can with a simple downward motion, and held securely in place with the handle 26 under the palm of the user's hand and gripped as shown, while the user turns the drive knob 21 with the other hand to open the can. The counterbalancing of the cutting head 18 and drive knob 21 of the opener 10 by the offset handle 26 overlying the can makes the opener highly stable and easy to operate, and permits it to be left in place on top of the can at any point in the opening operation.
It also will be evident that, while one preferred embodiment has been illustrated and described in detail, various modifications and changes may be made within the scope of the invention.
This non-provisional application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) on U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/602,652 filed on Aug. 19, 2004, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60602652 | Aug 2004 | US |