Claims
- 1. A can opener comprising: a housing; a cutter member comprising a cutter wheel having a circumferential cutting edge for severing a seaming wall of a double end seam of a can; a traction wheel defining a traction wheel axis and having a peripheral first surface, parallel to the traction wheel axis for engaging the top of the seam and a second surface diverging outwardly from the first surface, for engaging a chuck wall of the seam, means mounting each of said wheels rotatably in the housing with their axes substantially perpendicular to each other; actuating means for driving one of the said wheels; a first abutment projecting from the housing behind the wheels, with respect to the direction of movement of the housing relative to the seam during cutting, the said first abutment having a seam-engaging surface for engaging the top of the seam to tilt the housing about the traction wheel axis when said seam-engaging surface is engaged with the top of the seam, whereby to determine an angle of dive greater than zero between the planes of the said cutting edge and the top of the seam; a second abutment on said housing for engaging the side of the can during cutting; and a bearing member contained in a bore in the housing and having a first thrust surface, the cutter member having a terminal second thrust surface axially offset from the cutter wheel and bearing on said first thrust surface of the bearing member, said second thrust surface being the only non-axial surface of the cutter member in contact with any other part of the can opener, whereby all axial thrust imposed on the cutter wheel is transmitted through said thrust surfaces.
- 2. A can opener according to claim 1, comprising a cartridge having a body snugly mounted in the housing, the cutter member, traction wheel, and bearing member all being carried by the body of the cartridge.
- 3. A can opener according to claim 2, wherein the cartridge is replaceably removable from the housing, the cartridge having means whereby the cutter wheel and traction wheel can then be removed from the cartridge body for replacement.
- 4. A can opener according to claim 3, wherein the bearing member is a separate member mounted in an aperture of the cartridge body open at an external surface of the body, the body having a knock-out hole to enable the bearing member and the cutter member to be removed together after removal of the traction wheel.
- 5. A can opener according to claim 4, wherein the bearing member is in the form of a metallic cup.
- 6. A can opener according to claim 1, wherein the cutter wheel includes an integral, generally-cylindrical portion coaxial with, but of a diameter smaller than, the cutting edge, for limiting the depth of penetration of the cutting edge into the seaming wall.
- 7. A can opener according to claim 1, wherein the seam engaging surface of the first abutment is so shaped as to span a zone defining a multiplicity of possible points of contact at different distances from the traction wheel axis and at different distances from the housing.
- 8. A can opener according to claim 7, in which the first abutment is in the form of a fin.
- 9. A can opener according to claim 1, wherein the seam-engaging surface of the first abutment is so shaped as to span a zone defining a multiplicity of possible points of contact at different distances from the traction wheel axis and at different distances from the housing the first abutment being in the form of a curved pin, cantilevered from the housing and having a lower surface constituting the seam-engaging surface.
- 10. A can opener according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the seam-engaging surface of the first abutment is generally curved outwardly and forwardly from the housing towards the traction wheel axis.
- 11. A can opener comprising:
- a housing;
- a cartridge carried by the housing and comprising: a body snugly mounted in the housing; a cutter member carried by said body and including a cutter wheel having a circumferential cutting edge for severing a seaming wall of a double end seam of a can; a traction wheel carried by said body, defining a traction wheel axis and having a peripheral first surface parallel to said seam and a second surface diverging outwardly from said first surface, for engaging a chuck wall of the seam; means mounting each of said wheels rotatably in said body with their axes substantially perpendicular to each other; actuating means carried by said body for driving one of said wheels; and a bearing member located in said body and having a first thrust surface, the cutter member having a terminal second thrust surface axially offset from the cutter wheel and bearing on said first thrust surface of the bearing member, said second thrust surface being the only non-axial surface of the cutter member in contact with any other part of the can opener, whereby all axial thrust imposed of the cutter wheel is transmitted through said thrust surfaces;
- a first abutment projecting from the housing behind said wheels, with respect to the direction of movement of the housing relative to said seam during cutting, and having a seam-engaging surface for engaging the top of said seam to tilt the housing about the traction wheel axis when said seam-engaging surface is engaged with the seam, to determine an angle of dive greater than the zero between the planes of said cutting edge and the top of the seam; and
- a second abutment on the housing for engaging the side of the can during cutting.
- 12. A can opener according to claim 11, wherein the housing has means mounting the cartridge replaceably removable therefrom, the cartridge having means whereby the wheels can then be removed from said body for replacement.
- 13. A can opener according to claim 12, wherein the said body has an aperture open at an external surface of the body, said bearing member being a separate member mounted in said aperture, said body further having a knock-out hole to enable said bearing member and cutter member to be removed together after removal of the traction wheel.
- 14. A can opener according to claim 13, wherein said bearing member is in the form of a metallic cup.
- 15. A can opener according to claim 11, wherein the cutter wheel includes an integral, generally-cylindrical portion coaxial with, but of smaller diameter than, the cutting edge, for limiting the depth of penetration of the cutting edge into the seam wall.
- 16. A can opener comprising: a housing; a cutter member comprising a cutter wheel having a circumferential cutting edge for severing a seam wall of a double end seam of a can; a traction wheel having a peripheral first surface parallel to the traction wheel axis for engaging the top of the seam and a second surface diverging outwardly from the first surface, for engaging a chuck wall of the seam, the wheels being rotatably mounted in the housing with their axes substantially perpendicular to each other; actuating means for driving one of the wheels; a first abutment projecting from the housing behind the wheels, with respect to the direction of the movement of the housing relative to the seam during cutting, said first abutment having a seam-engaging surface for engaging the top of the seam to tilt the housing about the traction wheel axis when the said seam-engaging surface is engaged with the top of the seam, whereby to determine an angle of dive greater than zero between the planes of said cutting edge and the top of the seam; a second abutment on the housing for engaging the side of a can during cutting; and a bearing member located in a bore in the housing and having a thrust surface; the cutter member having a terminal thrust surface axially offset from the cutter wheel and bearing on said thrust surface of the bearing member; said terminal thrust surface being the only non-axial surface of the cutter member in contact with any other part of the can opener, whereby all axial thrust imposed on the cutter wheel is transmitted through said thrust surfaces; and a cartridge having a body snugly mounted in the housing, the cutter member and traction wheel both being carried by the body of the cartridge, and wherein the cartridge is replaceably removable from the housing, the cartridge having means whereby the cutter wheel and traction wheel can be removed from the cartridge body for replacement.
- 17. A can opener according to claim 16, wherein the bearing member is a separate member mounted in an aperture of the cartridge body open at an external surface of the body, the body having a knock-out hole to enable the bearing member and the cutter member to be removed together after removal of the traction wheel.
- 18. A can opener according to claim 17 wherein the bearing member is in the form of a metallic cup.
- 19. A can opener comprising: a housing; a cutter member comprising a cutter wheel having a circumferential cutting edge for severing a seaming wall of a double end seam of a can; a traction wheel having a peripheral first surface parallel to the traction wheel axis for engaging the top of the seam and a second surface diverging outwardly from the first surface for engaging a chuck wall of the seam, the wheels being rotatably mounted in the housing with their axes substantially perpendicular to each other; actuating means for driving one of the wheels; a first abutment projecting from the housing behind the wheels, with respect to the direction of movement of the housing relative to the seam during cutting, the first abutment having a seam-engaging surface for engaging the top of the seam to tilt the housing about the traction wheel axis when said seam-engaging surface is engaged with the top of the seam, whereby to determine an angle of dive greater than zero between the planes of said cutting edge and the top of the seam; and a second abutment on the housing for engaging the side of the can during cutting; the cutter member having a terminal thrust surface axially offset from the cutter wheel and bearing on said thrust surface, the said terminal thrust surface being the only non-axial surface of the cutter member in contact with any other part of the can opener, whereby all axial thrust imposed on the cutter wheel is transmitted through said thrust surfaces, wherein the seam-engaging surface of the first abutment is so shaped as to span a zone defining a multiplicity of possible points of contact at different distances from the traction wheel axis and at different distances from the housing; the first abutment being in the form of a curved finer pin cantilevered from the housing and having a lower surface constituting the seam-engaging surface.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
8408798 |
Apr 1984 |
GBX |
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 817,743, filed Jan. 23, 1986, filed as PCT GB85/00126, Mar. 29, 1985 published as WO85/04645, Oct. 24, 1985, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (2)
Foreign Referenced Citations (6)
Number |
Date |
Country |
155066 |
Feb 1953 |
SEX |
155668 |
Apr 1954 |
SEX |
1175575 |
Dec 1969 |
GBX |
1252374 |
Nov 1971 |
GBX |
2050289 |
Jun 1979 |
GBX |
2107424 |
Oct 1981 |
GBX |
Non-Patent Literature Citations (1)
Entry |
62176 Taiwan Utility Model, Multipurpose Can Opener, Jan. 31, 1973. |
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
817743 |
Jan 1986 |
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