Patent Application
20120285297
The present invention relates generally to can openers, and is particularly directed to an opener for a pop-top beverage can which opens a can in a manner which allows for more quickly emptying the can of its liquid contents.
Early pop-top, or tab-type, cans contained a ring member attached to a sealing member disposed over an opening in the top of a can containing a liquid. The can was opened by removing the combination of the ring member and sealing member. Primarily for environmental reasons, this combination was replaced with a generally elongated tab which is manually engaged and pivotally displaced about a rivet attaching the tab to the top of the can. The pivoting tab engages a sealing member and pivotally urges the sealing member into the can in opening the can. The tab and sealing member remain attached to the top of the can. The flat top of the can is provided with a weakened score line having a generally oval shape which is adapted to be broken from the can top and forced downwardly into the can by the upraised tab. This action forms a generally oval-shaped opening in the top of the can from which its liquid contents may be dispensed.
Opening a sealed can in this manner requires a certain amount of dexterity and strength generally not possessed by children and others having diseased or injured hands or long fingernails which the person does not want to damage or disfigure. To address these situations, various manual pop-top can openers have been proposed. The following list of patents is directed to can openers of this type:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,656,375
U.S. Pat. No. 3,724,297
U.S. Pat. No. 4,120,216
U.S. Pat. No. 4,133,228
U.S. Pat. No. 4,253,352
U.S. Pat. No. 4,373,223
U.S. Pat. No. 4,524,646
U.S. Pat. No. 4,583,429
U.S. Pat. No. 4,617,842
U.S. Pat. No. 4,864,898
All of the above-listed can openers are designed to open a sealed aperture in the top of the can. However, none of these openers provides for normal flow of the liquid contents from the can because of the presence of an air lock formed within the can when it is inverted to pour out its contents. The air lock results in a reduced, irregular discharge of the liquid contents from the can. The present invention prevents the formation of an air lock in the opening of a sealed can for facilitating discharge of the liquid contents in a uniform, maximum flow rate from the can.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an opener for a pop-top, or tab-type, can which permits the can to be emptied more quickly.
It is another object of the present invention to open a sealed pop-top can in a manner which prevents the formation of an air lock, or a vacuum, within the can when opened for allowing for the can to be emptied more quickly.
It is another object of the present invention to open a sealed pop-top can by simultaneously raising the tab to unseat the sealed top portion, while piercing an upper portion of the can's lateral wall to allow the can to be more quickly emptied.
The present invention contemplates an apparatus for opening a pop-top can having a sealing member disposed over an opening in the top of the can and a tab attached to the top of the can, the apparatus comprising a handle; a first arm attached to and extending from the handle and having a distal end portion adapted for positioning between the tab and the top of the can, the first arm further including a proximal portion disposed between the distal end and the handle and adapted to engage the upper end of the can; and a second arm attached to and extending from the handle and disposed below the first arm when the first arm is positioned between the tab and the top of the can, the second arm having a pointed distal end; wherein when the handle is pivotally displaced away from the top of the can, the distal end of the first arm raises the tab which pushes the sealing member into the can in opening the can, and wherein the pointed distal end of the second arm engages and forms an opening in a side wall of the can allowing air to enter the can and the can to be emptied more quickly.
The appended claims set forth those novel features which characterize the invention. However, the invention itself, as well as further objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, where like reference characters identify like elements throughout the various figures, in which:
Can opener 10 includes an elongated handle 12 having one end with an aperture 14 therein. Aperture 14 is adapted to receive a support member such as a key ring or a line (not shown for simplicity) for supporting the can opener and maintaining it in a convenient location or position for use. Disposed on and extending from a second opposed end portion of handle 12 is a first arm 16. First arm 16 is generally curvilinear in shape and includes a flat distal end 16a. Also disposed on the second end of handle 12 is a second arm 18 which is generally linear and includes a pointed distal end 18a. A first space, or gap, 22 is disposed between the first and second arms 16, 18. Also disposed on and extending from the enlarged second end of handle 12 is a third arm 20 having a flat distal end 20a. A second space, or gap, 24 is disposed between the second and third arms 18, 20. Can opener 10 is preferably in the form of a unitary structure and preferably comprised of a high-strength material such as metal, e.g., steel or an aluminum alloy.
Referring to
Once the distal end of first arm 16 is positioned between and in contact with the can's top 34 and its tab 40, the handle 12 of can opener 10 is rotated clockwise in the direction of arrow 48 away from the top of the can 30 as shown in
As the can opener's handle 12 is moved in the direction of arrow 48, the pointed distal end 18a of second arm 18 engages and pierces an upper portion of the can's lateral wall 32 so as to form an opening 42 within the lateral wall. This allows air to enter into can 30 and facilitates discharge of the liquid contents of the can at an uninterrupted maximum flow rate. It is in this manner that the opening 42 eliminates the possibility of an air lock forming within can 30 during the discharge of the liquid contents from the can. In the absence of opening 32, an air lock would form within can 30 if it is quickly inverted in forming an evacuated volume within the can which inhibits discharge of the liquid contents of the can through opening 36 when inverted. With an air lock present within can 30, the discharge flow rate of liquid from the can would be irregular and reduced.
The inventive can opener 10 further includes a third arm 20 extending from the enlarged end portion of handle 12. Third arm has a generally flat distal end 20a. A second space, or gap, 24 is disposed between first arm 16 and third arm 20. By positioning the flat distal end 16a of first arm 16 in contact with the upper surface of a cap disposed in a sealed manner on the upper end of a bottle, the flat distal end 20a of third arm 20 may be positioned beneath and in engagement with the outer, peripheral, undulating edge of a bottle cap (not shown). Upward movement of the handle 12 of can opener 10 will result in removal of the cap from the bottle in a conventional manner.
While particular embodiments of the invention have been described, it will be obvious to those skilled in relevant arts that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the invention in its broader aspects. Therefore, the aim in the appended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications that fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. The matter set forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by way of illustration only and not as a limitation. The actual scope of the invention is intended to be defined in the following claims when viewed in their proper perspective based on the prior art.
