Can opener
AssigneeRobbins Industries, Inc.
InventorsRodney Robbins, Carter McGuyer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The can opener is a side-cutting opener with handle levers which pivot vertically towards and away from one another. A rotary cutter wheel is normally retracted to a position inside one of said handle levers, but is thrust outwardly to cut into the rim of the can when the handle levers are squeezed together. A drive wheel engages the rim and is rotated by means of a rotary drive handle to cut the top off the can. Spreading the handle levers apart causes the cutting wheel to retract at the end of the cutting operation to release the cut-off top of the can.
Claims6
A side-cutting can opener comprising:
- a pair of elongated handle levers pivotably connected together at one end to pivot in a vertical direction relative to one another;
- a rotary cutting wheel mounted on a first one of said handle levers to rotate about a vertical axis when cutting, and to move towards one side of said one lever to engage a can rim for cutting, in response to movement of said handle levers vertically towards one another, and to retract away from said one side in response to the movement of said handle levers vertically away from one another;
- a drive wheel rotatably mounted on said one handle lever adjacent said cutting wheel to engage said can rim and drive it past said cutting wheel;
- and
- a handle drivably connected to said drive wheel for rotating said drive wheel.
A side-cutting can opener comprising:
- a pair of elongated handle levers pivotably connected to one another at one end to rotate towards and away from one another in a vertical direction to engage and disengage from the rim of a can to be opened while said can is resting on its bottom on a horizontal surface;
- a drive wheel on one side of a first one of said handle levers and having a drive shaft rotatably mounted in said first handle lever;
- a drive handle on a side opposite said one side of said first lever and drivably coupled to rotate said drive shaft;
- a guideway in said first handle lever adjacent said drive shaft;
- a carriage mounted in said guideway to move towards and away from said one side of said first lever;
- a cutting wheel pivotably mounted on said carriage to rotate in a horizontal plane;
- a resilient bias structure for biasing said carriage away from said one side of said first lever;
- and a cam structure including a cam element on the second of said handle levers and positioned to engage said carriage and drive said carriage towards said one side of said first handle lever to thrust said cutting wheel outwardly from said one side to cut into said can rim in a sideways direction when said drive wheel is engaged with said rim.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.