Can Opener Mechanism

A mechanism for use in an opener for a can, said can comprising a cylindrical or rectangular wall that is closed at either end with a lid sealed to the can by means of an upstanding rim that clamps onto each end of the can wall, said mechanism comprising;

• A body;
• rotationally mounted to said body about a first axis, a drive wheel with serrated drive teeth for engaging the rim of the can, a full set of concentric drive gear teeth and at least one interference gear tooth in a parallel plane to the drive gear teeth;
• rotationally mounted to said body about a parallel second axis a cutter wheel with a section of radial gear teeth set between a first toothless zone and a second toothless zone such that the radial gear teeth are drivably rotatable by said drive wheel's drive gear teeth when they are engaged;
• eccentrically mounted to said cutter wheel, a cutter movable on rotation of the cutter wheel to a cutting position in which the cutter overlaps the serrated drive teeth such that a can wall placed between the serrated drive teeth and the cutter would be pierced by the cutter whilst the can rim would be gripped between the serrated drive teeth and a cylindrical cutter spacer mounted adjacent to the cutter and concentric with it such that the can wall would be continuously cut as the can rim was driven by the serrated drive teeth;
• mounted to the cutter wheel in the same plane as the at least one interference tooth, a ratchet member that is able to either engage with said at least one interference gear tooth so that the drive wheel can drivably rotate the cutter wheel at times when said section of radial gear teeth is not engaged with said drive gear teeth, said ratchet member being able to alternatively move out of engagement with said at least one interference gear tooth if the drive wheel is being rotated in the opposite direction with there being no resulting rotary drive.