Combination jar and can opener

An apparatus for loosening or tightening threaded lids from containers or jars comprising:

• a housing;
• a generally vertical upwardly extending chuck support column mounted on the housing;
• a rotatable platform mounted on the housing for supporting a container in an upright position and rotating the container;
• a chuck vertically movably mounted on the support column for frictionally engaging a threaded lid on the container;
• drive means on the housing in driving relationship with said support platform whereby actuation of the drive means causes the platform and the container thereon to rotate relative to the lid and chuck and thereby break the seal between the lid and rim of the container;
• and
• means pivotally mounting the support column on the housing for movement between a generally vertical operating position and a generally horizontal storage position.

An apparatus for loosening or tightening threaded lids from containers or jars comprising:

• a housing;
• a generally vertical upwardly extending chuck support column mounted on the housing;
• a rotatable platform mounted on the housing for supporting a container in an upright position and rotating the container;
• a chuck vertically movably mounted on the support column for frictionally engaging a threaded lid on the container;
• drive means on the housing in driving relationship with said support platform whereby actuation of the drive means causes the platform and the container thereon to rotate relative to the lid and chuck and thereby break the seal between the lid and rim of the container;
• and
• switch means for actuating said drive means, said switch means being operatively associated with said rotatable platform whereby said switch means is closed in response to downward biasing forces from said chuck being transferred through the container to said rotatable platform to actuate said drive means.

An apparatus for removing threaded lids from jars and opening crimped lids from cans comprising, in combination:

• a housing having means defining a first surface for supporting the apparatus when used for opening jars and a second surface for supporting the apparatus when used for opening cans;
• a chuck support column mounted on the housing and extending generally upwardly therefrom when the housing is supported on said first surface;
• a rotatable platform mounted on the housing for supporting a jar in an upright position and rotating the jar when the housing is positioned on said first surface;
• a chuck vertically movably mounted on the support column above the rotatable platform for frictionally engaging a threaded lid on the jar and applying vertical forces thereto when the housing is supported on said first surface;
• a can opening device on the housing for engaging the rim of a can and supporting the can in an upright position when the housing is supported on said second surface;
• and
• drive means mounted on the housing in driving relationship with said support platform whereby actuation of the driving means causes the platform and the jar thereon to rotate relative to the lid and chuck and thereby break the seal between the lid and rim of the jar when the apparatus is being used as a jar opener, the drive means being operatively associated with at least a portion of the can opening device for operating the same when the apparatus is used as a can opener.