GB1371168A - Can openers - Google Patents

Abstract

1371168 Electric can openers SUNBEAM CORP 13 June 1972 [9 July 1971] 27628/72 Heading B8D An electric can-opener has a can-rotating wheel 16 driven by a motor 13, and a cutter 20 mounted for sliding and limited rotation on a handle 19 pivotable about a pivot boss 75 engaged by the cutter 20 to retain the handle in position. The cutter 20 and the handle have apertures through which the boss 75 projects, the boss being secured to a flexible front plate 23 of the can-opener casing, the aperture 94 of the cutter being key-hole shaped and urged into a groove 75c in the boss 75 by a spring 79 mounted on the handle 19. For removal of the cutter 20, a button 80 is first depressed to slide the cutter free of the groove 75c. The wheel 16 is carried by a shaft 15 connected to the drive shaft 36 of the motor 13 via a stub shaft 48 and pinions 45-49. The drive shaft 36 also carries a grinding wheel 33. Projections 50, 59 and 99 serve to guide the can during the opening operation, the can top being engaged by a magnet 109. The front plate 23 flexes to compensate for cans of varying sizes thus varying the distance between the cutter 20 and the wheel 16, a bracket 72 ensuring constant spacing of the shafts 15 and 48. To operate the can-opener the handle 17 is depressed so that the cutter engages the can and is pivoted anti-clockwise from the position of Fig. 6. The handle engages and depresses a button (66, Fig. 5) to close a switch (44) to start the motor 13. The can, during rotation, causes the cutter to pivot back to the Fig. 6 position and thus pierce and sever the can and hold the handle in its lowered position. After severing, a resilient member (65) of the switch (44) causes the button (66) to slightly raise the handle and allow the switch (44) to open and deactivate the motor 13.