US2602991A - Can opener - Google Patents

Description

W. J. LANDRY July 15, 1952 CAN OPENER 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 23, 1949 INVENTOR. Ml/mmJ. Land/y $4 6? ORA/5K y 15, 1952 v w. J. LANDRY 2,602,991

' CAN OPENER Filed Nov. 2;, 1949 5 35 -55 2 ENTOR.

w 2 v MV/fam J. Landry AT ORNEK y 15, 1952 w. J. LANDRY 2,602,991

CAN OPENER Filed Nov. 23, 19 .9 3 Sheegs-Sheet 3 a INVENTOR. W/flmm Land/y Patented July 15, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I V 2,s02',991 V 7 OPENER William .J. Landry, Blue Mo., assignor to John C. Hockery, Kansas City, Mo., as

trustee 1 The present invention relates ingeneral to can openers, and it deals more particularly with can. openers of the type utilizing a cutter'wheel for.

removing the top of the can together with a feed gear for driving thecanrelative to the cutter wheel during such removal It-is an object of the invention to provide a can opener of this type wherein the cutter-wheel is readily removable for cleaning or replacement.

Another object is to'provide a can opener having an improved mechanism forbringing the cutter wheel and feed gear into and out of operative relationship. An -important feature resides in'the-simplicity andruggedness of this mechanism and the'economyof its manufacture.

A further object is-to provide-a can opener having improved arrangements for compensating for irregularities in the portionof the can being out (such as are caused, for example, by seams in the can) whereby --these irregularities induce little or no resistanceto the cutting action, require no greater work' on the part of the operator, impose no strain on the mechanism, and in no way adversely affect the cuttingaction.

Still another object is to provide novel'means; for holding the can in proper relation-to the Another feature resides in my improved -arrangement for holding the bead and flange firmly engaged with the feed gear-during the cutting operation. e a I Other objects and features will appear in the course of the following descriptionof the invention' In the accompanying drawings which form a part of the specification and are to be read in conjunction therewith-and in which-- like reference numerals are employed parts'of the various views? 1 p v I a Fig. 1 is a plan viewof cf rinof can '0 ener embodying :m'yfmventic Fig. 2 nasiae'eiev Parts lbm ie ia i192 im ses. of s-ii.

trationl 1 I 1 Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation taken along the.

line 3-3 of Fig. 2 inthe-direction ofthearrowtl to indicate like of the can opener taken along. the line 5-5. of

Fig.3 in the direction of thearrows, .7 Fig. 6 is an exploded perspective view of mechanism of the same canopener,

the

.. -Fig. '7 is a verticalcross section taken along.

*Figs. liland '11 are side and end. elevational views respectivelyv of..the.-can opener: shown in Fig. 12 is a fragmentary side .elevational view corresponding to Fig. 10 but showing the parts inva different position,

Fig. .13 is a fragmentary cross sectionalview taken along the -lineizl3 -l3 of Fig. 10 in the direction of the arroWsyand. I I

Fig. 14 is a vertical cross section taken along the line ll*-l4 of Fig.1 13' in the directionof the arrows. r, f

Referring now more particularly to thepan' opener shown in Figsrl' to 8 inclusive, thenumeral l5 identifies the main body of my :device. The end: l5a' which, for convenience; will be referred to as the rear end of the can opener,

is adapted to-be mounted one, wall or similar vertical surface by means of a bracket, notshowm;

Along the'upper edge. of the main body; and" hinged thereto at 16 is cover member I1. These two parts have flat mating surfaces 18 and'lIQ' which come together alonga horizontal 'plane'i near the forward end of the can opener; how.

ever, the upper surface ofthe body l5' has an integral stud 2| which extends above this plane and is received 'in a hollowed out cavity 22 on the'underside of the cover-member 11. In the stud is a fixed spindle 23 whichcprojects lafi erally at a downwardly inclined angle as shown in Fig. 7. A freely rotating cutter wheel 24 mounted on this spindlev is held in place by a spring 25 which is secured to the cover member, inthe cavity, bya-screw 26.

The forward portion of the cover member'is flared outwardly to shelter and partly conceal the cutter wheel and; as may best be appreciatedfrom Fig. .3,. spring :25 draws the opposite; inner wall ofcavity' 22 tightly a-gainstthe facefll at-of stud 2| thereby definitely preventing lateral shifting cross section taken along the line permits the latter; be'eslipp'e'd off the end of the spindle. The" cutter wheel thus may be cleaned easily after which it is replaced on the spindle and the cover member swung back down to the position shown; as this is done, the spring again snaps across and slightly under the end of the spindle, not only serving to holdthecutter wheel in place but also latching 'the cover member against accidental upward displacement and orienting it laterally in proper relation to the main body 15 (by drawing it snugly against the surface Zla) to insure that the body and cover are matched as to theirlexterior surfaces and thus present a. neat. appearance.

In the horizontal .upper surface ofbody I5 is a shallow recess 27 which is covered and concealed by the cover member ll. when the latter is down in its normal position as shown. A flat tension spring 28 is disposed in the recess, one end thereof being anchored to the bottom of the recessby a screw 29. The free .endof the, spring is tensioned downwardly, and-rides on the enlarged intermediate portion of a cross pin 30. One end of the pin: (33a) is seated in a'vertical slot 3! formed in one wall of the recess 21, and the opposite .end (30b) projectsout of the recess through a vertical slot 32; both of theseslots extend downwardly from the upper edge of body i5. .Theend 39b is free to move up and .down about end 33a. as a hinge, always being biased downwardly, however, by spring 28..,-It will be noted that the free end: of:the.pin isitapered slightly so that its underside-presents a downwardly inclined abutment surface, .the purpose of which will be made clear presently.

A cam plate 4!], apertured at 400 to receive the tongue 33c and at b to receive the shaft 36, is disposed in the recess 39 and held against the bottom thereof by a coiled compression spring 42 encircling the shaft. As assembled, it will be obvious that the plate and the plug 38 must always turn together as a unit. The angle througlrwhidhthey may turn limited by a radially projecting lug Moon the'cam plate and a raised segmental boss 43 in the recess, the

- ends 43a. and 43b of the boss serving as stops for the lug.

Forwardly of the cutter wheel a secondpin 33 is fixedly secured to the body l5. This, as indicated in Fig.3v projects horizontally, andis at substantially the same level as the'base of the annular groove 24a. in the undersideof the cutter wheel thefreeend of pin 30 is at a slightly lower level. 1 Cooperating with the cutter wheel a serrated feed wheel orgear 35; this is screw threadedly secured to-one end'of a rotatable shaft 33, a crank handle 31 being secured to the opposite end of the shaft for turning same. The shaft 36 is journaled in a circular plug 38 which in turn is journaled in the main body 15' of the can opener. It will benoted that the bearing aperture 151) which receivesthe circular plug permits the plug to turn about a horizontal axis and that the bearing aperture 38b in the plug which receives the shaft holds the latter parallel to the plugs axis but radiallyspaced therefrom so the feed gear 35 is -'disposedeccentrically against the face of the plug.

The end ofthc plug-adjacent the feed gear is formed with an annular flange 380 which seats in a circular recess provided in'one side of the body I5, the face of the plug being flush with the side of the body. The opposite end of the plug is flush with the bottom of an enlarged recess 39 in the opposite side of body l5 but has an arcuate tongue 38c extending a short distance into the latter recess. An enlarged hub 37w on the handle covers this recess when the parts are assembled.

The cam plate also has a slot 43d extending inwardly from the periphery with its edges substantially radial to the axis of shaft 33. Cooperating with this slot is a dog carried by the crank handle 31; as best seen in Figs. 6 and 8, this comprises a flat lever 44 lying in an elongated slot 45 on the underside of the handle, one end of the lever being secured to the handle by a pivot pin 46 and the free end being urged outwardly from the handle by a bowed spring 41 confined in the recess below the lever. The free end of the lever .is formed into a stepped dog having a portion 44a adapted to enter the slot 40d. under the influence of spring; the adjacent raised portion 44b is adapted to clear the boss 43 under this condition. Onthe boss, however, there is a stationary cammingsurface 48 in the path of portion Mbthe purpose of. which will be made clear presently. This surface lies in a short are close to the margin of the plate 4 0, its highest elevation being approximately at the center of the arc with the surface sloping downwardly from the center. in bothdirections so that both ends of the arc are at the level of the surface of boss 43.

To understand the operation of my can opener, let it be assumed that all parts of the mechanism arepositioned as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 and 8, attention bein directed to the fact that under these circumstances the upper edge of, feed gear 35 is spaced below the lower edge of the cutter wheel 24. Now let it be assumed that the operator by means of knob 31b swings the crank downwardly and thus turns shaft 36 in the direction indicated by the arrows in Figs. 2 and 5, which for convenience will be referred to as the forward direction. Referring to Fig. 5 it will be seen that the rotation of the crank causes dog 44 by bearing against the loweredge of slot- 40d to turn cam plate 40 and thecircular plug 38 as a unit about. the axis of the latter.

As the plug 38 turns with the crank, it carries shaft. 3 6 in an orbit forwardly and upwardly until the of the shaft is on the same level as the axis of the plug continuing its rotation, the plug carries the shaft rearwardly but still upwardly until the shaft finally reaches the top of its orbit. Plug 38.now has turned from its starting position the direction of its rotation being clockwise as seen inl ig. 5, counter-clockwise as seen in Fig. 2; and this brings the upper edge of the feed wheel 35.into the groove 240; of cutter wheel 24.

The 180 rotation also bringsfthefree end of lever 44; over the inclined c'amming' surface 48 which," by engaging thesurface'Mb begins to liftthe dog 44a. out 'of' slot 40d. Thus, at the same time shaft 35 reaches the top of its orbit, dog 44a is lifted clear and the continued rotation of the crank in the same direction will turn the feed gear 36 butwill have no further effect on plug 38. As seenin Fig. 7, a friction plug 50 urged against the periphery of cylinder 38 by a spring 5| acts as a brake and prevents coastingof a cylinderpast the position, at which the dog is lifted clear. The friction plug and springare housed in a small radial bore, the g ziter end of which is closed by a retaining screw The operator may now continue to turn crank 31 in the forward direction any number of complete revolutions desired, and, during the major portion of such rotation, dog 4411 will rideharm lessly on the face of plate 40; once in each revolution, however, it will drop momentarily into slot Md, but before it can advance the plate 40 further, it is again lifted out of the. slot by camming surface 48. Accordingly, shaft 36 remains at the top of its orbit but is revolved by the crank in that position, turning the feed wheel 35. 7 Now let, it be supposed that the direction. of rotation of the crank is reversed. Regardlessof the position occupied by thecrank when such reversal is instituted, it will simply turn shaft 36 and feed gear 35 in the reverse'direction until dog 44a arrives at the point where it registers with slot 4001. There, because surface 44b is descending on the slope of camming member 48, the dog is permitted to. enter and remain in the slot so, during the ensuing 180 rotation of the crank, plate 40 and the circular plug 38 turn with the crank. This causes shaft 36 to return over the same orbital'path'describedhereinbefore to the position shown in the drawings, where lug 40c, abutting against the stop'shoulder'43b, halts the rotation of all parts. i

It is thought that the operation of the can opener to remove the top of a can will be comparatively obvious from the foregoing, and hence this will, be describ'edbut briefly. With parts positioned as shownin Figs. 2 and'3, the bead or flange about the.rim of the "can is inserted between the top edge of feed 'gear35 and the bottom edge of cutter wheel 24'. Crank 3'I-the'nis swung downwardly, i. e.', rotated ina forward direction, the first 180 of such rotation being effective to raise the feed wheel as described above, whereupon,.the feed wheel, by. its engagement with the undersideofithe can bead or flange, raises the can,causing the bead'of the can to enter groove 24a of the cutter wheel and the edge 24b to pierce the top just inside the bead. The upward thrust of the feed wheel also brings the upper edge of the can into contact with pins 33 and b, forcing the latter pin slightly upward against the tension of springv 28, so the bead is securely engaged by the'pins on the top and by the feed wheelon the bottom.

Continued rotation of the crank in the forward direction now' causes the gear 35 to feed the bead of the can past the cutter wheel thereby severing the top.; During this portion of the operation, the side: wall, of the can is supported by a boss I50 on themain body of my device. The spring biased pin 3011 applies a downward pressure on the bead, and thus alwaysmaintains good contact betweenthe bead and feed gear. The taper on the end of this. pinis such as to draw the portioncof'the bead leaving the cutter wheel in toward theibody l5. ofthe can opener, which maintains the advancing bead at the correct angle of attach. relative the cutter wheel. Irregularities in the bead. (as presented, for example, by a seam inv the can) are compensated for by the yieldablespring loading of pin 30. Also, the cutter wheel 24 can move axially outwardly along spindle 23 against the tension of spring 25, a a; vertical: seam .passes betweennthe $59 9. li gd sear '35.. and .the. innenfacebi; cut.-

iii

ting edge 24a, so thereisno resistance to the passage of the seam andthisimposes no harmful strain on the parts.

When the lid has been completely severed, the operator simply reverses the direction of rotation of crank 31, which lowers the feed gear as described above and frees the bead so that the can may be removed from the can opener.

. Figs. 9 to 14 inclusive show a modified form of my can opener. This has a body 60, the rear end of which is mounted on a wall or the like in the same fashion as was the body of the can opener previously, discussed. Near its forward end, body 60 carries an inclined stationary spindle BI and a freely rotatable cutter wheel 62 similar to those described above, the cutter being held on the spindle, however, by a U spring 63 which has one end apertured to receive the spindle and the other end hooked over the opposite side of body 60. The two legs of the spring are tensioned toward one another, but by manually forcing them apart, the spring may be removed to permit removal of the cutter wheel from the spindle for cleaning purposes or replacement.

Cooperating with the cutter wheel, is a serrated feed wheel or gear 65. This is screw threadedly secured to one end of. a rotatable shaft 65, a crank handle 61 being secured to the opposite end for turning same. The shaft 62 is journaled in a circular plug 68 which in turn is journaled in the body 60. The hole 60a. occupied by the rotatable plug extends completely through the body from one side thereof tov the other, and. the plug is held against axial displacement in the hole by a retaining screw 69 which projects into a circumferentialv groove 10 extending .part way around the plug. As will be seen plainly from Fig. 14 the recess is of a length which limits the rotation of the plug to a little over one-half turn.

As was true in the can opener heretofore described, shaft 66 is disposed eccentrically relative the axis of the plug 68, but whereas the two axes were parallel in my other device, it will be noted from Fig. 13 that in the present unit shaft 65 is canted very slightly in such a fashion as to give the feed gear when it is positioned as shown in Fig. 10 a compound angle relative the cutter wheel 62. The purpose of this will be explained presently.

Handle 61 bears against one face of the plug, which face lies in a plane perpendicular to the axis of shaft 66. In this face there is radial to the shaft'fifi a slot 12 which corresponds to and is shaped like the slot 40d of the other can opener. Cooperating with the slot is a dog 13 pivoted in the handle at 74, the free end of the dog being urged by a bowed spring 15 toward the face of the plug 68. Adjacent the plug in a position to be engaged by the shank of the'dog, the can opener body 63 has a raised boss 16 providing a sloped camming surface similar to camming member 48 previously described. I

The operation of this form of my can opener is fundamentally the same as that of the other device. That is to say, the normal position of parts is as shown in Fig. 12, the flange 'of the can being inserted between the bottom of the cutter wheel 62 and the top of the feed gear 65 while they are thus separated. Bracket 17 supports the side wall of the can. Crank 61 now is turned counter-clockwise whereupon dog l3,falling into slot 72, turns the circular plug 68 through ap- 7 proximately 180" bringing the feed gear to the position hown-in Figs; 10 and 11. I

At this point the camming bos 76 lifts the dog out of a slot 12 so that continued rotation of the crank simply turns the feed gear 65 counterclockwise (Fig. 10) while it remains meshed with the cutter wheel. This advances the can relative the cutter, severing thetop thereof, and is continued until the top is completely or nearl completely detached, as desired. As the vertical seam of the can passes between the outer face of feed gear 65 and the inner face 62a of the cutter wheel, the cutter wheel moves axially outward along spindle El against the tension of spring 53, so there is little or no resistance to such passage and no'harmful strain is imposed on the mechanism. 7

During the cutting operation, pins 18 and 82 engage the upper rim of the can, preventing it from tilting and applying a downward force thereon which maintains the flange of the can tightly engaged with the feed wheel. Free to swivel slightly, pin 58 has a shoulder 78a which is urged toward the face of body 36 by a coiled compression spring 80 encircling the shank of the pin in recess 19; this tends to maintain the projecting portion of the pin normal to said face of body but engagement with a can during the opening thereof tilts the projecting end slightly upward whereby the engaged portion of the can is subjected to the downward restoring force of the spring. The spring loading of the pin compensates for irregularities in the rim of the can, and thisloading can, of course, be varied by adjusting nut 8| inwardly or outwardly along the threaded shank of the pin.

When the cutting operation is completed crank (21'! is turned in the opposite direction (clockwise, Fig. and it will'be seen from Fig. 11 that as the descends along the sloped face of boss 16 it reseats in slot 12 so that plug 68 now turns with the handle bringing the feed gear 65 back to the position shown in Fig. 12. When it reaches that position, shoulder Illa abuts against retaining screw GS and halts the rotation of all parts. The can may now, of course, be removed from the can opener.

As may best be appreciated from Fig. 11, the inner face 62a of the cutter wheel is an essentially conical surface. Due to the inclination of the spindle (H, the axis of this conical surface is inclined in such a fashion that a narrow segment of the surface disposed directly below the spindle is plumb; strictly speaking, the plumb segment may be defined as that portion of the conical surface below the spindle which would be intersected by a vertical plane passing through the axis of the cone. Considering the line of intersection between this plane and the cone surface and imagining a second vertical plane passing through the same line perpendicular to the first mentioned plane, it will be clear that while a conical surface lies tangent to the latter plane along the line of intersection it slopes away from the tangent plane on either side of this line.

As a can is being turned by the feed gear 65 in the course of severing the top, the edge of the cutter wheel initially breaks through the advancing lid approximately at the point A (Fig. 10) cutting then continues from the point A to point B and is essentially complete at the latter point. It has been discovered that most satisfactory overall operation is achieved if the face of the feed gear 65 is canted slightly as shown in Fig. 13 to conform with the generally canted dispositionof the inner surface 62a of the cutter wheel in the critical operating region between points A Jand-B; Thisangular disposition of the feed gear relative the cutter wheel permits the latter to lie close to the flange of the can top and cut closeup to the-flange. Also it insures that the cut is parallel. to the flange and defeats the tendency which otherwise would be present, for the cut to progress away from the flange toward the center of the can top;

The latter tendency is presentfof course, in the can opener construction shown in Figs. 1 to 8 where the cutter wheel is not canted, but it is overcome there by the taper on pin 3022 which, by drawing the edge of the can engaged by the pin toward the body of the can opener, insures that the cutting edge of wheel 24 cuts the can top close to the flange. (In the construction shown in Figs. 9 to 14 the canted disposition of the feed gear makes it unnecessary to taper the end of pin 78 in similar fashion.) It will be appreciated therefore that the feed gear 35 and its shaft 36 can be canted in the fashion shown in Fig. 13 and that if this were done pin 30b would not be tapered; .otherwise the construction would be ubstantially as shown.

From the foregoing it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to attain all of the ends and objects hereinbefore set forth together with other advantages which are obvious and which are inherent to the apparatus.

It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed withoutreference to other features and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims. Subject matter disclosed but not claimed in this application is covered by my copending divisional application Serial No. 157,247,, filed April 21, 1950.

Inasmuch as various modifications of the invention may be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a can opener of the type having a cutter wheel and a cooperating feed wheel to engage the flange of the can, a body having a spindle proj ecting outwardly therefrom, a member normally carried on the said body in a predetermined position laterally spaced from said spindle but movable away from said position along a path transverse to the axis of the spindle thereby to increase the distance between said member and spindle, said member having an integral spring catch tensioned to engage the free end of said spindle whensaid member is in said predetermined position, said catch constructed and arranged to resist movement of said member along movement of said member away from the spindle along said path to an off-normal position where- 111 said catch is clear of said one wheel, thereby to permit removal of said one wheel from the spindle.

2. In a can opener of the type having a cutter wheel .and a cooperating feed wheel to engage the flange of the canra body having a spindle 9.-.' projecting outwardly therefrom, a member normally carried on said body in a predetermined position'laterally spaced'from said spindle but movable away from said position along a path transverse to the axis of the spindle thereby to increase the distance between saidmember and spindle, said member having an integral spring finger tensioned toward the free end of said spindle and apertured to receivesaid end'when said member is in .said predetermined position thereby to hold said member against movement along said path, one of said wheels being disposed on the spindle between'the' body and said finger when the free end of the spindle is received in said aperture, said 'finger being defiectable to withdraw same from the free end of the spindle thereby to permit movement of said member away from the spindle along said path to an off-normal position wherein said finger is clear of said one wheel and thus permit removal of said one wheel from the spindle.

3. In a can opener of the type having a cutter wheel and a cooperating feed wheel to engage the flange of the can, a body having a spindle projecting outwardly therefrom, a member normally carried on said body in a predetermined position laterally spaced from said spindle but movable away from said position along a path transverse to the axis of the spindle thereby to increase the distance between said member and spindle, said member having an integral spring finger tensioned toward the free end of said spindle, said finger having a shoulder to engage a longitudinal edge of the spindle adjacent the free end thereof when said member is in said predetermined position thereby to hold said member against movement away from the spindle along said path, one of said wheels being disposed on the spindle between the body and said finger when said shoulder is engaged with the spindle, said finger being deflectable to withdraw said shoulder from said spindle thereby to permit movement of said member away from the spindle along said path to an off-normal position wherein said finger is clear of said one wheel and. thus permit removal of said one wheel from the spindle.

4. In a can opener of the type having a cutter wheel and a cooperating feed wheel to engage the flange of the can, a body having a spindle projecting outwardly therefrom, a member pivotally mounted on said body for movement toward and away from said spindle, a spring catch carried on said member to engage the free end of the spindle and prevent movement of the member away from the spindle, one of said wheels disposed on said spindle between the body and said catch when the latter is engaged with the spindle, said catch displaceable away from the spindle to permit pivoting of said member away from the spindle and removal of said one wheel from the spindle.

5. In a can opener of the type having a cutter wheel and a cooperating feed wheel to engage the flange of the can, a body having a spindle projecting outwardly therefrom, a member pivotally mounted on said body for movement toward and away from said spindle, means normally retaining said member in a predetermined position relative said body, said means including a spring finger carried on said member to engage the free end of the spindle and apply a thrust on said member axially of said spindle, and abutting shoulders on said member and body, respectively, resisting said thrust, one of 1'0 said wheels disposed on'saidspindle between the body and. said finger whenithe latter is engaged with the spindle, said finger displaceable away from the spindlev to permit pivoting of said member away from the spindleand removal of said one wheel from the spindle; f

6. In a can opener of the type having a cutter wheel and aicooperatingfeed wheel to engage the flange of the can, a body having a spindle projecting laterally from the side thereof, one of said wheels disposed on said spindle, a hood normally positioned-above said one'wheel, said hood having a cavity in its under side to'receive the upper portion of said one wheel whereby said one wheel is'covered andrpartly-concealed by said hood, a member carried by said hood extending downwardly beside the outer face of said one wheel to prevent removal of said one wheel from the spindle, and means supporting said hood on said body for movement upwardly away from said one wheel thereby to withdraw said member from beside said one wheel and permit removal of the latter from the spindle.

7. A can opener as in claim 6 wherein said member comprises a spring finger tensioned to bear against the end of said spindle.

8. A can opener as in claim 6 wherein said member comprises a spring finger tensioned to bear against the free end of said spindle, said body having a shoulder projecting upwardly into said cavity adjacent one wall thereof to resist lateral displacement of the hood under the influence of said spring. 9. In a can opener of the type having a cutter wheel and a cooperating feed wheel to engage the flange of the can, a horizontally elongated body, an arm normally positioned adjacent the body along the upper edge thereof, one end of the arm being hinged to the body whereby the opposite free end is swingable upwardly from said normal position and away from the body, one of said wheels having a stub spindle projecting laterally from the body in a position spaced below the free end of said arm when the latter is in said normal position, a spring finger projecting downwardly from the free end of said arm with its lower end tensioned to engage the outer extremity of said spindle, thereby to fric tionally resist upward swinging of the arm, said finger being freed of the spindle and moved clear of said one wheel upon predetermined upward movement of the arm, and said one wheel being shiftable axially away from the body when said finger is clear thereof, thereby to permit removal of the wheel.

10. A can opener as in claim 9 wherein said spindle is inclined downwardly from said body and the portion of said spring finger engaging the outer end thereof is substantially normal to the axis of the spindle.

11. In a can opener of the type having a cutter wheel and a cooperating feed wheel to engage the flange of the can, a body having a stub spindle projecting outwardly therefrom, one of said wheels being positioned on said spindle between said body and the outer end of the spindle, a member normally carried on said body in a predetermined position spaced laterally from the spindle but movable away from said position along a predetermined path transverse to the axis of the spindle thereby to increase the distance between said member and spindle, said member having an integral leaf spring catch which, when said member is in said predetermined position, overlies the outer face of said one wheel with its free end tensioned to engage the outer end of the spindle, said outer end of the spindle comprising a surface canted with respect to the direction in which said catch travels upon movement of said member away from said spindle, whereby said surface exerts a camming action on the spring catch which causes the latter normally to resist movement of said member away from said predetermined position, and said member being ,movable along said path against said resistance of the spring catch, thereby to free same from said spindle and shift the catch to a position clear of said one wheel.

12. A can opener as in claim 10 wherein the REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: v

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,148,130 Murdock Feb. 21, 1939 2,456,117 McLean Apr. 5, 1949 2,573,031 La Forte Oct. 30, 1951

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