Abstrict This can opener opens and empties cans of their contents rapidly,
especially paint and similar cans. The opener has a knife edge dimensioned
and configured to penetrate an end, especially the bottom, of the
can. There is a positioning means for disposing a can having two
ends with one end over the knife edge. A means urges the can downward
against the knife edge with sufficient force to cause the knife
edge to penetrate the one end of the can. A means for receiving
contents from the can is disposed beneath the knife edge. Cans may
be opened and emptied in rapid sucession with this opener. An emptied
can is moved forward by the positioning of a second can for opening
and slides down into a can crusher. A piston operated can crusher
cylinder is activated electro/pneumatically to come down and crush
the emptied can and remove any remaining contents. When the piston
retracts the crushed can drops out of the crusher.
Claims What is claimed is:
1. A can opener, comprising:
(a) a knife edge dimensioned and configured to penetrate a can
end,
(b) means for positioning a can having two ends with one end disposed
over said knife edge,
(c) means for urging the can downward against said knife edge with
sufficient force to cause said knife edge to penetrate the one end
of the can,
(d) means for receiving contents from the can disposed beneath
said knife edge, said knife edge being arcuate shaped in a first
direction, having an apex pointing toward the one end of the can,
and being arcuate shaped in a second direction orthogonal to the
first direction, with the arcuate shape in the second direction
having a radius of curvature less than a radius of curvature of
the one end of the can, and
(e) a pressurized fluid tube connected to a source of fluid under
pressure, said fluid tube having an opening proximate to said knife
edge for supplying fluid to the can for urging contents from the
can, said fluid tube extending along the arcuate shape in the second
direction toward the apex of said knife edge.
2. The can opener of claim 1 additionally comprising a means for
crushing the opened can and squeezing out any remaining contents.
3. The can opener of claim 2 in which said positioning means includes
a pushing member having at least two surfaces for pushing laterally
against a side of the can.
4. The can opener of claim 3 in which said positioning means and
said crushing means are joined by an inclined conveying means along
which said can passes after its contents are removed.
5. The can opener of claims 1 3 or 4 in which the can is positioned
by said positioning means on a ring shaped support having a centrally
disposed opening through which said knife edge passes while penetrating
the one end of the can.
Description BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a can opener and crusher primarily intended
for manufacturing and other high volume environments. More particularly,
it relates to an improved form of can opener and crusher which will
open and empty a large number of cans containing a product in rapid
succession and crush the cans on a mechanized basis.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the manufacture and canning of any liquid or similar product,
and especially in the manufacture and canning of paint, a certain
amount of the product or the cans containing it may be unsatisfactory
for a variety of reasons. For example, in the case of paint, it
may be determined after the paint has been packaged in cans that
it failed to meet quality standards. Alternatively, the paint may
have exceeded its rated shelf life, a paint formulation may be obsoleted,
or acceptable paint may be packaged in bent or otherwise damaged
cans.
Whatever the cause for the unacceptability of the paint as packaged
in the cans, it is presently conventional practice in the paint
industry to open the cans of unacceptable product, reprocess or
discard the contents of the cans, and dispose of the empty cans.
In the case of paint, the cans are conventionally opened and emptied
by hand. In a high volume production environment, it would be advantageous
if the cans could be opened, emptied and crushed to remove any remaining
contents and reduce the can size for easy disposal, on a mechanized
basis.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an opener
for cans which will allow rapid removal of the contents of the can.
It is another object of the invention to provide an opener for
cans which will open and remove the contents of a substantial number
of the cans in rapid succession.
It is a a further object of the invention to provide such a can
opener which will crush the empty cans.
The attainment of the foregoing objects may be achieved through
use of the novel, mechanized, high-speed can opener and crusher
herein disclosed. This can opener has a knife edge dimensioned and
configured to penetrate a can end. A positioning means places a
can having two ends with one end disposed over the knife edge. An
urging means presses the can downward against the knife edge with
sufficient force to cause the knife edge to penetrate the one end
of the can. A receiving means is disposed beneath the knife edge
for receiving the contents of the can as they drain from the opened
one end of the can. The opener also desirably includes a pressurized
fluid tube connected to a source of air or other fluid under pressure,
and having an opening proximate to the knife edge for supplying
air or other fluid for urging the contents from the can. The opener
also desirably includes a means for crushing the opened can after
its contents are removed, which also serves to squeeze out any remaining
contents of the can.
In the case of paint cans, the one end of the can is preferably
its bottom. Utilizing the can opener of this invention allows paint
and similar cans to be opened and emptied of their contents much
more rapidly and with substantially less labor than the present
manual approach.
The attainment of the foregoing objects, advantages and features
of the invention should be more readily apparent to those skilled
in the art, after review of the following more detailed description,
taken together with the drawings, in which:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a top view of a can opener in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 2--2 in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3--3 in FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4--4 in FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 5--5 in FIG. 2;
FIG. 6 is a block diagram of control circuitry and apparatus for
the can opener shown in FIGS. 1-5.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Turning now to the drawings, more particularly to FIGS. 1-5 there
is shown a can opener 10 in accordance with the invention, suitable
for use with paint cans 14. A conventional roller conveyor 12 supplies
full paint cans 14 in an erect position opposite a positioning member
16 mounted for reciprocal motion orthogonal to the conveyor 12.
Guide rails 18 maintain the cans 14 in a single file. Positioning
member 16 has intersecting edges 20 and 22 which engage a can 14
at end 24 of the conveyor 12 when the positioning means 16 moves
to the right in FIGS. 1 and 2. Inclined edge 26 of the positioning
member 16 engages the next can 14 to prevent it from moving to end
24 of the conveyor 12 when the can 14 at end 24 is pushed to the
right by the positioning member 16.
Positioning member 16 is connected by linkage 28 to a first bi-directional
pneumatic cylinder 30 which operates to reciprocate the positioning
member 16 between the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and the position
indicated by broken lines 32 at the right of conveyor 12 in FIG.
1. Movement of the positioning member 16 to the position indicated
at 32 moves the can 14 from end 24 of the conveyor 12 to a can holder
40 which is positioned above knife edge or blade 42 beside end
24 of the conveyor 12 as shown in FIGS. 1-3.
The can holder 40 has a top plate 44 a bottom plate 46 having
a centrally disposed aperture 48 and side supports 50 all best
shown in FIG. 3. As shown there, the inside dimensions of the can
holder 40 are slightly in excess of the size of cans 14 so that
they may be easily moved into and out of the can holder 40 by the
positioning member 16. Can holder 40 is connected by linkage 52
to a second bi-directional pneumatic cylinder 54 which moves the
can holder 40 between the position shown in FIG. 3 and the position
represented by broken lines at 56 also in FIG. 3.
Knife edge 42 is arcuate shaped in a first direction, as best shown
in FIG. 2. The arcuate shape has an apex 58 pointing upwards toward
bottom 60 of the can 14 when the can is in position in can holder
40. Knife edge 42 also has a circular cross-section along its vertical
length, shown best in FIG. 5. The radius of curvature of the cross-section
is slightly less than the radius of the centrally disposed opening
48 of plate 46 so that the the knife edge 42 may pass through opening
48. A pressurized air line 62 extends upwards within knife edge
42 and has an opening 64 near apex 58 of the knife edge 42. A conduit
66 is positioned below the knife edge 42 to receive the contents
of the cans 14 after they have been opened.
In operation, after the can 14 has been positioned in can holder
40 pneumatic cylinder 54 is actuated to move the can holder 40
downward to the position indicated at 56. As the can 14 moves downward
within holder 40 knife edge 42 penetrates the bottom 60 of the
can 14 to form a circular opening corresponding in size to the circular
cross-section of knife edge 42 (FIG. 5). Paint in the can 14 drains
through knife edge 42 to conduit 66 and then flows to container
68 (FIGS. 1 and 4). Openings 70 in knife edge 42 allow paint which
flows outside the knife edge 42 to enter the conduit 66. As the
can 14 moves down over the knife edge 42 air from the opening 64
in pressurized air tubes 62 serves to break any vacuum that may
occur as the paint flows from the can 14 thus facilitating the
removal of the paint from can 14.
After the can holder 40 has moved to the position indicated at
56 the pneumatic cylinder 54 is reversed to raise the holder 40
and can 14 back to the position shown in FIGS. 2 3 and 5. The can
opener is then ready for a successive cycle of operation. When positioning
member 16 again moves to the right to move a second can 14 into
the can holder 40 the second can 14 pushes the now empty first
can 14 onto inclined conveyor 80 as shown at 82 (FIG. 2). The can
then slides into crusher 84 until it rests against back side 86.
(FIGS. 2 and 4). The crusher 84 includes an enclosure 90 closed
on all sides except the side facing inclined conveyor 80 and opening
92 on the bottom of back side 86. A piston 94 is mounted in the
enclosure 90 for reciprocation between the position shown in FIG.
2 and the position 96 in FIG. 4. The piston 94 is connected to a
third bi-directional pneumatic cylinder 98 for movement between
the two positions shown.
In operation, piston 94 moves down to position 96 as shown in
FIG. 4 after the can 14 has entered the enclosure 84. The can 14
is then crushed against bottom 100 of the enclosure 90. Piston 94
is then reciprocated back to the position shown in FIG. 2 by pneumatic
cylinder 98 and the crushed can 14 slides through opening 92 and
down inclined conveyor 101. The can may then be carried away by
another roller conveyor (not shown) and any paint squeezed out of
the can collected in a receptacle (not shown) positioned beneath
the end of inclined conveyor 101.
FIG. 6 shows control circuitry for activating the pneumatic cylinders
30 54 and 98 also shown in FIGS. 1-4. Solenoid valve S1 is connected
to the pneumatic cylinder 30 by pneumatic lines 110 and 112. Lines
114 and 116 connect solenoid value S1 to a source 118 of compressed
air. Timer 120 is connected to control operation of solenoid valve
S1 by line 122. Line 124 connects switch 126 to timer 120. Line
128 connects timer 120 to a second timer 130 which is, in turn,
connected to a third timer 132 by line 134. Timer 132 is connected
to control operation of solenoid valves S2 and S3 by lines 136 and
138 respectively. The solenoid valves S2 and S3 are connected to
second pneumatic cylinder 54 by pneumatic lines 140 and 142 respectively.
Pneumatic lines 144 and 116 connect the solenoid valves S2 and S3
to the source 118 of pressurized air. Line 150 connects output line
138 of timer 132 to an input of timer 152. The output of timer 152
is connected by line 154 to control operation of solenoid S4. Solenoid
S4 is connected to pneumatic cylinder 98 by pneumatic lines 156
and 158. Solenoid S4 is also connected to the source 118 of pressurized
air by pneumatic line 160. |