US2696254A - Apparatus for salvaging metal from cans - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 7, 1954 v. A. MUGAvERo APPARATUS FOR SALVAGINC METAL FROM cms 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 m m, E .im MM@ a, lljj 0U Af LZ m C .m V5

Filed Feb. 15, 1951 n lli Dec. 7, 1954; v. A. MUGAVERO 2,696,254

APPARATUS FR SALVAGING METAL FROM CANS Filed Feb. 15, 1951 2 sheets-neet 2 t n Snventor Vance/1 A. Magami/q GAA/Lw Gttomegs United States Patent() 2,696,254 APPARATUS FORSASGING METAL FROM Vincent A.- Mngavero., Ridgefield, Conn- Application February 15, 1951, Serial No. ,211,112.5 claims. (ci. 154-61) The present invention relates -to apparatns for .dise .Inantling metallic 'containers or cans for thereof and especially for per-forming the cutting tions during snch dismantling.- f t Many commodities. s ch as canned fruits, vegetables, beverages., etc.v are packed and shipped in fnietall.. .tainers' or cans which. after .being opened and tents thereof removed, are considered as valneless .a discarded. lIn some. .cases where `co1rsiderable qnan of cans are nsed, some efforts are Aeapended to save. them forsale as ionic. .In ,these cases. however, the cans saved would occupy so much storage space if they wereallowed to remain in cylindrical forrri that they are normally bent and flattened by any convenient means so .as to be more compact and reqpire less space. As a result, the-cans are so distorted and bent that they are unfit forr any further `use except lto be crushed and used as `raw materials vfor a completely new cycle of fabricating processes.

It is a pnrpose of the present invention `to provide for apparatus to cnt the metallic containers, l.or cans, .in such a manner that the major portion thereof may be readily reclaimed- It is a further purpose of the present invention to prof vide for apparatus to `cut the .cans in such a manner that the portions to .be reclaimed will lie flat and voccupy less storage space.

I t s a still further purpose of the present invention to provide for apparatus to cut ythe cans in such a manner that the major portion of the material thereof will lhave en immediate use directly without going through a completely new cycle of fabricating processes.

` An advantageous feature ofthe present invention is the provision of a simple device capable of readily cuttingand disrnaitling cans with a minimum .of time and `effort in.- volve Y.

Other purposes, advantages and features of the present 5 invention will become apparent from ythe following de.-

s'cription lof the preferred embodiment of the invention referring to the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a view in elevation ofthe apparatus for cutting open the body portion of the cans to .be salvaged.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary cross-sectional plan view taken on theline 2.,-2 of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is across-sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fige1.

Fig. 4 is a view in elevation showing a cylindrical container or can of the conventional type;

Fig. 5 is an exploded view of the can shown in Fig. 4 with .the ends removed.

Fig. 6 is a perspective kview showing the manner of cutting and removing the seam portion.

Fig. 7 shows the ilattened body portion of the can.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings, the container cutting apparatus 10 is driven .by a

motor V12 mounted as by bltsupon a lstaund'tfaia base 14,. yAA 7 motor shaft extends from the motor and has mounted thereon a driving pinion 16 which is secured thereto -by any convenient means .sach vas a set screw .1.8-

' If desired., the nnotor A1.2 may .be replaced by a crank or a. handle and the driving pinion 1.6 may be .rotated man nally; lbut such requires considerably more. dexterity .on the'partof theoperator and has been fonnd to he more time' .consuming However. sneh modification is possible and docs' exist and... where `merely a. small. onantity of containers are to bc 'Inn thr ghtlie ,cuttingl pparatnfs, ...19, isfopnd, to be preferable e ICC y2 snel; a case, .the handle .shonld be positioned so as `to be convenient for the use of the operator.

.A container positioning and cutting frame 2t.) .is mounted ppon the base 1.4v and :has a shaft 22 rotatably mounted therein by means of bearings .24, 424. A gear ..26 is .nted lon `shaft ,22 and is -secnred thereto .as .by a .set screw 28 and meshes with driving pinion 1.6 so as to .be driven thereby'.l A vWorm. .gear 30 is scented to shaft .22. by any desired means, such .a set screw. so as to rotate therewith and meshes with worm wheels .3.2, .34 located above and below .39, .These worm wheels 32, ;34 are mounted ,fory .rotation npon shafts 3,6, 38 spaced from and. posi tioned at right angles to the .worm shaft ,22. .Sprocket wheels 40, 4Z arernonnted on shafts 36. 3 8; so as .to rotate therewith- .The trarne *.20 extends. outwardly in a direction away .from motor 1,2 and has. air-upper arm 19 and a lower .arm 2.1. which provides supports ,for rotatable shafts 44, 46 respccl vcly. .said shafts being mounted to extend parallel to shafts 36. .L- .Sprocket wheels 48. S0 of the same size and number of teeth as sprocket wheels 4l), 4 2 are secured to shafts 4,4, .46 as by setscrews, and sprocket chains 52, 54 are looped around sprocket wheels 40, 48 and .42, 50 respectively, in driving connection.

Consideration of Figs. l and 2 will reveal .that the shafts 44, tlimay begdriven at equal speeds by motor 12 through the described gear train and sprocket mechanism.

yAs shown in Figs. 1 and 3, cutting members 56,56 are mounted on the upper shaft 44 and are secured thereto to rotate therewith. The cutting members 56, 56 are separated .by laspacing member .or flange 58 so as to -present two ,spaced cutting edges.

A feedwheel or roller 60 is mounted on the lower shaft .4.6 and is secured thereto to rotate therewith. The thickness and sizeof the feed wheel 60 is such that `its outer edges enter snugly between the cutting members 56, 56st) as to form a pair of shearing members therewith. The periphery of the feed roller may be coined .or knurled or otherwise scored to .give it a lbetter gripping surface, for purposes to become apparent hereinafter.

The spacing member 58 and the feeding roller `60 may be made in sets of various thicknesses and it is apparent that .the distance between the shearing surfaces may thus be rpreselected for any desired width. The faces of the feedrollers should be ground smooth so as to cooperate more accurately-with the sharpened edges of the cutting members 56, 56,.

In Fig. 4 is shown a cylindrical receptacle C of the conventional type comprising a body portion 70 which is rolled into its cylindrical shape and the edges are rolled,

discs orV end members 7 4 close the top andbottorn of the cylindrical body portion 70 and in such a fashion the container C is formed.

The first step in the dismantling of the can is the removal of the end members 74, which operation may be performed by any of the well known cutting devices on fthe market which are capable of cutting oif the entire top and'bottom of the can. The result of this first step is shown in Fig. 5 and the remaining body portion 70a now has become an open, hollow cylindrical member. It is on this form ofthe container that the apparatus of the present v invention is best suited to function.`

body portion g is fed into the bite or nip of the l cnlttingmemberso, 56, vand the ,feed roller 60 .so that the lengthwise seam 72"l ie s between the cutting edges. The coined or knurled. face of the .feed roller immediately seizes the ledge of the can which is then drawn into the body of the cutting apparatus and the seam 72 is cut out along with a narrow segment of the adjacent body portion in the .form of a narrow strip 74, as shown in Fig. 6

' The remaining portion 70h is thus freed of the seam 72 as well as the end portions 74 and may be easily rolled ont'tlat by any desired machine which can be made of a series of rollers like a wire straightener. The rolled out flattened body portion 7Gb. is shown in Fig. FVlhe'iiat pieces 70h may then. passed through washf ins, or scrdbbine, .devices a continuons .cleaning process..

3 If desired, soaps or detergents may be used, or brushes and a spray treatment, to clean the pieces. The nature of the cleaning will, of course, vary as to the nature of the former contents of the can. When clean, the at pieces may be reused as desired and are not limited to use for making other cans.

In some cases it has been found advisable to position an idler guide roller 76 in front of and in alignment with the feed roller 60 so as to assist in the presentation of the body portion 70b to the cutting wheels. If desired, this guide wheel may be positioned in alignment with the cutting wheels, or may even be driven in positive fashion to assist in the positioning and cutting.

The body portion 70a is illustrated in FigsA 1 and 3 as being presented around the upper arm 19 of the frame 20 but it is to be observed that the body portion could be presented around the lower arm 21 of the frame 20, as desired. The sizes of the arms 19 and 21 determine the minimum diameter of can which may be dismantled and reclaimed and the preferred apparatus illustrated in the drawings will accommodate cans from a #2 size (2l/z cups) up to a #'10 size (13 cups). However, such is to be considered as merely illustrative of the present invention and not limitative thereof, and the invention could be applied to cans of the 8 oz. size, or smaller, if desired, or necessary.

An opening 80 may be provided in the bottom of the arm 21 to permit the cut strip 75 to fall therethrough and be collected in a receptacle and disposed of as junk for any desired purpose.

It is not essential that the cutting elements be driven, although such is preferable. It has been found that stationary cutting elements could be used in lieu thereof, provided the coined or scored peripheral edges of the feed wheel possesses suicient gripping action on the cylindrical surface of the can to force it past the cutting elements to accomplish the required shearing action.

The invention is not to be considered as limited to use with cylindrical containers but also nds use with containers having cross sections which are oblong, rectangular, oval, or any similar shape.

Other variations and modifications may be made within the scope of the claims and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

I claim:

1. In apparatus of the character described for removing a longitudinal strip from a tubular member, a cutting device comprising an elongate supporting means, a pair of cutting wheels mounted at the end of said supporting means to rotate with their cutting edges in planes extending axially of said supporting means, means to separate said cutting wheels by a predetermined distance to form a space therebetween, a rotatable feed wheel having a thickness to enable entry of said wheel into the space between said cutting wheels, supporting means mounting said feed wheel to extend between said cutting wheels, at least one of the supporting means and wheel carried thereby being of a size to pass longitudinally through the tubular member, means to drive said cutting wheels and feed wheel, said drive means being so mounted on said supporting means and connected to the wheels as to leave the space between said supporting means unobstructed, said feed wheel having a roughened gripping surface to advance and feed the member to be cut and said wheel having side surfaces to cooperate with said cutting wheels to cut the member,whereby the member being advanced and fed has cut out of and removed therefrom a longitudinal strip of a width equal to the spacing between said cutting wheels.

2. In a salvage apparatus for cutting the lengthwise seam out of a can, a cutting device comprising a support, a pair of cutting elements carried by the support to rotate with their cutting edges in planes extending axially of said support, means to separate said cutting elements by a predetermined distance to form a space therebetween having a greater width than said seam, a second support in spaced parallel relation with said first support, and a rotatable feed wheel mounted on said second support and having a thickness permitting entry thereof into the space between the cutting elements, at least one of said supports and elements carried thereby being of a size to pass longitudinally through the can, said Wheel having a gripping surface roughened to advance and feed the cylindrical body portion of a can between said feed wheel and said cutting elements with the lengthwise seam thereof extending into said space and said wheel having side surfaces to cooperate with said cutting elements in shearing relationship, means to drive said cutting elements and wheel, said drive means so mounted and connected to the means driven as to leave the space between said supports unobstructed, whereby the lengthwise seam is advanced into said space and will be cut out of and removed from the cylindrical body portion of the can in the form of a strip equal to the space between the cutting element.

3. In salvage apparatus for cutting the lengthwise seam out of a can, an elongate support, a cutting device comprising a pair of cutting elements located at the end of said support to rotate with their cutting edges in substantially parallel planes extending axially of the support, means to separate said cutting elements by a predetermined distance to form a space therebetween having a greater width than said seam, a second support in spaced parallel relation with said first support, a rotatable feed wheel mounted on said second support and having a thickness permitting entry thereof into the space between said cutting elements, at least one of said supports and the elements carried thereby being of a size to pass longitudinally through the can, means. to guide the cylindrical body portion of a can over said support and between the feed wheel and said cutting elements, said feed wheel having a scored peripheral surface to grip and advance the cylindrical body portion of a can between said feed wheel and said cutting elements with the lengthwise seam thereof extending into said space and having side surfaces to cooperate with said cutting elements in shearing relationship, means to drive said cutting elements and wheel, said drive means so mounted and connected to the means driven as to leave the space between said supports unobstructed, whereby the lengthwise seam being advanced into said space will be cut out of and removed from the cylindrical body portion of the can in the form of a strip having a width equal to the spacing between said cutting elements.

4. In salvage apparatus for cutting the lengthwise seam out of a can, an elongate support, a cutting device comprising a pair of rotatable cutting elements located at the end of said support to rotate with their cutting edges in substantially parallel planes extending axially of the support, means to separate said cutting elements by a predetermined distance to form a space therebetween having a greater width than said seam, a second support in spaced parallel relation with said first support, a rotatable feed wheel mounted on said second support and having a thickness permitting entry thereof into the space between said cutting elements, drive means carried within the supports to rotate said feed wheel and said cutting elements and leave the space between said supports unobstructed, at least one of said supports and the elements carried thereby being of a size to pass longitudinally through the can, and means to guide the cylindrical body portion of a can along the support and between the feed wheel and said cutting elements, said feed wheel having a scored peripheral surface to grip and advance the cylindrical body portion of a can between said feed wheel and said cutting elements with the lengthwise seam thereof extending into said space and said wheel having side surfaces to cooperate with said cutting elements, whereby the lengthwise seam being advanced into said space will be cut out of and removed from the cylindrical body portion of the can in the form of a cut strip having a width equal to the spacing between said cutting elements.

5 In salvage apparatus for cutting the lengthwise seam out of a can, an elongate support, a cutting device mounted at one end of said support and comprising a pair of power driven rotatable cutting wheels having their cutting edges rotating in substantially parallel planes ex'- tending axially of the support, means to separate said cutting wheels by a predetermined distance to form a space therebetween having a greater width than said seam, a second support in spaced parallel relation with said first support, a power driven rotatable feed wheel mounted at one end of said second support and having a thickness slightly less than the space between said eutting wheels to enable entry thereof between said cutting wheels, the power means for driving the cutting wheels and feed wheel rotating said cutting wheels and the feed wheel at equal speeds and including connecting means extending along the supports as to leave the space between said supports unobstructed, at least one of said supports and the elements carried thereby being of a size to pass longitudinally through the can, and means to guide the cylindrical body portion of a can over the support and between the feed wheel and said cutting wheels, said feed wheel having a scored peripheral surface to grip and advance the cylindrical body portion of a can between said feed wheel and said cutting wheels with the lengthwise seam thereof extending into said space and having side surfaces to cooperate with said cutting wheels, whereby the lengthwise seam being advanced into said space will be cut out of and removed from the cylindrical body portion of the can in the form of a strip having a width equal to the spacing between said cutting wheels.

References Cited in the file of this patent Number Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Dittman July 20, 1897 Kling July 30, 1901 Fuchs Nov. 10, 1903 Fernow Jan. 31, 1905 Hollingshead et al. Jan. 23, 1906 Gagne Jan. 2, 1917 Rendano Mar. 22, 1921 Purnell Feb. 9, 1926 Ruby July 23, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain May 12, 1899

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