Can crusher

Claim 1

A DEVICE FOR CRUSHING AND COMPACTING RIGID ARTICLES SUCH AS CANS, CARTONS AND THE LIKE, SAID DEVICE COMPRISING DOWNWARDLY CONVERGING WALL MEMBER DEFINING AN ELONGATE CHANNEL-SHAPE GUIDEWAY, A RIGID PRESSURE PLATE FIXEDLY CONNECTED WITH ONE END OF SAID GUIDEWAY AND PRESENTING A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT INNER FACE, SAID GUIDEWAY HAVING A DOWNWARDLY-FACING OPENING IN ONE END PORTION THEREOF, SAID PRESSURE PLATE V BOUNDING ONE SIDE OF THE OPENING, A RAM STRUCTURE INCLUDING A LOWER PORTION CORRESPONDING GENRALLY IN SHAPE TO SAID GUIDEWAY AND MOUNTED FOR LONGITUDINALLY SLIDING RECIPROCATING MOVEMENT ALONG SAID GUIDEWAY TOWARDS SAID PRESSURE PLATE AND RETURN THEREFROM, SAID RAM STRUCTURE PRESENTING A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT FACE DISPOSED IN SUBSTANTIALLY OPPOSED RELATION WITH RESPECT TO THE FLAT INNER FACE OF SAID PRESSURE PLATE, AN ELONGATE SLEEVE MEMBER FIXEDLY MOUNTED ON SAID RAM STRUCTURE, A THREADED ELEMENT IN SAID SLEEVE MEMBER, AN ELONGATE REVOLVABLE THREADED MEMBER THREADEDLY ENGAGING SAID THREADED ELEMENT AND PROJECTING INTO SAID SLEEVE MEMBER AND BEING REVOLVABLE RELATIVE THERETO RECIPROCATE THE RAM STRUCTURE ALONG THE GUIDEWAY, AND REVERSIBLE DRIVE MEANS BEING AUTOMATICALLY OPERABLE THROUGH ONE CYCLE OF OPERATION TO REVOLVE SAID THREADED MEMBER IN A DIRECTION TO SHIFT THE RAM STRUCTURE TOWARDS THE PRESSURE PLATE WHEREBY SAID RAM STRUCTURE WILL PROGRESSIVELY CRUSH AND COMPACT ARTICLES SUCH AS CANS, CARTONS AND THE LIKE AGAINST SAID PRESSURE PLATE, SAID DRIVE MEANS INCLUDING A CONTROL MECHANISM OPERABLE IN RESPONSE TO REDUCTION OF ANGULAR SPEED OF THE THREADED MEMBER TO AUTOMATICALLY REVERSE THE DIRECTION OF DRIVE OF SAID DRIVE MEANS AND THEREBY REVERSE THE DIRECTION OF ROTATION OF THE THREADED MEMBER AND TO THEREBY AUTOMATICALLY SHIFT THE RAM STRUCTURE IN A RETURN DIRECTION WHEREBY THE CRUSHED ARTICLE WILL BE RELEASED TO FALL THROUGH THE OPENING IN THE GUIDEWAY.

Claim 2

A DEVICE FOR CRUSHING AND COMPACTING RIGID ARTICLES SUCH AS CANS, CARTONS AND THE LIKE, SAID DEVICE COMPRISING DOWNWARDLY CONVERGING WALL MEMBER DEFINING AN ELONGATE CHANNEL-SHAPE GUIDEWAY, A RIGID PRESSURE PLATE FIXEDLY CONNECTED WITH ONE END OF SAID GUIDEWAY AND PRESENTING A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT INNER FACE, SAID GUIDEWAY HAVING A DOWNWARDLY-FACING OPENING IN ONE END PORTION THEREOF, SAID PRESSURE PLATE V BOUNDING ONE SIDE OF THE OPENING, A RAM STRUCTURE INCLUDING A LOWER PORTION CORRESPONDING GENRALLY IN SHAPE TO SAID GUIDEWAY AND MOUNTED FOR LONGITUDINALLY SLIDING RECIPROCATING MOVEMENT ALONG SAID GUIDEWAY TOWARDS SAID PRESSURE PLATE AND RETURN THEREFROM, SAID RAM STRUCTURE PRESENTING A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT FACE DISPOSED IN SUBSTANTIALLY OPPOSED RELATION WITH RESPECT TO THE FLAT INNER FACE OF SAID PRESSURE PLATE, AN ELONGATE SLEEVE MEMBER FIXEDLY MOUNTED ON SAID RAM STRUCTURE, A THREADED ELEMENT IN SAID SLEEVE MEMBER, AN ELONGATE REVOLVABLE THREADED MEMBER THREADEDLY ENGAGING SAID THREADED ELEMENT AND PROJECTING INTO SAID SLEEVE MEMBER AND BEING REVOLVABLE RELATIVE THERETO RECIPROCATE THE RAM STRUCTURE ALONG THE GUIDEWAY, AND REVERSIBLE DRIVE MEANS BEING AUTOMATICALLY OPERABLE THROUGH ONE CYCLE OF OPERATION TO REVOLVE SAID THREADED MEMBER IN A DIRECTION TO SHIFT THE RAM STRUCTURE TOWARDS THE PRESSURE PLATE WHEREBY SAID RAM STRUCTURE WILL PROGRESSIVELY CRUSH AND COMPACT ARTICLES SUCH AS CANS, CARTONS AND THE LIKE AGAINST SAID PRESSURE PLATE, SAID DRIVE MEANS INCLUDING A CONTROL MECHANISM OPERABLE IN RESPONSE TO REDUCTION OF ANGULAR SPEED OF THE THREADED MEMBER TO AUTOMATICALLY REVERSE THE DIRECTION OF DRIVE OF SAID DRIVE MEANS AND THEREBY REVERSE THE DIRECTION OF ROTATION OF THE THREADED MEMBER AND TO THEREBY AUTOMATICALLY SHIFT THE RAM STRUCTURE IN A RETURN DIRECTION WHEREBY THE CRUSHED ARTICLE WILL BE RELEASED TO FALL THROUGH THE OPENING IN THE GUIDEWAY.