Press for tin cans

Claim 1

A PRESS FOR FLATTENING TIN CANS COMPRISING: (A) A HOUSING HAVING THEREIN AN INTERNAL BASE AND AN ACCESS OPENING THROUGH WHICH A TIN CAN MAY BE INSERTED TO REST ON SAID BASE, (B) A PRESSURE PLATE CARRIED IN SAID HOUSING FOR MOVEMENT THEREIN FROM AN UPPER RETRACTED POSITION SPACED APART FROM SAID BASE WHEREBY SAID CAN MAY BE INSERTED THEREBETWEEN, TO A LOWERED POSITION ADJACENT SAID BASE, WHEREBY SAID CAN IS FLATTENED THEREBETWEEN, (C) A REVERSIBLE ELECTRIC MOTOR CARRIED IN SAID HOUSING AND HAVING FIRST AND SECOND OPERATING ELECTRIC CIRCUITS OPERABLE TO CAUSE ROTATION OF SAID MOTOR IN RESPECTIVELY OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS RESPECTIVELY TO LOWER OR RAISE SAID PRESSURE PLATE, (D) ACTUATING MEANS CARRIED BY SAID HOUSING AND COMPRISING A REVERSING ELECTRIC SWITCH HAVING AN OPERATING MEMBER MOVABLE TO A FIRST POSITION TO CLOSE SAID FIRST OPERATING CIRCUIT, OR TO A SECOND POSITION TO CLOSE SAID SECOND OPERATING CIRCUIT, (E) MEANS BIASING SAID SWITCH OPERATING MEMBER YIELDABLY TO SAID SECOND POSITION, (F) MANUALLY OPERABLE MEANS FOR MOVING SAID SWITCH OPERATING MEMBER TO SAID FIRST POSITION AGAINST SAID BIASING MEANS, (G) A DOOR CARRIED FOR FREE VERTICAL MOVEMENT BY SAID HOUSING AND LOWERABLE BY GRAVITY TO CLOSE SAID CAN INSERTION OPENING THEREOF, (H) A BRACKET FIXED TO SAID DOOR AND NORMALLY RESTING BY GRAVITY ON THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID PRESSURE PLATE, WHEREBY SAID DOOR IS RAISED AND LOWERED WITH AND BY SAID PRESSURE PLATE, THE LOWER EDGE OF SAID DOOR EXTENDING SLIGHTLY BELOW SAID PRESSURE PLATE WHEN SAID BRACKET IS RESTING ON SAID PLATE, AND (I) A NORMALLY CLOSED SAFETY SWITCH MOUNTED ON SAID PRESSURE PLATE AND CONNECTED IN SERIES IN SAID FIRST MOTOR OPERATING CIRCUIT, SAID SWITCH HAVING AN OPERATING MEMBER ENGAGEABLE BY SAID BRACKET TO OPEN SAID SAFETY SWITCH WHENEVER SAID DOOR IS ELEVATED RELATIVE TO SAID PRESSURE PLATE.