Can crusher

Claim 1

A can crusher comprising: a base including a bottom plate defining a first end portion and a second end portion on two opposite end portions of said bottom plate and having a squeezing chamber formed in said base; a driving box secured on said base; a squeezing means including a ratchet bar having ratchet teeth formed on said bar and reciprocatively held on said base and said driving box, having a piston member fixed on a first end portion of the ratchet bar and having a ratchet bar handle formed on a second end portion of said bar opposite to said piston member; a lever means pivotally secured on said driving box having a first pawl pivotally secured on a lower portion of said lever means and normally engageable with said ratchet teeth of said ratchet bar, said first pawl operatively urging a ratchet tooth of said ratchet bar frontwardly towards said first end portion of said bottom plate and preventing a rearward retraction of said ratchet bar; a second pawl engageable with said ratchet tooth of said ratchet bar preventing a rearward retraction of said ratchet bar; said base including said bottom plate generally formed as rectangular shape having a plurality of fixing holes formed in the bottom plate for fixing the base on a wall by screws, a pair of longitudinal side walls longitudinally formed on two opposite sides of the bottom plate and protruding upwardly from the bottom plate, a holding plate portion secured with a holding platform formed on the first end portion of the bottom plate, a compression end plate formed on the first end portion of the bottom plate perpendicular to the bottom plate and adjacent to the holding platform having an upper extension of said compression end plate bent downwardly in a direction towards the second end portion of said bottom plate from said first end portion of said bottom plate for insertably retaining a can in the base, a retraction end plate formed on a second end portion of the bottom plate and secured with said driving box, said retraction end plate being opposite to the compression end plate and perpendicular to the bottom plate, and said squeezing chamber being confined by the bottom plate, the two side walls, the compression end plate and the retraction end plate; and said driving box including a box casing secured on said second end portion of the bottom plate and secured with the retraction end plate having a socket recessed in the casing, and a pair of bar holes longitudinally formed through the casing for reciprocatively engaging said ratchet bar in said two bar holes; whereby upon an upward pulling of said lever means to allow said first pawl to urge said ratchet bar frontwardly towards said first end portion of said bottom plate, said piston member will be pushed frontwardly to crush a can inserted in said squeezing chamber of said base means, and upon a lowering of said lever means, said first pawl will be slipped away from said ratchet teeth to be operatively re-engaged with another ratchet tooth ready for a next crushing operation.