Patent Application
20250058483
Knives come in a variety of different configurations, such as a knife that is able to fold, i.e., a folding knife, in/out of a protective frame so that the knife can be carried in the pocket securely without the blade of the knife being exposed. To be able to deploy the blade of the knife, a deployment mechanism facilitates this action. Many deployment mechanisms, e.g., a flipper tab, protrude from the spine of the blade, and can make the knife difficult to carry or hold, and potentially dangerous while using the knife to perform a task, such as a task where the user chokes up on the knife and the deployment mechanism interferes with a user's grip/hold on the knife.
To address the problems of such deployment mechanisms, the device disclosed herein has an actuator portion which is able to rotate into the frame of the knife when the blade is in both a undeployed/closed or deployed/opened configuration. A user of the knife is able to apply pressure on the actuator portion such that the actuator portion rotates/pivots out of the frame of the knife. In both the undeployed and deployed configurations of the knife, the actuator portion remains recessed or concealed residing in the frame of the knife. The incorporation of such a deployment mechanism into a folding knife provides for more comfortable carry and operation of a knife, such as to reduce the risk of accidental deployment. In addition to the actuator portion, the device disclosed herein also has another deployment mechanism which includes guide posts or thumb studs/pegs. The guide posts extend from the lock frame of the knife through the scales/grips/handle of the knife such that each guide post protrudes on opposing sides of the knife so that a user is able to use alternative fingers to deploy/undeploy the blade. Having multiple deployment mechanisms provides for more versatility of the knife, as well as redundancy in locking features to reduce the possibility of the knife failing while in use and causing potential injury or damage to the user.
In the present disclosure, the apparatus for opening/closing a knife includes an actuator including a pivot. The apparatus includes a lock frame including a first end and a second end. The first end includes a lock protruding portion and an extension portion. The second end includes a tapered portion, and the actuator is rotatably mounted via the pivot to the extension portion. The apparatus for opening/closing a knife also includes a tension member. The apparatus for opening/closing a knife also includes a lock mount portion. The lock protruding portion includes a guide post to secure the lock frame to the lock mount portion. The apparatus for opening/closing a knife also includes a bolt, and the tension member is captive between the actuator, the lock frame, and the bolt.
The disclosure is described in more detail below on the basis of drawings. In the drawings:
The figures use the same reference numerals for identical or similar components, even when there is no repeated description on grounds of simplification.
In
An actuator portion 102 is pivotally mounted via a pivot portion 116 to a lock mount portion 126. In addition to the lock mount portion 126, there is another lock mount portion (not numbered) similar to the lock mount portion 126 and opposes the lock mount portion 126. The lock mount portion(s) 126 are positioned parallel with respect to each other and keep a tension portion/spring 118 captive/enclosed in a lock frame 124 in an assembled state of the knife. The lock mount portion 126 has a stop pin 106 that spans between the lock mount portion(s) 126 so as to fix the lock mount portion(s) 126 when the knife is in an assembled state. In some embodiments, the stop pin 106 is fixed to one of the lock mount portion(s) 126. In some embodiments, the stop pin 106 is held in place by pressure between the lock mount portion(s) 126 when the knife is in the assembled state. In some embodiments, the stop pin 106 is a solid component. In some embodiments, the stop pin 106 is a hollow component which reduces the weight of the knife (as shown in
The lock mount portion(s) 126 are also fixed into recessed portion(s) 128, the recessed portion(s) 128 having a shape complementary to a shape of the lock mount portion(s) 126. In some embodiments, the recessed portion(s) 128 are part of a liner (not numbered) that fits/nests within the scales/grips/handle 130 in an interior portion of the knife. In some embodiments, the recessed portion(s) 128 are part of the scales/grips/handle 130, itself (as shown in
Force vectors (not shown) of the tension portion/spring 118 are substantially parallel to the movement of the tension portion/spring 118. Due to the force vector applied by the tension portion/spring 118 against the actuator portion 102, the actuator portion 102 is able to be at a resting (non-actuated) position with a length portion 146 (see
The lock frame 124 moves in a direction parallel to the lock mount portion(s) 126 and in a longitudinal direction of the knife. In some embodiments, a guide post 122 is fixed to a lock protruding portion 104 of the lock frame 124. In some embodiments, the guide post 122 is detachably mounted to the lock protruding portion 104. The lock protruding portion 104 and the lock frame 124 are integral components. The lock frame 124 is a substantially U-shaped component having a first end 134 from which the lock protruding portion 104 extends and a second end 132, the first end 134 being parallel to the second end 132.
In
The second end 132 has a tapered portion 136 that extends therefrom. The tapered portion 136 and the lock protruding portion 104 are substantially parallel with respect to each other. The lock protruding portion 104 has an extension portion 138. The extension portion 138 extends into the actuator portion 102 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the second end 132/the tapered portion 136 extends. The actuator portion 102 is pivotally mounted via the pivot portion 116 to the extension portion 138 (see
The tension portion/spring 118 (see
As seen in
In some embodiments, the guide post 122 extends from one side of the scale/grip/handle 130 to the opposing side of the scale/grip/handle on other side (not shown), hence, the guide post 122 is also able to be utilized as an actuator to open/close the blade, like actuator portion 102. The guide post 122 moves relative to the lock mount portion(s) 126 and parallel to the movement of the tension portion/spring 118 linearly along a track/groove portion 154 of the lock mount portion(s) 126. In some embodiments, the guide post 122 includes two guide posts, each guide post protruding from the protruding portion 104 through the lock mount portion(s) 126 via the track/groove portion 154. In some embodiments, a first guide post of the two guide posts can be longer than a second guide post of the two guide posts. In addition to deploying/undeploying of the blade via the actuator portion 102, the guide post(s) 122 can be utilized to deploy/undeploy the blade.
In the undeployed configuration as seen in
In the present disclosure, the apparatus for opening/closing a knife includes an actuator including a pivot. The apparatus includes a lock frame including a first end and a second end. The first end includes a lock protruding portion and an extension portion. The second end includes a tapered portion, and the actuator is rotatably mounted via the pivot to the extension portion. The apparatus for opening/closing a knife also includes a tension member. The apparatus for opening/closing a knife also includes a lock mount portion. The lock protruding portion includes a guide post to secure the lock frame to the lock mount portion. The apparatus for opening/closing a knife also includes a bolt, and the tension member is captive between the actuator, the lock frame, and the bolt.
The actuator is configured to rotate between the lock protruding portion and the tapered portion or the second end. The pivot is at a portion of the actuator closest to the tension member. The actuator includes a slot/aperture portion. The first slot/aperture portion is configured to receive the tapered portion. The lock frame includes a slot/aperture portion. The apparatus for opening/closing the knife includes a blade of the knife which is configured to rotate through the second slot/aperture portion. The guide post extends through a track/groove portion of the lock mount portion to protrude through a scale/grip/handle of the knife. The guide post is configured to move in a linear direction through a track/groove portion of the lock mount portion. The guide post includes a first guide post and a second guide post. The extension portion extends in a direction orthogonal to a direction in which the lock protruding portion extends. The actuator is configured in a position which is recessed beneath a scale/grip/handle of the knife. The tension member applies a force to a bottom portion of the actuator to maintain the actuator in a position which is recessed beneath a scale/grip/handle of the knife. The lock frame is substantially parallel to a track/groove portion of the lock mount portion. The lock frame is a substantially U-shaped component.
The foregoing description of some embodiments of the disclosure has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. The description is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise form disclosed, and modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The specifically described embodiments explain the principles and practical applications to enable one ordinarily skilled in the art to utilize various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It should be understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations can be made hereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.
