BLADE SHARPENING DEVICE

Abstract

Provided herein is a blade sharpening device. The blade sharpening device may include a block configured to receive one or more blades and a sharpening mechanism. The sharpening mechanism may include one or more sharpening stones, one or more sliding mechanisms configured to receive the one or more sharpening stones, and one or more springs. When the one or more blades are inserted into the block, the one or more springs may provide upward tension to the sliding mechanisms, and the one or more sharpening stones may engage with the one or more blades to sharpen said blades. The sharpening mechanism may further include one or more gibs configured to receive the one or more sliding mechanisms.

Description

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a blade sharpening device. More specifically, the invention relates to a knife block configured to sharpen knife blades.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Knives are an essential component of the cooking process, and in many households, knives are used daily. This daily use can lead to wear and tear of the knives and can dull the knives and make them less effective. When the knives are dull, it can take users longer to accomplish tasks that would take significantly less time if the knives were sharpened. However, many users fail to sharpen their knives due to the associated difficulties and nuisances.

Many users must purchase and use another appliance to sharpen their knives. Users must undergo the difficulties and struggles associated with researching which product to purchase that may best suit their knives. Not only do users have to store the new appliance, but users must also undergo the hassles of remembering to sharpen their knives. Instead of being able to simply sharpen their knives and move onto their other tasks, users tend to forego sharpening their knives and use their dull knives instead. This use of dull, ineffective knives leads to further frustrations and difficulties when the knives do not operate as intended, and users waste significantly more time attempting to complete seemingly easy cutting tasks.

Present knife blocks exist which provide a means to sharpen knives, for example by including sharpening stones in the slots in which knives are stored. However, such appliances are difficult to use and require a user to insert a knife in a specific manner to sharpen the knife.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The present invention overcomes many of the shortcomings and limitations of the prior art devices discussed above. The invention described herein includes several embodiments of a blade sharpening device.

Rather than requiring separate appliances for storing and sharpening knives, the present invention described herein provides a multi-use knife storage and sharpening device. The knife block provided herein may include a sharpening mechanism. The sharpening mechanism may engage when a knife is inserted into the knife block. Users no longer need to even remember to sharpen their knives; further, users no longer need to use a second appliance. The present invention provides users with the simple solution of simply placing a knife into the knife block to sharpen it. When the knife is inserted, the sharpening mechanism is activated and sharpens the knives. Additionally, when the knife is removed, the sharpening mechanism is activated and sharpens the knives.

Specifically, the knife block herein solves the current problems as it does not require a user to insert a knife in a particular manner or specifically activate the sharpening mechanism in order for the knife to be sharpened. Rather, the solution provided herein allows a user to simply insert a knife into a knife block, and when the knife is inserted, a spring-loaded sharpening mechanism may be activated. The spring-loaded mechanism may apply a sharpening force to a knife regardless of how the knife is inserted into the block.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a knife sharpening device;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the knife sharpening device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a sharpening mechanism of the knife sharpening device of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the sharpening mechanism of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a cap of the knife sharpening device of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a slider of the knife sharpening device of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a gib of the knife sharpening device of FIGS. 1 and 2.

While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, a specific embodiment thereof is shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description presented herein are not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular embodiment disclosed, but to the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention will now be described with reference to the drawing figures, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout. For purposes of clarity in illustrating the characteristics of the present invention, proportional relationships of the elements have not necessarily been maintained in the drawing figures.

Turning first to FIG. 1, a knife sharpening device 1 may include a knife block 5 that may include non-sharpening slots 10 and sharpening slots 15. The knife block 5 may store several knives (not illustrated), and in some cases where the knives are inserted into sharpening slots 15, the knife block 5 may sharpen the knives. There may be any number of non-sharpening slots 10 and sharpening slots 15. As one example, there may be one sharpening slot 15 configured to sharpen any size of a knife. As illustrated in FIG. 1, there are seven non-sharpening slots 10 and five sharpening slots 15. The sharpening slots 15 may sharpen knives using the sharpening mechanism 20. The sharpening mechanism 20 may include a face-plate 25 to cover the sharpening components of the sharpening mechanism 20 (as set forth in greater detail herein with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4). The sharpening mechanism 20 preferably uses a spring-loaded system, such that when a user inserts a knife into the knife block 5, the spring-loaded system preferably provides force to a sharpening stone (not illustrated) in order to sharpen the knife.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the knife sharpening device 1 may further include feet 30 which may attach to an underside 35 of the knife block 5. The feet 30 may be detachable and adjustable. The feet 30 may be made of any material. In one embodiment, the feet 30 preferably prevent the knife sharpening device 1 from sliding atop a countertop or other storage surface.

The face 40 of the knife block 5 may include an indented portion 45 configured to receive a bezel 50. The face-plate 25 may attach to the bezel 50 and may create a sleek, finished look for the final, fully-assembled knife sharpening device 1. The bezel 50 and its associated components, as set forth in greater detail herein with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, may fit partially into the indented portion 45, such that some of the components are contained within the indented portion 45. The bezel 50 may have an underside 55 configured to receive the sharpening components, as illustrated in FIG. 3.

Sliders 60 may be provided on the underside 55 of the bezel 50. The sliders 60 may be longer or shorter than other sliders 60. For example, a slider 60a may be longer than a slider 60b. The size and shape of the sliders 60 may be dependent on the size of the knife slot and may cover and uncover the underside of the knife slots of the knife block 5. Further, the sliders 60 may be sized in various manners in order to sharpen knives of various sizes.

When used in operation, a user may insert a knife into a sharpening slot 15 of the knife block 5. When the knife is inserted, the slider 60 may translate downward. A spring 65 attached to the slider 60 may provide tension, as it may bias toward an un-engaged state. Using the tension provided by the spring 65, a sharpening stone (see FIG. 4 and example sharpening stones 80) attached to the slider 60 may press against and sharpen the knife. The spring-loaded slider 60 may provide tension to the knife through the sharpening stone. When the knife is removed, the slider 60 may translate upward, and the spring 65 may be un-engaged. This spring-loaded system may provide a user with a simple manner of sharpening a knife, as the knife preferably engages with the sharpening mechanism 20 when inserted.

The gibs 70 may attach to the sliders 60 and may preferably maintain the positioning of the sliders 60 and its corresponding components in place. The gibs 70 may be any shape or size and may correspond to the size of the associated sliders (illustrated as a longer gib 70a and a shorter gib 70b).

Turning now to FIG. 4, the underside 55 of the bezel 50 may receive sliders 60 via built-in attachment components 75. There may be any number of sliders in various embodiments; as illustrated, there are three sliders 60 (one slider 60a, two sliders 60b). The sliders 60 may vary in size. For example, slider 60a may be longer than sliders 60b, and each may be configured for use with a particular knife. The size of the sliders 60 may correspond to the size of the gibs 70; as illustrated, slider 60a corresponds to gib 70a, and sliders 60b correspond to gibs 70b. The sliders 60 may be configured to receive and contain sharpening stones 80. The sharpening stones 80 may be made of any material known in the art to be capable of sharpening blades, including knives. However, it should be understood that the sharpening stones 80 may or may not be configured to sharpen serrated knives. The sharpening stones 80 may be v-shaped and may include a peak at which the blades can be sharpened. The sharpening stones 80 may be configured as two rectangular portions, one placed atop the other. In one embodiment, the sharpening stones 80 include a lower stone 85 and an upper stone 90. The sliders 60 may include lower stone cavities 95 in which the sharpening stones 80 may be received. Specifically, the lower stone cavities 95 may be configured to receive the lower stone 85 of the sharpening stone 80. The lower stone cavities 95 may prevent the sharpening stones 80 from substantially moving within the sliders 60.

The sharpening stones 80 may be secured on the sliders 60 via caps 100. The caps 100 may include an upper stone cavity (not illustrated in FIG. 4 but shown in greater detail with reference to FIG. 5) configured to receive an upper stone 90 of a sharpening stone 80. The sliders 60 may attach to the caps 100 via attachment members 105. The attachment members 105 may be knob-like and may be cylindrical. The attachment members 105 may project outward from the sliders 60 such that the attachment members 105 can be placed into and through the cap slots 110.

Each slider 60 may be further configured to receive a spring 65. The slider 60 may include a spring cavity 115 located on the frontside of the sliders 60, and the spring cavity 115 may further include a spring connection member 120 configured to receive the spring 65. The spring connection member 120 may project downward into the spring cavity 115 of the slider 60. In one embodiment, the spring connection member 120 may be fully received within the inside of the spring 65. The gibs 70 may interlock with and connect to the sliders 60 as set forth in greater detail herein with reference to FIGS. 6-7.

Turning now to FIG. 5, the caps 100 may include an upper stone cavity 125 configured to receive the sharpening stone 80. The upper stone cavity 125 may be located on one side of the cap 100 in order to receive the upper stone 90 of the sharpening stone 80. The caps 100 may include cap slots 110 configured to receive the corresponding attachment member 105 (not illustrated). In one embodiment, the cap slots 110 are circular.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, the sliders 60 may include a gib connection member 130. The gib connection member 130 may be made from two parallel gib cavity members 135. The gib cavity members 135 may be separated apart from one another and may define therebetween a gib cavity 140 configured to receive the gib 70 (not illustrated). The separation between the gib cavity members 135 may provide enough space for gib projection members (not illustrated) to be received with in the gib cavity 140. The slider 60 may include two gib connection members 135 on substantially opposite sides of the sliders 60.

Turning to FIG. 7, the gib 70 may include gib projection members 145. The gibs 70 may include a set of gib connection members 145 on substantially opposite sides of the gibs 70. The size of the gib projection members 145 may be dependent upon the size and shape of the gib cavity 140 (as illustrated in FIG. 6). The gib projection members 145 may slide into the gib cavity 140 and may be configured to translate within the gib cavity 140.

As is evident from the foregoing description, certain aspects of the present invention are not limited by the particular details of the examples illustrated herein, and it is therefore contemplated that other modifications, applications, variations, or equivalents thereof, will occur to those skilled in the art. Many such changes, modifications, variations, and other uses and applications of the present constructions will, however, become apparent to those skilled in the art after considering the specification and the accompanying drawings. In addition, unless mention was made above to the contrary, it should be noted that all of the accompanying drawings are not to scale. All such changes, modifications, variations, and other uses and applications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present inventions are deemed to be covered by the inventions which are limited only by the claims which follow.

Claims

1. A blade sharpening device comprising: a block configured to receive one or more blades within one or more slots of the block; anda sharpening mechanism positioned and located within the one or more slots, the sharpening mechanism comprising: one or more sharpening stones;one or more sliding mechanisms configured to receive the one or more sharpening stones; andone or more springs;wherein when the one or more blades are inserted into the block, the one or more springs provide upward tension to the sliding mechanisms, and the one or more sharpening stones engage with the one or more blades.

2. The blade sharpening device of claim 1, further comprising one or more gibs configured to receive the one or more sliding mechanisms.

3. The blade sharpening device of claim 1, wherein the upward tension provided by the one or more springs to the sliding mechanisms provides an upward force onto the one or more blades inserted into the block.

4. The blade sharpening device of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more springs are at least one of: a plastic spring; a leaf spring; and a molded spring.

5. The blade sharpening device of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more springs provides at least one of: linear spring force; and variable spring force.

6. The blade sharpening device of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more springs are made of at least one of: steel; rubber; plastic; and metal alloys.

7. The blade sharpening device of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more springs provides a force of at least 0.1 pounds of force.

8. The blade sharpening device of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more sharpening stones are made of at least one of: ceramic; carbide; diamond; natural; and water.

9. A blade sharpening device comprising: a block configured to receive one or more blades within one or more slots of the block; anda sharpening mechanism positioned and located within the one or more slots, the sharpening mechanism comprising: one or more sharpening stones;one or more sliding mechanisms configured to receive the one or more sharpening stones;one or more springs; andone or more gibs configured to receive the one or more sliding mechanisms;wherein when the one or more blades are inserted into the block, the one or more springs provide upward tension to the sliding mechanisms, and the one or more sharpening stones engage with the one or more blades.

10. The blade sharpening device of claim 9, wherein the upward tension provided by the one or more springs to the sliding mechanisms provides an upward force onto the one or more blades inserted into the block.

11. The blade sharpening device of claim 9, wherein when the one or more sharpening stones engage with the one or more blades, the one or more sharpening stones sharpen the one or more blades.

12. The blade sharpening device of claim 9, wherein each of the one or more springs are at least one of: a plastic spring; a leaf spring; and a molded spring.

13. The blade sharpening device of claim 9, wherein each of the one or more springs provides at least one of: linear spring force; and variable spring force.

14. The blade sharpening device of claim 9, wherein each of the one or more springs are made of at least one of: steel; rubber; plastic; and metal alloys.

15. The blade sharpening device of claim 9, wherein each of the one or more springs provides a force of at least 0.1 pounds of force.

16. The blade sharpening device of claim 9, wherein each of the one or more sharpening stones are made of at least one of: ceramic; carbide; diamond; natural; and water.

17. A cutlery block comprising: one or more slots configured to receive one or more blades; anda sharpening mechanism positioned and located within the one or more slots, the sharpening mechanism comprising: one or more sharpening stones;one or more sliding mechanisms configured to receive the one or more sharpening stones; andone or more springs;wherein when the one or more blades are inserted into the block, the one or more springs provide upward tension to the sliding mechanisms, and the one or more sharpening stones engage with the one or more blades.

18. The cutlery block of claim 17, further comprising one or more gibs configured to receive the one or more sliding mechanisms.

19. The cutlery block of claim 17, wherein the upward tension provided by the one or more springs to the sliding mechanisms provides an upward force onto the one or more blades inserted into the block.

20. The cutlery block of claim 17, wherein each of the one or more springs provides a force of at least 0.1 pounds of force.