Patent Grant
10357887
This invention relates to handles with lights embedded within the handles.
There are many different types of knives. In particular, pocket knives are very popular for a variety of functions. Pocket knives generally have blades that can be folded into a handle. Some pocket knives can be locked in the open configuration. Though there are many different types of knives which can be used for many different situations, knives with an illuminating feature have not been seen. Illuminating features can have a variety of benefits, particularly, emergency situations.
In addition, it is desirable to have pocket knives that can open easily, but at the same time maintain a closed configuration. Spring activated knives, such as stilettos and switch blades are illegal in some states due to the quick deployment action by activation of a button that releases a lock causing the spring to deploy the blade. Without the spring action, pocket knives experience resistance that prevents the blade from deploying effectively. Small protrusions have been added near the spine of some pocket knives to facilitate opening the blade with the thumb without spring action. Due to the location of the button near the tang, it is difficult to get leverage on the button; thereby only providing minimal facilitation in deploying the pocket knife.
Some pocket knives may be loose at the hinge allowing deployment of the knife to be easier. But that increases the chances that the pocket knife may open inadvertently. Similar problems exist for utility tools, such as multi-tools.
The illuminating effect can also be applied to any handle on any type of tool, instrument, equipment, gadget, device, appliance, and the like. The illuminating effect can be used in emergency situations to be able to locate the handle, to illuminate a particular area, or for entertainment and aesthetic purposes.
For the foregoing reasons there is a need for a handle with illuminating features.
The present invention is directed towards a handle incorporating a lighting affect that can be utilized for a variety of purposes on a variety of different types of tools, instruments, equipment, gadgets, devices, appliances, and the like. For ease of discussion and by way of example only, the present invention will be described in the context of a knife. In some embodiments, the invention of the present application may be a hand-held, utility tool, such as a multi-tool or a knife, such as a folding knife or a fixed-blade knife, that has illuminating capabilities. In some utility tools with folding components, such as folding knife embodiments, the blade or other tools may be spring-loaded to facilitate opening components of the tool as well as keeping components of the tool in the closed configuration. Preferably, the illuminating capabilities of the handle are provided by LEDs mounted on a printed circuit board. The printed circuit board is configured to provide varying illuminating displays. For example, the handle can display lights of different colors, solid lights, blinking lights, and combination thereof.
Preferably, the lights illuminate from the handles. Therefore, the handles comprise a plurality of slots through which the lights can be emitted. To enhance the lighting effect, translucent diffusers may be provided in between the LEDs in the housing of the handle. The LEDs can be powered by a rechargeable battery contained within a battery housing having a charging port to allow the rechargeable battery to be recharged.
The housing may also contain a spring biased against the blade to facilitate opening of blades and other components, as well as keeping the blades and other components in a closed configuration in knife and multi-tool embodiments.
The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of presently-preferred embodiments of the invention and is not intended to represent the only forms in which the present invention may be constructed or utilized. The description sets forth the functions and the sequence of steps for constructing and operating the invention in connection with the illustrated embodiments. It is to be understood, however, that the same or equivalent functions and sequences may be accomplished by different embodiments that are also intended to be encompassed within the spirit and scope of the invention.
The present invention is directed towards a handle having lighting effects. In particular, the handle comprises a plurality of slots through which lights mounted inside the handle can be emitted, preferably through a diffuser. Described herein is an example of a handle with the lighting effect as applied to a utility tool, such as a hand-held tool. In the preferred embodiment, the utility tool is a knife 100. The following description will be with respect to the handle 104 as applied to a knife 100, but the handle 104 of the present invention can be applied to other utility tools, such as pocket knives with additional tools, multi-tools, and the like, as well as many other tools, instruments, equipment, gadgets, devices, appliances, and the like, having handles.
With reference to
The housing 106 comprises a first housing section 120 defining the first lateral side 116 and a second housing section 122 defining the second lateral side 118. The first housing section 120 and the second housing section 122 mate with each at their respective interior sides 124, 126 to define a cavity 128. In folding knives, when the blade 300 is folded into the handle 104, a substantial portion of the blade 300, resides in the cavity 128 with the cutting edge 302 hidden and the spine 304 exposed. In fixed-blade knives, the cavity 128 houses the tang 308.
With reference to
In the preferred embodiment, the first translucent diffuser 134 comprises a plurality of protrusions 142 projecting perpendicularly from the exterior side 136 of the first translucent diffuser 134 towards the first housing section 120. One or more protrusions, and preferably all of the protrusions 142, may correspond with and is shaped substantially similar to one of the slots 130 in the first housing section 120 so that the protrusions 142 of the first translucent diffuser 134 can be inserted into one or more of the slots 130 in the first housing section 120. Preferably, each LED in the first set of LEDs 132 may correspond with one protrusion of the plurality of protrusions 142 so that the first set of LEDs 132 emit light through their respective protrusions 142. However, not all LEDs need to correspond with a protrusion. The first set of LEDs 132 may be operatively connected to a first printed circuit board 144 configured to control the lighting features of the first set of LEDs 132. With reference to
The LEDs 132 are powered by a battery 146 contained within the housing 106 and operatively connected to the first set of LEDs 132. Preferably, a battery housing 148 is provided to contain the battery 146. The battery housing 148 may comprise a charging port 150 so that the battery 146 can be recharged. In the preferred embodiment, the battery housing 148 is positioned at the proximal end 108 of the handle 104.
In the preferred embodiment, the handle 104 has a substantially similar illuminating mechanism on the opposite side 118 so that light can illuminate through the second housing section 122 just like the lights illuminating through the first housing section 120. Therefore, the second housing section 122 may also comprise a plurality of slots 152 through which light can be emitted. Like the first side described above, the second side may comprise a second printed circuit board 154 with a second set of LEDs 156 adjacent to the second housing section 122. The handle 104 may comprise a second translucent diffuser 158 adjacent to the second housing section 122. The second translucent diffuser 158 may comprise an exterior side 160 and an interior side 162 opposite the exterior side 160, with the exterior side 160 of the second translucent diffuser 158 placed adjacent to the interior side 126 of the second housing section 122 and the interior side 162 of the second translucent diffuser 158 placed adjacent to the second printed circuit board 154 and second set of LEDs 156.
In the preferred embodiment, a plurality of protrusions 166 may project perpendicularly from the exterior side 160 of the second translucent diffuser 158 towards the second housing section 122. One or more protrusions 166 on the second translucent diffuser 158 may correspond with and may be shaped substantially similar to one of a plurality of slots 152 in the second housing section 122 so that protrusions 166 of the second translucent diffuser 158 can be inserted into one or more of the slots 152 of the second housing section 122. In addition, the second printed circuit board 154 is placed adjacent to the second translucent diffuser 158 such that each LED of the second set of LEDs 156 corresponds with one of the protrusions 166 of the second translucent diffuser 158. However, in some embodiments, not all of the LEDs need to correspond with a protrusion. The second printed circuit board 154 and second set of LEDs 156 are also operatively connected to the battery 146 for power. In some embodiments the interior side 126 of the second housing section 122 may have a recessed portion 125 to receive the second transcendent diffuser 158.
In embodiments applied to knives and multi-tools, to improve the stability of the knife 100, and particularly, of the blade action, the knife 100 may comprise a blade frame 168, and preferably, two blade frames 168, 182. For ease of description, the blade 300 will considered as occupying generally the center area of the handle 104. Therefore, components positioned laterally away from the blade 300 will be referred to as being lateral or exterior, and components positioned towards the blade 300 will be referred to as being interior or medial.
The first blade frame 168 comprises a first end 170, a second end 172 opposite the first end 170, a first side 174, and a second side 176 opposite the first side 174. The first end 170 of the first blade frame 168 comprises a spindle hole 178. A spindle 180 is mounted in the spindle hole 178 so that the blade 300 can rotate about the spindle 180 to fold into the stowed configuration or deploy into the open configuration.
In the preferred embodiment, a second blade frame 182 is provided. The second blade frame 182 also comprises a first end 184, a second end 186 opposite the first end 184 a first side 188, and a second side 190 opposite the first side 188. Like the first blade frame 168, the second blade 182 frame comprises a spindle hole 192. The spindle 180 can be mounted on the spindle holes 178, 192 of the first and second blade frames 168, 182. The blade 300 is then mounted on the spindle 180 in between the first and second blade frames 168, 182.
In some embodiments of the folding blades, the first end 184 of the second blade frame 182 comprises a crescent-shaped slot 194. The crescent-shaped slot 194 partially circumscribes the spindle hole 192 and terminates at a top end 196 and a bottom end 198. The crescent-shaped slot 194 provides a guide for the spring action. A spring 200 is located adjacent to the second side 190 of the second blade frame 182. The spring 200 has a first end 202 that is connected to the blade 300 and a second end 204 that abuts against one of the housing sections. In this example, the second end 204 of the spring 200 abuts against the second housing section 122. With reference to
The top end 196 of the crescent-shaped slot 194 terminates above the spindle hole 192 at a location that prevents the first end 202 of the spring 200 from loving any further when the knife is fully deployed or opened. From the top end 196 of the crescent-shaped slot 194, the crescent-shaped slot 194 descends towards the front side 210 of the second blade frame 182, curves towards the second end 186 of the second blade frame 182 them curves towards the back side 212 of the second blade frame 182 and slightly upward back towards the first end 184 of the second blade frame 182. Therefore, when the blade 300 transitions from the fully open configuration towards the stowed configuration, the first end 202 of the spring 200 follows the path of the crescent-shaped slot 194 starting from the top end 196 and terminating at the bottom end 198 of the crescent-shaped slot 194 when the blade 300 is fully closed or stowed. Since the bottom end 198 of the crescent-shaped slot 194 curves slightly upwardly, when the blade 300 is in the closed configuration, the first end 202 of the spring 200 may be biased upwardly against the bottom end 198 of and the crescent-shaped slot 194. This biases the blade 300 to remain in the closed configuration reducing the chances for the blade 300 to deploy unwantedly.
With reference to
To accommodate a spring-assisted blade action, the tang 308 may further comprise an auxiliary hole 312 adjacent to the main hole 310. The first end 202 of the spring 200 can be inserted into the auxiliary hole 312 to facilitate opening of the blade 300 as well as maintaining the blade 300 in the close configuration. Preferably, the auxiliary hole 312 is positioned in between the main hole 310 and the cutting edge 302, so as to align with the crescent-shaped slot 194 in a manner that places the auxiliary hole 312 adjacent to the top end 196 of the crescent-shaped slot 194 when the blade 300 is open, and adjacent to the bottom end 198 of the crescent-shaped slot 194 when the blade 300 is in the closed configuration. The auxiliary hole 312 is also spaced apart from the main hole 310 sufficiently to allow the auxiliary hole 312 to follow the path of the crescent-shaped slot 194.
To prevent over rotation of the blade 300 in either the open configuration or the close configuration, the tang 308 further comprises a forward projection 320 on the cutting edge side projecting away from the cutting edge 302 and a rearward projection 322 on the spine side projecting away from the spine 304. The forward projection 320 and the rearward projection 322 provide a barricade to abut against a stop 324 positioned adjacent to the backside 114 of the handle 104 near the distal end 310. When the blade 300 is rotated into the fully open configuration, the rearward projection 322 abuts against the stop 324 preventing any further rotation of the blade 300 as shown in
In the folding knife embodiment, the backside 114 of the housing 106 is open at the distal end 110. In addition, the forward projection 320 is long enough such that when the blade 300 is in the fully closed configuration, the forward projection 320 projects out from the opening on the backside 114 of the housing 106. The forward projection 320 projects out far enough to provide sufficient leverage for the user to be able to depress the forward projection 320 downwardly from the distal end 110 towards the proximal end 108 to cause the blade 300 to move from the close configuration to the open configuration.
Due to the attachment of the spring 200, only a slight motion is required to cause the first end 202 of the spring 200 to move downwardly towards the proximal end 108 and forwardly towards the front side 112 at which point the first end 202 of the spring 200 facilitates movement up the crescent-shaped slot 194 causing the blade 300 to bias towards the open configuration. In the preferred embodiment, the stop 324 is mounted in between the first and second blade frames 168, 182 at the distal end 110 of the housing 106 adjacent to the backside 114 of the housing 106. As the blade reaches its fully open configuration, the rearward projection 322 abuts against the stop 324 preventing over rotation of the blade 300.
The knife may further comprise a lock 230. The lock 230 keeps the blade 300 in the open or deployed configuration. This prevents the blade 300 from inadvertently folding during use. In the preferred embodiment, the first blade 168 frame may comprise a liner lock. The liner lock is a portion of the first blade frame 168 that projects medially so as to be aligned directly underneath the tang 318 of the blade 300 rather than within the plane defined by the remainder of the blade frame 168. In such a configuration, the tang 318 is unable to rotate, keeping the blade 300 in the open configuration. In order to fold or unlock the knife, the liner lock is moved laterally towards the first housing section 120 so as to be offset from the tang 318 and in line with the plane defined by the remainder of the blade frame 168 allowing the tang 318 to rotate to the stowed configuration. In the stowed configuration, the tang 318 is now positioned medially adjacent to the liner lock rather than directly above the liner lock. Although the preferred embodiment is shown with a liner lock other types of locking mechanisms can be used, such as a lockback, frame lock, lever lock, and the like.
The lights can be turned on and off by activating a switch 102 on the handle 104 or by action of the blade 300 or other components (in knife or multi-tool embodiments having a blade or other deployable components).
In some embodiments, the knife 100 may be a folding knife, such as pocket knives, jack knives, utility knives, camping knives, multi-tools, and the like. In some embodiments, the folding knife may have a spring-assisted action to help open the blade 300 when the user wants to deploy the blade 300 and to keep the blade 300 in a stowed configuration when not in use. However, the illumination features in the handle 104 can also be applied to a fixed blade knife, such as hunting knives, tactical knives, Bowie knives, survival knives, machetes, carving knives, throwing knives, and the like.
The foregoing description of the preferred embodiment of the invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. It is intended that the scope of the invention not be limited by this detailed description, but by the claims and the equivalents to the claims appended hereto.
For example, although the description was based primarily on a single-bladed knife, the handle 104 and structures within the handle 104 can be applied to other utility tools, such as a Swiss Army knife, a Leatherman tool, and other multi-tools and pocket knives with blade and one or more additional tools, as well as any other tools, instruments, equipment, gadgets, devices, appliances, and the like, having handles. In some embodiments, the handles 104 would have to be larger to accommodate additional tools, such as scissors, screw drivers, can openers, bottle openers, cork screws, nail files, saws, shovels, magnifying glass, flashlight, toothpick, tweezers, wrench, shovel, spoon, fork, and the like. This change in dimension or size would not affect how the illuminating mechanism is arranged within the handle 104 and the slots 130, 152 on the housing 106. In addition, any one or more of the tools can utilize the spring 200 and related features as described above.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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| 20180099423 A1 | Apr 2018 | US |
