The above description and other objects, advantages, and features of the present invention will be more fully understood and appreciated by reference to the specification and accompanying drawings, wherein:
Referring to the figures, like elements retain their indicators throughout the several views.
Although
In an alternate embodiment, Knife Maintenance Apparatus 100 has an indentation or groove disposed the length of and approximately centered in Hone Body 102. This groove is for sharpening pointed tools such as awls, center punches or scribes. Fishing hooks could also be sharpened in this abrasive coated groove.
Typically, blades are sharpened with either a sharpening steel or a honing stone. The user must be skilled at maintaining the optimal angle between the sharpening device and the knife blade in order to get a fine, sharp blade. With the present invention, the user merely has to hold the knife blade horizontal and run it down and along Hone Body 102. Hone Body 102 is opened and locked into one of the several adjustable positions the user chooses to provide the correct angle for the job at hand. With the present invention, the ability to easily remove the cover from Hone Body 102 allows the user to practice holding the knife at the correct angle before attempting to sharpen the blade. This non-abrasive sharpening practice will likely save the blade from unnecessary reduction, damage, or further dulling.
Base 108 is shown hingably attached by Lower Hinge Pin 110 to Hone Body 102. Adjustment Sliding Portion 106 slides along the top surface of and parallel to Base 108. Adjustment Sliding Portion 106 has two Pivot Lobes 105 extending above Adjustment Sliding Portion 106. Adjustment Arm 104 is hingably attached at one end to Hone Body 102 by Upper Hinge Pins 112 and at the opposite end at Pivot Lobe 105 by Pivot Should Pins 107 (not shown). As Knife Maintenance Apparatus 100 is pulled to a sharpening or open position, Adjustment Sliding Portion 106 slides away from Lower Hinge Pin 110 as Adjustment Arm 104 becomes more vertical, thereby increasing the sharpening angle of Hone Body 102. When the desired angle is reached, Adjustment Sliding Portion is locked into place by a latching means (see
To close and stow Knife Maintenance Apparatus 100, the latching means is released and Adjustment Sliding Portion 106 slides toward Lower Hinge Pin 110 thereby collapsing Knife Maintenance Apparatus 100 into a flat, compact kit. In the closed form, Knife Maintenance Apparatus 100 can be easily slipped into a pocket for field use or a thin drawer for kitchen or shop storage.
First Radiused Edge 202 is shown with a fairly small radius. This is useful for sharpening knives with narrower, shallow serrations or similar curved blades. Second Radiused Edge 204 has a radius larger than the radius of First Radiused Edge 202 to accommodate knives with wider, deeper serrations. To sharpen serrated edged knives, Knife Maintenance Apparatus 100 is laid on its side either open or closed and each serration drawn along either First Radiused Edge 202 or Second Radiused Edge 204 depending upon the shape of the serrations on the knife.
The shape of Hone Body 102 for straight and curved knives and the varying radiuses of the edges of Hone Body 102 for serrated knives, easily take the place of at least three blade sharpening tools.
Lower Hinge Pin 110 extends through Hone Body 102 and into Base 108 thereby allowing the angle of Hone Body 102 relative to Base 108 to be easily altered to suit substantially all knife sharpening needs.
As depicted in
Retaining Flange Slot 302 is shown in phantom along both inner edges of Base 108. This is the travel slot for Retaining Flange 304 of Adjustment Sliding Portion 106 when moving between the open and closed positions.
The
Alternate embodiments of Knife Maintenance Apparatus 100 have been contemplated that vary in size to suit many needs. For example, in a smaller version, Knife Maintenance Apparatus 100 can be mounted to or be part of a motor body or housing that vibrates, oscillates, or some other suitable motion to satisfy the sharpening process.
Wherein the terms and expressions which have been employed in the foregoing specification are used therein as terms of description and not of limitation, there is no intention, in the use of such terms and expressions, of excluding equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, it being recognized that the scope of the invention is defined and limited only by the claims which follow.
This application claims the benefit of Provisional Patent Application No. 60/833,606, filed Jul. 28, 2007, by the present inventor.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60833606 | Jul 2006 | US |