KNIFE SHARPENER WITH IMPROVED KNIFE GUIDES

Abstract

Various forms of knife guides are provided for knife sharpeners to minimize damage to the knife blade. The knife guides include the provision of flexible fibers on the guide surface and further include rings, such as O-rings on an array of rollers when the rollers are used to form the guide surface. Other forms of knife guides are non-contact optical arrangements.

Description

THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a roller guide with an abrasive element and a knife, in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 shows a roller guide with a brush, in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 3 shows a roller guide roller with a coating, in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 4 shows a roller guide roller with a coating, in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 5 shows a roller guide roller with spaced rings, in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 6 shows a roller guide roller with o-rings, in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 7A shows a bearing or wheel guide with a coating, in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 7B shows a bearing or wheel guide with o-rings, in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 8 shows covered wheels and bearings used as guides, partially in cross section, in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 9 shows a ball bearing guide in elevation view, in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 11 shows a molded pattern on a knife guide, in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 11 shows a cross section of a molded pattern, in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 12 shows an inclined guide with vertical fibers on surface, in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 13 shows a rigid guide with flocked material coating, in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 14 shows vertical fiber guides on both side of a blade, in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 15 shows vertical fibers on an inclined plane guide and on a knife retaining spring, in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 15A shows vertical fibers on a backing material, in accordance with this invention;

3

FIG. 16 shows a knife sharpener with an optical knife guide in plan view, in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 16A shows an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 16;

FIG. 17 shows a knife sharpener with an optical knife guide in elevation view, in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 18 shows a knife sharpener with an electro optical knife guide in plan view, in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 19 shows a knife sharpener with an electro optical knife guide in elevation view, in accordance with this invention; and

FIG. 20 shows a bottom plan view of the knife sharpener of FIGS. 16 to 19 identifying the lower compartment.

Claims

1. A blade sharpener for modifying the edge of a knife blade by abrasive sharpening, steeling, or conditioning the blade edge comprising an edge modifying element, a surfaced knife guiding structure that minimizes scratching, abrading, burnishing or defacement of the knife blade as it makes sustained moving contact with the guide surface of said structure in order to control the angle at which the edge is being modified by the sharpening, steeling, or conditioning element, said guide surface of said knife guiding structure being nonabrasive and having a configuration to allow particles of swarf and abrasive material resulting from the edge modifying process to move below said guide surface if contacted by the moving blade.

2. A blade sharpener according to claim 1 wherein said guiding structure comprises an array of rollers which are freely rotatable and arranged to provide said guide surface as a planar support formed by spaced portions of said rollers with the intermediate regions between said spaced portions comprising said configuration which allows particles to move below said guide surface.

3. A blade sharpener according to claim 2 wherein said rollers have a raised thread to further comprise said configuration.

4. A blade sharpener according to claim 2 including a cleaning mechanism disposed for contacting said rollers at a location remote from the blade to remove debris from said rollers, and said cleaning mechanism including vertical fibers in contact with the surface of said rollers.

5. A blade sharpener according to claim 2 wherein said rollers have an elastomeric outer surface to further comprise said configuration.

6. A blade sharpener according to claim 2 wherein said rollers have a foam surface to further comprise said configuration.

7. A blade sharpener according to claim 2 wherein circumferential spaced rings are mounted around said rollers to comprise said configuration and to minimize the area of contact with the blade.

8. A blade sharpener according to claim 7 wherein said rings are 0-rings.

9. A blade sharpener according to claim 2 wherein said rollers are mounted on static shafts, at least one individual roller bearing being mounted on said shaft, and spaced members mounted on said roller bearings.

10. A blade sharpener according to claim 9 wherein said spaced members are rings mounted around said roller bearing.

11. A blade sharpener according to claim 9 wherein each of said spaced members is a foam layer around said roller bearing.

12. A blade sharpener according to claim 2 wherein the surface of said rollers has circumferential patterns which include raised areas that reduce the area of contact by the knife blade with said rollers and which provide recessed areas that further comprise said configuration.

13. A blade sharpener according to claim 1 wherein said guiding structure comprises at least three freely rotatable balls disposed in contact with each other to provide a planar support created by spaced contact regions of said balls for contact with the blade, and the spacing between said contact regions comprising said configuration.

14. A blade sharpener according to claim 1 wherein said guiding structure guide surface includes raised areas which reduce the area of contact by the knife blade with said guiding structure which provide recessed areas to comprise said configuration.

15. A blade sharpener according to claim 1 wherein said guiding structure includes a bed of yieldable material on said guide surface which comprises said configuration.

16. A blade sharpener according to claim 15 wherein said bed of yieldable material comprises flexible fibers of sufficient depth to comprise said configuration.

17. A blade sharpener according to claim 16 including a spring member disposed near said guiding structure to urge the blade against said guiding structure, and fibers being mounted to said spring member for being disposed into contact with the blade.

18. A blade sharpener according to claim 15 wherein said yieldable material is a matt-like material.

19. A blade sharpener according to claim 15 wherein said guiding structure is a first guiding structure, and a second identical guiding structure disposed near and parallel to said first guiding structure to create a slot therebetween through which the blade may be inserted.

20. A blade sharpener according to claim 15 wherein said fibers are mounted to a substructure having an adhesive coating for attachment to said guide surface.

21. A knife sharpener for modifying the edge of a knife blade by abrasive sharpening, steeling or conditioning the blade edge, comprising at least one edge modifying element, at least one knife guide to control the angle of the blade and its edge facet relative to said at least one edge modifying element, said guide comprising a light source for directing at least one light beam that impinges on at least one surface of the blade, at least one light detector for capturing the light reflected off the surface of the blade, and an indicator that monitors and displays the intensity of light reflected from the blade surface as a function of the angle of the blade surface to assist the user maintaining a constant angle of the blade as it is moved through said sharpener with its edge in contact with the one edge modifying element.

22. A knife sharpener according to claim 21 wherein said edge modifying element is located on said sharpener between said light source and said indicator.

23. A knife sharpener according to claim 22 wherein said detector comprises a pair of lenses and fiber optic bundles whereby the relative intensity of two reflected light beams can be matched when the angle of the blade is constant.

24. A knife sharpener according to claim 22 wherein said light source is a light emitting diode and said detector comprises light sensitive detectors, said indicator including a visual or audio signal indicator to permit the intensity of light/sound to be maximized when the intensity of the reflected beams is balanced.