The present invention relates to knife holders and blocks for storage of knives. More particularly, it relates to a locking knife holder or block.
Knife holders, or knife blocks, are designed to store knives in a safe and convenient manner. They allow for storing knives in a way that both protects the blade from damage and prevents a user from cutting themselves. However, the accessibility of all known knife holders allows anyone to remove a knife. This can be especially problematic with young children who do not understand the potential danger of knives.
In accordance with one implementation, the knife holder includes a body, at least one slot in the body for receiving at least one knife, and a locking mechanism in communication with the at least one slot and configured to selectively lock the at least one knife within the at least one slot.
According to one implementation, the locking mechanism includes an electromagnet positioned in the body, a power source within the body and electrically connected to the electromagnet, and a switch accessible from outside the body and electrically connected to the power source and electromagnet.
According to yet another implementation, the locking mechanism includes a rotating magnet disposed within body and having at least two distinct and different magnetic strengths relative to the at least one slot and thereby relative to the at least one knife. The at least two distinct magnetic strengths being determined based on a rotational position of the magnet relative to the at least one slot. One of said two distinct strengths being high enough to prevent removal of the at least one knife from the at least one slot.
According to another implementation, the knife holder includes a body, electronic circuity inside the body, at least one permanent magnet and at least one electromagnet electrically coupled to the circuit. A switch electrically coupled to the circuity and the at least one electromagnet is configured to selectively activate and deactivate the at least one electromagnet.
Other aspects and features of the present principles will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed solely for purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the present principles, for which reference should be made to the appended claims. It should be further understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale and that, unless otherwise indicated, they are merely intended to conceptually illustrate the structures and procedures described herein.
In the drawings wherein like reference numerals denote similar components throughout the views:
In accordance with one implementation of the invention, the rotating magnet has different levels or strengths of magnetic force depending on which side is exposed to the front of the block or depending on distance relative to the slot.
As can be appreciated from the above discussion, the ability to lock or secure the knives in place within the block provides an increased safety feature, particularly for households that have children who may try to play with the knives on the counter.
In some embodiments, the rotating magnetic 108 may include two different magnets of different magnetic strength levels. Half (or a portion thereof) of the rotating magnetic 108 may be composed of a magnetic with stronger magnetic properties. The other half (or portion thereof) of the rotating magnetic 108 may be composed of a magnetic with weaker magnetic properties. When the strong magnetic half faces the knives 104, a strong magnetic force is exerted on the knives 104 and a user is unable to remove the knives 104 from the knife holder 102. When the weak magnetic half faces the knives 104, a weak magnetic force is exerted on the knives and a user is able to remove the knives 104 from the knife holder 102.
Referring to
In accordance with other contemplated implementations of the locking knife holder of the present invention, the holder can include one or more sensors 218 positioned such that they sense the presence or absence of a knife. Additionally, the holder can also include network circuitry 214 that is either wired (via an ethernet connection on the back of block—not shown) or via wireless network connections (e.g., Bluetooth, WiFi, etc.). In this manner, the knife holder can be connected to the user's home or business network and allow the user, for example, to remotely lock and unlock the same using their smartphone device 250 using an application designed for the same, or to sense and let the owner of the smartphone device 250 know when a knife is present or not, via sensors 218.
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In order to release the blade from the slot 410, the magnetic key 430 is placed against the reference point 408 outside the desired slot 410, and the magnet 434 of the key attracts the magnet 422 of the locking mechanism and draws the same toward the key (against the bias of spring 424) to remove the locking pawl 426 from the slot 410, thereby freeing the knife blade 450 and knife for use.
In accordance with other contemplated embodiments, the knife block and knives can be packaged together, and the mechanical locking system can be particular to the specific knives in the package. By way of one example, locking pawl 426 could be a cylindrical rod, and the knife blades could have a hole in them such that insertion of the knife into the block slot will cause the rod (at a predetermined point) to engage and pass through the hole in the blade, thus locking the knife into place within the slot. In another embodiment, the knives could simply have a notch at a predetermined point, and the locking pawl 426 is configured to fit into the notch when the knife is positioned in the slot.
While there have been shown, described and pointed out fundamental novel features of the present principles, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form and details of the methods described and devices illustrated, and in their operation, may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the same. For example, it is expressly intended that all combinations of those elements and/or method steps which perform substantially the same function in substantially the same way to achieve the same results are within the scope of the present principles. Moreover, it should be recognized that structures and/or elements and/or method steps shown and/or described in connection with any disclosed form or implementation of the present principles may be incorporated in any other disclosed, described or suggested form or implementation as a general matter of design choice. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto.
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