This invention relates to providing an upright handgrip attachable to household knives.
The common household knife can be difficult and unsafe to use by people troubled with reduced wrist and hand strength or control. Accordingly, a few manufacturers offer knives made with upright handles that are much more usable for such people. These single-purpose knives are expensive, however, and several would be required to serve the various kitchen needs—butcher knife, bread knife for example. Further, most households already have several favorite knives on hand—at least one for each function. Often these knives are part of an expensive set, or are treasured heirloom pieces.
The object of the present invention is to provide an upright handgrip device easily attachable to and detachable from most household knives despite the varied size and shape of their handles, yet attaching rigidly enough to keep the knife from twisting or slipping in forceful cutting, enabling use of each knife as is or with the upright handgrip.
The invention, an upright handle integral with attachment means for kitchen knives and other such knives, is comprised of: an upright handgrip mounted atop an horizontal clamp device formed as a channel of about the length of a common knife handle, the vertical web and top and bottom flanges of the channel being larger than respectively the depth and width of the knife handle; an end wall extending sideways from the front end of the vertical web to reach almost halfway across the width of the channel flanges; a side plate of similar dimensions as the vertical web hingedly attached along the edge of the bottom flange of the channel, so that the side plate can lie open to enable lengthwise placement of the knife within the channel, with the knife blade forward and cutting edge down, and with the far side of the knife blade, just ahead of the knife handle, resting against the vertical edge of the first end wall; a second end wall at the front end of the hingedly attached side plate, sized so that its edge closes against the near side of the knife blade, across from the first end wall, when the side plate is rotated upward to close the channel to enclose and hold the knife handle; elastomeric pads inside the channel near the rear, secured to the channel's bottom and top flanges and vertical web of the channel, and to the inner side of the side plate there, formed to press firmly against the top, bottom and sides of the knife handle near its rear, regardless of the shape and size of the knife handle there, when the side plate is rotated upward; elastomeric edgings secured to the vertical edge of preferably each end wall, formed to press firmly against the sides of the knife blade just ahead of the handle; preferably a thin elastomeric strip lining the underside of the top flange of the channel; an arm extending from the free upper edge of the hingedly attached side plate, the arm being positioned so that hand-forcing it upward closes the side plate up and against the exposed side of the knife handle with considerable leverage; a groove formed up the side of the handgrip into which the arm closes; a spring clip or snap fastener at the top of the arm to secure the arm to the handgrip and complete the clamping of the upright handgrip device to the knife.
Terms: “Channel” is used here as in the establshed structural term “steel channel”, as are its parts, “web” and “flange”. “Handgrip” is used simply to designate the handle of the device as distinct from from the knife handle itself. “End wall” means a plate extending one way from an end of a longitudinal plate (web or side plate, here), at right angles to it. “Elastomeric” denotes a visco-elastically deformable material such as a foam rubber.
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Materials may be metal—preferably aluminum alloy—or fiber-plastic composites for the handgrip and channel part, and metal for the side plate and lever arm part.
Various modifications can be made to this invention without departing from the apparent scope hereof. Examples: the channel part together with the side plate may be formed as an 0 in cross section; the clip or snap might be a hook or even “velcro” pieces; elastomer coatings may be used over more of the interior of the channel and side plate to further ensure the knife will not be marred.