Patent Grant
7131204
The present invention relates to utility knives, and more particularly, to utility knives that include a blade carrier for selectively moving utility knife blades between retracted and extended positions, and an actuator for moving the blade carrier and for releasing blades from the blade carrier through a blade aperture.
Utility knives generally include a handle and at least one replaceable blade. Because such blades are known to become worn or damaged, utility knife handles generally include provisions to allow a blade to be removed from the handle, so that the blade may be reversed in the handle (in order to provide a new cutting edge for the knife) and/or replaced by another blade.
In the case of many utility knives, the removal of a worn or damaged blade requires that the handle first be opened to gain access to the internal cavity inside the handle. However, because it is sometimes inconvenient to open the handle, some utility knives provide mechanisms that allow a blade to be removed without any need for first opening the handle. Such mechanisms often make use of a releasable catch that engages the replaceable blade within the handle, along with a manually operable mechanism for causing the releasable catch to disengage from the blade. Most of these mechanisms allow a worn or damaged blade to be removed through a blade opening at the front end of the handle.
These and other types of mechanisms require an additional actuator, such as a button and associated hardware mounted in a side wall of the housing, that is depressed in order to cause the releasable catch to disengage from the blade. Thus, such retractable blade utility knives require at least two actuators, one to move the blade and blade carrier between retracted and extended positions, and another to release the blade when located in an extended position. In addition, notwithstanding the availability of such mechanisms, there are still occasions in which a handle must be opened, for example, in order to retrieve a spare blade that may be stored inside the handle or to perform repair or maintenance inside the handle. Unfortunately, upon opening the handle, many of the above-mentioned mechanisms can fall out and become separated from the handle, thereby rendering the mechanism unusable.
As with blades, handles also can become worn or damaged due to demanding operating conditions, such as in the course of regular use in cutting asphalt roof tiles. Consequently, utility knife handles are sometimes formed of metal (e.g., steel) to provide durability. However, even knives with steel handles continue to become worn and/or damaged frequently, on account of such operating conditions.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to overcome one or more of the above-described drawbacks or disadvantages of the prior art.
In accordance with a first aspect, the present invention is directed to a utility knife comprising a housing, and a blade carrier movably mounted on the housing and including a blade supporting surface for supporting a blade. The blade carrier is movable between a retracted position with at least a substantial portion of the blade retracted in the housing, and at least one extended position with at least a portion of the blade extending outwardly of the housing. A catch is movable between a first position engagable with a blade located on the blade carrier and substantially preventing relative movement of the blade and blade carrier, and a second position spaced away from a blade located on the blade carrier and permitting removal of the blade from the blade carrier. An actuator is mounted on the blade carrier and operable to (1) move the blade carrier between the retracted and extended positions to, in turn, move a blade located on the blade carrier between retracted and extended positions, and (2) move the catch between the first and second positions to release a blade from the blade carrier.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the actuator is pivotally mounted on the blade carrier and is movable laterally to move the catch between the first and second positions. In another embodiment of the present invention, the actuator is rotatably mounted on the blade carrier and is rotatable to move the catch between the first and second positions.
In some embodiments of the present invention, the housing includes a first portion formed of a first material, and a second portion formed of a second material and coupled to the first portion. The second portion defines a nose, and a blade aperture for receiving a blade therethrough when the blade carrier is located in the extended position, and for removing a blade therethrough when the catch is located in the second position. In one embodiment of the present invention, the second material is more wear-resistant than the first material.
In some embodiments of the present invention, the utility knife includes a spare blade holder formed of sheet material, such as spring steel. The sheet material spare blade holder defines a mounting portion connectable to the housing for supporting the spare blade holder thereon, a blade support portion, a first fold located between the mounting and blade support portions, a blade retaining portion overlying the blade support portion and biased toward the blade support portion, and a second fold formed between the blade support and blade retaining portions. A plurality of spare blades are slidably receivable between the blade support and blade retaining portions.
In some embodiments of the present invention, the utility knife further comprises an axially-elongated surface defining an axially-elongated slot, and a fastener coupled between the blade carrier and slot for guiding movement of the blade carrier between retracted and extended positions. In one embodiment of the present invention, the axially-elongated surface is defined by a bar fixedly secured to an interior surface of the housing and forming therein the axially-elongated slot. In this embodiment, the blade carrier may define an axially-elongated boss received within the slot for guiding movement of the carrier through the slot.
In some embodiments of the present invention, the actuator defines a first manually-engagable surface for moving the actuator between the retracted and extended positions, and a second manually-engagable surface for moving the actuator to, in turn, move the catch. In one embodiment, the first manually-engagable surface is an upper surface of the actuator, and the second manually-engagable surface is a side surface of the actuator. If desired, the actuator may define a visible marking or like means on the second manually-engagable surface for identifying a location at which force may be applied to move the actuator and, in turn, move the catch from the first toward the second position.
In accordance with another aspect, the present invention is directed to a utility knife comprising a housing defining a blade aperture, and first means for carrying a blade between retracted and extended positions. The utility knife further includes second means movable between a first position for substantially preventing relative movement of the first means and a blade, and a second position for releasing the blade and permitting removal of the blade through the blade aperture of the housing. The utility knife further includes third means mounted on the first means for (1) moving the first means between retracted and extended positions to, in turn, move a blade mounted on the first means between retracted and extended positions, and (2) moving the second means in a direction from the first toward the second position to permit removal of the blade through the blade aperture of the housing.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the first means is a blade carrier, the second means is a catch, and the third means is an actuator. Preferably, the actuator is either (1) movable laterally for moving the second means between the first and second positions, or (2) rotatable for moving the second means between the first and second positions.
In accordance with another aspect, the present invention is directed to a method of carrying a blade in a utility knife and releasing a blade therefrom. The method comprises the following steps:
(i) providing a utility knife having a housing defining a blade aperture, a blade carrier movably mounted on the housing, a catch movably mounted on the blade carrier, and an actuator mounted on the blade carrier and operable to move the blade carrier and catch;
(ii) mounting a blade on the blade carrier;
(iii) moving the actuator between retracted and extended positions to, in turn, move the blade mounted on the blade carrier between retracted and extended positions; and
(iv) moving the actuator to, in turn, move the catch between a first position substantially preventing relative movement of the blade carrier and blade, and a second position releasing the blade and permitting the blade to be removed through the blade aperture.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the method further comprises the steps of:
moving the actuator and blade carrier to an extended position;
with the blade carrier in the extended position, moving the actuator and, in turn, moving the catch from the first to the second position; and
with the catch located in the second position, removing the blade from the blade carrier and through the blade aperture.
Preferably, the method further comprises the step of either pivoting the actuator laterally to move the catch from the first to the second position, or rotating the actuator to move the catch from the first to the second position.
One advantage of the present invention is that a single actuator can be used to both move the blade carrier and blade between retracted and extended positions, and to move the catch to, in turn, release the blade from the blade carrier. As a result, the utility knives of the present invention may avoid the need for a separate button or like actuator for releasing a blade, and the associated hardware that may be required to secure such extra button or like actuator to a side wall of the housing.
Another advantage of one currently preferred embodiment of the present invention is that the nose portion of the housing is formed of a more wear-resistant material than other portions of the housing, thus providing a more durable and long-lasting housing. Yet another advantage of the currently preferred embodiments of the present invention is that the bar or like member defining an elongated slot both guides the blade carrier between the retracted and extended positions, and secures the blade carrier to the housing to thereby prevent the blade carrier and components mounted thereto from falling out upon opening the housing.
These and other advantages will become more readily apparent in view of the following detailed description of the currently preferred embodiments of the present invention and accompanying drawings.
In
As shown in
As shown typically in
In this particular embodiment, the nose and rear portions 34, 36 are formed separately and thereafter fixedly attached to one another, for example, but not limited to, by fastening, welding, bonding, forcing, or gluing the two portions together. It should be understood that the nose and rear portions 34, 36 also may be formed in an integral fashion, for example, as a single piece, or still further, in a build-up fashion, for example, by metal injection molding or over molding, where one portion is formed and concurrently joined to another portion which was previously formed.
The second housing portion 32 defines an opening or recess 42 that receives a manually operable button portion 44 of the mechanism 22 for releasably fastening the two portions 30, 32 of the housing 20. The housing portions 30, 32, 34 may be formed in any manner, for example, but not limited to, by casting, machining, welding, and/or combinations thereof, and of any suitable material, for example, but not limited to, metal, plastic, and/or combinations thereof. Moreover, there is no requirement that the portions 30, 32, 34 be made of the same material. For example, if the portions 30, 32, 34 are formed of metal, they may or may not be formed of the same metal. Indeed, in some preferred embodiments, the nose portion 34 is formed of a metal (e.g., stainless steel) that is more wear resistant than the metal(s) forming the second housing portion 32 and the rear portion 36 of the first housing portion 30 (e.g., aluminum), in order to increase the durability of the nose. This has the advantage that selected portion(s) of the housing 20 can be made more wear resistant than other portions, to improve the durability where needed, without the need to make the entire housing more wear resistant. Because higher wear resistant materials are often more expensive than less wear resistant materials, this approach provides an opportunity to improve durability, where needed, at lesser cost than would result from using higher wear resistant materials throughout the entire housing 20.
Referring to
In order to attach the nose 34 to the rear portion 36 of the housing, the forward flange 58 is first inserted into the forward edge of the groove 64 of the nose. Then, the remaining portions of the outer support surface 60 of the nose and peripheral surface 62 of the attachment portion 53 are brought into contact with each other such that the second bosses 56 of the attachment portion are received within the corresponding apertures 52 of the nose. The forward flange 58 of the attachment portion 53 mechanically interlocks the nose 34 to the attachment portion of the housing. If desired, the second bosses 56 of the attachment portion 53 may be threaded to receive nuts or other fasteners (not shown), or may define rivets or like deformable portions to deform the ends of the bosses extending through the apertures to, in turn, fixedly secure the nose to the attachment portion. In addition, or alternatively, the nose can be welded, glued, or otherwise fixedly secured to the attachment portion as described above, or in accordance with any of numerous mechanisms and/or methods for attachment that are currently or later become known.
In the illustrated embodiment, the nose 34 is formed of a 300 series stainless steel, such as 316 stainless steel, and is formed by metal injection molding (“MIM”). The MIM nose 34 is assembled to the rear portion 36 in the manner described above, i.e., the ends of the second bosses 56 are peened or otherwise deformed laterally over the edges of the corresponding apertures 52, and an adhesive, such as a one-part cyanoacrylate, is applied to the interface of the nose 34 and rear portion 36 adjacent to the second bosses 56 and corresponding apertures 52, to fixedly secure the nose 34 to the rear portion 36. As may be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the pertinent art based on the teachings herein, these materials, methods of forming, and methods of assembly are only exemplary, and numerous other materials, methods of forming, and/or methods of assembly, that are currently known, or that later become known, equally may be used.
As shown in
The u-shaped outer portion 48 of the nose 34 defines spaced apart opposing surfaces 65, 67 (
As shown best in
The blade carrier 26 defines upper and lower bearing surfaces 96 and 98, respectively, and as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As shown typically in
As shown in
When the blade carrier 26 is located in the fully-extended position (
As shown in
The operation of the mechanism 22 is as follows. The spring (not shown) biases the slidable member 154 toward an engagement position (e.g., toward the rear of the housing 20) wherein the catch 156 engages the complementary latch 160 to fasten the two portions 30, 32 of the housing together and thereby place the housing in the closed state. The button 44 is manually slidable toward a disengagement position (e.g., toward the front of the housing 20), wherein the catch 156 is disengaged from the latch 160 so that the front ends of the two housing portions 30, 32 may be moved apart from one another to place the housing in an open state. The spring 162 mounted on the second housing portion 32 helps separate the two housing portions 30, 32 upon disengagement.
Turning to
As shown in
A blade releasing structure 225 extends perpendicularly from the actuator shaft 272. The manually engageable button 270, shaft 272, and blade releasing structure 225 are formed integral with each other as a single molded part. However, as may be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the pertinent art based on the teachings herein, these portions of the blade releasing structure need not be formed integral with each other, and further, can take any of numerous different forms, and can be formed in any of numerous different ways, that are currently or later become known. The blade releasing structure 225 includes an integral arm 227 extending perpendicularly from the shaft 272, and a blade releasing boss 229 formed at the free end of the arm. The spring-biased catch 228 is fixedly secured at one end to the back side of the blade carrier 226 by a fastener 368, such as a rivet. As shown typically in
When the blade carrier 226 is located in the fully-extended position, the blade 214 may be released by rotating the manually engageable button 270 slightly (about 3° clockwise when viewed in the direction from the actuator toward the nose of the housing) to, in turn, rotate the guide portion 325 of the actuator within a corresponding cut-out 326 formed in the body (
As shown in broken lines in
As shown in
If desired, the spare blade holder and other components of the utility knives of the present invention may be the same as, or similar to corresponding components described in the commonly assigned U.S. Provisional Patent Application entitled Utility Knife, filed on Nov. 10, 2003, accorded Ser. No. 60/518,690, and incorporated by reference above.
In
If desired, the blades 14 and 14′ may be any of the different types of composite utility blades disclosed in the following patent and co-pending patent applications, which are assigned to the Assignee of the present invention and are hereby expressly incorporated by reference as part of the present disclosure: U.S. Pat. No. 6,701,627 issued Mar. 9, 2004, entitled “COMPOSITE UTILITY KNIFE BLADE AND METHOD OF MAKING SUCH A BLADE”; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/202,703 filed Jul. 24, 2002, entitled “COMPOSITE UTILITY KNIFE BLADE AND METHOD OF MAKING SUCH A BLADE”; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/793,593 filed Mar. 4, 2004, entitled “COMPOSITE UTILITY BLADE AND METHOD OF MAKING SUCH A BLADE”. One advantage of such composite utility blades is that they are bendable and virtually shatter-proof. As a result, such blades are particularly well suited to defining four notches 94, 95, as opposed to only two notches as in conventional utility blades, because when located in the fully extended, second cutting position, such blades can be subjected to relatively high lateral forces and bending without shattering or otherwise breaking.
In one or more embodiments of the utility knives of the present invention, the nose 34 may be physical vapor deposition (“PVD”) coated to further improve its durability, wear resistance and corrosion resistance, and if desired, to provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance. In one such embodiment, the nose 34 is PVD coated with titanium nitride (“TiN”) in a manner known to those of ordinary skill in the pertinent art prior to assembling the nose 34 to the rear housing portion 36 as described above. One advantage of the TiN coated nose portion is that it provides greater wear resistance and corrosion resistance in comparison to a nose portion without any such coating. As indicated above, the nose 34 is located adjacent to the blade 14, and therefore frictionally engages during use the work pieces or other surfaces being cut. Accordingly, the nose portions of utility knives tend to wear more rapidly, and/or tend to be subject to more corrosive agents, than other portions of such knives. Accordingly, another advantage of the PVD coated nose portion is that the coating preferably is applied only to the portion or part of the utility knife most subject to wear or corrosion, which in the illustrated embodiment is the nose portion. Preferably, the nose 34 is PVD coated prior to assembling the nose to the rear housing portion 36. As a result, the amount of coating required is minimized, and the coating process is simplified in comparison to coating the nose 34 only after it is assembled to the rear housing portion 36.
As may be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the pertinent art based on the teachings herein, numerous changes may be made to the above-described and other embodiments of the present invention without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. For example, numerous different types of coatings may be employed to coat the nose or other portions of the utility knife, including carbide coatings, nitride coatings, and combinations thereof. Coatings intended to reduce the rate of wear of the nose portion may comprise, for example, any suitable material(s) including but not limited to titanium nitride (TiN), chrome nitride (CrN), titanium carbide (TiC), ceramic(s), titanium carbonitride (TiCN), Aluminum Titanium Nitride (AlTiN), Aluminum Titanium Carbonitride (AlTiCN), Zirconium Nitride (ZrN), Zirconium Carbonitride (ZrCN), and/or combinations thereof. In one exemplary embodiment, the nose portion is coated with an inner layer of AlTiN and an outer layer of TiN for a gold-colored appearance. The AlTiN coatings are applied to the nose portion in a thickness within the range of about 3 micrometers to about 5 micrometers. In the embodiment employing an inner coating of AlTiN and out outer coating of TiN, the outer coater is thinner than the inner coating. In one such embodiment, the AlTiN coating is applied so as to provide a gradient (linear or otherwise) such that the concentration of aluminum increases from a first lesser concentration at the substrate surface to a second greater concentration at the outer surface of the coating. One advantage of this configuration is that the higher concentration of titanium at the substrate/coating interface facilitates adhesion of the coating to the substrate.
As indicated above, the coating(s) may be provided using physical vapor deposition (PVD). Physical vapor deposition may be carried out in any suitable manner including but not limited to using cathodic arc deposition, thermal/electron beam deposition, and/or sputter deposition. However, coatings also may be provided by other methods. Indeed, coatings may be provided using any suitable manner including but not limited to painting, spraying, brushing, dipping, plating (electroplating or electro-less plating), physical and/or chemical vapor deposition, or any combination thereof. Powder coatings and e-coatings, and/or combinations of any of the above, also may be employed.
Although the housing is shown having two separate portions that are pivotally connected to one another, this is not a requirement. For example, the housing may be formed of any number of separate portions. Such portions may be connected in any manner, completely separable from one another, and/or combinations thereof.
As stated above, there is no requirement for, or against, all portions of the housing being formed of the same type of material. Thus, for example, one portion of the housing may be made of a material that is more wear resistant than another portion, for example, in order to increase the durability of some portion(s).
Although shown attached to the blade carrier which is, in turn, attached to the housing, the mechanism for releasably retaining the blade need not be retained to the housing and/or prevented from becoming separated from the housing when the housing is in the opened state.
Furthermore, although the blades illustrated herein define a trapezoidal shape, each of the various aspects of the present invention may be used in association with blade(s) of any shape and type, for example, but not limited to, blades that define rectangular or parallelogram shapes, blades with squared, rounded or oblique cutting corners, and combinations thereof.
In addition, although the notches in the blades are shown as approximately semi-circular, the notches are not limited to such. For example, a notch may take other shapes and/or configurations in the same or other locations on the blade. In addition, although the blades are shown having two notches, a blade may alternatively have one notch, no notches, or more than two notches.
Further, the actuator may be configured in any of numerous different ways, and may move in any of numerous different ways, that are currently or later become known for purposes of moving the blade carrier and blade between retracted and extended positions, and for releasing a blade from the blade carrier.
Thus, while there have been shown and described various embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to such embodiments, which have been presented by way of example only, and that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is limited only by the appended claims and equivalents thereto.
This patent application claims priority on U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/518,689, entitled “UTILITY KNIFE”, filed on Nov. 10, 2003, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/518,690, entitled “UTILITY KNIFE WITH ACTUATOR FOR MOVING BLADE CARRIER AND FOR RELEASING BLADE THEREFROM, AND RELATED METHOD”, filed on Nov. 10, 2003, each of which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference as part of the present disclosure. This patent application also discloses subject matter similar to that disclosed in the following co-pending patent applications, each of which also is hereby expressly incorporated by reference as part of the present disclosure: U.S. Design Application Ser. No. 29/193,538, filed on Nov. 10, 2003, entitled “UTILITY KNIFE”; U.S. Design Application Ser. No. 29/193,524, filed on Nov. 10, 2003, entitled “UTILITY KNIFE”; U.S. Design Application Ser. No. 29/193,586, filed on Nov. 11, 2003, entitled “UTILITY KNIFE”; and U.S. Design Application Ser. No. 29/193,585, filed on Nov. 11, 2003, entitled “UTILITY KNIFE”.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60518689 | Nov 2003 | US | |
| 60518690 | Nov 2003 | US |
