Utility knife

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10179416-B2
Application number	US-201214369600-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 9, 2012
Priority date	Jun 28, 2012
Publication date	Jan 15, 2019
Grant date	Jan 15, 2019

Abstract

The present invention discloses a utility knife, which includes a housing that has an internal chamber; a blade carrier for carrying a single blade; a locking piece for locking the single blade in the blade carrier; and a spare blade cartridge for storing more than one spare blade. The blade carrier, the locking piece and the spare blade cartridge are arranged in the internal chamber. The blade carrier is arranged to be movable between a first position and a second position, and when the blade carrier is at the first position, the blade carried by the blade carrier extends out of the housing, when the blade carrier is at the second position, the blade carried by the blade carrier retracts into the housing.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A utility knife, comprising
a knife head having an internal chamber;
a blade carrier for carrying a single blade;
a locking piece for locking the single blade on the blade carrier, wherein the locking piece is attached to the blade carrier;
a spare blade cartridge for storing more than one spare blade; and
wherein the blade carrier, the locking piece and the spare blade cartridge are arranged in the internal chamber, the internal chamber has an opening that allows for the single blade to extend outside the internal chamber and retract back into the internal chamber, the blade carrier is arranged to be movable between a first position and a second position, the blade carrier is adapted to retain the single blade with the single blade protruding from the internal chamber when the blade carrier is in the first position, and the blade carrier is adapted to retain the single blade with the single blade totally confined within the internal chamber when the blade carrier is in the second position;

and further comprising a handle;
wherein the knife head and the handle are connected via a first axis pin, and the knife head is arranged to be capable of rotating around the first axis pin to be retracted into the handle;
wherein an arc slot having a radial recess is arranged on the handle, and the arc slot has a center that aligns with a center of the first axis pin; and
a switching piece with a block arranged in the internal chamber of the knife head; such that the switching piece has an end aligned with a side of a tail of the blade carrier when the blade carrier is at the first position, and such that moving of the blade carrier between the first position and the second position will cause the switching piece to be moved between a third position and a fourth position; wherein the switching piece is further arranged such that:
the block of the switching piece is engaged with the radial recess of the arc slot preventing the block from rotating when the switching piece is at the third position with the blade carrier at the first position; and
the block is moved from the radial recess to the arc slot when the switching piece is moved from the third position to the fourth position, which permits the rotation of the block in the arc slot when the knife head is rotated around the first axis pin and retracted into the handle.

2. The utility knife as defined in claim 1 , wherein the spare blade cartridge is arranged to be connected to the knife head via a second axis pin, and a knob is arranged on an edge of the spare blade cartridge which is configured to be capable of rotating the spare blade cartridge around the second axis pin and out of the inner chamber of the knife head to load the spare blade.

3. The utility knife as defined in claim 1 , wherein further comprises a biasing spring configured to engage the knife head, and the biasing spring is arranged to abut the switching piece, when the switching piece is moved from the third position to the fourth position under the function of the blade carrier, the biasing spring is compressed to bias the switching piece.

4. The utility knife as defined in claim 1 , wherein a magnetic element is arranged on the blade carrier, and the magnetic element is arranged such that when the blade carrier is at the second position and is empty, a nearest one of the spare blades to the blade carrier is transferred from the spare blade cartridge to the blade carrier by magnetic force.

5. The utility knife as defined in claim 4 , wherein the magnetic element is of magnetic steel.

6. The utility knife as defined in claim 4 , wherein the magnetic element is arranged to be embedded in the blade carrier.

7. The utility knife as defined in claim 4 , wherein the locking piece has a lock tongue configured to engage notches on a back of the single blade, and the lock tongue is configured to engage the notches under a magnetic force of the magnetic element.

8. The utility knife as defined in claim 7 , wherein the lock tongue engages the notches with a pivotal attachment, and the lock tongue has a chamfer plane on a second side opposite to the first side.

9. The utility knife as defined in claim 7 , wherein the lock tongue has one or two chamfer planes on a first side thereof parallel and close to the back of the single blade.

10. The utility knife as defined in claim 9 , wherein the spare blade cartridge has a flange with a hook, and the hook of the flange is configured to engage notches on a back of the spare blade.

Assignees

• Hangzhou Great Star Tools Co Ltd
• Hangzhou Great Star Ind Co Ltd

Inventors

• Wang Weiyi

Classifications

• B26B1/042

  by a spring biased locking lever pivoting around an axis parallel to the pivot axis of the blade · CPC title

• B26B5/001 Primary

  with blades being slid out of handle immediately prior to use · CPC title

• B26B1/02

  with pivoted blade · CPC title