Utility knife

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11865735-B2
Application number	US-202117494413-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 5, 2021
Priority date	Oct 6, 2020
Publication date	Jan 9, 2024
Grant date	Jan 9, 2024

Abstract

A utility knife includes a handle having a body and a receiving aperture. The utility knife further includes a collet at least partially receivable in the receiving aperture, and a sleeve that is engageable with and that surrounds the collet. The collet is configured to alternately receive one of a portion of a blade of a first type in a first slot and a portion of a blade of a second type in a second slot. The collet and the sleeve are co-rotatable relative the handle to move the collet to a secured position in which one of the blade of the first type and the blade of the second type are secured to the collet.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A utility knife comprising:
a handle having a body and a receiving aperture;
a collet at least partially receivable in the receiving aperture, the collet having a first end and a second end, the first end of the collet including a first slot and a second slot formed therein, the first slot having a first dimension and the second slot having a second dimension different from the first dimension, the collet configured to alternately receive one of a portion of a blade of a first type in the first slot and a portion of a blade of a second type in the second slot; and
a sleeve engageable with and surrounding the collet, the sleeve and the collet being co-rotatable relative the handle to move the collet to a secured position in which one of the blade of the first type and the blade of the second type are secured to the collet.

2. The utility knife of claim 1 , wherein the body includes an internal space for storing at least one blade that is not in use, and wherein the utility knife further comprises an end cap removably coupled to the body to selectively cover the internal space.

3. The utility knife of claim 1 , wherein the second end of the collet is threadably coupled to the handle, wherein the sleeve and collet are rotatable together about an axis and the collet is moveable along the axis relative the sleeve, and wherein rotation of the sleeve threads the collet further into the receiving aperture along the axis.

4. The utility knife of claim 3 , wherein the collet includes an enlarged portion adjacent the first end.

5. The utility knife of claim 4 , wherein the handle includes a stop surface formed at an opening of the receiving aperture, and wherein threading the collet further into the receiving aperture brings the enlarged portion toward the handle to abut the sleeve against the stop surface.

6. The utility knife of claim 1 , wherein the first dimension and the second dimension are reduced as the collet is threaded further into the receiving aperture.

7. The utility knife of claim 1 , wherein a cross-section of a portion of the collet is elliptical.

8. The utility knife of claim 1 , wherein a cross-section of a portion of the sleeve is polygonal.

9. The utility knife of claim 1 , wherein the collet further includes a third slot formed therein, the third slot having a third dimension different than the first dimension and the second dimension, wherein the third slot is configured to selectively receive a portion of a blade of a third type, and wherein the collet and the sleeve are co-rotatable relative the handle to alter the third dimension.

10. A utility knife comprising:
a collet extending along an axis, the collet including,
a body having a first width,
a head having a second width greater than the first width,
a first slot extending along the axis into the head, the first slot having a first length,
a second slot extending along the axis into the head, the second slot intersecting the first slot and having a second length, the first slot and the second slot each configured to receive a different type of blade having tangs with different lengths, and
a threaded shank;

a sleeve partially surrounding the head of the collet, rotation of the sleeve causing movement of the collet relative to the knife handle in a direction parallel to the axis, the sleeve movable between a release position and a blade holding position, the sleeve compressing the head while in the blade holding position to retain a blade positioned in one of the first slot and the second slot; and
a knife handle configured to receive the threaded shank.

11. The utility knife of claim 10 , wherein the sleeve is rotatable in a first direction to drive the threaded shank toward the knife handle and thereby compress the first and second slots, and wherein the sleeve is rotatable in a second direction to drive the threaded shank away from the knife handle and thereby uncompress the first and second slots.

12. The utility knife of claim 11 , wherein a first blade is secured in the first slot when the tang of the first blade is positioned in the first slot and the collet is in the blade holding position, the first tang having a first length,
wherein a second blade is secured in the second slot when the tang of the second blade is positioned in the second slot and the collet is in the blade holding position, the second tang having a second length, and
wherein the first blade and the second blade are interchangeable with the collet.

13. The utility knife of claim 12 , wherein the first blade and the second blade can be stored in an internal storage space when not being used, and wherein the internal storage space is formed in the handle and is selectively coverable by an end cap removably coupled to the handle.

14. The utility knife of claim 10 , wherein the collet includes a major diameter and a minor diameter, wherein the first length is defined along the major diameter and the second length is defined along the minor diameter, and wherein the first slot and the second slot each extend through a central point of the collet.

15. The utility knife of claim 14 , wherein the major and minor diameters of the collet are defined in the head of the collet and the in the trunk of the collet such that the head and the trunk of the collet have an elliptical cross-section, and wherein the sleeve includes an elliptical channel this is complementary to the elliptical cross-section to thereby accommodate corotation of the collet with the sleeve.

16. The utility knife of claim 10 , wherein the collet further includes a third slot extending along the axis into the head,
wherein the third slot intersects both the first slot and the second slot, and
wherein the third slot has a third length the corresponds to a tang of a third blade.

17. The utility knife of claim 16 , wherein the third blade is secured in the third slot when the tang of the third blade is positioned in the third slot and the collet is in the blade holding position, and wherein the first blade, the second blade, and the third blade are interchangeable with collet.

18. A utility knife configured for interchangeable use with a plurality of types of knife blades, the utility knife comprising:
a collet including a first end and a second end;
a first slot positioned in the first end and configured to receive a knife blade of a first type, the first slot having a first dimension;
a second slot positioned in the second end and configured to alternately receive a knife blade of a second type, the second slot having a second dimension different from the first dimension,
wherein the collet is movable between a clamped position and a released position, the collet compressing the first slot and the second slot while in the clamped position.

19. The utility knife of claim 18 , further comprising a third slot configured to alternately receive a knife blade of a third type, the third slot having a third dimension different from the first dimension and the second dimension.

20. The utility knife of claim 19 , wherein the knife blade of the first type is secured to the utility knife while positioned in the first slot and while the collet is in the clamped position,
wherein the knife blade of the second type is alternately secured to the utility knife while positioned in the second slot and while the collet is in the clamped position, and
wherein the knife blade of the third type is alternately secured to the utility knife while positioned in the third slot and while the collet is in t

Assignees

• Techtronic Cordless Gp

Inventors

• Nelson Samuel
• Davidian Richard M
• Chan Rony
• Craig Cam
• Wills Patrick L
• Fedrigon Jeremy
• Fauss Trevor

Classifications

• B26B5/00 Primary

  Hand knives with one or more detachable blades · CPC title

• B25G3/22

  Chucks · CPC title