Utility knife

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12214514-B2
Application number	US-202318343977-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 29, 2023
Priority date	Apr 2, 2015
Publication date	Feb 4, 2025
Grant date	Feb 4, 2025

Abstract

A utility knife including a handle, a blade, a first blade holder, and a spare blade holder. The spare blade holder is pivotal with respect to the handle between an open position where the recess is exposed to allow a spare blade to be removed from the spare blade holder and a closed position where the recess is within a slot of the handle to inhibit removal of the spare blade from the spare blade holder. The spare blade holder further including a cam surface and the cam surface of the spare blade holder engages a cam surface of the handle when the spare blade holder is in the closed position to urge the spare blade holder in a direction from a first longitudinal side of the handle toward a second longitudinal side of the handle to allow the first blade holder to pivot between extended and folded positions.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A utility knife comprising:
a handle comprising a first longitudinal side, a second longitudinal side opposite the first longitudinal side, a top side, a bottom side, and a slot that extends through the bottom side, the slot between the first and second longitudinal sides, wherein the handle comprises a first surface;
a blade;
a blade holder, the blade removably coupled to the blade holder, the blade holder pivotable with respect to the handle between an extended position where the blade is exposed and configured to cut a work-piece and a folded position where the blade is within the slot of the handle, the blade holder comprising a first notch and a second notch; and
a spare blade holder comprising a recess that receives a spare blade, the spare blade holder pivotal with respect to the handle between an open position where the spare blade can be removed from the spare blade holder and a closed position where the recess is within the slot of the handle to inhibit removal of the spare blade from the spare blade holder, wherein the spare blade holder comprises a second surface, and wherein the second surface of the spare blade holder engages the first surface of the handle when the spare blade holder is in the closed position to bias the spare blade holder away from the first blade holder;
a locking mechanism comprising:
a push button movable between a locked position and an unlocked position, the blade holder pivotable with respect to the handle between the extended and folded positions when the push button is in the unlocked position and the blade holder is held from pivotal movement relative to the handle when the push button is in the locked position, the push button comprising a first portion of a first diameter and a second portion of a second diameter that is larger than the first diameter and a frusto-conical portion between the first and second portions, the second portion of the push button is received in the first notch of the blade holder to hold the blade holder in the extended position and the second portion of the push button is received in the second notch of the blade holder to hold the blade holder in the folded position, and
a coil spring that biases the push button toward the locked position.

2. The utility knife of claim 1 , wherein the handle comprises a post that extends within an internal space defined within the coil spring, and wherein the post stabilizes the coil spring.

3. The utility knife of claim 1 , wherein the push button comprises a recess, wherein an end of the coil spring is received within the recess of the handle and an opposite end of the coil spring is received within the recess of the push button.

4. The utility knife of claim 1 , wherein the blade holder further comprises a third notch between the first notch and the second notch, wherein the second portion of the push button is received in the third notch of the blade holder to hold the blade holder in an intermediate position between the folded and extended positions.

5. The utility knife of claim 1 , wherein the recess of the spare blade holder receives a plurality of spare blades, the spare blade holder pivotal with respect to the handle between an open position where a first spare blade of the plurality of spare blades can be removed from the spare blade holder and a closed position where the recess is within the slot of the handle to inhibit removal of the first spare blade of the plurality of spare blades from the spare blade holder.

6. A utility knife comprising:
a handle comprising a first longitudinal side, a second longitudinal side opposite the first longitudinal side, a top side, a bottom side, a slot that extends through the bottom side, the slot between the first and second longitudinal sides, and a first surface;
a blade;
a first blade holder, the blade removably coupled to the first blade holder, the first blade holder pivotal with respect to the handle between an extended position where the blade is exposed and configured to cut a work-piece and a folded position where the blade is within the slot of the handle; and
a spare blade holder comprising a recess that receives a spare blade, the spare blade holder pivotal with respect to the handle between an open position where the spare blade can be removed from the spare blade holder and a closed position where the recess is within the slot of the handle to inhibit removal of the spare blade from the spare blade holder, the spare blade holder further comprising a second surface, wherein the second surface of the spare blade holder engages the first surface of the handle when the spare blade holder is in the closed position to bias the spare blade holder away from the first blade holder.

7. The utility knife of claim 6 , wherein the second surface of the spare blade holder engages the first surface of the handle to bias the spare blade holder from interfering with movement of the first blade holder.

8. The utility knife of claim 6 , wherein engagement of the second surface and the first surface forces the spare blade holder against the handle.

9. The utility knife of claim 6 , wherein the handle further comprises a front end portion and a back end portion opposite the front end portion, and wherein the first blade holder is pivotally coupled to the handle adjacent the front end portion and the spare blade holder is pivotally coupled to the handle adjacent the back end portion.

10. The utility knife of claim 9 , wherein the first blade holder comprises an enlarged portion that inhibits the spare blade holder from moving to the open position when the first blade holder is in the folded position.

11. The utility knife of claim 6 , comprising a magnet configured to retain the spare blade in the spare blade holder.

Assignees

• Milwaukee Electric Tool Corp

Inventors

• Squiers Grant T
• Hyma Steven W
• Hoppe Christopher S
• Stearns Michael
• Debaker Joseph M

Classifications

• B26B5/00

  Hand knives with one or more detachable blades · CPC title

• B26B1/046 Primary

  with a locking member acting in axial direction parallel to the pivot axis of the blade · CPC title

• B26B5/003

  comprising retraction means for the blade or the blade holder · CPC title

• B26B1/10

  Handles · CPC title

• B26B1/02 Primary

  with pivoted blade · CPC title