Folding knife with dual operational modes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9527218-B2
Application number	US-201314426392-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 21, 2013
Priority date	Sep 9, 2012
Publication date	Dec 27, 2016
Grant date	Dec 27, 2016

Abstract

A folding knife has dual operational modes. In a first modality, the knife is opened and closed manually. In a second modality, the knife is fully automatic. The user is able to use the knife in either mode, manual or automatic when the blade is in the closed position. In the automatic mode a bolster defines a trigger that causes the blade to move automatically from the closed to the open position. In the manual mode the user manipulates the blade manually to move it from the closed to the open position. A dry fire safety prevents firing of the knife with the trigger when the blade has been opened manually.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A folding knife having a handle with opposed first and second halves held in a spaced apart relationship with a slot therebetween, and a blade pivotally connected to the handle between the handles halves with a pivot shaft extending through a bore in the blade so the blade is movable about the pivot shaft between a closed position and an open position, the improvement comprising:
a sleeve extending through and rotatable in said bore, said sleeve having a first notch and a second notch;
a spring around the pivot shaft and retained in said sleeve, said spring having a first leg fixed to a handle half and a second leg extending through the first notch in said sleeve so that said second leg engages said blade;
a sleeve stop pivotally movable between a first position in which said sleeve stop engages said second notch to prevent rotation of said sleeve and a second position in which said sleeve stop disengages from the second notch to allow rotation of the sleeve;
a bolster movable between first and second positions, said bolster operable to pivotally move the sleeve stop between its first and second positions.

2. The folding knife according to claim 1 wherein said blade is movable from the closed position to the open position both manually and automatically.

3. The folding knife according to claim 2 wherein said blade is moved from the closed position to the open position when said trigger is in the second position.

4. The folding knife according to claim 1 including a safety movable between safety on and safety off positions, said safety including a member that prevents movement of said trigger from its first to second positions when the safety is in the safety on position and said blade is in the open position, and allowing movement of the trigger from its first to second positions when the safety is in the safety off position and said blade is in the closed position.

5. The folding knife according to claim 4 in which said safety is moved from the safety on position to the safety off position by movement of the blade from its open position to its closed position.

6. A folding knife, comprising,
a handle defined by first and second handle halves held in a spaced apart relationship to define a blade groove therebetween;
a blade pivotally connected between the handle halves with a pivot shaft extending through a bore in a tang portion of the blade so that the blade is movable in a rotational path between an open position and closed position;
a sleeve extending through the bore in the tang, said sleeve having a notch therein;
a spring around the pivot shaft and retained in the sleeve, said spring having a first leg fixed relative to the handle and a second leg;
a trigger in one of said handle halves movable between first and second positions, said trigger having a cavity formed on an interior portion thereof facing said blade groove;
a lever having a first end attached to the handle, a second free end in the cavity and a hook between the first and second ends;
wherein movement of the trigger from the first to the second position causes movement of the lever from a first position in which said hook is engaged with said notch in said sleeve to a second position in which said hook is disengaged from said notch in said sleeve.

7. The folding knife according to claim 6 wherein said blade may be moved from the closed position to the open position both manually and automatically.

8. The folding knife according to claim 7 wherein said blade may be moved from the closed position to the open position manually when said hook is engaged with said notch.

9. The folding knife according to claim 7 wherein said blade is moved from the closed position to the open position automatically when said hook is disengaged from said notch.

10. The folding knife according to claim 9 including an annular shelf formed partially around the bore in the tang of the blade, said annular shelf having a closed end, and wherein said second leg of said spring extends into said annular shelf.

11. The folding knife according to claim 10 wherein said second leg of said spring exerts pressure against the closed end of said annular shelf when said hook is disengaged from said notch to thereby automatically move the blade from the closed position to the open position.

12. The folding knife according to claim 6 including a safety movable between safety on and safety off positions, said safety blocking movement of said trigger from its first to second positions in the safety on position and allowing movement of the trigger from its first to second positions in the safety off position.

13. The folding knife according to claim 12 wherein said safety is in the safety on position when said blade is in its open position.

14. The folding knife according to claim 13 in which said safety is moved from the safety on position to the safety off position by movement of the blade from its open position to its closed position.

15. A folding knife, comprising,
a handle defined by first and second handle halves held in a spaced apart relationship to define a blade groove therebetween;
a blade pivotally connected between the handle halves with a pivot shaft extending through a bore in a tang portion of the blade so that the blade is movable in a rotational path between an open position and closed position, said blade having first and second sides and a first annular shelf formed partially around the bore on the first side of said blade and a second annular shelf formed partially around the bore on the second side of said blade, both of said annular shelves having a closed end;
a sleeve extending through the bore in the tang, said sleeve having a notch therein;
a first spring around the pivot shaft and retained in the sleeve on the first side of said blade, said first spring having a first leg fixed relative to the handle and a second leg extending into the first annular shelf;
a second spring around the pivot shaft and retained in the sleeve on the second side of said blade, said second spring having a first leg fixed relative to the handle and a second leg extending into the second annular shelf
a trigger in one of said handle halves movable between first and second positions, said trigger having a cavity formed on an interior portion thereof;
a lever having a first end attached to the handle, a second free end in the cavity and a hook;
wherein movement of the trigger from the first to the second position causes movement of the lever from a first position in which said hook is engaged with said notch in said sleeve and a second position in which said hook is disengaged from said notch in said sleeve and wherein when said hook is disengaged from said notch, said springs apply pressure to the closed ends of said annular shelves to drive the blade from the closed position to the open position.

16. The folding knife according to claim 15 in which when the trigger is in the first position and the lever is in the first position, the blade may be moved from the closed position to the open position either manually or automatically.

17. The folding knife according to claim 16 further comprising a safety having an arm that stops movement of the trigger from the first position to the second position when the blade is in the open position and the blade has been opened manually.

18. The folding knife according to claim 16 wherein when the blade is moved from the open position to the closed position the blade moves the safety to a safety off position in which the blade may be opened

Assignees

• Mentor Group Llc
• Benchmade Knife Co Inc

Inventors

• Valdez Brian

Classifications

• B26B1/044

  by a spring tongue snapping behind or into the tang of the blade from a side part of the handle · CPC title

• B26B1/02 Primary

  with pivoted blade · CPC title