Folding knife with dual operational modes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9862104-B2
Application number	US-201414759216-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 13, 2014
Priority date	Feb 20, 2013
Publication date	Jan 9, 2018
Grant date	Jan 9, 2018

Abstract

A folding knife has mechanisms for facilitating dual operational modes for opening the blade. In a first modality, the knife is opened and closed manually. In a second modality, the knife is fully automatic. When the blade is in the closed position the user may use either mode, manual or automatic, without any switching mechanism. A lock securely locks the blade in the open position when either opening modality is being used. To open the blade manually, the user rotates the blade from the closed to the open position—the lock automatically locks the blade open when the blade is fully open. To open the blade automatically, the lock mechanism functions as the trigger mechanism; the user slides the lock mechanism to actuate the automatic open mechanism. When the blade is in the fully open position the lock secures the blade open. A torsion spring around the pivot shaft that connects the blade to the handle and which is retained in a bushing drives the blade open in the automatic mode. The knife includes a “dry fire safety” mechanism that prevents operation of the automatic opening mechanisms when the blade is in the open position or in any position intermediate between open and closed when the manual modality is used.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A folding knife, comprising,
a handle with a first end and a second end with a longitudinal axis running therebetween and defined by first and second handle halves held in a spaced apart relationship with a blade groove formed therebetween;
a pivot shaft between the first and second handle halves;
a blade pivotally connected between the handle halves with the pivot shaft adjacent to the blade groove, and movable between an open position and a closed position, wherein the blade groove receives the blade in the closed position;
a bushing rotatably disposed around the pivot shaft;
a spring disposed around the pivot shaft, the spring retained in the bushing, the spring having a first leg fixed to the first handle half and a second leg extending through a slot in the bushing and into an arcuate pocket in the blade;
a lock bar that extends transverse to the longitudinal axis of the handle, the lock bar having opposite ends that movably extend in a first slot in the first handle half and a second slot in the second handle half, the lock bar movable by a user between a third position and a fourth position; and
an actuator pivotally connected to the first handle half, the actuator having a first portion and a second portion, the actuator pivotal between a fifth position in which the first portion of the actuator engages the bushing to prevent rotation thereof, and a sixth position in which the first portion of the actuator disengages from the bushing to allow rotation thereof, and the second portion of the actuator configured for interacting with the lock bar;
and wherein when the lock bar is moved from the third position to the fourth position the lock bar engages the second portion of the actuator to thereby move the first portion of the actuator from the fifth position to the sixth position.

2. The folding knife according to claim 1 wherein when the first portion of the actuator is moved from the fifth position to the sixth position the spring drives the blade from the closed position to the open position.

3. The folding knife according to claim 2 wherein when the blade is in the open position, the lock bar interacts with a tang portion of the blade to lock the blade in the open position.

4. The folding knife according to claim 1 including a notch on the bushing, wherein the first portion of the actuator engages the notch when the actuator is in the fifth position.

5. The folding knife according to claim 1 wherein each of the first handle half is comprised of a first outer side wall and a first liner defining the first slot, and the second handle half is comprised of a second outer side wall and a second liner defining the second slot, the pivot shaft is between the first and second liners, the first leg of the spring is fixed to the first liner, the opposite ends of the lock bar movably extending in the first slot in the first liner and the second slot in the second liner, the actuator pivotally connected to the first liner.

6. The folding knife according to claim 5 including a safety coupled to the second liner.

7. The folding knife according to claim 6 in which the safety includes a safety arm pivotally attached to the second liner for movement between a safety arm seventh position in which the safety arm prevents the lock bar from moving to the fourth position, and a safety arm eighth position in which the lock bar may be moved from the third position to the fourth position.

8. The folding knife according to claim 7 , wherein the first liner includes the first slot, and wherein the safety arm includes a boss that extends into the first slot in the first liner in which the lock bar moves, wherein when the blade is in the closed position, the blade engages the boss to thereby move the safety arm to the eighth position.

9. The folding knife according to claim 7 wherein when the blade is in any position other than the closed position, the lock bar is prevented, by the safety arm in the seventh position, from moving to the fourth position and contacting the first portion of the actuator, thereby preventing the actuator from being moved to the sixth position by the lock bar.

10. The folding knife according to claim 1 wherein the actuator is a V-shaped member having a first arm and a second arm, wherein the first arm is the first portion of the actuator, and wherein the second arm is the second portion of the actuator.

11. The folding knife according to claim 10 including a spring attached to the second arm and coupled to the first handle half that urges the V-shaped member into the fifth position.

12. The folding knife according to claim 1 wherein when the blade is in the closed position, the blade may be moved to the open position either automatically by a user moving the lock bar between the third position and the fourth position which disengages the actuator from the bushing to allow rotation thereof by the spring disposed around the pivot shaft, or manually.

Assignees

• Benchmade Knife Co Inc

Inventors

• France Jason

Classifications

• B26B1/048 Primary

  with a locking member being slidable or movable along the handle · CPC title