Patent ID: 9227330
Filing Date: 2016-01-05
CPC Classification: B26B

Claim Text:
1. A folding knife including: an elongate blade having a free end and an opposite handle mounting end, the blade defining a longitudinal axis which extends between said ends, the blade defining a cam-receiving aperture having a generally circular profile and a blade notch which is disposed adjacent to and which opens into the cam-receiving aperture; an elongate handle having a free end and an opposite blade mounting end, the handle defining a longitudinal axis which extends between said ends, the handle including a locking formation for releasable engagement with the blade notch of the blade; a disc-shaped cam having a generally circular peripheral outer edge, which is pivotally mounted to the handle in an arrangement permitting pivotal displacement of the cam relative to the handle about a pivot axis which is offset from a centre of the cam, the cam being received within the cam-receiving aperture of the blade in an arrangement permitting rotation of the cam within the cam-receiving aperture, thereby providing for mounting of the blade to the cam and rotational displacement of the blade relative to the handle between a folded condition wherein the blade is folded onto the handle and an extended condition wherein the longitudinal axes of the blade and the handle are substantially aligned, the cam defining a cam notch in which the locking formation of the handle can be received, thereby permitting linear displacement of the cam and the blade relative to the handle when the locking formation is received in the cam notch; a cam mechanism for regulating said linear displacement of the cam relative to the handle, the cam mechanism including biasing means for biasing the cam and thereby the blade mounted thereto, in a predetermined linear direction relative to the handle; and an abutment formation which is fixed to the handle against which the biasing means abuts and is placed under tension when the cam is displaced in said predetermined linear direction, the configuration of the cam and the relative positions of the blade notch and the locking formation being such that when the blade is in the extended position, the locking formation is releasably captured in the blade notch, with a peripheral edge of the cam blocking the release of the locking formation, displacement of the blade into its folded condition from its extended condition, being achieved by exerting a force on the blade against the force of the biasing means so as to displace the blade notch in said linear direction away from the locking formation while rotating the blade relative to the cam so as to bring the cam notch into register with the blade notch thereby permitting the locking formation to be received within the cam notch so as to release the locking formation from the blade notch and permit rotation of the blade relative to the cam.