Safety Knife Device

A safety knife device includes a knife blade having a working end portion and a securing portion opposite the working end portion; and a knife handle having, a handle first end coupled to the securing portion of the knife blade, and a handle second end to receive a finger protecting article. The handle second end comprises a seating portion that is tapered to geometrically provide for the seating portion of the handle second end to nest at least partially within an opening of the finger protecting article such that an external surface of the finger protecting article lies substantially co-planar to the un-tapered, non-nested portion of the handle second end when received by the seating portion of the handle second end. The knife handle and the finger protecting article may also include integrated magnets of opposite polarity or a detent mechanism to facilitate coupling and securing the finger protecting article to the handle second end.

BACKGROUND OF THE DEVICE

Knives as a tool have been used by man for eons for countless applications, and many specialty knives have been developed for various specialty purposes, particularly for cooking and food preparation. For example, butcher knives, filleting knives, boning knives, bread knives, paring knives, and a host of others have been developed to aid the food preparer. While seasoned and/or professional cooks and chefs generally understand how to operate knives with fluency and skill, the layperson in their kitchen may operate a knife not as efficiently, and routinely may injure themselves by using a knife in an unsafe and/or an uneducated manner. For example, a layperson user who may use a paring knife to regularly peel vegetables will hold the item to be peeled in one hand and then peel the item with the knife in their other hand. In a typical fashion, the user positions the knife at a distal position of the item to be peeled with the blade towards the user, and then pulls the knife towards their thumb, thus completing the peeling action. If the user is not proficient with the knife or careless with its operation the user may “cut” their thumb or other fingers when completing the peeling action.

In another manner, a user may operate the knife not in a peeling action, but rather in a chopping action, wherein the user places the item to be “chopped” on a surface and holds the item in place with one hand by the fingers, which a proficient user knows to curl underneath; and uses the other hand to operate the knife. The proficient user knows to slightly curl their fingers underneath and “ride” the blade back along the item using their distal knuckle as a guide as they move their item holding hand back during the chopping motion. A novice, careless or uneducated user may not understand how to chop in the proper manner and may “cut” themselves; e.g. such as the tips of their fingers.

What is needed and absent from the prior art is a knife device that incorporates a finger protection article for the user to prevent or deter any unintended cutting of the user and/or user's finger when they operate the knife. Moreover, what is needed is a knife device that has the protection article incorporated with the knife for easy storage and retrieval.

SUMMARY OF THE DEVICE

Among various representative embodiments, a safety knife device comprises a knife blade comprising a working end portion and a securing portion opposite the working end portion, a knife handle, and a finger protecting article. The knife handle comprises a handle first end coupled to the securing portion of the knife blade, and a handle second end to receive the finger protecting article. The safety knife device comprises the handle second end to comprise a seating potion comprising a taper or recess to geometrically provide for the seating portion of the handle second end to nest at least partially within an opening of the finger protecting article such that an external surface of the finger protecting article lies substantially co-planar to the un-tapered or un-recessed, non-nested portion of the handle second end when the finger protecting article is received by the handle second end.

Among various embodiments, the safety knife device further comprises the knife handle and the finger protecting article to comprise at least one of; integrated magnets of opposite polarity and a detent mechanism to facilitate securing the finger protecting article to the handle second end.

Among various embodiments, the safety knife device may comprise some, all, or none of the following: (a) a plurality of grouped protrusions at a finger protecting article, external, distal end to facilitate securing a product to a cutting surface for cutting by the knife blade when the finger protecting article is worn by a user; (b) a portion of the finger protecting article comprises a textured external surface to facilitate grasping and removing the finger protecting article from the handle second end; (c) a finger protecting article comprises an internal textured surface to deter the finger protecting article from becoming removed from the user's finger upon which the finger protecting article is seated during use; (d) a finger protecting article comprises an integrated plate positioned at least upon a portion of an external surface of the finger protecting article to deter cutting the finger protecting article by the knife blade during use; (e) a finger protecting article comprises at least one of; a flexible silicon based material, a vulcanized rubber material, and a rigid synthetic plastic material; and (f) a knife handle comprises a contoured external surface to conform to the user's hand grasping profile.

Elements in the FIGS. are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been rendered according to any particular configuration. For example, elements shown may be constructed and/or assembled concurrently or in different order or embodiments, and are illustrated in the FIGS. to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the safety knife device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DEVICE

The present device may be described herein in terms of various functional components and such functional components may be realized by any number of hardware components configured to perform the specified functions and achieve the various results. For example, the present device may employ various knife blade and handle configurations that incorporates a finger protection article. In addition, the present device may be practiced in conjunction with any number of manners for cutting, paring, filleting, chopping and the like use of a knife; and any described devices are merely exemplary embodiments of the device. Further, the present device may employ any number of unique and/or conventional techniques for protecting the finger of a user during use of the safety knife. Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the following detailed description, while directed towards a knife, the various features may be incorporated into other utility devices, for example, such as a vegetable peeler.

Various embodiments of the present device may be applied to any safety knife. Referring now toFIG. 1, a safety knife device100comprises a knife blade110comprising a working end portion112and a securing portion114opposite working end portion112, and a knife handle120. Knife handle120comprises a handle first end122that couples to securing portion114of knife blade110; and a handle second end124of which a portion, seating portion125, is configured to receive a finger protecting article130of which two configurations are depicted byFIG. 1. Safety knife device100further comprises the seating portion125of handle second end124to comprise a taper126to geometrically provide for seating portion125of handle second end124to nest at least partially within an opening132of finger protecting article130such that an external surface134of finger protecting article130lies substantially co-planar to the un-tapered, non-nested portion235(FIG. 2) of handle second end124when received by handle second end124, and can be best seen by momentary reference toFIG. 2.

Among various embodiments and with reference toFIG. 2, safety knife device100may comprise some, all, or none of the following, a plurality of grouped protrusions236at a finger protecting article, external, distal end240to facilitate securing a product to a cutting surface for cutting by knife blade110when finger protecting article130is worn by a user. Safety knife device100may also comprise a portion of finger protecting article130to comprise a textured external surface237to facilitate grasping and removing finger protecting article130from handle second end124. Although not shown, finger protecting article130may also comprise an internal textured surface to deter finger protecting article130from becoming removed from a user's finger upon which finger protecting article130is seated during use. Among embodiments, finger protecting article130may also comprise an integrated plate238affixed to or positioned within at least a portion of external surface134of finger protecting article130to deter cutting finger protecting article130by knife blade110during use. Moreover, safety knife device100may comprise finger protecting article130to comprise at least one of; a flexible silicon based material, a vulcanized rubber material, and a rigid synthetic plastic material; and knife handle120may comprise a contoured external surface250to conform to a user's hand grasping profile.

Among various embodiments, safety knife device100may further comprise knife handle120and finger protecting article130to comprise at least one of; integrated magnets of opposite polarity (not shown) and a detent mechanism360(FIG. 3.) to facilitate securing finger protecting article130to handle second end124.

As disclosed above, safety knife device100comprises knife blade110. Among various embodiments, knife blade110, particularly working end portion112, may comprise various knife blade configurations, such as specifically configured for food preparation, including, butcher knives, filleting knives, boning knives, bread knives, paring knives, and the like. Moreover, knife blade may comprise of various steel, ceramic, aluminum, and alloyed material compositions, whether either one of natural and/or synthetic composition. While the present device disclosed is directed towards a knife for food preparation, those skilled in the art will appreciate that knives for other uses may be likewise configured, such as for woodworking, camping, fishing, hunting, military use, sport, general utility, etc. As shown by the exploded view ofFIG. 1, knife blade comprises securing portion114, which is configured to be coupled to a handle, such as handle120. Securing portion114may be riveted to, encased by, glued to, molded about by and otherwise secured by/to handle120. In some embodiments, blade110may be alternatively hinged to a handle, similar to handle120, such that blade110may fold and be secured within handle120, the manner generally known by those skilled in the art with respect to a folding “pocket knife” configuration. Safety knife device100may further comprise a protective sheath (not shown) to protect blade110, as well as the user of safety knife device100.

As disclosed above, safety knife device100comprises handle120comprising handle first end122and handle second end124. Handle120may comprise any of a variety of configurations and profiles generally known to those skilled in the art with respect to known knife handle configurations. For example, handle120may be contoured to accommodate a user's hand grasping profile, smooth surfaced, textured to aid gripping the handle, indented at portions to accommodate various finger positions upon the handle, etc. Moreover, handle120, may comprise material configurations, such as a wooden material, metallic, synthetic plastic, vulcanized rubber, silicon material, ceramic based material, and the like, whether natural and/or synthetic in nature. Moreover, handle120may secure to knife blade110as described previously, and handle120may be simple in nature, decoratively carved, etched, printed, embossed, and the like.

Among various embodiments and best seen byFIGS. 1 and 3, handle120comprises seating portion125at handle second end124. Seating portion125is configured to receive and, among some embodiments, secure finger protecting article130to seating portion125. As can be seen by the FIGS., seating portion125is tapered, taper126, to receive finger protecting article130, but other configurations may comprise step-down configurations, recesses, sleeves, and the like. Moreover, taper126is configured to receive finger protecting article130such that external surface134of finger protecting article130, when received by (nested to) seating portion125provides for a smooth, substantially coplanar transition between external surface134and the un-tapered, non-nested portion235(FIG. 2) of handle second end124. By this configuration, safety knife device100depicts a desirable, unified handled knife configuration, save the elements described herein with respect to the finger protecting article.

As disclosed earlier, safety knife100may comprise a plurality of grouped protrusions236at a finger protecting article, external, distal end240to facilitate securing a product to a cutting surface for cutting by knife blade110. As depicted byFIG. 2, protrusions240may comprise a grouping of “pointed” elements such that when finger protecting article130is worn by a user, the user may push onto the product being cut to aide in preventing the product from moving about during use of the safety knife. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that embodiments of safety device100may comprise other types and configurations of protrusions240, such as those depicted by elements336ofFIG. 3; or no protrusions at all.

As disclosed earlier, safety knife device100may also comprise a portion of finger protecting article130to comprise a textured external surface237to facilitate grasping and removing finger protecting article130from handle second end124. As depicted by the various FIGS., safety knife100may comprise various configurations, orientations, patterns, and the like of textured surfaces, or may be devoid of any textured surfaces.

As disclosed earlier, finger protecting article130may also comprise an integrated (or affixed) plate238positioned within at least a portion of external surface134of finger protecting article130to deter cutting finger protecting article130by knife blade110during use. As can be best seen byFIGS. 2 and 3, integrated plate238comprises a plate like configuration, but other configurations are contemplated by this disclosure. Moreover, integrated plate comprises a metallic material, but other materials, bet they natural and/or synthetic, may be employed. And among some embodiments, safety knife100may be devoid of such integrated plate238.

As disclosed earlier, safety knife device100may further comprise knife handle120and finger protecting article130to comprise at least one of; integrated magnets of opposite polarity (not shown) and a detent mechanism360(FIG. 3.) to facilitate securing finger protecting article130to handle second end124. However, other securing mechanisms other than magnets and/or a detent mechanism may be employed, such as friction fit tabs, springs, pins, locks, and other like elements generally known to secure one physical element to another. In an embodiment, finger protecting article130may screw to handle second end124.

In the foregoing specification, the safety knife device has been described with reference to specific embodiments. Various modifications and changes may be made, however, without departing from the scope of the present device as set forth in the claims. The specification and FIGS. are illustrative, rather than restrictive, and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present device. Accordingly, the scope of the device should be determined by the claims and their legal equivalents rather than by merely the specific embodiments described.

For example, the components and/or elements recited in any physical embodiment claims may be assembled or otherwise operationally configured in a variety of permutations and are accordingly not limited to any specific configuration recited in the claims.