# Patent

## Title
Cutting tool with curved distal portion and associated methods

## Abstract

A cutting tool includes an elongate handle to be grasped by a user, and an elongate blade connected to the elongate handle. The elongate blade includes a substantially linear proximal portion extending longitudinally outwardly from an end of the handle, and a curved distal portion extending in a downward and forward curve from the proximal portion and ending in a tapered tip. The linear proximal portion and curved distal portion may have about equal lengths. The linear proximal portion may have a sharpened lower edge and the curved distal portion may have sharpened upper and lower edges. In some embodiments, the elongate blade may have a length of less than about twelve inches so that the cutting tool is a knife, and in other embodiments, the elongate blade may have a length of greater than about twelve inches so that the cutting tool is a sword.

## Background
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the field of cutting tools, and, more particularly, to the field of cutting tools having curved blades, and associated methods.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Cutting tools come in various shapes and sizes, and are used for different purposes. Some different types of cutting tools include knives, swords, and bayonets, for example. Accordingly, cutting tools may include blades that have different shapes and sizes.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,048,322 to Cathey, for example, discloses a paring knife having an elongate handle, and an elongate blade connected to the elongate handle. The elongate blade extends outwardly from the handle in an initial downward curve, followed by an upward curve, and ending in a downswept, tapered tip. In other words, the blade is substantially U-shaped. The blade also includes a sharpened lower edge. The shape and configuration of the blade may, however, limit the use of the knife.
U.S. Design Pat. No. 363,109 to Hall discloses a knife having a curved handle, and an elongate blade connected to the curved handle. The elongate blade includes hook-shaped portions along the upper and lower edges adjacent the handle, and upper and lower sharpened edges opposite the handle and, ends in an upswept, tapered tip. The lower hook portions of the blade may interfere with uses of the sharpened lower edge for cutting or slicing applications, for example.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,095,623 to Williams discloses a firefighting tool including an elongate handle, and an elongate blade connected to the elongate handle. The elongate blade includes a substantially linear proximal portion extending longitudinally outwardly from an end of the handle, a substantially linear medial portion extending outwardly along an angle from an end of the proximal portion, and a substantially linear distal portion extending outwardly along an angle from an end of the medial portion. The blade also includes a sharpened upper edge. A lower edge of the proximal portion of the blade is sharpened, and the lower edge of the medial and distal portions are saw-shaped. This blade may be disadvantageous because the saw-shaped portions of the blade may interfere with use of the sharpened lower edge.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing background, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a more versatile cutting tool.
This and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention are provided by a cutting tool that may comprise an elongate handle to be grasped by a user, and an elongate blade connected to the elongate handle. The elongate blade may comprise a substantially linear proximal portion extending longitudinally outwardly from an end of the handle, and a curved distal portion extending in a downward and forward curve from the proximal portion and ending in a tapered tip.
The linear proximal portion and curved distal portion may have about equal lengths, and the linear proximal portion may have a sharpened lower edge. The curved distal portion may also have a sharpened upper edge, as well as a sharpened lower edge. The sharpened upper and lower edges advantageously allow the cutting tool to be used for many different applications. The curved distal portion may break downwardly at an angle of about 30 to 50 degrees from the linear proximal portion.
The linear proximal portion may have a substantially uniform predetermined width, and the curved distal portion may also have the predetermined width upstream of the tapered tip. A guard may be connected between the handle and the blade. The guard may comprise a thumb guard portion extending upwardly and a finger guard portion extending downwardly. The guard advantageously provides a buffer between the users hand and the elongate blade. The tapered tip of the curved distal portion may curve upwardly to define an upswept tip at an angle of about 5 to 15 degrees.
In some embodiments, the blade may have a length of less than about twelve inches so that the cutting tool is a knife. In other embodiments, the blade may have a length of greater than about twelve inches so that the cutting tool is a sword.
A method aspect of the present invention is for making the cutting tool. The method may comprise connecting an elongate blade, as described above, to an elongate handle to be grasped by a user.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of the cutting tool according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the handle of the cutting tool according to the present invention.


DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout, and prime notation is used to indicate similar elements in alternate embodiments.
Referring initially to FIG. 1, a cutting tool 20 according to the present invention is now described. The cutting tool 20 illustratively includes an elongate handle 30 to be grasped by a user, and an elongate blade 40 connected to the elongate handle. The elongate blade 40 illustratively comprises a substantially linear proximal portion 42 extending longitudinally outwardly from an end of the handle 30, and a curved distal portion 44 extending in a downward and forward curve from the proximal portion and ending in a tapered tip 46. The linear proximal portion 42 and the curved distal portion 44 are illustratively integrally formed as a monolithic unit.
The linear proximal portion 42 illustratively has a sharpened lower edge 50, and the curved distal portion 44 illustratively has a sharpened upper edge 52 and a sharpened lower edge 54. The sharpened lower edges 50, 54 of the linear proximal portion 42 and the curved distal portion 44 are advantageous when using the cutting tool 20 for chopping, or slicing, for example, or other common uses as will be understood by those skilled in the art. The sharpened upper edge 52 of the curved distal portion 44 is also advantageous when using the cutting tool 20 for slicing in an upward direction, for example, or other common as will be understood by those skilled in the art.
The linear proximal portion 42 of the blade 40 illustratively has a uniform width, illustrated in FIG. 1 as W. The width W may be within the range of about 1 to 3 inches, for example. The curved distal portion 44 of the elongate blade 40 also illustratively has the width W upstream of the tapered tip. The elongate blade 40 may comprise metal, for example, or another material having high strength properties capable of withstanding an impact, and repetitive use, for example, as understood by those skilled in the art.
The linear proximal portion 42 of the blade 40 has a length L1, and the curved distal portion 44 of the blade has a length L2 measured from the proximal end to an imaginary line tangent to the tapered tip. The length L1 of the linear proximal portion 42 and the length L2 of the curved distal portion 44 are illustratively about equal. For example, the length L1 may be about 3 inches, and the length L2 may be about 4 inches although other dimensions are also contemplated by the present invention. In some embodiments, an overall length of the elongate blade 40 may be less than about 12 inches so that the cutting tool 20 is a knife. In other embodiments, the overall length of the elongate blade 40 may be greater than about 12 inches so that the cutting tool 20 is a sword.
The cutting tool 20 also illustratively comprises a guard 60 connected between the handle 30 and the blade 40. The guard 60 illustratively comprises a thumb guard portion 62 extending upwardly, and a finger guard portion 64 extending downwardly. More specifically, the thumb guard portion 62 is curved and extends upwardly and outwardly over an upper edge of the linear proximal portion 42 of the blade 40. The finger guard portion 64 is also curved and extends downwardly and outwardly over the sharpened lower edge 54 of the linear proximal portion 42 of the blade 40. The guard 60 advantageously provides a buffer between the users hand and the elongate blade 40 to protect the hand of the user from contact with the blade.
The elongate handle 30 illustratively includes a butt end 32 opposite the guard 60. The butt end 32 may be curved downwardly to facilitate gripping by the user. The butt end 32 may be weighted to balance the cutting tool 20. For example, the weighted butt end 32 may have a weight substantially similar to the weight of the blade 40 so that the cutting tool 20 is balanced when grasped in the hand of a user. The elongate handle 30 may further include a non-slip grip surface. The non-slip grip surface may be provided by a dimpled rubber coating, for example, or another similar material as will be understood by those skilled in the art.
The curved distal portion 44 of the elongate blade 40 illustratively breaks downwardly at an angle α from the linear proximal portion 42. More particularly, the angle α may be between about 30 and 50 degrees from the linear proximal portion 42 of the blade 40. The downward angle α of the curved distal portion 44 of the blade, along with the sharpened upper edge 52, is advantageous when using the cutting tool 20 to cut or slice, for example, in an upward direction.
The tapered tip 46 of the curved distal portion 44 of the blade 40 illustratively curves upwardly to define an upswept tip. More particularly, the upswept tip is illustratively upswept at an angle β from the curved distal portion 44 of the blade 40. The angle β may be about 5 to 15 degrees from an adjacent portion of the curved distal portion 44 of the blade 40. The upswept tip 46, along with the sharpened upper edge 52 of the curved distal portion 44, is advantageous when using the cutting tool 20 for piercing, for example.
Turning now to FIG. 2, an alternate embodiment of the elongate handle 30′ of the cutting tool 20′ is described. The elongate handle 30′ includes a grip 34′. The grip 34′ may include indentations (not shown) for receiving the fingers and thumb of the hand of the user. The indentations advantageously facilitate gripping of the elongate handle 30′ by the user. The butt end 32′ of the elongate handle 30′ may be curved downwardly so that the user may better secure the grip 34′. The other elements of the alternate embodiment of the elongate handle 30′ of the cutting tool 20′ are similar to those of the first embodiment, are identified using prime notation and require no further discussion herein.
A method aspect of the present invention is for making the cutting tool 20. The method may comprise connecting an elongate blade 40, as described above, to an elongate handle 30 to be grasped by a user. The method may further comprise connecting a guard 60, as described above, between the elongate handle 30 and the elongate blade 40.
Other aspects of the cutting tool 20 are described in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/298,258, entitled “Cutting Tool With Sloping Proximal Portion And Associated Methods”, filed concurrently herewith, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Many modifications and other embodiments of the invention will come to the mind of one skilled in the art having tho benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, and that other modifications and embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.

## Claims

1. A cutting tool comprising:
an elongate handle having a first end and a second end; and
an elongate blade connected to the second end of said elongate handle and comprising
a substantially linear proximal portion extending longitudinally outwardly from the second end of said handle and having a sharpened lower edge and an upper edge, said linear proximal portion being defined by upper distal and proximal end points along the upper edge, and lower distal and proximal end points along the sharpened lower edge,
a curved distal portion extending in a downward and forward curve and ending in a tapered tip and having sharpened upper and lower edges, said curved distal portion being defined by an upper proximal end point along the sharpened upper edge, a lower proximal end point along the sharpened lower edge, and the tapered tip,
said curved distal portion being in contact with said linear proximal portion at an intersection point defined by the lower distal end point on said linear proximal portion and the lower proximal end point on said curved distal portion,
said linear proximal portion having a linear length measured from the second end of said handle to an imaginary line extending through the upper distal end point on said linear proximal portion and the intersection point,
said curved distal portion having a linear length measured from an imaginary line tangent to the tapered tip to an imaginary line extending through the upper proximal end point on said curved distal portion and the intersection point,
said linear proximal portion and said curved distal portion having a substantially equal linear length, and
a medial portion defined by the intersection point, the imaginary line extending through the upper distal end point on said linear proximal portion and the intersection point, and the imaginary line extending through the upper proximal end point on said curved distal portion and the intersection point, said medial portion having a substantially triangular shape.

2. A cutting tool according to claim 1 wherein said curved distal portion breaks downwardly at an angle of about 30 to 50 degrees from said linear proximal portion.

3. A cutting tool according to claim 1 wherein said linear proximal portion has a substantially uniform predetermined width.

4. A cutting tool according to claim 3 wherein said curved distal portion also has the predetermined width upstream of said tapered tip.

5. A cutting tool according to claim 1 further comprising a guard connected between said handle and said blade.

6. A cutting tool according to claim 5 wherein said guard comprises a thumb guard portion extending upwardly and a finger guard portion extending downwardly.

7. A cutting tool according to claim 1 wherein the tapered tip of said curved distal portion curves upwardly to define an upswept tip.

8. A cutting tool according to claim 7 wherein the upswept tip is upswept at an angle of about 5 to 15 degrees.

9. A cutting tool according to claim 1 wherein said blade has a length of less than about twelve inches so that the cutting tool is a knife.

10. A cutting tool according to claim 1 wherein said blade has a length of greater than about twelve inches so that the cutting tool is a sword.

11. A cutting tool comprising:
an elongate handle having a first end and a second end; and
an elongate blade connected to the second end of said elongate handle and comprising
a substantially linear proximal portion extending longitudinally outwardly from the second end of said handle, and being defined by upper distal and proximal end points along an upper edge and lower distal and proximal end points along a lower edge,
a curved distal portion extending in a downward and forward curve from said linear proximal portion and ending in an upswept tapered tip, said curved distal portion being defined by an upper proximal end point along an upper edge, a lower proximal end point along a lower edge, and the upswept tapered tip,
said curved distal portion being in contact with said linear proximal portion at an intersection point defined by the lower distal end point on said linear proximal portion and the lower proximal end point on said curved distal portion,
said linear proximal portion having a linear length measured from the second end of said handle to an imaginary line extending through the upper distal end point on said linear proximal portion and the intersection point,
said curved distal portion having a linear length measured from an imaginary line tangent to the upswept tapered tip to an imaginary line extending through the upper proximal end point on said curved distal portion and the intersection point,
said linear proximal portion and said curved distal portion having a substantially equal linear length, and
a medial portion defined by the intersection point, the imaginary line extending through the upper distal end point on said linear proximal portion and the intersection point, and the imaginary line extending through the upper proximal end point on said curved distal portion and the intersection point, said medial portion having a substantially triangular shape.

12. A cutting tool according to claim 11 wherein the upswept tip is upswept at an angle of about 5 to 15 degrees.

13. A cutting tool according to claim 11 wherein said linear proximal portion has a sharpened lower edge.

14. A cutting tool according to claim 11 wherein said curved distal portion has sharpened upper and lower edges.

15. A cutting tool according to claim 11 wherein said curved distal portion breaks downwardly at an angle of about 30 to 50 degrees from said linear proximal portion.

16. A cutting tool according to claim 11 wherein said linear proximal portion has a substantially uniform predetermined width.

17. A cutting tool according to claim 16 wherein said curved distal portion also has the predetermined width upstream of said tapered tip.

18. A cutting tool according to claim 11 further comprising a guard connected between said handle and said blade.

19. A cutting tool according to claim 18 wherein said guard comprises a thumb guard portion extending upwardly and a finger guard portion extending downwardly.

20. A cutting tool according to claim 11 wherein said blade has a length of less than about twelve inches so that the cutting tool is a knife.

21. A cutting tool according to claim 11 wherein said blade has a length of greater than about twelve inches so that the cutting tool is a sword.

22. A method of making a cutting tool comprising:
connecting an elongate blade to an elongate handle having a first end and a second end, the elongate blade being connected to the second end of the elongate handle, the elongate blade comprising
a substantially linear proximal portion extending longitudinally outwardly from the second end of said handle and having a sharpened lower edge and an upper edge, the linear proximal portion being defined by upper distal and proximal end points along the upper edge, and lower distal and proximal end points along the sharpened lower edge,
a curved distal portion extending in a downward and forward curve and ending in a tapered tip and having sharpened upper and lower edges, the curved distal portion being defined by an upper proximal end point along the sharpened upper edge, a lower proximal end point along the sharpened lower edge, and the tapered tip,
the curved distal portion being in contact with the linear proximal portion at an intersection point defined by the lower distal end point on the linear proximal portion and the lower proximal end point on the curved distal portion,
the linear proximal portion having a linear length measured from the second end of the handle to an imaginary line extending through the upper distal end point on the linear proximal portion and the intersection point,
the curved distal portion having a linear length measured from an imaginary line tangent to the tapered tip to an imaginary line extending through the upper proximal end point on the curved distal portion and the intersection point,
the linear proximal portion and the curved distal portion having a substantially equal linear length, and
a medial portion defined by the intersection point, the imaginary line extending through the upper distal end point on the linear proximal portion and the intersection point, and the imaginary line extending through the upper proximal end point on the curved distal portion and the intersection point, said medial portion having a substantially triangular shape.

23. A method according to claim 22 wherein the curved distal portion breaks downwardly at an angle of about 30 to 50 degrees from the linear proximal portion.

24. A method according to claim 22 further comprising connecting a guard between the handle and the blade.

25. A method according to claim 22 wherein the tapered tip of the curved distal portion curves upwardly to define an upswept tip.

26. A method according to claim 25 wherein the upswept tip is upswept at an angle of about 5 to 15 degrees.

27. A cutting tool comprising:
connecting an elongate blade to an elongate handle having a first end and a second end, the elongate blade being connected to the second end of the elongate handle, the elongate blade comprising
a substantially linear proximal portion extending longitudinally outwardly from the second end of the handle, and being defined by upper distal and proximal end points along an upper edge and lower distal and proximal end points along a lower edge,
a curved distal portion extending in a downward and forward curve from the linear proximal portion and ending in an upswept tapered tip, the curved distal portion being defined by an upper proximal end point along an upper edge, a lower proximal end point along a lower edge, and the upswept tapered tip,
the curved distal portion being in contact with the linear proximal portion at an intersection point defined by the lower distal end point on the linear proximal portion and the lower proximal end point on the curved distal portion,
the linear proximal portion having a linear length measured from the second end of the handle to an imaginary line extending through the upper distal end point on the linear proximal portion and the intersection point,
the curved distal portion having a linear length measured from an imaginary line tangent to the upswept tapered tip to an imaginary line extending through the upper proximal end point on the curved distal portion and the intersection point,
the linear proximal portion and the curved distal portion having a substantially equal linear length, and
a medial portion defined by the intersection point, the imaginary line extending through the upper distal end point on the linear proximal portion and the intersection point, and the imaginary line extending through the upper proximal end point on the curved distal portion and the intersection point, said medial portion having a substantially triangular shape.

28. A method according to claim 27 wherein the upswept tip is upswept at an angle of about 5 to 15 degrees.

29. A method according to claim 27 wherein the linear proximal portion has a sharpened lower edge.

30. A method according to claim 27 wherein the curved distal portion has sharpened upper and lower edges.

31. A method according to claim 27 wherein the curved distal portion breaks downwardly at an angle of about 30 to 50 degrees from the linear proximal portion.

32. A method according to claim 27 further comprising connecting a guard between the handle and the blade.