Abstract:
A knife sharpener comprising a sharpening device preferably of the type involving upwardly extending pairs of overlapping, resiliently flexible fingers or strips forming opposed abrasive sharpening faces, provided with a pair of shields respectively operative between closed positions in which they cover and protecting the sharpening device and open positions in which they respectively provide a handhold for the device and protect the hand of the user when it is on the handhold, and preferably provided with locking means moveable between a first position engaging said shields and retaining them in said closed position and a second position releasing said shields from their closed positions and extending out from said assembly to provide protection for the hand of the user.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     Many devices have been proposed for sharpening knives. One type of such device, suitable for both professional and home use, includes a structure through and across which a knife may be drawn, the device then acting on the cutting edge of the device to enhance the sharpness of that edge. Such sharpeners, when not secured to some external support, must be held in place on a horizontal support such as a table by one hand of the user, the other hand of the user manipulating the knife. The proximity of the knife, as it is drawn through the sharpening device, to the user&#39;s hand engaged in holding the device stationary on a support surface presents significant danger of injury to that hand if the knife is not manipulated in an entirely correct fashion, and hence it is highly desirable to provide the device with some means for protecting the user&#39;s holding hand.  
         [0002]     One particularly effective sharpening device is that shown in the inventor&#39;s prior U.S. Pat. No. 6,769,327 of Aug. 3, 2004 entitled “Knife and Blade Sharpener”. The knife sharpener there disclosed has sets of overlapping resiliently flexible fingers or strips which form opposed abrasive sharpening faces operable to engage the cutting edge of the knife blade. Sharpeners of that type have proved to be exceptionally effective, but those resiliently flexible fingers, if exposed to the vicissitudes of handling and storage, are susceptible to physical damage or distortion. In addition, the marketplace places a high value on compactness for easy handling and storage. Also, since the fingers are abrasive the environment should be shielded from possible damage from the fingers themselves. Moreover, it has been found that the conventional hand-guard, usually only co-extensive with the abrasive finger assembly, does not provide adequate protection to the user&#39;s hand, particularly the thumb-portion of that hand.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     The object of the present invention is to provide a knife sharpening device preferably but not exclusively of the type involving pairs of overlapping, resiliently flexible abrasive fingers or strips, in which the knife-sharpening device is protected from deterioration, damage or abuse while being stored, in which the sharpening units are housed to prevent damage to the environment, and which provides enhanced protection to the hand of the user when the sharpener is to be operatively employed. The arrangement of parts which accomplishes those objectives are particularly adapted for use with a knife sharpener with resiliently flexible abrasive fingers or strips of the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 6,769,327, but is not necessarily limited thereto.  
         [0004]     More specifically, the sharpener device of whatever type is designed to be placed upon a supporting surface when it is used, and to be retained by one hand of the user, the other hand of the user drawing the knife through the sharpening device in known fashion. Secured to the device are a pair of multi-function shields. When in one condition suitable for storage those shields encompass the sharpening device and protect it from adverse influences. When the sharpener is to be used a first of those shields is moved from its closed position to a hand held position extending out at approximately right angles to the sharpening device, there to be there pressed against a supporting surface and held by one hand of the user. The second shield is interposed between the sharpening device and the handhold shield, preferably moving somewhat from its closed position to its open h position in which it protects the user&#39;s hand. The two shields are retained in their closed position by a pair of locking members moveably mounted on the structure between a first position engaging the shields and retaining them in their closed position and a second position releasing the shields for movement to their open positions and also preferably extending out from the edges of the sharpening device to provide additional protection to the user&#39;s hand, and particularly the thumb-portion of that hand. The base of the structure may also carry a flap which, when the shields are in their open positions, extends out from said base to further protect the user&#39;s hand.  
         [0005]     The parts of the device are readily manufactured and assembled with a minimum of precision required, with the wing-like shield locking means, when assembled with the other parts, providing the structure for articulately mounting the shields.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0006]     The accomplishments of the above, and to such other objectives as may hereinafter appear, the preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0007]      FIG. 1  is a three-quarter perspective view of the sharpener of the present invention in closed condition;  
         [0008]      FIG. 2  is a front elevational view thereof;  
         [0009]      FIG. 3  is an end elevational view thereof;  
         [0010]      FIG. 4  is an exploded view thereof;  
         [0011]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the abrasive fingers assembled with the sharpener base;  
         [0012]      FIG. 6  is a detailed perspective view of the end of the base receptacle;  
         [0013]      FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view taken along the line  7 - 7  of  FIG. 5 ;  
         [0014]      FIG. 8  is a side elevational view of one of the locking members which retain the shields in closed position&#39; 
         [0015]      FIG. 9  is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of one end of the sharpener in closed position taken along the line  9 - 9  of  FIG. 2 ;  
         [0016]      FIG. 10  is an end elevational view of the sharpener in open position ready to be grasped by the user;  
         [0017]      FIG. 11  is a three-quarter perspective view of the sharpener of  FIG. 10 ; and  
         [0018]      FIG. 12  is a three-quarter view of the sharpener in use.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0019]     The knife sharpener device per se may be of the general type shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,769,327. In its specific form here it is of the form of a finger assembly generally designated A, which comprises an elongated narrow bottom wall  2  from which resilient staggered sets of curved fingers  4  and  6  respectively extend upwardly, the fingers  4  at their upper extremities entering into the spaces between the fingers  6  and vice versa, the outwardly facing surfaces  4 A and  6 A of the fingers  4  and  6  being appropriately abrasive in nature, all as described in the aforementioned &#39;327 patent. The finger assembly A is mounted on a base generally designated  8  comprising an elongated bottom wall  10  and upstanding side walls  12 , the latter being provided with two sets of matching apertures  14  and  16  respectively. Both the finger assembly  2 ,  4   6  and the base  8  may be formed of metal and finger assembly A may be secured to the base  8  in any appropriate manner, as by spot welding.  
         [0020]     The assembled finger assembly A with attached base  8  may, if desired, be received in a base receptacle generally designated  18 , that receptacle being made of rubber or other plastic and having side walls  20  and  22  between which the finger assembly may be received, with inwardly directed projections  24  snapping within the spaces between the fingers  4  and the fingers  6  respectively. The base receptacle provides the sharpener unit with a frictional bottom surface which will grip the surface on which the unit is mounted when in use and the projections  24  help to retain the base receptacle  18  in position relative to the finger assembly A and to dampen vibration of the fingers.  
         [0021]     The sharpener as here disclosed is provided with a pair of elongated shields  26  and  28 , one disposed on each side of the finger assembly A and extending thereover so as collectively to enclose and protect the fingers  4  and  6  when those shields  26  and  28  are in their closed position, with the shield  26  on one side of the finger assembly and the shield  28  on the other side thereof. This can best be seen in  FIGS. 1-3   
         [0022]     The shield  26  is provided with downwardly extending ears  30  provided with apertures  32 , and the shield  28  is provided with downwardly extending ears  34  provided with apertures  36 . The shields  26  and  28  are articulately mounted on the base  8  by bringing the ear apertures  32  and the ear apertures  36  into registration with the apertures  14  in the upstanding walls  12  on the base  8  and by retaining them in that position with desired freedom of rotational movement by means of prongs  38  on side pieces  40 , those prongs penetrating the apertures  14 ,  32  and  36 . The prongs  38  are so designed that after they have passed through those apertures they will expand on the inside of the base walls  12 , thus holding the parts together. The side pieces  40  are provided with second prongs  42  which similarly pass through and lock behind the apertures  16  in the base walls  12 , the shield ears  30  and  34  having cut out portions  44  and  46  respectively to accommodate the prongs  42  when the shields  26  are in their upright and closed position.  
         [0023]     Pivotally secured to the upper edges of the side pieces  40  are locking members in the form of curved wings  48  movable between essentially vertical positions in which they encompass the shields  26  and  28  when the latter are in their closed upright position and retain them in that position, and substantially horizontal positions, as shown in  FIGS. 10 and 11 , thereby releasing the shields  26  and  28  from their upright closed position and permitting them to move to their operative positions as described below. Moreover, as can be seen from  FIGS. 10 and 11  the wings  48  when in their shield-releasing position, are essentially horizontal and extend out beyond the edges of the overall assembly.  
         [0024]     When the sharpener is not in use, as shown in  FIGS. 1-3 , its shields  26  and  28  are retained in closed position by the wings  48 , thereby to protect the finger assembly A from deleterious external damage-causing influences and protecting the environment from damage emanating from the fingers, while at the same time giving to the overall structure a visual impression of solidity.  
         [0025]     When the sharpener is to be used for its designed purpose, the wings  48  are moved to their outer positions, as shown in  FIGS. 10 and 11 , thus releasing the shields  26  and  28 . The shield  28 , originally on one side of the finger assembly A, is pivoted about the prongs  42  over an arc somewhat in excess of 270°, as indicated by the arrows and broken lines in  FIG. 10 , so as to extend substantially horizontally from the base  18 , but being located on the same side of the finger assembly A as the shield  26  (see  FIG. 11 ). It therefore can then function as a handhold for the sharpener when it is placed on a supporting surface, as shown in  FIG. 12 . It may be provided on its inner surface, then oriented downwardly toward the supporting surface, with a surface-engaging pad  50  of rubber, plastic or the like. The shield  26 , on the same side of the assembly as the now extended handheld shield  28 , may, if desired, be permitted outward pivotal movement to a slight degree (perhaps 10-15°), so as to partially overlie the extended handhold shield  28 . With or without such small degree of movement the shield  26  is interposed between the user&#39;s hand on the handheld shield  28  and the knife as it is drawn through the fingers  4  and  6 , thus in this condition functioning as a hand protecting safety feature. Such protection is limited to the width of the shield  26 , while the user&#39;s hand when on handhold shield  28  extends beyond that width. However, when the wings  48  are folded out, as they must be to enable the shields  26  and  28  to play their part, they extend out beyond the end edges of the assembly, and thus provide further protection for the user&#39;s hand, and particularly the thumb area of the hand, as shown in  FIG. 12 , where the user&#39;s thumb is designated  34  and his other fingers are designated  56 .  
         [0026]     As an additional safety feature, the base receptacle  18  may be provided with an articulately mounted flap  52  which, when the sharpener is to be used, extends out beyond the base receptacle  18  so as to protect the user&#39;s hand from gross misdirection of the knife being sharpened. When the sharpener is to be stored the shield  26 , in moving to its closed position, engages the flap  52  and moves it to a vertical stowed position.  
         [0027]     Once the device has been set up for use, as described above, the blade of the knife to be sharpened is placed between the upwardly extending portions of the fingers  4  and  6 , the blade is held vertically and it is pulled down and back through the fingers with pressure. This action is repeated until the proper edge is produced on the knife. When proper sharpening has been effected the shields  26  and  28  are returned to their closed position, the wings  48  are swung up to retain the shields in their closed position, and the unit may then be handled with minimal care, since the sharpening members, here shown as abrasive fingers  4  and  6 , are enclosed and protected and the environment is likewise protected from damage emanating from the fingers themselves.  
         [0028]     It will be apparent that many variations may be made in the details of the various parts, all without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the following claims: