Abstract:
A knife holder includes a knife holding block having a plurality of knife holding slots, each slot for receiving a knife therein. The knife holder also includes a knife locking mechanism that is movably engaged with the knife holding block. The knife holding mechanism is selectively movable to alternately: (a) simultaneously lock knives located in all of the knife holding slots so that the knives cannot be removed from any of the knife holding slots, and (b) simultaneously unlock knives located in all of the knife holding slots so that the knives can be removed from all of the knife holding slots. When the knife holder is a slidable knife holder, in which the knife holding block is slidably mounted to a support, such as, for example, below a counter or cabinet, so as to be slidable between a retracted, stored position, and an extended position in which knives held in the knife holding slots are readily accessible, it is preferable to include a block locking mechanism that selectively locks the knife holding block in the retracted, stored position. The block locking mechanism preferably includes at least some of the structure that also functions as the knife locking mechanism.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of Invention 
     The invention relates to knife holders, such as knife holding blocks that hold a plurality of knives, and in particular to knife holders having safety locks that prevent the knives from being removed from the knife holder. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Knife holders for holding a plurality of knives, typically in the form of wooden blocks having a plurality of slots, are well known. The most common form of these knife holding blocks are designed to be placed on a countertop so that the knives will be readily accessible. Since the knives are readily accessible, it is desirable to include some type of locking mechanism to prevent the knives from being removed from the block, for example, by young children. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,245,756 discloses a lockable knife block in which a separate spring-loaded locking and latching device is provided for each of the slots in the knife block. Each of the devices engages a notch formed in the upper portion of the blade of each knife to prevent each of the knives from being removed from the knife block. While effective, the knife block is large and bulky, and a large amount of hardware is required in order to lock all of the knives in the knife holder because a separate locking device is required for each knife. 
     While the typical knife block is designed for placement on a countertop, countertop space is rather limited in many homes, particularly for mobile homes and other recreational vehicles, which typically include very small kitchens and even smaller countertops. Additionally, since mobile homes and recreational vehicles are moved from place to place, it is highly desirable to provide a locking mechanism to prevent the knives from inadvertently being displaced from the knife holder during movement of the vehicle. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,655,672, to the inventor of the present invention, discloses a slidable knife holder that occupies a small amount of space, and can be readily mounted, for example, under or in cabinets, over sinks, or under counters. Additionally, the knife holder is slidably mounted so that it can be moved between a retracted position, where it is stowed out of the way, and an extended position, where the knives can be accessed. The disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 5,655,672 is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     The slidable knife holder disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,655,672, does not include any locking mechanism to prevent the knives from being accidentally removed from their slots, or to prevent the knife holder from accidentally sliding from the retraced position to the extended position. 
     Thus, there is a need for a knife holder that includes a simple locking mechanism for locking a plurality of knives in a knife holding block. There also is a need for a slidable knife holder that can be locked in the retracted position. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is one object of embodiments of the invention to provide a knife holder that addresses the shortcomings in previous devices described above. 
     According to one aspect of the invention, a knife holder includes a knife holding block having a plurality of knife holding slots, each slot for receiving a knife therein. The knife holder also includes a knife locking mechanism that is movably engaged with the knife holding block. The knife holding mechanism is selectively movable to alternately (a) simultaneously lock knives located in all of the knife holding slots so that the knives cannot be removed from any of the knife holding slots, and (b) simultaneously unlock knives located in all of the knife holding slots so that the knives can be removed from all of the knife holding slots. 
     According to one embodiment, the knife locking mechanism includes a locking member that is selectively movable between an unlocked position and a locked position. When in the unlocked position, the locking member is not located in any of the knife holding slots such that the knives can be removed from all of the slots. When in the locked position, the locking member is located in all of the knife holding slots such that knives cannot be removed from any of the knife holding slots. Preferably, the locking mechanism also includes a biasing element, for example, a spring, that biases the locking member toward the unlocked position. 
     According to one embodiment, each of the knives includes an engagement portion, for example, a notch located in a blade portion of each of the knives. The knife locking member of the knife locking mechanism simultaneously engages the engagement portion (notch) of the knives located in all of the knife holding slots in order to simultaneously lock the knives in all of the knife holding slots. 
     When the knife holder is a slidable knife holder, the knife holder preferably includes a slidable mount having first and second portions. The first portion is attached to the knife holding block, whereas the second portion includes an attachment element that enables the second portion to be mounted to a support, such as a cabinet or the under surface of a counter. The second portion is slidably engaged with the first portion such that the knife holding block is slidable relative to the second portion between a retracted, stored position, and an extended position in which knives held in the knife holding slots are readily accessible. In this embodiment, it is preferable to include a block locking mechanism that selectively locks the knife holding block in the retracted, stored position. The block locking mechanism preferably includes a block locking portion that is engageable with the second portion of the slidable mount when the knife holding block is located in the retracted, stored position in order to lock the knife holding block in the retracted, stored position. 
     According to a preferred embodiment, the block locking portion is a surface of the movable locking element that also functions to lock the knives in the slots of the knife holding block. Accordingly, a simple structure can be provided that simultaneously locks the knife holding block in the retracted, stored position while locking the knives in their respective slots of the knife holding block. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention will be described in conjunction with the following drawings in which like reference numerals designate like elements and wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention in which a slidable knife holder extends predominately in a vertical direction; 
     FIG. 2 is a front view of the FIG. 1 knife holder; 
     FIG. 3 is a side view of one of the side walls from the FIG. 1 embodiment, and illustrates portions of the locking mechanism for locking the knives in the slots of the knife holder and for locking the knife holder in its retracted, stored position; 
     FIG. 4 is a front view of the locking member of the FIG. 3 locking mechanism; 
     FIG. 5 illustrates the position of the locking member in its unlocked position; 
     FIG. 6 illustrates the position of the locking member just before the knife holding block is located in its fully retracted position; and 
     FIG. 7 illustrates the location of the locking member when the knife holding block is located in its fully retracted position. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 1-7. The preferred embodiment is a slidable knife holder that extends primarily in a vertical direction (as compared, for example, to a horizontal direction) when viewed from the front. This arrangement is preferable because it occupies only a small amount of space in the horizontal (lateral) direction. This enables the knife holder to be readily mounted under counters or cabinets or to the side of surfaces such as a cabinet sidewall or a vertically extending wall. 
     The invention, however, is not limited to the preferred embodiment. The invention is equally applicable to knife holders having blocks that extend, for example, in the horizontal direction as illustrated in the above-incorporated U.S. Pat. No. 5,655,672 (see, e.g., FIGS. 8-11 of that patent). Additionally, the aspect of the invention pertaining to a locking mechanism that simultaneously locks a plurality of knives within the plurality of slots located in a knife holding block is applicable to more standard knife holders that are not slidably mounted. For example, this aspect of the invention can be applied to the typical knife holding block that is placed on a countertop. 
     Referring to FIG. 1, a vertically extending slidable knife holder  20  includes a knife holding block  24  that includes a first (left in the drawing) vertically extending sidewall  26  and a second (right in FIG. 2) vertically extending sidewall  28 . A plurality of spacer elements  34  attach the vertical sidewall  26  to the vertical sidewall  28 . The plurality of spacer elements are spaced from each other to define a plurality of knife holding slots  35 . As is evident from FIG. 1, the inlet openings for the plurality of slots  35  extend in a vertical line between the vertical sidewall  26  and the vertical sidewall  28 . 
     FIG. 3 illustrates one manner in which the slots  35  can be formed between the vertical sidewalls  26 ,  28 . FIG. 3 is a side view of the right vertical sidewall  28  as viewed from the left side in FIG. 1 (i.e., prior to attachment to the left vertical sidewall  26 ). In this example, the plurality of spacer elements  34  are glued to right vertical sidewall  28  so as to form three slots  35  therein. The slots  35  preferably extend diagonally so that the knives  50  will not fall out of the knife holder  20  when mounted. The left sidewall  26  then would be glued, or otherwise attached, to the right sidewall  28  via the spacer elements  34 . 
     It is convenient to make the knife holding block  24  from plastic because plastic spacer elements  34  can be glued between the plastic sidewalls  26 ,  28 . As one alternative, it is possible to glue spacer elements  34  to one of the sidewalls, for example, sidewall  28 , and then attach the other sidewall  26  using detachable fasteners such as screws or clips, for example. Nondetachable fasteners such as rivets, for example, also can be used. 
     As another alternative, the spacer elements can be one-piece with one of the sidewalls (or some of the spacer elements can be one-piece with one sidewall, and other spacer elements can be one-piece with the other sidewall). For example, when using plastic, the spacer elements can be molded into one or both of the sidewalls. The sidewalls can then be attached to each other either detachably (e.g., with screws or clips) or non-detachably (e.g., with glue). 
     When constructing with wood, separate wood spacer elements can be used or the spacer elements can be formed into one or both of the sidewalls by using, for example, a router. As with the plastic version, the sidewalls and/or spacer elements can be inter-connected using glue, rivets, screws, etc. 
     Although four spacer elements  34  are shown that provide three slots, more or less spacer elements and slots can be provided. Additionally, the spacer elements could be made wider (laterally) and spaced closer together (vertically) so that each slot would extend left-to-right instead of straight-up-and-down as in FIG.  1 . While such an arrangement would have a greater lateral dimension, it would have a much smaller vertical dimension and therefore would provide a very compact knife holder. As another alternative, the spacer elements can be shaped so that each slot extends diagonally. 
     In order to provide for the slidable mounting of the knife holder, a first part  42  of a slidable mount  40  is provided on the top of the knife holding block  24 . In the FIG. 1 embodiment, a rectangular piece of plastic  42  is glued to the top of the top spacer element  34  and to the tops of the sidewalls  26  and  28 . As can be seen from FIG. 2, when viewed from the front, this results in a T-shaped structure that includes left lateral wing  42   a  and right lateral wing  42   b.    
     A second part of the slidable mount  40  is defined by a bracket  44 . Bracket  44  includes attachment elements such as, for example, screws  46  that enable the bracket  44  to be fixedly mounted to a support such, for example, the underside of a counter or cabinet. The lateral wings  42   a  and  42   b  are received in slots  44   a  and  44   b  of the bracket  44  so that the plastic piece  42  and bracket  44  are slidable relative to each other in a horizontal direction (when mounted). 
     The knife holding block  24  moves along with plastic piece  42  in the horizontal direction so that the block  24  moves from a retracted position to an extended position. 
     In order to provide for easy grasping of the knife holding block  24  so that it can be moved between the retracted position and the extended position, it is preferable to provide a handle or other type of grasping structure on the knife holding block. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, laterally extending grasping members  27  and  29  are glued to the front portions of the sidewalls  26  and  28  respectively. Although the grasping members  27  and  29  are illustrated as extending substantially the entire height of each sidewall  26 ,  28 , respectively, it is possible to provide the grasping member on only a portion of one or both of the sidewalls. 
     The locking mechanism according to the invention will now be described. The locking mechanism according to one embodiment includes an elongated, vertically extending locking member  60 . The locking member  60  is slidably mounted within a bore  38  provided in the knife holding block  24 . As illustrated in FIG. 3, the bore  38  extends through substantially the entire height of the knife holding block  24 . In particular, the bore  38  preferably extends from the top of the knife holding block  24  downward through all of the slots  35 . The locking member  60  is vertically movable within bore  38 , and has a lower end that is engaged with a spring  70 , and an upper end  61  which extends above the upper surface of the first part  42  of the slidable mount  40  as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3. The spring  70  urges the locking member  60  upwardly, and can be compressed to allow the locking member  60  to move downwardly when the upper portion  61  of the locking member is pressed down. The spring  70  is a helical spring, although other forms of biasing members also can be used with the invention. 
     As illustrated in FIG. 4, the locking member  60  includes a plurality of openings  62 , which correspond in number to the plurality of slots  35  provided in the knife holding block  24 . When the knife holding block is located in the unlocked position, illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 5, with the spring  70  fully extended, the openings  62  are aligned with their respective slots  35  such that knives can be readily moved into and out of each slot without contacting the locking member  60 . This relationship is best illustrated in FIG.  5 . 
     The upper wall  47  of the mounting bracket  44  includes an inclined front notch  49  illustrated in FIGS.  3  and  5 - 7 . A locking notch  45  is located in the lower surface of upper wall  47  a distance behind the inclined notch  49 . Thus, when the knife holding block  24  is moved toward its retracted position (i.e., when the knife holding block  24  is moved in the left direction of FIG.  3 ), the upper part  61  of the locking member  60  will engage with the ramped portion of the inclined notch  49 . As the knife holding block  24  is moved further towards the fully retracted position (i.e., the left-most position), movement of the upper part  61  along the ramped portion of the inclined notch  49  will cause the locking member  60  to move downward against the urging force of spring  70 . This will cause the upper surfaces  69  of the openings  62  to move into their respective slots  35 . 
     When the knife holding block  24  is moved into its fully retracted position, the urging force of spring  70  will cause the upper part  61  of locking member  60  to move slightly upward into notch  45 . This will lock the knife holding block  24  in its fully retracted position. 
     Handles  65  are provided on both sides of the locking member  60 , and extend through the respective walls  26  and  28  of the knife holding block  24  as illustrated in FIG.  2 . The handles  65  preferably are located behind the respective grasping members  27  and  29  so that they cannot be seen when the knife holding block  24  is viewed from the front. This decreases the likelihood that the locking member will be unlocked by young children and improves the aesthetics of the overall device. 
     In order to unlock the locking mechanism, a user simply moves one of the handles  65  downward so that the upper part  61  of locking member  60  is disengaged from the notch  45 . The user then moves the knife holding block  24  forward (in the right direction of FIG. 3) in order to move the knife holding block  24  toward the extended position. As the knife holding block  24  is moved forward, the upper part  61  of the locking member  60  rides up the ramped portion of the inclined notch  49 .in the lower surface  47  of bracket  44 , which causes locking member  60  to move upward, into its unlocked position, as a result of the urging force of spring  70 . In one embodiment, notch  45  has a depth of about {fraction (1/16)} inches, whereas inclined notch  49  has a maximum depth of about ⅛ inches. 
     The location of the locking member and its interaction with the knives is illustrated in more detail in FIGS. 5-7. These figures illustrate only one knife, although it is understood that the same relationship exists between the locking member  60  and all of the knives, which are simultaneously acted upon by the locking member  60 . 
     As illustrated in FIGS. 5-7, each knife includes an engagement portion, such as a notch  51  in its blade  55 . Accordingly, when the knife holding block  24  is located in its extended position, the locking member  60  is positioned as illustrated in FIG. 5, such that each of the openings  62  of the locking member  60  is aligned with its respective slot  35 , and therefore the locking member  60  does not interfere with movement of the knives through the slots  35 . 
     As the block  24  is moved from the fully extended position toward the retracted position, upper part  61  of locking member  60  rides along the ramped surface of the inclined notch  49 . As described earlier, this causes the locking member  60  to move downward against the urging force of spring  70 . Once past the inclined notch  49 , the locking member  60  is located in its lowest position as illustrated in FIG.  6 . In this position, the upper surface  69  of each opening  62  extends into its respective slot  35  and into the notch  51  of the knife located in its slot  35 . Thus, none of the knives  50  can be removed from the knife holding block  24 . 
     Upon further leftward movement of knife holding block  24 , the upper part  61  of locking member comes into engagement with notch  45  in the lower surface of upper wall  47 , as illustrated in FIG.  7 . This causes the locking member  60  to move slightly upward. However, as illustrated in FIG. 7, the upper surface  69  of each opening  62  still extends into the notch  51  of the knife located in its corresponding slot  35 . Accordingly, the knives  50  continue to be locked within the knife holding block  24 . Additionally, the knife holding block  24  is now positively locked in its retracted, stored position by engagement of upper part  61  with notch  45 . 
     When it is desired to unlock the knife holding block  24  and the knives  50 , one of the handles  65  provided on the locking member  60  is moved downward, and then the knife holding block  24  is moved from the retracted position toward its extended position as described previously. 
     The invention is advantageous in that a simple mechanism is provided that simultaneously locks all knives in place. Thus, when a user desires to use one or more knives, the knife holder can be unlocked by a simple operation, and all knives can be accessed. Furthermore, the knives can be locked into their locked position simply by moving the knife holding block  24  into its retracted position. 
     The locking member  60  need not have the specific structure illustrated in the drawings. It simply needs to extend across all of the slots  35  located in the knife holder, and to include portions that are movable into and out of each slot simultaneously. 
     The structure defining the knife locking mechanism and the block locking mechanism could be entirely separate structures, or as illustrated in the drawings, could share some structure (i.e., the locking member  60  and the spring  70 ). 
     A knife holding block could include only a knife locking mechanism, only a block locking mechanism or both mechanisms as in the preferred embodiment. If only the knife locking mechanism is provided on a stationary block, some sort of actuator to cause the locking member  60  to move between its knife-locking and knife-unlocking positions would be provided on the block, for example. 
     While the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the preferred embodiments or constructions. To the contrary, the invention is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements. In addition, while the various elements of the preferred embodiments are shown in various combinations and configurations, which are exemplary, other combinations and configurations, including more, less or only a single element, are also within the spirit and scope of the invention.