Abstract:
A utility knife which includes a feature for presenting a user with a replacement blade holder containing replacement blades when the separate halves of the knife body, referred to as handle portions, are opened to expose an interior cavity is disc losed. A pivotable latching lever selectively movable between a latched position and an unlatched position permits the two handle portions to pivot relative to one another about a pivot axis when the lever is in the unlatched position so that the replacement blade holder may be presented to the user. The disclosed utility knife having a replacement blade holder and a latching lever is capable of very economic manufacture, yet is dependable in operation.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
   The present invention relates generally to cutting devices and, more specifically, to a utility knife having an interior compartment housing replacement blades. 
   BACKGROUND 
   Utility knives are widely used in construction, business and hobby applications for cutting such materials as paperboard, wallboard, string and other objects. Commonly, such utility knives are in the form of an elongate hollow housing that can be gripped by the user along an intermediate portion thereof and into which there are placed trapezoidal flat cutting blades. The blades typically have a single cutting edge. The blade is typically slidably mounted between a retracted position within the housing and an extended position in which the cutting edge is at least partially exposed through a front end aperture or slot, the slot being coupled to a manually operated element, such as a button positioned in a manner convenient to be actuated by the user&#39;s hand. 
   Some utility knives include two mating halves secured to one another with a screw. A blade is fixed between the two halves and is released and replaced by removing the screw and separating the two halves. The screw is typically removed by using a screwdriver. Also, the two halves of these utility knives are often made from metal material. 
   The flat cutting blades used in utility knives are most useful and are easiest to use when the blades are extremely sharp. These blades, therefore, are frequently replaced once they become dull. For this purpose, known utility knives provide storage within the handle for additional blades so that these will be readily available when needed. In order to facilitate this replacement procedure, some utility knives provide a blade holder which stores the plurality of blades and which may be removed from the utility knife handle. However, these are disadvantaged in that once the holder is removed from the handle, there is nothing to prevent one or more of the blades from falling out. In the situation where the blade holder is not removable, the blade holder is not positionable to permit quick and convenient access to the replacement blades. 
   Thus, there is a need for a utility knife that presents a user with replacement blades contained therein by providing a replacement blade holder pivotally connected internally to the utility knife. A further need exists for a utility knife that includes a latching lever selectively movable between a latched position and an unlatched position, wherein handle portions of the utility knife can pivot relative to one another about a pivot axis when the lever is in the unlatched position. 
   SUMMARY 
   There is disclosed herein an improved utility knife which includes improved features for presenting a user with a replacement blade holder containing replacement blades. 
   It is an object of the invention to provide a utility knife which provides a replacement blade holder pivotally connected internally to the utility knife. 
   Another object of the invention is to provide a pivotable latching lever selectively movable between a latched position and an unlatched position, thereby permitting first and second handle portions to pivot relative to one another about a pivot axis when the lever is in the unlatched position so that the replacement blade holder may be presented to the user. 
   It is also an object of the invention to provide a utility knife having a replacement blade holder and a latching lever which is of very economical manufacture, yet is dependable in operation. 
   An illustrative embodiment of the present invention relates to a utility knife for carrying a blade to be used and replacement blades, including a first handle portion and a second handle portion pivotally interconnected between an open position and a closed position, a latching lever pivoted into and near the end of said first handle portion and being selectively movable between a latched position and an unlatched position, wherein the first and second handles can pivot relative to one another about a pivot axis when the lever is in the unlatched position, an actuator slidably mounted on one of the first and second handle portions, a blade carriage operatively coupled to said actuator to secure the blade, the actuator being operable to move the blade carriage between a retracted position and an extended position, and a compartment integrally formed in one of the first and second handle portions, a replacement blade holder pivotally connected to one of the first and second handles and adjacent to said compartment and pivotable away from the compartment to present spare blades to a user when the first and second handles are in the open position. 
   Another illustrative embodiment of the invention relates to a method for presenting replacement blades for a utility knife to a user, including the steps of positioning a latching lever into an unlatched position relative to first handle portion, pivoting the first handle portion relative to a second handle portion along a first axis, and pivoting a replacement blade holder containing replacement blades along a second axis substantially perpendicular to the first axis. 
   A more detailed explanation of the invention is provided in the following description and claims and is illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of the subject matter sought to be protected, there is illustrated in the accompanying drawings an embodiment thereof, from an inspection of which, when considered in connection with the following description, the subject matter sought to be protected, its construction and operation, and many of its advantages should be readily understood and appreciated. 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present utility knife; 
       FIG. 2  is an exploded view of one embodiment of the present utility knife; 
       FIG. 3  is a side view of an embodiment of the present utility knife showing in phantom, the internal locking mechanism in a latched position; 
       FIG. 4  is a side view of the utility knife of  FIG. 2  showing, in phantom, the internal locking mechanism moving to an unlatched position; 
       FIG. 5  is a side view of the utility knife of  FIG. 2  shown in an open position; 
       FIG. 6  is a side view of another embodiment of the present utility knife shown in an open condition; and 
       FIG. 7  is an enlarged perspective view of internal components of the utility knife of  FIG. 5  with the blade holder advancing shown in phantom. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   While this invention is susceptible of embodiments in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail a preferred embodiment of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the invention to the embodiment illustrated. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , there is depicted a utility knife  10  which includes handle portions  12  and  14 . The handle portions  12  and  14  preferably have an aperture formed on a peripheral side through which a blade actuator  18  can be extended through and into a compartment  17  ( FIGS. 3-4 ) formed between the handle portions  12  and  14 . The actuator  18  is provided to engage a blade, as discussed in detail below, and move the blade between a retracted position and an extended position. As is further detailed below, a latching lever  16  is provided to be selectively movable between a latched position and an unlatched position, so that when in the unlatched position the handle portions  12  and  14  can pivot relative to one another about an axis to expose compartment  17 . 
   The handle portion  12  may be encased in an over-molded elastomeric material, such as rubber. Such an over-molded elastomeric material provides the user with a high grip surface, so that the utility knife  10  can be easily handled. Further, the handle portion  12  receives the latching lever  16  through an opening  19   a  in the end proximate to the user. An extension  20  of the latching lever  16  passes through the opening  19   a  to be received in a similar opening in handle portion  14 , as discussed below. An aperture  21  is provided in handle portion  12  to receive a latch  22  of latching lever  16 . The latch  22  engages a finger-like actuator  23  which in turn moves locking mechanism  25 . Locking mechanism  25  includes a catch  60  at an end distal to the actuator  23 . The catch  60  engages a suitable mechanism on handle portion  14  to lock the two handle portions,  12  and  14 , together. When actuated by actuator  23 , locking mechanism  25  disengages catch  60  to unlock the two handle portions. A spring  62  maintains locking mechanism  25  in a position which keeps catch  60  in an engaged (i.e., locked) position when released. 
   Distal end  24  of handle portion  12  incorporates an aperture  26  for permitting passage of a blade therethrough. As is further illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the internal side of handle portion  12  is dimensioned and configured to provide compartment portion  17  for blade storage as discussed herein. 
   As shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the handle portions  12  and  14  are hinged together at the latching lever  16 .  FIG. 5  illustrates one embodiment of utility knife  10  where the entirety of the handle portion  12  is pivoted to an open position, exposing both blade holder  32  and blade carriage  36 . Alternatively, as illustrated in the embodiment of  FIG. 6 , the rear section  55  of handle portion  12  may be pivoted to expose only the blade holder  32 . The front section  56  of handle portion  12  may be permanently or removably affixed to handle portion  14  in this embodiment. The aspects of the latching lever  16  and blade holder  32  discussed herein, are substantially identical for each of these embodiments. Accordingly, unless otherwise specifically noted, no distinction is made below in discussing the structure and operation of the two utility knife embodiments. 
   The extension  20  of the latching lever  16  projects through the handle portion  12  into internal bosses  19   b  in the handle portion  14 . In this manner, the extension  20  and its attachment point serve as the pivot point for handle portions  12  and  14 . The handle portions  12  and  14  can be made of plastic or metal or other suitable material. Preferably, each of the handle portions  12  and  14  is made of a molded material, such as aluminum, plastic, or the like, whereby the various bosses, flanges, side rails and positioning means for various components can be manufactured integrally to the interior of the handle portions  12  and  14  without requiring numerous separate components. 
   Handle portion  14  may also be encased in an over-molded elastomeric material, such as rubber, so as to provide the user with a high grip surface for easy handling. The handle portion  14  of the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 6  includes a distal end  27  which terminates into a shoulder  28  (see  FIG. 2 ). The shoulder  28  engages the distal end  24  of the front section  56  of handle portion  12  ( FIG. 2 ) to help secure section  56  in place. With respect to the embodiment of  FIG. 5 , other components, such as stops (not shown), may be employed to preferably prevent rotation of handle portion  14  past handle portion  12  in a direction opposite that shown in  FIG. 5 . 
   Handle portion  14  further includes a replacement blade holder  32  and a blade carriage  36 . The replacement blade holder  32  stores replacement blades  34 , which are retained in the blade holder  32  by a retaining clip  50 . Preferably, retaining clip  50  is an independent component (e.g., see  FIG. 2 ), but may be integrally formed as a part of blade holder  32  (e.g., see  FIG. 7 ), and retains the replacement blades  34  under bias pressure as is known in the art. Additionally, the blade holder  32  further includes blade retaining walls  35   a  and  35   b , which facilitate containment of the replacement blades  34  within the blade holder  32 , and at least one rod support sleeve  33 . Accordingly, once a replacement blade  34  is removed from the blade holder  32 , the retaining clip  50  is biased towards retaining wall  35   b , thereby securing the remaining replacement blades  34 . The retaining clip  50  may also serve the added feature of biasing the blade holder  32  outward, as illustrated in  FIG. 7 , when the handle portions  12  and  14  are pivoted apart. As discussed in further detail below, rod support sleeves  33  receive a rod  52  to provide a pivotal engagement between handle portion  14  and blade holder  32 . 
   The blade carriage  36  is operatively coupled to the actuator  18  so as to be preferably slidably mounted on the handle portion  14 , thereby being operable to move the blade carriage  36  between a retracted position and an extended position. As depicted, the blade carriage  36  includes at least one blade locking flange  38  and a lower flange or track  40  to releasably secure a blade  42  to the blade carriage  36 . The blade carriage  36  is slidably coupled to a track  44  by pins  37 . The pins  37  pass through track  44  and are received by the blade carriage  36 . As a result, the blade carriage  36  is capable of sliding along the track  44  when the actuator  18  is engaged by the user. 
   In operation, a spring  39  maintains constant bias pressure on the actuator  18  so as to maintain the position of a shoulder  48  between integral flanges of the handle portion  14 , thereby preventing unintended movement of the blade carriage  36  along the track  44 . When the user desires to extend or retract the blade carriage  36  into a position, the actuator  18  is depressed, thereby disengaging the shoulder from the flanges, and moved along the track  44  to the desired position. 
   As illustrated in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the blade holder  32  is stored initially in the compartment  17  within handle portions  12  and  14 . When the handle portions  12  and  14  are separated, the blade holder  32  moves to a position for presenting replacement blades  34  to a user, as shown in  FIG. 7 . As depicted, the blade holder  32  pivots away from the compartment  17  to present replacement blades  34  to the user when the handle portions  12  and  14  are in the open position to provide access to the compartment  17 . Accordingly, the blade holder  32  is pivotally engaged to handle portion  14  through a rod  52  that passes through the rod support sleeves  33  and secured to rod supports  54  ( FIG. 7 ), which are preferably integrally formed on handle portion  14 . As mentioned previously, retaining clip or spring  50  can also be configured to bias the blade holder  32  outward. However, where an integral retaining clip is employed, or for any other purpose, a separate biasing member, such as a spring, resilient material, or the like, may be used to move blade holder  32  outward. 
   As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , in operation, the user moves the latching lever  16  in the direction “X” to place the latching lever  16  into the unlatched position. 
   A utility knife as detailed herein may be utilized in various forms. One such utility knife may be useful for providing the replacement blades without the need of a removable blade holder or a blade holder that is difficult to manipulate. Another such utility knife may incorporate a mechanism adapted to cooperate with a pivoting blade holder, so as to permit the handle portions to rotate in a single direction, thereby protecting the blade holder. From the foregoing, it can be seen that there has been provided an improved utility knife which greatly facilitates the control of the presentation of replacement blades. 
   While the preferred embodiments described herein incorporate the lever actuated release mechanism in combination with the replacement blade holder  32 , it should be understood that these components may be separately and independently incorporated into other embodiments of a utility knife. That is, for certain purposes it may be desirable to construct a utility knife which includes the latching lever  16  to facilitate opening of the knife halves. Conversely, other embodiments may incorporate the pivoting replacement blade holder  32  using most any prior art opening mechanism. 
   The matter set forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by way of illustration only and not as a limitation. While particular embodiments have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the broader aspects of applicants&#39; contribution. The actual scope of the protection sought is intended to be defined in the following claims when viewed in their proper perspective based on the prior art.