Patent Publication Number: US-9421691-B2

Title: Knife with blade guard

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     This disclosure relates generally to knives which are employed hunting, fishing, sporting and other related activities. More particularly, this disclosure relates to portable knives which employ a blade guard. 
     SUMMARY 
     According to aspects of the present disclosure, a knife with a blade guard assembly comprises a blade member, a handle assembly, and a blade guard assembly. The blade member includes a blade having a sharpened edge and an integral shank. The handle assembly is mounted to the shank and may include first and second handle heels mounted to first and second surfaces of the shank, respectively. 
     The blade guard assembly has a sheath which extends from a quasi-circular shoulder plate mounted for pivotal movement about the blade member. In one embodiment, the sheath includes an actuator arm disposed intermediate first and second sheath members and defining an intermediate channel. The blade guard assembly is spring loaded for pivotal movement about a pivot axis between a retracted position adjacent the handle and a protective position wherein the blade guard assembly covers the sharpened edge. A spring having a first end anchored to the shank and a second end anchored to the circular shoulder plate provides a biasing force necessary for pivotal movement of the blade guard assembly. 
     A biased actuator secures the blade guard in a stable retracted position and a stable protective position. Upon depressing the actuator the blade guard assembly is pivoted to the protective position from the retracted position by the force of the spring. In one embodiment the actuator is a spring biased button having a first enlarged diameter segment and a second small diameter segment. In an alternative embodiment the actuator is a spring loaded pusher having a detent which projects from a surface of the shank and selectively engages one of a pair of recesses defined in the shoulder plate to maintain the blade guard assembly in the protective and retracted positions. 
     The blade guard assembly provides a safety mechanism which may be manipulated with one hand to quickly transform the knife so that it may be stored without risking harm to the user. Furthermore, the blade guard assembly protects the sharpened edge of the blade from objects which might dull an exposed blade during storage. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a front side view of a knife with a blade guard in the retracted position; 
         FIG. 2  is a rear side view of the knife of  FIG. 1  with the guard in the retracted position; 
         FIG. 3  is a front side view of the knife of  FIG. 1  with the blade guard in the protective position; 
         FIG. 4  is a rear side view of the knife of  FIG. 1  with the blade guard in the protective position; 
         FIG. 5  is a front diagrammatic view of the knife of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 6  is an exploded view of the knife with the blade guard of  FIG. 1 ; and 
         FIG. 7  is an exploded and an assembled view of another embodiment of a knife with a blade guard. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     With reference to the drawings wherein like numerals represent like parts throughout the Figures, a knife with a spring loaded blade guard is generally designated by the numeral  10 . The knife is adapted for use in connection with hunting, fishing, sporting and other outdoor activities. The knife has an ergonomic handle and employs a steel knife blade which is preferably coated with a carbon nitride titanium composition or other high quality, protective coating. 
     When the knife is being used, the blade guard  12  is disposed at a retracted position adjacent the handle. When it is desired to suspend usage of the knife, a spring loaded blade guard assembly  20  is easily activated by the user for placing the blade in a stable protective position. The knife  10  is also particularly adaptable for safe portability when not in active use whereby it may be easily protectively carried on a belt or in a pocket. 
     A blade member  30  includes a sharpened steel blade  40 , an integral intermediate connector boss  42  and an integral shank  44 . Shank  44  has an ergonomic contour with a recess  46  to facilitate grasping the knife. The blade member  30  functions as the principal support structure for the knife. 
     The blade  40  may assume numerous shapes and configurations, including a tapered forward V-shape point  50  adjacent a sharpened blade portion  52  which has a contoured or arcuate edge  54 . 
     The proximal end of the shank  44  receives and mounts a pair of opposed handle heels  56  and  58  which are secured by screws  59  to the shank. Two aluminum side handles  60  and  62  are mounted to abut the forward end of the heels and are secured by screws  59  to the shank  44 . A belt clip  64  is secured to one side of the handle by a rivet  66 . 
     The blade guard assembly  20  comprises an actuator arm  70  extending from a circular shoulder plate  72 . The plate  72  has a central opening  74  and a coaxial arcuate guide slot  76  terminating in a pair of enlarged openings  77  and  79 . The plate also has a bore  75  offset from the opening  74 . A mat  71  is disposed between the actuator arm  70  and the boss  42  of the blade member. 
     A rivet  80  extends through a mat  73  and through the opening  74  to pivotally secure the actuator arm  70  to the connector boss  42 . A torsion spring  82  is wound around the pin of rivet  80 . One end of the spring  82  is anchored in the bore  75  of the circular plate  72 . 
     A lock button  84  is received in an opening of the mat at the underside of the button. The button  84  has a post which has an enlarged diameter segment  83  and a small diameter segment  85 . The button  84  is biased by a compression spring  86  surrounding the post to a projected position wherein the enlarged segment  83  engages in either of the enlarged openings  77  or  79  of the actuator arms  70 . The opposing sides of the blade member  30  are adjacent a pair of mats  67  and  69 . 
     A left hand aluminum sheath member  90  has an enlarged circular shoulder plate  92  with an opening  94 . A rivet or cap  96  engages through the opening and engages into the opposed rivet  80 . The forward end portion of the left hand sheath has an arcuate portion with an intermediate recessed portion  98  which is congruent with that of the actuating arm. The sheath member  90  is secured to the actuating arm  70  by screws or rivets  91 . 
     The right hand side of the actuating arm  70  receives a right hand sheath member  100  which is also secured by screws or rivets  101 . Sheath member  100  has a geometric shape which is generally congruent to that of the actuating arm and the forward portion of the left sheath member  90 . Screw barrels  63  are also employed in the guard assembly. Together, the two sheath members  90 ,  100  form an intermediate channel  110  which receives the sharpened blade edge  54  to provide a cover or sheath for the blade. Generally the members  90 ,  100  preferably have a complementary shape to that of the blade  40 . 
     It will be appreciated that the intermediate portion of the button post has a reduced diameter segment  85  with a diameter which allows the guide slot to follow around the intermediate segment  85  when the guide slot and the intermediate segment align. Upon depressing the button  84 , the torsion spring  82  thus will force the actuator arm to pivot in the direction of the arrows to the protective position. In the protective position, the compression spring  86  will force the lock button upwardly so that the enlarged segment  83  of the button is now received in the opening  79  to form a positive locked protective position. 
     When the blade guard is manually retracted to the retracted position, the spring will again force the button  84  to project so that the enlarged diameter segment  83  engages the opening  77 , and accordingly thus secures the blade guard in a stable, secure, retracted locked position. 
     With reference to  FIG. 7 , another embodiment of a knife with a spring loaded blade guard is generally designated by the numeral  200 . Knife  200  has substantially the same corresponding components and functions in a substantially similar way, except as described below. The components in knife  200  which correspond to those of knife  10  have the same numerical designation followed by the numeral A. 
     For knife  200 , the position of the blade guard is secured by a spring-loaded pusher  202 . The pusher  202  is captured in a slot  210 . The pusher  202  forms a projecting detent  203  that engages against a flat edge of the plate  206  of the blade guard actuator arm  70 A. Plate  206  has a pair of opposed recesses which define the flat edges  204  which are engaged by the detent in the protective and the retracted positions. A lock member  212  activates the pusher. 
     While a preferred embodiment has been set forth for purposes of illustration, the foregoing description should not be deemed a limitation of the invention herein. Accordingly, various modifications, adaptations and alternatives may occur to one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention and scope of the claimed coverage.