Patent Publication Number: US-2009217533-A1

Title: Folding knife with turning device on knife handle

Description:
This is a continuation application of U.S. Ser. No. 12/071,951, filed on Feb. 28, 2008, entitled “FOLDING KNIFE WITH TURNING DEVICE ON KNIFE HANDLE”. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a folding knife, and more particularly to a folding knife with a turning device installed at a handle of the knife, so that a user can simply use one hand to turn the turning device to pop a blade out of the knife handle automatically. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     In general, a traditional folding knife comes with a knife handle and a blade, wherein an end of the blade is pivotally coupled to an end of the knife handle, such that the blade can be pivoted with respect to its pivotal connecting position and turned out from the knife handle or stored into the knife handle, as required. If a user wants to use the folding knife, the user holds the knife handle by one hand, and pulls the blade by another hand to turn the blade out from the knife handle. Since users turn the blade out from the knife handle by one hand, the folding knives of this sort are inconvenient to use and unable to deal with emergency situations. For example, if a travel explorer&#39;s hand is tangled and stabbed by thistles and thorns, the travel explorer will be unable to cut the thistles and thorns by the folding knife quickly to extricate from danger immediately. 
     To overcome the shortcomings of the aforementioned conventional folding knife, the inventor of the present invention had developed a folding knife with a turning device as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , and the folding knife  1  includes a knife handle  11 , a blade  12 , a resilient device  13  and a turning device  14 . An end of the blade  12  is pivotally coupled to the knife handle  11 , so that the blade  12  can be turned along the pivotal connecting position into or out from the knife handle  11 . An end of the resilient device  13  is fixed to a position proximate to another end of the knife handle  11 , and another end of the resilient device  13  is extended to a pivotal connecting position of the knife handle  11  and the blade  12 , such that when the blade  12  is stored completely into the knife handle  11 , the resilient device  13  produces a torque to turn the blade  12  towards the inside of the knife handle  11  to securely store the blade  12  in the knife handle  11 . If a force is exerted onto the blade  12  to turn the blade  12  to a predetermined angle out of the knife handle  11 , the resilient device  13  will produce a torque to turn the blade  12  towards the outside of the knife handle  11 , such that the blade  12  can pop out of the knife handle  11  automatically. The turning device  14  is pivotally coupled to a pivotal connecting position of the knife handle  11  and the blade  12  and installed in the knife handle  11 , and an end of the turning device  14  is extended to the outside of the knife handle  11  and includes a turning portion  141  protruded from the end of the turning device  14  and provided for users to turn the blade  12 , and another end of the turning device  14  includes a pushing portion  142 , such that when the blade  12  is stored completely in the knife handle  11 , the pushing portion  142  presses against the blade  12 . If a user turns the turning portion  141 , the turning device  14  will be turned to drive the pushing portion  142  to apply a force to the blade  12 , such that the blade  12  is turned to the predetermined angle out from the knife handle  11 , such that the user simply needs to turn an end of the turning device  14  to pop the blade  12  towards the outside of the knife handle  11  automatically. However, the turning portion  141  is protruded from the folding knife  1 , and thus the folding knife  1  cannot be stored easily into any knife sheath, except the one with an appropriate size, and the appearance of the folding knife  1  cannot show an overall aesthetic look. Further, if the folding knife  1  is dropped accidentally, the turning portion  141  will probably hit the ground, and the blade  12  may pop out from the knife handle  11  automatically and collide with the ground or damage the blade  12  or injure the user or any other person nearby. In addition, if the user puts the folding knife  1  into a pocket and touches the turning portion  141  by accident, the blade  12  will pop out from the knife handle  11 . In such case, the folding knife  1  not only cuts the clothes of the user, but may even pierce or cut the user. Obviously, the aforementioned folding knife  1  has the risk of jeopardizing the safety of the users. 
     Thus, it is an important subject of the present invention to design and manufacture a folding knife that can meet the safety requirements while maintaining the convenience of use. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the foregoing shortcomings of the prior art folding knife whose turning device may be touched by accident to pop the blade out from the knife handle automatically and jeopardize the user&#39;s safety, the inventor of the present invention based on years of experience in the related industry to conduct extensive researches and experiments, and finally developed a folding knife with a turning device installed on a knife handle in accordance with the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art. 
     It is a primary objective of the present invention to provide a folding knife with a turning device installed on a knife handle, and the folding knife comprises a knife handle, a blade, a resilient device and a turning device, wherein an end of the blade is pivotally coupled to an end of the knife handle, such that the blade can be turned along a pivotal connecting position into or out from the knife handle, and an end of the resilient device is fixed at a position proximate to another end of the knife handle, and another end of the resilient device is extended to a position proximate to a pivotal connecting position of the knife handle and the blade, so that the blade can be stored completely in the knife handle, and the resilient device produces a torque for turning the blade into the knife handle, and the blade can be securely stored in the knife handle. If a force is applied to the blade to turn the blade to a predetermined angle out from the knife handle, the resilient device will produce a torque to turn the blade out from the knife handle, so that the blade will pop out from the knife handle automatically. The knife handle has a slot disposed on a surface proximate to an end of the blade, and the turning device is pivotally coupled to a surface of the knife handle having the slot, and a spring is installed between the turning device and the knife handle, and the turning device has a protruding pillar disposed at a position proximate to a surface of the knife handle and passing through the slot. When the blade is stored completely in the knife handle, the protruding pillar presses against the blade, such that when a user turns the turning device, the protruding pillar applies a force to the blade to turn the blade to the predetermined angle out from the knife handle. Thus, the resilience of the spring resumes the turning device to its original position, so that the user can simply use one hand to turn the turning device to pop the blade out of the knife handle automatically. It is noteworthy to point out that when a user is in danger, the user can pop the blade automatically out from the knife handle quickly by one hand to save time greatly, and the user can use the folding knife immediately. 
     Another objective of the present invention is to design a concave surface on the exterior of the knife handle and proximate to an end of the blade, and the concave surface has a slot, and the turning device is pivotally coupled onto the concave surface by a spring, such that the turning device can be turned along its pivotal connecting position, and the turning device and the knife handle constitute the overall aesthetic appearance. Therefore, users can simply use a thumb to turn the turning device to pop the blade out from the knife handle automatically, so as to greatly enhance the overall aesthetic appearance of the folding knife and the convenience of use. Since the turning device and the knife handle constitute the whole folding knife, therefore the blade of the folding knife will not pop out automatically from the knife handle easily, not only preventing a possible damage to the blade, but also protecting the safety of the user effectively. 
     A further objective of the present invention is to design a force exertion pillar on the blade and at a position proximate to a side of a pivotal connecting position, and the turning device is pivotally coupled to the exterior of the knife handle and disposed proximate to a side of the force exertion pillar, such that if the turning device is turned, the turning device will be able to push the force exertion pillar and drive the blade to turn to a predetermined angle and pop the blade out from the knife handle, and thus users can operate the folding knife with one hand, so as to greatly improve the convenience of operating the folding knife. 
    
    
     
       To make it easier for our examiner to understand the objective, technical characteristics and effects of the present invention, preferred embodiments will be described with accompanying drawings as follows: 
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional view of a conventional folding knife having a turning device and being folded; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic view of a turning device of a conventional folding knife; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a folding knife being unfolded in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of a folding knife being folded in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a folding knife being unfolded in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of a folding knife being folded in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 7  is a schematic view of a folding knife being folded in accordance with a third preferred embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a folding knife in accordance with a third preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to  FIGS. 3 and 4  for a folding knife with a turning device installed on a knife handle in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention,  FIG. 4  shows a cross-sectional view of a folding knife as depicted in  FIG. 3  wherein the folding knife is folded. The folding knife  3  comprises a knife handle  31 , a blade  32 , a resilient device  33  and a turning device  34 , wherein an end of the blade  32  is pivotally coupled to an end of the knife handle  31 , so that the blade  32  can be turned along a pivotal connecting position into or out from the knife handle  31 , and an end of the resilient device  33  is fixed to a position proximate to another end of the knife handle  31 , and another end of the resilient device  33  is extended to a position proximate to a pivotal connecting position of the knife handle  31  and the blade  32 , such that when the blade  32  is stored completely into the knife handle  31 , the resilient device  33  produces a torque to turn the blade  32  into of the knife handle  31  to securely store the blade  32  in the knife handle  31 , and when a force is applied to the blade  32  to turn the blade  32  to a predetermined angle out from the knife handle  31 , the resilient device  33  produces a torque to turn the blade  32  out from the knife handle  31  to pop the blade  32  out of the knife handle  31 , A slot  35  substantially in an arc shape is disposed on a surface of the knife handle  31  proximate to an end of the blade  32 , and a first fixing slot  38  disposed on a surface of the knife handle  31  having the slot  35 , and a second fixing slot  39  disposed on a surface of the turning device  34  proximate to the knife handle  31 . The turning device  34  is pivotally coupled to a surface having the slot  35  of the knife handle  31 . A spring  36  is installed between the turning device  34  and the knife handle  31  and both ends of the spring  36  are fixed to the first fixing slot  38  and the second fixing slot  39  respectively. The turning device  34  has a protruding pillar  37  disposed on a surface proximate to the knife handle  31  and passed through the slot  35  of the knife handle  31 , such that when the blade  32  is stored completely into the knife handle  31 , the protruding pillar  37  is pressed against the blade  32 . When a user turns the turning device  34 , the protruding pillar  37  applies a force to the blade  32 , such that the blade  32  is turned to the predetermined angle out from the knife handle  31 , and thus the resilience of the spring  36  resumes the turning device  34  to its original position. 
     In the aforementioned first preferred embodiment, if a user wants to use the folding knife  3  by holding the folded folding knife  3 , the user must place the thumb gently on the turning device  34  to turn the turning device  34 , such that the protruding pillar  37  applies a force to the blade  32  to turn the blade  32  to the predetermined angle out from the knife handle  31 , and thus the resilient device  33  produces a torque to turn the blade  32  out from the knife handle  31 , and the blade  32  pops automatically out from the knife handle  31 . Therefore, even if the user simply operates the folding knife  3  by a hand, the user still can pop the blade  32  out easily from the knife handle  31  automatically to use the folding knife  3 . After the blade  32  pops out automatically from the knife handle  31 , the user simply needs to move the thumb gently on the turning device  34 , and the turning device  34  can be resumed to its original position quickly and automatically by the resilience of the spring  36 . Therefore, the user no longer needs to worry about returning the turning device  34  to its original position, and the invention improves the efficiency of use greatly. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 5 and 6  for a second preferred embodiment of the present invention,  FIG. 6  shows a cross-sectional view of the folding knife as depicted in  FIG. 5 , and the folding knife  5  comprises a knife handle  51 , a blade  52 , a resilient device  53  and a turning device  54 , wherein an end of the blade  52  is pivotally coupled to an end of the knife handle  51 , such that the blade  52  can be turned along the pivotal connecting position into or out from the knife handle  51 , and an end of the resilient device  53  is fixed to a position proximate to another end of the knife handle  51 , and another end of the resilient device  53  is extended to a position proximate to a pivotal connecting position of the knife handle  51  and the blade  52 . When the blade  52  is stored completely into the knife handle  51 , the resilient device  53  produces a torque to the blade  52  to turn the blade into the knife handle  51 , so that the blade  52  can be stored securely in the knife handle  51 . A force can be applied to the blade  52  to turn the blade  52  to a predetermined angle out from the knife handle  51 , so that the resilient device  53  produces a torque to turn the blade  52  out from the knife handle  51  to pop the blade  52  automatically out from the knife handle  51 . The knife handle  51  has a concave surface  58  disposed proximate to an end of the blade  52 , and the concave surface  58  has a slot  55  thereon, and the slot  55  is substantially in an arc shape. The concave surface  58  has a first fixing point  59 , and the turning device  54  has a second fixing point  60 , and the turning device  54  is pivotally coupled to a position on the concave surface  58  and proximate to the first fixing point  59 . A spring  56  is installed at the pivotal connecting position of the turning device  54  and the concave surface  58 , and both ends of the spring  56  are fixed to the first fixing point  59  and the second fixing point  60  respectively. The turning device  54  can be turned along the pivotal connecting position, and the turning device  54  and the knife handle  51  constitute an overall appearance. The turning device  54  has a protruding pillar  57  disposed on a surface proximate to the concave surface  58 , and the protruding pillar  57  is passed through the slot  55  of the concave surface  58 . When the blade  52  is stored completely into the knife handle  51 , the protruding pillar  57  is pressed against the blade  52  to constitute the folding knife of this embodiment. The user simply needs to turn the turning device  54 , such that the protruding pillar  57  applies a force to the blade  52  to turn the blade  52  to the predetermined angle out from the knife handle  51 , and the resilient device  53  produces a torque to turn the blade  52  out from the knife handle  51 , and the blade  52  can pop out automatically from the knife handle  51 . Until the user releases the turning device  54 , the turning device  54  resumes its original position by the resilience of the spring  56 . 
     In the aforementioned second preferred embodiment, the user simply needs to use a hand to pop the blade  52  out from the knife handle  51  to make the application simple and easy. Since the turning device  54  is pivotally coupled to the concave surface  58 , the turning device  54  and the knife handle  51  constitute the overall appearance of the folding knife, not only improving the aesthetic appearance greatly, but also facilitating users to store the folding knife  5  into a knife sheath properly. It is noteworthy to point out that the turning device  54  and the knife handle  51  constitute the whole folding knife, and thus even if the folding knife  5  is dropped onto the ground, the blade  52  will not pop out from the knife handle  52  when the turning device  54  hits the ground. Therefore, the invention not only effectively prevents the blade  52  from being damaged by the collision with the ground, but also protects the safety of the user and people nearby. When the user places the folding knife  5  in a pocket, the user needs not to worry about touching the turning device  54  by accident, and thus the invention can effectively prevent the blade  52  from popping out, damaging the user&#39;s clothes, or injuring the user. Obviously, the folding knife  5  concurrently achieves both convenience and safety of its use, and thus the invention can effectively overcome the shortcomings of the prior art. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 7 and 8  for a folding knife in accordance with a third preferred embodiment of the present invention, the folding knife  7  comprises a knife handle  71 , a blade  72 , a resilient device and a turning device  74 , wherein an end of the blade  72  is pivotally coupled to an end of the knife handle  71 , so that the blade  72  can be turned into or out from the knife handle  71  along a pivotal connecting position, and the blade  72  has a force exertion pillar  721  protruded from a position proximate to a side of the pivotal connecting position, and an end of the resilient device is fixed to a position proximate to another end of the knife handle  71 , and another end of the resilient device is extended to a position proximate to the pivotal connecting position of the knife handle  71  and the blade  72 , so that if the blade  72  is accommodated completely into the knife handle  71 , the resilient device can produce a torque to turn the blade  72  towards the interior of the knife handle  71 , and a force is applied to the blade  72  to turn the blade to a predetermined angle out from the knife handle  71 , the resilient device can produce a torque to turn the blade  72  towards the exterior of the knife handle  71 . A concave surface is disposed on the exterior of the knife handle  71  and at a position proximate to a side of the force exertion pillar  721 , and the turning device  74  is pivotally coupled to the concave surface of the knife handle  71 . If the turning device  74  is turned, the turning device  74  can apply a force to the force exertion pillar  721  to drive the blade  72  and turn the blade  72  to the predetermined angle out from the knife handle  71 , so that the resilient device produces a torque to turn the blade  72  towards the exterior of the knife handle  71  and pop the blade  72  out from the knife handle  71  automatically. Therefore, users can hold the folding knife  7  by one hand, and turn the turning device  74  by a thumb to pop the blade  72  out for using the folding knife  7 . The invention can greatly improve the convenience and safety of operating the folding knife. 
     In view of the description above, the invention is illustrated by several preferred embodiments, but the characteristics of the invention are not limited to such embodiments only. The turning device is pivotally coupled onto a pivotal connecting position of the blade and the knife handle, and the turning device is pivotally coupled to a position proximate to the pivotal connecting position of the blade and the knife handle. Regardless of the position to where the turning device is pivotally coupled, the turning device can be turned along the pivotal connecting position, and the protruding pillar can be passed through the slot. 
     While the invention has been described by means of specific embodiments, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention set forth in the claims.