Patent Publication Number: US-10780569-B2

Title: Knife having adjustable handle

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present disclosure is directed generally to cutlery, and more particularly to knives having a handle that is adjustable in width to accommodate users with different sized hands. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Tools, such as cutlery, and in particular fixed blade knives, have handles that if improperly sized for the user can result in slippage and consequent injury to the user. Thus, it is common for each user of a knife to buy one particular to that person&#39;s hand-size and desired grip. If another person is to use the same knife, however, it may not be as appropriate a fit. Moreover, even if one handle works well for a particular user for one task, for safety and/or effectiveness he or she may need to hold the knife differently and desire a different sized handle for a different task. 
     Accordingly, there is a need in the art for knife having a handle that may be adjusted in terms of its width and circumference. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present disclosure is directed to a tool, such as for example a knife, having a handle with a width/circumference that is selectively adjustable. In accordance with an embodiment, a knife will be described, it being understood that the present invention can be applied to a variety of handled tools, such as but not limited to: axes, hatchets, knives, screwdrivers, hammers, guns, kitchen tools, sporting goods, fishing tools, snow shovels, cleaning tools, and the like. 
     According to an aspect is a tool handle assembly adapted for attachment to an implement, comprising an elongated handle having a cavity formed therein and a pliable section positioned adjacent the cavity; an elongated rod extending along a longitudinal axis and into the cavity; a user engageable member attached to the rod on the exterior of said handle and adapted to permit selective rotation of the rod about its longitudinal axis; and a first cam positioned within the cavity and in abutting relation to the pliable section and engaged with the rod, wherein rotation of the rod about its longitudinal axis translates to movement of the first cam into said pliable section an amount corresponding to the degree of rotation. 
     According to an embodiment, the tool handle further comprises a second cam positioned within the cavity in spaced relation to the first cam and in abutting relation to the pliable section and engaged with the rod, wherein rotation of the rod about its longitudinal axis translates to movement of the second cam into the pliable section an amount corresponding to the degree of rotation. 
     According to an embodiment, the tool handle assembly further comprises: first and second worm gears integrated with the rod; and first and second gears integrated with the first and second, cams, respectively, wherein each of the first and second worm gears mesh with the first and second gears, respectively, whereby rotation of the rod causes the first and second gears to be driven by the first and second worm gears, respectively. 
     According to an embodiment, the tool handle assembly further comprises a clutch gear operable between engaged and disengaged positions and operatively interconnected with the user engageable member. 
     According to an aspect is a tool, comprising: an implement; a handle assembly to which the implement is connected, the handle assembly comprising: an elongated handle having a cavity formed therein and a pliable section positioned adjacent the cavity; an elongated rod extending along a longitudinal axis and into the cavity; a user engageable member attached to the rod on the exterior of the handle and adapted to permit selective rotation of the rod about its longitudinal axis; and a first cam positioned within the cavity and in abutting relation to the pliable section and engaged with the rod, wherein rotation of the rod about its longitudinal axis translates to movement of the first cam into the pliable section an amount corresponding to the degree of rotation. 
     According to an aspect is a method for selectively modifying the dimension of a tool handle that has a pliable portion and is part of a tool handle assembly that includes a user engageable knob that is adapted for selective rotation about its longitudinal axis, comprising the step of rotating the knob about its longitudinal axis, whereby the pliable portion of the handle moves an amount corresponding to the rotational movement. 
     These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from the embodiments described below. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention will be more fully understood and appreciated by reading the following Detailed Description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIGS. 1A and 1B  are side elevation views of a knife having a handle that is adjusted between a first ( FIG. 1A ) and second ( FIG. 1B ) position, in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIGS. 2A and 2B  are cross-sectional views taken along section lines  2 A- 2 A of  FIGS. 1A and 2B-2B  of  FIG. 1B , respectively, in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIGS. 3A and 3B  are side elevation views of the handle assembly in the first and second positions of  FIG. 1A  and  FIG. 1B , respectively, without the covering on the handle, in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIGS. 4A and 4B  are cross-sectional views taken along section lines  4 A- 4 A of  FIGS. 3A and 4B-4B  of  FIG. 3B , respectively, in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG. 5A  nd  5 B are side elevation views of a clutch assembly, in accordance with an embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     The present disclosure describes a knife handle assembly with a selectively adjustable handle, a knife having a handle that is selectively adjustable, and a method for adjusting the handle of a knife. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , in one embodiment, is a knife, designated generally by reference numeral  10 , having a conventional blade  12  and a handle assembly designated generally by reference numeral  100  to which blade  12  is connected. Knife  10  extends along a longitudinal axis X-X. 
     A principal component of handle assembly  100  is handle  102  that includes an elongated, selectively adjustable, pliable portion  104  (e.g., composed of plastic, rubber, leather, etc.) that extends along the upper portion of handle  102 , as well as a covering  103  that can be selectively changed by the user (i.e., if the user desires a tacky grip versus a harder grip or a grip with different ergonomics constructed into the covering). A cavity  106  is formed within handle  102  below pliable portion  104 . Pliable portion  104  is held to the rest of handle  102  by fastening elements  108  that are positioned at each end of the pliable portion  104  such that its ends are relatively fixed in position relative to the rest of handle  102  while its intermediate portion is capable of moving away and towards cavity  106 . 
     In addition to handle  102  and its pliable portion  104 , handle assembly  100  further comprises a user accessible knob  110  positioned exteriorly of handle  102  and attached to one end of an elongated rod  112  via fastener  114 . In an embodiment, rod  112  extends along axis X-X (e.g., co-axial with knife  10 , although it could extend along a parallel or even non-parallel axis) that goes through handle  102  and cavity  106  and terminates in a notched cut-out area  113  formed in handle  102  where it is fastened to prevent inadvertent dislodgement. Integrated with (connected to or integral with) rod  112  is a pair of worm gears  116 ,  118  both of which are positioned within cavity  106 . Worm gears  116 ,  118  operably mesh/engage with a pair of geared cams  120 ,  122 , respectively, which are spaced from one another along axis X-X. Geared cams  120 ,  122  each are mounted to handle assembly  100  within cavity  106  for rotational movement about the longitudinal axes of mounting shafts  121 ,  123 , respectively, and comprise cam surfaces  124 ,  126 , respectively, that abut the inwardly facing surface of pliable portion  104 . As a user rotates knob  110  and hence rod  112 , worm gears  116 ,  118  cause geared cams  120 ,  122  to rotate about their respective axes and force cam surfaces  124 ,  126  to push upwardly on pliable portion  104  causing it to extend outwardly and increase the width/diameter of handle  102 , or move in a direction away from pliable portion  104  in which case pliable portion maintains contact with the cam surfaces and elastically return to a more collapsed position. The pliable nature of pliable portion  104  provides it with the elasticity to move pursuant to the force imposed by cams  120 ,  122 . 
     To prevent inadvertent rotation of rod  112 , a clutch assembly  130  is provided and comprises a 2-piece clutch gear  132 ,  134  with gear  132  being rigidly connected to rod  112  and gear  134  slidingly positioned along axis X-X for movement into and out of meshing engagement with gear  132 . A coil spring  136  is positioned between gear  134  and knob  110  and in its uncompressed state maintains the two gears  132 ,  134  out of meshed engagement with one another. To put the gears  132 ,  134  into engagement, the user would push inwardly on knob  110 , compressing spring  136  and biasing gear  134  into engagement with gear  132 . Knob  110  may then be rotated about axis X-X to cause rod  112  to rotate and ultimately force cam surfaces to raise or lower pliable portion  104 . 
     While various embodiments have been described and illustrated herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily envision a variety of other means and/or structures for performing the function and/or obtaining the results and/or one or more of the advantages described herein, and each of such variations and/or modifications is deemed to be within the scope of the embodiments described herein. More generally, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that all parameters, dimensions, materials, and configurations described herein are meant to be exemplary and that the actual parameters, dimensions, materials, and/or configurations will depend upon the specific application or applications for which the teachings is/are used. Those skilled in the art will recognize, or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to the specific embodiments described herein. It is, therefore, to be understood that the foregoing embodiments are presented by way of example only and that, within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereto, embodiments may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described and claimed. Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to each individual feature, system, article, material, kit, and/or method described herein. In addition, any combination of two or more such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and/or methods, if such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and/or methods are not mutually inconsistent, is included within the scope of the present disclosure. 
     The above-described embodiments of the described subject matter can be implemented in any of numerous ways. For example, some embodiments may be implemented using hardware, software or a combination thereof. When any aspect of an embodiment is implemented at least in part in software, the software code can be executed on any suitable processor or collection of processors, whether provided in a single device or computer or distributed among multiple devices/computers.