Patent Abstract:
A folding cutting tool which includes a handle having gripping depressions and a plurality of cutting blades. The blades are rotably connected to the ends of the handle to allow them to be folded into the handle or extend from the handle during operation of the tool. At least one blade has at least one depression that aligns with a depression on the handle. Alternatively, the blades of the tool may fold far enough into the handle to not interfere with the depressions in the handle. The depressions allow for the user to adequately grip the handle to perform a cutting operation.

Full Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION  
         [0001]    The invention relates to a folding tool having an improved gripping structure allowing better handling while the user operates the tool.  
         BACKGROUND OF INVENTION  
         [0002]    Various knife and folding saws exist on the market. Most such saws are of a one blade design wherein a handle and a knife blade are pivotally connected at an end of each. The knife blade rotates with respect to the handle which allows it to fold into the interior of the handle through an aperture on an upper side of the handle or extend in a direction continuous with the contour of the handle where it is locked into place for use.  
           [0003]    Many of such knifes have a handle design consisting of depressions along the upper side of the handle allowing the user to grip the knife handle firmly while the blade is extended and in use. Other knife or saw designs consist of a handle and at least a pair of knife or saw blades either connected on the same side of the handle or connected at opposite ends of the handle. Generally, when one blade is extended for use, the other remains inside the handle. This is to prevent the unused blade from interfering with the use of the extended blade and from injuring the user.  
           [0004]    A draw back to the dual blade design or multiple blade design is that the back sides of the blade or blades not in the closed position protrude from the handle. Conventional multiple folding knives do not have depressions in the upper side of the handles. Even if such knives contained these depressions, the depressions would be prevented from use when the blade not in use is folding into the handle. The back side of the blade would prevent the fingers of the user from gripping the handle in the depressions. This means that during a strong cutting action by the user, the knife is not gripped as strongly as may be needed.  
         SUMMARY OF INVENTION  
         [0005]    An object of invention is to overcome the gripping problems mentioned above when such is needed in a dual blade knife or saw. This object is achieved by providing a folding saw having at least a pair of blades that fold from the ends of a handle having a plurality of depressions. The blades not in use either fold sufficiently into the handle or the heels of the knife blades themselves have depressions the correspond to those of the handle to allow access of the user&#39;s fingers to the handle depressions which provides a stronger grip of the saw or knife.  
           [0006]    In such a design the handle has an elongated shape having an aperture along an upper side to accept knife blades not being used and folded into the handle. This upper side of the handle having a plurality of depressions to allows the user to firmly grip the handle. There may be one depression, a group of depressions or there may be several along the entire upper side of the handle. Such a design also has a plurality of blades that may be pivotally attached to the handle at a single end, at opposite ends or combinations thereof. There may be a pair of blades or any greater number that can achieve the same result. The blades may fold deeply into the handle to allow for the user&#39;s fingers to fit into the depressions. Alternatively, the back side of the blades may have one or a plurality of depressions that align with the depressions on the handle to allow the user&#39;s fingers to fit into the depressions. Both designs will aid the user in gripping the handle firmly to perform a cutting action using the saw or knife. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]    [0007]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the invention showing the blades in the closed position and the open position.  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 2 illustrates the closed position of a first blade, the extended position of a second blade and the closing of the second blade of the knife depicted in FIG. 1.  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 3 illustrates the closed position of the second blade, the extended position of the first blade and the closing of the first blade of the knife depicted in FIG. 1.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 4 illustrates both blades in the closed position.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the invention.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 6 illustrates the closed position of a first blade, the extended position of a second blade and the closing of a second blade of the knife depicted in FIG. 5.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 7 illustrates the closed position of the second blade, the extended position of the first blade and the closing of the first blade of the knife depicted in FIG. 5.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 8 illustrates both blades in the closed position. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0015]    Referring to FIG. 1, there is depicted a folding tool according to a first embodiment of the invention. This knife is a dual folding knife having a blade pivotally connected at each end of the handle. The tool  100  comprises a handle  110 , a first blade  130  and a second blade  120 . The blades are connected to handle  100  via respective pivot pins  140  and  150 . This allows the blades to move from a closed position wherein the blades are located inside handle  110  and an extended position wherein the blades are fully extended from tool  100 . FIG. 1 depicts both of the blades in the closed position and both blades in the extended position. The pivotal movement of each blade from its extended position to its closed position is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 4 depicts both blades in the closed position. The first and second blades  120  and  130  are locked in the extended position via any locking system known to those having skill in the art. Upon depression of one of a pair of unlocking members  160 , the respective blade is unlocked from its extended position and is thereby allowed to return to a closed position.  
         [0016]    In this embodiment, first blade  130  consists of a knife portion  138  on a front side and a hook blade  136  and depressions  132  on the back side of the blade. First blade  130  is also provided with a finger nail slot  134  which is used to pull the first blade from handle  110  when the first blade is in a closed position, as is shown in FIG. 2. Second blade  120  consists of a saw blade  128  and a back side  122 . Second blade  120  also has a finger nail slot  124  for pulling the second blade from handle  110  when the second blade is in the closed position.  
         [0017]    Handle  110  comprises a series of depressions  180  along an upper side thereof. The depressions fit the fingers of a user. The user grips the tool by placing a bottom side  112  of the tool in the palm of a hand and clasping the fingers around handle  110 . The user&#39;s fingers will find and fit into depressions  180 . When held firmly, finger depressions  180  will prevent tool  100  from slipping from the user&#39;s hand during a sawing or cutting action of an opened blade.  
         [0018]    Prior art devices generally comprise blades that do not fully fold into the handle of the knife and have a straight backside. Thus when one blade is open and other blades remain closed, the back side of the closed blades protrude from the handle, preventing the user from grasping the handle only or from fitting the fingers into the depressions. The user must grasp the tool via the bottom of the handle and the backsides of the blades which will not adequately prevent the tool from slipping from the user&#39;s hand during a heavy cutting operation.  
         [0019]    Applicant&#39;s invention avoids this difficulty in gripping the handle. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the backside of first blade  130  is provided with at least one depression  132 . When first blade is folded into the closed position, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, depressions  132  align with handle depressions  180  as shown in area A. Such a design allows for the user to place his fingers in the depressions of handle  110  and the depressions in first blade  130  simultaneously. This allows the user to grasp handle  110  firmly with his fingers even when the first blade is not in use in the closed position. Such provides for a firm grip of the tool for a heavy cutting operation.  
         [0020]    Referring to FIGS.  5 - 8 , there is depicted another folding tool according to a second embodiment of the invention. The tool  500  comprises a handle  510 , a first blade  530  and a second blade  520 . The blades are connected to handle  500  via respective pivot pins  540  and  550 . This allows the blades to move from a closed position wherein the blades are located inside handle  510  and an extended position wherein the blades are fully extended from handle  510 . FIG. 5 depicts both blades in the extended position. The pivotal movement of each blade from its extended position to its closed position is shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG. 8 depicts both blades in the closed position. The first and second blades  530  and  520  are locked in the extended position via any locking system known to those having skill in the art. Upon depression of one of a pair of unlocking members  560 , the respective blade is unlocked from its extended position and is thereby allowed to return to a closed position.  
         [0021]    In this embodiment, first blade  530  consists of a knife portion  538  and a backside  532  opposite the front side. First blade  130  is also provided with a finger nail slot  534  which is used to pull the first blade from handle  510  when the first blade is in a closed position, as is shown in FIG. 6. Second blade  520  consists of a saw blade  528  and a back side  522 . Second blade  520  also has a finger nail slot  524  for pulling the second blade from handle  510  when the second blade is in the closed position.  
         [0022]    Handle  510  comprises a series of depressions  580  along an upper side thereof. The depressions fit the fingers of a user. The user grips the tool by placing the bottom side of the tool in the palm of a hand and clasping the fingers around handle  510 . The user&#39;s fingers will find the depressions. When held firmly, the finger depressions will prevent tool  500  from slipping from the user&#39;s hand during a sawing or cutting action of an opened blade.  
         [0023]    Rather than use depressions in the back side of the first blade, the tool according to this second embodiment gives the user&#39;s fingers access to the depressions in handle by moving the location of pivot pin  550  closer to the upper side of handle  510 . When first blade  530  is folded in to the closed position, back side  532  of first blade  530  is located beneath the surface of at least one depression  580  which is shown in FIG. 6 at area A. This allows the user&#39;s fingers full access to at least one depression  580  without the first blade interfering, and provides the user a firmer grip on the tool during heavy operation.  
         [0024]    From the foregoing detailed description, it will be evident that there are a number of changes, adaptations and modifications of the present invention, which come within the province of those persons having ordinary skill in the art to which the aforementioned invention pertains. However, it is intended that all such variations not departing from the spirit of the invention be considered as within the scope thereof as limited solely by the appended claims. For example, the blades of the tool need not be pivotally connected to opposite ends of the handle, all blades could be connected to one end, some from one end, some from the other or split evenly. Also, the knife need not have only two blades, the knife could have many more blades attached thereto having the properties described herein. A two-blade model is shown by way of example. Further, the specific blade designs used are not limiting, this invention may be used in conjunction with any type of cutting edge without departing from the invention.

Technology Classification (CPC): 1