Year: 1899

page_text: 1, FLORENCE SILCOCK, of 2, Newport Street, Beatrice Road, Newfound Pool,
Leicester, Married Woman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
This invention relate to improvements in pocket knives and consists, first, of
means by which the blades of pocket-knives may be readily opened, secondly, of
means for locking the blade or blades of such knives, in their closed and opened
positions.
The invention may be carried into effect in several ways, one of which may
consist in attaching to the side of the body or case of the knife a plate spring
having soldered to its free end, a lug, bolt or other suitable projection passing
through from one side of the body or case of the knife to the opposite side
thereof.
D
When the knife blade is in its open or closed position the lug, bolt or equi-
valent, will enter one of the recesses formed in the front or back of the blade for
that purpose and will retain the blade in either position.
When it is desired to open the blade the bolt, lug or equivalent which prefer-
ably extends slightly beyond the body or case on the opposite side to that on
which the spring is fixed, is slightly pressed causing a recess formed in the said
bolt or lug to come level with the blade when it will instantly open by means of
a spring fixed inside the body or case.
The blade may be closed by pressing the bolt or lug to release it (if it is
arranged to be locked in its open position) and by pressing on the back of it with
the finger. Or, instead of the lug or bolt acting as above mentioned the rivet
upon which the blade is pivotted may have its central part round and fit freely
in the blade, and each end of the said rivet may be flattened so as to enter slots
formed with the rivet hole.
A plate spring may also be provided in this case, or instead of the said spring
the blades may be caused to open, when the bolt or rivet is pressed and dis-
engages them, by a band or strap of some suitable flexible material one end being
secured to the end of a blade and the other end may be attached to a spiral spring
or equivalent.
Another modification may consist of a blade having the usual fixed rivet, and
arranging a spring in the bottom of the body or case which is compressed when
the blade is closed.
At equal distances from the rivet hole two holes are drilled in the blade into
which a bolt may be caused to enter and hold the blade in either its closed or
open position.
It is obvious that further means for opening the blade will readily suggest them-
selves, such as a spiral spring for instance, mounted in a recess in the blade, or
placed at the side thereof, but I do not confine myself to any particular means

page_text: either for effecting the opening or for retaining the blade in either its closed or
open position.
Dated this Second day of September 1899.
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
322, High Holborn, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.
.
I, FLORENCE SILCOCK, of 2, Newport Street, Leicester, Married Woman, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention has reference to pocket-knives and has for its object to effect
improvements in the construction thereof by means of which the blade may be
caused to automatically spring fully open ready for use and also to be locked in
that position.
The means employed, permit of the blade being locked also in the closed
position. The invention will be understood from the following further description
in reference to the accompanying drawings in which..
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a pocket-knife, with the blade fully open and
locked in that position, constructed in accordance with this invention.
Figure 2 is a similar view with the blade closed and locked in that position.
Figure 3 is a transverse section on the line X X of Fig. 1 of the upper part of the
knife when the blade is open. Figure 4 is a similar view when the blade is partly
closed. Figures 5 and 6 are elevations of the upper part of the front of the knife
with the blade removed and back bar broken away showing slide in its locked and
unlocked position. Figure 7 is a side elevation of the knife blade per se.
Figure 8 is a plan of the notched locking slide.
A represents the blade which may be pivotted at A¹ between the two sides B B¹
of the handle in the usual manner. The heel or pivotted end of the blade is
provided with two notches or recesses C C¹ on opposite sides thereof respectively,
which are engaged by a bolt or slide 1 hereinafter referred to, to lock it in the
open or closed position respectively.
E represents a spring one end of which is attached to or formed integrally with
the bar F (which takes the place of the usual back spring of the pocket knife)
while the other end projects into the path of the blade between the two sides, of
the handle as indicated in Figure 1. When the blade is locked in its closed
position the spring is forced back and bears with pressure against the edge of the
heel of the knife blade as shown in Figure 2 but upon the blade being unlocked
as hereinafter described, this spring exerts its force against the blade and causes
it instantly and automatically to fly open to the full extent, in the vertical position,
as shown in Figure 1.
The slide D is let into a transverse groove or recess in the back or body of
the knife so that it is free to move to and fro therein at a right angle to the
direction of movement of the blade and it has let into it or otherwise connected
thereto the upper end of a spring G fulcrummed to the bar F or otherwise and
which spring maintains the said slide in its normal or locking position, i.e.
moved to its furthest extent laterally as indicated in Figures 3 and 6.
locking slide D is provided with a notch D¹ which, when the slide is pressed, is
brought opposite to the blade A and allows the latter to move freely on its
The

page_text: pivot A to either its open or closed position, but as soon as one of the notches C C
in the blade, at the extreme of the movement of the latter, comes opposite the
said slide the latter at once under the influence of the spring G moves into the
notch and locks the blade against further movement. The action is as follows:-
Assuming the blade of the knife to be in its closed position with the slide in
the notch of the blade and the spring forced back in its casing all as shown in
Figure 2. If it now be desired to open the blade, the user, by means of his
thumb, presses the locking slide 1 in a lateral direction thus causing it to vacate
the notch C in the blade A and bring the notch D¹ in the said slide opposite to
the rounded part of the heel of the blade as shown in Figure 4 whereupon, the
blade being now unlocked and free, the spring E, which normally tends to press
the blade open, at once pushes the blade outwards with sufficient impetus to cause
it to reach the vertical position, indicated in Figure 1, when the slide Dat
once under the influence of the spring G moves into the notch C and locks the
blade in its open position. In order to close the blade the slide 1 is again
pressed into the position shown in Figure 4, thereby withdrawing, it from the
notch C, now by pressing upon the back edge of the blade and closing it as shown
in Figure 2 the slide 1) will automatically enter the notch C and lock the blade in
its closed position. It will be observed that the invention is equally applicable
to a knife having two or more blades.
It should also be stated that the slide D is exaggerated in length in the draw-
ings to render the construction more easily perceptible and in actual practice
the ends of the slide will not project beyond the handle of the knife.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:
1. In a pocket-knife the combination with the blade, of a spring normally
arranged to press the latter open, a notch on opposite sides of the blade, and a
spring governed slide adapted to enter one of the said notches to lock the blade
in either its open or closed position substantially as described.
2. In a pocket-knife the combination with the blade, of a notch on each of
its edges, a spring governed slide movable in a direction at right angles to the
direction of movement of the blade and adapted to enter one of the said notches and
lock the blade in either its closed or open position, and a spring normally pressing
against the blade so as to fully open the latter as soon as the said slide vacates the
said notch substantially as described.
3. The improved pocket-knife provided with means for automatically opening
the blade to its fullest extent constructed, arranged and operating substantially
in the manner described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 30th day of May 1900.
FLORENCE SILCOCK.