Improvements in Pocket Knives.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Mar., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 6th Dec., 1892-Accepted, 21st Jan., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Pocket Knives.
1, GEORGE SCHRADE of No. 1639 First Avenue in the City of New York,
in the State of New York, United States of America, Modelmaker, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in pocket knives in which provision is
made for the automatic opening of the blade, when released, and for locking the
blade in both its open and closed adjustment.
The sides of the casing and back are preferably formed of a single piece of
metal. The mountings may be of pearl, bone, wood, or any other suitable
material.
The blade is pivotally secured in position between the sides of the casing by a
hollow pivot. The shank is provided with recesses located upon opposite sides of
the pivot, and adapted to receive a locking pin, the one to hold the blade closed,
and the other to hold it open.
A locking spring, consisting of a plate or bar spring is secured at one of its ends
to the side of the casing, its opposite end being provided with a stud adapted to
project through the side of the casing, and into the one or the other of the recesses,
according as the blade is closed or open. The spring is further provided with an
operating pin which projects through the hollow pivot into a recess formed in the
mounting, aud in such a position that it may be pressed upon by the finger to throw
the spring away from the side of the casing, and thereby withdraw the stud from
the recess in the shank of the blade. The mounting is provided with a recess to
permit the movement of the free end of the spring away from the side of the
casing.
The actuating spring may consist of a bar spring having one of its ends at the
inner face of the back of the casing, bent to form a pair of ridges, between which
a stud or pin extends transversely across the casing, and thereby secures the spring
in position. The free end of the spring bears against the underside of the shank of
the blade, its tension being exerted in a direction to throw the blade up from the
casing, and over into an extended or open position.
Or the shank of the blade may be provided with a cam face along which the free
end of the actuating spring rides, as the blade swings open, the spring itself, when
the blade is full open, having a tendency to keep it open. In this form, where the
shank is cut away to form the cam face, I find it desirable to provide only one
recess for the reception of the locking stud on the spring, and to provide the spring
with an additional locking stud, which, when the blade is swung full open, is received
into the same recess in the shank of the blade which receives the locking stud when
the blade is closed.
The opening spring may be a coil which surrounds the pivot within a circular
recess in the side of the shank of the blade, and one end of which is secured to the
blade and the other end to the hollow pivot.
It is obvious that a blade might be secured at the other end of the casing, and
operated in a manner quite similar to that described above.
- Dated this 8th day of March 1892.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Pocket Knives.
1, GEORGE SCHRADE of No. 1639 First Avenue, in the City of New York in
the State of New York, United States of America, Modelmaker, 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:-
My invention relates to improvements in pocket knives, in which provision is
made for the automatic opening of the blade, when released, and for locking the
blade in both its open and closed adjustment.
A practical embodiment of my invention is represented in the accompanying
drawings, in which :-
Fig. 1 is a side view of the knife, a portion of the mounting being removed to
shew the locking and releasing spring.
Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view, corresponding with Fig. 1, taken in the
plane in which the blade swings.
Fig. 3 is a transverse longitudinal section, corresponding with Figs. 1 and 2.
Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section of a knife with a different form of actuating
spring.
Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section at right angles to Fig. 4.
Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section of a knife, having its blade provided with a cam
bearing for the actuating spring; and
Fig. 7 is a view in detail of a locking and releasing spring employed in connection
with the form of shank shewn in Fig. 6.
The sides of the casing are represented by A and A', and its back by a. The
sides and back are preferably formed of a single piece of metal. The mountings B
and B' may be of pearl, bone, wood, or any other suitable material.
The blade is represented by C. and its shank by c. The shank is pivotally
secured in position between the sides of the casing by a hollow pivot D: The
shank is provided with recesses c' and c³, located upon opposite sides of the
pivot D, and adapted to receive a locking pin, the one, c', to hold the blade closed,
and the other, c², to hold it open. The recesses c and c are here shewn as circular,
but it is obvious that they might be oval, or any desired polygonal shape in cross
section.
.
A locking spring, consisting of a plate or bar spring E, is secured at one of its
ends to the side of the casing, as shown at e, its opposite end being provided witli a
stud e', adapted to project through the side of the casing and into the one or the
other of the recesses c¹ or c², according as the blade is closed' or open. The
spring E is further provided with an operating pin e, which projects through the
hollow pivot D into a recess a' formed in the mounting B, and in sucli position that
it may be pressed upon by the finger, to throw the spring E away from the side of
the casing, and thereby withdraw the stud e¹ from the recess in the shank of the
blade. The mounting B is provided with a recess b, to permit the movenient' of
the free end of the spring E away from the side of the casing.
The actuating spring for throwing the blade, when released, from its closed to its
opened position, is represented by F in Figs. 1, 2, 3; and 6; and by F in Figs. 4
and 5.
The form shewn in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 6, consists of a bar spring. having one of lits
ends, at the inuer,face of the back of the casing, bent to form a pair of ridges f,
between which a stud or pin extends transversely across the casing, and thereby
secures the spring in position. The free end of the spring bears against the under
side of the shank of the blade, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, its tension being exerted
in a direction to throw the blade up from the casing, and over into an extended or
open position.

page_text: In the form shown in Fig. 6, the shank of the blade is provided with a cam
face c, along which the free end of the actuating spring F rides, as the blade C
swings open,
the spring itself, when the blade is full open, having a tendency to
keep it open. In this form, where the shank is cut away to form the cam face, I
find it desirable to provide only one recess c¹ for the reception of the locking stud
on the spring, and to provide the spring with an additional locking stud e³ (see
Fig. 7), which, when the blade is swung full open, is received into the same recess c¹
in the shank of the blade which receives the locking stud el, when the blade is
closed.
In the example shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the opening spring F is a coil which
surrounds the pivot within a circular recess in the side of the shank of the blade,
and one end of which is secured to the blade, and the other end to the hollow
pivot D.
While I have shown a single blade secured to one end of the casing, it is obvious
that another blade might be similarly secured at the other end of the casing, and
operated in a manner quite similar to that shown and described with respect to the
blade C.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. The combination with the casing, the pivoted blade, and its actuating spring,
tending to throw the blade open, of a locking spring having an engagement with
the shank of the blade, to lock it in closed and open adjustment, and the push pin
located within the pivotal connection of the blade, with the casing for operating the
locking spring, substantially as set forth.
2. The combination with the casing and the blade pivoted therein, of the coiled
opening spring surrounding the pivot within a recess in one side of the blade,
substantially as herein set forth.
3. The combination with the casing, the blade pivoted therein, provided with a
cam surface on its shank, and the blade actuating spring having an engagement
with the cam face on the shank, and a locking and releasing spring secured to the
casing, and provided with studs, one in position to engage the blade when closed,
and the other in position to engage the blade when open, and a push pin located
within the pivotal connection with the blade and the casing, substantially as set
forth.
Dated First day of December 1892.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for Applicant.