Improvements in Pocket Knives.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Jan., 1890-Accepted, 24th May, 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Pocket Knives.
We, CARL EMIL GEBÜH and BRUNO VON BÜLTZINGSLÖWEN, Gentlemen both
residing at 26 Church Street in New York in the County and State of New York,
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 relates to improvements in pocket knives and consists essentially in
the blades concealed in the knife handle, case or frame being automatically thrown or
sprung out for use whenever required and thus brought in the required vertical
position in which they are locked on all sides, the said blades being folded back after
use in their respective and proper positions in the knife handle or case.
This arrangement is chiefly carried out with the aid of the side pieces or fittings
hitherto used in most pocket knives for the purpose of ornamentation. In knives such
as hitherto constructed it was required in order to fold the blades back into the knife
handle or case after use to exert a certain amount of force so as to overcome the
tension of the back spring, whereby the hand was frequently injured by the backward
spring of the blades in the handle.
Now according to our invention by simply pushing the said side fitting upwards
the blades held previously in the knife handle are thrown up in a vertical position
by means of a flat spring arranged therein and are securely locked in such position by
the said side pieces. To close the knife a second upward motion of the side piece or
fitting is requisite, the blades being thereby released and brought back with a small
pressure in the knife handle wherein it is again safely locked by the said side piece or
fitting.
Fig. 1 is a side view of the knife.
Fig. 2 shows the position of the blades in the handle or frame, the cover being
removed.
Fig. 3 is a front view of the knife.
Figs. 4 shows one of the metal sides thereof.
Figs. 5, 6, and 7b shew respectively a front, rear and side view of the upper side
pieces or fittings B.
Fig. 5 is a section on line x, y, of Fig. 5 drawn at an enlarged scale.
Fig. 7 is a section on line O Z of Fig. 6.
Fig. 6ª is an end view of the knife at an enlarged scale.
Fig. 7a shows the spring J for expelling the blades.
Fig. 8 to 10 show the successive positions of the blades as they issue from the
handles.
Fig. 11 is a section on line 9, w, of Fig. 8 at an enlarged scale.
Fig. 12 is a section on line g¹ u¹ of Fig. 10.
Figs. 13, 14, and 15 show a modification of the arrangement used for securely
locking the blades.
The blades k, k¹, have at their lower ends k¹ the peculiar shap shewn in Fig. 2
their ends being somewhat raised at k as shewn in Fig. 3. In these ends are
arranged diametrically above and below the centre of rotation of the blade two
recesses.c and c¹ Figs. 2, 8-12 in which engages according to the position of the
blades the projections a fixed to the side fitting B Figs. 11 & 12.
Close to the part K" of the blade is formed a notch corresponding to the upper
bent part of the back strip R, which crosses over the part x when the blade is
brought in a vertical position Fig. 2. The blade k is thus afforded a firm basis which
is firmest on account of the part rx of the back strip R resting tightly upon the end K".
of the blade. Owing to the said end K" of the two blades arranged at each end of the
knife being rounded to correspond with the metal plates pp' and the upper fittings B

page_text: fixed on both sides thereof, and in consequence of the back strip R joining this rounded
part, the knife forms a sheath or case partly closed on all sides in which no dirt from
the pocket can gain access, Fig. 3. In this sheath case or handle a flat spring J is
fixed against the back strip R Figs. 2 and 7ª and is arranged to have a double action
according to the number of blades used as for instance in Fig. 2. the part i for the
blade and the part i¹ for the blade ¹. The fitting B figs. 5, 6 and 7 is provided at
its lower end with the projection b and the rectangular flanges u Fig. 5ª, the former
the projection 6 fitting in the corresponding notch of the outside cover pieces S of
horn mother o pearl or tortoise shell Figs. 9 and 10 while the latter the flanges u fit
in guides of the same outside piece.
Opon the inner surface of the fitting and the upper end thereof is placed a T shaped
projection a for the recesses c c¹ serving to firmley lock the blade in its extended or
folded position. A groove V is formed immediately below the projection a in the top
fitting and in this groove is placed the spiral spring f. extending inside the greatest
part of the projection 6 Figs. 6, 11 and 12.
ย
The cover plate p¹ Fig. 4 is provided with a protuberance which when the fitting B
is in position serves simultaneously as a support for the pin and has a bearing for
the spiral spring Figs. 11 & 12. The cover plate p¹ is further provided with a notch g
in which moves whenever the projection a engages in the recesses c or c¹ of the blade,
the neck a¹ of the projection a. The fitting B is thereby firmly held upon p¹ in
combination with the flanges u of the projection band hence locks the blade in its
open or closed position.
The fittings may be provided with grooves or flutes to facilitate the handling of the
knife. The operation of the mechanism when the blade is closed and locked in position
is as follows :-
Should the blade K for instance Fig. 8 be required for use the fitting B is pushed
upwards the tension of the spring being released while the spiral spring fis
compressed Figs. 9 & 12.
The projection a of the fitting issues from the recess c of the blade the latter being
consequently released and thrown up in a vertical position by the spring j stretched in
the sheath case or handle until the notch e lies over the part of the back strip R.
Owing to the withdrawal of the fitting, the spring f in the groove or recess V is
compressed and presses against the protuberance of the plate p'; over which
protuberance the groove is guided. As the blade springs out of the handle to assume
a vertical position the projection a is pressed by the spring f upon the projecting
edge of the end K" of the blade Fig. 9 and it is consequently not requisite to hold
the fitting in its raised position by means of the thumb. The projection a slides now
upon the edge k until the recess c¹ of the blade which is now in a vertical position is
brought in front of the projection a Figs. 10 and 12. The compressed spring ƒ
withdraws now the fitting B and with it the projection a thereof in a downward
direction and the latter becoming engaged in the groove c', the blade is firmly locked
in its open position. As the blade passes from the handle into a vertical position the
circular end K thereof slides along the inner side of the correspondingly formed
back strip R without any impediment being offered thereby to the easy motion of such
end.
In order to return or fold back after use the blade into the handle the upper
fitting B is again raised to such a height as to cause the projection a to issue from the
recess c. If the knife is now held in a somewhat inclined position, the blade drops
by gravity upon the spring in the position shown in Fig. 9 or thereabout. The
spiral spring is extended and the blade is pressed in the handle until the groove c
of the former is laid in front of the projection a the fitting B being then brought in
its normal position by the spring f. while the projection a enters the groove c and the
blade is thereby firmly locked in the handle. The spring J is now stretched ready for
further use. Four blades can be fitted in a knife of this description and for each
blade a sliding upper fitting with the above described mechanism is required.
By means of the hereinbefore described arrangement a really automatic pocket knife
is obtained, as the various blades are automatically brought in a vertical position for

page_text: use and are securely locked on all sides in such position. The said blades are further
brought back into their folded position in the handle by a slight pressure.
By dispensing with the back spring in knives such as hitherto constructed and
furnished with several blades, and by simply making use of the fitting which serves as
an ornament in the great majority of knives, as mechanism for locking the blade either
in its folded or unfolded position, an important advantage as regards cheap manu-
facture is gained. This new pocket knife may assume any well known or other shape
the form of the blades corresponding to that of the knives.
Figs. 13, 14 and 15 show a modification of the above described improvements for
locking the blade. The fitting B2 has the peculiar form shown and is pivotted upon
the pin d to the metal plate p². The knob or stud d serves for the convenient
handling of the fitting.
The part of blade k is raised similarly to k of Fig. 2 and Fig. 3-and in these
parts are likewise formed the partly circularly shaped recesses c², ca.
When the knife is closed Fig. 13 the projection a² gears in the upper groove c²
thereby locking the blade in the handle case or sheath. The projection a² of the
fitting B³ as well as the notch g³ formed in the cover plate p³ to receive the neck of
the said projection a² is made to correspond with the recesses c³ and c³. The spring j
is thereby compressed. The notch e¹ of the part K³ of the blade K* corresponds to
the upper curved shape of the back strip R¹.
When using the knife the fitting B³ is brought by means of the knob d into the
position shown in Fig. 14 until the projection a² is withdrawn from the groove c
The blade k is brought in a vertical position Fig. 15 through j¹, and the fitting in its
locking position by means of the knob, so that the projection a² engages now in the
notch c³, the blade being thus locked in this position. To close the knife the
projection a² is removed as before from e³ the blade is pushed with a slight pressure
into the handle, the projection a² being passed into the recess c² which now assumes
its uppermost position..
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 pocket knives the use of one or several moveable pieces or fittings B (figs. 1,
5, 6, 8, 10,) or B³ (Figs. 14 and 15) for locking the blades in an open or closed
position, in such a manner, that the projection a formed on the above fitting (figs. 5,
6, 7, 8 to 12) or a² (Figs. 14 and 15) engages in the first position in the recess e
and in the recess c¹ in the second position which recesses are formed diametrically
opposite one another in the end K¹ of the blade and on each side of the centre of
rotation thereof the said projection being guided and locked in the recess c or c¹
according as the blade is closed or opened either automatically (Figs. 8 to 12) or by
hand with the aid of the knob d (Figs. 14 and 15) under the action of a spiral spring j
placed in the handle and actuated by reason of the fitting being pushed upwardly
substantially as described and shewn in the drawings and for the purpose set forth.
2. In pocket knives such as above claimed the combination of the various parts
thereof for the purpose of automatically opening and simultaneously locking the
blades, whereby the spring ; arranged within the handle upon the fixed back strip R
and cocked when the blade is in the handle causes the said blade to spring into the
vertical position by simply pushing the fitting upwardly and thus releasing the blade,
until the notch e comes to rest upon the correspondingly bent part of the back
strip and the projection a or a² of the fitting is guided by the spiral spring f in the
slots c¹ or c³ (Fig. 15) now in their upward position either automatically or by hand
with the aid of the knob d as described in claim 1 for the purpose of safely locking the
blade either in the open or closed position substantially as and for the purpose described. ·
Dated this 16th day of January 1890
HUGHES, SON & Co.,
38, Chancery Lane, W.C., Agents for the Applicants. -
HUGHES, SON & Co.,
38, Chancery Lane, W.C., Agents for the Applicants. ·