Improvements in' Pocket-knives.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Sept., 1898-Accepted, 3rd Oct., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in' Pocket-knives.
I, EDMUND JANSEN, of Höhscheid-Solingen, in the Province of the Rhine,
German Empire, Manufacturer 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 refers to pocket knives, and my improvements in knives of this
kind relate to means for opening the blade or blades without touching the same.
In turning my invention into practice I provide the tang of the blade with a number
of projections or teeth arranged in a semi-circle around the pin holding the tang,
or the blade respectively, in other words, I let the tang represent a semi-circular
cog-wheel. I then arrange a rack between said cogged tang aud the back plato or
spring of the knife, and I provide said rack with a projection extending outwards
through a slut of the shell. The projecting portion proper of said projection is
provided with a slide, button or equivalent means situated upon the outside of the
shell, and enabling a finger of the operator to take hold upon it, and to open or close
the blade by displacing the rack in one or the other direction.
In order to make my invention more clear, I refer to the accompanying drawing,
in which similar letters denote similar parts throughout the different views, and in
which:
Figure 1 is a side-view of a pocket-knife constructed according to my invention,
a portion of the shell being removed, and a blade being opened,
Figure 2 shows the parts of Figure 1 seen from the left side of this figure,
Figure 3 shows in an enlarged scale the cogged tang and the adjacent portion of
the slide forming the rack, aud
Figure 4 shows the parts of Figure 3 seen from the left side of this figure.
lu the form of construction represented in the afore mentioned figures the
tang a', Figures 2 & 4, of the blade a is provided with a special cogged part a 2,
Figures 3 & 4, which is secured to the tang proper a' by a pin a 3, Figures 1 & 3,
and which is moreover held by the pin a 4 forming the fulcrum for the blade.
The pin a 4 is held by the two side-plates c c of the shell. The latter are
moreover connected by a back-plate c2 which serves as a guide for a slide n, a
portion of which is formed into a rack n'. Said rack meshes with the cogged
part a 2 afore mentioned.
The slide n is provided with a lateral arm n2 which passes to the outside of
the shell of the knife through a slot provided in the plate c' of the shell, and
which is connected with a slide n 3 covering said slot. Said slide 3 serves as a
place of application for a finger of the operator, or serves for opening and closing
the blade respectively. If the slide n 3 is displaced in a direction away from the
pin a 3, then the blade a is opened by the influence of the rack n' upon the cogged
tang a 2; if, however, the slide n 3 is displaced in an opposite direction, then the
blade a is closed, as will be clear without further explanation.
There are two blades in the pocket knife shown in the drawing, and each of
said bludes is combined with an opening and closing device of the kind afore
described. The slide n4, Figure 2, for the second blade is situated upon the other
side of the casing, or upon the side blade e respectively, but I wish it to be under-
stood, that the two slides may well be situated upon one and the same side, and
that there may be more than two of the opening and closing devices in question

page_text: arranged in a knife, provided, there be more than two blades. The slides n3 n4 may
well be replaced by buttons or similar projections, and there may, if desired, be
two of such slides, buttons or similar projections combined with one blade, provided,
one slido etc. be situated on one side, the other upon the other side of the casing 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 [
claim is :-
In a pocket-knife, the combination with the tang or tangs of the blade or blades,
and of cogs projecting from said tang or tangs, of a rack or racks meshing with said
cogged tang or tanga, and means for displacing said rack or racks from the outside
of the knife, for the purpose as described.
Dated this 1st day of September 1808
EDMUND JANSEN,
By Geo. H. Rayner,
Agent for the Applicant.