Improvements in or relating to Folding Knives, Forks, and Spoons.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Apr., 1895
Complete Specification. Left, 31st Dec., 1895-Accepted, 14th Mar., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Folding Knives, Forks, and Spoons.
I, FERDINAND PRAUNEGGER K. k. Pensioned District Magistrate, Graz,
Steiermark, Austria, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in folding knives, forks, and spoons,
which may either be used alone, or united to form a luncheon service suitable for
use at pic-nics or the like.
It has for its object an arrangement or device whereby, without the employment
of any spring-catch, the knife, fork, or spoon is held fast, either in the folded
position, or as well in the fully opened position; while, at the same time, in the
latter case, the unforeseen snapping-to or close of the knife-blade, or of the fork or
spoon head is prevented by a stop-arrangement being brought into action.
This is attained by the constituent elements of the service or device viz.: the
kuife, fork, or spoon, being united to the handle, so as to pivot by means of a bolt
or pin sliding in a longitudinal groove or slot, so that the folding or closing can
only occur when the bolt or pin is at one end of the slot or groove; while in the
open position the knife, fork or spoon when slipped on the bolt is prevented from
rotating or folding, and thereby a small spring-plate pressing against it holds it
fast so as to prevent that sliding motion which is indispensable before the turning
or folding action can take place. Thus this latter sliding motion must necessarily
be effected by hand, whereupon the knife, fork or spoon can be folded or closed.
The knife blade or the spoon or fork head is provided with a longitudinal slot
and the haft or handle with a pin sliding therein.
The latter passes through a small steel plate inserted between the handle and
the knife-blade, or fork or spoon head and which is slightly bent so as to exert a
certain amount of lateral pressure against the three latter.
In the folded or closed position, the pin occupies that end of the slot which lies
nearest to the particular end of the said knife-blade, or fork or spoon heid, which
carries a guide-fillet engaging with the back of the haft or handle, so that the said
part of the service may in this position of the pin, be opened or closed by being.
turned round thereupon.
After the opening which, similarly to the closure ensues in consequence of the
pressure of a small plate, the knife, fork, or spoon is pushed back on the pin against
the haft or handle, until the said pin occupies the other or upper end of the slot,.
whereby the said part of the service is secured to the back of the haft, or on the
guide-fillet in such manner that there can be no accidental closing. At the same
time, a self-acting return of the pin, i.e., a drawing out of the knife-blade, or fork
or spoon head, and accidental folding or closure of the same, is prevented by the
above named small plate. Consequently, not before the knife-blade, or fork or
spoon-head has been, by hand, drawn out sufficiently far, that the pin occupies.
the lower end of the slot, will it be possible to effect the folding, or closure
thereof.
It is obvious that, contrariwise, the pin may be attached to the outer or head..
piece of the service, and the slot to the haft or handle, in a modified arrangement;
or, similarly, the guide-fillet applied to the spoon, to limit and restrain the action
may equally well be affixed to the spoon-head.

page_text: In the combined but separable service of knife, fork and spoon, the arrangement
is the same, only that the handles of the spoon and fork are slipped into the
knife-haft, in such manner that the closed spoon-head folds against the exterior of
the haft, while the fork-head and knife-blade both fold up inside the haft, as with
an ordinary pocket-knife.
The shells or pieces of the hafts of the knife and fork may be advantageously
pressed or stamped out of sheet-steel, so that, besides the advantages described, an
essentially simpler and cheaper construction, as well as a material diminution in the
weight of this improved service is obtained.
Dated this 1st day of April 1895.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in or relating to Folding Knives, Forks, and Spoons.
I, FERDINAND PRAUNEGGER K. k. District-Captain i. P., Graz, Steiermark,
Austria, 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 folding knives forks, and spoons, which
may either be used alone, or united to form what is herein termed a "picnic set
suitable for use at pic-nics or the like.
For convenience the operative parts of the knife, fork and spoon, that is to say
the sharpened, pronged and dished or hollow parts thereof respectively are called
the knife-blade, fork-blade and the spoon-blade respectively..
The invention has for its object an arrangement or device whereby without the
employment of a spring-catch, the blade of the knife, fork, or spoon is held fast,
either in the folded position, or in the fully opened position; while, at the same
time, when the device is fully opened, accidental snapping-to or closing of the blade
is prevented by a stop-arrangement being brought into action.
دو
This is attained by the knife, fork and spoon, being each united to the handle, so
as to pivot by means of a bolt or pin sliding in a longitudinal groove or slot, so
that the opening can only occur when the bolt or pin is at one end, herein for
convenience termed the " upper end, and the closing when it is at the other or
"lower" end of the slot or groove. While, in its open position, the knife, fork or
spoon-blade is prevented from rotating, folding or moving from that position by a
small spring-plate which presses against it and prevents the sliding motion without
which the folding or closing cannot take place. Thus this latter sliding motion
must necessarily be effected by hand, before the knife, fork or spoon can be closed.
In the accompanying drawings ;-
Figs. 1 and 1 represent the improved folding-knife in respectively its open and
closed position.
Fig. 1 is a cross-section on the line x-x of Fig. 1^.
Figs. 2 and 24 are respectively a back and side elevation of one of my improved
folding-spoous in its open position while Fig. 2B is a front elevation of it in the
closed position;
Figs. 3, 3 and 3B are views respectively similar to Figs. 1, 14 and 1B of a
folding-fork.
Figs. 4 44 and 4ª show, on an enlarged scale, in side and back elevations, the
articulated connection between the handle and knife, spoon or fork-blade,
respectively when the instrument is open (Figs. 4 and 4) and partly open or
closed, (Fig. 4).
wherein the fork and spoon are
66
picnic set
Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a
separably connected to the knife-handle, and

page_text: Fig. 5ª is a cross section on the line y y of Fig. 5 when all the parts are connected
together.
The blade of the knife, spoon or fork as shown respectively in the series of
Figs. 1, 1ª, 18, 2, 2A, 2B and 3, 34 and 3B is provided with a longitudinal slot a and
the haft or handle A¹ B or C with a pin b sliding therein.
b
The pin 6 passes through a small steel plate c (Figs. 44 and 4B) inserted between
the handle and the knife-blade, or fork or spoon head, and slightly bent so as to
exert a certain amount of lateral pressure against the latter.
In the folded or closed position, the pin & occupies the so-called "lower" end of
the slot that is to say the end which lies nearest to the heel end of the blade of
the knife, fork or spoon, so that the said blade may be opened or closed by being
turned on the pin b. The width of the heel end is limited by a projection & on the
the handle B₁.
After the opening, which, similarly to the closure, eusues gradually against the
resistance of the spring plate c the knife fork or spoon-blade is pushed back on the
pin 6 relatively to the haft or handle, until the said pin abuts against the other or
upper end of the slot, whereby the said open part (knife, spoon or förk-blade) is
retained against the back of the haft, or against the projection d as in Figure 4, in
such manner, that the said blade cannot be closed. At the same time, accidental
return of the blade on the pin b, and consequently accidental folding or closing of
this blade is prevented by the spring plate c. Only after the knife, fork or
spoon-blade has been, by hand, drawn out sufficiently far to bring the pin & to the
lower end of the slot, will it be possible to effect the folding or closure thereof.
b
It is obvious that, contrariwise, the pin 6 may be attached to the knife, fork or
spoon-blade and the slot a formed in the haft or handle or similarly the projection d
applied to the spoon handle B' to limit and restrain the action of the spoon-blade B,
may equally well be affixed to the spoon-blade.
In the picnic set illustrated in Figure 5 the arrangement is the same as in those
previously described, only that the handles B¹ and C¹ of the spoon and fork
respectively are slipped into the knife-haft A' and the spoon blade when folded is
outside of it while the fork and knife-blades both fold up inside the haft A' as with
an ordinary pocket-knife.
The shells or pieces of the hafts of the knife and fork may be advantageously
pressed or stamped out of sheet-steel, so that, besides the advantages described, an
essentially simpler and cheaper construction, as well as a material diminution in
the weight of this improved "picnic set " is obtained.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a folding knife fork or spoon, or a device embracing any two or the three of
these elements connecting the knife-blade, fork-blade, or spoon-blade to the handle
or haft by means of a pin b sliding in a longitudinal slot such as a so as to enable
the knife or other blade to be closed or opened and maintained open against the
back of the haft, or against a projection such as d and the combination with this
arrangement of a spring plate such as c located between the head piece and the
haft or handle substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
2. A folding knife spoon or fork constructed substantially as described and
illustrated respectively in Figures 1, 2 or 3 of the accompanying drawings.
3. A combined folding knife spoon and fork substantially as described and
illustrated in Figure 5 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 31st day of December 1895.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.