Patent ID: 8413339

Claim:
A knife, comprising: a body having a first end, a second end, and an opening at the first end; a blade assembly comprising a plurality of releasably attached blade members that can be separated from one another, the blade assembly comprising an engagement opening; a slide member constructed and arranged to be slideable in the body, the slide member arranged to engage the blade assembly, wherein the slide member includes an engagement structure that is arranged to engage the engagement opening so that the blade assembly moves with the slide member, the slide member being movable to position the blade assembly at a position of use wherein at least one of the blade members has at least a portion thereof that projects froth the opening at the first end, and to position the blade assembly at a release position wherein the blade assembly can be released from the slide member when at the release position, the slide member also movable to retract the blade assembly into the body towards the second end to a retracted position; and an actuator member includes a lock portion that is movable between locked and unlocked positions to selectively lock the slide member so as to prevent the slide member from being slideable within the body, or release the slide member so as to permit the slide member to be slideable within the body, the actuator member is constructed and arranged to be actuated to thereby move the slide member to a disengaged configuration wherein the blade assembly can be disengaged from the slide member to permit the release therefrom; wherein when the slide member is in the disengaged configuration and the blade assembly is at the release position, the actuator member is constructed and arranged to be pressed inwardly to disengage the engagement structure of the slide member from the engagement opening of the blade assembly to permit the release of the blade assembly from the slide member.