Patent ID: 7024773

Claim:
A safety cutter ( 10 ) with a retracting guard ( 18 ) comprising: a cutter body ( 9 ) having a handle ( 11 ) with a front edge ( 26 ), a hand-contacting outer surface ( 12 ), said cutter body ( 9 ) having a right-hand-thumb contacting side ( 13 ) and a left-hand-thumb contacting side ( 14 ); a blade ( 20 ) held to said cutter body ( 9 ) and having a point portion ( 19 ) extending outwardly with respect to said front edge ( 26 ); a guard ( 18 ) held by said cutter body ( 9 ), said guard ( 18 ) having an outer face ( 21 ), a wall ( 23 ) extending inwardly from said outer face ( 21 ), said guard ( 18 ) being movable between a safety extended position and a retracted cutting position and which wall ( 23 ) of said guard ( 18 ) surrounds said point portion ( 19 ) when in its safety, extended position and which guard ( 18 ) retracts to expose said point portion ( 19 ) when in its retracted cutting position and said guard ( 18 ) being biased outwardly to urge said guard ( 18 ) into its safety extended position; a right hand ( 16 ) and a left hand ( 31 ) button held by said cutter body ( 9 ), one operable on said right-hand-thumb contacting side ( 13 ) and the other operable on said left-hand-thumb contacting side ( 14 ), said right hand ( 16 ) and left hand ( 31 ) buttons having a normal position wherein the guard ( 18 ) can not be retracted and an operated position wherein the guard ( 18 ) can be retracted; and means for overriding at least one of said right hand ( 16 ) and said left hand ( 31 ) buttons so that the guard ( 18 ) can be retracted when the other of said right hand ( 16 ) and left hand ( 31 ) buttons is operated.