Patent ID: 8621753

Claim:
A utility knife, comprising: a handle; a blade holder assembly constructed and arranged to hold a blade at a position of use projecting through an opening at one end of the handle; a spare blade carrier disposed in the handle, the spare blade carrier configured to carry a plurality of spare blades within the handle; a spare blade dispenser constructed and arranged to separate one of the spare blades from the plurality thereof and present the one separated blade to the user; and an actuator operatively associated with the spare blade dispenser, wherein movement of the actuator from a first position to a second position moves the spare blade dispenser to separate the one spare blade from the plurality to present the one separated blade to the user, externally of the handle through a different opening in the handle than the one through which the blade projects at the position of use, so as to enable the user to remove the one separated blade from the plurality of spare blades and subsequently mount the one separated blade to the blade holder assembly through the opening at the one end of the handle, wherein when the actuator is in the first position, the spare blade carrier configured to carry the plurality of spare blades is confined in the handle at a storage position, and wherein when the actuator is moved to the second position, the spare blade carrier is moved to an access position to facilitate access thereof, wherein the spare blade carrier and the actuator are movably connected to the handle, wherein the movement of the actuator from the first position to the second position causes the spare blade carrier to move away from the handle, wherein the movement of the spare blade carrier causes the spare blade dispenser to move relative to the spare blade carrier and wherein the movement of the spare blade dispenser relative to the spare blade carrier causes the spare blade dispenser to separate the one spare blade from the plurality to present the one separated blade to the user, and wherein the movement of the actuator facilitates the pivotal movement of the spare blade carrier with respect to the handle.