Patent ID: 7246441

Claim:
A method of converting an automatic opening knife to an assisted opening knife, comprising: providing a handle having a back portion, a first exterior side portion, and a second exterior side portion generally opposite said first exterior side portion, and a blade cavity having a blade cavity opening; providing a blade pivotally connected to said handle for pivoting about a pivot axis between an extended position and a retracted position with respect to said handle; providing a sear on said blade; providing an engagement member configured for upward movement with respect to said back portion of said handle and for selectively engaging said sear, said engagement member extending generally from said first exterior side portion of said handle to said second exterior side portion of said handle and configured for engaging said sear upon said blade being in said retracted position; providing a cable connected to the blade; providing a spring; connecting said cable to said spring and said spring to the handle such that said cable biases the blade towards said extended position; configuring said blade to automatically pivot from said retracted position to said extended position upon said engagement member being lifted upwardly from said back portion of said handle and disengaged with said sear; and after said configuring of said blade, removing said sear and providing a guide member generally coaxial with the pivot axis of the blade for guiding said cable to a position between the pivot axis of the blade and the blade cavity opening of the handle upon the blade being in the retracted position and to a position between the pivot axis of the blade and the back portion of the handle upon the blade being in the extended position.