Patent ID: 8683703

Claim:
A utility knife, comprising: a handle having an interior space and an opening at a front end; a blade holder assembly constructed and arranged to hold a blade at a position of use wherein the blade projects through the opening at the front end of the handle, and to retract the blade so that the blade is contained entirely within the interior space of the handle; and a resilient blade wiper connected with the handle, wherein the blade wiper is constructed and arranged to remove debris from side surfaces of the blade, which debris would otherwise be brought into the interior space of the handle when the blade is retracted into the front end of the handle through the opening; wherein the blade having at least one blade opening therein, a linear edge, and a cutting edge opposite the linear edge, wherein the blade holder having a blade engaging structure for being received in the blade opening so as to retain the blade in a fixed longitudinal position relative to the blade holder, and wherein the blade wiper is configured to wipe the entire extent of the blade edge that projected through the opening at the front end of the handle as the blade is retracted into the handle, and wherein the blade wiper comprises a pair of resilient members connected to an exterior surface of the handle on opposite sides of the handle, and extending inwardly toward the opening so as to be biased against the blade.