Patent ID: 8209870

Claim:
A utility knife comprising: a handle with a blade extending therefrom; and a guard assembly comprising a blade cover, a pawl, and a trigger; the blade cover configured to move between a locked safety position extended over an edge of the blade and an unlocked operating position where the edge can be exposed; a first portion of the pawl being continuously linked to the blade cover and a second portion of the pawl configured to engage a stop when the blade cover is in the locked safety position; the trigger configured, upon actuation, to disengage the pawl from the stop allowing movement of the blade cover to uncover the blade; and the trigger comprising a pathway within which at least a portion of the pawl is caused to travel as a result of the blade cover covering or uncovering the blade, the pathway configured to allow the pawl to return to a locked position when the trigger has not been released.