Patent ID: 7676931

Claim:
A folding tool, comprising: a handle including a pair of elongate opposed handle side members and having a forward first end and a rearward second end, a top margin, and an opposite bottom margin spaced apart from the top margin; first and second blade fasteners, the blade fasteners respectively securing the pair of handle side members to each other at each of the first and second ends with the handle side members being substantially parallel with each other, thereby defining a blade cavity between the two handle side members and defined by the space between the top and bottom margins, the bottom margin defining an opening into a bottom of the blade cavity; a blade pivotable around the first blade fastener, the blade being capable of being rotated into a closed position in the blade cavity rearward of said first blade fastener or rotated out from the blade cavity in a first direction to an extended position forward of said first blade fastener, the blade entering and leaving the blade cavity through the opening defined by the bottom margin of the handle; and an open-assist flipper mounted in the handle between the two handle side members and being pivotable around the first blade fastener and capable of partial rotation around the first blade fastener independently of movement of the blade, the open-assist flipper including a finger stud exposed proximate the top margin of the handle to be engaged by a user's finger to pivot the open-assist flipper about the first blade fastener to operatively engage the blade and move the blade out from the blade cavity through the opening and in said first direction toward the extended position.