Patent ID: 8069569

Claim:
A utility knife comprising: a housing defining an internal cavity and a blade opening at a first end, the housing including two portions movable relative to one another and the blade opening defined in one of the two housing portions, wherein a first positioning of the two portions defines a fully open state of the housing allowing access to the internal cavity, and a second positioning of the two portions defines a fully closed state of the housing preventing access to the internal cavity between the two portions; a mechanism that releasably secures the two portions of the housing in the fully closed state, a biasing member positions at least one of the two portions relative to the other in at least one intermediate state between the fully closed state and the fully open state; a catch disposed in the internal cavity; and a blade received within the blade opening, wherein in the fully closed state, the blade is engaged by the catch and fixedly secured within the blade opening, and in the intermediate state, the blade is manually movable laterally relative to and disengaged from the catch and is movable in a longitudinal direction of the knife through the blade opening, wherein the one of the housing portions is so configured so that the blade is not laterally removable from the blade opening in the fully open state when the blade is in a cutting position and extends outwardly of the blade opening and is exposed for cutting.