US2808646A - Pocket knife - Google Patents

Description

E. Lol-1R, .1L-muore- Erm. 2,808,646

od. s; 1957 POCKET KNIFE Filed June 8, 1954 *WIZMMA /l ffys.

United States Patent G POCKET KNIFE Ernst Lohr, Junior and Karl Lohr, Solingen-Ohlgs, Germany Application June 8, 1954, Serial No. 435,253

3 Claims. (Cl. 341-159) The invention relates to pocket knives, and more particularly to that type of pocket knife wherein a blade is arranged to be sprung into open position by a coiled compression spring in the body thereof.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved construction of pocket knife comprising a housing, spaced parallel wall plates in said housing, a pivot pin secured in transverse position through the wall plates, said wall plates each having a slot formed approximately tangentially to and at a spacing from the pivot pin, a tanged blade carried on the pivot pin, a spiral compression spring disposed between the parallel wall plates and housed in the slots thereof so as to lie approximately tangentially to the pivot pin, said slots and spring being so positioned in the wall plates that the spring is axially compressed by the blade when the blade is moved into closed position within the housing, and spring-loaded catch means in the housing arranged to coact with the tang of the blade to retain the blade in open and closed positions.

An example of construction of a pocket knife in accordance with the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l shows the pocket knife in plan view; Figure 2 shows the same view but with one outer side plate removed; Figlre 3 is a similar illustration in plan view after removal of an outer side plate and the corresponding interior wall plate; Figure 4 shows, under the same conditions as Fig. 3, the pocket knife with the blade in the open position; Figure 5 shows an edge view, with the blade in the open position; Figure 6 shows a section on the line a-a in Figure 3.

In this drawing, 1 designates the tanged blade, which is pivotably mounted on a transverse pivot pin 2 secured in a housing formed by interior wall plates 3 and external side plates 4.

A two armed catch lever 6, 11 is mounted between the interior wall plates 3 and is pivotable about a pivot pin 5. One arm 6 of the lever has at its free end a shoulder 7 which, in the closed position of the blade, engages against an abutment 8 on the tang of the blade and thereby locks the latter in the closed position. For the purpose of locking the blade 1 in its open position the tang 9 has an abutment dening one side of a recess 10 into which recess the shoulder 7 can engage. 11 denotes the other arm of the two-armed lever, which projects out of the pocket knife housing to form a nger grip 12. The finger grip 12 forms one of a pair with a stationary linger grip 13, forming part of a xed block secured between the wall plates 3, and the arm 11 of the lever to urge the lever into the position in which its shoulder 7 engages with the abutments of the tang. The spring 17 is seated in two similar slots 15 provided in the two wall plates 3.

The wall plates 3 also have similar slots 14 arranged approximately tangentially to the pivot pin 2 and at a spacing therefrom, said slots receiving a spiral compression spring 16 which is axially compressed by the blade as the latter moves into closed position, and which serves ,to eject the blade into open position.

Starting from the closed position of Figs. 1 to 3, if the two finger grips elements 12, 13 are pressed together by the user, the two- arm lever 6, 11 is pivoted about its pivot pin 5 and the shoulder 7 is brought out of engagement with the abutment 8 of the tang. This frees the blade which is ejected into open position by the action of the previously compressed spring 16. When the blade reaches open position, the shoulder 7 on the two-arm lever is urged into the recess 10,'by the action of the spring 17 on the other arm 11, and thereby serves to lock the blade in open position. For closing the blade, the finger grip elements 12, 13 are again pressed together to free the shoulder 7 from the recess 10, whereafter the blade can be pushed manually into closed position against the action of the ejector spring 16.

We claim:

1. A pocket knife comprising a housing, spaced parallel wall plates in said housing, a pivot pin secured in transverse position through the wall plates; said wall plates each having a slot formed approximately tangentially to and at the same spacing from said pivot pin, a tanged blade carried on the pivot pin, aspiral compression spring disposed between the parallel wall plates and housed in the slots thereof so as to lie approximately tangentially to the pivot pin, said slots and spring being so positioned in the wall plates that the spring is axially compressed by the blade when the blade is moved into closed position within the housing, and spring-loaded catch means in the housing arranged to coact with the tang of the blade to retain the blade in open and closed positions.

2. A pocket knife comprising a housing, spaced parallel wall plates in said housing, a pivot pin secured in transverse position through the wall plates, a tanged blade carried on the pivot pin and having two abutments on its tang, said wall plates each having a slot formed approximately tangentially to and at the same spacing from said pivot pin, a spiral compression spring disposed between the parallel wall plates and housed in the slots thereof so as to lie approximately tangentially to the pivot pin, said slots and spring being so positioned in the Wall plates that the spring is axially compressed by the blade when the blade is moved into closed position within the housing, a second pivot pin secured in transverse position through the wall plates in spaced relationship with respect to the first pivot pin, a two-armed catch lever pivotably carried on said second pivot pin and having at the end of one of its arms a shoulder to engage selectively with one of the abutments to retain the blade in open position and with the other of the abutments to retain the blade in closed position, and spring means disposed in the housing and arranged to act between the housing and catch lever for urging the latter into a position in which its shoulder engages with the abutments of the blade.

3. A pocket knife comprising a housing, spaced parallel wall plates in said housing, a rst pivot pin secured in transverse position through the wall plates,V a tanged blade carried on the pivot pin and having two abutments on its tang, said wall plates each having a slot formed approximately tangentially to and at the same spacing from said pivot pin, a spiral compression spring disposed between the parallel wall plates and housed in the slots thereof so as to lie approximately tangentially to the pivot pin, said slots and spring being so positioned in the wall plates that the spring is axially compressed by the blade when the blade is moved into closed position withinthe housing, a second pivot pin secured in transverse position through the wall plates in spaced relationship with respect to the first pivot pin, a two-armed catch lever pivotably carried on said second pivot pin and having at the end of one of its arms a shoulder to engage selectively with one of the abutments to retain the blade in closed position and with the other of the abntments to retain the blade in open position, the end of the other arm of the lever projecting externally of the housing to form a first finger-grip element, a fixed block secured in .the housing between the Wall plates adjacent the other arm of the two-arm lever, and having a portion projecting externally of the housing to form a second finger-grip element adjacent to but spaced from the rst such element, and a second spiral compression spring arranged between said block and the other arm of the two-armed lever to urge the lever into the position in which its shoulder engages with the abutments of the blade.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

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