Utility knife system

• US 5,870,828 A
• Filed: 06/05/1997
• Issued: 02/16/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Violex-Bic SA
• Original Assignee: Violex-Bic SA
• Inventors: Polites, Alexandra
• Primary Examiner(s): PAYER, HWEI SIU CHOU
• Application Number:
  US08/869,571
• Time in Patent Office: 621 Days
• Field of Search: 30/2, 30/151, 30/162, 30/329, 30/335, 30/337, 30/339
• US Class Current: 30/162
• CPC Class Codes: B26B 5/001 with blades being slid out of handle immediately prior to use

Abstract

A utility knife system comprises a handle assembly, a blade assembly, and a protective blade cover. The handle assembly and the blade assembly have complementary latching mechanisms for easy exchange of blades without opening the handle. The protective blade cover functions cooperatively with the handle assembly and blade assembly to ensure that a user does not touch the cutting edges of blades while exchanging them.

Claims

1. A utility knife system comprising:

(a) a handle assembly comprising

an elongated housing having an internal chamber, a blade opening at an end of the housing for receiving a blade, and a slot disposed parallel to the longitudinal axis of the housing for access to the internal chamber;

a guide within the housing slidable along the longitudinal axis of the housing and having a first latching mechanism disposed thereon; and

a tab attached to the guide and extending out of the slot in the housing for controlling the movement of the guide;

(b) a blade assembly comprising

a blade having a cutting edge and two ends disposed on opposite sides of the cutting edge; and

an endpiece attached to one of the two ends of the blade, the endpiece having a second latching mechanism and a third latching mechanism, the second latching mechanism being complementary to the first latching mechanism of the handle assembly guide, and the second latching mechanism being engageable with the first latching mechanism upon insertion of the second latching mechanism into the blade opening of the handle assembly housing; and

(c) a protective blade cover comprising an enclosed hollow structure with an opening for receiving the blade assembly, the hollow structure having inner dimensions such that the protective blade cover fits securely over the blade assembly, outer dimensions such that the protective blade cover completely covers the cutting edge of the blade assembly while leaving exposed the second latching mechanism of the endpiece, and a fourth latching mechanism complementary to the third latching mechanism of the endpiece, the third and fourth latching mechanisms being engageable with each other when the protective blade cover is inserted over the blade assembly.

2. The utility knife system of claim 1, wherein the handle assembly further comprises a blade release button coupled to the handle assembly guide for enabling the disengagement of the first latching mechanism of the guide from the second latching mechanism of the blade assembly endpiece.

3. The utility knife system of claim 1, wherein the slot in the handle assembly housing comprises a plurality of notches along its sides, wherein the tab comprises two resiliently yieldable prongs parallel to the longitudinal axis of the slot, each prong having a bulge portion that is engageable with one of the notches, and wherein the handle assembly further comprises a lock arranged in a slidable relationship with the tab, the lock having a post that slides between the bulge portions of the tab prongs and prevents the bulge portions from yielding inwardly towards each other.

4. The utility knife system of claim 1, wherein the handle assembly guide includes a first portion and a second portion, the first portion being resiliently yieldable with respect to the second portion, wherein the first latching mechanism comprises a hook on the first portion facing the blade opening of the handle assembly housing, and wherein the second latching mechanism of the blade assembly endpiece comprises a hook complementary to the hook on the first portion of the handle assembly guide.

5. The utility knife system of claim 1, wherein the third latching mechanism of the blade assembly endpiece comprises an indentation in an outer surface of the endpiece and the fourth latching mechanism of the protective blade cover comprises a protrusion complementary to the indentation of the endpiece, the protrusion being mounted on a resiliently yieldable member of the protective blade cover;

whereby, the protrusion biasingly engages the indentation when the protective blade cover is inserted over the blade assembly.

6. The utility knife system of claim 1, wherein the outer dimensions of the protective blade cover are larger than the dimensions of the blade opening in the handle assembly housing.

7. The utility knife system of claim 1, wherein the protective blade cover further comprises a first side wall and a second side wall parallel to each other, an outer surface of the first side wall including an elongated projection having a substantially constant cross-section throughout its length, and an outer surface of the second side wall including one or more projections forming a slot for slidably receiving an element having the same shape as the projection on the first side wall.

8. A utility knife system comprising:

(a) a handle assembly comprising

an elongated housing having an internal chamber, a blade opening at an end of the housing for receiving a blade, and a slot disposed parallel to the longitudinal axis of the housing for access to the internal chamber;

a guide within the housing slidable along the longitudinal axis of the housing and having a first portion and a second portion, the first portion being resiliently yieldable with respect to the second portion and having a hook facing the blade opening of the handle assembly housing; and

a tab attached to the guide and extending out of the slot in the housing for controlling the movement of the guide; and

(b) a blade assembly comprising

a blade having a cutting edge and two ends disposed on opposite sides of the cutting edge; and

an endpiece attached to one of the two ends of the blade having a hook complementary to the hook of the first portion of the handle assembly guide.

9. A utility knife system comprising:

(a) a blade assembly comprising

a blade having a cutting edge and two ends disposed on opposite sides of the cutting edge; and

an endpiece attached to one of the two ends of the blade having an indentation disposed on the outer surface thereof; and

(b) a protective blade cover comprising an enclosed hollow structure with an opening for receiving the blade assembly, the hollow structure having inner dimensions such that the protective blade cover fits securely over the blade assembly, outer dimensions such that the protective blade cover completely covers the cutting edge of the blade, and a resiliently yieldable member disposed thereon having a protrusion complementary to the indentation of the endpiece.