Diver's knife and cutting tool

• US 9,346,177 B2
• Filed: 08/23/2010
• Issued: 05/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eezycut, LLC
• Original Assignee: Eezycut Co.
• Inventors: Mayes, Laura Jane
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, PHONG H
• Application Number:
  US12/806,927
• Publication Number:
  US 20110061503A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,101 Days
• Field of Search: 301/62, 302/80, 30286-291, 411/90, 411/119
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B26B 5/00 Hand knives with one or more detachable blades
• CPC Class Codes: B26B 9/02 characterised by the shape of the cutting edge, e.g. wavy
• CPC Class Codes: B63C 11/02 Divers' equipment
• CPC Class Codes: B63C 11/52 Tools specially adapted for working underwater, not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/04 Processes

Abstract

A diver'"'"'s knife that includes a casing with a bottom portion, a top half and a bottom half, a handle slot disposed on bottom portion of casing to allow a user to grasp diver'"'"'s knife, a single-sided cutting blade to cut a line with a cutting edge with a top end and a blade aperture, with the single-sided cutting blade being sandwiched between top half and bottom half of casing. The diver'"'"'s knife also includes a slot disposed on a side of casing to receive a line to be cut by an exposed single-sided cutting blade with cutting edge and an fastener to secure top half of casing, single-sided cutting blade and bottom half of casing together to form diver'"'"'s knife. The diver'"'"'s knife can also be double-sided to cut the line from both sides.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

placing a knife, so that a line to be cut is located in an opening between a handle portion of a knife, which partially obstructs a slot, and a protective overhang of the knife, the opening leads to an area adjacent to the slot, the slot being formed by a first portion of a straight cutting edge of a blade of the knife and an interior edge of the protective overhang, the first portion of the cutting edge faces the protective overhang, and the cutting edge having a second portion that extends beyond the protective overhang facing the opening, the first portion of the cutting edge and the second portion of the cutting edge being two parts of the one continuous and straight cutting edge;

the placing of the knife includes initially placing the knife so that the second portion of the cutting edge faces the line and is exposed to the line prior to the line entering the slot formed by the first portion of the cutting edge and the protective overhang;

moving the knife so that the line moves into the slot;

the moving of the knife includes pulling the knife away from the line so that as a result of pulling the knife, the line moves, relative to the knife, away from the opening in a direction parallel to the straight cutting edge into the slot; and

as the knife is pulled, the protective overhang guiding the line into the cutting blade.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cutting edge is part of a handheld knife and the interior edge has a convex shape.

3. The method according to claim 1, the opening being a first opening and the cutting edge being a first cutting edge, the knife having a second opening that leads to a second cutting edge,

the method further comprising determining whether to place the line into the first opening and cut the line with the first cutting edge or place the line into the second opening and cut the line with the second cutting edge.

4. A knife comprising:

at least two cutting blade portions each cutting blade portion having at least one cutting edge,

a first cutting edge of the at least two cutting blade portions being parallel to and facing the opposite direction of a second cutting edge of the at least two cutting blade portions,

the first cutting edge and the second cutting edge being separated by a body parallel to the first cutting edge and the second cutting edge, the body having a head side and a tail side;

a first protective overhang located opposite the first cutting edge, the first protective overhang having a first convex edge shaped to bulge inward toward the first cutting edge,

the first cutting edge and the first protective overhang forming a first slot for directing a line into the first cutting edge;

a second protective overhang located opposite the second cutting edge, the second protective overhang having a second convex edge shaped to bulge inward toward the second cutting edge,

the second cutting edge and the second protective overhang forming a second slot for directing a line into the second cutting edge, the first slot and the second slot facing away from the head side of the body,

the first slot and the second slot are partially obstructed by a handle portion located opposite each of the first slot and second slot.

5. The knife according to claim 4, further comprising:

a casing including at least the overhang, and a portion for holding the blade body that is attached to the overhang.

6. The knife of claim 4, further comprising:

a casing including at least a top half, and a bottom half that is a separate piece removably attached to the top half;

the at least two cutting blades being sandwiched between the top half and bottom half leaving the cutting edges exposed.

7. The knife according to claim 6, wherein the casing has a noncircular socket;

the knife further comprising;

a fastener having a cylindrical body with a non-circular head, the non-circular head mates with the non-circular socket, the fastener secures the top half of the casing to the bottom half of the casing.

8. The knife according to claim 7, the knife further comprising:

a nut;

the noncircular socket being on one side of the casing and the nut being located on another side of the casing;

the blade having an aperture;

the fastener extending through the noncircular socket through the aperture, and attaching to the nut.

9. The knife according to claim 4, further comprising a protective film coating the at least one cutting edge.

10. The knife according to claim 4, wherein each protective overhang has a directed edge to guide the line to be cut to the at least one cutting edge.

11. The knife of claim 4, wherein the knife is symmetrical with respect to a center line between the first overhang and the second overhang.

12. The knife of claim 4, wherein the first convex edge covers a fourth of the first cutting edge, exposing three fourths of the first cutting edge for the purpose of cutting line;

and

wherein the second convex edge covers a fourth of the second cutting edge, exposing three fourths of the second cutting edge.

13. The knife of claim 4, wherein a portion of the first cutting edge that is exposed for cutting forms one side of the first slot, and the portion of the first cutting edge that is exposed for cutting is longer than any other side of the first slot.

14. The knife of claim 4, wherein

the first cutting edge being straight,

the first cutting edge forms a first side of the first slot,

the first overhang forms a second side of the first slot,

a first portion of the first cutting edge facing the first overhang,

the first overhang facing the cutting edge, and

a second portion of the cutting edge extending beyond the overhang.

15. A knife comprising:

a body, the body having a head side and a tail side;

a cutting blade having a cutting edge lon itudinally parallel to the body;

a protective overhang located opposite the cutting edge,

the protective overhang having a convex edge bulging in a direction towards the cutting edge,

the head side having a handle portion,

the handle portion and the protective overhang forming an opening for directing a line into a slot,

the slot being formed between the cutting edge and the protective overhang,

the slot being partially obstructed by the handle portion, which is located opposite the slot,

a mouth of the slot facing towards the tail side of the body, the protective overhang having a groove along the convex edge of the overhang, opposite the cutting blade, wherein the groove faces the cutting blade but is not in contact with the cutting blade, the groove having two walls and the having an apex that is parallel to the cutting blade, the two walls of the groove forming the convex edge of the protective overhang.

16. A knife comprising:

a body, the body having a head side and a tail side;

a cutting blade having a cutting edge longitudinally parallel to the body; and

a protective overhang located opposite the cutting edge,

the protective overhang having a convex edge bulging in a direction towards the cutting edge,

the head side having a handle portion,

the handle portion and the protective overhang forming an opening for directing a line into a slot,

the slot being formed between the cutting edge and the protective overhang,

the slot being partially obstructed by the handle portion, which is located opposite the slot,

a mouth of the slot facing towards the tail side of the body, the protective overhang having a groove opposite the cutting blade, the groove facing the cutting blade, the groove having two walls and groove having an apex that is parallel to the cutting blade, the two walls of the groove forming the convex edge of the protective overhang; and

the groove having a length, wherein

at a portion of the groove that is closer to the tail, the apex is a flat wall,

portions of the groove further from the tail having a narrower apex than portions of the groove closer to the tail, and

the apex of the groove narrowing gradually along the length of the groove until the two walls of the groove come together and the groove forms a v-shape.