Folding tool locking mechanism
DCFirst Claim
1. A folding tool, comprising:
- a handle having first and second opposed side walls held in a spaced-apart arrangement to define a slot therebetween;
an implement having a working portion and a tang portion, said tang portion pivotally attached to one end of the handle and said implement movable between a closed position in which the implement is at least partially received within the slot and an open position in which the implement is extended away from the handle;
an implement lock defined by a pair of slots in one of said side walls that cooperate to define a lever arm having a free end and an actuating end, said pair of slots further defining at least one spring member connected to said lever arm, and said lever arm having a locking pin on the free end and movable between a first position in which said locking pin engages said tang to lock said implement in said open position, and a second position in which the locking pin disengages said tang so that said implement may be moved into said closed position.
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Abstract
A folding tool such as a knife or multitool and the like has a resilient lever arm formed in a body portion. A blade pivotally connected to the body is movable between closed and open positions. A blade locking pin is carried on the lever arm, and in the normal resting position the blade locking pin engages the blade. When the blade is in the open position the lever arm biases the locking pin into locking engagement with a notch formed in the blade tang, thereby locking the blade in the open position. Actuating the lever arm disengages the locking pin from the blade, allowing the blade to be moved into the closed position. The blade may have a second notch or hole formed in the tang for engagement of the blade locking pin when the blade is closed, thereby locking the blade into the closed position.
124 Citations
44 Claims
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1. A folding tool, comprising:
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a handle having first and second opposed side walls held in a spaced-apart arrangement to define a slot therebetween;
an implement having a working portion and a tang portion, said tang portion pivotally attached to one end of the handle and said implement movable between a closed position in which the implement is at least partially received within the slot and an open position in which the implement is extended away from the handle;
an implement lock defined by a pair of slots in one of said side walls that cooperate to define a lever arm having a free end and an actuating end, said pair of slots further defining at least one spring member connected to said lever arm, and said lever arm having a locking pin on the free end and movable between a first position in which said locking pin engages said tang to lock said implement in said open position, and a second position in which the locking pin disengages said tang so that said implement may be moved into said closed position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A folding tool, comprising:
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a handle having first and second opposed side walls held in a spaced-apart arrangement to define a slot therebetween;
an implement having a working portion and a tang, said tang pivotally attached to one end of the handle and said implement movable between a closed position in which the implement is at least partially received within the slot and an open position in which the implement is extended away from the handle;
an implement lock comprising an elongate lever arm formed by a pair of slots in one of said side walls, said lever arm having a lifting end and an actuating end and a locking pin connected to said lifting end, said locking pin extending inwardly in said handle toward said slot and engaging said tang when said lever arm is in a first position. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. In a folding tool of the kind having a handle having first and second opposed side walls held in a spaced-apart arrangement to define a slot therebetween, and an implement having a working portion and a tang, said tang pivotally attached to one end of the handle and said implement movable between a closed position in which the implement is at least partially received within the slot and an open position in which the implement is extended away from the handle, the improvement comprising:
an implement lock defined by a lever arm pivotally connected to one of said side walls and movable between a first position in which a locking pin carried on one end of said lever arm engages said tang when said implement is in said open position and a second position in which said locking pin disengages said tang, wherein said lever arm is defined by two oppositely oriented U shaped slots formed in said one side wall. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A locking mechanism for a folding tool having a handle and an implement rotatably connected to said handle, comprising,
a lever arm formed by a pair of slots in said handle, said lever arm movable between an implement locking position and an implement unlocking position; a spring defined by said pair of slots and integrally coupled to said lever arm such that said lever arm is normally in the implement locking position and said spring provides resistance against moving said lever arm into said implement unlocking position. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. A folding tool comprising:
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a handle having first and second opposed said walls held in a spaced-apart arrangement to define a slot therebetween;
a implement movable between a closed position in which the implement is at least partially received within the slot and an open position in which the implement is extended away from the handle;
an implement lock defining a lever arm integrally connected to a spring member, said lever arm having a free end and an actuating end and a locking surface on the free end, said lever arm movable between a first position in which said locking surface engages said implement to lock said implement in said open position, and a second position in which the locking pin disengages said implement so that said implement may be moved into said closed position. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
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35. A folding tool, comprising:
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a handle having first and second opposed side walls held in a spaced-apart arrangement to define a slot therebetween;
an implement movable between a closed position in which the implement is at least partially received within the slot and an open position in which the implement is extended away from the handle;
a pair of slots in one of said side walls that define a lever arm and a spring member, said lever arm having a free end and an actuating end and a locking surface on the free end, said lever arm movable between a first position in which said locking surface engages said implement to lock said implement in said open position, and a second position in which the locking pin disengages said implement so that said implement may be moved into said closed position.
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Specification