The Stanley Works

Stanley Tools Limited

Richard Gilbert

Eric Ranieri

Joseph R Martone

A utility knife comprises two elongate handle portions and a blade carrier assembly carrying a blade arranged to protrude from a front end of the handle. The upper handle portion has an aperture through a rear end part thereof. When the knife is assembled, the two handle portions are slid relatively longitudinally of one another, the upper handle portion moving forwardly of the lower handle portion, until a latch part near the rear end of the lower handle portion clicks into latching engagement with the front edge of the aperture in the upper handle portion. The upper handle portion is formed near its front end with interlocking elements, each having an integral, forwardly projecting piece at the bottom thereof. The front of the lower handle portion is formed with interlocking elements, each having an integral, rearwardly projecting piece at the top thereof, to overlie and hence interlock with a forwardly projecting piece at the bottom of the corresponding interlocking element of the upper handle portion. The upper portion further includes a forwardly-projecting flat tab which is received within a longitudinally-extending slot formed in the forward end of the lower handle portion.

Utility knife

A utility knife that includes a main body, a blade holder assembly movably mounted within the body and a manually engageable member slidably mounted on the main body. The blade holder assembly is constructed and arranged to mount a blade within the main body. The blade holder is movable between a retracted position wherein the blade is disposed within the main body and an extended position wherein the blade protrudes outwardly from the main body to enable a cutting operation. The manually engageable member is operatively connected with the blade holder assembly and is movable to move the blade holder assembly between its extended and retracted positions. The utility knife further includes a blade storage member pivotally connected with the main body. The blade storage member is constructed and arranged to carry a supply of spare blades and is movable between a closed position wherein the spare blades are concealed and a fully opened position permitting access to the spare blades. The utility knife also includes releasable locking structure that is constructed and arranged to releasably lock the blade storage member in its closed position. Interengaging structure is provided between the blade storage member and the main body to prevent movement of the blade storage member from the closed position to the fully opened position under the force of gravity when the locking structure is released to unlock the blade storage member from the closed position.

Blade holder

A hand held utility knife (20) is provided internally with a rectilinear guidance track (42) for the cutting blade (28), while the operating button (38) for advancing and retracting the blade (28) is guided in a curved slot (40). The mechanism (36) for advancing and retracting the blade (28) comprises a member (44) with a spigot (46) at the front end of member (44) and the operating button (38) at the rear end of member (44), which pivots on the spigot (46) relative to the blade (28). The spigot (46) is rectilinearly guided by internal ribs (64, 66) within the handle (22), independently of the rectilinear track (42) for guiding the blade (28).

A hand-held utility knife (20) has two handle portions (22, 23) hinged together at the rear end (26) of the handle (21) by means of two lugs (36, 37) of one handle portion (22) projecting into two recesses or cavities (38, 39) of the other handle portion (23) and retained therein behind two lips (53a, 53b) except when almost closed together, when the two handle portions (22, 23) can be separated and reconnected. In order to prevent inadvertent separation of the two handle portions (22, 23) at their rear ends (24, 25) when the handle is closed and the clamping device (27) is screwed up tight, the lugs (36, 37) have abutment portions (61, 62) which engage abutments (65, 66) inside the two recesses or cavities (38, 39). The abutments (61, 62, 65, 66) are positioned on one side of the hinging axis (34) so that they move apart when the handle (21) is opened. Hence the abutments (61, 62, 65, 66) do not interfere with the hinging of the handle portions (22, 23) nor with their separation and reconnection.

Hand-held utility knife

A replaceable blade knife comprises two elongate handle portions and a blade carrier assembled together; the blade protruding, or being arranged to protrude, from a front end of the handle, between respective front ends of the two handle portions. The upper handle portion has a thumb-nail-sized aperture through a rear end part thereof. When the knife is assembled, the two handle portions are slid relatively longitudinally of one another, the upper handle portion moving forwardly of the lower handle portion, until a latch part near the rear end of the lower handle portion clicks into latching engagement with the front edge of the aperture in the upper handle portion. The upper handle portion is formed near its front end with two downwardly projecting flank portions, each flank portion having an integral, forewardly projecting piece at the bottom of the flank portion. The front of the lower handle portion is formed with upwardly projecting flank portions, each flank portion having an integral, rearwardly projecting piece at the top of the flank portion, to overlie and hence interlock with a forwardly projecting piece at the bottom of the corresponding flank portion of the upper handle portion.

Replaceable blade knife

Utility knives

The plastics handle 21 of a retractable blade knife 20, which also comprises a blade 22 and a blade-slider 23, is molded in one piece in a two-part molding tool 50 which can mold several such handles simultaneously. The handle has a series of wall portions, 39, 40, 27 and 43, 44, 28, 48 alternating with apertures 45, 46, 29, 49 and 41, 42, 30 along each side 25, 26 respectively, each wall portion on each side being directly opposite a respective aperture on the opposite side, so that molding tool portions 54, 55 of the molding tool can form the inside surfaces of the wall portions for guiding the blade. Wall portions 27 are formed by molding tool portions 56 with gaps 31 for passage of a manually operable part 32 of slider 23, and also act as detents for the slider.

Growing community of inventors

Dronfield, United Kingdom

Richard Gilbert