HK1004385B - Versatile manual sharpener - Google Patents

Description

Universal hand grinding tool

The present invention is based on the prior application No. 60/021, 385 on 7/9 of 1996.

The present invention relates to improvements to the technology described in applications 08/431,497 as applied on 28/4/1995, 08/466,451 as applied on 6/1995 and its earlier application 08/391,250 as applied on 21/2/1995, 08/055,856 as applied on 30/4/1993, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,390,431 and 07/901,213 as applied on 18/6/1992, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,404,679. All details of these applications and patents are incorporated herein by reference.

U.S. patent application No. 08/466,451 and U.S. patent No. 5,390,431 describe a unique hand grinder that uses several grinding elements in a cross-configuration to quickly and reliably produce very sharp edges. In which rigid guides with precise angles are used, ensuring that the sharpened article (e.g., knife) remains precisely at the same angular stroke after being moved relative to the intersecting grinding elements. The blade is positioned at an angle by the guide rail such that the center line of the blade is substantially coincident with the line bisecting the vertex formed by the intersecting pads. As a result, the edge edges on both sides are sharpened simultaneously.

The guide described in the aforementioned application can be either a roller guide or a rigid guide against which the blade can be accurately positioned and held during the grinding stroke. The hand sharpener with the handle form described and shown in those previously published applications can be used to stabilize the sharpening portion when the blade is sharpened. The handle may assist in holding the sharpener against a rigid surface and minimize the possibility of its movement during sharpening.

The abrasive articles described in the aforementioned applications and patents may have one or more main grinding sections, such as described therein typically having two main sections-a sharpening section and an abrasive section.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an abrasive article which improves upon the abrasive articles described in the prior applications and patents. By providing additional sharpening and/or super-finishing elements in the unique configuration of these sharpener handles, the utility and utility of those sharpeners can be substantially improved. These additional sharpening (or grinding) means can be permanently attached to the handle or are preferably supported by means enabling said additional means to be removed, for example by magnets or by strips made of magnetic material. When not attached to the handle, the additional abrading element may be stored in a cavity within the handle of the sharpener. The chamber has a baffle, such as an open cover, to retain the removable abrading elements when not in use for the time being. This results in an abrasive article having a variety of uses, particularly in its field of application.

For example, the additional sharpening means may be a coarse pre-sharpening pad which is effective in forming a rough edge prior to sharpening and grinding of the tool, the sharpening and grinding being carried out in a more precise main sharpening and grinding section which may, for example, be configured as described in the above-mentioned applications and patents. The advantage of such a coarse pre-grind pad is that the primary pits can be quickly removed and a relatively rough edge quickly formed on the blade edge which will then be sharpened more quickly in the precise main sharpening and grinding section. By adding such a sharpening element, the grinding tool constitutes a three-part grinding tool, namely pre-sharpening, sharpening and grinding.

The utility of this unique abrasive tool can be increased by adding additional unique super-precision abrasive elements to form a "super-sharp" edge on the blade edge after grinding with the precision main sharpening and grinding sections described in the above applications and patents. It has also been found that an abrasive pad made from the composition described in the' 08/431,497 application can be used to produce a "super-sharp" edge on a knife edge after sharpening and grinding with the primary sharpening device described in the above-mentioned applications and patents. The soft and gentle grinding action of this type of pad allows further manual finishing of the edge without the need for ultra-precise control of the grinding angle. Thus, in this type of pad, rather than grinding by first lightly grinding one side of the edge and then grinding the other side, a "super-sharp" edge can be formed by only manually grinding an already very sharp edge. Thus, the combination of the additional coarse pre-grind pad and the two-part precision main sharpening and grinding section described in the above-mentioned application and patent, together with the additional second grinding pad, forms a four-part grinder. The unique construction of this unique primary sharpening device in combination with these additional sharpening elements allows the formation of consistent "super-finished" edge edges even under adverse operating conditions.

Additional sharpening elements, such as the coarse pads and abrasive pads described above, may be permanently affixed to the handle or preferably supported by mechanical or magnetic means on the handle so that the sharpening elements can be easily positioned, removed, or replaced. A common storage chamber may be included in the handle of the main sharpening unit with an open cover, which may store some additional sharpening or polishing pads of the type described above.

FIG. 1 is a side view of a universal manual grinder of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the abrasive article of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 3, showing the open cover partially opened;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a medium abrasive grain fishhook insert for use in the abrasive article of FIGS. 1-3;

FIG. 5A is a view similar to FIG. 5 of a coarse liner;

figure 6 is a bottom view of an opening cover for the abrasive article of figures 1-3.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of an abrasive article 100 including such a new abrasive article element. The sharpener 100 is constructed as a housing with an upper cover 1, the left side of which comprises a handle part 2. A base element 3 is inserted into the cover 1. As shown in fig. 3, the cross-over pad 4 for the main sharpening is supported by a recess 16 in the base element 3. The cover 1 is fastened down on the base by means of screws 17, which screws 17 also help to position the cross-pads 4. Typically, one of the pair of pads 4 shown in fig. 3 is disposed at an angle of so-called 40 ° or 45 °, while the second pad 4 is disposed at an inclination angle slightly larger than, for example, 45 ° to 50 °. The first pad typically has a larger particle size than the second pad. Diamond is the preferred abrasive, but other abrasive materials may be used. The cover 1 is configured to form a cavity 5 within the handle 2. The cavity 5 can be closed at the bottom of the handle by having an opening cover 6, the opening cover 6 being inserted into the left end of the handle and including any suitable latching mechanism 7 to secure the opening cover 6 in place. The lid 6 is designed in such a way that the latching mechanism 7 can be easily opened, thereby opening the open lid 6 and providing easy access to the storage chamber 5. This creates a unique space for storing other sharpening elements that have not been used for the time being.

The cover 1 in fig. 3 is configured with a recess 8, the recess 8 being intended to accommodate the positioning of additional sharpening and grinding elements, such as a rectangular pad 12. Adhered to the bottom of the recess 8 is a strip 9 of magnetic material which provides sufficient magnetic force to attract the ferromagnetic plate 10 of figure 3, which plate 10 serves as a base for the grinding face 11 to support the grinding pad 12 (or 12A) in position. One magnetic strip that has been successfully used is the Ultramag brand strip supplied by Cincinnati Flexmag industries, 45242, Ohio.

Fig. 5A shows a coarse liner 12A in the form of a ferromagnetic plate 10 with a grinding face 11, wherein the abrasive particles are coarse particles. The edge portions are pre-ground at approximately half the angle of the precision sharpened portion, section 1 (fig. 1), which typically uses crossed pads set at an angle of 40 ° to 45 °, by manually pushing and sliding the primary edge facet across that pad as the rough grinding pad is in place in the groove and is attracted by the attraction of a magnet or other means. But manual control of the angle may be insufficient, the score along the edge may be quickly removed. If the angle is kept at slightly less than half the angle of section 1 relative to the grinding face, metal will be removed from the step only above the face forming the edge, thereby accelerating the sharpening process in section 1.

Ideally, the ultra-fine polishing pad 20 would be used after the main polishing process in zone 2 (fig. 1), with the cross pads in zone 2 typically being disposed at a total angle of 45 ° to 50 °. The ultra-fine pad 20 is removed from the cavity 5 and inserted into the groove 8, while the rough grinding pad 12A is stored in the cavity 5. The blade face should be directed to the surface of the polishing pad at an angle equal to or slightly greater than half the angle of 22.5 ° to 25 °; however, since the ultra-fine polishing pad 20 is elastic and has a slight grinding action, the sharpening angle may deviate from the ideal half angle substantially without seriously affecting the finishing quality of the edge to be finally polished. This forms a very sharp edge.

The rough grinding pad 12A, the two intersecting segments 4, 4 with good angular control, and the ultra-fine grinding pad 20 constitute a unique four-segment sharpening device that can form extremely sharp edge edges.

It has also been unexpectedly found that this unique sharpening mechanism can be used for other purposes. For example, the coated grinding pad 12 (having a medium grit size) may be configured with linear coated grinding grooves 22 on its surface which, when placed in a recess on the handle, form a special effect grinder for a fishhook. Fig. 5 shows such a fishhook pad 12.

Additionally, the pad as a sharpening element may be provided with a generally V-shaped coated grinding groove having a depth of about 0.127 mm to about 0.635 mm and an opening width of about 0.254 mm to about 1.27 mm.

In addition, it has been found that the grinding pad in the handle recess can be used to grind apertures, shafts, hoes and other large edged tools in general. To use the new sharpener in this manner, the other end (i.e., the end with the main sharpening device) can be held comfortably with the precision angle control and cross-over pads.

The storage chamber 5 in the grinder is well suited for holding and cleanly storing the temporarily unused grinding pads 12, 12A, 20. In this way, the chamber 5 can conveniently store different types of grinding pads, such as abrasive pads, medium grain fishhook pads and coarse pads. In use, these pads are mounted in recesses in the handle so that the grinding surface is sufficiently above the surface of the handle to ensure that the abrasive particles are in contact with the knife or other tool being ground during grinding. After grinding, some abrasive debris (called swarf) may remain on the pad. If the pad is always fixed to the handle, debris can be transferred to the hand where the handle is used for grinding purposes, thereby soiling the hand during operation. Thus, there is an important advantage in using magnetic means to attract the pad, since if desired, soiled pads can be removed, cleaned or stored in the chamber when not in use. If the shown cavity 5 with the opening cover 6 is large enough, it can be used as a storage cavity for other things or for other purposes. Thus, the abrasive article 100 may serve a number of functions.

As shown in fig. 3 and 4, the cavity 5 is formed in the handle 2, and the handle 2 is a part of the cap 1. An opening cover 6 is provided for the chamber 5. One construction of the aperture cover can be seen in detail in figure 6 with a toe-like extension 13 which is inserted into a corresponding slot 14 (figure 2) in the end of the handle 2, which provides a suspension or axis about which the aperture cover 6 rotates. The latch 7 cooperates with a receiving slot arrangement 15, whereas the receiving slot 15 is part of the base 3. The latch 7 comprises a resilient wall 23 which passes through the slot means 15 to lock the aperture cover 6. For example, fig. 4 shows a state in which the opening cover 6 is about to be locked. The closure is completed when the snap of the latch engages the slot means 15. The latch 7 can be released by moving its spring-like extension to the left to release the wall 23, whereupon the hatch 6 can be opened by swinging the hatch 6 outwards in an arc about the axis of the toe-like extension 13 in the direction opposite to the arrow in fig. 4. The opening cover can be removed completely if desired.

The additional abrasive elements may be, for example, rectangular pads approximately 1/2 x 2 inches long on both sides and approximately 1/16 to 1/4 "thick. If the pads are attracted and positioned by magnets, they must contain ferromagnetic material and preferably abrasive material adhered to a ferromagnetic plate. Diamond is the preferred abrasive grain for efficiency and speed reasons, which can be bonded to nickel plated plates. Ultra-fine abrasive materials such as those described in the' 08/431,497 application may be bonded to the layers forming such ferromagnetic plates. This may be formed with an epoxy matrix including alumina or similar matrix compound and abrasive particles as described in the above-mentioned application. Alternatively, the polishing pad may be constructed from an ethylene copolymer-based polymerized olefin thermoplastic resin system containing 50-80% by weight abrasive particles having a diameter of 1 to 25 microns.

Claims (18)

1. A universal hand sharpener, comprising: a primary sharpening portion having primary sharpening elements therein; a handle-like extension integral with said main sharpening portion for supporting or stabilizing said main sharpening portion; an additional structure on the extension; a sharpening element secured to said additional structure and exposed on a surface of said extension portion for providing sharpening capabilities in addition to said primary sharpening element.

2. The abrasive article of claim 1 wherein said additional structure is a magnet structure and said sharpening element has a ferromagnetic plate supported in position by said magnet structure.

3. The abrasive article of claim 1, wherein the primary sharpening portion includes at least one sharpening segment including intersecting grinding elements that serve as the primary sharpening elements.

4. The abrasive article of claim 2, wherein the primary sharpening portion includes at least one sharpening segment including intersecting grinding elements that serve as the primary sharpening elements.

5. The sharpener of claim 1, wherein said handle-like extension includes a storage cavity for receiving at least one other sharpening element.

6. The sharpener of claim 2, wherein said handle-like extension includes a storage cavity for receiving at least one other sharpening element.

7. The abrasive article of claim 1 wherein said sharpening element is a pad having a generally V-shaped coated grinding groove having a depth of about 0.127 mm to about 0.635 mm and an opening width of about 0.254 mm to about 1.27 mm.

8. The abrasive article of claim 1 wherein said sharpening element is an abrasive pad having a planar surface coated with abrasive material.

9. The abrasive article of claim 1 wherein said sharpening element is an elongated pad having an abrasive coated upper surface with an elongated grinding channel in said upper surface.

10. The abrasive article of claim 1, wherein said sharpening element is removably secured to said attachment structure so as to be replaceable with another sharpening element.

11. The sharpener of claim 10 wherein said handle includes a reservoir.

12. The sharpener of claim 11 wherein said sharpening element is a first sharpening element and another sharpening element is stored in said cavity, one of said sharpening elements being a coarse grinding pad and the other of said sharpening elements being an abrasive pad.

13. The abrasive article of claim 1, wherein the primary sharpening portion comprises two sharpening stages, each of the sharpening stages having a set of primary sharpening elements with abrasive coated surfaces thereon, the abrasive coated surfaces of the two sets of primary sharpening elements having different abrasive grain sizes.

14. The abrasive article of claim 1, wherein the primary sharpening elements on the primary sharpening section are two groups of elements having an abrasive coating, the two groups of elements being disposed at different angles.

15. The abrasive article of claim 13, wherein the primary sharpening elements on the primary sharpening section are two groups of elements having an abrasive coating, the two groups of elements being disposed at different angles.

16. The abrasive article of claim 13, wherein each of said sharpening stages has two primary sharpening elements in the form of intersecting sharpening elements.

17. The abrasive article of claim 16, wherein the additional structure is a magnet structure, and each of the rough grinding pad and the polishing pad comprises a ferromagnetic plate.

18. The abrasive article of claim 12, wherein the additional structure is a magnet structure, and each of the rough grinding pad and the polishing pad comprises a ferromagnetic plate.