WO2013072942A1

WO2013072942A1 - Pliable tool

Info

Publication number: WO2013072942A1
Application number: PCT/IT2012/000283
Authority: WO
Inventors: Moreno FRANZIN
Original assignee: TECNOCUT SNC
Current assignee: TECNOCUT SNC
Priority date: 2011-10-06
Filing date: 2012-09-13
Publication date: 2013-05-23
Anticipated expiration: 2014-04-06
Also published as: ITPN20110066A1

Abstract

Pliable tool, in particular knife (1), with locking system of the "liner-lock" type, in which in the end portion of the heel (6) of the blade (2) a recess (5) is provided, in which the liner (3) of the tool is en¬ gaged for locking the blade (2). According to the invention, the recess (5) is made with a profile which is perpendicular to the horizontal surface of the blade (2), in a manner that in the operative position of the blade (2) a minimum space (8) remains between the recess (5) and the liner (3). The tool also comprises a pitch recovery system of the blade (2), consisting of a pin (9) slidable into a guide member (10) provided in the grip (11) and another guide member (12) provided in the back half-liner (4), which guide members are inclined to each other, so that, when the pitch recovery system isn't activated, the pitch of the blade (8) is determined owing to the presence of the space (8), while when such system is activated, the space (8) doesn't exist anymore, so that the liner (3) is brought into full contact with its seat in the recess (5), and the pitch of the blade (2) is absent.

Description

"PLIABLE TOOL"

INTRODUCTION

The invention relates' to a pliable tool, provided with one or more cutting blades and/or tools of various kind. Such blades or tools are pivoted about a rotation axis and displaceable into more positions, comprised an operating (extracted) position and a rest position (folded back) in the interior of the tool handle.

In particular, the invention refers to a mechanical locking system to be applied to pliable tools (the knives among them), which is so designed as to prevent that the blade, the blades or the tools may be displaced accidentally from the operating (opened) position to the rest (closed) position thereof.

A second system completes the invention, which can be inserted for completing the first system, is devoted for nullifying the pitch of the blade or the tool and for locking completely the mechanical parts.

TRADITIONAL LINER-LOCKS

Generally, the pocket tools, and particularly the knives, foresee a locking system to avoid accidental closures thereof. The currently existing locking systems are of many types and too numerous for being considered all in detail. Hereinafter, the operation of a "liner-lock" system of traditional type is described, which still being constituted by some component parts which are similar to those ones employed in the tool in accordance to the invention, has substantially different constructive characteristics, which make it less reliable than the object of the patented invention.

In the traditional liner-lock system, the blade (or the tool) has a perforated tail permitting, by means of a rotation stud passing through some coinciding holes in the handle, to be articulated in rotation to the handle. Therefore, it can oscillate from the rest (folded back) position to the operative (opened) position thereof. Usually, the handle body is constituted by two side elements, which are named liners, which are coupled and spaced away to each other in an adequate manner so as to create a housing, in which the blade (or the tool) is contained, completely or partially, when it is displaced in the rest position thereof. Some panels of the most different materials may be fixed in different manners on to said side elements (liners). One of the liners, normally the right one, is cut in such a way as to provide for a flat spring. In the case in which the liner isn't made of a suitable metallic material, the flat spring is applied by a fixed joint or with screws.

The blade has different shapes, in accordance to the uses which have been foreseen, and has at its back side a surface (heel) which is variously inclined with respect to a horizontal plane. When the blade finds itself in the operative position, the flat spring provided in the liner is snapped automatically behind the blade heel and its front side comes into contact with the inclined plane thereof. In this way, in the case in which the blade is urged to be closed, the flat spring (also called liner) opposes a resistance by ensuring, theoretically, the safety during the use.

PROBLEMS

In the practice, it has been put in evidence how the knives provided with traditional liner- lock systems, which are not provided with safety systems or other additional systems, aren't free of problems. The main drawbacks are two and occur in presence of high stresses. Under these situations, it may happen that :

1. the front side of the liner into contact with the heel slides along the inclined plane thereof, up to be disengaged therefrom, by letting the blade free to be closed again and therefore exposing the user to serious risks ;

2. the front face of the liner into contact with the inclined plane of the heel restrains itself, by making very difficult or impossible to unlock and to close intentionally the pliable tool. OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to solve the problems typical for the tools and knives provided with liner-lock systems, by offering a lock system which is safe in any situation, apart from the intensity and the direction of the stresses.

The invention will be better understood from the following description, given by way of a not- limitative example of a preferred embodiment of a tool, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which :

- the table 1 shows in the Figs. 1.1-1.3, with respective plan views, the tool according to the invention, stripped into its main components and without the screws, small items, and other not necessary components, for illustrating how the invention operates, which components however are present on the production models ;

- the table 2 shows the following Figures :

- Fig. 2.1 shows a view from below of the knife with the blade opened in the operative position thereof, and detects the position of the item A, which will be illustrated later on ;

- Fig. 2.2 shows a plan view of the knife with the blade in the operative position thereof and not activated pitch recovery system ;

- Fig. 2.3 shows a plan view of the knife with the blade in the operative position thereof and activated pitch recovery system ;

- Fig. 2.4 shows a plan view of the Figs. 2.2 and 2.3 which are overlapped to each other, in order to put in evidence the displacement of the right back half-liner, and also detects the position of the item B, which will be illustrated later on ;

- Fig. A 1 shows a view from below of a first item of the contact point between the heel of the blade and the liner, with not activated pitch recovery system ;

- Fig. A 2 shows a view from below of a first item of the contact point between the heel of the blade and the liner, with activated pitch recovery system ;

- Fig. B 1 shows an enlarged plan view of the item of the mechanical components of the knife with the blade in the operative position thereof and not activated pitch recovery system; - Fig. B 2 shows an enlarged plan view of the item of the mechanical components of the knife with the blade in the operative position thereof and activated pitch recovery system. In the enclosed Figures, a pliable tool is represented, which in this case is a knife 1 according to the invention. The table 1 shows (Fig. 1.1) the blade 2 of the knife, with the heel 6 and the through hole 14 for the articulation stud of the blade in the handle ; the Fig. 1.2 shows the right front half-liner 15 and the right back half-liner 4, of which the half-liner 15 is provided with the hole 14 for passing such stud, and with the through hole 7 for passing the metallic cylinder also called stop-in, on to which the upper part of the heel of the blade 6 is laid.

In the half-liner 4 there are provided the liner 3, the through hole 13 for passing a screw for joining the half-liner to the remaining portion of the knife handle, and an inclined guide member 12 for the pitch recovery system. The Fig. 1.3 shows the right grip 1 1, with the through hole 14 for the stud, the through hole 7 for passing the stop-in, the guide member 10 for the pitch recovery system and the through hole 13 for the screw joining the half-liner to the remaining portion of the handle.

The table 2 illustrates (Figs. 2.1 and 2.2) the knife 1 in the operative position thereof, with the blade 2 locked by the liner 3 engaging the same blade into the proper recess 5 thereof, provided on the heel end portion and shaped with a profile perpendicular to the horizontal surface of the blade 2.

In order to prevent the blade 2 to be opened beyond the operative position, in the maximum opening thereof, the stop-in T is present, which passes through the holes 7 of the right front half-liner 15 and the right grip 11 , and on to said stop-in the upper part of the heel of the blade 6 is laid.

The Figs. A 1 and A 2 show a detail of the contact point between the recess 5 on to the blade heel and the liner 3, from which it is possible to notice how the planes of the recess, unlike the traditional liner-locks, are straight and not inclined, as in the previous case. In this way, the sliding of the liner 3 is prevented. The fact that the planes are straight makes it possible that, in the operative position, between the recess 5 in the blade heel and the liner 3 remains a very short space 8, which is necessary for ensuring a reliable operation (see also Fig. A 1). The presence of such space 8 originates a slight pitch of the blade 2, which is corrected by utilizing the just described pitch recovery system. The mechanical system described up till now is perfectly operative and safe, even without adding the pitch recovery system as it will be described later on.

The Fig. 2.2 represents the knife 1 with the blade 2 in the operative position thereof, locked by the interference of the liner 3 in the interior of the proper recess 5 in the heel of the blade 6, and with the pitch recovery system which isn't activated, and therefore it is possible to notice the very short space 8 between the liner 3 and its seat 5 in the blade heel. Into such position, since the liner 3 isn't fully into contact with its seat 5 in the blade heel, the wear is too reduced during the use with respect to the traditional liner-locks, where the planes of the lock are permanently into contact.

However, in this case a slight pitch is noticed, which has no influence on the safety.

The Fig. 2.3 represents the knife 1 with the blade 2 in the operative position thereof, locked by the interference of the liner 3 in the interior of the proper recess 5 in the blade heel, and with the pitch recovery system which is activated. This pitch recovery system consists of a pin 9 operable in different manners, which is sliding into said guide member 10 provided on to the right grip 1 1 and the another guide member 12 provided on to the right back half-liner 4 (see Figs. B 1 and B 2).

The different inclination of these two guide members 10 and 12 makes it possible that, by moving backward the pin 9, the half-liner 4, which is joined to the remainder portion of the handle by means of the screw passing through said hole 13, rotates about the axis constituted by the screw, by bringing the liner 3 into a full contact with its seat 5 in the blade hell (see also Fig. A 2). Under this situation, the space 8 between the two components 3 and 5 doesn't more exist, so that the pitch is absent and the liner 3 cannot be brought back in the rest position thereof neither intentionally. The operation of the pitch recovery system may be observed in detail in the Fig. B 1, in which such pitch isn't activated, and in the Fig. B 2 in which such pitch is activated.

KNIFE CLOSING

With the pitch recovery system which has not been activated (see Fig. 2.2), for closing the knife 1 the user must press the liner 3, by bringing it into its rest position, and

contemporaneously by rotating the blade 2 from the opened to the closed position thereof. With the pitch recovery system which has been activated (see Fig. 2.3), for closing the knife 1 the user must press forward the pin 9, by restoring the original inclination of the right back half-liner 4, thereby making free the liner 3 from the full contact with its seat 5 in the blade hell.

Only after this operation has been effected, he can press the liner 3, by bringing it into its rest position and by rotating contemporaneously the blade 2 from the opened to the closed position thereof.

Claims

CLAIM

1. Pliable tool, in particular a knife (1) provided with a locking system of the "liner-lock" type, comprising a blade (2) having a heel (6) and displaceable from an opened operating position to a closed rest position thereof, and comprising a front half-liner (15), a back half- liner (4) provided with a liner element (3) engaging and locking the same blade into the proper recess (5), provided on the end portion of the heel (6) and also comprising a grip (1 1) co-operating with the back half-liner (4), and a metallic cylinder (stop-in 7') supported by said front half-liner (15) and said grip (1 1), onto which cylinder it bears the upper part of the blade heel (6), so as to prevent opening of the blade (2) beyond the operating position, in the maximum opened position thereof, characterized in that the recess (5) is made with a profile which is perpendicular to the horizontal surface of the blade (2), in such a way that in the operating position of the blade (2) there remains a minimum space (8) between said recess (5) and the liner element (3), which is necessary to ensure a reliable operation, under the condition in which such space (8) originates a slight pitch of the blade (2) and in which the liner element (3), owing to the fact not to be fully into contact with its seat into the recess (5), during the use causes a very reduced wear with respect to the traditional liner-locks, and characterized by a pitch recovery system of the blade (2), consisting on a pin (9) operable in many ways, which is sliding into a guide member (10) provided on to said grip (1 1) and another guide member (12) provided on to said back half-liner (4), said guide members (10, 12) being inclined in a different manner, and characterized in that when the pitch recovery system isn't activated, there is formed said minimum space (8) between the liner element (3) and its seat in the recess (5) on the blade heel, and the consequent pitch of the blade (2) is produced, and under this condition for closing the knife (1) the user must press the liner element (3), by bringing it to its rest position, with contemporary rotation of the blade (2) from the opened to the closed position thereof, and characterized in that when the pitch recovery system is activated, by moving backward the pin (9) it is determined the rotation of said half-liner (4), which is constrained to the remaining portion of the handle by means of a screw passing through the hole (13) of the same half-liner, about the axis constituted by the screw inserted into the hole (13), by bringing the liner element (3) into full contact with its seat into the recess (5), under the condition in which the space (8) doesn't more exist and the pitch is absent, and the liner element (3) cannot be brought again into the rest position thereof neither intentionally, and under this condition for closing the knife (1) the user must push forward the pin (9), by restoring the original inclination of said back half-liner (4), thereby making free the liner element (3) from its full contact with the seat (5) in the blade heel, and only after this operation the user can press the liner element (3), by bringing it to its rest position, and by rotating contemporaneously the blade (2) from the opened position to the closed position thereof.