US2043594A - Razor blade knife - Google Patents

Description

me 9, 1936.I l F1 @um 2,043,594

RAZOR BLADE KNIFE Filed July i9, 1934 www" Patented `lune 9, 1936 VUNITI/31D PATENT OFFICE 2,()43,594 RAZOR BLADE KNIFE `Frank Julus'Quist, Holden, Mass.

Application July '19, '1934, Serial No. 736,056

. 1 Claim.

This invention relates lto a knifefof 'the Vjack knife typenomprising'av blade holderadapted to be provided witha blade formed' from a safety razor blade.

The principal objects of the invention are to provide a neat; simple andinexpensive holder to which arazor blade, formed from the usual type of double edged exible blade, can be inserted very readily to serve as the blade'of the knife; to pro- `videsimple meansfor holding the blade holder in its extended operative position or at leastfor affording a sufficient resistance to prevent the accidental shuttingof the bladehlder; to provide a handle of sheet metal of sulicient strength for the ordinary purposes and yet'thin, light and neat; to provide a pivoted blade holderl With a construction such that the blade can be used for ordinary whittlingoperations and therewill be no chance for the shavings to get caughtin the holder; to provide the holder'in suchform as tohold the exible blade inV arigid condition along a line fromone end to the other; toprovide the holder with simple and effective means for accurately holdingtheblade in position after it has once been inserted, and to provide the handle with integral means-for usetin breaking a double edged flexible safety razorllladev totrim it to any desired shape; or make two cutting blades out of it, whichmeans willfconstitute a part of the handle and not` materially increase the length of the handleand also'will'serve to receive the end.`

of a flexible blade when"`the\blade is enclosed within the handle.

Other objectsl and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a'knifelconstructed in accordance with `this invention with a cutting blade in position and showing an' ordinary' safety razor blade in positionto becut in Atwo at one end;

Fig. 2 is an edge View 'of the 'samefwith the blade open;

Fig. 3 is an end view showing thebreaking in two of a doubleedged razorblade;

Fig; 4 is aside view showing :the trimr'ning off of a corner of a blade;

Fig. 5 is a' side viewof'the blade with itsfholder partly in section;

Fig. 6" is anledge view of the blade holder as indicated by the arrow 6 in Fig. 5;

Figs. '7 and 8 are opposite end views as indif cated respectively by the arrows 'I and 8 of Fig. 5, and

single' edged razor blade in a holder to provide` a Yknife of the jack knife ltype but that would not involve anymeans'for usingfthe flexible blades having two edges.

This invention is designed to make two'blades out of an ordinary double edged safety razor bla-de and to provide means for trimming it 'to such shape as may be desired for the purpose intended. Razor blades of this type of different manufacturers have certain features in common. They are perforated along the center to enable them to fit inthe holders, for which they are provided, and some of them to t holders of several different types. This invention when embodied in a definite' shape will accommodate the blades of several diiferent makes'because of this feature.

A knife constructed in accordance with this invention is capable of innumerableuses. rEither a new or used razor blade can be used and, in the former case, the blade is still a razor blade and the knife can 'be used for the shaving of the scalp or other parts of the body preparatory to surgical operations or the like. As the whole device is metal it can be sterilized very easily and used for certain types of surgical operations and it can be used for ripping by tailors and dressmakers. It can be used even fora heavy cutting operation because the destruction of the blade is a small matter, as a new onecan be substituted for it with very little effort and at' practically no expense. It can be used for whittling wood` or other soft material. The holder forfthe blade is especially constructed to facilitate the operation of whittling.

This knife is made` with a handle formed of sheet' metal doubled on itself Withthe two sides I0 spaced apart. The open blade end of this handle is cut square across and springs II are formed on opposite sides by means of slits I2 to hold the bla-de open to avoid accidental closing of the blade. At this end is a pivot stud I3 to which a blade holder I4 is pivoted. This blade holder also consists of a piece of sheet metal doubled on itself to form sides I5 and it islprovided with a `notch I6 in each sideto engage the springs Il of the handle. It is providedfwitl a semi-circular part II at one end for the usual purpose and with a heel I8 near it for limiting the opening action of the blade holder.

An important feature of this blade holder is 55 the fact that it is provided with a pin 2|! and also in Fig. 9 with pins 2| and 22. The pin 2|! cooperates with either one of these pins, 2| or 22, if they are used and, if not, with a solid end 23 which appears in both forms of the holder for holding the blade, as will appear. Furthermore, the sides I4 of this blade holder gradually slant from a point adjacent the pin 2B to a point adjacent the back and an edge 24 from one point to the other is slanted. This edge of the blade holder on both sides is bent inwardly so that these two edges 24 are not only slanting but they grip the blade 25 throughout their length and practically throughout the length of the blade.

At the other end of the handle I it isprovided with an extension 26 formed of the sheet metal of the handle on both sides. The two sides are forced together to form a thin slit 21 at right angles to the length of the handle between the sides. The purpose of this slit is to provide for the conversion of an ordinary thin flexible double edged razor blade into two blades 25 of such shape as may be desired.

The first operation to be performed in converting a double edged razor blade 28, such as that shown in Fig. l, is to place it in this slit with the central line between the razor blades at one end in registration with the edge of the slit. Now the free side or edge of this blade 23 can be bent as indicated in Fig. 3 and such bending will break the blade along the edge of the slit 2l' because of the brittleness of the steel. The blade 28 is then turned to exactly the opposite position and broken again at that end, which results in the production of two knife blades 25 out of the single double edged razor blade 28. Now, if it is desired to break off the end of the blade at an angle, the blade 25 is again put into the slit 21 at such an angle as indicated in Fig. 4 and bent until it breaks along the edge of the slit 2. This breaking is very accurate and, of course, in almost a straight line. Only a little bending is required, as indicated in dotted lines in Figs. 2 and 3.

The handle is also provided with a notch 30 and when the blade 25 is in place and turned back to the dotted line position it operates very well as a cigar cutter.

It will be noticed that in the type of double edged blade shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5 there are two .openings 3| for receiving fastening devices for the razor frame and there are also four square shoulders 32 for cooperation with other parts of the razor frame. opening 33 and shoulders 34 are provided. These parts are taken advantage of to hold the half razor blade in the holder. The blade is put into the holder in Fig. for example, Vby slipping the shoulder 34 under the pin 2i) by an angular movement and then turning what appears in that figure as the top of the blade back until a portion of it engages the solid part 23. The anchorage between the pin 28, shoulder 34 and the two parts at 23 holds the blade in position. The edges 2d of the blade holder have been described as fitting close against the blade, thus serving more fully to hold the blade and prevent its accidental dislodgment. The blade holder is also closed at the point 29 by pressing the edges together, thus making the blade holder more rigid and strong.

Also there is a central In the form shown in Fig. 9 the pins 20, 2| and 22 are made use of in connection with the shoulder 32 and in this case the closed end of the holder 23 is not needed. On account of well known characteristics, only the pin 20 and one other of the pins 2|, 22 or the point 23 is necessary to hold the blade firmly in position.

One object of bending the edges I4 inwardly so that they grip the blade 25 and slanting them from a position near the handle to a position near the point of the blade is to render the device useful as a jack knife for cutting and whittling wood and other soft materials. On account of the pressure of the edges 24 against the blade, there is no chance for the shavings to get in Ybetween the blade and holder and furthermore, the slanting off of this edge 24 serves to clear the shavings from the knife as it is used. This shape also permits of the deeper penetration of the point of the knife than the rest of it.

It will be seen that the blade is perfectly anchored in the holder so that it can be used for whittling as just stated and so that it can be used for cutting harder materials and, in fact, for very rough cutting operations. This is practical because the holder is strong and durable and the matter of breaking or injuring the blade is of no moment. Ordinarily the blade is formed of a used safety razor blade which otherwise would be thrown away and which, when no longer useful for shaving purposes, still has a very good edge for a jack knife or the like.

This knife is entirely of metal. Therefore, it can be sterilized and used for minor surgical operations or, in fact, any surgical operation to which its shape and size are suited. Ordinarily, if used for that purpose, a new unused razor blade would be employed instead of a discarded one. In that case also the device can be used as a razor more handily than some of the razors on the market to assist surgeons in shaving hair from the scalp or other parts of the body preparatory to other surgical operations.

In short, the knife is of use for all purposes for which an ordinary jack knife is employed and in many instances where a jack knife could not be used. It can be used for-ripping and cutting by tailors, for cutting leather, rubber and various insulating materials, cardboard of various thicknesses and with many folds and, if used merely as a point, it could be used for cutting paper and the like. The uses to which it may be put are innumerable.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherewise than as set forth in the claim, but what I claim is:

A jack knife comprising a resilient sheet metal handle having its sides spaced apart, a blade holder pivoted thereto near one end, a blade removably mounted in the blade holder, said handle having an integral portion thereof partially separated from it along a transverse line at the end toward the blade holder to form a spring arranged at right angles to the length of the handle, the blade holder having a projection adapted to register with said spring when the blade holder is opened and abut against the spring, whereby the spring vwill hold the blade holder open.

F. JULIUS QUIST.

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