US847474A - Pocket-knife. - Google Patents

Description

'PATENTED' MAR. 19,- 1907 E. H. HAWLEY.

POCKET KNIFE. APPLICATION FILED JAN.26.1907'.-

M by ease:

ms nomns PETERS cm, wnsnma-rou, 01 c EDWIN H. HAWLEY, OF

WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

POCKET-KNIFE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 19, 1907.

Application filed Ianuary 26, 1907. Serial No. 354,267.

T0 or. whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWIN H. HAwLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Pocket-Knives, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to pocket-knives, or those consisting of a handle having a blade folding into the same, and the object of the invention is to provide such a knife with means for readily opening the blade without using the thumb-nail.

To this end the invention consists in the combination, with each blade, of a lever pivoted to the side of the blade near the tang and folding down by the side of the blade when not in use. The lever has a laterallyprojecting flange with which the ball of the thumb can be engaged when the blade is to be opened.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a three bladed pocket-knife embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation showing the location and operation of the opening-lever; and Fig. 8 is a perspective view, on a larger scale, of one of the blades and its openinglever.

The knife may be-of the usual construction, having the handle composed of side thereto by the central rivet 3.

plates 1 and the spring-back 2, connected At each end of the handle is one or more blades 4, pivoted on the transverse rivets or pivot-pins 5, the ends of the spring or springs 2 bearing against the tangs 6 of said blades, as usual. In one side of each tang (the outside, if two blades are pivoted side by side) is a recess 7, in which is pivoted a short lever 8, formed of thin metal, so as to lie close to the blade and flush with the surface of the tang. The heel 9 of the lever is circular in outline and fits snugly in the recess, which is also circulalta t this oint, concentric with the pivot 10, on whicli the lever is fulcrumed. The back of the recess is upright and at right angles with the back of the blade, so that when the lever is turned up, as shown in Fig. 3, its back will abut against the back of the recess. When the lever is turned down, a shoulder 11 strikes the front edge of the recess and stops the lever at the instant that its back lies flush with the back of the blade. The blade may also have a shoulder 12, against which the end of the lever will abut when it is closed. On the outer side of the leverthat is, the side away from the bladethere is a flange I 13, projecting sufficiently to enable it to be engaged readily by the ball of the thumb.

When the knife is closed, the flanges lie substantially flush with the sides of the handle, as shown in Fig. 1. If a blade is to be opened, its lever is raised to the position shown in Fig. 3 or in dotted lines at 14 in Fig. 2. In this position its back abuts against the back of the recess, so that fur- I ther movement of the lever causes the blade to open, as shown at 15 and 16, Fig. 2. The lever can be left in this position or it can be closed down alongside the blade, as shown at 17 in Fig. 2. Being short, it does not interfere with the ordinary uses of the blade. When closed, the lever or levers is or are inconspicuous, and do not project in such a manner as to wear holes in the pockets of the owner.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. The combination with a knife having .a handle and a pivoted blade, of a lever pivoted to the side of the blade at a point noncoincident with the blade-pivot, and abutting against a shoulder on said blade when opened; said lever shutting into the handle alongside of the blade when closed.

2. The combination with a knife having a handle and a pivoted blade, of a lever pivoted to the side of said blade at a point noncoincident with the blade-pivot, and having a laterally-projecting flange.

3. The combination with a knife having a handle and a pivoted blade provided with a recess in its side, of a lever pivoted in said recess and adapted to close down by the side of said blade.

4. The combination with a knife having a handle and a pivoted blade provided with a recess in its side having a circular portion and a straight back at right angles to the back of the blade, of a lever having a circular portion fitting said recess and a back adapted to abut against the back of the recess when opened.

5. The combination with a knife having a handle and a pivoted blade provided with a ICC recess in its side having a circular portion name to this specification in the presence of andka fstraight bacli at right angles to the I tWo subscribing Witnesses.

bac o the blade, 0 t a lever havirv a circular I 7 r portion fitting said recess and a back adapted 1 IN HAVVLEX to abut against the back of the recess When \Vitnesses:

opened, and a laterally-projecting flange. l ALEXANDER L. STEUART,

In' testimony whereof I have signed my 5 H. L. ROCKWELL.

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