Knife sharpening systems
AssigneeSharkNinja Operating LLC
InventorsEric Arthur Miller, Jr., Nathaniel R. Lavins, Joshua D. Anthony, Orlando Soto, Ross Richardson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Knife sharpener systems and methods are provided. In one exemplary embodiment, a knife sharpening system can include a support structure configured to hold a knife having a handle and a blade extending therefrom, and a carriage assembly mounted on the support structure. The carriage assembly can have a sharpening element that is configured to sharpen a cutting edge of the blade. The carriage assembly can be movable relative to the knife blade to cause the sharpening element to apply a force to the cutting edge of the knife blade.
Claims20
A knife sharpener device, comprising:
- a support structure configured to hold a knife having a handle and a blade extending therefrom;
- and
- a carriage assembly mounted on the support structure and having a pivotal arm to carry a sharpening element, which is configured to sharpen a cutting edge of the blade, wherein the carriage assembly is movable in a first direction within a guide track in the support structure to move the pivotal arm in a first track that causes the sharpening element to apply a force to the cutting edge of the blade of the knife held by the support structure, and wherein the carriage assembly is movable in a second direction opposite the first direction within the guide track and is configured to move the pivotal arm in a second track in the support structure, the second track being spaced from the first track such that the sharpening element is maintained a predetermined distance apart from the cutting edge of the blade while the carriage assembly is moving in the second direction.
A knife sharpening device, comprising:
- a support structure configured to hold a knife having a handle and a blade extending therefrom;
- a carriage assembly mounted on the support structure, the carriage assembly having a carriage, an arm pivotally coupled to the carriage, and a sharpening element mounted to the arm and configured to sharpen a cutting edge of the blade of the knife held by the support structure, the carriage assembly being movable in a first direction within a guide track in the support structure to cause the sharpening element to apply a force to the cutting edge of the blade, wherein the arm moves along a return track in the support structure when the carriage assembly is moved in a second opposite direction;
- and
- a pawl mounted to the support structure and configured to move the arm into the return track when the carriage assembly switches from moving in the first direction to moving in the second opposite direction.
A method for sharpening a knife, comprising:
- inserting a knife into a clamping assembly of a support structure such that the clamping assembly engages the knife to maintain a blade of the knife in a fixed position;
- actuating a sharpening assembly to cause a carriage to travel in a first direction along a track, the carriage having a sharpening element movably coupled thereto, the sharpening element being biased toward a cutting edge of the blade such that the sharpening element travels along the cutting edge of the blade to sharpen the blade as the carriage moves along the track in the first direction;
- and
- actuating the sharpening assembly to cause the carriage to travel in a second opposite direction in the track, wherein the sharpening element is spaced apart from the cutting edge of the blade as the carriage moves along the track in the second opposite direction along a length of the cutting edge of the blade;
- wherein a pawl mounted on the support structure causes the sharpening element to be spaced from the cutting edge before the sharpening assembly is actuated to cause the carriage assembly to move in the second opposite direction in the track.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.