Back to results
US 11,433,560 B2Granted
Drywall knife
OwnerVincent Leon Gilesinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A utility knife, a blade member for use therewith, and a method of using the same; The knife has an ergonomically designed, symmetrical handle with resilient grips for a user's palm and fingers provided on opposing top and bottom walls of the housing. The blade member has two opposed cutting surfaces aligned with the housings top and bottom walls. A tape engagement clip is provided on a leading end of the knife and secures a free end of a measuring tape to the knife. The knife may be gripped and used in two different orientations located 180 degrees apart. The tape engagement clip pivots to enable the free end of the measuring tape to be secured to the knife regardless of which cutting surface is used to cut an article. Alternatively, the clip may be moved to the opposing side wall of the knife.
Claims19
A utility knife comprising:
- a housing having:
- a first housing section defining an interior cavity accessible through an opening;
- a second housing section receivable within the interior cavity of the first housing section, said second housing section having a side wall with first end and an opposed second end, and a longitudinal axis extending between the first end and the second end;
- wherein the first end of the second housing section is U-shaped and includes a first tip laterally spaced from a second tip, wherein the first tip and the second tip are V-shaped and extend longitudinally outwardly in a same direction as one another and away from the second end of the second housing section;
- and
- a blade member operatively engaged with the second housing section;
- wherein the blade member comprises a planar body having a first end, an opposed second end, and a longitudinal axis extending therebetween;
- wherein a first cutter tip and a second cutter tip are provided at the first end of the planar body;
- wherein the first cutter tip and the second cutter tip are laterally spaced from one another and extend longitudinally in a same direction as one another and away from the second end of the planar body;
- and
- wherein one or both of the blade member and the second housing section is selectively movable relative to the first housing section so as to extend at least the first end of the blade member outwardly beyond the opening in the first housing section and beyond the first tip and the second tip of the second housing section in order to perform a cutting operation with one of the first cutter tip and the second cutter tip.
8 more elements
A method of cutting a drywall sheet comprising:
- providing a utility knife comprising a utility knife housing, a blade member, and a locking mechanism;
- wherein the utility knife housing comprises a first housing section defining an interior cavity accessible through an opening;
- a second housing section receivable within the interior cavity of the first housing section, said second housing section having a side wall with first end and an opposed second end, and a longitudinal axis extending between the first end and the second end;
- wherein the first end of the second housing section is U-shaped and includes a first tip laterally spaced from a second tip, wherein the first tip and the second tip extend longitudinally outwardly in a same direction as one another and away from the second end of the second housing section;
- and the blade member operatively engaged with the second housing section;
- wherein the blade member comprises a planar body having a first end, an opposed second end, and a longitudinal axis extending therebetween;
- wherein a first cutter tip and a second cutter tip are provided at the first end of the planar body;
- wherein the first cutter tip and the second cutter tip are laterally spaced from one another and extend longitudinally in a same direction as one another and away from the second end of the planar body;
- wherein the first cutter tip includes a first cutting surface and the second cutter tip includes a second cutting surface, and wherein the first cutting surface and the second cutting surface are located on opposite side edges of the planar body from one another;
- selectively moving one or both of the blade member and the second housing section relative to the first housing section;
- moving the blade member longitudinally along a longitudinal axis of the utility knife housing from a retracted position to an extended position;
- extending at least the first end of the blade member outwardly beyond the opening in the first housing section and beyond the first tip and the second tip of the second housing section;
- gripping the utility knife housing in either of a first orientation or a second orientation in either of a user's left hand or right hand of the user;
- cutting the drywall sheet with a first cutting surface of the first cutter tip when the utility knife housing is held in the first orientation and cutting the drywall sheet with a second cutting surface of the second cutter tip when the utility knife housing is held in the second orientation;
- and
- rotating the utility knife housing through 180 degrees to move the utility knife housing between the first orientation and the second orientation.
13 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.