# US 5,699,615 A · Pocket-knife

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- Number: US 5,699,615 A
- Document ID: US5699615A
- Status: Granted
- Kind: A
- Application number: 08/745,623
- Filed: 1996-11-08
- Granted: 1997-12-23
- Earliest claimed: 1996-11-08
- Assignees: Chia Yi Enterprises Co.
- Inventors: Shun-fu Chen
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5699615A

## CPC

- B26B 1/044: {by a spring tongue snapping behind or into the tang of the blade from a side part of the handle}
- B26B 1/046: {with a locking member acting in axial direction parallel to the pivot axis of the blade}
- B26B: HAND-HELD CUTTING TOOLS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR (for harvesting A01D; for horticulture, for forestry A01G; for butchering or meat treatment A22; for manufactering or repairing footwear A43D; nail clippers or cutters A45D29/02; kitchen equipment A47J; {vegetable slicers, julienne cutters and similar devices and holders therefor, B26D3/28}; for surgical purposes A61B; for metal B23D; cutting by abrasive fluid jets B24C5/02; plier-like tools with cutting edges B25B7/22; pincers B25C11/02; handles for hand implements, in general B25G; guillotine-type cutters B26D; {perforating by non-mechanical means, e.g. by fluid jet, B26F1/26}; for erasing B43L19/00; for textile materials D06H)

## Abstract

Disclosed is a pocket-knife mainly including a handle consisting of two side members which together define a cavity at one side of the handle to receive a blade therein. The blade is pivotally connected at a rear portion to a front portion of the handle by a pivotal pin and can be extended from the handle to an open or operative position or be folded toward the handle to a closed or storage position. A releasable locking means is disposed between the two side members for locking the blade in the open position. The pocket-knife is characterized in several rotatable balls spaced around the pivotal pin and contacting with side surfaces of the rear portion of the blade, allowing the blade to be smoothly extended or folded with help of the rotatable balls. Two spring-supported compressing balls are further attached to the inner surfaces of the two side members such that the compressing balls engage with two ends of a round through hole formed on the rear portion of the blade when the blade is folded and received in the cavity of the handle, retaining the blade in the closed position without easily coming out of the handle even when the pocket-knife collides with something or falls accidentally.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A pocket-knife allowing to be extended to an operative position or be folded to a storage position in more than one stage, comprising:
a handle including a first and a second side members which together define
a cavity between them at one side of said handle;
a blade pivotally connected at a rear portion to a front portion of said handle by means of a pivotal pin, allowing said blade to be turned about said pivotal pin relative to said handle to an open or operative position or to a closed or storage position; and
a locking means disposed between said first and said second side members of said handle to lock said blade in place when said blade is in said open or operative position or to release said blade from said open or operative position through a depression of said locking means, so that said blade can be folded and received into said cavity of said handle;
wherein said first and said second side members have a plurality of rotatable balls attached to inner surfaces of said first and said second side members around said pivotal pin, and said rotatable balls contacting with two side surfaces of said blade, allowing said blade to be opened or closed smoothly.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

A pocket-knife as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first and said second side members are further provided at said inner surfaces with a spring-supported compressing ball each to correspond to a round through hole formed on the blade, whereby when said blade is folded and received in said handle, said spring-supported compressing balls engage with two ends of said round through hole on said blade to firmly hold said blade in said handle.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

A pocket-knife as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first and said second side members are provided at said inner surfaces with concave dents to each receive one of said rotatable balls therein, and wherein a washer is disposed between said inner surfaces of said first and said second side members and said two side surfaces of said blade near a rear portion of said blade to retain but allow said rotatable balls to rotate in said concave dents.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

A pocket-knife as claimed in claim 3, wherein said locking means is a flat plate and is formed with through holes corresponding to said rotatable balls and said compressing balls, such that said balls respectively protrude beyond said through holes, and wherein said locking means has a part forming an upward inclined spring leaf, said spring leaf pressing a free end against a rear end of said blade and thereby locking said blade in said open or operative position, and, said blade being released from said locked position when said spring leaf is depressed.