Folding knife

A knife comprising:

• a handle having at least a first opening defining a first axis of rotation;
• a handle keyway formed in said handle;
• a blade rotatably coupled to said handle, rotatable about said first axis between extended and non-extended configurations, said blade having a longitudinal axis substantially perpendicular to said first axis;
• a blade keyway formed in and rotatable with said blade;
• a key device positionable at least partially in said first opening and moveable from a first position to a second position wherein said key device, in said first position engages both said handle keyway and said blade keyway in said first opening whereby engagement of said key device with both said handle keyway and said blade keyway acts to substantially prevent rotation of said key device in only a first rotational direction about said first axis with respect to said handle and wherein said key device is coupled to said blade in both said first position and said second position so that said key device rotates with said blade about said first axis;
• and
• at least a first stop surface coupled to one of said blade and said handle, positioned to abut a contact surface of the other of said blade and said handle when said blade is in said extended configuration to prevent rotation of said blade with respect to said handle in a second rotational direction opposite to said first rotational direction, said first stop surface being adjustable along an adjustment axis which is substantially parallel to said blade longitudinal axis when said blade is in said extended configuration.

A knife comprising:

• a handle;
• a first keyway means in said handle;
• a first key device;
• a blade rotatably coupled to said handle, rotatable about a first axis in response to rotation of said first key device, said blade having a longitudinal axis substantially perpendicular to said first axis;
• a second keyway means in said blade, and rotatable with said blade;
• disengagable means engagable substantially simultaneously with said first keyway means and said second keyway means for substantially preventing rotation of said blade with respect to said handle in only a first rotational direction when said blade is in a first extended position with respect to said handle;
• means, different from said disengagable means, defining a stop surface for substantially preventing rotation of said blade with respect to said handle in a second rotational direction, opposite to said first rotational direction, when said blade is in said first extended position, said means defining a stop surface being adjustable to move said stop surface with respect to said key device in a direction along an axis which is substantially parallel to said blade longitudinal axis when said blade is in said extended position.

A knife comprising:

• a handle having a handle longitudinal axis and a handle opening defining an axis of rotation,
• a blade having a cutting edge and a blade opening and defining a blade longitudinal axis, the blade rotatably coupled to the handle and rotatable about the axis of rotation through a closing angle from an extended configuration to a closed configuration, wherein the blade longitudinal axis is substantially aligned with the handle longitudinal axis in the extended configuration, and the cutting edge is substantially within the handle in the closed configuration;
• a key having a plurality of planar key contact surfaces, a handle keyway in the handle opening having a plurality of corresponding planar handle keyway contact surfaces, and a blade keyway in the blade opening having a plurality of corresponding planar blade keyway contact surfaces, the key movable along an axis parallel to the axis of rotation from a first position with the key engaged in both the handle keyway and the blade keyway to a second position with the key engaged in only the blade keyway;
• wherein in the extended configuration a key contact surface abuts a substantially coplanar corresponding handle keyway contact surface lying in a first plane, and in the closed configuration a handle keyway contact surface abuts a substantially coplanar corresponding key contact surface lying in a second plane, such that the second plane is non-parallel to the first plane.