Sharpener sheath

Abrading – Rigid tool – Stationary

Reexamination Certificate

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Details

C030S298400

Reexamination Certificate

active

06224475

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a sheath for storing a knife blade and particularly to a sheath for storing and selectively sharpening a knife blade.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is troublesome to constantly maintain ordinary household knifes in a sharpened condition due to the variations in actual use time of the knife. The user does not always remember to sharpen the knife blade until the knife is so dull that it will not cut efficiently. Often, it is not convenient to hone the knife blade before or after each use, so that over time, the knife blade becomes dull, rendering it difficult to use.
A number of prior art patents have recognized this deficiency with such ordinary knife blades and proposed sharpener sheaths that sharpen the knife blade upon every insertion or withdrawal from the sharpener sheath. Typical patents in this area include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,774,350 and 4,041,651.
In such prior art sharpener sheaths, the sharpening action has been achieved on each insertion and/or withdrawal of the knife blade to or from the scabbard. The edge of the knife blade engages a fixed sharpening device carried on the scabbard, which is designed to sharpen the blade edge upon each insertion/withdrawal.
Although such sharpener sheaths are effective in sharpening the blade edge, one disadvantage is the sharp edge emerging from the scabbard during, and as part of, the sharpening action. Such an emerging sharp edge may present a risk both to the person withdrawing the knife blade and to objects, such as work surfaces, which are immediately adjacent the emerging blade edge, both of which can be cut by the freshly sharpened edge.
It has further been realized that sharpening the knife blade on every insertion/withdrawal has other disadvantages, the greatest of which is that sharpening may not be required with such frequency. In fact, such frequent sharpening may damage the knife blade, causing excessive wear. The sharpening action causes metal to be removed from the knife blade each time the knife is inserted/withdrawn from the scabbard. Most of the time, specifically after a single use, it is not necessary to sharpen the blade. Hence, these prior art devices can cause excessive wear of the blade.
Yet a further disadvantage of some of the prior art sharpener sheaths is that they fail to provide for safe storage of the knife blade in the sheath or the safe storage of the sheath as a whole. Some of the prior art sharpener sheaths provide a locking device to lock the knife blade in the sheath for storage. However, most of such sharpener sheaths referred to above fail to lock the sharpening device and the blade, so that the sheath, including the blade, may be safely stored.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a new and useful sharpener sheath for a knife blade that provides for storing and selectively sharpening a knife blade. The present sharpener sheath provides for sharpening the blade of a knife upon insertion or withdrawal of the blade, as selected by the user. Alternatively, the present sheath provides for insertion and withdrawal of the blade without sharpening, as selected by the user. In addition, the present sharpener sheath provides locking devices for locking the blade in the sheath using friction and locking the sheath for safe storage.
The sharpener sheath includes a scabbard having opposing first and second ends, with an opening defined in the first end. A passage is defined in the scabbard in fluid communication with the opening, so that the blade may be placed into and withdrawn from the sheath. The sheath additionally includes a sharpening device and an engagement device in operable communication with the scabbard for selectively moving the sharpening device relative to the scabbard.
The present sharpener sheath additionally includes a locking device for frictionally locking the knife therein, so that the knife is prevented from being unintentionally or accidentally removed from the scabbard. It is further contemplated that the sharpener sheath include a trigger lock device for selectively locking the engagement device in an engaging position for continuous sharpening and storage in a drawer for example.
In one preferred embodiment, it is contemplated that the sharpener sheath include a sharpener portion, preferably including at least one sharpening edge, contained in the scabbard for selective sharpening engagement with an edge of the knife blade. Finally, a biasing device, preferably a spring member, is also contemplated for biasing the engagement device, preferably a trigger device, in a disengaging position.
Various other objects, aims, purposes, features, advantages, embodiments, variations and the like will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the teachings of the present specification taken with the associated drawings and the appended claims.


REFERENCES:
patent: D. 225559 (1972-12-01), Bayly
patent: D. 279951 (1985-08-01), Winyard
patent: D. 296498 (1988-07-01), Collins et al.
patent: D. 303731 (1989-10-01), Blochlinger et al.
patent: D. 330491 (1992-10-01), Worsfold et al.
patent: D. 339963 (1993-10-01), Roberts et al.
patent: 1477488 (1923-12-01), Holland
patent: 3676961 (1972-07-01), Jackson
patent: 3774350 (1973-11-01), Bayly
patent: 3861246 (1975-01-01), Waller
patent: 3986304 (1976-10-01), Shie, III
patent: 4041651 (1977-08-01), Bayly
patent: 4062111 (1977-12-01), Clark
patent: 4091691 (1978-05-01), Bayly
patent: 4117748 (1978-10-01), Watts
patent: 4494339 (1985-01-01), Pittaway
patent: 4654968 (1987-04-01), Gatley et al.
patent: 4669337 (1987-06-01), Petroff
patent: 4718200 (1988-01-01), Miquelot
patent: 4794738 (1989-01-01), Brignoli
patent: 4805350 (1989-02-01), Farrer
patent: 4869027 (1989-09-01), McEvily
patent: 4974322 (1990-12-01), Butka
patent: 5009040 (1991-04-01), Petroff
patent: 5101704 (1992-04-01), Jones et al.
patent: 5121659 (1992-06-01), Williams
patent: 5784786 (1998-07-01), Williams
The Pampered Chef; Spring/Summer 1998 catalog; p. 4, Self-Sharpening Knives (Mar. 1988).

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