Cutlery – Cutting tools – With guard and/or guide
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-18
2001-11-27
Payer, Hwei-Siu (Department: 3724)
Cutlery
Cutting tools
With guard and/or guide
C030S123000, C030S287000, C030S289000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06321454
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to utility knives and more particular to a multi purpose utility knife which is particularly suited for trimming in corners and edges.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Utility knives for cutting articles such as carpet, wall paper, drywall and other articles are well known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,561,906 titled Carpet Knife to Armand Desmarais issued Oct. 8, 1996 describes a knife specifically designed for trimming of carpets and also for creasing of carpets in the corners. U.S. Pat. No. 4,744,146 to Gregory Schmidt for an Adjustable Blade Safety Knife with Carton-Cutting Guide issued May 17, 1988 describes utility knife having a safety guard and also a feature for guiding the knife when utilizing the knife for cutting carton.
There are also a number of other knives which are currently being sold on the market place which have various functions and are designed for cutting in specific applications or are designed for broad use for a number of applications.
Tradesman which are installing carpeting and/or vinyl flooring and/or wall paper at one stage of the installation process must trim off the excess carpet, vinyl or wall paper so that the edge end will evenly butt up against a wall or ceiling or trim pieces as the case may be. The installation of carpet, vinyl flooring and wall paper requires trimming off the excess materials in either corners or edges of a room where the carpet or vinyl abuts against a surface perpendicular or normal to the material being laid. Currently this trimming is normally done utilizing a standard utility knife similar to the one described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,561,906 wherein the person trimming must ensure that he is trimming the carpet and/or other material in such a manner to leave a flush even edge along the perpendicular or normal wall. During the trimming a standard utility knife must be angled property to ensure a square edge and to ensure that the cut is as uniform and as close to the wall as possible. Unfortunately even holding the knife at an improper angle will result in a longer and/or shorter cut. Therefore, during the trimming process constantly holding the knife at the proper trimming angle is an important aspect of the trimming process.
Therefore, it is desirable to have a knife which help controls the angle at which cutting takes place and aids in guiding the knife along at the proper angle as the trimming is carried out.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention a hand held utility knife for cutting and trimming materials such as carpet, vinyl, wallpaper and the like, the utility knife comprises:
a) a knife body adapted for grasping in a single hand;
b) at least one knife blade mounted proximate a guide end in said knife body and having a cutting direction axis;
c) said guide end including a means for guiding said knife in a uniform angular relationship relative to an adjacent planar surface such that the guide means minimizes rotation of the knife body about said cutting direction axis.
Preferably the guide means comprises at least one guide cheek defining a planar surface disposed at an angle theta relative to said knife blade such that said guide cheek is adapted to slidably engage and move parallel along an adjacent planar surface thereby ensuring that the blade cuts material at a uniform and preselected angle.
Preferably the guide means comprises at least two guide cheeks defining a planar surface each disposed at an angle theta relative to said knife blade such that said guide cheeks are adapted to slidably engage and move parallel along adjacent planar surfaces, such as a floor and wall, thereby ensuring that the blade cuts material at a uniform and preselected angle.
Preferably the utility knife is specifically adapted for cutting and trimming in corners where two planar surfaces, such as where a floor and wall meet, wherein the guide means comprises a corner guide including first and second guide cheeks each defining a planar surface and disposed at an angle theta relative to said knife blade such that said first guide cheek is adapted to slidably engage and move parallel along a first planar surface, such as a floor, and said second guide cheek is adapted to slidably engage and move parallel along a second planar surface, such as a wall, thereby ensuring that the blade cuts material at a uniform and preselected angle.
Preferably the guide means comprises first guide cheek disposed at an angle theta one relative said knife blade and second guide cheek disposed at an angle theta two relative to said knife blade, and said angle theta one plus theta two equals angle alpha the angle between first guide cheek and second guide cheek.
Preferably wherein the angle alpha is approximately 90 degrees and angles theta one and theta two are each 45 degrees, which are the preferred angles for trimming of material in corners having two planar surfaces oriented substantially 90 degrees relative each other.
Preferably wherein the knife body comprises a utility end and said guide end, said the utility end including a second knife blade, such that the guide end is used for cutting and trimming in corners and the second knife blade mounted in said utility end is used for conventional utility knife cutting and trimming operations.
Preferably the knife body comprises a utility end and said guide end, wherein the utility end including a second chisel end, such that the guide end is used for cutting and trimming in corners and the second chisel end is used for creasing, smoothing and like operations when installing carpet, vinyl, wallpaper and the like.
Preferably the knife body comprises a chisel end proximate said guide end, such that the guide end is used for cutting and trimming in corners and the chisel end is used for creasing, smoothing and like operations when installing carpet, vinyl, wallpaper and the like, and said second knife blade mounted in said utility end is used for conventional utility knife cutting and trimming.
An alternate embodiment of the present invention a utility knife attachment for use with commercially available hand held utility knives, the utility knife attachment comprises:
a) a knife attachment body including a guide end;
b) a means for releasably connecting said knife attachment to commercially available utility knives;
c) at least one knife blade at said guide end mounted in said knife body and having a cutting direction axis;
d) said guide end including a means for guiding said knife in a uniform angular relationship relative to a planar surface such that the guide means minimizes rotation of the knife body about said cutting direction axis.
The utility knife attachment preferably wherein the guide means comprises at least one guide cheek defining a planar surface disposed at an angle theta relative to said knife blade such that said guide cheek is adapted to slidably engage and move parallel along an adjacent planar surface thereby ensuring that the blade cuts material at a uniform and preselected angle.
The utility knife attachment preferably wherein the guide means comprises at least two guide cheeks defining a planar surfaces disposed at angles theta relative to said knife blade such that said guide cheeks are adapted to slidably engage and move parallel along adjacent planar surface, such as a floor and wall, thereby ensuring that the blade cuts material at a uniform and preselected angle.
The utility knife attachment preferably specifically adapted for cutting and trimming in corners where two planar surfaces, such as where a floor and wall meet, wherein the guide means comprises a corner guide including first and second guide cheeks each defining a planar surface and disposed at an angle relative to said knife blade such that said first guide cheek is adapted to slidably engage and move parallel along a first planar surface, such as a floor, and said second guide cheek is adapted to slidably engage and move parallel along a second planar surface, such as a wall, thereby ensuring that the blade cuts material at a uniform and preselect
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