DE29708220U1 - Knife handle body - Google Patents

Description

Hubert Wolfgang Schneider Sonnenstrasse 11 89250 Senden

Representative:

Kohler Schmid + Partner Patent Attorneys Ruppmannstrasse 70565 Stuttgart

Knife handle body

The present invention relates to a knife handle body, which extends in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the knife and has handle contact surfaces aligned transversely to the plane of a knife blade, which are connected to one another via handle side surfaces.

Such a knife handle body is known from the German utility model G 86 14 089.2.

Knife handles are used to handle all kinds of knives that are needed in many areas of application, such as household, kitchen, hobby, etc. In these areas of application, knives are usually only used for short periods of time and irregularly, so that the function of the knife handle plays only a minor role. The situation is different, however, for knives that are used permanently in commercial applications, for example in the meat processing industry, in carcass cutting, slaughterhouses, for boning, etc. When using a knife professionally over a longer period of time, it is particularly important to always be able to grip the knife firmly. Consequently, the design of the knife handle is, alongside the design of the knife blade, the decisive quality factor of a good knife.

The interaction of the hand gripping the knife with the knife handle body affects the transfer of force from the hand to the knife blade. When using a knife professionally, a distinction is made between the cutting position, the fist grip position and the so-called boning position. In the cutting position, the knife handle body is gripped by the hand in a natural hand position so that the knife blade is aligned as an extension of the arm. The fist grip position is characterized by the fact that the knife handle is gripped by the hand forming a fist, with the thumb of the hand resting on one side of the handle, while part of the index finger rests on the opposite side of the handle. In the boning position, the knife handle body is gripped similarly to the

Held in a fist grip position so that the underside of the knife handle rests on the palm area.

During the complete butchering of an animal carcass, the meat must be processed and cut in different ways several times. Depending on the areas to be cut (shoulder areas with tendons, areas of the body containing bones and joints, etc.), the butcher's grip position changes as often as he likes. For this reason, the knife handle must be designed in such a way that, thanks to its shape, it can still be gripped safely and firmly in the various grip positions for good power transmission.

The known knife handle body has a substantially oval cross-section. Viewed in cross-section, the handle side surfaces are more pronounced than the handle contact surfaces aligned transversely to the plane of a knife blade. Consequently, the fingers can be sufficiently supported on the handle side surfaces in the various gripping positions, but there are no pronounced grip contact surfaces for the palm of the hand. Due to the narrow width of the upper side of the handle body, the known knife handle body cannot be firmly gripped for a long time without causing hand fatigue. A firm and sufficiently secure grip of the known knife handle body is also made more difficult by the fact that the knife handle body is wetted with blood and leaking synovial fluid from the animal body during the cutting process. Maintaining an optimal grip position is also difficult because the knife handle body is surrounded by animal fats during the processing of the animal body. It is neither sensible nor possible to

handle body to be cleaned permanently. The knife handle body can start to slip around in the hand after a certain amount of time. On the one hand, this has a negative effect on safety, as slipping the knife can cause dangerous injuries, and on the other hand, an incorrect grip position over time puts unnecessary strain on the joints and the entire arm. The consequences are inflammation in the tendon area, permanent joint damage or damage to health, which must be remedied by medical treatment or surgery. The design of the well-known knife handle body with a narrow grip surface and a strong curve across the width may be advantageous for certain applications, but it can cause health damage to the user.

Another knife handle body is known from G 91 15 517.5, which has a wider grip contact surface on its upper side than the knife handle body described. However, this known knife handle body has a twisted design over its entire length. This knife handle body also initially fits well in the hand. However, as soon as the cutting process has to be carried out with greater force and the outer surface of the knife handle body is wetted with liquid and smeared with animal fats, the problems already described above arise here too. The twisted design of the knife handle body is intended to ensure that the knife handle body fits well in the hand on the one hand, and on the other hand, the knife handle body should be able to be easily rotated in the hand precisely because of its twisting. The intended rotation in the hand, which is easy to carry out for various areas of application, can also be disadvantageously carried out in

In other areas of application (e.g. difficult cutting) it cannot be avoided where it is not desired.

Therefore, the present invention is based on the object of improving the known knife handle bodies in such a way that even when cutting with the greatest effort and under unfavorable cutting conditions, a sufficiently safe and non-harmful permanent handling of the knife handle body by the user is always guaranteed.

This object is achieved according to the invention in that the -■ knife handle body can be divided over a length up to the end regions of the knife handle body and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the knife into a plurality of individual cross-sectional areas that can be joined one behind the other, in each of which at least one of the cross-sectional sides aligned transversely to the plane of the knife blade is formed by a section of a straight line, the straight lines being congruent or parallel to one another and transverse to the longitudinal axis, and in that the handle contact surface, which is arranged on the side of the knife handle body opposite a cutting surface, intersects at least one of the two handle side surfaces at an angle of <; 90°.

One advantage of the design of the knife handle body according to the invention is that the grip contact surface opposite a cutting surface has a certain width. According to the invention, a certain width is understood to mean that at least a part of the palm of the hand that is about 1 cm wide can rest on a grip contact surface of the knife handle body. This grip contact surface forms a plane onto which the part of the palm of the hand can be pressed well. In the various grip positions

The force can therefore be transferred from the arm via the hand directly to the knife handle and thus to the knife blade.

A further advantage of the knife handle body is the reinforced shape of at least one edge in the area of the handle contact surfaces and the handle side surfaces. If the handle side surfaces and the upper handle contact surface intersect in the preferred angle range, the hand can be easily pressed in so that the knife handle body can always be held without slipping. It goes without saying that the edges described cannot be so sharp that injuries and cuts occur in the gripping hand. Therefore, according to the invention, a cutting angle of less than or equal to 90° is also understood to mean that the edges in the immediate area of the handle contact surface are slightly rounded. It is important that the handle contact surfaces and the handle side surfaces meet in their imaginary extension at the angle according to the invention (small radii meet the inventive claim).

Due to the interaction of the distinctive planar grip surface with the edges in the area of the side surfaces of the handle, the knife handle can be gripped firmly and securely even if the entire body of the knife handle is soaked in blood or surrounded by fat. Viewed from the side along its axial extension, the grip surface could of course be slightly curved or concave. The palm of the hand can then cling to this contour and exert the desired pressure.

If the individual cross-sectional areas or slices are placed one behind the other, a handle contact surface can also run diagonally to the longitudinal axis of the knife handle body when viewed from the side. It is also conceivable to form small steps along the length of the knife handle body, provided that the shape of the cross-sectional areas is retained.

The handle contact surfaces can also run at an angle to the plane of the knife blade. The handle contact surfaces can be aligned parallel to each other or at an angle to each other. Such inclined handle contact surfaces enable an improved grip in the hand in order to be able to hold the knife handle body forcefully in the hand.

In a preferred embodiment, the left and right cross-sectional sides of the cross-sectional areas are each formed by sections of straight lines that are congruent or parallel to one another and run transversely to the longitudinal axis. A section of a straight line means that two points on the cross-sectional side are connected to one another in a straight line. As in the case of the handle contact surfaces, the invention consists in the knife handle body being constructed from individual discs of the same shape and low thickness, the side surfaces of which are flat across the width. If both the handle contact surface opposite the cutting surface and the handle side surfaces are formed by arranging these discs one after the other, the hand gripping the knife handle body can rest on at least three essentially planar surfaces. Four planar surfaces are of course particularly advantageous. The knife handle body then has an essentially rectangular cross-sectional area.

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It is also preferred that at least one of the handle contact surfaces aligned transversely to the plane of the knife blade and/or one handle side surface has a coarse-grained surface structure. A coarse-grained surface structure is preferably understood to mean a grain of up to 180. A slight knob-like profile should be formed at least over a larger, continuous surface area of the handle contact surfaces and/or the handle side surfaces. The function of a surface with a low level of roughness can be further supported by the knife handle body being slightly flexible (e.g. by a gel cushion) immediately below the surface, while otherwise it has a hard handle core. This means that the gripping hand always has optimal contact with the knife handle body. It is important that the surface of the handle contact surfaces and/or the handle side surfaces have a roughness so that frictional resistance must be overcome when moving the knife handle body within the hand. The greatest possible frictional resistance means that undesirable twisting of the knife handle body can be suppressed.

In a further variant of the invention, the knife handle body has end formations in the area of the knife blade and/or in the area of the handle end, which delimit at least one of the handle contact surfaces aligned transversely to the plane of the knife blade and/or the handle side surfaces. The end formations form, so to speak, stop points for the hand moving along the surface of the handle contact surfaces or the handle side surfaces. The spacing of the end formations from one another in the front and rear parts of the knife handle body can be selected in such a way that the hand is optimally enclosed in order to prevent the knife from slipping.

handle body. In an optimal design, the end formations limit all side surfaces of the knife handle body, so that both end formations form circumferential beads or caps in both the rear and front areas of the knife handle body.

Preferably, an end shape is provided on the handle contact surface, which is located on the side opposite the cutting surface. The end shape can be provided in the end area of the knife handle body or elsewhere on the handle contact surface. Due to this end shape, the knife handle body resting on the handle contact surface always tilts to the side. The knife handle body cannot be placed on a base in such a way that the cutting surface of the knife blade is facing upwards. The knife handle body therefore meets the safety regulations and standards that are generally required of knife handle bodies.

The end formations can be stepped at an almost right angle to at least one of the handle contact surfaces aligned transversely to the plane of the knife blade and/or one of the handle side surfaces. Such steps further improve the effect of the contact surfaces for the adjacent hand areas of the user.

In another variant, the end formation provided in the area of the knife blade has two spaced apart beads on the side opposite a cutting surface of the knife blade. The two beads limit a part of the grip contact surface of the knife handle body. The thumb of the hand can preferably be placed between these two beads.

Find space to further improve the transfer of force from the hand to the knife blade.

It is also beneficial if the end shape provided in the area of the knife blade is convex on the side facing the cutting surface of the knife blade with a large, spherical contact surface. This is particularly important if the knife handle body is held primarily in its front area. During certain cutting processes in the area of particularly tough or sinewy pieces of meat, the knife blade can then be easily inserted into the piece of meat. Despite this increased effort, the knife handle body allows safe handling without the risk of injury from slipping.

In a further embodiment, the end shape grips at least part of the top and/or the cutting surface of the knife blade in a cap-like manner. The cap-like grip around the knife blade allows the user of the knife to grip the knife even further forward. For this reason, the pressure point or pivot point of the knife can be pushed even further forward in order to work on a certain part of the piece of meat with increased force.

Further advantages emerge from the description of the attached drawing. Likewise, the features mentioned above and those listed below can be used according to the invention individually or in any combination with one another. The embodiments mentioned are not to be understood as exhaustive, but rather are exemplary in nature.

The invention is illustrated in the drawing and is explained in more detail using an embodiment. It shows:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a knife with a knife body according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the knife according to Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section through the knife body according to Fig. 1 along the line III-III;

Fig. 4 shows a section through another knife handle body analogous to Fig. 3.

The individual figures of the drawing show the knife handle body according to the invention in a partially highly schematic manner and are not to be understood to scale.

A side view of Fig. 1 shows a knife handle body 10 in which a knife blade 11 is attached. The knife handle body 10 can be made from a solid material (plastic, wood, metal, etc.) into which the knife blade 11 is at least partially inserted. The knife handle body 10 can also be applied to the knife blade 11 using an injection molding technique from a hardenable plastic. The knife blade 11 extends at least partially into the knife handle body 10 in the longitudinal direction. Depending on the design and strength requirements, the knife blade 11 can also extend into the end region of the knife handle body 10.

The knife handle body 10 has handle contact surfaces 12 and 13 that extend transversely to a plane of the knife blade 11. If the knife handle body 10 were to be divided into a plurality of individual cross-sectional areas transversely to the plane of the knife blade 11, the knife handle body 10 would consist of individual slices with the same geometric structure and a shape of the cross-sectional area, one of which will be described in Fig. 3 .

In Fig. 1, both the handle contact surface 12 and the handle contact surface 13 run parallel in the direction of the longitudinal axis 14 of the knife 15. The handle contact surfaces 12 and 13 could also be slightly convex or concave. According to the invention, it is only important to ensure that the individual slices have the cross-sectional shape shown in Fig. 3 and that a straight extension in width transverse to the longitudinal axis 14 of the knife 15 is guaranteed.

The knife handle body 10 is limited by end formations 16 and in its longitudinal extent. The rear end formation 16 projects beyond the handle contact surface 13, so that a step 16' is formed between the handle contact surface 13 and the end formation 16 at a right angle. In the example shown in the figure, there is only one step 16' towards the handle contact surface 13. Depending on requirements, however, such step edges could also be present towards the handle side surfaces 18 or the handle contact surface 12. The end formation 16 is slightly beveled towards a handle end 19. The bevel enables better pressing in and resting in the palm of the hand.

As an example, a coarse-grained surface structure 18' is drawn for the handle side surface 18. At least individual connected areas of the surfaces of the knife handle body 10 should have such a surface structure. This design supports the secure grip of the knife handle body 10 even under difficult conditions during the cutting process. This is particularly important when the knife handle body 10 is surrounded by slippery materials. A rough surface increases the frictional resistance against the palm of the hand. This has a positive effect on a secure grip of the knife handle body 10 even when the knife handle body 10 is already lubricated with grease.

The end shape 17 in the front area of the knife handle body 10 also merges into the handle contact surface 13 in a step 20. The transition between the handle side surface 18 and the end shape 17 is also designed in steps. The hand can support itself on the steps during the cutting process, so that the knife handle body 10 can never completely slip out of the hand. Towards the handle contact surface 12, the end shape 17 merges into two beads 21 and 22. The beads 21 and 22 limit a pressure surface 23 of the end shape 17. The pressure surface 23 is suitable for representing a contact surface for the thumb of the hand. During the cutting process, a cutting surface 24 can be pressed particularly forcefully into the meat via the pressure surface 23. The pressure surface 23 can be designed over the entire circumference of the knife handle body 10. In order to avoid cutting the hand when the knife handle body 10 is held largely in the area of the end formation 17, an extension section 25 of the end formation 17 surrounds the cutting surface 24 like a cap. Likewise, another requirement

The extension section 26 forms an upper side 27 of the knife blade 11. The extension sections 25 and 26 serve to protect the hand in different grip positions.

In Fig. 2, the knife 15 is shown in a top view. The knife handle body 10 extends in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the knife 15 in extension of the knife blade 11. The handle contact surface 12 is provided as a flat surface for the palm of the hand to rest on. The palm of the hand slipping on the handle contact surface 12 in the direction of the knife blade 11 is prevented by the fact that the end formation 17 transitions in steps into the handle contact surface 12. Such a transition from an end formation to the handle contact surface 12 could also be provided in the area of the handle end 19 of the knife handle body 10.

The beads 21 and 22 define a pressure surface 23. The spacing of the beads 21 and 22 is selected so that the thumb of one hand can comfortably fit between the beads 21 and 22. Pressure can therefore be exerted on the upper part of the knife blade 11 via the thumb of the hand. The extension section 26, a type of protective cap, prevents the upper side 27 from cutting into parts of the hand when this part of the knife blade 11 is gripped.

In Fig. 3, a section through the knife handle body 10 is shown along a line III-III according to Fig. 1. According to the invention, the entire knife handle body 10 can be divided into a plurality of individual slices, which when joined together form the knife handle body 10. Each of the individual slices may differ slightly in size from another slice, but has the same basic geometric shape of a cross-sectional area 28. This means

tet that the handle contact surface 12 axis can be formed from a large number of sub-areas, which are sections of congruent or parallel straight lines 29. The addition of such straight lines 29 then results in the handle contact surface 12. Viewed across the width of the handle contact surface 12, the handle contact surface 12 is always straight. In the direction of the longitudinal axis 14 of the knife handle body 10, however, the handle contact surface 12 can have a slight curvature. The statements regarding the handle contact surface 12 naturally also apply to the handle contact surface 13 and the handle side surfaces 18. According to the invention, it is only important that either the handle contact surface 12 or the handle contact surface 13 is designed in this way. Straight lines 29 of the handle contact surface 12 correspond to straight lines 29' of the handle contact surface 13. If only one of the four side surfaces of the knife handle body 10 is designed as described above, the knife handle body 10 already has a contact surface for sufficiently safe handling of the knife 15.

For safe handling of the knife handle body 10, it is useful that the handle contact surface 12 forms an angle s 90° with the handle side surfaces 18. Such a shape of edges 3 0 and 31 enables the knife handle body 10 to be easily pressed into the palm of the hand. If the knife handle body 10 is already greased by escaping fat or synovial fluid when cutting a piece of meat, the edges 3 0 and 31 prevent the knife handle body 10 from twisting in the hand. According to the invention, an angle 90° is also understood to mean that the edges 2 9 and 3 0 in the immediate area of the handle contact surface 12 are slightly rounded in order to prevent cuts in the palm of the hand.

The section in Fig. 4 through another knife handle body corresponds to the section in Fig. 3. According to the invention, this entire knife handle body can also be divided into a large number of individual slices which, when put together, form the knife handle body. Each of the individual slices may differ slightly in size from another slice, but has the same basic geometric shape of a cross-sectional area 40. This means that the handle contact surface 41 can be formed from a large number of sub-areas which are sections of congruent or parallel straight lines 42. The addition of such straight lines 42 then results in the handle contact surface 41. Viewed across the width of the handle contact surface 41, the handle contact surface 41 is always straight. In the direction of the longitudinal axis of the knife handle body, however, the handle contact surface 41 can have a slight curvature. The statements regarding the handle contact surface 41 naturally also apply to the handle contact surface 43 and the handle side surfaces 44. According to the invention, it is only important that either the handle contact surface 41 or the handle contact surface 43 is designed in this way. Straight lines 42 of the handle contact surface 41 correspond to straight lines 45 of the handle contact surface 43. If only one of the four side surfaces of the knife handle body is designed as described above, the knife handle body already has a contact surface for sufficiently safe handling of the knife.

For safe handling of the knife handle body, it is useful that the handle contact surface 41 forms an angle of £ 90° with one of the handle side surfaces 44. Such a shape of an edge 46 enables the knife handle body to be easily pressed into the palm of the hand. When the knife

If the handle body is already greased by escaping fat or synovial fluid when cutting a piece of meat, the edge 46 prevents the knife handle body from twisting in the hand. According to the invention, an angle of £ 90° also means that the edge 46 is slightly rounded in the immediate area of the handle contact surface 41 in order to prevent cuts to the palm of the hand.

Fig. 4 shows a knife handle body for a left-handed person (grip with the left hand). The handle contact surfaces 41 and 43 run from top right to bottom left, inclined towards the cutting surface of the knife blade. A knife handle body for a right-handed person must be designed in a similar way with mirror symmetry. The handle contact surfaces 41 and run parallel to each other and serve as contact surfaces for the gripping hand. The number 47 designates a final shape of the knife handle body.

A knife handle body 10 extends in the direction of the longitudinal axis 14 of a knife 15 and has handle contact surfaces 12, 13 aligned transversely to the plane of a knife blade 11, which are connected to one another via handle side surfaces 18. The knife handle body 10 can be divided over a length up to the end regions of the knife handle body 10 and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 14 of the knife 15 into a plurality of individual cross-sectional surfaces that can be joined one behind the other, in which at least one of the cross-sectional sides aligned transversely to the plane of the knife blade 11 is formed by a section of a straight line. The straight lines run congruently or parallel to one another and transversely to the longitudinal axis 14. The handle contact surface 12, which is arranged on the side of the knife handle body 10 opposite a cutting surface, merges into the handle side surface.

chen 18 at an angle of <, 90°. Even when cutting with the greatest effort and under unfavourable cutting conditions, sufficiently safe and non-harmful, long-term handling of the knife handle body by the user is always guaranteed.

Claims (1)

Protection claims 1. Knife handle body (10), which extends in the direction of the longitudinal axis (14) of a knife (15) and has handle contact surfaces (12, 13) aligned transversely to the plane of a knife blade (11), which are connected to one another via handle side surfaces (18), characterized, that the knife handle body (10) can be divided over a length up to the end regions (19) of the knife handle body (10) and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis (14) of the knife (15) into a plurality of individual cross-sectional areas (28) that can be joined one behind the other, in each of which at least one of the cross-sectional sides aligned transversely to the plane of the knife blade (11) is formed by a section of a straight line (29), the straight lines (29, 29') being congruent or parallel to one another and transversely to the longitudinal axis (14), and that the handle contact surface (12), which is arranged on a side of the knife handle body (10) opposite a cutting surface (24), merges into at least one of the two handle side surfaces (18) at an angle < 90°. 2. Knife handle body according to claim 1, characterized in that left and right cross-sectional sides of the cross-sectional surfaces (28) are each formed by sections of straight lines that are congruent or parallel to one another and transverse to the longitudinal axis (14). &bull; » f . Knife handle body according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one of the handle contact surfaces (12, 13) aligned transversely to the plane of the knife blade (11) and/or one of the handle side surfaces (18) have a coarse-grained surface structure (18'). 4. Knife handle body according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the knife handle body (10) in the area of the knife blade (11) and/or in the area of the handle end has end formations (16, 17) which form at least one of the ends transverse to the plane of the knife blade (11) aligned handle contact surfaces (12, 13) and/or one of the handle side surfaces (18). 5. Knife handle body according to claim 4, characterized in that the end formations (16, 17) meet in a step-like manner at a nearly right angle on at least one of the handle contact surfaces (12, 13) aligned transversely to the plane of the knife blade (11) and/or one of the handle side surfaces (18). 6. Knife handle body according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the end formation (17) provided in the region of the knife blade (11) has two spaced-apart beads (21, 22) on the side opposite a cutting surface (24) of the knife blade (11). 7. Knife handle body according to one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that the end formation (17) on the side facing the cutting surface (24) of the knife blade (11) is convex with a smooth, spherical contact surface. ·* »&diams;» tr t 8. Knife handle body according to one of claims 4 to 7, characterized in that the end formation (17) covers at least part of an upper side (27) of the knife blade (11) and/or the cutting surface (24) of the knife blade (11) like a cap.