GB2440999A

GB2440999A - Knife sharpener

Info

Publication number: GB2440999A
Application number: GB0616104A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Gervase Lionel Thorngate Evans
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-08-12
Filing date: 2006-08-12
Publication date: 2008-02-20
Also published as: US20080039001A1; GB0616104D0

Abstract

A knife sharpener comprising an abrasive element 6 which contains parallel abrasive 8 and support faces 4 and a body which contains: a blade support face 3, which is arranged in a V with the abrasive support surface 4 to define an acute angle a arranged to sharpen one side of the blade B, a handle 2, and a means 9 for holding the abrasive element 8 against its support surface 4. The abrasive element 8 may abut the blade support surface 3 or there may be a gap there between. The abrasive element 8 is secured to the support surface by a magnet 5. Two scallops 17 in the abrasive element support surface provide access to the back of the abrasive element 8.

Description

KNIFE SHARPENER

The present invention relates to a knife sharpener.

A variety of knife sharpeners are available for manually sharpening knife * blades. The majority of these employ a plurality of sharpening elements on one or both sides of the blade being sharpened or at least one etement on each side.

At least some of these sharpeners have a tendency to remove metal unevenly from the knife blade being sharpened.

Conventional steels, which are in effect fine round files, remove metal evenly due to their relatively large size, from one side at a time.

The object of the present invention is to provide a knife sharpener emulating a conventional steel and using a modem abrasive.

According to the invention there is provided a knife sharpener comprising: * an abrasive element having a pair of parallel faces: * an abrasive face and * a support face, * a body having: * a handle, * a blade support surface * an abrasive element support surface the two support surfaces being arranged in a V to define an acute included angle being haifa sharpening angle of a blade sharpened on both sides and * means for holding the abrasive element against its support surface.

Whilst it can be envisaged that the abrasive element extends to and abuts with the blade support surface, in the preferred embodiment, the blade support surface has a recess into which the abrasive element extends, thereby avoiding a gap between the abrasive element and the body in which the blade could jam.

Preferably the abrasive element has a magnetic plate and the means for holding the element is a magnet.

Whilst the handle could extend down beneath the blade support surface, when this is horizontal, preferably, it extends generally parallel with the blade support surface away from the abrasive element, whereby pushing of the blade towards the abrasive element whilst drawing the blade along it can be reacted by pulling on the handle in the direction of its extension from the blade support surface.

To help understanding of the invention, a specific embodiment thereof will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying is drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a knife sharpener in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a plan view of the sharpener of Figure 1 and Figure 3 is a side view of the sharp ener, with a knife being sharpened shown in section.

Referring to the drawings, the knife sharpener has a body I with a handle 2. At the proximal end of the handle, the body spreads out to provide a knife blade support surface 3. From the edge of this remote from the handle, an abrasive element support surface 4 extends at an acute angle back towards the handle and away from the blade support surface. The support surface 4 carries centrally a magnet 5, which keeps an abrasive element 6 pulled against the surface 4. The element has a thin coating of abrasive material 7 on a magnetic strip 8 and a stiffening backing 9 of polymer. The blade support surface has a rebate 10 into which an edge 11 of the abrasive element extends.

In use, a blade B laid on the support surface 3 and urged away from the handle, whilst being pulled along the abrasive element 6. This action grinds into the material of the blade, leaving it with a sharp edge 12 in due course.

The abrasive element is held at an acute angle a, typically 200, with respect to the blade support surface. Thus one ground face of the blade 13 is at 20 to its opposite blade face 14. The knife sharpener is then turned over and the other ground face 15 of the blade is ground at 20 to its opposite blade face 16. The result is that the blade is sharpened with an angle 3 of 40 .

Accurate, repeatable sharpening is possible. The preferred abrasive element is diamond impregnated. For changing the element -for instance between coarser and io liner -the two scallops 17 are provided for access to the back of the element.

Claims

CLAIMS: I. A knife sharpener comprising: * an abrasive element having a

pair of parallel faces: * an abrasive face and * a support face, * a body having: * a handle, * a blade support surface * an abrasive element support surface * the two support surfaces being arranged in a V to define an acute included angle being haifa sharpening angle of a blade sharpened on both sides and * means for holding the abrasive element against its support surface.

2. A knife sharpener as claimed in claim 1, wherein the abrasive element extends to and abuts with the blade support surface.

3. A knife sharpener as claimed in claim 1, wherein the blade support surface has a recess into which the abrasive element extends, thereby avoiding a gap between the abrasive element and the body.

4. A knife sharpener as claimed in claim 1, claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the abrasive element has a magnetic plate and the means for holding the element is a magnet.

5. A knife sharpener as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the handle extends transversely of the blade support surface.

6. A knife sharpener as claimed in any one of claims I to 4, wherein the handle extends generally parallel with the blade support surface away from the abrasive element. * *e

7. A knife sharpener as claimed in any preceding claim, including two scallops 17 provided in the an abrasive element support surface for access to the back of the * ** abrasive element.

8. A knife sharpener substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.