GB2565565A

GB2565565A - Scraper tool adaptor

Info

Publication number: GB2565565A
Application number: GB1713128.5A
Authority: GB
Inventors: George Maxwell Hodges Alexander
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2017-08-16
Filing date: 2017-08-16
Publication date: 2019-02-20
Also published as: GB201713128D0; GB201720054D0; GB2565860A; GB2565860B

Abstract

An adaptor 100 for converting a utility knife 10, having an elongate handle 12, to a scraper tool is disclosed. The adaptor comprises an adaptor body 100 with attachment means for releasably attaching the adaptor body 100 to the first end of the handle 28, and blade retaining means for releasably attaching a scraping blade 14a to the adaptor body. The scraping blade 14a may have the same form as the cutting blade 14 and is held in a lateral orientation with respect to the handle 12, possibly by resilient grip. The scraper attachment 100 may be held on the knife by a slot 130 for receiving and gripping the cutting blade 14 of the utility knife 10 or could have a mounting stub. The adaptor may be of a size that it is storable in the handle of the utility knife (100a). Preferably, the adaptor 100 is made of rigid plastic that may be formed by injection moulding or could be made of metal material with shims.

Description

SCRAPER TOOL ADAPTOR

FIELD OFTHE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an adaptor for use with a utility knife. In particular, but not exclusively, the invention relates to an adaptor for converting a utility knife into a scraper tool.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

A large number of tasks in the construction industry require cutting and/or scraping actions. Typically, therefore, a construction worker will ideally be equipped with a utility knife for cutting, and a scraper tool for scraping.

A typical example of a utility knife is shown in Figure 1. The knife 10 includes a robust body or handle 12 that receives a replaceable cutting blade 14. A standard type of double-edged cutting blade 14 is generally trapezoidal in shape, with a sharpened long edge 16 for cutting, a parallel, shorter edge 18 and two oppositely inclined edges 20, 22 extending between the parallel edges 16, 18. A pair of locating notches 24 extend inwardly from the shorter parallel edge 18.

In one common arrangement, the handle 12 is elongate and hollow and consists of two shells arranged in a clamshell-type arrangement. Only one of the shells can be seen in Figure 1. The shells are secured to one another by a releasable screw 26 and one or more clips or engagement formations (not visible in Figure 1). In this way, the shells can be separated to allow access to the hollow interior.

The handle 12 is arranged to receive and retain the cutting blade 14 with the parallel edges 16, 18 of the blade 14 lying generally parallel to the handle 12 and with an end portion of the cutting blade 14 projecting from a first end 28 of the handle 12. The handle 12 includes a pair of ribs (not shown in Figure 1) that are arranged to locate in the notches 24 of the blade 14 to retain the blade 14. The ribs may be formed integrally with the handle 12, in which case the blade 14 will be nonretractable. Alternatively, as is the case in Figure 1, the ribs can be mounted on a

-2moveable carriage or blade holder that can be moved longitudinally within the handle 12 to extend and retract the blade 14 as required. The carriage is coupled to a slider 30 disposed on the outside of the handle 12 to allow the user to extend and retract the blade 14.

The handle 12 is arranged so that, when the shells are secured to one another, the handle 12 supports the blade 14 on its side surfaces and on its parallel edges 16, 18 to limit bending and movement of the blade 14 in use. The hollow interior of the handle 12 also provides storage space for spare cutting blades.

Examples of utility knives of this type are described in United States Patent Nos. 3107426, 3888002 and 6971178.

Scraper tools typically have an elongate handle with a blade holder at one end. In one common arrangement, the blade holder is arranged to receive a standard utility knife cutting blade of the type described above. When fitted to the blade holder, the blade is oriented so that the cutting edge extends laterally with respect to the handle. An example of a scraper tool of this type is described in United States Patent No. 4955138.

Although known utility knives and scraper tools have been well developed for their respective tasks, it can in practice be inconvenient to carry a scraper tool in addition to a utility knife, particularly when a worker only occasionally performs tasks that require a scraping action. Instead, the worker may use the utility knife for scraping, which typically results in a non-cutting edge of the blade (typically the inclined edge 20, as shown in Figure 1) being applied to the surface and can easily lead to scratching or damage. Alternatively, the worker may use a spare utility knife blade in a hand-held manner, without a handle, which increases the risk of injury.

It would therefore be desirable to provide apparatus that can overcome or mitigate some of these problems.

-3SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Against that background, and from a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an adaptor for a utility knife having an elongate handle with a first end arranged to retain a cutting blade, the adaptor comprising an adaptor body, attachment means for releasably attaching the adaptor body to the first end of the handle, and blade retaining means for releasably attaching a scraping blade to the adaptor body and for holding the scraping blade in a lateral orientation with respect to the handle.

The adaptor of the invention allows a utility knife to be easily and conveniently converted to a scraper tool and back again. In particular, the adaptor allows a scraping blade to be held in the correct lateral orientation with respect to the handle of the knife, to avoid damage to the workpiece. Scraping blades can be inserted into and removed from the adaptor as required, allowing a fresh scraping blade to be installed whenever needed.

Preferably, the attachment means is arranged to grip the cutting blade of the utility knife. In this way, the cutting blade does not need to be removed from the utility knife when the adaptor is installed, saving time. The cutting blade also provides a strong and secure mounting point for the adaptor.

The attachment means may, for example, comprise a cutting blade slot in the body for receiving the cutting blade of the knife. The cutting blade slot may be defined by opposing walls of the body, and the walls may be resilient to grip the cutting blade upon insertion of the cutting blade into the slot.

In an alternative arrangement, the attachment means comprises an attachment element arranged to cooperate with the handle. For example, the attachment element may be a projecting stub.

Preferably, the blade retaining means is arranged to accept a scraping blade having the same form as the cutting blade. In this way, the same blades can be used for

-4replacing both the cutting blade and the scraping blade as required. Furthermore, a worker equipped with a utility knife and spare blades need only be provided with the adaptor of the invention to allow conversion of the knife to a scraper tool.

The blade retaining means may be arranged to grip the scraping blade. For example, the blade retaining means may comprise a scraping blade slot in the body for receiving the scraping blade.

When both a scraping blade slot and a cutting blade slot are provided, the cutting blade slot and the scraping blade slot may be parallel. Alternatively, the scraping blade slot may be inclined with respect to the cutting blade slot, such that the scraping blade is held at an inclined angle with respect to the handle.

The adaptor is preferably dimensioned for storage within a hollow handle portion of the utility knife. In this way, the adaptor can be stored in the handle of the knife, together with spare blades. To this end, the adaptor may have a maximum width of up to 1.1 times the width of the cutting or scraping blade and/or a maximum depth of up to 1.5 times the depth of the cutting or scraping blade.

The present invention also extends, in a second aspect, to a combination of a utility knife having an elongate handle with a first end arranged to retain a cutting blade, and an adaptor according to the first aspect of the invention. The adaptor may be stored within a hollow handle portion of the utility knife.

Preferred and/or optional features of the first aspect of the invention may also be provided, alone or in appropriate combination, in the second aspect also.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals are used for like features, and in which:

-5Figure 1 shows a known utility knife;

Figure 2 shows the utility knife of Figure 1 fitted with an adaptor according to the present invention;

Figure 3 is a top side view of the adaptor;

Figure 4 is a front end view of the adaptor;

Figure 5 is a bottom side view of the adaptor;

Figure 6 is a back end view of the adaptor;

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of the adaptor;

Figure 8 is a top side view of the adaptor with a scraper blade inserted and fitted to the utility knife;

Figure 9 is a back side view of the adaptor with a scraper blade inserted and fitted to the utility knife; and

Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view of the adaptor with a scraper blade inserted and fitted to the utility knife.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Figure 2 shows an adaptor 100 according to the present invention fitted to the known utility knife 10. The adaptor 100 is attached to the knife 10 by engagement of the adaptor 10 with the extended cutting blade 14 of the knife.

The adaptor 100 retains a further blade 14a, referred to hereafter as the scraping blade, which is of the same type as the cutting blade 14. The adaptor 100 holds the scraping blade 14a in a generally perpendicular orientation to the cutting blade 14

-6of the knife 10, so that the sharpened long edge 16a of the scraping blade 14a extends laterally with respect to the handle 12 of the knife 10.

Referring to Figures 3 to 7, the adaptor 100 has a body of generally trapezoidal shape that includes a first or top side 102, a second or bottom side 104, a front end 106 and a back end 108.

A gap or slot 110 for receiving the scraping blade 14a extends inwardly from the front end 106 of the adaptor 100. The scraping blade slot 110 is substantially parallel to the top and bottom sides 102, 104 and is approximately mid-way therebetween, to divide the adaptor body into a top part 112 and a bottom part 114 on the respective top and bottom sides of the slot 110. Thus the slot 110 is defined by a bottom face 113 of the top part 112 and a top face 115 of the bottom part 114. It will be appreciated from Figures 3 and 5 that the bottom face 113 of the top part 112 and the top face 115 of the bottom part 114 are each shaped so that they not overlap.

As can be seen most clearly in Figure 3, the top part 112 is joined to the bottom part 114 by inclined faces 116, 118 that define a trapezoidal internal periphery of the slot 110. The top part 112 includes a cut-out 120 adjacent to the front end 106 of the adaptor 100.

Referring to Figure 5, the bottom part 114 also includes a cut-out 122 adjacent to the front end 106 of the adaptor 100. The cut-out 122 of the bottom part 114 is larger than the cut out 120 of the top part. The cut-out 122 is shaped to define a pair of tabs 124 that overlap the slot 110. A pair of locating ribs 126 extend forwardly from the back face of the slot 110.

Referring to Figures 6 and 7, a further slot 130 for receiving the cutting blade 14 of the utility knife extends inwardly from the back end 108 of the adaptor 100. The cutting blade slot 130 extends substantially parallel to the scraping blade slot 110 and within the top part 112 of the adaptor body.

-7 Figures 8 to 10 show the adaptor 100 when fitted to the utility knife, with the cutting blade 14 of the knife inserted in the cutting blade slot 130 of the adaptor 100. As explained above with reference to Figure 1, the cutting blade 14 is held in an extended position at the first end of the knife (the knife handle is not shown in Figures 8 to 10 for clarity).

The cutting blade 14 is an interference fit in the cutting blade slot 130 so that, when the adaptor 100 is pushed onto the cutting blade 14, the inside faces of the cutting blade slot 130 grip the side surfaces of the cutting blade 14 to secure the adaptor 100 to the knife. To remove the adaptor 100, the adaptor 100 and the knife can be pulled apart to withdraw the cutting blade 14 from the cutting blade slot 130.

The scraping blade 14a is inserted into the scraping blade slot 110. The scraping blade 14a is an interference fit in the slot 110, so that the blade 14a is gripped between the bottom face 113 of the top part 112 and the top face 115 of the bottom part 114 of the adaptor body. The cut outs 120, 122 in the top and bottom parts 112, 114 respectively allow the scraping blade 14a to be gripped between the thumb and forefinger of the user for insertion into and removal from the adaptor 100.

Referring back to Figure 2, with the adaptor 100 fitted to the cutting blade 14 of the utility knife 10, the sharpened long edge 16a of the scraping blade 14a is presented at a lateral orientation with respect to the handle 12 of the knife 10. Thus the scraping blade 14a is held in the optimum orientation with respect to the handle 12 for tasks that involve scraping.

Preferably, the adaptor 100 is sized so that it can be stored in the hollow handle 12 of the knife 10, alongside spare blades. The position of a stored adaptor 100a within the handle 12 is indicated in Figure 2. The adaptor 100 may be stored with the scraping blade 14a still in position in the slot 110, or with the scraping blade 14a removed.

-8A standard utility knife blade 14 has a depth of approximately 19 mm between the parallel edges 16, 18 and a width of approximately 60 mm along its longest edge. To allow the adaptor 100 to fit within the space provided in the handle for spare blades, the adaptor preferably has a maximum depth of up to 1.5 times the depth of the blade and a maximum width of approximately 1.1 times the width of the blade.

In the illustrated example, the adaptor 100 has a depth of approximately 27 mm between the front and back ends 106, 108 and a width of approximately 65 mm at its widest point.

In the illustrated example, the adaptor 100 is of unitary construction (i.e. the whole adaptor 100 is formed as a single moulding). However, the adaptor could be formed of two or more interconnectable parts. Similarly, the adaptor could include one or more moveable elements to assist in insertion, securing and/or removal of the scraping blade and/or to assist in attachment and/or detachment of the adaptor from the utility knife.

The adaptor is preferably of a rigid plastics material and is preferably formed by injection moulding. Examples of suitable plastics materials include acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polypropylene (PP), high impact polystyrene (HIPS), and polyamide (nylon), but any other suitable plastics material could be used. The adaptor could also be manufactured from a suitable metallic material, such as an aluminium alloy or steel. In this case, plastic shims may be provided in the slots to grip the cutting and scraping blades.

The cutting blade slot may be triangular in shape, so that the cutting blade can be inserted into the cutting blade slot in only one orientation, to fix the orientation of the adaptor with respect to the handle. Alternatively, the cutting blade slot could be square in shape (or at least have two-fold mirror symmetry) to allow the cutting blade to be inserted in either orientation. The scraping blade slot may extend at an inclined angle with respect to the cutting blade slot, so that the scraping blade is held at a desired angle with respect to the handle when the adaptor is in use.

-9Alternative means may be provided for attaching the adaptor to the utility knife. For example, instead of attaching the adaptor to the cutting blade of the knife, the adaptor may be provided with an attachment element that cooperates with the handle. In one example, the attachment element is in the form of a projecting mounting stub that extends rearwardly from the back end of the adaptor. The stub may take the general form of the back portion of a standard utility knife blade, including the locating notches, but without the cutting edge. In this way, the stub can be fitted into the handle of the knife in place of the cutting blade. The stub may be removable from the adaptor or foldable with respect to the adaptor body to allow the adaptor to be stored in the hollow handle of the knife.

In another example, a mounting stub is provided on the adaptor that fits into the triangular space created adjacent to the first end of the handle when the cutting blade is retracted. In this case, the mounting stub may be dimensioned to form an interference fit in the handle so that the adaptor can be inserted and removed without separating the two shells of the handle. Again, the stub may be removable or foldable for storage of the adaptor.

The shape of the adaptor body may differ from the example described above. For example, the adaptor body may include one or more ridges or ribs on its top and/or bottom sides, adjacent to the back end of the adaptor, to act as a finger guard and/or to increase the user’s grip on the adaptor for attachment and detachment from the knife.

The adaptor described above conveniently allows a spare cutting blade to be used as the scraping blade. In this way, the user need carry only one type of blade for both tasks. It is however conceivable that the adaptor could be arranged to accept a scraping blade of a different type.

Further variations and modifications not explicitly described above are also possible without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. An adaptor for a utility knife having an elongate handle with a first end arranged to retain a cutting blade, the adaptor comprising:

an adaptor body;

attachment means for releasably attaching the adaptor body to the first end ofthe handle; and blade retaining means for releasably attaching a scraping blade to the adaptor body and for holding the scraping blade in a lateral orientation with respect to the handle.

2. An adaptor according to Claim 1, wherein the attachment means is arranged to grip the cutting blade.

3. An adaptor according to Claim 2, wherein the attachment means comprises a cutting blade slot in the body for receiving the cutting blade of the knife.

4. An adaptor according to Claim 3, wherein the cutting blade slot is defined by opposing walls of the body, and wherein the walls are resilient to grip the cutting blade upon insertion of the cutting blade into the slot.

5. An adaptor according to Claim 1, wherein the attachment means comprises an attachment element arranged to cooperate with the handle.

6. An adaptor according to any preceding claim, wherein the blade retaining means is arranged to accept a scraping blade having the same form as the cutting blade.

7. An adaptor according to any preceding claim, wherein the blade retaining means is arranged to grip the scraping blade.

8. An adaptor according to Claim 7, wherein the blade retaining means comprises a scraping blade slot in the body for receiving the scraping blade.

9. An adaptor according to Claim 8 when dependent on Claim 3 or Claim 4, wherein the cutting blade slot and the scraping blade slot are parallel.

10. An adaptor according to Claim 8 when dependent on Claim 3 or Claim 4, wherein the scraping blade slot is inclined with respect to the cutting blade slot, such that the scraping blade is held at an inclined angle with respect to the handle.

11. An adaptor according to any preceding claim, wherein the adaptor is dimensioned for storage within a hollow handle portion of the utility knife.

12. An adaptor according to Claim 11, wherein the adaptor has a maximum width of up to 1.1 times the width of the scraping blade.

13. An adaptor according to Claim 11 or Claim 12, wherein the adaptor has a maximum depth of up to 1.5 times the depth of the scraping blade.

14. In combination, a utility knife having an elongate handle with a first end arranged to retain a cutting blade, and an adaptor according to any preceding claim.

15. The combination of Claim 14, wherein the adaptor is stored within a hollow handle portion of the utility knife.