US1620133A - Topping and pruning knife - Google Patents

Description

March 8, 1927. r 1 1,629,133

0. M. RANDGLFH TOPPING AND PRUNING KNIFE Filed April 15, 1926 Inventor flttorney Patented Mar. 8, 1927.

UNITED STATES OTIS RANEDGLPH, OF KIN'SLEY, KANSAS.

TOPPING AND PRUNING KNIFE.

Application filed April 13, 1926.

The object of my said invention is the provision of a topping and pruning knife adapted to be fixed on the hand and possessed of the practical advantages hereinafter ascribed to the same. v

The invention in all of its details willbe fully understood from the following description and claims when the same are read in connection with the drawings, accompanying and forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a perspective of the knife constituting the pref-erred embodiment of my invention. I

Figure 2 is a plan view of the knife with its metallic portion in a flat state.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective showing the inner side of the upper portion of the forward brace member comprised in the knife.

Similar numerals of reference design-ate corresponding parts in all of the views of the drawings.

The preferred embodiment of my invention is adapted to be readily adjusted and adjustably fixed to snugly fit and properly fit hands of different sizes, and in the said embodiment the body of the knife is formed by two plates 1 and 2 of appropriate, bendable sheet metal. The plate 1 is provided with a series of threaded apertures 2 for adjustment purposes, and the plate 2 which is arranged in lapped relation on the plate 1 is provided with two plain apertures 3,

the said apertures 3 having countersinks at their upper ends and being designed for the passage of the threaded shanks of screws 4: which are threaded into the apertures 2* for the adjustable fixing of the plates 1 and 2 together. Manifestly by virtue of the construction described, the body of my novel knife may be increased or diminished in length as occasion demands. The body is provided with a longitudinal side flange 5 adapted to rest at the back and adjacent to the edge of the hand remote from the thumb, and the said body is also provided with a guard flange 6 adapted to rest against the palm portion of the hand adjacent to specified edge thereof. The said body is also provided at opposite sides with forward and rear braces, the forward brace being designated by 7 and the rear brace by 8. Man ifestly when the body is formed of adjustably connected plates as described, the brace Serial No. 101,732.

7 will be integral with and carried by the forward plate 1, and the brace 8 will be carried by the rear plate 2. Only the inner sections of the said braces 7 and 8 are integral with their respective plates 1 and 2. The outer sect-ions 7* and 8 are adjustably fixed to the inner sections insubstanti ally the same manner as the plates 1 and 2 are adjustably connected together. It will also be noticed that the braces 7 and 8 are adapted to be bent from the positions shown in Figure2 to the positions substantially as shown in Figure 1; also, that the sections of the braces 7 and 8 are provided with telescopically arranged flanges 9 and 10, said flanges being designed to retain straps 11 and 12 of leather or other appropriate material in the braces, and the said straps being provided with buckles 18 and 14- so that they may be tightly and adjustably fixed to fasten the knife on the hand. i

The knife blade 15 of my improvement is of general. hook shape and is detachably connected at 16 to the body by screws or other appropriate means. This provision is resorted to in order that the blade 15 may be expeditiously and easily removed and as readily replaced with a fresh blade when occasion demands. In order to lend increased thickness and strength to the blade 15 the latter is provided on its back edge with a rolled portion 17, Figures 1 and 2. I would also have it here understood that each of the braces 7 and 8 is provided with a lip extension such as 18' in FigureB, both of the said extensions being also shown in Figure 1.

In positioning my novel knife upon the right hand, the hand with the fingers extended and the thumb disposed upwardly is pushedinto the trough of the body until the brace 7 is received in the seat between the base of the thumb and the hand, whereupon the straps which are preferably riveted to the body of the knife are fastened about the hand.

With the knife secured upon the hand in the manner described, the knife is adapted to be used to advantage for the topping of grain, the operator grasping the head of the grain with the extended fingers of the right hand and pulling rearwardly on said hand whereupon the knife will cut the stalk. Manifestly as the grain is grasped the knife blade 15 is hooked around the stalk below the hand of the operator so that when a pull or quick jerk is given the knife, the stalk will be cut and the head of the grain will be left in the hand of the operator ready to be thrown into a wagon or other receptacle. Thus by virtue of my novel knife applied as stated, but one hand need be employed in topping grain which is manifestlyan important advantage.

In the use of my improvement as a prur ing knife, the operation is substantially the same as in topping grain, the knife user merely grasping the vine or whatever it is wished to cut, and as the knife blade 15 cuts, the part of the vine severe-d remains in the hands and can easily be carried to any desired point.

It will also be appreciated from the foregoing that incident to the use of my novel knife, the knife is adequately braced on the hand, and rearward pull on the knife brought about through the medium of the fingers of the operator operating against the forward brace 7 Notwithstanding the practical advantages of my novel knife as se forth in the foregoing, it will be appreciated that the knife is simple and inexpensive in construction, strong and durable, and is adapted to be quickly and easily adjusted to hands of diiferent sizes, and this without the employment of skilled labor.

I have entered into a detailed description of the construction and relative arrangement of the parts included in the present and preferred embodiment of my invention in order to impart an exact understanding of the said embodiment in all of its details. I do not desire, however, to be understooc as limitir myself to the precise construction and airangement of parts as illustrated and described, my invention being; defined by my appended claims within the scope of which modifications may be made without departure from my invention.

Having described my invention, what I 1 claim and desire to secure by Letters-Patent,

1. A topping and pruning knife comprising a body having side flanges and also havlng at opposite sides a forward brace and a rear brace, each brace being flanged, a. hook shaped blade at the forward end the body, and straps equipped with buckles and passed about the body and the major portions of the braces and disposed between the said major portions of the braces and the flanges thereof, whereby the straps are held to the braces.

2. A topping and pruning knife comprising abody having side flanges and also having at opposite sides a forward brace and a rear brace, each brace being flanged, a hook-shaped blade at the forward end of the body, and straps equipped with buckles and passed about the body and the major portions of the braces and disposed between the said major portions of the braces and the flanges thereof, whereby the straps are held to the braces; the major portion of each brace terminating in an extended lip adapted to rest within and againstthe straps to hold the straps out of contact with the hand of an operator.

3. A topping and pruning knife compris ing a body having side flanges an; also having at opposite sides a forward brace and a rear brace, each brace being flanged, a hookshaped blade at the forward end of the body, and straps equipped with buckles and passed about the body and the major portions of the braces and disposed between the said major portions of the braces and the flanges thereof, whereby the straps are held to the braces: the said hook-shaped blade being detachably connected to the for ward end of the body, and the body being formed of lapped plates ustably connected together whereby the body may be adjusted as to length, and each of the braces be; ing formed of sections ad ustably connected.

together whereby the braces may be adjusted as to the length, and the flanges of the outer section of the braces being telescopically arranged in the flanges of the inner sections of said braces.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

OTIS M. RANDOLPH.

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