US2565196A - Cutlery sharpener - Google Patents

Description

.Aug. 21, 1951 J. F. BOSQUET 2,565,196

' CUTLERY" SHARPENEP.

INVENTOR Jo/1n [190501625 0%, wq m ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 21, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CUTLERY SHARPEiNER John F. Bosquet, New York, N. Y.

Application November 3, 1947, Serial No, 783,783

6 Claims.

It is among the objects of this invention to provide a cutlery sharpener that is compact and sturdy, comprising relatively few parts that are inexpensive and simple to manufacture and that are easy to assemble, that may conveniently be mounted for use, that is simple to operate and may readily be cleaned and the parts thereof changed when worn, and that by a relatively simple adjustment may be used to sharpen different types of cutlery with cutting edges having varied angles.

According to the invention, these objects are accomplished by the arrangement and combination of elements hereinafter described and particularly recited in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings in which are shown one or more of various possible embodiments of the several features of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of one embodiment of the device, 7

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 22 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a dropped perspective view, showing the components of said embodiment,

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1 of another embodiment of the device,

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 55 of Fig. 4,

Fig. 6 is a detail view on a larger scale of the blade holder of the embodiment shown in Figs. 4 and 5,

Fig. 7 is a detail view of the sharpening member utilized in the embodiment shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6, and

Fig. 8 is a detail view of an alternative type of sharpening member which may be utilized with the device shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6.

Referring now to the drawings, in the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the device comprises a base ll having a pair of spaced, parallel upstanding side wall members l2 and I3 mounted thereon and preferably unitary therewith and a rear wall I4 also upstanding from said base Ii and preferably unitary therewith. Rear wall M is positioned between the side walls l2 and I3 at right angles thereto, and spaced therefrom to form slots I5 and I6 which, together with the inner faces I1 and 18 respectively of the side walls, form guides for a knife, scissors or other piece of cutlery in the manner hereinafter described.

The inner faces I! and [8 of the side walls [2 and I3 and the inner face IQ of the rear wall [4 have depressions 20 therein defining a cylindrical surface, the three walls and the base I I forming a socket, in the center of the base of which, afiixed in an opening 2| as by force fit is an up:

standing stud 22 threaded at its upper end 23.

Rotatably mounted on said stud 22 is a blade holder 24 preferably cylindrical in shape and having a reduced threaded portion 29 at its upper end defining a shoulder 29.

The holder 24 has a plurality of pairs of diametrically opposed slots 30 therein, illustratively three in number, extending from shoulder 29 to nearly the bottom of the holder and from the periphery of the holder radially inward, to define a hub 25, the latter having a bore 26 therethrough which extends through reduced portion 2a.

Mounted on said holder in each of said slots 3% and radiating therefrom is a sharpening blade 32 comprising a substantially rectangular blank having a portion of one side cut away so that the blade slopes outwardly from the fiat top 33 thereof to the bottom thereof to form a convex cutting edge 34.

The base 35 of each of the blades has a notch 36 therein which forms a pair of legs 3? and 38. Leg 3'! fits into a keying depression 3: in each of the slots 36 in said holder adjacent said hub 25 and leg 38 overlap the bottom rim 39 of said holder.

To retain the holder 24 on stud 22, a coil spring 43 is provided which encompasses the stud 22 and is seated on a shoulder 28 formed by a reduced portion 21 at the lower end of bore 26.

A spring tensioner comprising an internally threaded bushing 44 is threaded on stud 22, the coil spring thus being compressed between shoulder 28 and the bottom rim 45 of the bushing, resiliently to retain the holder 24 against the base ll. 1

To complete the assembly of the device, an acorn nut 48 is provided which is threaded on the reduced portion 29 of the holder. The rim 4| of the nut presses down on the flat tops 33 of the blades, thereby keying legs 31 in depressions 3| securely to hold the blades in the holder and radiating laterally therefrom in the form of a spider.

The convex cutting edge 34 of the blade extends beyond the periphery of the holder and a stop 50 is provided on base i I, preferably integral therewith in the path of adjusting movement of such blade to restrict the rotation of the holder when the device is in use.

In order that the device may be used for different types of cutlery which may have different angled cutting edges, the blades in each of the three pairs of diametrically opposed slots 30 are identical and each pair of blades desirably has a different slope on its convex cutting edge. Thus the angle of sharpening will depend upon which pair of blades is chosen, as will be hereinafter described.

To use the device, which may be afiixed to a table or a ledge in any convenient location by means of suitable screws 46 passing through the openings 4'! in the base I I, a pair of diametrically opposed blades, illustratively blades 48 and 49, having the desired slope of cutting edge is chosen.

By grasping nut 40 which serves as a handle, the holder with the blades therein may be lifted on stud 22 against the tension of coil spring 43 until the bases 35 of the blades are able to pass over upstanding stop 50. The holder is then rotated by means of its handle until a blade from each of the remaining two pairs of blades, illustratively blades and 52, straddles the stop 50 and the chosen blades 48 and 49 are in close juxtaposition to sides I2 and I3, as shown in Fig. 1,.

the arcuate depressions. in the side walls I2 and I3 and rear wall I4 providing clearance for the radially extending blades 32. The handle is then released and the holder will automatically snap into place against the base.

To sharpen the piece of cutlery, illustratively a knife 53, it is placed in slot I4 so that one face of the knife is against the inner surface I! of side wall I2 and the cutting edge of the knife rests on the convex cutting edge 34 of the sharpening blade 48. Downward pressure is brought to bear on the knife and at the same time it is pulled through slot I5 away from rear wall I4. The

frictional engagement of the knife with the sharpening blade 48 will cause the holder to rotate slightly about stud 22 until one of the blades, illustratively blade 52, abuts against stop 50. In this position, only the corner 54 of blade 48 will contact the cutting edge of the knife to sharpen the right face thereof. To sharpen the left face of the knife, the procedure above set forth is followed with respect to slot I6. As the knife is drawn through slot I6 on the right side of the device, the holder 24 will rotate by reason of the frictional engagement of the knife with sharpening blade 49 until blade 5| abuts against stop 50. In this position, the corner 55 of blade 49 will contact the cutting edge of the knife on the left face thereof to perform the sharpening action thereon.

Rotatably mounted on said base is a blade holder or pin 7| threaded at its upper end as at I2 and also bifurcated thereat as at I3. The lower end of the pin has a reduced portion 14 forming a shoulder I5 seated on the rim of an opening 69 in the base. The end of reduced portion I4 whichextends into a cavity F0 in the underside of the base has a threaded stem I6 forming a shoulder 11. By means of a nut 80 threaded on stem it against shoulder H, the holder II will be securely held on the base, yet free to pivot thereon to the right and to the left.

Mounted in said holder is a substantially U- shaped member SI comprising a pair of diametrically opposed substantially rectangular sharpening blades 82 and 83 joined by a cross piece 8 which fits into said bifurcated end 73. As shown in Fig. 7, a portion ofeach side of the blades is cut away and curved so that the blades slope outwardly from the flat tops 99 and 95 thereof to the bottom thereof to form convex cutting edges 92 and 93. I p,

By means of a cap 85 threaded on the upper end #2 of holder H, the U-shaped member is securely held therein, the cross piece 85 being clamped between the lower rim 8% of the cap and the bottom 87 of the bifurcation of holder 'iI.

To use the device which may be mounted in any convenient place by means of suitable screws 88 passing through the opening 89 in the base, the cutlery, illustratively a knife 94 as shown, is inserted in the transversely aligned slots 66 with the cutting edge of the knife against the sharpening blade 82, and the left face of the knife blade against the ends of side sections E4. Pressure is brought down on the knife while at the same time it is pulled through the slots 56 away from wall EN. The frictional contact of the knife with the blade 32 will cause the holder H to pivot until blade 82 abuts against the inner side 9! of center section 63. In this position, as shown in Fig. 4,

only the corner 92 of blade 82 will contact the face If it is desired to sharpen a knife or other piece of cutlery with a different angled cutting edge, the holder need only be rotated in the manner heretofore described until the pair of sharpening blades having the desired slope of cutting edges are in position.

It is of course apparent that all the blades in the holder could be identical and, as they became worn out after repeated use thereof, by merely rotating the holder, a fresh blade could be presented to the cutlery being sharpened.

In Figs. l to 8, another embodiment of the device is shown in which only one pair of sharpening blades is provided.

The device comprises a substantially rectangular base 66 having a pair of spaced parallel upstanding walls El and 62, preferably unitary with the base and extending longitudinally thereof.

Each wall has a pair of slots 66 and 61 therein defining a center section 63 between said slots and side sections 64 and 65 on each side of said slots. The slots 66 and 6! in walls GI and B2 are respectively transversely'aligned to act as a guide for the knife or other piece of cutlery as ity is sharpened.

To facilitate the insertion of such cutlery in the guide slots, the edge of each of the side sections 64 and 65 adjacent to the center section 63, is beveled slightly as at 68.

of the knife to be sharpened, thereby providing efficient sharpening action.

To sharpen the other face of the knife, it is removed from transverse slots 6%: and drawn through transverse slots 6! in the manner hereinabove described. The holder ll will pivot in like manner in the opposite direction until blade 83 abuts against the inner surfaces 9| of center section E3, and the other face of the knife will be sharpened by corner 94 of blade 83.

If it is desired to sharpen cutlery which has a relatively flat edge, as for example, a pair of scissors, a substantially U-shaped member 95 such as shown in Fig. 8 would be used. Member 95 has a pair of diametrically opposed blades 95 and 9! joined by a cross piece 98 preferably integral therewith. The cutting edges of blades 95 and 91 slope downwardly as at 953 and each cutting edge has a beveled face I86 extending laterally outward from the face of the blade so that the sharp edge if)! of the blade will perform the sharpening action on the piece of cutlery.

To replace one sharpening member with another sharpening member, it is merely necessary to unscrew cap 85, remove the sharpening member in the holder and insert the desired sharpening member therein in the manner heretofore described.

By drawing the cutlery through the slots on one side of either of the embodiments herein, it will be hollow ground and by drawing it through the slots on the other side of the device, the reverse side of the cutlery will be sharpened in like manner, the two sides thereupon mating to form a keen sharp edge. It is desirable to draw the cutlery first through one side of the sharpener and then through the other side, alternating sides until the cutlery is properly sharpened. By this procedure, both sides of the cutlery will be equally sharpened.

Inasmuch as during the sharpening operation, the particles ground from the edge of the knife or scissors fall away and leave such edge and the sharpening blade clear and clean instead of clogging up the point of contact therebetween, there is no interference with the sharpening operation. However, in both of the embodiments herein, in order that those particles which fall to the respective bases H and 6% do not prevent rotation or pivoting of the holders 24 and H respectively by jamming beneath the base of the sharpening blades, the bottoms of the latter are slightly spaced from the respective bases H and 00 as at I02 and I03.

By the construction herein described, a sharpener is provided which may be used to sharpen the edge of substantially any type of cutlery without replacing the entire unit but merely by changing the blades therein in a quick relatively simple manner.

Inasmuch as the device requires no special skill or training in order that it be operated properly, it may safely be used by the housewife without danger of damage to the cutlery or to herself.

The device herein described may readily be cleaned by merely removing the blade holders and brushing the accumulated particles off the base, and as there are no inaccessible cracks or crevices in which such particles can collect, the efiiciency of the sharpeners is maintained at all times.

As many changes could be made in the above construction, and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope of the claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A sharpening device for cutlery, said device comprising a base, a pair of spaced, parallel, upstanding side walls mounted on said base and rigid therewith, a holder pivotally mounted on said base between said side walls and movable vertically on said base, means resiliently retaining the holder on the base, a plurality of diametrically opposed pairs of sharpening blades mounted on. said holder, a stop on said device in the path of rotation of said blades to limit the pivotal movement of s id holder, thereby properly positioning the cutting edges of said blades, said side Walls having guide faces to guide an article of cutlery against said sharpening blades when the device is in use.

2. A sharpening device for cutlery, said device comprising a base, an upright stud aiiixed to said base, a holder rotatably mounted on said stud and movable vertically thereon, means resiliently retaining said holder against said base, a plurality of diametrically opposed pairs of sharpening blades, removably mounted in radiating slots in said holder, a stop on said device in the path of rotation of said blades to limit the pivotal movement of said blades, thereby properly positioning the cutting edges of said blades, and

means on said base to guide an article of cutlery against said sharpening blades.

3. A sharpening device for cutlery, said device comprising a base, an upright stud affixed to said base, a holder having a bore therethrough, rotatably mounted on said stud, said bore having a reduced portion forming a shoulder, a coil spring in said bore encompassing said stud and seated on said shoulder, means to retain said coil spring in said bore resiliently to urge said holder against said base, a plurality of diametrically opposed sharpening blades removably mounted in radiating slots in said holder, means to retain said sharpening blades in said slots, a stop on said device in the path of movement of said blades to limit the pivotal movement of said holder, thereby properly positioning the cutting edges of said blades, and means on said base to guide an article of cutlery against said sharpening blades.

4. The combination set forth in claim 3 in which said holder has a threaded portion extending beyond the top thereof, and a nut coacts with said threaded portion to press down on said blades in said slots, securely to retain them in said holder.

5. A sharpening device for cutlery, said device comprising a base, an upright stud afiixed to said base, a holder having a bore therethrough, rotatably mounted on said stud, said bore having a reduced portion forming a shoulder, a coil spring in said bore resiliently urging said holder against said base, said coil spring encompassing said stud and seated on said shoulder, means to retain said coil spring in said bore, a plurality of vertical, diametrically opposed radiating slots in said holder extending from the top thereof to nearly the bottom thereof, a depression in the bottom of each of said slots adjacent said hub forming a rim at the periphery of the holder, a sharpening blade in each of said slots, said blades each having a notch in the base thereof forming a pair of legs, the first of said legs being seated in said depression, and the second of said legs overlapping said rim, a threaded reduction portion extending beyond the top of said holder, a nut coacting with said threaded portion to press down on said blades to retain said first leg in said depression and said second leg overlapping said rim, thereby securely to retain said blades in said holder, a stop on said device in the path of movement of said blades to limit the pivotal movement of said blades, thereby properly positioning the cutting edges of said blades, and means on said base to guide an article of cutlery against said sharpening blades.

6. As an article of manufacture, a sharpening spider comprising a holder and a plurality of diametrically opposed sharpening blades mounted in radiating slots in the periphery of said holder.

JOHN F. BOSQUET.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 381,327 Brown 1 Apr. 17, 1888 450,215 Bradford Apr. 14, 1891 612,912 Poindexter Oct. 25, 1898 665,895 Foster Jan. 15, 1901 892,667 Jauch July '7, 1908 1,075,110 Klusewitz Oct. 7, 1913

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