US276813A - Pocket-knife for cutting tobacco - Google Patents

Description

' (No Model.)

O. S. HARMON.

POCKET KNIFE FOR CUTTING TOBACCO.

No. 276,813. 1 Patented May 1,1883.

UNIT STATEs oRvmLE s. HARMON, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO r. LORILLARD & 00., OF JERSEY cnrv, NEW .JEEsE POCKET-KNIFE FORiCUTTlN G ToBAooo.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No, 976,813, dated May 1, 1883.

i Application filed January 19,1883. (Noinodeh) -To all whom it may concerni Be it known that I, ORVILLE S. HARMON, a citizen of the United States, residingin the city of Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tobacco-Cutters, fully described and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

Figurel represents the tobacco-cutter closed. Fig. 2 represents the cutting-blade as opened in position to be used, and also shows the guard, which, combined with the blade, constitutes the tobacco-cutter, opened half-way, thus illustrating the independent use of the blade without the guard. Fig. 3 illustrates by a perspective view a plug of tobacco being out by this instrument, the blade and guard being in their proper co-operative relation; and Fig. 4 is a cross-section of the blade and guard.

Among those who use plug-tobacco, or such as is packed hard and requires to be shaved orcut up into small pieces or shavings, either for chewing purposes or to enable the tobacco to be readily reduced to proper condition to be smoked in a pipe, a want has long been felt for some pocket-instrument which would enable such a treatment of the plug-tobacco to be readily accomplished. The common practice is to use an ordinary pocket knife but with that instrument the depth of the cut in the tobacco cannot be regulated, and the liability of either breaking the instrument or cutting the hand of the user is very great.

The object of this invention is to provide a pocket tobacco-cutter that shall combine within itself the means of cutting plug or similar tobacco into shavings or shreds, and at the same time be capable of use as an ordinary pocket-knife or cutting-instrument.

It is composed, as will be seen by an inspection of the drawings, of a handle, 0, constructed as is common in pocket-knives, and provided with the springs and bearings for two folding blades, each of which is capable of'beingclosed into the recess in the handle, as in Fig. 1, when the cutter is to be carried in the pocket, and independently opened, so as to extend from the handle, as shown in the case of the blade A in Fig. 2, where the same is in position to be used for the ordinary pur' shredding the same, the guard 13, which is a blade properly shaped to be extended parallel with the blade A, so as to coact therewith as a. guard, limiting the depth of out which the blade shall make, is pivoted in the handle and.

provided with a spring in the same manner as is the blade A. To properly confine it at a proper distance from the cutting-edge of the blade A, so that it may resist any spreadingpressure which will result from thewedging of the shaving of tobacco between said blade and the guard, the latter is preferably provided with a turned-over forward end,2, hooked in form, so as to embrace the point of the blade A, and thus hold the guard at proper distance from the blade or in proper corelation thereto. This guard is provided with the usual thumb-slot common in blades pivoted in handles so as to fold or close within the handle, and its construction is such that while it will engage the blade, as just described, when itis brought into use, the said blade may be independently opened from the handle and extended to be used as an ordinary cutting-instrument.

If the blade and guard are made sufficiently stiff, the hook 2 upon the end of the latter may be omitted, and in such case the guard may, if desired, be made shorter than the blade, so as to allow a second short blade to be pivoted at the opposite end of the handle. The guard, also, need not always be made to fold inside the handle. In some cases it may be desirable to have it fold over, so as to lie upon the outside of the handle; or in some cases it may be made so that when closed it will constitute one side of the handle. The guard or blade, or both, may, instead of being pivoted to the end of the handle, be made to close by sliding or telescoping into the latter. The edge b of the guard may be made to extend to any desired distance beyond the edge of the blade, or may be made so as to be only flush therewith. This edge may also he of any desired configuration, either square or rounded, as shown in Fig. 4.; or it may be made ICO chisel or wedge shaped, if preferred.

This implement, in any of its forms, will be foiind of great practical utility with consumers of plug-tobacco, especially such as use the same for smoking purposes, for the reason that it combines in one instrument a knife for orfor converting it into ashaving-instrument for" the purposes designated.

What I claim is-- 1. The combination, with the handle 0, of the blade A and guard B, and means whereby both blade and guard can independently of each other be closed within or against sait handle, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the handle, of the pivoted blade and pivoted guard, the latter having a hooked end for engagement with the former, and both beingcapable of foldin g within the handle, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing wit- HBSSBS.

ORVILLE s. HARMON.

Witnesses:

T. H. PALMER, J. A. HoVEY.

Images