WO2022216297A1

WO2022216297A1 - Scoring knife

Info

Publication number: WO2022216297A1
Application number: PCT/US2021/026746
Authority: WO
Inventors: Bradley Scott MILLER; Christopher Thomas ORTEGA
Original assignee: Q.E.P. Co., Inc.
Priority date: 2021-04-10
Filing date: 2021-04-10
Publication date: 2022-10-13

Abstract

A knife (10) including a body (28) with a first end, a second end (24) opposite the first end, and a longitudinal axis (26) that extends centrally through the first end and the second end. The knife further includes first and second arms (30, 32) extending outwardly from the body and upwardly toward the second end, each arm having a central longitudinal axis (36) and each arm including a scoring tip (34). The angle (B) between the knife body longitudinal axis and central longitudinal axis of the arm is less than 90° when measured from the knife body second end.

Description

SCORING KNIFE

BACKGROUND

[0001] The present invention relates to knives, more particularly to knives that are used to score a workpiece so that the workpiece can be bent along the score line to split or cut the workpiece.

[0002] Knives of the general type described herein have been referred to as backerboard knives but that reference should not be construed in any way as a limitation on the use of the knives. Knives of the general type described herein have been marketed for many years. For example, James Hardie Building Products have marketed a carbide- tipped scoring knife since prior to 2002. Q.E.P. Co., Inc. has marketed a backerboard scoring knife since prior to 2010 and another knife is illustrated in U.S. Patent No. 10,710,926, issued July 14, 2020, to TTI (Macao Commercial Offshore) Limited. The entirety of U.S. Patent No. 10,710,926 is incorporated by reference.

[0003] All of these prior art knives have a handle and a blade or body. The knife has a longitudinal axis extending through the handle and outwardly through the blade. The knife is provided with multiple cutting tips such as one tip on each side of the longitudinal axis. A third cutting tip may be provided at the end of the blade remote from the handle. The knife is used by applying a cutting tip to the material to be scored or cut, and then drawing the cutting tip toward the user while pressing the cutting tip down against the material to be cut. Improvements have been made in the blade, such as a removable blade and even a reversible blade.

[0004] All of the prior art knives have cutting tips that extend either perpendicular to the longitudinal axis or downwardly at an acute angle to the longitudinal axis toward the handle.

[0005] The material being cut, such as cement backer board, may include a mesh material, or a backing paper or tape, that does not facture or cut when the board is scored and then bent. The mesh material, backing paper or tape may be removed by further cutting with a hook that is provided as part of the scoring knife. Thus, the combination of the cutting tip and hook may be used to fully cut through and separate the material being cut. The hooks are generally approximately semi-circular in nature.

[0006] We have discovered that the physical arrangements referred to in the previous two paragraphs are counter-productive in that they require more cutting effort than necessary and do not provide for a convenient flow and removal of the backing or mesh material.

SUMMARY

[0007] In one aspect the invention provides a knife including a body and a handle, the body having a first end, a second end opposite the first end. The knife has a longitudinal axis that extends centrally through the body, from the first end and to the second end. The knife further includes a first scoring tip, on one side of the longitudinal axis, and a second scoring tip on the opposite side of the longitudinal axis. The scoring tips are arranged to form an obtuse angle relative to the longitudinal axis when measured from the handle or, stated alternatively, an acute angle when measured from the free end of the body.

[0008] In a second aspect the invention provides a knife including a body and a handle, the body having a first end, a second end opposite the first end. The knife has a longitudinal axis that extends centrally from the first end to the second end. The knife further includes a first scoring tip, on one side of the longitudinal axis, and a second scoring tip on the opposite side of the longitudinal axis. The scoring tips are arranged to form an obtuse angle relative to the longitudinal axis when measured from the handle with the obtuse angle preferably being 120° when measured from the handle or, stated alternatively, an angle of 60° relative to the longitudinal axis, when measured from the free end of the body.

[0009] Stated in yet another manner, the prior art scoring knifes have cutting tips that extend in generally opposite directions relative to the longitudinal axis of the knife whereas the cutting tips of the present knife extend upwardly, away from the handle, and outwardly relative to the longitudinal axis of the knife.

[00010] In a third aspect the invention provides for cutting hooks for cutting the backing material that are configured to allow for the flow of cut backing material rather than have the backing material becoming entangled during the cutting process as occurs with the prior art scoring knives

[000 11] These and other benefits of the present invention, and the advantages that will be attained by use of the present invention, will become more apparent upon reading the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[00012] In the drawings, wherein corresponding numbers identify identical parts:

[00013] FIG. 1 is a perspective illustration of a knife including a blade and body;

[00014] FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of a knife including a blade and body; and

[00015] FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial front elevation view of a knife including a blade and body.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[00016] It should be understood that the preceding explanation, the drawings, and the following description are exemplary only and should not be construed as a limitation on the present invention.

[00017] Referring to the Figures the knife 10 includes an elongated body or blade 12 and an elongated handle 14. The handle has a first or free end 16 and a second end 18. An aperture 20 may be provided through the handle near the free end 16 so that the knife may hang from a hook if desired. The handle may be formed from one, or a combination, of substances conventionally used as handles for tools including, but not limited to, wood, rubber or plastic.

[00018] The knife body or blade 12 will now be explained in greater detail. The knife body or blade has a first end within the handle, not shown. The knife body extends outwardly from the second end 18 of the handle and terminates in a free end 24. As is conventional, the blade may be retractable within the handle and/or removable from the handle. The knife body has an elongated configuration from the handle to the free end 24. The knife has a longitudinal axis 26 extending from the first end 16 of the handle to the free end 24 of the blade through the center of the knife 10. The knife is symmetrical relative to the longitudinal axis 26. The knife is identical whether viewed from the front elevation or rear elevation.

[00019] The knife body or blade 12 is formed of steel and includes a main body 28, extending from the handle toward the free end 24, and two elongated opposed arms 30, 32 extending outwardly from the main body. The free end 24 may be formed as a flat blade to be used as a screwdriver or may have any other configuration as desired. The arms preferably are not in the middle of the main body 28, i.e., not halfway between the blade handle second end 18 and the blade free end 24, but rather are closer to the free end 24 of the main body 28 than to the second end 18 of the handle.

[00020] Each opposed arm terminates in an end. Each arm has an elongated axis 36 extending from center of the arm end to the main body 28.

[00021] Each of the arms 30, 32, extends not only outwardly but upwardly from the main body 28 in a direction toward the free end 24. We have discovered that, contrary to the prior art, the angle “A” between the elongated axis 26 and each arm axis 36 should be greater than 90° when measured from the free end 16 of the handle, i.e., an obtuse angle. While angles greater than 90° and less than 180° are contemplated, a preferred angle would be between 115° and 125° and most preferably 120°. The angle “B” between the elongated axis 26 and each arm axis 36, when measured from the free end 24 of the knife body, should be an acute angle less than 90°, preferable between 55° and 65° and most preferably 60°. The angle “A” is preferably the same on both sides of the longitudinal axis of the scoring knife but different angles may be utilized if desired.

[00022] Each arm 30, 32 includes a cutting tip arm end 34 preferably formed of carbide and welded to the arm. The cutting tip arm ends have cutting surfaces 40, 42. In a preferred embodiment the cutting surfaces are each 40° from the longitudinal axis 36 of the arm and thus the angle between the two cutting surfaces is 80°.

[00023] Each side of the knife includes a cutting hook 44. The cutting hook is formed as a thin, sharpened portion of the steel blade body and a thin, sharpened portion of the steel arm 30, 32. The cutting hook is preferably continuous and includes a first portion 46 formed on the main body 28 of the blade and a second portion 48 formed on the steel arm, with the two portions interconnected by a curved portion 50 at the junction of the arm 30 and the body 28. The cutting hook does not extend all the way to the cutting arm end and does not extend to the first end 18 of the knife handle.

[00024] Since the arm 30 (or 32) is formed at an obtuse angle from the longitudinal axis of the handle, when measured from the handle free end 16, an obtuse angle “C” is also formed between the two portions 46, 48 of the hook. We have discovered that this obtuse angle provides for a better flow and thus better removal of backing material tape, paper, etc., of the type that is typically present with backerboard, as that material is cut from the backerboard. If the main portion 28 of blade 12 is tapered inwardly from the handle 14 toward the free end 16, the angle “C” will be less than angle “A” although angle “C” is an obtuse angle. If, however, the main portion 28 of blade 12 is not tapered, then angle “C’ may be the same as angle “A”. [00025] The method of use of the scoring knife is conventional in that either tip may be used to form a scoring line on the board to be cut. The scoring line typically does not extend all the way through the board. The board is then bent along the scoring line. If the board is not completely severed, the tip may be used to repeat the scoring process. If the board includes a backing material, the hook may be used along the scoring line to remove the backing material.

[00026] The foregoing is a complete description of the scoring knife and the method of use. Many changes and modifications may be made by persons of ordinary skill in the art after reading the above description and studying the accompanying drawings. The invention, therefore, should be limited only by the following claims and equivalents thereof.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A knife (10) comprising: a handle (14) having first (16) and second (18) ends; an elongated body (28) extending from the handle second end, the elongated body having a free end (24) remote from the handle; a longitudinal body axis (26) extending centrally from the handle first end through the handle and through the elongated body to the elongated body free end; an elongated arm (30) extending outwardly from the elongated body and upwardly toward the elongated body free end, the elongated arm having a scoring tip (34); a longitudinal arm axis (36) extending centrally from the elongated body through the elongated arm to the elongated arm scoring tip; and the longitudinal arm axis (36) and the longitudinal body axis (26) defining an angle (B) therebetween, the angle being less than 90° when measured from the body free end (24).

2. The knife according to claim 1, wherein the angle (B) is between about 55° to about 65°.

3. The knife according to any preceding claim, wherein the angle (B) is 60°.

4. The knife according to any preceding claim, wherein the knife has a second elongated arm (32) extending outwardly from the elongated body (28) and upwardly toward the free end (24), the second elongated arm (32) having a scoring tip (34); a second longitudinal arm axis (36) extending centrally from the elongated body (28) through the second elongated arm (32) to the second elongated arm scoring tip (34); and the second longitudinal arm axis (36) and the longitudinal body axis (26) defining an angle therebetween, the angle being less than 90° when measured from the body free end (24).

5. The knife according to any preceding claim, the knife being symmetrical about the longitudinal body axis (26).

6. The knife according to any preceding claim, the elongated arm scoring tip (34) is a carbide cutting tip (40, 42).

7. The knife according to any preceding claim, further including a cutting hook (44) on the longitudinal arm (30) generally parallel to the longitudinal arm axis (36) .

8. The knife according to any preceding claim, further including a continuous cutting hook (46, 48, 50), the cutting hook formed on the elongated body (28) and on the longitudinal arm (30, 32), the cutting hook (46) on the longitudinal arm (30, 32) generally parallel to the longitudinal arm axis (36).

9. The knife according to claim any preceding claim, the knife being symmetrical about the longitudinal body axis.

10. The knife according to any preceding claim, wherein the body is formed of steel.

1 1. The knife according to claim 8, wherein the continuous cutting hook has first (46) and second (48) portions.

12. The knife according to claim 11, wherein the continuous cutting hook as a curved portion (50) interconnecting the first (46) and second (48) portions.

13. The knife according to claim 12, wherein the first and second portions (46, 48) are positioned at an obtuse angle (C) relative to each other.

14. The knife according to claim 13, wherein the longitudinal arm axis (32) and the longitudinal body axis (26) define a first obtuse angle (A) therebetween when measured from the handle first end and wherein the obtuse angle (C) between the cutting hook first and second portions and the first obtuse angle (A) are not equal to each other.