KNIFE HANDLE WITH END SURFACE

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a knife as defined in claim 1.

[0002] It is known to cover the end of a knife handle with an end cap having a pin on its reverse side that fits into a recess in the handle end and is held in the wall of the recess by projections on the pin (EP 2 503 320 B1). Securing the end cap in the handle recess requires considerable pressing force.

[0003] It is also known to close the end opening of a knife handle by means of an end surface which lies in the opening and on which a pin protrudes on the inside, which reaches into the opening in a clamping manner.

[0004] The object of the invention is to improve a knife of the type mentioned above in such a way that the end caps or end surfaces are easy to mount, offer tolerance compensation and provide a firm and secure hold.

[0005] This problem is solved according to the invention in that the inner wall of the longitudinal recess has longitudinal ribs made of plastic that are parallel to the longitudinal axis of the handle and project onto opposite sides of the wall, and the free ends of the tongues have at least one tooth or toothed strip on the outside which is / are held in a claw-like manner penetrating the longitudinal rib, wherein the tongues, the teeth and / or the toothed strips are made of a harder material than the plastic material of the longitudinal ribs.

[0006] Such a design of the end cap or end surface allows for tolerance compensation and a joining process with minimal effort and low forces, even in a cold state without heating. This results in a firm and secure hold at the handle end, even with high dimensional tolerances.

[0007] It is important that the tooth or toothed strip, through the springy pressure of the tongue, displaces the plastic material of the longitudinal rib, thereby creating a recess in the longitudinal rib in which the tooth or toothed strip fits snugly. Thus, before the end cap or end surface is inserted into the handle end, the longitudinal ribs do not have recesses for the teeth or toothed strips; instead, the teeth or toothed strips themselves form their own, particularly undercut, recesses in the longitudinal rib through their outward pressure. The tongues, teeth, and / or toothed strips are made of a harder material than the plastic material of the longitudinal ribs.

[0008] Preferably, it is proposed that the tongues have a groove or notch at their foot end that reduces the tongue cross-section and increases the resilient flexibility of the tongues.

[0009] An embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawing in an axial section with an end disc closing the handle end and is described in more detail below, including an alternative.

[0010] The blade of a knife has a molded elongated projection (tang) that extends into the plastic knife handle 1. At the end facing away from the blade, the knife handle has a first opening in the form of a flat recess 2, the axis of which is parallel or coaxial to the longitudinal axis of the handle 1, or forms an acute angle of 50 to 70 degrees with the longitudinal axis of the handle 1, so that in the latter case the bottom 3 of the recess 2 is arranged obliquely to the longitudinal axis A of the handle.

[0011] The recess 2 is surrounded all around by a rim 4 projecting towards the end of the handle, the height H of which is 1 / 5 to 1 / 10 of the diameter D of the recess 2. A flat, disc-shaped end disk 5 fits snugly into the recess 2, filling the recess 2 at least near the bottom, with the rim 4 projecting beyond the disc-shaped end disk 5, so that the thickness of the end disk 5 is less than the height H of the rim 4.

[0012] The visible outer surface of the end plate 5, which is made of plastic or metal, preferably has an embossed or protruding graphic, in particular a logo. At least two mutually parallel tongues 6 are molded onto the inner surface of the end plate 5, arranged substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis A of the handle and forming a narrow gap 7 between them.

[0013] To accommodate the two tongues 6, the plastic material of the handle 1 has a longitudinal recess 8 coaxial to the axis A, into which the two tongues 6 project, the inner wall of the longitudinal recess forming two protruding longitudinal ribs 9 which are approximately parallel to the longitudinal axis A of the handle 1 and are arranged diametrically opposite each other in the longitudinal recess 8.

[0014] Both or more tongues 6 each have a tooth 10 or a toothed strip near their free end on the outer side, which presses itself into the plastic of the respective longitudinal rib 9 in a self-grooving manner as soon as the end disc / end caps with their tongues 6 have been pressed into the handle end. In the case of a toothed strip, this projects transversely to the longitudinal axis A on the outer side of the respective tongue 6. The tongues 6, teeth, or toothed strips 10 are made of a harder material than the plastic material of the longitudinal ribs 9.

[0015] Preferably, the longitudinal recess 8 has a cross-sectional diameter Q that decreases towards the bottom 11 of the longitudinal recess 8, so that the pressure of the teeth 10 or the toothed strips on the longitudinal ribs 9 increases as the tongues 6 penetrate deeper into the longitudinal recess 8. A particularly secure hold is achieved if the tooth or toothed strips create an undercut groove transversely in the longitudinal rib 9.

[0016] The longitudinal ribs 9 do not have a recess for the teeth 10 or toothed ridges of the tongue 6, but the teeth 10 or toothed ridges of the tongue 6 form their own recesses in the longitudinal ribs 9 through their springy pressure on the longitudinal ribs 9, whereby after the end disc / end cap is pressed into the handle end the tongues maintain their pressure against the longitudinal ribs 9, so that the self-formed recesses increase in size over time and the grip improves.

[0017] The tongues 6 can each have a reduction in material (notch 1 2 or groove) in their foot area near the end disk 5 in order to determine the strength of the spring force of the tongues.

[0018] The end disc / end cap 5, with its tongues 6, is made of metal or plastic. In the latter case, the plastic of the tongues, teeth and / or toothed strips 10 has a greater hardness than the plastic of the handle 1 and the longitudinal ribs 9.

[0019] Instead of an end disc, an end cap can also be used, which does not fit into a recess 2 but completely covers the outer end surfaces of the handle. On the back of the end caps, tongues 6 also project, which extend into the longitudinal recess 8 and are similarly engaged by a tooth or toothed strip in ribs 9.

[0020] The scope of protection of the present invention is defined by the attached claims.

Claims

1. Knife having a handle (1) which is made of plastics material and fastened to the blade, having a first recess (2) which opens towards the end of the handle and is closed by an end cap or end disc (5) made of plastics material or metal, wherein the end cap / end disc (5) rests in or on the recess (2), and at least two tongues (6), which are parallel to the handle longitudinal axis (A), are integrally moulded on the rear side of the end cap / end disc, said at least two tongues protruding into a longitudinal recess (8) which proceeds from the first recess (2) and protrudes inwards in the direction of the blade, characterized in that the internal wall of the longitudinal recess (8) has longitudinal ribs (9) which are made of plastics material and are parallel to the handle longitudinal axis (A) and project on opposite wall sides, and the free ends of the tongues (6) have on the external side at least one tooth (10), or a toothed strip, which is / are held in the longitudinal rib (9) so as to engage in the latter in a claw-like manner, wherein the tongues (6), the teeth and / or the toothed strips (10) are composed of a material harder than the plastics material of the longitudinal ribs (9).

2. Knife according to Claim 1, characterized in that the tooth (10) or the toothed strip by way of the resilient pressure of the tongue (6) displaces the plastics material of the longitudinal rib (9) and thereby creates a recess in the longitudinal rib, in which the tooth (10) or the toothed strip lies in a form-fitting manner.

3. Knife according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the tongues (6) at their root end have a groove or notch (12) which reduces the tongue cross section and increases the resilient flexibility of the tongues.