Folding Knife Rapid Assembly Engaging Plate Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional folding knives are difficult to disassemble and reassemble due to complex positional adjustments of plates, blocks, and apertures, leading to time-consuming processes and potential damage to edges, which complicates maintenance and assembly, especially in smaller sizes.
Innovation Solution
A folding knife design featuring a handle composed of first and second handle portions, engaging posts, and a switch, where the engaging plate can be easily displaced to engage or disengage from grooves using a simple push mechanism, allowing rapid assembly and disassembly by coupling or detaching the handle portions and blade.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional folding knives use multiple plates, blocks, and apertures for structural stability, then the knife maintains reliability during use, but the assembly and disassembly process becomes complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the complex multi-component connection system (multiple plates, blocks, and apertures requiring sequential alignment) and replaces it with a simplified single-engaging-plate mechanism. The engaging plate with its protrusions directly engages with grooves on the handle portions, eliminating the need for multiple alignment steps while maintaining structural integrity during use.
Solution Approach 2:
The engaging plate is segmented with multiple protrusions that independently engage with corresponding grooves on different handle portions. This segmentation allows each protrusion-groove pair to function independently, simplifying the overall assembly process while maintaining the reliability of the connection through multiple engagement points.
2Stability of the object's composition
If conventional folding knives require complex positional adjustments of multiple components, then structural integrity is maintained, but the time required for maintenance and cleaning increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the time-consuming sequential alignment process of multiple blocks and apertures, replacing it with a single engaging plate that can be quickly inserted or removed. This extraction of complexity allows users to rapidly disassemble the knife for cleaning or maintenance while the simplified engagement mechanism still ensures structural integrity when assembled.
3Strength
If conventional folding knives use rectangular blocks and apertures requiring precise alignment, then stable connection is achieved, but the risk of edge damage during assembly increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of requiring the user to precisely align rectangular blocks with apertures (a top-down alignment approach), the patent inverts the approach by having the engaging plate's protrusions naturally guide into the grooves on the handle portions. This bottom-up engagement approach reduces the risk of edge damage by eliminating the need for forceful alignment of rigid rectangular components.
Data Source
AI summary
A folding knife includes a blade, first and second handle portions, a post, and an engaging plate. The post extends from the first handle portion. The blade is pivotable relative to the handle portions about a pivot axis between open and closed positions. The engaging plate is coupled to the second handle portion and is movable relative to the second handle portion between first and second positions. In the first position, the engaging plate engages the post, thereby restricting relative movement between the first and second handle portions in a direction parallel to the pivot axis and retaining the blade between the first and second handle portions. In the second position, the engaging plate disengages the post, thereby allowing relative movement between the first and second handle portions in the direction parallel to the pivot axis and allowing the blade to be separated from the first and second handle portions.