Knife Handle Tool Integration via Tang Straddling and Detent Pin
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing knives with tools integrated into the handle often become bulky, and the tools are either weak, difficult to handle, or prone to falling out, compromising the knife's strength and usability.
Innovation Solution
A knife design featuring a tool with parallel legs and a spacer that straddles the tang, secured by a detent pin and serrated ridges, allowing for easy insertion and removal while maintaining the knife's size and strength, with a thumb stud for user convenience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If tools are inserted into the handle of the knife, then the knife becomes multi-functional, but the knife becomes bulky and the tools become weak and flimsy
Solution Approach 1:
The tool is nested within the knife handle structure, with the tool legs fitting into recesses in the handle and the tool body containing the actual functional element (screwdriver bit, bottle opener, etc.). This nesting approach allows the tool to be compactly integrated into the handle without significantly increasing the overall knife size or bulk.
Solution Approach 2:
The tool is divided into separate components: legs that fit into the handle, a removable body containing the functional element, and a retention mechanism. This segmentation allows the tool to be integrated efficiently while maintaining a compact form factor.
2Adaptability or versatility
If tools are inserted into the handle of the knife, then the knife becomes multi-functional, but the tools become difficult to handle and prone to breaking
Solution Approach 1:
The tool body is designed to be removable from the handle, allowing the user to take the tool out for easier handling during actual use. The retention mechanism allows quick attachment and detachment, providing dynamic adaptability between stored and used states.
Solution Approach 2:
The legs act as intermediaries between the handle and the tool body, providing a secure connection while allowing the tool body to be removed for easier handling. The retention mechanism serves as an intermediary that secures the tool in place during storage but allows easy removal for use.
3Adaptability or versatility
If tools are inserted into the handle of the knife, then the knife becomes multi-functional, but the tools become sloppy and fall out over time
Solution Approach 1:
The tool legs are pre-formed to fit into recesses in the handle, and the retention mechanism is pre-positioned to secure the tool body. This preliminary configuration ensures proper alignment and secure retention from the start, preventing the tool from becoming sloppy or falling out over time.
Solution Approach 2:
The retention mechanism replaces simple friction-based retention with a positive mechanical locking system that secures the tool body to the handle, preventing accidental detachment while maintaining ease of removal when needed.
4Volume of moving object
If tools are cut into the blade of the knife, then the knife remains thin and less bulky, but the blade strength is degraded and bending risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tools are extracted from the blade and placed into the handle instead. This extraction allows the blade to maintain its full thickness and strength while the handle accommodates the multi-functional tools through dedicated recesses and retention mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
A knife having a tool in the handle has a blade at one end and a tang at an opposite end. A first handle has a receiving slot disposed and centered lengthwise on the interior surface. A second handle has a receiving slot disposed and centered lengthwise on its interior surface. The tool has two legs that are parallel, and have a thumb stud on one leg.First and second handles are attached to opposing sides of the tang. The tool is inserted into the knife by the legs entering the first and second receiving slots while straddling the tang.