Knife Underside Locking for Ergonomic Grip
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing knives for cutting and laying flexible floor coverings suffer from ergonomic issues, including a hindered grip due to protruding locking screws and difficulty in applying force effectively, leading to musculoskeletal disorders and inefficient cutting.
Innovation Solution
A knife design with locking means accessible from the underside of the handle, allowing unobstructed force application, and angled handle components to enhance grip and ergonomics, facilitating better blade guidance and force distribution during cutting and scoring.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the locking means (knurled screw) projects laterally or on the top of the knife, then the blade can be securely clamped, but the grip of the knife is hindered
Solution Approach 1:
The locking means is relocated from the top or lateral surface to the underside of the handle, changing its spatial dimension. This allows the locking mechanism to be positioned in an unused space that does not interfere with the user's hand grip, while still maintaining effective blade clamping through the half-shell structure
2Productivity
If the cutting edge is located in the hollow shape of the crooked blade, then the blade can cut effectively, but the user must tilt the handle too much or pull too hard, leading to bad posture and musculoskeletal disorders
Solution Approach 1:
The handle is designed with a pivotal connection between the two half-shells, allowing dynamic adjustment of the handle angle. This enables the user to optimize the handle orientation for comfortable posture while maintaining effective cutting action through the flexible positioning capability
3Productivity
If the rear end of the knife is pointed to break the floor covering at junctions, then the knife can score the flooring, but the shape makes it difficult to apply enough force to bend or score the flooring along skirting boards
Solution Approach 1:
The rear end of the knife is extended with an additional longitudinal element that provides leverage and surface area for force application. This extension allows the user to apply greater force effectively when bending or scoring the flooring along skirting boards, while maintaining the pointed capability for breaking the floor covering at junctions
Data Source
Figure 1~4
AI summary
A knife (1) for cutting and laying a flexible floor covering, comprising a handle (2) made up of first and second half-shells (7, 8) connected to each other in a pivoting manner and held together by locking means (10) to grip and hold a fixed blade (3) extending beyond one end of the handle (2). According to the invention, the locking means (10) are arranged between the two half-shells (7, 8) and are accessible and operable from an underside of the handle (2) located on the side of the cutting edge of the blade (3).