Cut and Bent Metal Knife Sharpener Plate with Offset Grip
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sharpening devices for knife blades require significant technical skill and are not user-friendly, posing safety risks and maintenance challenges, especially in the food industry where cleanliness and safety are critical.
Innovation Solution
A sharpening device with a metal plate extended by an intermediate flap and side lugs, made from stainless steel, providing improved ergonomics, safety, and ease of maintenance, allowing for better hand protection and weight distribution, facilitating safer and more effective sharpening operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a one-piece molded plastic device is used, then ease of manufacture is improved, but ease of cleaning and maintenance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into separate components: a plate component, an intermediate flap component, and a grip tab component. This segmentation allows each part to be independently cleaned and maintained, resolving the contradiction between ease of manufacture and ease of cleaning.
2Ease of manufacture
If the grip tab extends in the same plane as the plate, then manufacturing simplicity is improved, but operator safety deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The grip tab is positioned in a plane offset from the plate's plane, creating a three-dimensional arrangement. This dimensional change provides hand protection while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through cut and bent metal sheet construction.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the intermediate flap width is increased, then hand protection is improved, but device weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The intermediate flap width is optimized within a specific range (20-40 mm) to provide adequate hand protection while minimizing weight increase. This parameter optimization resolves the contradiction between protection and weight.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The present invention relates to an appliance for sharpening the blades of cutting tools, including a plate (1) delimited by a front surface (10), a back surface (11), an upper end (12), a lower end (13), and two lateral sides (14, 15). Said plate (1) is provided with an opening (2), in communication with said upper end (12), for the tool blade to pass therethrough, wherein two sharpening structures, provided in the form of hinged elongate prongs (8, 9) so as to obtain a mobile sharpening V under pressure from the blade to be sharpened, are provided opposite said opening (2). The lower end (13) of said plate (1) is extended, on the back surface (11) thereof, by an intermediate slat (16), which is in turn extended by a gripping lug (17) extending in a plane (P') which is parallel or substantially parallel to said plane (P) of said plate (1), and which is offset with respect to said plane (P) on said back surface (11) of said plate (1). The intermediate slat (16) is delimited by a front edge (18), a back edge (19), and two side edges (20), each of which is extended by a lateral lug (22). Furthermore, said plate (1), said intermediate slat (16), said mounting tab (17) and said lateral lugs (22) are integrally produced from a cut and bent metal sheet.