Utility Knife Multi-Blade Cartridge Carrier System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional utility knives are cumbersome due to the need to handle sharp blades during replacement, lack of automatic blade switching, difficulty in assessing remaining blades, and hazards associated with disposing used blades, especially in hazardous environments like roofs or scaffolds.
Innovation Solution
A utility knife design featuring a multi-blade cartridge with separate compartments and a carrier system that allows blades to be changed and used without direct handling, incorporating a push button assembly with locking teeth for secure blade extension and retraction, and a blade window for visualizing remaining blades.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional utility knives use thin double-ended blades that extend out of the housing, then the knife can perform cutting functions, but the blade requires manual handling during replacement which creates safety hazards and operational complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a carrier as an intermediary mechanism between the user and the blade. The carrier automatically engages with the blade, guides it through the housing, and deposits it in the used blade compartment without requiring the user to touch or handle the sharp blade directly. This mediator eliminates the safety hazard while maintaining the blade replacement function.
Solution Approach 2:
The blade replacement process is designed to be self-service through the carrier mechanism. The carrier automatically picks up the blade from the compartment, transports it through the housing, and deposits it in the used blade compartment. The system performs the blade handling function autonomously without requiring manual intervention to touch or manipulate the blade.
2Productivity
If conventional utility knives require manual blade reversal, then the blade can be reused on both sides, but the user must discharge the old blade or manipulate it manually which increases loss of time and productivity
Solution Approach 1:
The carrier serves as an intermediary that automatically handles the entire blade disposal process. It picks up the used blade, transports it through the housing, and deposits it in the used blade compartment without requiring the user to manually discharge or manipulate the blade. This automation eliminates the time loss associated with manual blade handling.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical process of blade reversal and disposal with an automated carrier system. Instead of manually manipulating the blade to flip it or dispose of it, the user simply activates the carrier mechanism, and the system automatically completes the blade exchange process, significantly reducing the time required.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If conventional utility knives have blades that extend out of the housing, then the cutting function is accessible, but the sharp blade creates harmful factors during disposal especially in hazardous environments like roofs or scaffolds
Solution Approach 1:
The carrier acts as a protective intermediary that isolates the user from the hazardous sharp blade during the disposal process. The blade remains enclosed within the housing and carrier mechanism throughout the exchange process, preventing exposure to harmful factors while maintaining ease of operation through automated handling.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs the blade disposal function self-service by automatically containing and disposing of the sharp blade within the housing structure. The carrier mechanism ensures the blade is never exposed to the user during handling, eliminating the hazard while maintaining operational convenience through automated blade exchange.
4Loss of information
If conventional utility knives lack a blade counting mechanism, then the structure remains simple, but the user cannot assess how many blades remain without opening the storage compartment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a window in the cartridge housing that allows visual observation of the blades inside. This transparency feature enables users to assess the number of remaining blades without opening the storage compartment, providing information visibility while maintaining relatively simple cartridge structure.
Data Source
AI summary
A utility knife has a disposable blade cartridge in its handle that has new and used blade compartments. Fresh blades are disposed in the new blade compartment and one end of each is advanced one at a time substantially out of the compartment into operative position by a carrier that is controlled by a push button assembly. When the active blade is to be replaced, it is moved by the carrier into the used blade compartment, and a new blade may then be withdrawn from the new blade compartment into the operative position. The cartridge may be reversed when the one end of all the blades in the new blade compartment are used, placing what was the used blade compartment at the front, and the unused end of each blade may be advanced into the operative position. When all are used, a new cartridge may replace the used cartridge.