CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from South African provisional patent application number 2018/05501 , which is incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to an accessory for blades, in particular, it relates to a blade guard mountable to a knife or the like.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

Industrial safety is a widely known and important concept to ensure safety of the workforce. Various safety equipment devices and procedures have been developed and put in place to protect individuals from hazards which could cause injuries ranging from small to fatal injuries. Personal protective equipment (PPE) is mandatory in many of these hazardous working environments. Industrial safety is very important for both companies and their employees, and providing the proper PPE to workers can often mean the difference between life and death. Maintaining good industrial safety can also benefit the employer by increasing overall production and may limit a company’s liability.

The maritime industry is a sector in which safety precautions are regularly implemented and improved to ensure the safety of employees. This industry often includes operations where employees are required to spend extended periods of time on ocean waters, not in close proximity to medical services, and therefore it is paramount that precautions are taken to ensure the safety of the employees. Numerous operations in this industry require employees to perform tasks such as cutting ropes, cargo straps, slings and/or other similar objects. Such tasks may often be performed under water where conditions may be ominous at times and make it difficult to perform these tasks. The ominous conditions may, for example, result in divers accidently cutting or stabbing themselves when trying to perform such tasks. In light of such accidents, various precautions have been taken to prevent such injuries, at least to some extent. Some of these precautions include knife sleeves or sheaths, knife covers or even collapsible or foldable knives, to name a few. In addition, knives typically used in the maritime industry have a rounded tip so as to avoid accidental stabbings.

Typical collapsible knives, knife sleeves or knife covers are very easy to use and sufficient to cover the blade of a knife when the blade is collapsed, in the case of a collapsible knife, such as a pocket knife, or when the blade is inserted into the sleeve or cover. The purpose of these protective devices is to cover the blade of the knife so as to protect the user thereof against accidently cutting or stabbing himself or herself while using the knife, simply carrying the knife or also when falling with the knife in the user’s pocket or attached to a harness of the user. However, these devices only facilitate covering or collapsing of the blade when the blade is not in use. The blade also has to be manually covered or collapsed by a user thereof and should the user not cover or collapse the blade, it remains exposed. This may cause problems since users may forget or find it tedious and unnecessarily time consuming to cover the blade when only travelling short distances, for example from one piece of rope to another. Users tend to be more willing to cover the blades once their shifts are completed or when they are required to travel farther distances.

The need for user intervention in closing the blade therefore often results in a case where the user travels from one point to another with an exposed blade which can be hazardous to both the user of the knife and bystanders. Numerous cases have been reported where people have accidently been wounded by an exposed blade either by a blade temporarily stored away without properly covering the blade, or by stabbing or cutting someone while walking with an exposed blade.

As a solution to the above, knives, known as rescue rope cutters, in diving parlance, have been used in industry. Rescue rope cutters generally have a hook like blade covered by a body, generally made from plastic, such that only the sharp edge of the blade is visible. Even though a portion of the blade is permanently exposed, the body of the rescue rope cutter substantially covers the outer periphery of the blade thereby preventing a person from accidentally being stabbed therewith.

However, a problem which is frequently found with rescue rope cutters is that each cutter, due to the shape of the knife and small exposed area of the blade, has a predefined limit to the size of an object, for example a rope, which it is able to cut. Should the rope have a larger size than any one of the predefined sizes, the rope may not sufficiently fit into the cutting area of the blade and result in a very time consuming process of cutting the rope. Ropes used in industrial environments are particularly strong and difficult to cut. Rescue rope cutters also limit the range of movement whereby the user can use them to cut with and only allow cutting with a pulling force, which may not always be possible or may not cut the rope quickly enough in certain circumstances.

Rescue rope cutters therefore only provide a partial solution to the problem as it increases safety, but may be more expensive, as different sizes may be required, and may further increase cutting time of certain ropes, or may not be able to cut certain thicknesses of rope at all.

A further problem which is not solved by any of the above-mentioned solutions is that the knife blade stays exposed during the cutting process and does not provide the user with an option of applying a force to the rope or object from beneath the blade without risking a severe cut on one’s hand. Therefore, if something goes wrong during the process of cutting a rope, such as the knife slipping, it may cause serious harm to the user or any other bystander.

There is scope to address the aforementioned disadvantages and problems.

The preceding discussion of the background to the invention is intended only to facilitate an understanding of the present invention. It should be appreciated that the discussion is not an acknowledgment or admission that any of the material referred to was part of the common general knowledge in the art as at the priority date of the application.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the invention there is provided a safety knife comprising:

a hilt with a blade extending from the hilt having a cutting edge provided on a side of the blade extending along at least a portion of the length of the blade;

a guard mounted to the hilt or blade and movable about a pivot between an open condition wherein the cutting edge of the blade is at least partially exposed and a closed condition wherein the cutting edge is at least partially covered by the guard; and

a biasing arrangement provided to bias the guard toward the closed condition.

Further features provide for the pivot to be provided at or near a distal end of the blade.

Even further features provide for the guard to comprise an elongate body including a slot along the length thereof and arranged to receive at least a portion of the cutting edge of the blade therein; for the elongate body to have a cross-sectional shape that is substantially U- or V-shaped; for a handle to be provided on the guard to assist in pivoting the guard against the bias to the open condition; for the handle to extend from a free end of the guard; and for the handle to be shaped and configured to guide objects intended to be cut toward the cutting edge of the blade such that an object intended to be cut is guided toward the blade and the object pushes the guard against the bias to the open condition to thereby at least partially expose the blade.

Still further features provide for a hinge, such as a spring hinge, to be provided on the body of the guard; and for the hinge to be configured to bias a free end of the blade toward the closed condition such that when an object intended to be cut is inserted between the guard and the blade, the free end of the guard is biased about the hinge to the closed condition to thereby trap the object between the guard and the blade.

Yet further features provide for the biasing arrangement to include a spring, such as a coil spring, torsion spring, flat spring, clock spring, or the like; for the spring to be provided in a spring housing that forms part of the guard, alternatively for the spring housing to be a separate component configured to be received by the guard; and for the spring housing to be located at the pivot.

Further features provide for the safety knife to include a securing mechanism for securing the guard to the blade and prevent movement of the guard about the pivot; for the securing mechanism to include a first aperture in the guard and a second corresponding aperture in the blade, both apertures being align with one another when the guard is in the closed condition and shaped and configured to receive a securing tool to enable securing of the guard to the blade.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention there is provided a blade guard for a knife comprising an elongate body mountable to a knife enabling pivotal movement of the body relative to the knife, wherein the guard is operatively rotatable against a bias about a pivot from a closed condition, in which the body at least partially covers a cutting edge of the knife, to an open condition in which the body is angularly displaced so as to at least partially expose the cutting edge of the knife.

Further features provide for the guard to be removably mountable to a blade of the knife, preferably at a distal end of the blade; alternatively, for the guard to be mountable to a hilt of the knife.

Even further features provide for the guard to include a handle to assist in rotating the elongate body against the bias; for the handle to extend from an operatively free end of the elongate body; for the handle and body to be integral; and for the handle to be shaped and configured to guide objects intended to be cut toward the cutting edge of the knife so that the object intended to be cut may push the elongate body against the bias to the open condition so as to at least partially expose the blade.

Yet further features provide for the elongate body to include a slot along the length thereof arranged to receive at least a portion of the cutting edge of the blade therein when in the closed condition; for the elongate body to have a cross-sectional shape that is substantially U- or V- shaped; for the slot to be configured to at least partially cover the cutting edge of the blade; and for a supporting member to be provided within the slot that abuts the cutting edge of the blade when the blade is in the closed condition.

Still further features provide for the guard to comprise a first guard frame and a second guard frame with each frame operatively being provided on either side of a blade of the knife and which may be secured to each other to form the guard.

Further features provide for the guard to be manufactured from a suitably rigid material capable of withstanding the cutting force of the blade, including any one of plastic, rubber, wood, metal or the like.

Even further features provide for the guard to be mounted to the knife in a snap-fit configuration; alternatively, for the guard to be mounted to the knife with a suitable fastener such as a screw and bolt, pin, rivet or the like.

Still further features provide for the bias to be provided by a biasing spring; for the biasing spring to be arranged to bias the guard toward the closed condition; for the biasing spring to be provided in a spring housing that forms part of the guard, alternatively for the spring housing to be a separate component configured to be received between the first and second guard frames, or between one of the guard frames and the knife; and for the spring housing to be provided at the pivot.

Yet further features provide for a hinge, such as a spring hinge, to be provided on the elongate body of the guard; and for the hinge to be configured to bias the free end of the body of the guard toward the closed condition such that when the object intended to be cut is inserted between the guard and the blade, the free end of the guard is biased about the hinge to the closed condition to thereby trap the object between the guard and the blade.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a three-dimensional view of a blade guard according to an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is a three-dimensional view of a first guard frame of the blade guard of

Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 is a three-dimensional view of a second guard frame of the blade guard of

Figure 1 ;

Figure 4 illustrates an exploded view of a blade guard mountable to a knife, also showing a spring housing for biasing the blade guard toward a closed condition;

Figure 5 is a three-dimensional view of the blade guard of Figure 1 mounted to a knife;

Figure 6 is a three-dimensional view of the blade guard of Figure 5 with the blade guard in the open condition;

Figure 7 is a three-dimensional view of a blade guard including a hinge according to an alternative embodiment of the invention;

Figure 8 is a three-dimensional view of the blade guard of Figure 7 mounted to a knife; and

Figure 9 is a three-dimensional view of the blade guard of Figure 8 having an object located between the blade guard and the knife.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION WITH REFERENCE TO THE DRAWINGS The invention provides a blade guard for a knife which may serve as a safety tool or safety knife. The blade guard may be mounted to the knife and substantially extends along the length of the blade. The blade guard may be rotatable about a pivot, wherein such rotation of the guard may be against a bias about the pivot relative to the knife, the bias urging the guard toward a closed condition thereby at least partially shielding the blade or cutting edge thereof. Rotation of the guard against the bias may move the guard from the closed condition, in which a body of the guard at least partially covers the cutting edge of the knife, to an open condition, in which the body is displaced, preferably angularly, such that the cutting edge is at least partially exposed. The guard may be mounted to a distal end or proximal end of the blade or to a hilt of the knife. The guard may be removed from the knife, for example to sharpen or clean the cutting edge of the knife, and subsequently re-mounted. The guard is operatively biased toward the closed condition by means of a biasing arrangement preferably including a spring, such as a coil-, flat-, clock-, torsion spring or the like.

The guard may include a handle which may be integrally formed with the body of the guard. The handle may be used to rotate the guard against the bias such that the cutting edge of the knife is exposed. The handle may be shaped to act as a guide for objects which are intended to be cut. By merely placing objects against the handle and providing a pulling force onto the hilt of the blade the object may slide along the handle and subsequently exert a force onto the body of the guard thereby cause the body to be rotated against the bias and thereby exposing the cutting edge of the blade. This may facilitate exposing the blade without requiring the user to manually rotate the guard so as to expose the knife, i.e. enabling onehanded use. Accordingly, objects intended to be cut may be guided toward the cutting edge by merely pulling or pushing the handle or the hilt toward the object which then exerts a force onto the handle thereby rotating the guard relative to the knife and thus exposing the cutting edge to permit cutting of the object. After the object is cut, the guard automatically returns to the closed condition due to the bias, thereby covering the cutting edge resulting in increased operational safety of the knife. The blade guard may, in an alternative embodiment, include a hinge along the length of the guard body. The hinge may include biasing means and be configured such that when an object intended to be cut is placed between the guard and the hinge, the hinge causes the free end of the guard to be rotated under the bias toward the blade. This may ensure that the guard at least partially enclose the object between the blade and the guard which may assist in holding the object intended to be cut in place, but also ensures that the majority of the cutting edge is covered by the guard. The guard and blade may further be providing with a securing mechanism to enable securing of the guard in the closed condition. The securing mechanism may comprise a first aperture in the guard and a second corresponding aperture in the blade with the apertures being aligned with one another when the guard is in the closed condition to enable insertion of a securing tool therethrough, such as a carabiner or the like.

The blade guard described herein may be versatile and may find application for example on single- or double-edged knife blades and include saws and/or daggers. As a result, the term “knife” should be interpreted to include any cutting tool which may require the use of a blade guard to cover a cutting edge thereof.

The blade guard will now be described with reference to the accompanying figures, wherein like reference numerals are used to indicate like features and components.

Figures 1 to 6 show a blade guard (1 ) that is mountable to a knife (2), as shown in figures 4 to 6, according to an embodiment of the invention. The blade guard (1 ) includes a blade guard body (3), a handle (5), a biasing arrangement (7), an aperture (9) and a slot (1 1 ). The blade guard (1 ) is preferably manufactured from a suitably rigid and hard-plastic material capable of withstanding repeated cutting of the blade into the blade guard (1 ) over an extend period of use. However, it will be appreciated that the blade guard (1 ) may be manufactured from any material including rigid or resilient materials including rubber, polymeric or composite materials, wood, metal or the like.

The blade guard (1 ) has a substantially elongate body (3), which preferably corresponds to the shape or profile of an exemplary knife blade (12) (shown in Figure 4) to which the blade guard (1 ) is intended to be mounted. As shown in Figure 4, the knife blade (12) preferably has a rounded blunt tip (13) at a distal end (15) thereof, but it will be appreciated that this is not essential as will be described further below. A handle (5) extends angularly from a free end (17) of the body (3) and may assist a user to move the guard (1 ) relative to the blade (12). The handle (5) is preferably integrally formed with the body (3) of the blade guard (1 ). The handle (5) is preferably shaped and configured to act as a guide for an object to be cut so as to guide the object toward a cutting edge (19) of the blade (12). In this regard, the handle (5) may be used in a hook like manner to thereby grasp the object to be cut and to then cause the object to exert a force onto the guard (1 ) so as to rotate the guard against the bias and expose cutting edge (19) the blade (12).

The body (3) of the blade guard (1 ) includes a slot (1 1 ) that extends along the length of the guard (1 ) and which is arranged to receive at least a portion of the blade (12) of the knife (2), in particular the cutting edge (19) thereof, to which the blade guard (1 ) is mounted. The slot (1 1 ) thus splits the body (3) of the guard (1 ) into two sidewalls (21 ) that are joined together by a support member (23) thereby providing the guard body (3) with a cross-sectional shape that is substantially U-or V- shaped. When the guard (1 ) is in the closed condition, at least a portion of the blade (12) is held within the slot (1 1 ) with the blade or cutting edge (19) abutting the support member (23). However, it will of course be appreciated that the support member is not essential and the body could also comprise only the two sidewalls and potentially either had a support member at a particular location, i.e. toward the free end of the body (3), so as to act as a stop to prevent further rotation of the blade, as will be described in more detail below.

The pivot end (25) of the blade guard (1 ) opposite the free end (17) is rounded so as to correspond to the blunt or rounded tip (13) of the knife (2). Of course, although rounded tip knives are customary in the maritime industry, this is not essential and the guard (1 ) can equally be used with knives having a sharp or pointed end. In such a case, the pivot end (25) of the guard (1 ) may be designed such that it covers the tip of the blade at all times, i.e. also when the guard (1 ) is being rotated so as to expose the cutting edge (19). For example, the pivot end (25) may be sized so that guard may be rotated about the blade without ever exposing the sharp or pointed tip of the blade. The rounded pivot end (25) has an aperture (9) extending therethrough for receiving a securing means (not shown) for securing the blade guard (1 ) to the blade (12), which will be described in further detail below.

As is shown in Figures 2 and 3, the blade guard (1 ) may be manufactured from two individual guard frames (27, 28) that are then subsequently bonded to one another, preferably by chemical bonding but other suitable methods may also be used, prior to mounting of the guard to the knife.. Nevertheless, preferably the blade guard (1 ) is manufactured as a single unit, i.e. with the two guard frames being manufactured integrally by means of suitable moulding techniques.

Figure 2 illustrates the first guard frame (27) which comprises an elongate body (29) which, when mounted to the knife (2), forms one of the sidewalls (21 ) of the guard body with a handle (30) extending from the free end of the body (29). The body (29) of the first guard frame (27) includes the blade support member (23) which is integrally formed therewith. As can be seen in Figure 2, the support member (23) comprises a thickening of a portion of the body of the first guard frame (27) thereby forming a ledge or flange that extends along the length of the body (29) of the first guard frame (27) and which terminates into the handle (30) of the frame. It will of course be appreciated that in order to reduce material costs, the support member (23) may also only extend along a portion of the length of the frame (27), preferably closer to the handle (30), so as to provide a stop and prevent the blade guard (1 ) from rotating under the bias and thus ensuring that the cutting edge (19) is covered when in the closed condition.

In the embodiment shown, the first guard frame (27) has a rounded pivot end (31 ), opposite the end comprising the handle (30), which is configured to correspond to the blunt tip (13) of the knife blade (12) for which it is intended to be used. The rounded pivot end (31 ) further has an aperture (33) therein which is configured to receive an end of a securing component for pivotally securing the first guard frame (27) to the blade. As mentioned above, the first and second frame will typically be bonded to one another prior to mounting of the guard to the frame.

In order to prevent the blade guard (1 ) from being obstructed by the blade (12) during rotation thereof, the rounded pivot end (31 ) is slightly offset. This offset facilitates a desirable degree of rotation of the blade guard (1 ) about the blade (12) without being blocked by the blade (12).

The body (29) of the first guard frame (27), which in use is adjacent the blade (12), together with the blade support member (23) covers at least a portion of the blade to prevent the blade from undesirably being exposed. In an alternative exemplary embodiment, the blade guard could also only include a single guard frame, in which case the support member may be modified to further include an upstanding lip to once again provide a somewhat U-shape in cross-section for receiving the cutting edge (19) of the blade (12). Of course, in this embodiment the frame member would also need to include the biasing arrangement to bias the guard to the closed condition.

Figure 3 shows the second guard frame (28) which is essentially a mirror image of the first guard frame (27), save for the pivot end (35) opposite the handle (37) which makes provision for the biasing arrangement and further in that the second guard frame does not include the support member (23). As with the first frame (27) shown in Figure 2, the pivot end (35) opposite the handle (37) of the second frame (28) is also rounded to correspond with the blunted tip (13) of the knife blade (12) and further the rounded pivot end (35) is again slightly offset from the body (38) of the frame (28) to facilitate rotation of the guard (1 ) about the blade (12) of the knife (2), as described above. The rounded pivot end (35) includes a central bore (39) configured to receive the biasing arrangement (7), as will be described further below, with a hub (40) provided centrally within the bore (39). The central bore (39) further includes an aperture that extends the width of the pivot end (35) and which is configured to receive an end of a securing component or other fastener or shaft for pivotally securing the first and second guard frame (28) to the blade (12).

As can be seen in Figure 3, the rounded pivot end (35) is, in addition to the offset mentioned above, also slightly offset from the majority of the body of the second frame (28) and includes a step (41 ) so as to accommodate the biasing arrangement (7) between the blade (12) and the rounded pivot end (35) of the second frame (28). As can be seen in Figure 4, the offset gives the appearance that the rounded pivot end (35) bulges slightly outward from the remainder of the frame (28). A biasing arrangement (7) is provided at the rounded pivot end (15) of the blade guard (1 ) and which is configured to bias the guard (1 ), once mounted to a knife (2), to the closed condition in which the guard at least partially covers the cutting edge (19) of the knife’s blade (12). In the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 6, and with particular reference to Figure 4, the biasing arrangement (7) includes a spring housing (43) configured to house a biasing spring, such as a torsion spring, therein (the spring is not shown, but a person skilled in the art will appreciate how such a spring would interact with the spring housing and with the guard). The spring housing (43) is shaped to correspond with the rounded pivot end (35) of the second guard frame (28) and includes a circumferential flange (45), wherein the spring is housed. The circumferential flange (45) is configured to be received in the bore (39) provided in the rounded pivot end (35) of the second guard frame (28) so that the spring is effectively housed between the spring housing (43) and the rounded pivot end (35) of the second guard frame (28) and held within the circumferential flange (45). In the arrangement shown, the spring housing (43) and rounded pivot end (35) of the second guard frame (28) mate so as to provide a smooth interface therebetween and permit the second guard frame (28) to rotate relative to the spring housing (43). In addition, the spring housing includes a central aperture (47) through which a securing component or other fastener or shaft may be extended, such as a screw and bolt, pin, rivet, or the like, to thereby secure the first (27) and second frame (28) and biasing arrangement (7) to the blade (12).

As is clearly shown in Figure 4, the spring housing (43) includes an abutting formation (49) that is arranged to abut against the complementary shaped step (41 ) provided on the second guard frame (28) which assists in pushing the second guard frame under the influence of the spring’s bias toward the closed condition. In addition, the abutting formation (49) and complementary step (41 ) may act together as a stop so as to prevent the guard (1 ) from rotating too far under the bias and being forced into the cutting edge (19) of the blade (12), which may result in blunting the cutting edge over time. Flowever, it will of course be appreciated that the stop provided by the step (41 ) and abutting formation (49) is not essential and the guard could also simply be prevented from rotating further by engaging the blade.

Figure 4 further illustrates how the parts that form part of this embodiment of the invention are intended to be assembled and mounted to the blade (12). These parts include the first guard frame (27), the second guard frame (28) and the spring housing (43). As mentioned above, in a preferred embodiment the two guard frames are integrally manufactured with the biasing arrangement, i.e. spring housing and spring, being inserted into the rounded pivot end prior to assembly thereof. It will be appreciated that the spring housing (43) may be fixed to the second guard frame (28) by means of, for example, a threaded connection or a snap-fit connection in which the hub (40) may be configured to act as a pin which may extend through the aperture (47) in the spring housing and grip an outer surface of the spring housing (43), thereby securing the spring housing to the second guard frame (28).

The blade (12) has at least one aperture (51 ) at its distal end which may be used to mount the blade guard (1 ) to the blade by aligning the apertures of the first guard frame (27), second guard frame (28) and the biasing arrangement (7) with one of the apertures (51 ) of the blade and securing the blade guard (1 ) to the blade (12) with the fastener (not shown). In the event of additional apertures in the blade, as shown in Figure 4, then these may be used to mount the guard to a desired position so as to provide better rotation of the guard about the frame or the like. Other means of fastening or securing the blade guard to the blade or hilt may also be used. For example, the blade guard (1 ) could also be secured to the hilt of the knife (2) in which case the guard may include an arrangement that is capable of grasping around the hilt of the knife so as to fasten the guard to the blade (12). Alternatively, the guard could also be secured to a proximal end of the blade. Further, the blade guard (1 ) is preferably removably secured to the blade (12) of the knife (2) so that the guard (1 ) may be removed from the blade (12) to, for example, sharpen or clean the knife and to subsequently re-mount the guard.

The spring in the current embodiment is a torsion spring (not shown) that is configured to bias the blade guard (1 ) toward the closed condition. Other suitable springs may also be used, such as a coil spring, flat spring, clock spring, or the like, to provide the required functionality. When the guard is then pivoted relative to the blade (and relative to the spring housing) the torsion spring exerts a force onto the spring housing and causes the abutting formation (49) of the spring housing (43) to abut against the complementary step (41 ) to automatically push the second guard frame (28) under the influence of the torsion spring’s bias toward the closed condition.

Figure 5 shows a view of the blade guard (1 ) mounted to the blade (12) of the knife (2). The blade guard (1 ) is pivotally mounted to the distal end of the blade (12) and configured to (at least partially) cover the blade (12). The blade guard (1 ) is shown in a closed condition in which it substantially covers the cutting edge (19) of the blade (12). The blade guard (1 ) is held in this position where it presses against the blade (12) due to the spring bias around the pivot mount (55) and the support member (23) abuts either the cutting edge (19), or another part of the blade (12) or the hilt (53). The blade guard (1 ) is movable into the open condition, which is illustrated in Figure 6, and in which at least a portion of the cutting edge of the blade is exposed, by angularly displacing the blade guard (1 ) against the bias, for example by pulling or otherwise exerting a force on the handle (5) of the blade guard as indicated by the directional arrow (56), to thereby facilitate cutting of an object. Once the object has successfully been cut, the blade guard (1 ) automatically returns back to its closed condition due to the biasing force exerted onto the guard by the biasing arrangement. Alternatively, the blade guard (1 ) may be displaced by simply using the handle (5) of the guard (1 ). The guard handle (5), as previously described, is angled to define an entry point for an object, such as a rope, a stalk of kelp, a sling, a cargo strap, or any other object that is intended to be cut. The handle (5) may therefore facilitate cutting of an object without requiring the user of the knife (2) to manually displace the blade guard (1 ) by actively pulling the handle (5) away from the blade (12). The user may simply position the object to be cut adjacent the handle (5) and guide the object towards the handle and/or blade (12) by applying a force to the hilt (53) which may cause the object to effectively displace the body (3) of the blade guard (1 ) thereby exposing the cutting edge to enable contact between the cutting edge (19) of the blade and the object. The user may then proceed to cut the object without having to pull the handle (5). The user may use a natural cutting or sawing motion and may optionally also apply an additional closing force onto the blade guard, i.e. by pulling the handle toward the blade while cutting.

The user may further use the blade guard (1 ) as a handle or gripping tool to wedge or grip an object, such as a rope, cargo strap, sling, or the like, between the blade guard (1 ) and the cutting edge (19) of the blade (12). Wedging the object between the cutting edge (19) of the blade and the blade guard (1 ) by applying a force to both the cutting edge and the blade guard may enable the user to cut the object with less difficulty as the object may be tightly gripped and consequently less prone to movement due to external forces being applied thereto. A further possible advantage of using the blade guard (1 ) when cutting an object may be that the user may place their hand underneath the blade guard while cutting the object without the fear of cutting himself or herself or a bystander.

In an alternative embodiment, the blade guard may be configured to cover the whole blade and need not necessarily be limited to a blade guard which only partially covers the blade. The blade guard may also be configured to be specifically suitable for different knives having different sizes, a plurality of cutting edges and/or profiles. It will be appreciated that a double-sided blade, a blade having cutting edges on both sides, may require a blade guard that covers the entire blade and even extend beyond the blade so as to ensure that both edges are covered when the blade guard is in the closed condition. In such an embodiment the blade guard may be required to be rotatable around the pivot between the closed condition and the open condition in either direction (clockwise or counter-clockwise) with the bias around the pivot configured to return the blade guard to the closed condition irrespective of the direction of the rotation.

It should further be appreciated that the blade support member (23) as previously described may be located on the second guard frame (28) which makes provision for an alternative embodiment in which only one guard frame is necessary. In such an embodiment the blade support member and spring housing may both be provided on one guard frame. The support member may be configured to curve or to otherwise extend around the blade so as to effectively cover the cutting edge of the blade. The blade guard may be mounted to the blade using similar securing components as described above. The blade side to which the blade guard is not mounted may comprise a washer or similar object to protect the knife from damage when the blade guard is secured thereto.

The blade guard need not include a spring housing as described above. The spring housing may be provided within the body of the second guard frame (or form part of the body of the first guard frame.

While the blade guard (1 ) which is removable and capable of being assembled and/or disassembled is shown in the accompanying drawings, it is envisaged that the blade guard may be irremovable and/or pre-assembled. The guard may, for example, be permanently fixed to the knife by a rivet or a similar connection which would not allow a user of the knife to remove the blade guard. The guard may further, for example, be pre-assembled and mounted to the blade of the knife by a snap-fit connection, screw or the like.

An alternative embodiment is shown in Figures 7 to 9 in which the blade guard includes a hinge arrangement. The present embodiment includes a first hinge arrangement (60) located along a body of the first guard frame (27) and a second hinge arrangement (62) located along a body of the second guard frame (28). Each of the hinge arrangements (60, 62) include a spring, for example a torsion spring, coil spring, clock spring, flat spring, or the like, such that the free end (17) of the guard (1 ) is biased towards the blade (12). Accordingly, when an object (64) is disposed between the blade guard (1 ) and the cutting edge (19) of the blade, i.e. when the blade guard (1 ) is in the open condition, as shown in Figure 9, the hinge arrangement ensures that the free end of the blade guard is returned to the closed condition so that the blade guard at least partially encloses the object (64). This may enable a user to press and grip the handle (5), at the free end (17) thereof, against the blade (12) whilst cutting the object (64). Each of the hinge arrangements may include a pin (66), such as a rivet or the like, extending through a centre thereof so as to secure the hinge arrangement and enable rotation of the free end (17) of the guard frame (27, 28) relative to the pivot mount (55). It will of course be appreciated that only one of the hinge arrangements will require a spring, but it is preferred to provide a spring at each hinge to ensure that the arrangement still operates even where one of the springs may fail.

It will be appreciated that numerous hinge arrangement configurations may be used and that a hinge arrangement capable of performing the above purpose must not be limited to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings. For example, in an alternative embodiment a single hinge arrangement may be provided that is slightly offset from the body of the guard (1 ). Alternatively, the hinge arrangement may also be provided without a spring and may consequently not be biased to the blade. Such a hinge arrangement may include a stop portion configured to prevent the free end of the blade guard from being rotated about the hinging for more than 180 degrees relative to the remainder of the guard to ensure that the guard always covers the blade in the closed condition, i.e. that part of the guard cannot be rotate about the hinge in the opposite direction thereby exposing a portion of the blade.

A further embodiment in which the blade guard (1 ) and the blade (12) include a securing mechanism intended to facilitate securing of the guard to the blade is shown in Figure 10. In this embodiment the guard (1 ) includes a first aperture (68) located in the body thereof. The first aperture (68) may be defined by a set of corresponding apertures provided in the sidewalls (21 ) of the guard (1 ). The set of apertures are located such that when the guard (1 ) is in the closed condition, the set of apertures align with a second aperture (70) provided in the blade (12). Each aperture of the set of apertures are on opposite sides of the blade (12) and second aperture (70) in the blade. The apertures (68, 70) are shaped and configured to receive a securing tool, such as a clip, carabiner, padlock or the like, to secure the guard (1 ) to the blade (12) when the set of apertures are aligned with the second aperture (70) when the guard (1 ) is in the closed condition. Such a configuration enables locking of the guard (1 ) to the blade (12) when, for example the knife (2) is stowed away or is not in use. This may increase the safety of the knife (2) as the blade (12) could not accidently be exposed when the knife is stowed away, and it may prevent tampering or use of the knife by miscreants. It may further also facilitate safe transport of the knife (2) as a user thereof may simply fasten the knife to a backpack, belt, or the like, by for example using a carabiner to attach the knife (2) to the backpack, belt or the like.

It will further be appreciated that the guide formation need not include the blade support member and that the guard frames may have a gap therebetween which is of sufficient width to receive the cutting edge of the blade. In such an embodiment the bias about the pivot may be configured such that the blade guard covers the cutting edge of the blade when the spring is at rest. This may find particular application where a double-sided blade is used. Alternatively, and as described above, specific formations may be provided which permit rotation of the body to a particular degree only, thus to where the cutting edge is covered.

In an even further alternative embodiment, the blade guard may be mounted to the hilt of the knife instead of the knife blade. The rotation of the blade guard in such an embodiment will be in a direction opposite to that described herein with reference to the drawings. The handle of the blade guard may, in such an embodiment, be located at the knife point and configured to cover the knife point when in the closed condition. It is envisaged that in such an embodiment the guard would, in an operative condition, rotate downwardly thus away from the cutting edge. An embodiment in which the guard is mounted to the proximal end of the blade would operate in the same way.

The foregoing description has been presented for the purpose of illustration; it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Persons skilled in the relevant art can appreciate that many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above disclosure.

The language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes, and it may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter. It is therefore intended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this detailed description, but rather by any claims that issue on an application based hereon. Accordingly, the disclosure of the embodiments of the invention is intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the invention, which is set forth in the following claims.

Throughout the specification and claims unless the contents requires otherwise the word ‘comprise’ or variations such as‘comprises’ or‘comprising’ will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers.