US 12,285,879 B2
Knife having removable blade
Dennis W. Cauley, Jr., Fayette, MO (US); James Tayon, Moberly, MO (US); Michael Cottrell, Ashland, MO (US); Justin Burke, Columbia, MO (US); Brian Steere, Columbia, MO (US); Kyle Martin, Columbia, MO (US); Anthony Vesich, Columbia, MO (US); Matthew Kinamore, Columbia, MO (US); Seth Wheeler, Columbia, MO (US); Michael Lindsay, Columbia, MO (US); Ryan Varnum, Columbia, MO (US); Curtis Smith, Columbia, MO (US); Josh Neville, Columbia, MO (US); Mark Dalton, Columbia, MO (US); and Timothy S. Kinney, Warrenton, MO (US)
Assigned to AOB Products Company, Columbia, MO (US)
Filed by AOB Products Company, Columbia, MO (US)
Filed on Oct. 30, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/931,237.
Application 18/931,237 is a continuation of application No. 18/735,327, filed on Jun. 6, 2024.
Application 18/735,327 is a continuation of application No. 16/903,866, filed on Jun. 17, 2020, granted, now 12,030,203, issued on Jul. 9, 2024.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/862,317, filed on Jun. 17, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2025/0050517 A1, Feb. 13, 2025
Int. Cl. B26B 5/00 (2006.01); B25G 3/18 (2006.01); B26B 9/00 (2006.01)
CPC B26B 5/00 (2013.01) [B25G 3/18 (2013.01); B26B 9/00 (2013.01)] 24 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A knife comprising:
a handle having a handle body and a sleeve in the handle body, the handle body including opposite forward and rearward ends, the forward end of the handle body including a front opening, a first side opening, and a second side opening, the first and second side openings disposed on opposite sides of the handle body, each of the first and second side openings being contiguous with and extending rearward from the front opening; and
a blade assembly including:
a blade;
a tang connected to the blade and extending rearward from the blade, the tang configured to be insertable into the front opening of the handle body and slidable into the sleeve of the handle for releasably mounting the blade assembly to the handle; and
a blade assembly connection structure supported by the tang, the blade assembly connection structure being sized and shaped to cover the front opening and the first and second side openings of the forward end of the handle body when the blade assembly is releasably mounted to the handle, the tang having a rear end located rearward of the blade assembly connection structure, the blade assembly connection structure including:
a first bracing segment;
a second bracing segment, the first and second bracing segments sandwiching the tang between the first and second bracing segments, the first and second bracing segments each taper as the respective bracing segments extend rearward;
a first arm arranged to cover the first side opening of the forward end of the handle body when the blade assembly is releasably mounted to the handle, the first bracing segment being between the tang and the first arm;
a second arm arranged to cover the second side opening of the forward end of the handle body when the blade assembly is releasably mounted to the handle, the second bracing segment being between the tang and the second arm;
a first gap between the first bracing segment and the first arm; and
a second gap between the second bracing segment and the second arm;
wherein the handle and the blade assembly are configured to releasably lock together to maintain the tang in the sleeve for releasably mounting the blade assembly to the handle.