Granted Patent B2

US 12,194,599 · App. 18/480,237 · Granted Jan 14, 2025

Inventors: Eric Arthur Miller, Jr. (Somerville, MA); Nathaniel R. Lavins (Cambridge, MA); Joshua D. Anthony (N. Billerica, MA); Orlando Soto (Amesbury, MA); Ross Richardson (Sherborn, MA)

Assignee: SharkNinja Operating LLC

B24D15/081B24B3/54

Abstract

Claims (39)

1. A knife sharpener system, comprising:

a support structure configured to hold a knife having a handle and a blade extending therefrom, the support structure having a guide track, a return track, and a cam surface;

a carriage; and

a sharpening surface configured to sharpen a cutting edge of the blade,

wherein, with the support structure holding the knife, the carriage is configured to move in a first direction within the guide track to cause the sharpening surface to move against and along the cutting edge of the blade;

with the support structure holding the knife and with the carriage moving in a second direction within the guide track, the cam surface is configured to move relative to the guide track and the return track and thereby cause the sharpening surface to move into the return track such that the sharpening surface is a distance apart from the cutting edge of the blade; and

the second direction is opposite to the first direction.

2. The knife sharpener system of claim 1 , wherein, with the support structure holding the knife, the support structure includes a clamping assembly configured to maintain the knife in a fixed position.

3. The knife sharpener system of claim 2 , wherein the clamping assembly includes a pair of jaws configured to engage a portion of the knife.

4. The knife sharpener system of claim 3 , further comprising a release mechanism configured to at least partially separate the jaws to allow the knife to be removed from the clamping assembly.

5. The knife sharpener system of claim 1 , wherein the carriage assembly includes a second handle coupled thereto and extending from the support structure to allow a user to move the carriage assembly relative to the support structure in at least the first direction.

6. The knife sharpener system of claim 1 , wherein, with the support structure holding the knife:

the carriage assembly is configured to travel in the guide track from a position adjacent to the handle to a position beyond a tip of the blade with the carriage assembly moving in the first direction, and

the return track is configured to prevent the carriage assembly from moving in the second direction until the carriage assembly it reaches a predetermined position that is beyond a tip of the blade.

7. The knife sharpening system of claim 1 , further comprising an arm moveably coupled to the carriage;

wherein the sharpening surface is disposed on the arm.

8. The knife sharpener system of claim 1 , further comprising a constant-force spring configured to apply a biasing force to the sharpening surface and automatically advance the carriage along the guide track in the first direction.

9. The knife sharpener system of claim 8 , further comprising a secondary carriage movably disposed in the support structure, the secondary carriage being configured to engage the carriage and move the carriage in the second direction against the biasing force of the spring.

10. The knife sharpener system of claim 1 , further comprising an arm movably coupled to the carriage; and

a spring coupled to the arm;

wherein the movement of the carriage in the first direction within the guide track is configured to cause the spring to apply a biasing force to the sharpening surface.

11. The knife sharpener system of claim 10 , further comprising a pawl mounted to the support structure and including the cam surface;

wherein the carriage is configured to switch from moving in the guide track in the first direction to moving in the guide track in the second direction; and

the pawl is configured to urge the arm into the return track in response to the carriage switching from moving in the guide track in the first direction to moving in the guide track in the second direction.

12. The knife sharpener system of claim 1 , wherein the distance is a predetermined distance.

13. The knife sharpener system of claim 1 , wherein the cam surface is configured to cause the sharpening element to move into the return track from a first track formed in the support structure in which the arm is configured to move during the movement of the carriage in the first direction within the guide track.

14. The knife sharpener system of claim 1 , further comprising a pawl pivotally coupled to the support structure and including the cam surface.

15. The knife sharpener system of claim 1 , wherein the knife is one of a plurality of knives each configured to be held by the support structure and sharpened with the sharpening surface, and each of the plurality of knives has a blade that is a different length from one another.

16. The knife sharpener system of claim 1 , further comprising the knife.

17. A knife sharpener system, comprising:

a support structure configured to hold a knife having a handle and a blade extending therefrom, the support structure having a guide track, a return track, and a cam surface; and

a carriage assembly having a sharpening element configured to, with the support structure holding the knife, sharpen a cutting edge of the blade;

a constant-force spring coupled to the carriage assembly and configured to apply a force to the carriage assembly that automatically advances the carriage assembly along the guide track in the first direction; and

a secondary carriage movably disposed in the support structure, the secondary carriage being configured to engage the carriage assembly and move the carriage assembly in the second direction against the force of the constant-force spring;

wherein, with the support structure holding the knife, the carriage assembly is movable in a first direction within the guide track in the support structure to cause the sharpening element to move against and along the cutting edge of the blade; and

the cam surface is configured to move the sharpening element into the return track such that, with the support structure holding the knife, the sharpening element is spaced a distance apart from the cutting edge of the blade when the carriage assembly is moved in a second opposite direction within the guide track.

18. The knife sharpener system of claim 17 , wherein, with the support structure holding the knife, the support structure includes a clamping assembly configured to maintain the knife in a fixed position.

19. The knife sharpener system of claim 17 , further comprising a pawl pivotally coupled to the support structure and including the cam surface.

20. The knife sharpener system of claim 17 , further comprising the knife.

Continuity (3)

References Cited (136)