Utility instrument

Claim 1

A utility instrument comprising a. a handle having forward and rearward ends, b. said handle including a longitudinal edge slot therein forming a pair of handle portions, c. said handle portions each having a first aperture therethrough adjacent to the forward end of the handle with the said apertures being in axial alignment, d. one of said handle portions also having a pair of second apertures therethrough one of which is disposed on one side of said first aperture and the other of which is disposed on the other side of said aperture, e. an implement having forward and rearward ends and including a relatively flat shank portion arranged to be received in said slot, f. said shank adjacent to its rearward end having a substantially circular pivot aperture and a pair of aligning apertures one on each side of the pivot aperture, g. said shank also having a transverse slot extending from its pivot aperture to a side edge of the shank, h. the width of said transverse slot being less than the diameter of said pivot aperture, i. a lock member having a cross head, j. a pivot post on said cross head extending through said first aperture in the handle portions and through the pivot aperture in said shank, k. the diameter of said pivot post being less than said pivot aperture but greater than the width of said transverse slot, l. means defining a reduced diameter portion on said post intermediate the ends thereof of less dimension than the width of said slot, m. a pair of aligning pins on said cross head one on each side of said pivot post and extending through said second apertures in the one handle portion and arranged to extend through said aligning apertures in said shank to hold said implement in substantial longitudinal alignment with the handle, n. and releasable means on the opposite end of said pivot post from said cross head, o. said releasable means being operative on said post to provide axial movement of the latter to three positions in the first of which the post and aligning pins are pulled in tightly to position the aligning pins in said second apertures and aligning apertures to hold the implement in a secured position, in the second of which the post and aligning pins are released to a position such that the latter are withdrawn from said aligning apertures and said reduced diameter portion is out of alignment with the slot in the handle to permit the implement to pivot between an extended position and a stored position in said slot in the handle and vice versa, and in the third of which the post and aligning pins are released to an intermediate position such that the latter are withdrawn from said aligning apertures and said reduced diameter portion of said post is in alignment with the slot in the handle whereby said shank portion can be detached from the handle by moving it laterally with the said reduced diameter portion of said post moving through said transverse slot.