Knife having an interchangeable blade

Claim 1

A knife having an interchangeable blade comprising: an elongated rigid unitary handle element dimensioned to be held in a human hand, said elongated rigid unitary handle element having an elongated open-end chamber therein, the longitudinal axis of said chamber being substantially coaxial to the longitudinal axis of said handle element, said handle element having a plurality of apertures located therethrough, the longitudinal axis of said plurality of apertures being substantially transverse to said longitudinal axis of said chamber; a sharpened knife blade providing a tang at one end thereof, said tang having a plurality of rectangular holes therethrough, the longitudinal axis of said plurality of holes being substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said knife blade, said tang dimensioned to be inserted in said open-end of said chamber and to be removably retained therein, said plurality of holes coaxially aligning with said plurality of apertures in said handle when said tang is inserted in said chamber; and bolt means for securing said tang within said chamber, said bolt means for insertion through said coaxially aligned holes and apertures, said bolt means including a plurality of bolts and nut elements, said bolts having a slotted head and an externally threaded shank portion, said nut elements having a head and an internally threaded shank portion, said internally threaded shank portion dimensioned to capture and threadably cooperate with said externally threaded shank portion, said shank portions of said pluarlity of nut elements have a substantially rectangular cross-section, said plurality of apertures falling adjacent said heads of said plurality of nut elements when inserted therein being rectangular in shape, said heads of said plurality of nut elements being correspondingly rectangular in shape.