Pocket sized adjustable knife sharpener

Abstract

A knife blade sharpener including two generally circular sharpening members pivotally mounted about a pivot axis and having opposed grinding edges. The grinding edges are located along one side of a notch formed in each of the generally circular sharpening members and can be brought to face one another, adjustably subtending an obtuse angle therebetween. The pivot axis may be established by a screw and a knurled nut enabling the user to tighten the two generally circular sharpening members together at a selected subtended angle for sharpening. A knife blade may be drawn through a wedge shaped gap between the two mutually facing grinding edges, and thereby sharpened. The knife blade sharpener has resilient gripping pads and a holster which facilitates gripping as well as for stowage.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A knife blade sharpener, comprising:
 a first sharpening member having a first grinding edge and a second sharpening member having a second grinding edge;   a pivot member establishing a pivot axis, the first sharpening member and the second sharpening member pivotally secured to the pivot member to pivot about the pivot axis such that the first grinding edge and the second grinding edge have a common point of intersection and are infinitely angularly adjustable such that the first grinding edge and the second grinding edge subtend an angle of variable angular magnitude; and   a lock configured to releasably secure the first grinding edge and the second grinding edge at a selected subtended angular relation.   
     
     
         2 . The knife blade sharpener of  claim 1 , wherein the first sharpening member and the second sharpening member each have a generally circular circumferential surface with a wedge shaped notch. 
     
     
         3 . The knife blade sharpener of  claim 2 , wherein the first grinding edge of the first sharpening member is offset from a radius radiating from the pivot axis, is parallel to the radius, and projects into the notch. 
     
     
         4 . The knife blade sharpener of  claim 3 , wherein the degree of offset of the first grinding edge is about one thirtieth of the overall diameter of the first sharpening member. 
     
     
         5 . The knife blade sharpener of  claim 3 , wherein
 the degree of offset of the first grinding edge is about one thirtieth of the overall diameter of the first sharpening member, and   the second grinding edge of the second sharpening member is offset from a radius radiating from the pivot axis, and projects into the notch, and the degree of offset of the second grinding edge is about one thirtieth of the overall diameter of the second sharpening member.   
     
     
         6 . The knife blade sharpener of  claim 2 , wherein the wedge shaped notch subtends an angle of about ninety degrees of the generally circular circumferential surface. 
     
     
         7 . The knife blade sharpener of  claim 2 , wherein the notch of first sharpening member and the notch of the second sharpening member are equal in subtended angular magnitude. 
     
     
         8 . The knife blade sharpener of  claim 2 , wherein the first grinding edge of the first sharpening member is along one side of the notch, and the second grinding edge of the second sharpening member is along the opposed side of the notch. 
     
     
         9 . The knife blade sharpener of  claim 1 , wherein the pivot member and the lock are unitary with one another. 
     
     
         10 . The knife blade sharpener of  claim 1 , wherein the pivot member comprises a screw and a knurled nut. 
     
     
         11 . The knife blade sharpener of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first sharpening member and the second sharpening member comprises indicia indicative of an angle subtended by the first grinding edge and the second grinding edge. 
     
     
         12 . The knife blade sharpener of  claim 1 , wherein one of the first sharpening member and the second sharpening member comprises indicia indicative of an angle subtended by the first grinding edge and the second grinding edge. 
     
     
         13 . The knife blade sharpener of  claim 12 , wherein the notch of the first sharpening member or the second sharpening member comprising the indicia includes a first side including the grinding edge and an opposed second side, the second side having a beveled portion resulting in an edge immediately proximate the indicia. 
     
     
         14 . The knife blade sharpener of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one gripping pad on at least one of the first sharpening member and the second sharpening member. 
     
     
         15 . The knife blade sharpener of  claim 14 , wherein the gripping pad is fabricated from a synthetic substance. 
     
     
         16 . The knife blade sharpener of  claim 1 , further comprising a first gripping pad on the first sharpening member and a second gripping pad on the second sharpening member. 
     
     
         17 . The knife blade sharpener of  claim 1 , further including a separate holster configured to receive the knife blade sharpener in close cooperation therein. 
     
     
         18 . The knife blade sharpener of  claim 17 , wherein the holster comprises a pocket having a first side and an opposed second slide, wherein the first side and the second side each includes a slot configured to avoid contact with the pivot member when the knife blade sharpener is slid into the pocket. 
     
     
         19 . The knife blade sharpener of  claim 1 , wherein each of the grinding edges is formed from a carbide material. 
     
     
         20 . A method of sharpening a knife blade, comprising:
 providing two generally circular sharpening members pivotally mounted about a pivot axis and having opposed grinding edges, the grinding edges each located along one side of a notch formed in each of the generally circular sharpening members;   adjusting the two generally circular sharpening members to a selected subtended angular relationship between the two generally circular sharpening members such that a wedge shaped gap exists between the opposed grinding edges, the selected subtended angular relationship corresponding to an angular configuration of the knife blade;   securing the two generally circular sharpening members in the adjusted subtended angular relationship; and   drawing the knife blade through a gap between the two grinding edges in contact with at least one of the two grinding edges.