Utility cutter

Abstract

A knife includes a handle that includes a gripping surface; a blade slide positioned in a recess of the handle that extends from an opening of the handle through a cavity within the handle; a blade coupled to the blade slide near a proximal end of the blade and extending through the recess and into the opening when the blade slide is in the retracted position; and a guide coupled to the blade near a distal end of the blade opposite the proximal end, the guide including a contoured surface configured to engage a workpiece to extend the blade slide a distance from the retracted position to an extended position such that the blade is extended from the opening of the handle, the blade slide biased to move from the extended position to the retracted position.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A utility cutter, comprising:
 a handle that comprises a gripping surface;   a blade configured to extend from the handle, the blade comprising a cutting portion which includes one or more cutting edges and a non-cutting portion including a thickness; and   a guide including a guide length in a direction substantially parallel with the non-cutting portion of the blade and a guide width in a direction substantially transverse the guide length;   the guide attached directly and fixedly to the blade independent of engaging contact between the guide and the handle, the guide positioned in an attaching position on the blade to expose at least a portion of the cutting portion and cover at least a portion of the non-cutting portion, the guide comprising a contoured surface that comprises at least one pointed edge to pierce through a corrugated material, the guide further comprising a first ramped side and a second ramped side, the first and second ramped sides directly adjacent the at least one pointed edge, the ramped sides transition to a widening of the guide, and the guide width at the attaching portion is greater than the thickness of the non-cutting portion of the blade.   
     
     
         2 . The utility cutter of  claim 1 , wherein the guide is semi-permanently or permanently attached to the blade. 
     
     
         3 . The utility cutter of  claim 1 , wherein the guide is integrally attached to the blade. 
     
     
         4 . The utility cutter of  claim 1 , wherein the guide comprises a contoured surface that comprises at least one pointed edge. 
     
     
         5 . The utility cutter of  claim 1 , wherein the pointed edge is configured to engage a material. 
     
     
         6 . The utility cutter of  claim 1 , wherein the pointed edge is configured to pierce a corrugated material. 
     
     
         7 . The utility cutter of  claim 1 , further comprising a biasing member in contact with a blade slide that supports the blade, the biasing member configured to exert a substantially constant force on the blade slide to bias the slide into the retracted position. 
     
     
         8 . The utility cutter of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one spring. 
     
     
         9 . The utility cutter of  claim 1 , wherein the handle comprises a slicing edge. 
     
     
         10 . The utility cutter of  claim 1 , wherein the blade comprises titanium-coated carbon steel. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the pointed edge is configured to pierce a corrugated material and shield the cutting portion of the blade from a product contained in the corrugated material. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the blade comprises at least one aperture configured to couple the blade to a knife.