Patents Assigned to Edgecraft Corporation
  • Patent number: 6881137
    Abstract: A sharpener for blades comprises a physical structure supporting at least one abrasive surface. A displaceable guiding plate having an integral linear structural feature of the support is disposed toward one side of the abrasive surface. The linear structural feature provides sliding contact with a face of the blade to establish the relative angle of the plane of the edge facet of the blade with the plane of the abrasive surface at the point of mutual contact as the facet is guided into contact with the abrasive surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2005
    Assignee: Edgecraft Corporation
    Inventor: Daniel D. Friel, Sr.
  • Patent number: 6875093
    Abstract: A sharpener includes a motor driven shaft with at least one slidably mounted sharpening assembly consisting of a supporting hub structure mounted by its central bore hole on the shaft. The hub structure supports a symmetrically shaped rotating surface containing an ultra fine abrasive material. The rotating surface is pressed with a force of less than 0.2 lb. by a spring action to make sustained rotating abrading contact with a facet of a knife positioned by a knife guide to align the facet into contact with the surface containing the abrasive materials.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2005
    Assignee: Edgecraft Corporation
    Inventors: Daniel D. Friel, Sr., Daniel D. Friel, Jr., Terry J. Hall, Sr.
  • Patent number: 6863600
    Abstract: A finishing apparatus modifies the physical structure along the edge of a metal knife blade wherein the edge is formed at the junction of two edge facets presharpened with abrasives. The finishing apparatus consists of at least one precision angular knife guide that positions the edge of the blade into contact with the rigid surface of a driven moving member and positions the plane of the adjacent edge facet at a precise predetermined angle relative to the plane of the rigid surface that is harder than the metal of the knife and is without tendency to abrade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2005
    Assignee: Edgecraft Corporation
    Inventor: Daniel D. Friel, Sr.
  • Patent number: 6726551
    Abstract: A manual knife sharpener is provided with angle control structure. The structure includes a guide member having a guide surface which forms an angle with the abrasive surface of the sharpening member. When the blade is inserted into the space between the abrasive surface and the guide surface the blade presses against the guide surface to displace the guide surface linearly in a direction perpendicular to the guide surface so that the movement is a lateral movement in the same plane without any pivoting or twisting of the guide member. Thus, the angle between the guide surface and the abrasive surface remains constant regardless of the extent of displacement of the guide member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2004
    Assignee: Edgecraft Corporation
    Inventor: Daniel D. Friel, Sr.
  • Patent number: 6584889
    Abstract: An electric baking oven includes an open mesh vertically oriented baking basket to hold food while the food is baked in air by a programmed combination of radiant and convective and conductive energy transfer. An electrical programming control controls the energy from vertically oriented toaster heating elements located juxtaposed to the large vertical faces of the basket and from at least one elongated heating member located below the vertical baking basket with the axis of the elongated heating member oriented nominally horizontal and parallel to the longer horizontal axis of the vertically oriented baking basket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2003
    Assignee: Edgecraft Corporation
    Inventor: Daniel D. Friel, Sr.
  • Patent number: 6012971
    Abstract: An abrasive material contains abrasive particles in the range of 50 to 80% by weight in an olefinic thermalplastic resin system which is based on ethylene copolymer. The material may be incorporated on a substrate structure to be used as a stropping or honing material or may be shaped by an injection molding process or may be injection molded over a rigid insert or molded over a rigid wheel or disk inserted in the mold. The material may be used for polishing and finishing of crystalline materials, ceramics, silicon and semi-conductor wafers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2000
    Assignee: Edgecraft Corporation
    Inventors: Daniel D. Friel, Sr., Daniel D. Friel, Jr., Robert P. Bigliano
  • Patent number: 5611726
    Abstract: A high speed knife sharpening apparatus where the surface of a first rotating abrasive element is that of a truncated cone and forms a first facet with microgrooves and a microburr. A second stage is a novel composite cone shaped honing wheel made up of a micro abrasive imbedded in an epoxy matrix. The honing wheel refines the edge developed in the first stage, into an erect triangular shape with a radius of curvature, at the apex (edge), of typically several microns or less depending on the hardness of the knife steel. A unique blade holding system constrains the blade to a precisely defined angle relative to each of the grinding (first) and honing (second) stages. Proportionately larger grinding forces are developed for thicker knife blades, thus sharpening times are approximately the same over the common range of knives from small paring knives (6"), large chef's knives (10") up to kitchen cleavers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 18, 1997
    Assignee: Edgecraft Corporation
    Inventors: Daniel D. Friel, Robert P. Bigliano
  • Patent number: 5582535
    Abstract: An apparatus for sharpening the edge of an elongated object includes a housing having an exposed sharpening section with a sharpening element in the sharpening section. The sharpening element is formed from a single abrasive coated sharpening element having a pair of abrasive coated planar comb-like structures formed along opposing sides of the sharpening element. The sharpening element is bent into an X configuration wherein the alternating teeth and slots interdigitate to form the X-shaped configuration and form a sharpening angle between the interdigitating teeth. The sharpening angle has a bisection line with an elongated interrupted sharpening surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 10, 1996
    Assignee: Edgecraft Corporation
    Inventor: Daniel D. Friel
  • Patent number: 5449315
    Abstract: A portable manual sharpener for cutting tools such as knives, scissors and the like includes a base having a first stage sharpening station which includes a stationary non-rotatable support member with an abrasive coated planar surface on opposite sides of the support member. A pair of symmetrical slots are disposed adjacent to the planar faces with a guide surface located in each slot at a predetermined angle to the planar surface. A hold down device maintains the cutting blade in contact with the guide surface as the blade is moved through the sharpening station with the cutting edge facet of the blade in sliding contact with the abrasive particles on the planar face. The base includes an area which can be conveniently hand held.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 1994
    Date of Patent: September 12, 1995
    Assignee: Edgecraft Corporation
    Inventor: Daniel D. Friel
  • Patent number: 5404679
    Abstract: A portable manual sharpener for cutting tools such as knives, scissors and the like includes a base having a first stage sharpening station which includes a stationary non-rotatable support member with an abrasive coated planar surface on opposite sides of the support member. A pair of symmetrical slots are disposed adjacent to the planar faces with a guide surface located in each slot at a predetermined angle to the planar surface. A hold down device maintains the cutting blade in contact with the guide surface as the blade is moved through the sharpening station with the cutting edge facet of the blade in sliding contact with the abrasive particles on the planar face. The base includes an area which can be conveniently hand held.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 1992
    Date of Patent: April 11, 1995
    Assignee: Edgecraft Corporation
    Inventors: Daniel D. Friel, Samuel Weiner
  • Patent number: 5390431
    Abstract: Both facets of a double faceted blade are simultaneously sharpened as the facets are moved across a first pair of planar abrasive coated surfaces crossing to form a vertex and positioned to establish a total included angle at the vertex nominally equal to the intended total included angle of the edge facet. A guide structure contacts and aligns the blade so that the centerline of the blade is positioned at or near the bisection of the included angle of the abrasive surfaces. The guide structure is one or more rotatable members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 1993
    Date of Patent: February 21, 1995
    Assignee: Edgecraft Corporation
    Inventor: Daniel D. Friel
  • Patent number: 5357717
    Abstract: A tool for filing or abrading surfaces or for sharpening instruments such as knives, chisels and the like includes two spaced thin ferromagnetic rails having co-planar upper edges. A magnet is located between the rails with a ferromagnetic plate magnetically held to the rail. The plate has an exposed abrasive coated surface. A first magnetic pole of the magnet concentrates and conducts magnetic flux to the plate through the rails with sufficient force to hold the plate in position against the upper edges of the rails without the need for a retaining cavity to further restrain the plate from moving during use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 1993
    Date of Patent: October 25, 1994
    Assignee: Edgecraft Corporation
    Inventors: Daniel D. Friel, Jr., Edwin Parkell
  • Patent number: 5245791
    Abstract: A scissors sharpening apparatus includes a motor driven sharpening member having an abrasive surface. A magnetic guide is arranged to position the scissors blade at a fixed angle relative to the principle plane of the abrasive surface in such a manner that the magnet of the guide has the axis of its poles oriented nominally perpendicular to the flat face of the blade and nominally parallel to the principle plane of the abrasive surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 1992
    Date of Patent: September 21, 1993
    Assignee: Edgecraft Corporation
    Inventors: Robert P. Bigliano, Daniel D. Friel, Steven J. Gluck
  • Patent number: 5005319
    Abstract: A knife sharpener includes a sharpening member having a flat outer face with abrasive particles mounted thereon. The sharpening member is orbitally driven to impart an orbital motion to each of the particles of no greater than 3/8 inch effective diameter and an orbital velocity of no greater than 1500 feet per minute.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 1989
    Date of Patent: April 9, 1991
    Assignee: Edgecraft Corporation
    Inventor: Daniel D. Friel
  • Patent number: D488953
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2004
    Assignee: Edgecraft Corporation
    Inventor: Daniel D. Friel, Sr.
  • Patent number: D328410
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 1989
    Date of Patent: August 4, 1992
    Assignee: Edgecraft Corporation
    Inventor: Daniel D. Friel
  • Patent number: D342003
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 1992
    Date of Patent: December 7, 1993
    Assignee: Edgecraft Corporation
    Inventors: Daniel D. Friel, Samuel Weiner
  • Patent number: D368217
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 1994
    Date of Patent: March 26, 1996
    Assignee: Edgecraft Corporation
    Inventor: Daniel D. Friel
  • Patent number: D408254
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 20, 1999
    Assignee: Edgecraft Corporation
    Inventors: Daniel D. Friel, Jr., Richard P. Wakenigg
  • Patent number: D409891
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 18, 1999
    Assignee: Edgecraft Corporation
    Inventors: Daniel D. Friel, Daniel D. Friel, Jr., Abraham Leibson