Union Cutlery Swing Guard

The KA-BAR brand originated as a trademark of the Tidioute Cutlery Company. Tidioute was later taken over & renamed the Union Cutlery Company which continued making the brand until Union eventually adopted it as the company name in 1952. Cutco Corporation later acquired the company in 1996.
Post Reply
User avatar
chorizotaco
Posts: 159
Joined: Sun Apr 09, 2017 1:17 pm

Union Cutlery Swing Guard

Post by chorizotaco »

I’m overjoyed with my new purchase. Union Cutlery USA with a patent date of Oct 23rd 1916. OAL is 9.5”, it’s massive.

Now what exactly does that patent mean?
Attachments
23B0BA82-EE82-4DF8-8BAE-8B80F322B239.jpeg
9696342F-BA19-4812-94BD-08C723EBDD3F.jpeg
6CFE1ED4-95ED-4940-8440-C39A97FA26A2.jpeg
913E81FF-26EA-4798-B74A-BE157CFF3A86.jpeg
274D4A18-420D-43A4-85F4-126640D86783.jpeg
Froe
Posts: 320
Joined: Tue Feb 14, 2017 3:31 am

Re: Union Cutlery Swing Guard

Post by Froe »

Beautiful. Really a fine knife.
Froe
User avatar
steve99f
Posts: 2769
Joined: Mon Sep 16, 2013 9:49 pm
Location: Eastern PA

Re: Union Cutlery Swing Guard

Post by steve99f »

Congratulations 'taco, the covers are fabulous, very striking. ::tu::
steve99f
User avatar
FRJ
Posts: 15173
Joined: Fri May 14, 2010 1:43 pm
Location: Ct.

Re: Union Cutlery Swing Guard

Post by FRJ »

That sure is a good looking knife. Nice catch!
Joe
User avatar
Shearer
Bronze Tier
Bronze Tier
Posts: 2353
Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2012 11:11 pm
Location: Australia

Re: Union Cutlery Swing Guard

Post by Shearer »

chorizotaco wrote: Thu Jan 07, 2021 8:53 pm I’m overjoyed with my new purchase. Union Cutlery USA with a patent date of Oct 23rd 1916. OAL is 9.5”, it’s massive.

Now what exactly does that patent mean?
When you make something new you can apply for a Patent Number. When all the work is done checking out you are not copying another Patent you are issued with a number. A Patent number gives you protection that no one copies you design for several years.
You can see some knives with Patent Pending .That means they have not received a Patent number.
It's in the process of being issued.

P.S nice knife

Grant
Politicians should be like a good pocket knife ." Sharp and useful "
User avatar
chorizotaco
Posts: 159
Joined: Sun Apr 09, 2017 1:17 pm

Re: Union Cutlery Swing Guard

Post by chorizotaco »

Shearer wrote: Fri Jan 08, 2021 7:59 am
chorizotaco wrote: Thu Jan 07, 2021 8:53 pm I’m overjoyed with my new purchase. Union Cutlery USA with a patent date of Oct 23rd 1916. OAL is 9.5”, it’s massive.

Now what exactly does that patent mean?
When you make something new you can apply for a Patent Number. When all the work is done checking out you are not copying another Patent you are issued with a number. A Patent number gives you protection that no one copies you design for several years.
You can see some knives with Patent Pending .That means they have not received a Patent number.
It's in the process of being issued.

P.S nice knife

Grant
Thanks but what I meant was what is actually the patent? The knife, the mechanism, the design...??
User avatar
zzyzzogeton
Posts: 1722
Joined: Tue Jun 20, 2017 8:47 pm
Location: In the Heart of Texas on the Blackland Prairie

Re: Union Cutlery Swing Guard

Post by zzyzzogeton »

I've been searching for that info.

What I have learned so far is that it is a bogus patent issue date.

In the past, when searching for patent info, I had the actual patent number to search for. In this case, with only a date, I had to learn more about the US Patent Offuce database search engine.

What I have learned so far is that back then ALL patents were issued ONLY on TUESDAYS. Every patent I looked at for the month of October 1916 were issued on 03, 10, 17, 24 or 31 October. For 1918, the days were 01, 08, 15, 22 and 29.

October 17 & 24, 1916 had 1589 patents issued, 6 of which could be eliminated as being reissues of 1880s patents.

October 15, 22 and 29, 1918 had 2262 patents issued, with 11 being re-issues.

I was unable to find any patents listed as being issued to either Wallace or Robert E. Brown during these periods. I did find that Robert had 3 patents issued in 1926 (lever release), 1929 (fly open knife 1) and 1931 (fly open 2).

Obviously the date is wrong. The patent could have been under someone else's name other than the 2 brothers running the show.

Some one with better google-fu than I may be able to find the patent the date refers to.
User avatar
chorizotaco
Posts: 159
Joined: Sun Apr 09, 2017 1:17 pm

Re: Union Cutlery Swing Guard

Post by chorizotaco »

zzyzzogeton wrote: Fri Jan 08, 2021 6:12 pm I've been searching for that info.

What I have learned so far is that it is a bogus patent issue date.

In the past, when searching for patent info, I had the actual patent number to search for. In this case, with only a date, I had to learn more about the US Patent Offuce database search engine.

What I have learned so far is that back then ALL patents were issued ONLY on TUESDAYS. Every patent I looked at for the month of October 1916 were issued on 03, 10, 17, 24 or 31 October. For 1918, the days were 01, 08, 15, 22 and 29.

October 17 & 24, 1916 had 1589 patents issued, 6 of which could be eliminated as being reissues of 1880s patents.

October 15, 22 and 29, 1918 had 2262 patents issued, with 11 being re-issues.

I was unable to find any patents listed as being issued to either Wallace or Robert E. Brown during these periods. I did find that Robert had 3 patents issued in 1926 (lever release), 1929 (fly open knife 1) and 1931 (fly open 2).

Obviously the date is wrong. The patent could have been under someone else's name other than the 2 brothers running the show.

Some one with better google-fu than I may be able to find the patent the date refers to.
I've had a hard time searching for patents also. I found where a knife was patented by an individual that worked for the company not the Brown brothers.
stockman
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 3665
Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2006 3:19 pm

Re: Union Cutlery Swing Guard

Post by stockman »

taco That is really good one

Harold
User avatar
Shearer
Bronze Tier
Bronze Tier
Posts: 2353
Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2012 11:11 pm
Location: Australia

Re: Union Cutlery Swing Guard

Post by Shearer »

chorizotaco wrote: Fri Jan 08, 2021 4:54 pm
Shearer wrote: Fri Jan 08, 2021 7:59 am
chorizotaco wrote: Thu Jan 07, 2021 8:53 pm I’m overjoyed with my new purchase. Union Cutlery USA with a patent date of Oct 23rd 1916. OAL is 9.5”, it’s massive.

Now what exactly does that patent mean?
When you make something new you can apply for a Patent Number. When all the work is done checking out you are not copying another Patent you are issued with a number. A Patent number gives you protection that no one copies you design for several years.
You can see some knives with Patent Pending .That means they have not received a Patent number.
It's in the process of being issued.

P.S nice knife

Grant
Thanks but what I meant was what is actually the patent? The knife, the mechanism, the design...??
There is three things you can register through the Patent Office.
Patent: The whole item
Trademark :Like Schrade or Ka- Bar
Design: like the big M in McDonalds
All are very close to each other the design cold be the drawing you made to get a patent. Your trade mark could be your design.(like the big M in McDonalds )
As far as I know all Patent Offices work the same .
If you take out a patent in the USA it does not always cover the rest of the world .You have to take out a world wide patent.

Grant
Politicians should be like a good pocket knife ." Sharp and useful "
Post Reply

Return to “KA-BAR Knife Collector's Forum”