All About Pocket Knives

I like to do background research on the greatest knife designers in the switchblade hobby.

Are there any patents which have been granted for a switchblade design recently?

The greatest that come to mind are like George Korn and George Schrade in the USA who have many. The Italians, Germans, French, Spanish and even the Japanese designed dozens if not hundreds of new ideas and designs.

According to records that seems to have ended in the late 1960s. No new Invention patents, no new design patents and no utility patents. Seems the Italians in the 1950s and 1960s had a new design every few months.

Come to mention this, i have not seen any recent new design patents for a switchblade…. Hmmmm. i EDC a “whiskers” bolster release but not sure if that is a patented “new design”

wiseguy wrote: ↑Tue Dec 23, 2025 2:46 pm Come to mention this, i have not seen any recent new design patents for a switchblade…. Hmmmm. i EDC a “whiskers” bolster release but not sure if that is a patented “new design”

In doing research two types of Patents are granted.

1. Invention patent: Demonstrating a full new design and innovations and new ideas.

2. Utility patent: For smaller things like a new spring design.

For example, the Latama square button received an Invention patent for the button and sear and spring etc. but the kris blade design for Italian stilettos designed around the same time, received a Utility patent since it was simply a blade design not having additional functions.

Germans seem to have endless patents for their knives. The Spanish were granted many patents but most seemed to be copies of French knives.

BestVintageKnives wrote: ↑Tue Dec 23, 2025 12:47 pm Are there any patents which have been granted for a switchblade design recently?

A simple Google search produced this from 2018 assigned to Microtech: https://patents.google.com/patent/USD871187S1/en

I’m sure if I dug deeper there’d be more

bestgear wrote: ↑Tue Dec 23, 2025 3:17 pm

BestVintageKnives wrote: ↑Tue Dec 23, 2025 12:47 pm Are there any patents which have been granted for a switchblade design recently?

A simple Google search produced this from 2018 assigned to Microtech: https://patents.google.com/patent/USD871187S1/en

I’m sure if I dug deeper there’d be more

Thanks! Super cool! Everyone loves Microtechs.

I make and design Legal Presentations every day of the week for many attorneys and prosecutors across the United States for Patent infringement, MedMal, stalking and doxxing, personal injury, cyber stalking, cyber bully and harassment, etc. You name it, they go after people from the little guy up to Billion dollar corporations.

A few of my colleagues, prosecutors and attorneys carry small Microtechs every day and they always ask me about the hobby.

I love going over ever page and reading the patents and documents. It gets tricky when some is in a foreign language. Thankfully we have translators for that.

As we say in litigation and trials “the devil is in the details.” You can’t just take one piece of info and state it as fact. You really need to cross reference and thankfully we can do this in the modern age.

Here is a 1961 Patent for a new style back lock on an Italian stiletto. I discovered this set of documents and purchased it and I supplied a set to the Campolin family. Angelo Jr. had no idea this existed.

It’s not a Mauro Mario patent. It’s Angelo Sr.’s alone.

An innovative design used around the world.

They now use it on their website and packaging for products.

Very cool !!

Too cool!