Locking mechanism for folding pocket knife

Claim 1

A folding knife with a locking mechanism for locking the same in the open and in the closed positions, said knife having a blade with ricasso and a cutting edge and a handle for receiving the blade and cutting edge when in the closed position, said handle comprising a pair of liners at either side of the blade, spaced apart a sufficient distance along the inner edge by a spacer to provide a protected housing for the blade in the closed position, a pair of bolsters and scales overlaying the outer surfaces of each liner, a transverse axial line passing through the bolsters, liners and blade which represents the pivot of the blade from the open to the closed positions and vice versa, said bolster on one side having a through bore and the opposite bolster having an inner counterbore of substantially the same diameter forming a well axially aligned with said pivot, through bores similarly aligned but of smaller diameter in the liners and the blade each with identical radially extending squared slots exactly 180° from each other and in axial registry, the locking means comprising a depressible plunger removably secured within said through bores having a bottom slot for receiving and axially guiding a pressure bar, a pressure bar, a resilient member in said well bearing against said pressure bar allowing limited axial movement, said pressure bar also guiding in said square slots in a locked position and released from engagement with the blade slots to permit rotation from the open to the closed positions, or vice versa, by axial pressure against the resilient member.