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Durol's French Patent

On September 27, 1977, the French firm Durol filed for a patent titled

―

Dispositif de

verrouillage et de déverrouillage d'une lame de couteau ou autre outil ou Instrument

pliant per rapport & son manche.

‖

Patent number 2,403,874 was issued April 20, 1979.

The Patent is for a knife with an unlocking and locking blade. Pushing the red button

unlocks the knife blade. When unfolded all the way, it locks in place and is again

unlocked by pressing the red button.

Models were produced in various combinations with

corkscrews, screwdrivers, ice picks, bottle openers,

scissors, a nail file, and a compass. The drawings

show only the knife. Four of seven models offered by

the Mouli Manufacturing, the U. S. distributor,

included a corkscrew (see brochure below). The two

on the left in the photo have a knife blade, corkscrew,

bottle opener, ice pick or marlin spike, and

screwdriver. The example on the right has a knife,

corkscrew, ice pick, and compass. The tools are

marked DUROL THIERS BREVETE.

Durol cutlery was founded in 1620 in Celles sur

Durolle. They built a new plant in Thiers in 1970.