Opening and closing assisting mechansim for folding knife

1. A folding knife, comprising:

a blade having a tang extending outwardly from said blade;

a handle having at least one recessed portion;

a bar pivotally connecting said tang and said handle; and

a bias element engaging said blade wherein said bias element is housed within said recessed portion of said handle such that said bias element is substantially to one side of a plane defined by said blade and assists movement of said blade to an open position.

2. A knife according to claim 1, wherein said handle has an arcuate opening rough which said bias element engages said blade.

3. A knife according to claim 2, wherein said opening is concentrically positioned about said bar.

4. A knife according to claim 2, wherein said bias element includes a rod.

5. A knife according to claim 4, wherein said rod is flexible.

6. A knife according to claim 4, wherein said rod includes an angled portion.

7. A knife according to claim 6, wherein said angled portion is received within said arcuate opening.

8. A knife according to claim 1, wherein said bias element includes a spring.

9. A knife according to claim 1, wherein said bias element includes both a rod and a spring.

10. A knife according to claim 1, wherein said bias element is in movable communication within said tang.

11. A knife according to claim 1, wherein said bias element assists movement of said blade to a closed position.

12. A knife according to claim 1 wherein said bias element consists of a wire coiled about a circular member.

13. A pocket knife comprising:

a handle defining a blade-receiving channel;

a blade pivotally mounted to the handle about a tang end of the blade so that the blade may be at least partially stored in the channel in a closed position and pivoted out of the channel to an open position; and

a spring formed from a wire having three primary bends, one bend forming a tang end of the spring, and another bend forming a handle end of the spring;

wherein the spring is operatively connected between the handle and the blade such that the spring exerts a pivoting force on the blade.

14. The knife according to claim 13, wherein:

a hole is formed in the tang end of the blade; and

the tang end of the spring is placed in the hole in the tang end of the blade.

15. The knife according to claim 13, wherein:

a hole is formed within the handle, adjacent the channel; and

the handle end of the spring is placed within the hole in the handle.

16. The knife according to claim 13, wherein the spring exerts an opening force when the blade is moved from the closed position to beyond an equilibrium position.

17. The knife according to claim 13, wherein the spring exerts a closing force when the blade is moved toward the closed position from an equilibrium position.

18. The knife according to claim 13, wherein a third primary bend of the spring is a simple bend of approximately 120-degrees.

19. The knife according to claim 13, wherein a third primary bend of the spring is a simple bend of at least 90-degrees.

20. The knife according to claim 13, wherein a third primary bend of the spring is a coiled bend of approximately 480-degrees.

21. The knife according to claim 13, wherein a third primary bend of the spring is a coiled bend of at least 360-degrees.

22. A pocket knife comprising:

a handle defining a blade-receiving channel;

a blade pivotally mounted to the handle about a tang end of the blade so that the blade may be stored in a closed position at least partially in the channel and pivoted out of the channel to an open position, defining a plane of the blade within which the blade pivots; and

a substantially planar spring held within the handle at a location substantially to one side of the plane within which the blade pivots, the spring being operatively connected between the handle and the blade such that the spring exerts a pivoting force on the blade.

23. The knife according to claim 22, wherein the spring defines a plane that is approximately parallel to the plane of the blade.

24. The knife according to claim 22, wherein the spring defines a plane that is approximately parallel to and offset from the plane of the blade.

25. A pocket knife comprising:

a blade having a tang about which the blade may pivot, where the blade is configured so that it defines a plane when pivoted about the tang;

a handle to which the tang of the blade is pivotally mounted, including a spring-receiving cavity within the handle and offset to one side of the plane defined by the blade; and

a spring disposed within the spring-receiving cavity and operatively connected between the handle and the blade such that the spring exerts a pivoting force on the blade as the blade is moved from a closed position to an open position, or from the open position to the closed position.

26. The knife according to claim 25, wherein the spring-receiving cavity is defined between a liner and a side of the handle.

27. The knife according to claim 25, wherein the spring is formed from a wire having three primary bends, one bend forming a tang end of the spring, another bend forming a handle end of the spring.

28. The knife according to claim 25, wherein:

a tang end of the spring is placed in a hole in a tang end of the blade; and

a handle end of the spring is placed within a hole in the handle.

29. The knife according to claim 25, wherein the spring exerts an opening force when the blade is moved from the closed position to beyond an equilibrium position.

30. The knife according to claim 25, wherein the spring exerts a closing force when the blade is moved toward the closed position from an equilibrium position.

31. A pocket knife having a blade mounted in a channel of a handle, pivoting about a tang of the blade, relative to the handle, and a mechanism for assisting the opening of the blade, said knife comprising:

a hole formed in the tang of the blade;

a hole formed in the handle; and

a wire bent and held within the hole in the handle and the hole in the blade to be under compression between the hole in the blade and the hole in the handle for at least a portion of travel of the blade between an open position and a closed position of the blade relative to the handle.

32. The pocket knife according to claim 31, wherein the wire exerts an opening force when the blade is moved from a closed position to beyond an equilibrium position, and the wire exerts a closing force when the blade is moved toward the closed position from the equilibrium position.

33. The pocket-knife according to claim 31, wherein the hole in the handle is elongated so that a portion of the wire may slide along a length of the hole.

34. The pocket knife according to claim 31, wherein the wire is sized and shaped relative to the holes in the blade and the handle so that no opening force is exerted by the wire on the blade for at least a portion of travel of the blade near a fully open position of the blade.