Guard for the blade of a knife

摘要

A shield is provided for a surgical scalpel having a handle and a blade secured thereto. In one embodiment, the shield is slidably engaged with the blade, and movable between a position covering the cutting edge of the blade and a position exposing the cutting edge of the blade. An actuation mechanism is coupled to the shield for moving the shield between the position covering the cutting edge and the position exposing the cutting edge. In another embodiment, the shield is pivotally and frictionally engaged to the blade while still allowing the shield to be moved between a position covering the cutting edge of the blade and a position exposing the cutting edge of the blade. An actuation mechanism is included to cause the travel of the shield between the two positions.