Automatic safety knife

The present invention relates to a utility knife that reduces or eliminates the chances of accidental cuts. More particularly, this invention relates to a utility knife with a safety hood which automatically locks closed after the blade is used to make a single cut in a cardboard box or the like. The present invention has a safety hood which is pivotally mounted to the body of the knife at the front end. The body is pivotally mounted to a spine at the back end. The blade is removably mounted on the spine such that the hood covers the blade when the knife is closed. The hood is biased closed and has a latch to hold it closed unless the latch is released. The user depresses a button, which moves the latch, releasing the hood to push up when the user presses the hood against a working surface. The upward rotation of the hood releases the latch, so that when the hood rotates down the latch automatically re-locks the hood closed. The hood cannot be release again with out releasing the button and re-depressing the button.