Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
1134761~
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention is directed to new and useful im-
provements in shaving systems and in particular in the
provision of a device for dislodging ingrown facial hairs
either prior to or during the act of shaving.
Persons afflicted with the condition of ingrown
facial hairs, which is also known as psuedofolliculitis
barbe, encounter severe difficulties in shaving. In-
grown facial hairs of this type are caused by the ends of
curved hair bristles reentering the skin surface upon
growth of the hair from its skin follicle. During the
act of shaving the ends of the curved hair bristles are
cut forming a sharp surface for entry of the bristle into
the skin. The end once planted forms its own follicle in
the skin surface resulting in a papule on the skin surface
which often become infected resulting in unsightly appear-
ances on the skin surface. The act of shaving with a
razor or electric shaver often increases the problem as
the raised skin surfaces caused by the papules are often
cut resulting in discomfort to the user and bumps on the
skin surface which are sometimes referred to as "razor
bumps".
In known shaving devices means are not provided for
lifting the ingrown ends of the bristles from the skin of
the user. In the past means provided for dislodging and
lifting ingrown hairs prior to shaving have included
brushing or tweezing devices. These known devices have
not only increased the time for an act of shaving but have
often lead to increased irritation to the face of the
user
It is an object of the present invention to provide
novel means for lifting and dislodging ingrown hairs.
Another object is to provide a novel device for
lifting and dislodging ingrown facial hairs from the skin
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surface which is effective to rapidly and efficiently
function with minimum irritation to the skin of the user.
Another object is to provide a novel device for dis-
lodging ingrown hairs which may be utilized either prior
to or during the act of shaving.
A still further object is to provide a novel device
for lifting and dislodging ingrown hairs which can be used
as a separate implement or incorporated into the cutter
head assembly of an electric dry shaver.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to one aspect of the invention there is
provided a manually operable tool for manipulation across
a person's skin for dislodging ingrown hairs therefrom,
said tool comprising; a. a handle member, b. a pair of
spaced ledges formed on said handle member having coplanar
surfaces, c. a plurality of stationary teeth arranged on
said handle member between said spaced ledges, said teeth
extending outwardly of said coplanar surfaces and termin-
ating in end surfaces, d. means for locally depressing an
area of skin about each of said end surfaces including
said end surfaces being formed coplanar with respect to
each other and arranged on a plane spaced a predetermined
distance from and above the coplanar surfaces of said
ledges, e. means for limiting the amount of depression of
the skin in said locally depressed areas regardless of the
amount of pressure applied thereto including forming said
coplanar surfaces of the ledges and of said end surfaces
of the teeth with areas thereof of preselected dimensions
to prevent penetration of the skin by said teeth, and f.
said handle member including means for adjusting the
spacing of said predetermined distance of said coplanar
end surfaces of the teeth with respect to said coplanar
surfaces of the ledges.
According to another aspect of the invention there is
provided a manually operable tool for manipulation across
a person's skin for engaging and dislodging embedded
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ingrown hairs therefrom, said tool comprising; a. a handle
member having a pair of spaced skin engaging ledges ~ormed
thereon, b. a plurality of stationary teeth arranged on
said handle member between said ledges, said teeth ex-
tending outwardly of said ledges and terminating in toothends, said teeth and said tooth ends and said ledges
having a predetermined spacing therebetween for locally
depressing an area of skin about each of said teeth; c.
means formed on said teeth adjacent said tooth ends for
engaging a loop of embedded ingrown hair in said locally
depressed areas of the skin; and d. means formed on said
ledges and said tooth ends for limiting the amount of
depression on said areas of the skin regardless of the
amount of pressure applied thereto.
According to yet another aspect of the invention
there is provided a manually operable tool for manipu-
lation across a person's skin for engaging and dislodging
embedded ingrown hairs therefrom, said tool comprising; a.
a handle member, b. a skin engaging ledge arranged on said
handle member, c. a plurality of stationary teeth arranged
on said handle member adjacent said ledge, said teeth ex-
tending outwardly of said ledge and terminating in tooth
ends, said teeth and said tooth ends and said ledge having
a predetermined spacing therebetween for locally depres-
sing an area of skin about each of said teeth, d. meansformed on said teeth adjacent said tooth ends for engaging
a loop of embedded ingrown hair in said locally depressed
areas of the skin; and e. means formed on said ledge and
said tooth ends for limiting the amount of depression on
said areas of the skin regardless of the amount of pres-
sure applied thereto.
In one embodiment the device is incorporated into
t'ne cutter head assembly of an electric dry shaver ad-
jacent a movable inner cutter and is utilized to lift
and dislodge ingrown hairs in the operation of the sha-
ver as the cutter head assembly is moved across the face
of the user with the dislodged hairs fed directly to
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the inner cutter for shaving.
The above and other objects of the present inven-
tion will appear more fully hereinafter from a consid-
eration of the detailed description which follows taken
together with the accompanying drawings where two embodi-
ments of the invention are illustrated.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hand-held davice
incorporating the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view of
the upper portion of the device of FIG. l;
FIG. 3 is a fragmentary front elevational view of
the device of FIG. 1 with parts broken away to show the
interior thereof;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a tooth of the
raking device;
FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a portion
of the raking device in engagement with an ingrown hair
bristle;
FIG. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of an up-
per portion of an electric dry shaver incorporating the
raking device within the cutter head assembly thereof;
FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the cutter head
assembly taken on the line 7-7 of FIG. 6 with the latter
assembly moved from the shaver casing;
FIG. 8 is a fragmentary perspective view of a cut-
ter unit incorporating the raking device; and
FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken from the line 9-9
of FIG~ 7.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring now to the drawings for a more detailed
description of the present invention, a device incorpor-
ating the present invention is generally indicated by the
reference numeral 10. In this embodiment, device 10 for
lifting and dislodging ingrown hairs includes a hand-
held casing or handle comprising an elongated body 14
having opposed faces 16 and 18. The top surface (FIGS. 1
A to 3)of device 10 is provided with skin engaging ledge
surface 24 at opposite side of an elongated recess or
channel 26 and extends transversely of casing 10. An
elongated slot 30 is formed across the bottom of the chan-
nel 26. A threaded hole 32 (FIG. 2) is formed in face 16
extending into slot 30.
A novel implement for lifting and dislodging ingrown
hairs is provided in device 10 and include a rectangular-
shaped plate-like member 36 having opposite side surfaces
40 and 42, an upper marginal portion 46 of plate 36 is
provided with a plurality of spaced frusto-rectangular-
shaped raking teeth 48 which extend from the body of plate
member 36 and terminate in teeth end surfaces 50. The
lower marginal portion of plate member 36 is inserted in
slot 30 in channel 26 and is secured to the handle 12 by
a set-screw 52 threaded in hole 32. With the plate member
36 secured to the body 14 the teeth end surfaces 50 are
spaced a predetermined distance above and adjacent the
skin engaging ledges 24.
In accordance with the above described structure and
as illustrated in FIG. 5, the opposite faces 16-18 of de-
vice are grasped in the hand of the user and skin engaging
ledges 24 are brought into contact with the skin surface.
Due to the predetermined spacing between the teeth and
surfaces 50 and the ledges 24 the skin is depressed about
teeth 48. The surface areas of the ledges 24 and the
47()6
teeth end surfaces 50 are of preselected dimensions to
limit the amount of the depression of the skin regard-
less of the amount of pressure applied by the user there-
by preventing penetration of rake teeth 48 into the skin
of the user. In use as tool 10 is manipulated across the
skin of the user to move rake teeth 48 across the skin,
the ends of teeth 48 in the locally depressed areas will
engage the loop of an embedded ingrown hair. Further
movement of device lO will lift the ingrown end of the
hair so engaged free of the papule in which it is embedded.
In the dislodged position, the freed hair end may be
readily shaven.
As mentioned it is a feature of the present inven-
tion to utilize the novel raking means independently, as
above described, or as incorporated into the cutter head
assembly of an electric dry shaver. To this end as shown
in FIGS. 6 to 9 the novel raking device is included in the
cutter head assembly 54 of an electric dry shaver 56.
As mentioned it is a feature of the present invention
to utilize the novel raking means independently, as above
described, or as incorporated into the cutter head assembly
of an electric dry shaver. To this end as shown in FIGS. 6
to 9 the novel raking device is included in the cutter head
assembly 54 of an electric dry shaver 56.
Cutter head assembly 52 includes individual cutter
head units 58, 60, and 62 mounted on a support plate 64 in
a known manner such as by clamps 66 (FIG. 9). Cutter units
58 and 62 are adapted for shaving short hair bristles and
each include an elongated outer cutter 68 provided with
transverse hair reception slots 70. A movable inner cut-
ter 72 having transverse cutter teeth 74 in shearing en-
gagement with the edges of slots 70 is mounted in each
outer cutter 68. Inner cutters 72 are held in engagement
with the under surface of outer cutters 68 by means of leaf
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11347~
springs 76. Eac'n spring 76 has a central driving portio~
78 for engagement in a known manner with an oscillator
arm 80 connected to the shaver motor (not shown) also in
a well-known manner of engagement for reciprocating inner
cutter 72.
Central cutter unit 60 of cutter head 52 is of a type
generally disclosed in U.S. Patent 4,081,902 issued on
April 4, 1978 to Sperry Rand Corporation, for cutting long
facial hair. Central cutter unit 60 is provided with an
elongated stationary outer cutter 82 secured to the walls
of a U-shaped base spacer 88. The bite portion of sta-
tionary cutter 82 is provided with spaced rows of opposed
combing teeth 90. The rows of combing teeth 90 extend
toward each other from flat ledges 92 on the same plane
as the combing teeth 90. T'ne rows of combing teeth 90
are spaced one from the other by a deep longitudinally
extending channel 84 having a base or bottom wall 86 and
is formed integral with the bite portion of stationary
cutter 82 at opposed distal ends thereof. The base member
86 is otherwise spaced from combing teeth 90 by longi-
tudinally extending wall portions 87 provided with hair
reception openings 89 along the length thereof within the
longitudinal channel 84. The base member 86 serves to
strengthen stationary cutter 82 by tying the spaced rows
of combing teeth 90 one to the other.
A movable cutter 94 is provided for stationary cutter
82 having cutter teeth 95. Teeth 96 are maintained in
cutting communication with the undersurface of combing
teeth gO of stationary cutter 82 by leaf spring 76 having
arms 79 interconnected to the ends of movable cutter 94
in a known manner to urge movable cutter 94 into shearing
relationship with combing teeth 90 when central portion
78 of leaf spring 76 is seated on motor drive arm 80 for
reciprocation in unison with inner cutters 72 of cutter
units 58 and 62.
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In accordance with the present invention a raking
device for dislodging ingrown hair is provided in cutter
unit 60 and comprises an elongated rake member 110 se-
cured to the bottom wall 86 of channel 84 by any suitable
attachment means such as, but not limited to welding.
Raking teeth 48 are provided across the upper edge of
rake member 110 and project beyond or above the plane of
the upper surface of stationary cutter 82 from within the
central opening thereof.
In operation of shaver 56 therefore, as cutter head
assembly 52 is moved across the face of the user, rake
teeth 48 will engage and dislodge embedded ingrown hairs
in the manner described with respect to hand-held device
10. As the hair is dislodged from the skin surface by the
frusto-triangular shaped teeth 48 it is fed directly into
engagement with the combing teeth 90 and into the path of
teeth 96 of movable cutter 94 for shearing.
It will be apparent from the foregoing description
that the novel device has many advantages in use. One
advantage is that simple and efficient means are provided
for lifting and dislodging embedded ingrown hairs from the
skin of the user with a minimum of irritation and effort.
In addition the device may be readily incorporated into
the head of an electric dry shaver for use therewith with-
out materially increasing the cost thereof either inassembly or other manufacturing costs.
It is expressly understood that the present inven-
tion is not limited to the embodiments illustrated and
described. Various changes can be made in the design and
arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit and
scope of the same as will now be understood by those
skilled in the art.
