Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
BACKGROUND OF THl~ INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The inven-tion relates to wet shaving systems and is
directed more particularly to a low-cost highly maneuverable wet
shaving device.
Description of the Prior Art
It is generally known in the art to provide a housing
having ~latform and cap portions adapted to receive a blade means
therebetween. In U.S. Patent No. 1,195,259, issued August 22,
1916 to ~.E. O'Reilly, there is shown a platform and cap portion
formed from a single piece of metal, the cap overlying the
platform.
It is also generally known to embed a blade in a
plastic shaving head, the head being permanently attached to a
handle, or alternatively, removable from a handle for replacement
by another shaving head. U.S. Patent No. 1,864,995, issued
June 28, 1932 to T.H. Frost shows such an arrangement.
More recent examples of plastic shaving heads having
blades fixed therein include U.S. Patent No. 3,703,76~, issued
20 November 28, 1972 to Roger L. Perry, U.S. Patent No. 3,724,070,
issued ~pril 3, 1973 to Francis W. Dorion, and U.S. Patent No.
~,026,016, issued May 31, 1977 to Warren I. Nissen. While such
recent examples have been eminently successful, there is, as
always, a need for such products which are less expensive to
manufacture and offer improved functional characteristics.
A combination of the simplicity of the O'Reilly device
and the more recent blade-in-plastic shaving implements would
afford significant cost savings, and at the same time permit
manufacture of a more maneuverable, more easily handled shaving
implement.
Recognizing that it is only the cutting edge of a razor
blade that does the razor's workt there have been attempts to use
narrower blades. In most cartridge-type shaving units blades are
retained in plastic cartridges by the passing of plastic posts,
or pins, through holes in the blades and heading over the posts.
While such method has successfully accomplished its goal, the use
of "rivets" of this sort requires a blade of the width of about
~'
-- 1 --
1/10 inchl limiting to a grea-t extent the degree of narrowness
possible. Effor-ts have been macle as described in U~S. Patent No.
~,0~4,316, issued April 18, 1978, to John F. Francis, to utilize
~ery narrow blad~s by way of weldlng the blades to a support,
such as a rigid wire. Welding presents problems by virtue oE the
heat required and the effec-t of such heat on the blade metal.
Accordingly, there exists a need Eor a shavinq
implement construction which will permi-t use of blades narrower
than 1/10 inch but not such as to subject the blades to harmful
temperatures, or other deleterious conditions, during
fabrica-tion.
CUMMARY OF THE I2~VENTION
It is therefore an object of the present inven-tion to
provide a shaving lmplement including blade means disposed
between cap and platform portions which operate to retain the
blade means without need of rivet portions, or the like.
A further object of the invention is to provide a
shaving implement utilizing narrow blade means disposed between
the cap and platform portions and retained therebetween.
With the above and other objects in view, as will
hereinaf-ter appear, a feature of the present invention ls the
provision of a shaving implement comprising a plat-form portion, a
back portion upstanding from a lengthwise margin of the platform
portion, a cap portion extending from the back portion and
overlying the platform portion, end walls interconnecting the
platform and cap portions at either end thereof, the platform,
back, cap and end wall portions being an integrally molded
plastic unit, the cap portion being adapted, in an unstressed
sta-te, to incline toward the platform portion to a first
position, and blade means permanently disposed between the cap
and platform portions and adjacent the back portion, the blade
means stressing the cap portion and retaining the cap portion in
a second position further removed from the platform portion than
the first position, the cap portion thereby exercising a clamping
pressure on the blade means.
- 2 -
The above and other features oE the invention,
including various novel details of construction and combinations
oE parts, will now be more particularly described with reference
to the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims. It
will be understood that the particular device embodying the
invention is shown by way oE illustration only and not as a
limitation of the invention. The principles and features of this
invention may be employed in various and numerous embodiments
without departing from the scope of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Reference is made to the accompanying drawings in which
is shown an illus-trative embodiment of the invention from which
its novel features and advantages will be apparent.
lS In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a housing suitable for use
in an illustrative embodimen-t of the invention;
FIG. 2 is a front elevational view thereof;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III of
FIG. l;
FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV of
FIG. l;
FIG. 5 is an exploded perspec-tive view of an
illustrative blade means;
FIG. 6 is a top plan view of one form of shaving
implement illustrative of an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of the shaving
implement;
FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII
of FIG. 6;
FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of one form of razor
illustrative of a Eurther embodiment of the invention, and
FIG. 10 is a sectional view, similar to FIG. 8, but
showing still another embodiment of the invention.
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DESCRIPTION OF I'HE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to the drawings, and particularly EIGS. 1-4,
it will be seen that an illustrative housing 2 includes a
platform portion 4. A back portion 6 upstands from a lengthwise
margin of the platform portion 4, and a cap portion 8 extends
forwardly from the back portion 6 to overlie the platform
portion. The housing further includes leg portions extending
forwardly from the platform portion and joining a guard portion
12 which is disposed parallel to the back portion 6. The housing
is further provided with end walls 14, 16 interconnecting the
back and guard por-tions at ends of the housing.
The cap portion 8 in an unstressed state (FIGS~ 3 and
4) is adapted to incline toward the platform portion 4 to a first
position. The cap portion is sufficiently flexible to receive a
blade means therebeneath, the blade means stressing the cap
portion to a second position ~FIG. 8) further removed from the
platform portion than the first position. The cap portion
thereby exercises a clamping pressure on the blade means~
The cap portion 8 may comprise a series of spaced,
aligned forwardly extending fingers 18. The platform portion may
be provided with a series of spaced, aligned recesses 20, the
recesses being separated by platform rib portions 22. As may be
seen in FIG. 1, each of the fingers 18 is disposed over one of
the recesses 20 and each of the rib portions 22 is in alignment
with a space between two of the fingers 18.
Preferably, the entire housing, and at least the
C platform, back, cap and end portions, is of molded plastic and is
molded as an integral unit. The fingers 18 are in effect leaf
springs adapted to flex to receive a blade means between the
fingers and the platform and further serve to urge the blade
means against an upper surface 24 of the platform portion.
In a preferred embodiment, the end walls 14 r 16 are
provided with inwardly extending projections 26 which are opposed
to each other, as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2. The projections provide
an additional blade means reten-tion facility. Each projection
includes a forward surface 28 extending from ihe end wall on
which the projection is mounted obliquely to a side surface 30.
-- 4 --
A rear surface 32 interconnects the rearward edge oE -the side
surface and the end wall surEace. The function and operation oE
the projections 26 will be Eurther described hereinbelow.
Each of the fingers 18 includes a guide surface 34,
serving to guide a blade means into the gap, or pocket, Eormed by
the platform and bac~ portion and the fingers. As no-ted above,
the fingers 18 are -formed such that while extending forwardly,
the fingers also extend slightly downwardly, as viewed in FIGS. 3
and 4, or toward the platform surface 24.
Referring to FIG. 5, it will be seen that a blade means
suitable for use with the above-described housing includes a
first blade 40 having a cutting edge 42 and a narrower second
blade 44 having a cutting edge 46, the blades 40, 4~ being fixed
to either side, respectively, of a spacer member 50. The spacer
member 50 includes an elongated central portion 52 and end
portions 54 extending forwardly of a frontal edge 56 of the
central portion 52 and having outwardly-facing notches 58 therein
adapted to receive the projections 26. The notches 58 are
defined in part by extensions 60, each having a cam surface 62,
an outer surface b4, and a notch surface 66.
In assembly, the blade means including the Eirst blade
40, spacer 50, and a second blade 44, is inserted between the
fingers 18 and -the upper surfaces 24 of the rib portions 22~ the
finger guide surfaces 34 guiding and urging the blade means into
place. The cam surface 62 engages the projection forward surface
28. Continued pressure on the blade means causes the extensions
60 to override the projec-tions 26, with the notches 58 coming to
rest about the projections 26, as seen in FIG. 6.
The blade and spacer portions of the blade means are
retained in position relative to each other solely by the
pressure thereon exercised by the cap portion 8 and are otherwise
not attached to each other. There being no rivet connecting
means, it will be apparent that the width of the blade is no-t a
critical factor and a very narrow blade, less than 1/10 inch from
the cutting edge to rearward edge, may be used.
-- 5
Referring to FIG. 9, it wl]l be seen that the housing
may be provided wi-th means for attachment to a razor handle.
While such means may comprise the well known groove means
disclosed in the aforementionecl U.S. Patent No. 3,724,070, or
journal means as disclosed in the aforementioned U.S. Patent No.
4~026,016, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. l-4, the housing is
provided with connecting means 70 adapted to be engaged by a
razor handle 80. ~he handle 80 may be of the type permanently
connected to the housing 2, or may be of the type selectively
connected and disconnected to and from the handle.
It is to be understood that the present invention is by
no means limited to the particular construction herein disclosed
and/or shown in the drawings, but also comprises any
modifications or equivalents within the scope of the disclosure.
For example, the blade means need not comprise a plurality of
components, but may instead comprise a single blade ~0 disposed
between the platform and cap portions 4, 8 of the unit, as
illustrated in FIG. lO of the drawings.
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