SAFETY RAZORS

RASOIRS DE SECURITE

English Abstract

A safety razor blade unit (fig. 1) comprises at least one elongate blade (1,
2), and a skin engaging member (3) extends longitudinally of the blade(s) (1,
2) and defines a surface (9) exposed for contact with the skin during shaving.
A multiplicity of pockets (10) are provided in the skin engaging member (3)
for holding respective portions of a shaving enhancement product (fig. 2).
Each of the pockets (10) opens at the skin contacting surface (9). The pockets
(10) are distributed along the surface (9) and across the width thereof in an
array spanning substantially the whole of the area of the skin contacting
surface (9).

French Abstract

Une unité de rasoir de sécurité (Fig. 1) comprend au moins une lame allongée (1, 2), et un élément (3) venant au contact de la peau s'étend longitudinalement par rapport à la lame ou aux lames (1, 2), il définit une surface (9) destinée à venir en contact avec la peau durant le rasage. L'élément (3) venant au contact de la peau comporte une multitude de poches (10) contenant des portions individuelles de produit améliorant le rasage (Fig. 2). Chacune de ces poches (10) s'ouvre au niveau de la surface (9) venant en contact avec la peau. Les poches (10) sont réparties le long de la surface (9) et sur sa largeur, formant un motif recouvrant sensiblement toute la surface (9) venant en contact avec le peau.

Claims

-7-

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A safety razor blade unit comprising
at least one elongate blade, and
a skin engaging member extending longitudinally of the or
each blade and having an exterior skin contacting surface
exposed for contact with a skin of a user during shaving, said
member including
a multiplicity of pockets sized for holding respective
portions of a non-rigid shaving enhancement product due to the
fluid mechanical properties of the product, each of said
pockets opening at the skin contacting surface and being
defined by side wall portions depending inward from the skin
contacting surface, and
said pockets being distributed along the surface and
across the width thereof in a plurality of generally
longitudinally extending rows forming an array spanning
substantially the whole of the area of the skin contacting
surface.

2. A safety razor blade unit comprising at least one
elongate blade, and a skin engaging member extending
longitudinally of the or each blade and having an exterior
skin contacting surface exposed for contact with a skin of a
user during shaving, said member including a multiplicity of
pockets for holding respective portions of a non-rigid shaving
enhancement product, each of said pockets opening at the skin
contacting surface and being defined by side wall portions
depending inward from the skin contacting surface, said
pockets being distributed along the surface and across the
width thereof in a plurality of generally longitudinally
extending rows forming an array spanning substantially the
whole area of the skin contacting surface, each pocket
containing the non-rigid shaving enhancement product which is
retained in the pocket due to the fluid mechanical properties
of the product and which is discharged gradually therefrom
during shaving.



-8-

3. A safety razor blade unit comprising
at least one elongate blade,
a skin engaging member extending longitudinally of the or
each blade and having an exterior skin contacting surface
exposed for contact with a skin of a user during shaving, said
member including a multiplicity of pockets sized for holding
respective portions of a non-rigid shaving enhancement product
due to the fluid mechanical properties of the product, each of
said pockets opening at the skin contacting surface and being
defined by side wall portions depending inward from the skin
contacting surface, said pockets being distributed along the
surface and across the width thereof in a plurality of
generally longitudinally extending rows forming an array
spanning substantially the whole of the area of the skin
contacting surface, and
a reservoir chamber disposed underlying the skin
contacting surface and containing the shaving enhancement
product to be dispersed via the pockets, and
wherein some of the pockets have inner end portions
bounding the depending side walls, said inner end portions
defining flow restricting apertures communicating with the
reservoir chamber, said flow restricting apertures metering a
flow of the product from the reservoir to the skin contacting
surface and constricting a backflow into the reservoir so the
pockets remain charged with product.
4. A safety razor blade unit according to claim 3, wherein
each pocket has said aperture communicating with the reservoir
chamber.
5. A safety razor blade unit according to claim 3, wherein
said skin engaging member partially confines said reservoir
chamber.
6. A safety razor blade unit according to claim 1, wherein
the pockets have smoothly curved side walls.



-9-

7. A safety razor blade unit according to claim 6, wherein
the pockets are cylindrical with the axes thereof
substantially perpendicular to the skin contacting surface.
8. A safety razor blade unit according to claim 6, wherein
the pockets are right circular cylindrical.
9. A safety razor blade unit according to claim 7, wherein
the pockets have a depth not greater than the pocket diameter.
10. A safety razor blade unit according to claim 3, wherein
the pockets are positioned in a plurality of longitudinal
rows.
11. A safety razor blade unit comprising at least one
elongate blade, and
a skin engaging member extending longitudinally of the or
each blade, said member having an exterior surface exposed for
contact with a skin of a user during shaving, said member
including a multiplicity of pockets sized for holding
respective portions of a non-rigid shaving enhancement product
due to the fluid mechanical properties of the product, each of
said pockets opening at the skin contacting surface and being
defined by side wall portions depending inward from the skin
contacting surface, said pockets being distributed along the
surface and across the width thereof in an array spanning
substantially the whole of the area of the skin contacting
surface,
wherein the pockets are positioned in a plurality of
longitudinal rows, and the pockets of adjacent rows are
longitudinally offset.
12. A safety razor blade unit comprising at least one
elongate blade, and a skin engaging member extending
longitudinally of the or each blade, said member having an
exterior surface exposed for contact with a skin of a user
during shaving, said member including a multiplicity of



-10-

pockets for holding respective portions of a shaving
enhancement product, each of said pockets opening at the skin
contacting surface and being defined by side wall portions
depending inward from the skin contacting surface, said
pockets being distributed along the surface and across the
width thereof in an array spanning substantially the whole
area of the skin contacting surface, each pocket containing a
shaving enhancement product which is retained in the pocket
due to the fluid mechanical properties of the product and
which is discharged gradually therefrom during shaving, and
wherein the pockets are positioned in a plurality of
longitudinal rows, wherein the pockets of adjacent rows are
longitudinally offset.
13. A safety razor blade unit comprising
at least one elongate blade,
a skin engaging member extending longitudinally of the or
each blade and having an exterior surface exposed for contact
with a skin of a user during shaving, said member including a
multiplicity of pockets sized for holding respective portions
of a non-rigid shaving enhancement product due to the fluid
mechanical properties of the product, each of said pockets
opening at the skin contacting surface and being defined by
side wall portions depending inward from the skin contacting
surface, said pockets being distributed along the surface and
across the width thereof in an array spanning substantially
the whole of the area of the skin contacting surface, and
a reservoir chamber disposed underlying the skin
contacting surface and containing the shaving enhancement
product to be dispersed via the pockets,
wherein some of the pockets have inner end portions
bounding the depending side walls, said inner end portions
defining flow restricting apertures communicating with the
reservoir chamber, said flow restricting apertures metering a
flow of the product from the reservoir to the skin contacting
surface and constricting a backflow into the reservoir so the
pockets remain charged with product, and



-11-

wherein the pockets are positioned in a plurality of
longitudinal rows, wherein the pockets of adjacent rows are
longitudinally offset.
14. A safety razor blade unit according to claim 1, wherein
the pockets have depth at least about 50% of the maximum
transverse dimension of the pockets.
15. A safety razor blade unit according to claim 14, wherein
the pockets have depth not greater than the maximum transverse
dimension of the pockets.
16. A safety razor blade unit according to claim 1, wherein
the skin engaging member comprises a resilient material
capable of flexing during shaving and exerting traction force
on the skin surface being shaved.
17. A safety razor blade unit according to claim 1, wherein a
width of surface between adjacent pockets is less that 50% of
the maximum transverse dimension of the pockets.
18. A safety razor blade unit according to claim 1, wherein
there are at least three longitudinally extending rows of
pockets.
19. A safety razor blade unit according to claim 1, wherein
the skin engaging member occupies a position of a guard
surface in advance of the at least one blade.
20. A safety razor blade unit according to claim 1, wherein
the skin engaging member occupies a position of a cap surface
behind the at least one blade.
21. A safety razor blade unit according to claim 1, wherein
the pockets are further defined by floor portions formed
transverse to the depending side walls.



-12-

22. A safety razor blade unit according to claim 2, wherein
the pockets are further defined by floor portions formed
transverse to the depending side walls.
23. A safety razor blade unit according to claim 21 or 22
further comprising
a reservoir chamber receiving non-rigid shaving
enhancement product, and
wherein the pocket floor portions define flow restricting
apertures in communication with the reservoir, said flow
restricting apertures metering a flow of the product from the
reservoir to the skin contacting surface and constricting a
backflow into the reservoir so the pockets remain charged with
product.
24. A safety razor blade unit according to claim 2, wherein
the pockets have depth at least about 50% of the maximum
transverse dimension of the pockets.
25. A safety razor blade unit according to claim 24, wherein
the pockets have depth not greater than the maximum transverse
dimension of the pockets.
26. A safety razor blade unit according to claim 2, wherein
the skin engaging member comprises a resilient material
capable of flexing during shaving and exerting traction force
on the skin surface being shaved.
27. A safety razor blade unit according to claim 2, wherein a
width of surface between adjacent pockets is less that 50% of
the maximum transverse dimension of the pockets.
28. A safety razor blade unit according to claim 2, wherein
there are at least three longitudinally extending rows of
pockets.
29. A safety razor blade unit according to claim 2, wherein


-13-

the skin engaging member occupies a position of a guard
surface in advance of the at least one blade.

30. A safety razor blade unit according to claim 2, wherein
the skin engaging member occupies a position of a cap surface
behind the at least one blade.

31. A safety razor blade unit according to claim 3, wherein
the pockets have depth at least about 50% of the maximum
transverse dimension of the pockets.

32. A safety razor blade unit according to claim 31, wherein
the pockets have depth not greater than the maximum transverse
dimension of the pockets.

33. A safety razor blade unit according to claim 3, wherein
the skin engaging member comprises a resilient material
capable of flexing during shaving and exerting traction force
on the skin surface being shaved.

34. A safety razor blade unit according to claim 3, wherein a
width of surface between adjacent pockets is less that 50% of
the maximum transverse dimension of the pockets.

35. A safety razor blade unit according to claim 10, wherein
there are at least three longitudinally extending rows of
pockets.

36. A safety razor blade unit according to claim 3, wherein
the skin engaging member occupies a position of a guard
surface in advance of the at least one blade.

37. A safety razor blade unit according to claim 3, wherein
the skin engaging member occupies a position of a cap surface
behind the at least one blade.

38. A safety razor blade unit according to claim 1, 2 or 3,



-14-

wherein the at least one elongate blade comprises a linear
edged blade member.
39. A safety razor blade unit according to claim 1 or 11,
wherein the pockets of the array are spaced from adjacent
pockets by wall segments having a width of 5% to 100% of the
maximum transverse dimension of the pockets.
40. A safety razor blade unit according to claim 19, 29, or
36, further comprising a skin engaging member occupying a
position of a cap surface behind the at least one blade.
41. A safety razor blade unit according to claim 11, 12 or
13, wherein neighboring rows are offset relative one another
in the longitudinal direction by an amount less than a maximum
transverse dimension of the pockets,
whereby an overlap, as viewed projected in a direction
transverse to the longitudinal extent of the rows, results
between neighboring pockets of adjacent rows.

Description

W0 96/02369 PCT/US95/08634
- 1 -
SAFETY RAZORS
This invention relates to shaving
devices and concerns a safety razor blade unit
having at least one blade with a cutting edge
which is moved across the surface of the skin
being shaved by means of a handle to which the
blade unit is attached. The blade unit may be
mounted detachably on the handle to enable the
blade unit to be replaced by a fresh blade unit
when blade sharpness has diminished to an
unsatisfactory level, or it may be attached
permanently to the handle with the intention
that the entire razor be discarded when the
blade or blades have become dulled. Razor blade
units generally include a guard which defines a
surface for contacting the skin in front of the
blades) and a cap for contacting the skin
behind the blade(s), the cap and guard serving
important roles in establishing the so-called
"shaving geometry", i.e. the parameters which
determine the blade orientation and position
relative to the skin during shaving. The
present invention is especially concerned with
the guard and/or cap of a razor blade unit.
As a preliminary step prior to shaving
it is common to apply a shaving preparation to
the skin, such as shaving soap or the like to




WO 96/02369
PCT/US95/08634
- 2 -
facilitate the shaving operation. One effect of
the shaving preparation, for example, is to
lubricate the skin to enable the razor to slide
more easily over the skin. In some situations,
however, the skin is not prepared as well as it
might be. Furthermore, at the end of shaving
most of the preparation will have been removed.
Therefore, it can be advantageous to provide the
razor with a means for delivering a shaving
enhancement composition or medium during
shaving. Thus, it is known to provide a blade
unit with a strip of material from which a
lubricant is very gradually leached out during
shaving. The benefits of such a lubricating
strip have been well proven, but the active
materials which can be incorporated in them is
limited, e.g. by the manufacturing process, and
the rate at which the lubricant is discharged is
so low that an effective preparation of the skin
before shaving is still needed. There have also
been proposed razors which include a chamber
containing a liquid shaving preparation, and a
system for discharging the liquid onto the
operative parts of the razor by squeezing a
sponge impregnated with the liquid by applying
finger pressure. However, there still remains a
need for a razor adapted to dispense a shaving
aid product gradually throughout the useful life
of the razor blade unit, without requiring
special attention by the user, such as to refill
a reservoir or to cause the product to be
discharged when required.
According to the present invention
there is provided a safety razor blade unit
having at least one elongate blade, and a skin
engaging member defining a surface exposed for
contact with the skin during shaving, said
i r




WO 96!02369 ~ 19 4 2 "~ 8 pCT/US95/08634
- 3 -
member including a multiplicity of pockets for
holding respective portions of shaving
enhancement product, said pockets being
distributed longitudinally and laterally over
the skin contacting surface and each being open
at the surface.
A skin engaging member provided
according to the invention may allow for the
dispensing of materials which can not be
included in prior art lubricating strips, e.g.
because they can not withstand the manufacturing
process. The shaving enhancement product may be
a formulation, such as semi-solid gel, which has
been designed to have the desired solubilizing
properties, and is conveniently retained in the
pockets due to the properties of the product.
The product may be a viscous fluid, or a gel,
and may be of a nature to be miscible with
water, which is generally present during
shaving, or to dissolve in water, to render the
product more fluid for discharge from the
pockets.
In order to provide adequate supply of
shaving enhancement product to last the useful
lifetime of the blade unit, the pockets can
coamnunicate at the inner ends with a reservoir
chamber containing the shaving enhancement
product to be dispensed via the pockets.
The pockets should be disposed in a,n
array with sufficient density of packing to
ensure satisfactory application of product
during shaving. A width of surface between the
adjacent pockets of 5% to 100% of the maximum
transverse dimensions of the pockets should be
adequate while retaining a sufficiently well
defined skin contacting surface.
In a preferred construction the




- 2~ 94278
pockets are cylindrical, i.e. have smoothly curved side walls,
and conveniently the pockets are right circular cylindrical
with their axes substantially perpendicular to the skin
contacting surface. However, other shapes are also possible,
such as hexagonal or elliptical in cross section. The depth
of the pockets is less than the pocket diameter, e.g.
approximately equal to the pocket radius, and the width of
material between adjacent pockets is less than the pocket
radius.
The pockets are preferably formed in a front wall of
a chamber for holding a supply of a fluid shaving enhancement
product, each of the pockets communicating with the chamber
through a restricted opening to control flow of product into
the pockets and hence release at the skin contacting surface.
The skin engaging member can be the guard of the
blade unit or it can be another member, such as the cap.
A better understanding of the invention will be
gained from the following detailed description of an
embodiment, reference being made to the accompanying drawings,
in which:
Figure 1 is a cut away perspective view of a razor
blade unit according to the invention;
Figure 2 is a transverse cross section through the
blade unit.
The safety razor blade unit shown in the drawings
comprises a pair of blades 1, 2 mounted in tandem in a
supporting frame, a guard 3 fastened to the frame and defining
a hollow reservoir chamber 4, and a cap 5 e.g. in the form of
a strip of lubricating material carried by the frame behind
the blades.
The guard includes an upper wall 8 with an exposed
surface 9 which is arranged to contact the skin during
shaving. Within this wall is formed a multiplicity of pockets
10 positioned in a regular array extending over the length and
width of the skin contacting surface. The pockets are
disposed in a plurality of longitudinal rows, and in the shown
example there are three rows with the pockets in adjacent rows
,r.




21 9~27a
- 5 -
longitudinally off set to permit the pockets to be closely
spaced. The pockets are of circular configuration and in the
illustrated embodiment all have the same diameter.
Some of the pockets 10 are, and preferably each
pocket 10 is, in communication with the reservoir chamber 4
through a hole 12 shown to be of restricted area at the floor
or inner end of the pocket. The through flow area of the hole
is selected to allow shaving enhancement product contained in
the chamber 4 to flow at a controlled rate into the pockets
where the product collects and remains held e.g. under the
surface tension properties of the fluid product, ready to be
discharged during shaving. The restricted hole also serves to
obstruct the passage of the shaving aid product from the
pocket back into the reservoir chamber, so that the pockets
remain charged with product. In practice the reservoir
chamber will contain sufficient volume of shaving aid product
to last the full useful lifetime of the blade unit, that is
until the blades have become dulled.
The shaving aid product preferably has lubricating
property, but it may have, either alternatively or in
addition, other e.g. moisturizing properties considered
beneficial




WO 96/02369 , PCT/US95/08634
- 6 -
during shaving. It will have adequate fluidity
to enable the product to pass from the reservoir
chamber into the pockets, and adequate viscosity
and surface tension characteristics to be held
in the pockets without flowing freely out from
the pocket openings, and to be dispensed
gradually during shaving, e.g. upon being made
more fluid by contact with water, when the guard
surface slides over the skin during shaving.
It is not an essential feature that
the pockets should be supplied with shaving
enhancement product and it is within the ambit
of the present invention for the pockets to be
shaped and dimensioned to collect a shaving
enhancement product applied to the skin during
one time of shaving and to retain that product
until the next time of shaving, e.g. to provide
improved lubrication during the initial stages
of the subsequent shave.
Modifications are of course possible
without departing from the underlying inventive
concept. For example, the member incorporating
the pockets filled with shaving aid product
could be made of a resilient material so that
the member will flex slightly during shaving to
encourage product to flow from the pockets. In
addition to the benefits mentioned above the
apertured member with the pockets may have a
beneficial tactile influence upon the skin.

Representative Drawing