SHAVING APPARATUS

APPAREIL DE RASAGE

English Abstract

In order to save a shaver having to perform the separate operations of applying a lubricating substance to his beard and of subsequently shaving it, the apparatus provides apparatus including a reservoir (21) of lubricating substance together with actuating means (22) for supplying a quantity of the lubricating substance to the skin in advance of the application of the razor. When the user actuates the actuating means (22) while drawing the razor across the skin, he applies the lubricating substance to the beard and shaves it in a single operation.

French Abstract

Pour éviter à une personne qui se rase d'effectuer les opérations séparées
consistant à appliquer d'abord une substance lubrifiante sur la barbe et
ensuite à se raser, l'appareil de la présente invention comporte un réservoir
(21) rempli de substance lubrifiante ainsi qu'un dispositif d'actionnement
(22) destiné à déposer sur la peau une quantité donnée de substance
lubrifiante avant l'application du rasoir. Lorsque l'utilisateur actionne le
dispositif d'actionnement (22) tout en passant le rasoir sur sa peau, il
applique la substance lubrifiante sur la barbe et la rase en une seule
opération.

Claims

CLAIMS
1. Shaving apparatus comprising a holder, means for
mounting a razor blade (14) in the holder (11) for
application to the user's skin to perform the shaving
operation, a reservoir (21) of lubricating substance
and actuating means (22) actuatable to supply said
lubricating substance to the portion of the holder
adjacent the razor for lubricating the skin in advance
of the application of the razor, the holder comprising
a handle by which the user can hold the holder to
perform said shaving operation with his thumb applying
pressure transversely to the longitudinal axis of the
handle, and the actuating means being located on the
side of the handle at the end region of the handle
adjacent the holder and being actuatable by the user's
thumb when applying said transverse pressure.
2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the
reservoir is located in the holder.
3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2
wherein the reservoir comprises an aerosol reservoir
and the actuating means comprises an aerosol valve.
4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2
wherein the actuating means comprises a pump for
moving the substance from the reservoir to said
position in advance of the razor.

Description

W096/05028 2 1 9 7 6 7 0 T~.~ '01920
S~AVING APPARATUS
In the conventional wet shave, shaving soap is first
applied to the beard and then shaving apparatus is applied
to the skin to remove the shaving soap and the beard.
The present invention makes redundant the initial
step of applying shaving soap to the beard by providing
shaving apparatus comprising a holder, means for mounting a
razor in the holder for application to the user's skin to
shave his beard, a reservoir of lubricating substance and
10 actuating means actuatable to supply said lubricating
substance to the portion of the holder adjacent the razor
for lubricating the skin in advance of the application of
the razor. The reservoir may be located in the holder and
when the reservoir is an aerosol container, the actuating
15 means is preferably an aerosol valve for the aerosol
container. On the other hand, the actuating means may
comprise a pump for moving the substance from the reservoir
to said position in advance of the razor. In any case, the
holder may comprise a handle by which the user can hold the
20 holder and the actuating means is actuatable by the user's
thumb when holding the handle in his hand.
An example of the invention will now be described
with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a side elevation of shaving apparatus,
Figure 2 is a front elevation of the top part of the
apparatus of Figure 1, and
Figure 3 is a rear elevation of the lower part of the
apparatus of Figure 1.
The illustrated shaving apparatus comprises a handle
30 11 with an angled extension piece 12, the free end 13 of
which mounts a razor blade 14 which protrudes from the
surface 15 of the holder to shave skin over which the
surface 15 of the holder is drawn.

W096/os028 P~l. _17~0
21 97670
So far the apparatus described with reference to the
drawings is conventional and the apparatus may vary from
the form illustrated similar to other conventional shaving
devices, for example, to have replaceable blades, or to
5 have a head pivotable from a rest posi~ion about an axis
parallel to the blade edge.
In the present apparatus, the handle ll is hollow and
its interior forms a reservoir 21 for shaving fluid. The
main body of the handle 11 will be held by the user between
10 his fingers and his palm and a button 22 is conveniently
located at the top end of the handle for upwards v- - L
by the user's thumb to force some shaving fluid from the
reservoir up the internal bore 23 of the angled ~t~nRion
piece 12 to reach the surface 15 at point 24 immediately
15 below (as seen in Figure 1) the razor blade 14. As the
user draws the device in the direction of arrow A in Figure
1 across his skin, the shaving fluid at point 24 will
lubricate the skin before the razor blade is applied to
C OL L e~o.lding portions of the skin to remove the beard.
It is not necessary to activate the button 22
continuously. It has been found that one stroke of the
button 22 in an upwards direction is sufficient to force z
supply of fluid from the reservoir to the position adjacent
the razor blade to lubricate the skin during one or even a
25 plurality of strokes, ~rprnr~;ng on the viscosity and
compressibility of the shaving fluid which may delay the
response of fluid emerging at point 24 following a stroke
of the button.
The reservoir may be rechargeable, or may be totally
30 sealed so that the device is disposable after the reservoir
has been exhausted. The reservoir may be an aerosol
reservoir with a suitable aerosol valve operated by the
button 22.

:
W09~/0s028 21~7o70 r~ o
The holder may comprise a flexible bulb, which can be
compressed at an actuating point to force fluid therefrom
'i to point 24, thus making operation of the button 22
unnecessary. It would also be possible to locate the
t 5 reservoir outside the handle, connected thereto by a
flexible conduit.
The apparatus described enables the user to lubricate
his beard and shave it in a single operation by operating
the button while drawing the razor across his skin 80 that
10 shaving fluid is forced into the position immediately
upstream of the razor blade 14 80 that it lubricates the
skin which is immediately shaved by the razor blade as the
apparatus is drawn across the skin. The user does not have
to apply shaving fluid to the skin before taking up the
15 handle 11 to apply the razor to the skin. The shaving
fluid is applied to the skin while the user is drawing the
apparatus across the skin.

Representative Drawing