METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CLEANING RAZOR BLADE

METHODE ET APPAREIL DE NETTOYAGE DE LAME DE RASOIR

Description

CA 02261320 1999-02-08
I have found that the useful life of a razor blade is
extended if it is thoroughly cleaned after each use. The blade
may be cleaned in a cleaning solution such as liquefied soap,
detergent, the combination of a soap or detergent together
with a rust inhibiter or a solution identified by the trade
mark BARBICIDE. The latter solution is a commercial bacter-
icide, fungicide and virucide and is a product of King Re-
search, Inc. of Brooklyn, New York 11215, U.S.A.
Razor blades which may be benefitted by my finding are
those which are within a protective case having grooves or
ridges which mate with like ridges or grooves of a handle.
Blades which are found in disposable razers such as those that
come in packages of ten or more are also benefitted by my
finding since the lives of such blades can be prolonged by
cleaning in the manner which I describe below.
The drawing is a cross-section of an apparatus for clean-
ing the razor blade. The apparatus includes a container or jar
holding a cleaning solution 12 such as those described
above. The jar is provided with a lid 14 for closing its
upper opening.
The lid is of conventional construction having a thread
16 formed on its peripheral annular wall 18 and that thread
mates with a thread formed on the outer wall of the lip 22
which defines the opening of the jar.
A rod 30 having a spiral longitudinally extending groove

CA 02261320 1999-02-08
32 cut into its outer wall is mounted within the jar. A tray
34 is connected to the lower end of the rod. A spring loaded
clip 36 is connected to the tray for removably holding the
blade in the tray.
The rod extends through an opening in the lid and its
upper end is mounted in bearings in a plunger 40. Within the
plunger is a coil spring 44 and the rod is centrally mounted
within the spring. The lower end of the spring 44a is connect-
ed to the lid and the upper end 44b is connected to the plung-
er.
A sleeve 50 is fixed to the lower wall of the lid. The
sleeve has a central opening or bore 52 through which the rod
extends. A spiral ridge 54 is formed on the inside wall of the
opening and that ridge fits into the groove of the rod.
The cleaning apparatus is operated in the following man-
ner: The tray is removed from the jar by unscrewing the lid
and lifting it. A razor blade to be cleaned is placed on the
tray and attached to clip 36 to prevent it from separating
from the tray. If the blade is an integral part of a dis-
posable razor, the entire disposable razor is clipped to the
tray. The tray is then re-inserted into the jar and the lid is
screwed to the jar to hold the rod and plunger firmly in
position.
The plunger is then pressed downwardly thereby causing
the rod to move downwardly. The sleeve will however remain
stationary since it is fastened to the lid. As the rod moves

CA 02261320 1999-02-08
downwardly the spiral groove in its outer wall cooperates with
the ridge in the sleeve to cause the rod to rotate. Such move-
ment will cause a like movement of the tray.
When the pressure on the plunger is removed, the coil
spring will cause the plunger to rise with like movement of
the rod. The rod will also rotate as it rises but in a dir-
ection opposite to that as it descends.
Thus, by alternating pressing and removing the pressure
on the plunger, the blade will move up and down and will spin
in opposite directions. Such movement will ensure that it is
thoroughly cleaned by the solution within the jar.
The blade can be rotated by a motor instead of the as-
sembly described above. If a motor is used, all but the jar,
lid, rod and tray may be eliminated from the assembly. The
motor can be attached to the lid and its shaft used to rotated
the rod. The motor may be powered by a battery so that the
assembly is portable.
After the blade is cleaned it remains in solution until
it is used again for shaving.
It will be understood of course that modifications can be
made in the preferred embodiment illustrated and described
herein without departing from the scope and purview of the
invention.

Representative Drawing