ELECTRIC HEAD SHAVER

RASOIR A TETE ELECTRIQUE

English Abstract

An electric shaver includes a housing and a cutter surface, the housing provides a container for the motor and power source components and further provides a graspable form or grip that fits the hand in a comfortable manner when the shaver is oriented with the grip above the cutter surface. In this orientation, the cutter faces downward with the grip above the cutter so as to meet the skin surface of the scalp. The cutter surface may comprise a housing made of a flexible material such as a castable elastomer that allows the cutter surface to meet the complex curvilinear surface of the head. The grip portion of the housing comprises a pair of concave surfaces each comprising a central axis that is parallel to the cutter surface and, therefore, tangent to the curved surface being shaved. When the shaver is oriented in the above manner, it is possible to both grip the shaver with two fingers as between the thumb and index finger or between the index and middle fingers, for example, while resting the remainder of the hand against the skin thus allowing the user to better guide the shaver over the skin while inspecting the shaved surface by feel.

French Abstract

Un rasoir électrique comprend un boîtier et une surface de coupe, le boîtier constituant un logement pour le moteur et les composants de source dalimentation, ainsi quune forme ou une poignée pouvant être saisie qui sadapte à la main de manière confortable lorsque le rasoir est orienté avec la poignée au-dessus de la surface de coupe. Dans cette orientation, la surface de coupe est orientée vers le bas avec la poignée située au-dessus de la surface de coupe de manière à toucher la surface cutanée du cuir chevelu. La surface de coupe peut comprendre un logement constitué dun matériau flexible tel quun élastomère coulable qui permet à la surface de coupe de rencontrer la surface curviligne complexe de la tête. La partie de préhension du boîtier comprend une paire de surfaces concaves comprenant chacune un axe central parallèle à la surface de coupe et, par conséquent, tangent à la surface incurvée en cours de rasage. Lorsque le rasoir est orienté de la manière indiquée ci-dessus, il est possible à la fois de le saisir avec deux doigts, soit entre le pouce et lindex ou entre lindex et le majeur, par exemple, tout en plaçant le reste de la main contre la peau, ce qui permet à lutilisateur de mieux guider le rasoir sur la peau tout en inspectant la surface rasée au toucher.

Claims

CLAIMS:
1. An electric shaver comprising:
a housing for containing an electrical source and drive-related
components, said housing including two substantially opposed and substantially
parallel
sides and a bottom;
a cutter mechanism located beneath said bottom of said housing and
spaced therefrom;
a central hub extending from said bottom of said housing to said cutter
mechanism and connecting said cutter mechanism to said housing;
said cutter mechanism including a cutting surface defining a plane;
a first pair of elongated recesses formed on said sides of said housing,
said first pair of elongated recesses being substantially parallel to each
other and lying
in a plane that is spaced apart from but parallel to the plane of said cutting
surface; and
a second set of elongated spaced apart recesses formed in said bottom of
said housing, said the recesses of said second set being located on opposite
sides of
said hub and extending perpendicular to said first pair of recesses.
2. The electric shaver as claimed in Claim 1 wherein each of said
recesses is defined by a concave surface adapted to accommodate a portion of a
user's
fingers therein.
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Description

CA 02814453 2013-04-29
ELECTRIC HEAD SHAVER
Background of the Invention
The present invention is directed toward electric shavers and, more
particularly, toward electric shavers for shaving hair on curved parts of the
body,
specifically, the head.
Electric shavers generally include a hand-held housing that contains motor
and power supply-related components that drive one or more cutters or cutting
heads.
The housing also provides a form that fits the user's hand sufficiently as a
grip so as to
allow the user to manipulate the shaver, especially when reaching upward to
shave the
head. Various types of cutters are well known in the art In general, the
cutter comprises
an outer, stationary, apertured surface and an inner array of reciprocating or
rotating
blades that operate in a shearing engagement with the outer apertured surface.
The
motor is mechanically coupled to the cutter and provides motion to the array
of blades.
Hairs that extend through the apertures in the outer surface are sheared by
the inner
array of blades.
The present disclosure relates to such electric shavers and particularly to
compact electric shavers of a particular structure, specifically to a grip
configuration and
housing form that is appropriately suited for shaving curved portions of the
body,
especially the head.
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Summary of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to features that are particular to the shaving
of the head, though not in a limiting manner. As understood by one skilled in
the art, the
principles of an electric shaver are not restricted to the shaving of a
specific part of the
body, and may apply to any skin surface. Electric shavers designed more
particularly for
shaving the face have a grip portion that is configured, predominantly, to be
held in such
a manner so as to orient the grip below the cutting surface. Shaving the head,
however,
requires the shaver to be held in such a manner so as to orient the grip above
the
cutting surface. Note, for example, U.S. Patent Application No. 12/179,050 to
Carlucci
and, particularly, Figures 7 and 8 thereof.
An example embodiment relates in general to an electric shaver
comprising a housing that provides a container for the motor and power source
components and further provides a form, also referred to as a grip, that fits
the hand in a
comfortable manner when the shaver is oriented with the grip above the cutter
surface.
In other words, in this orientation the cutter faces downward so as to meet
the skin
surface of the scalp, and the grip is above the cutter. The cutter surface may
comprise
flexible members that allow the cutter surface to meet the complex curvilinear
surface of
the head. The grip portion of the housing comprises a pair of substantially
concave
surfaces each comprising a central axis that is parallel to the cutter surface
and,
therefore, tangent to the curved surface being shaved.
When the shaver of the present invention is oriented in the above manner,
it is possible to either grip the shaver with two fingers as between the thumb
and index
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CA 02814453 2013-04-29
finger, or between the index and middle fingers, while resting the remainder
of the hand
against the skin. This helps the user properly orient and place the cutting
surface of the
shaver against the skin while being able to feel whether the skin has been
sufficiently
shaved.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be readily
apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment
thereof
taken in conjunction with the drawings.
Brief Description of the Drawings
For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the
accompanying drawings one form that is presently preferred; it being
understood that
the invention is not intended to be limited to the precise arrangements and
instrumentalities shown.
Figure 1 is a front top perspective view of an electric head razor of the
invention;
Figure 2 is a bottom perspective view of the razor of Figure 1;
Figure 3 is an end elevational view thereof;
Figure 4 is a top perspective view of the electric head razor illustrating one
way of holding the same to shave one's head;
Figure 5 is a top perspective view of the electric head razor illustrating a
second way of holding the same to shave one's head, and
Figure 6 is a top perspective view of the electric head razor illustrating a
third way of holding the same.
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. ,
Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment
A more complete understanding of the components, processes, and
apparatuses disclosed herein can be obtained by reference to the accompanying
figures. These figures are intended to demonstrate the present disclosure and
are not
intended to show relative sizes and dimensions or to limit the scope of the
exemplary
embodiments.
Although specific terms are used in the following description, these terms
are intended to refer only to particular structures in the drawings and are
not intended to
limit the scope of the present disclosure. It is to be understood that like
numeric
designations refer to components of like function.
The term "about" when used with a quantity includes the stated value and
also has the meaning dictated by the context. For example, it includes at
least the
degree of error associated with the measurement of the particular quantity.
When used
in the context of a range, the term "about" should also be considered as
disclosing the
range defined by the absolute values of the two endpoints. For example, the
range
"from about 2 to about 4" also discloses the range "from 2 to 4."
In one embodiment, the present disclosure relates to a shaver that
comprises a gripping means and a cutting means, configured in such a manner
that
allows the shaver to be oriented with the grip portion above the cutter
portion, thus
making it anatomically convenient to hold the shaver against the top and sides
of the
head.
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Referring now to the drawings in detail wherein like reference numerals
have been used throughout the various figures to designate like elements,
there is
shown in Figures 1 - 6 an electric head razor constructed in accordance with
the
principles of the present invention and designated generally as 100.
As pointed out above, Figure 1 is a top perspective view of one exemplary
embodiment of an electric shaver of the present invention. Figure 2 is a
bottom
perspective view of the shaver of Figure 1. Figure 3 is an end view of the
shaver of
Figure 1. Figure 4 is a front, perspective view of the shaver of Figure 1
depicting the
shaver held between the index and middle finger with the cutter surface held
against the
top of the head. Figure 5 is a front perspective view of the shaver of Figure
1 depicting
the shaver held between the thumb and index finger and held with the cutter
surface
against the top of the head. Figure 6 is a front perspective view of the
shaver of Figure 1
depicting an alternate way of holding the same between the index and middle
fingers
with the cutter surface against the top of the head.
As shown in Figure 1 through Figure 3, the shaver 100 comprises an
upper portion 110 that provides a substantially rectangularly shaped housing
for a
power source and motor related components, and a cutter head 114 that further
comprises at least one rotating or oscillating cutter or array of cutters 116.
The
connection between the motor and the cutter head passes through the central
hub 115
which may have an enlarged lower portion 117. The cutter head 114 may be
comprised
of a flexible or semi-flexible material such as castable elastomer allowing
the cutter
heads to flex when meeting the curved surface of the head. The motor (not
shown) is
mechanically coupled to the cutters 116 in a known manner.

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The motor, power supply and other related components along with the
rotating or oscillating cutters are not, per se, part of the present inventive
concept. They
are all individually common and well known in the art. Accordingly, detailed
descriptions
of the same are not believed to be necessary. As is also known, and as can be
seen,
the rotating or oscillating cutters meet rounded as well as flat surfaces,
appropriately for
shaving.
The housing 110 further comprises a particular form that provides a
gripping means, and fits the hand in a comfortable manner, especially when the
shaver
is held in an orientation wherein the housing is above the cutter. The
gripping means
includes a pair of elongated recesses in the form of parallel concave surfaces
112a and
112b formed on either side of the housing 110. The concave surfaces are
parallel to the
plane defined by the cutting surface of the cutters 116. A second pair of
elongated
recesses in the form of concave surfaces 113a and 113b are formed in the under

surface of the housing above the cutters 116. The second pair of concave
surfaces
113a and 113b are arranged to be perpendicular to the first pair of concave
surfaces
112a and 112b and also parallel to the plane defined by the cutting surface of
the
cutters 116.
Referring to Figure 3 and Figure 4, concave surfaces 112a and 112b
(Figure 3) are configured to allow the shaver 100 to be gripped in the manner
illustrated
in Figure 4, wherein the shaver is gripped between the index finger 122 and
middle
finger 124, and held against the scalp 118 with the user's palm facing
downwardly. The
remainder of the hand may rest against the scalp in a manner that allows the
user to
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feel the surface of the scalp, which helps the user guide the shaver cutting
surface as
well as inspect the quality of the shave by feel.
Referring to Figure 3 and Figure 5, concave surfaces 112a and 112b
(Figure 3) are configured to allow the razor 100 to be gripped as illustrated
in Figure 5,
in which the shaver is gripped between the thumb 126 and index finger 122, and
held
against the skull 118. The remainder of the hand may rest against the scalp as
in the
aforementioned gripping manner.
Referring to Figure 6, concave surfaces 113a and 113b are configured to
allow the razor 100 to be gripped as illustrated in Figure 6, in which the
shaver is
gripped between the index finger 122 and middle finger 124 with the tops of
the fingers
lying within the concave surfaces or recesses 113a and 113b, and held against
the skull
118. In this position, the inside surfaces of the fingers 122 and 124 grip
either side of
the central hub 115 and the lower part of the fingers press downwardly, at
least in part,
on the enlarged lower portion 117 of the hub 115. The remainder of the hand
may rest
against the scalp as in the aforementioned gripping manner.
The present disclosure has been described with reference to an
exemplary embodiment. Obviously, modifications and alterations will occur to
others
upon reading and understanding the preceding detailed description. It is
intended that
the present disclosure be construed as including all such modifications and
alterations
insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the
equivalents
thereof.
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Representative Drawing