US3600804A - Safety razors - Google Patents

Abstract

A disposable safety razor head comprising a double-edged blade which is permanently secured in molded plastics material which extends over a part of each face of the blade, the plastics material applied to each face of the blade being shaped to form a guard for one of the cutting edges and a cap for the other cutting edge, and the head being adapted to be detachably and reversibly secured to a handle, with one cutting edge only of the blade accessible for use in each position of attachment.

Description

ynited States Patent 72 I Inventor Norman Joseph Brown Maidenhead, England [21 Appl. No. 737,554

[22] Filed June 17, 1968 145] Patented Aug. 24, 1971 3] Assignee The Gillette Company Boston, Mass.

{32] Priority June 19, 1967 [33] Great Britain [54] SAFETY RAZORS 1Claim,l1DrawingFigs.

52; user. 30/32 5n lnt.Cl .,...B26b2l/00 so FieldolSearch 30/3032,

l 56] Referenes Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS l,923,439 8/1933 l-lukill 2,820,287 1/1958 Hyatt .Q 30/85 3,274,683 9/1966 Sachs. 30/51 3,383,764 5/1968 Sachs 30/32 FOREIGN PATENTS 434,174 8/1935 Great Britain 30/55 Primary Examiner-Othell M. Simpson Att0meys- Philip Colman, Oistein J. Bratlie and William M Anderson PATENTEUAus24|91| 3 s00 804 SHEET 1 [IF 4 F al.

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SAFETY RAZORS In the usual types of safety razor the blade only is discarded after use, the remainder of the razor being kept for use with other blades. Safety razors are, however, known in which the blade is permanently secured in molded plastics material shaped to leave the cutting edge of the blade exposed and to form a guard in front of the cutting edge and a cap behind the cutting edge. The head thus formed is permanently or detachably secured to a handle and the complete head is discarded when the blade reaches the end of its useful life.

The present invention provides an improved form of such a disposable safety razor head and is characterized by the facts thatthe blade is of a kind having two opposite edges sharpened; the plastics material applied to each face of the blade is shaped to form a guard for one of the cutting edges and a cap for the other cutting edge, so that the cutting edges are exposed on opposite faces of the head; and that the head is provided with means for detachably and reversibly securing it to a handle, one cutting edge only of the blade being accessible for use in each position of attachment. Thus, instead of the user using the two cutting edges indiscriminately, as in conventional safety razors employing double-edged blades, he is enabled and encouraged to use one edge only until it has become too blunt to use further and only then to use the other edge, this procedure being recommended for maximum blade life.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description of particular embodiments of the invention, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of one form of razor embodying the invention, the separated parts being shown in perspective;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the assembled razor;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the razor;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of a second form of razor embodying the invention;

FIG. 5 is a side view of the razor of FIG. 4 in assembled condition;

FIGS. 6 and 7 are detail, somewhat diagrammatic, views of parts of the razor of FIGS. 4 and 5;

FIG. 8 is an exploded view of a third form of disposable safety razor head in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the head of FIG. 8 in assembled condition and a cooperating handle in condition for receiving the head;

FIG. 10 is a part sectional side view showing the head and handle of FIGS. 8 and 9 in fully assembled condition; and

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a fourth form of razor embodying the invention.

In the razor illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3, the head comprises two identical moldings l of plastics material, disposed respectively above and below a double-edged safety razor blade 2 of well-known type. Each of the moldings l is shaped adjacent one longitudinal edge 11 to provide a guard adapted to engage the face ahead of one of the cutting edges 21 of the blade and is shaped adjacent the opposite longitudinal edge 12 to provide a cap adapted to follow the cutting edge over the face. One face of each member 1 is formed with projections 13 and recesses 14, while the opposite face is formed with a transversely extending groove 15, having undercut, convergent sidewalls, adapted to make locking engagement with a dovetail projection 31 on the upper end of a handle 3, which may be made of any suitable material.

The two members 1 are assembled to the blade reversed in position relative to one another, so that the projections 13 of each member are opposite the recesses 14 of the other member and the guard edge 11 of each member is adjacent the cap edge 12 of the other member. The blade 2 is clamped between the two members 1 and is accurately located relative to them by the projections 13, each cutting edge 21 of the blade projecting between the guard 1 1 of one member and the cap 12 of the other member. The two members 1, with the blade clamped between them, are secured together, so that the blade is secured permanently in position. The razor head thus formed is mounted on the handle 3 by sliding the projection 31 into one of the recesses 15, to form the assembly shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. It will be observed that in this assembled condition of the parts, only one of the cutting edges 21 is accessible for use. When this edge has become too blunt to use further, the head can be disengaged from the handle, reversed in position and reengaged with the handle, using the second groove 15, so that the other cutting edge 21 is accessible for use.

The members 1 may be made of thermoplastic material and they can then be secured together by heat sealing, by ultrasonic welding or by solvent welding, or they may be formed with interengaging projections and-recesses which will snap into interlocking connection when pressed together. Alternatively the members 1 may be made of a thermosetting plastic and they may then be secured together by adhesive, or by solvent welding, or by a mechanical snap connection.

In the razor illustrated in FIGS. 4 to 7, the disposable head again comprises two identical moldings 16 of plastics material, which are secured together with a double-edged blade 2 between them. The members 16 have their longitudinal edge portions 11, 12 shaped to form guards and caps and are provided with interengaging projections and recesses 13, 14, all as described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. In this construction, however, the groove 15 is omitted and each member 16 is formed with an aperture 17, approximately T-shaped in plan, the longer portions of the two apertures being in register with one another and with the central slot in blade 2. The handle 3 in this comprises two plastics moldings 32, 33 which are secured together around a locking device. This device comprises a sheet metal body 34, two levers 35 pivotally connected at 36 (see FIGS. 6 and 7) to the body, and an operating member 37 sliding in the body. Projections 37a and 37b on member 37 engage between the two levers, so that when member 37 is moved down (FIG. 7), projection 37b turns the levers to bring their upper ends together, and when it is moved up (FIG. 6), projection 37a moves the upper ends of the levers apart. When an assembled head 1, 2 is placed on the top surface of the head (the locking device being in the FIG. 7 position) the projecting upper ends of levers 35 enter the apertures 17, the end surfaces of which diverge inwardly, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. At the same time a tongue 38, projecting from the body 34, enters the shorter portion or stem of the aperture 16 in the lower member 16, this arrangement preventing incorrect assembly with the head turned round in its own plane. Slide 37 is then moved to the FIG. 6 position, thus locking the head in position. The projection 37a may be constituted by a leaf spring of inverted U-form so that it will maintain a locking pressure on the levers 35.

In the construction shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, the portions of the blade 22 adjacent the cutting edges 21 are bent in opposite directions along lines parallel to the cutting edges, so that the blade is of Z-shape. If the blade is made of a suitable grade of stainless steel, such bending can be effected as a final manufacturing operation, after the blade has been otherwise finished. As before, the blade is secured between two identical plastic moldings 18, having interfitting projections and recesses l3, l4 and edge portions l1, l2 shaped to form a guard and a cap for the blade edge, as previously described. The handle 3 for use with this form of disposable head has at one end of its stem a hoodlike portion 39, which presents internally a surface against which one face of the disposable head can be engaged and clamped. Slidably mounted in the handle under the control of a spring 40 is a jaw 41, adapted to engage the opposite face of the head and secure it against the clamping surface provided by hood 39. It will be observed that the bending of the blade allows a considerable reduction in the overall width of the head when in position for shaving, which has the advantage of allowing more clearance when shaving the more inaccessible parts of the face, such as under the nose. It will also be observed that the hood 39 serves to enclose and v protect that cutting edge of the blade which is not accessible f r ussii s -g ln" the construction 'sho wn in FIG. 11, the disposable head is withdraw thepins from the holes'and allow the head to be 7 changed. when the jaws are inthe position shown, the head can'be rotated'about the axis formed-by the pinsand extend-,

I "ing'between and parallel to the cutting edges, so that either cutting edge can be made accessible for shaving. The head is "heldgagainst' accidental rotation by the interengagement of suitably positioned projections and recesses on the jaws and the head, the jaws being sufficiently flexible to permit disen- I vgagement of thesepart when required. 0

It will .be understood that many modifications notspecificallydescrib'ed above .can be'made within the scope of the in- I again generally similar to the heads shown in FIGS; 1 m3 and f- 4 to- 7, but the plastic moldings 19 (instead of being formed a with a groove l5 or aperture 17) have their end faces formed with aligned holesfor rotatably receiving pins 42, carried by a 7 pair of jaws 43 forming part of the handle. By moving the stem 3'ofvthe handle longitudinally, the jaws can be moved apart to I a to exert outward pressure upon the aperture walls of both of V v said members, whereby to connect said handle to said head, a

for use. g I

I claim: 1. A disposable blade and cap means for a second cutting edge) of said blade,- and a second molded plastic member shaped to form-guard means for said second cutting .edge .and cap means for said first cutting edge, a blade-facing surface of each molded member being provided with lug and recess connecting means, the connecting means'of said first member being lockingly engaged with the connecting means of said second member to permanently join said members with said blade disposed therebetween, said first member cap means being proximate to said second member guard means, said first member guard means being proximate to said second member cap means, each of said members and said bladebeing pro-.

vided with a central aperture extending completely therethrough, all of said apertures being in alignment and an 5 expandable handle projection, said projection being expanded said head being thereby adapted to be detachably and rever-- sibly secured to said handle,'with only one of said cutting edges being accessible for usein eachpositionof attachment.

safety razor head comprising 'a first molded plastic member shaped to support a single double-edged razor blade thereom-saidfirst molded plastic member being further shaped to form guard means for a first cutting edge of said

Claims (1)

1. A disposable safety razor head comprising a first molded plastic member shaped to support a single double-edged razor blade thereon, said first molded plastic member being further shaped to form guard means for a first cutting edge of said blade and cap means for a second cutting edge of said blade, and a second molded plastic member shaped to form guard means for said second cutting edge and cap means for said first cutting edge, a blade-facing surface of each molded member being provided with lug and recess connecting means, the connecting means of said first member being lockingly engaged with the connecting means of said second member to permanently join said members with said blade disposed therebetween, said first member cap means being proximate to said second member guard means, said first member guard means being proximate to said second member cap means, each of said members and said blade being provided with a central aperture extending completely therethrough, all of said apertures being in alignment and an Expandable handle projection, said projection being expanded to exert outward pressure upon the aperture walls of both of said members, whereby to connect said handle to said head, said head being thereby adapted to be detachably and reversibly secured to said handle, with only one of said cutting edges being accessible for use in each position of attachment.

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