US3193923A

US3193923A - Safety razor having adjustable blade edge exposure

Info

Publication number: US3193923A
Application number: US189884A
Authority: US
Inventors: Clemenson Frederick Charles
Original assignee: Gillette Co LLC
Current assignee: Gillette Co LLC
Priority date: 1961-04-25
Filing date: 1962-04-24
Publication date: 1965-07-13
Anticipated expiration: 1982-07-13
Also published as: FR1321157A; CA685507A

Description

J y 1965 F. c. CLEMENSON 3 3,

SAFETY RAZOR HAVING ADJUSTABLE BLADE EDGE EXPOSURE Filed April 24, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 g n 5 7 5 3 g y l0 g/ S FIG. I FIG. 2

INVENTOR fi'ederl'ck (bar/es (lemma on WWJLZMM x @5 @Aaza fllfvrneys July 13, 1965 F. C- CLEMENSON SAFETY RAZOR HAVING ADJUSTABLE BLADE EDGE EXPOSURE Filed April 24, 1962 4 Shee ts-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Free/e rick (/mr/es f/emr/zson worn eys y 13, 1965 F. c. CLEMENSON 3,193,923

SAFETY RAZOR HAVING ADJUSTABLE BLADE EDGE EXPOSURE Filed April 24, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet a FIG. 4

ZIA

INVENTOR. fi'eden'ckfharles (/ememon July 13, 1965 F. c. CLEMENSON 3, 93

SAFETY RAZOR HAVING ADJUSTABLE BLADE EDGE EXPOSURE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April 24, 1962 FIG 5 LNVEETOR. fiederick (/mr/es (/emenson BY' United States Patent C) M 3,193,923 SAFETY RAZOR HAVING ADJUSTABLE BLADE EDGE EXPGSURE Frederick Charles Clemenson, Ferring, England, assignor to The Giilette Company, Boston, Mass a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 24, 1962, Ser. No. 189,884 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Apr. 25, 1961, 14,899/ 61 4 Claims. ((11. 30-67) This invention relates to safety razors, and provides a new or improved construction thereof, particularly well suited for manufacture in molded plastic instead of metal.

According to a feature of the invention, a safety razor comprises a blade platform member, a cap member adapted to clamp a razor blade against the platform, a catch member urged by spring means to a first position in which the catch engages the cap to retain the cap in position on the platform, the catch being movable against the action of the spring means into a second position in which it allows removal of the cap, a detent member which is urged by said spring means into a position of engagement with the catch member to hold the member in its second position, the arrangement being such that the movement of the cap into its clamping position on the platform displaces the detent from its position of engagement, against the action of the said spring means, thereby permitting movement of the catch member into its first position under the action of the said spring means.

Two preferred forms of safety razor each embodying the invention, are described below, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a sectional side elevation of one razor, which is shown in an upright position with the cap uppermost,

FIG. 2 is a sectional plan taken in the line IIII of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a sectional front elevation taken along the line IIIIII of FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 is a part sectional side elevation of the second form of razor, and

FIG. 5 is a part sectional front elevation taken on the line V-V of FIG. 4.

The razor shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 comprises a body portion 1 which is formed at its upper end with a blade guard 2. The body portion is hollow open at the top and formed with slots 20 and 2011 through the side walls which communicate with the hollow interior. A pivot pin 21 is secured at its ends in the front and rear walls of the body portion. A platform member 3 is slidably mounted Within the body portion for vertical movement relative thereto. The platform member has a laterally extending slot 5 open at both of its ends, and a vertical slot 6 which communicates at its lower end with the slot 5. The upper end of slot 6 is open at the blade support surface 31 of the platform member. Just below the slot 5 the platform member is divided into front and

rear limbs

17, 18 respectively, which are provided on their inner faces with

flanges

23, 24, 25 and 26. Near the junction of the limbs and at one side of the platform member there is a tongue 28 which engages in the slot 20 in the adjacent side wall of the body portion. This tongue serves to guide the sliding movement of the platform member relative to the body portion. Elongated

slots

17A, 18A are formed in the

limbs

17, 18 respectively to allow movement of the platform member relative to the pin 21.

The slot 5 houses a pair of

catch members

8 and 9 disposed one adjacent the forward vertical face of the slot and the other adjacent the rear vertical face. The

catch members

8, 9 are formed at their inner ends with h oklike projections 10, 11 respectively which bridge the gap Patented July 13, 1965 between the two members (see FIG. 2), and which are shaped to have upwardly and inwardly sloping surfaces 10A, 11A respectively. The enlarged outer ends of the catch members project beyond the ends of the slot 5 and through the slots in the side walls of body portion 1. The catch members are biased apart by a compression spring 12 working against

faces

14 and 15 which are inclined to the vertical. A detent plate 16 is positioned between the

catch members

8 and 9 and overlies the spring 12.

A cap 4 is adapted to be detachably secured to the upper end of the platform member and comprises a downwardly extending tongue 7 which is formed with notches whose

lower edges

7A and 7B slope inwardly and upwardly as shown in FIG. 3.

A cam disc 19 is rotatably mounted on the pin 21 and lies between the

limbs

17, 18 of the platform member. The disc comprises an annular flange 22, whose centre of curvature is offset from the pivotal axis of the disc, and a generally sector shaped portion 27 which projects outwardly through the adjacent slot 20 in the body portion. The flat faces of flange 22 are provided with a number of narrow recesses 29 engageable by corresponding pips 30 on the inner faces of the

limbs

17 and 18, and the outer cylindrical surface of the flange 22 engages the

flanges

23, 24, 25 and 26.

With the exception of the pin 21 and spring 12, all the component parts of the razor may conveniently be molded from makrolon or some other plastic material.

The razor is illustrated with all its parts assembled together but without a blade in position.

To remove the cap 4 from the razor, the catch members are pressed inwardly by hand against the action of spring 12 so that the hooks 10 and 11 are moved apart, releasing the tongue 7. When the spring is compressed it tends to bow upwardly against the lower face of detent plate 16 and when the hooks 10 and 11 have moved sufliciently far apart, the plate is pushed up by the spring and comes to rest between the hooks to hold them apart. In its upward travel, the plate 16 forces the tongue 7 partially out of the slot 5 and the cap can then be lifted clear of the platform member.

The tongue 7 can then be inserted in the slot in a doubleedged razor blade and the cap and blade placed in position on the razor. The tongue is inserted in the slot 6 in the platform member and the cap pressed downwardly. The tongue 7 forces the plate 16 down until that plate clears the hooks 10, 11, thus allowing the catch members to move outwardly, whereupon the hooks engage in the notches in tongue 7. The wedging action exerted by faces 10A and 11A on the

edges

7A, 7B respectively ensures that the cap is held firmly in position in the platform member so that the blade is clamped between the lower surface of the cap and the blade supporting surface 31.

The sharp edge-s of the blade overhang the guard 2 and the gaps A between these edges and the guard can be varied by adjusting the position of the platform member, movement of this member being effected by rotation of the disc 19.

If the disc is rotated in a clockwise direction from its position shown in FIG. 3, the platform member will be moved upwardly (due to the eccentric nature of flange 22), and the gap A will be increased. Conversely, rotation of the cam in the opposite sense will result in the gap A being reduced. The disc is preferably marked with numbers on its outer periphery to give an indication of the adjustment of the position of the platform. The recesses 2? and the cooperating pips serve to retain the disc in certain positions of angular adjustment.

In the second razor shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the upper part of the razor, including the cap retaining and releasing mechanism, is exactly the same as that of the first described razor, but the lower part of the platform member 3 extend downwardly as a single limb 40, formed with a projection 41. An operating lever 42 is mounted inter mediate its ends on the pivot pin 21A and is formed at its upper end with a cam groove 43 in which the projection4I engages; The lower end of'the lever projects through a slot 44 in the bottom wall of the body portion 1 for manual adjustment of thelever. 1

When the' lever is rotated about the pivot pin 21, intergagement in one of the said notches, the said spring means action between the projection 41 and the side faces'of the cam'groove 43 results in vertical adjustment of the platform member 3 relative to the guard 2 to vary the gap A.

Preferably,

ment of the platform, and cooperating recesses and projections on the body portion and the lever serve lightly to 1. A safety razor comprising a blade platform member,

.a cap member adapted to clamp a razor blade against the platform, a catch member .urged by spring means to a first position in which the catch engages the capto retain the cap in position onthe platform, the catch being movable against the action of the spring means into asecond position in which it allows removal of the cap, a detent member which is urged ,by the said spring means into a numbers are placed on the body portion along theslot44 to give a visual' indication of the adjustposition of engagement with the catch member to hold a the member in its second position, the arrangement being such thatthe movement of the cap-into its clamping position on the platform displaces the detent from its position '2. A razor in accordance with claim '1 which includes a urging the outer ends of the catchesroutwardlyaway from each-other, and thereby urging the said projections into engagement with the notches. f i

3. A razor in accordance with claim 2, wherein the said spring means comprises a coil compression spring which is arranged to buckle when'compressed, and the said detent'member is disposed adjacent the spring intermediate the ends thereof, the detent being urged into its .said position of engagement by the'buckling of the spring. 4. A razor in accordance with claim 1, whereinthe said springs means comprises a coil compression spring which is arranged to buckle When'compressed, and the said detent'member is disposed adjacent the-spring intermediate the ends therof, the detent being urgedinto its said position of engagement by the buckling of the spring.

References Cited by theExaminer v V UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,699,603] 1 /55 Payamps 30,-60.5 2,753,627 7/56 Isroff et al. 30, 60.5 X 2,762,121 9/56 Isroif et al. 30-60.5 2,848,806 a 8/58 Shnitzier et al. 3060.5 2,934,821 5/60 Bailey etal 30-605 3,027,637 4/62 Seiler 30-605 FELDMAN, Primary Examiner. LEWIS J. LENNY, Examiner.

Claims

1. A SAFETY RAZOR COMPRISING A BLADE PLATFORM MEMBER, A CAP MEMBER ADAPTED TO CLAMP A RAZOR BLADE AGAINST THE PLATFORM, A CATCH MEMBER URGED BY SPRING MEANS TO A FIRST POSITION IN WHICH THE CATCH ENGAGES THE CAP TO RETAIN THE CAP IN POSITION ON THE PLATFORM, THE CATCH BEING MOVABLE AGAINST THE ACTION OF THE SPRING MEANS INTO A SECOND POSITION IN WHICH IT ALLOWS REMOVAL OF THE CAP, A DETENT MEMBER WHICH IS URGED BY THE SAID SPRING MEANS INTO A