US3295201A

US3295201A - Hair clipper

Info

Publication number: US3295201A
Application number: US411904A
Authority: US
Inventors: Vito W Pucino
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1964-11-17
Filing date: 1964-11-17
Publication date: 1967-01-03
Anticipated expiration: 1984-01-03

Description

1967 v. w. PUCINO 3,295,201

HAIR CLIPPER Filed Nov. 16, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

VITO W. PUCINO MORGAN, FINNEGAN, DURHAM 8| PINE ATTORNEYS Jan. 3, 1967 v. w. PUCINO 3,295,201

HAIR CLIPPER Filed Nov. 16, 1964 5 SheetsSheet 2 INVENTOR.

VITO W. PUCINO MORGAN, FINNEGAN, DURHAM 8 PINE ATTORNEYS Jan. 3, 1967 v. w. PUCINO 3,295,201

HAIR CLIPPER Filed Nov. 16, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG."9

INVENTOR.

VITO W. PUICINO MORGAN, FINNEGAN DURHAM 8| PINE ATTORNEYS United States Fate'nt Ofitice 3,295,201 Patented Jan. 3, 1967 This invention relates to hair clippers provided with automatic hair tapering devices, and more particularly to a novel hair clipper having means for automatically tapering hair in varying predetermined lengths.

One essential feature of a good haircut is a smoothly graduated taper which follows the contour of the head. A properly tapered head of hair should be shortest at the neckline and ears and, then, gradually and uniformly increase in length on the back and sides of the head as the distances from the neck and ears increase, thereby producing a neat and symmetrical appearance. In order to obtain the desired result with only the standard hair clipper, comb and scissors, a steady and skillful hand is required, but even the most experienced of barbers cannot be assured of obtaining highly satisfactory results in every instance, as he is required to regulate manually the distance from the scalp at which the clipper is held as well as to judge what the proper distances should be in the first instance.

Furthermore, if the barber is to obtain highly satisfactory results with sufficient regularity while using the standard barbers tools, he must be willing to do this at the expense of speed. This is not too much of a hardship when the barber shop is not crowded and the barber can afford to take his time with each haircut. But during the hours when the shop is crowded with patrons, speed becomes a very important asset and time a highly valuable commodity. A few minutes saved on each haircut during the course of the day can result in a few extra haircuts during that same period of time.

Although mechanical aids have heretofore been produced, a good deal of time and skill are still required, with the barber having to master the use of these mechanical helpers as well, they being designed merely to facilitate the tapering operation rather than to produce a taper independently.

In accordance with the instant invention, a device is provided which, when used with any standard hair clipper, will automatically taper the hair. This device is essentially a wedge-shaped spacer which laterally tilts the cutting element of the clipper with respect to the scalp so that one end of the cutting element is maintained in closer proximity to the scalp than is its other end, with intermediate oints on the cutting element being held at intermediate distances corresponding to the depth of the spacer at these points.

As the tapering operation proceeds up the back of the head, the overall distance at which the cutting element is maintained can be increased so that the length of hair left by the clipper further up the back of the head can be increased beyond that left by the farther end of the cutting element in its former position.

As can be seen, this invention will enable the barber, whether he is highly skilled or relatively inexperienced, to consistently obtain a symmetrical and uniformly smooth taper, and will also enable him to achieve this result in much less time than it would ordinarily require.

Therefore, it is one object of the instant invention to provide a hair tapering device which, in combination with a hair clipper, will assure even the inexperienced barber that he will produce a symmetrical, smoothly graduated taper in every instance.

It is a more particular object of the instant invention to provide :a device which will automatically produce a tapered haircut when used in combination with any standard hair clipper.

It is a further object of the instant invention to provide a tapering device which can take the form of a removable attachment which can be easily mounted on, and removed from, any standard hair clipper.

Still a further object is the provision of a hair tapering device which can take the form of a permanent attachment for any standard hair clipper.

Another object is to provide a hair tapering device which, in combination with a hair clipper, will materially reduce the time needed for giving a haircut.

It is still another object to provide a hair tapering device which is simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, and easy to use.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent during the course of the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing which forms a part of the specification and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts in the several figures, where- 1n:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the preferred embodiment of a hair clipper tapering attachment according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the attachment;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of the tapering attachment and a hair clipper in combination according to the invention;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of another embodiment of a hair clipper tapering attachment according to the invention;

FIG. 5 is a rear elevation View of the attachment in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a side elevation view taken along line VI-VI of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a side elevation view taken along line VII- VII of FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the attachment according to the invention taken along line VIIIVIII in FIG. 4;

FIG. 9 is a side elevation view of the attachment in FIG. 4 mounted on a standard hair clipper according to the invention;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of FIG. 9 with the attachment shifted to a forward position.

Briefly, the invention comprises, in combination a hair clipper having movable cutting elements, and a wedgeshaped spacer which is mounted on and underlies these cutting elements to function as a support for the clipper when the latter is held against the head. The cutting elements are essentially a pair of opposed blades each having a series of parallel cutting teeth. The upper cutting teeth are caused to move rapidly in the lateral direction to provide the cutting action. The forward ends of these teeth therefore define a cutting edge. The spacer is beveled laterally along this cutting edge so that the cutting elements will be tilted laterally with respect to the scalp. In addition, the spacer is beveled in a direction normal to the cutting edge and is slidably adjustable in this normal direction with respect to the cutting edge so that the overall distance of the cutting edge from the scalp can be varied to thereby control the depth of hair being cut.

In the drawings, wherein is shown a preferred embodiment and an alternative embodiment of the invention, the tapering device takes the form of a removable attachment comprising a spacer 11 and structural means 41 for removably afiixing spacer 11 to the standard hair clipper 21 shown in FIGS. 3, 9 and 10, which for illustrative purposes, is the Andis Model M. The clipper is provided with a main body portion 22 and movable cutting elements which are essentially a pair of

opposed blades

23 and 24. Each of these blades has a series of cutting

teeth

26 and 27 respectively, the upper cutting teeth being caused to move laterally in rapidly repeating fashion so as to provide the cutting action. The forward ends of these upper teeth will hereafter be referred to as the cutting edge 26A. The bottom blade teeth 27 are longitudinally beveled from their free ends on their surfaces which contact the spacer. Bottom blade 24 is slidably mounted on the clipper and is conventionally adjustable by a lever arm 25 in a direction normal to cutting edge 26A.

Spacer 11, illustratively formed of plastic, includes a base portion 12 having a leading edge 13. A plurality of parallel comb-like supporting teeth 14- depend forwardly from the leading edge of the spacer in a direction normal to cut-ting edge 26A. In the preferred embodiment shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, teeth 14 depend along the leading edge from one end of base 12 to a point substantially midway between its two ends. Teeth 14 project angularly downward from base 12 so that their bottom surfaces lie in a plane parallel to the longitudinally beveled surfaces of the teeth of bottom blade 24, spacer 11 consequently fitting snugly against the bottom blade. In addition, spacer teeth 14 in the preferred embodiment are provided with arrowhead-like hooks 15 which integrally depend from their free ends to hook around the free ends of teeth 27 of bottom blade 24 so as to prevent the spacer from slipping forwards or rearwards upon the bottom blade. Teeth 14 are illustratively spaced at substantially equal distances from each other thereby allowing the uniform feeding of hair to the cutting blade of the clipper. In addition, because there are a relatively great number of teeth 14 in a small space in the preferred embodiment, the problem of hair bunching as it is fed into the cutting teeth is eliminated.

In accordance with the invention, the teeth of spacer 11 gradually decrease in both length and depth starting at one end of base 12 and proceeding towards its midpoint. Their relative configurations enable them, when the spacer is mounted as illustrated in FIG. 3, to function cooperatively as a laterally beveled supporting member thereby laterally tilting the clipper and cutting blades with respect to the scalp when the clipper is held against the scalp in the normal manner for clipping. When so held, the cutting teeth at one end of the cutting blade are held in closer proximity to the scalp than are the teeth at the other end thereby producing a tapered cut. Because of the configuration of the spacer, all of the teeth need not be used to taper the hair at any given point, as where the curvature of the head requires that only a few teeth contact the scalp. In this way, a uniform taper is produced without the need for guesswork or manual guidance.

Each of teeth 14 increases in depth from its free end to the leading edge of base 12 to form a bevel in a di- .rection normal to cutting edge 20. Since the teeth project from the leading edge at a downward angle so as to conform to the longitudinally beveled teeth at the bottom blade of the hair clipper, the spacer and the bottom blade are able to coact to function as a single unit. Therefore, when the standard haid clipper having the conventional slidably adjustable bottom blade is used, the operator can move the bottom blade and the attached spacer forward or rearward causing deeper and shallower portions of the supporting teeth to be adjacent to cutting edge 26A thereby varying the distance at which the cutting edge is held from the scalp. FIG. 9 shows bottom blade 24 and the spacer in their rearmost position with the shallowest portions of the supporting teeth adjacent to the cutting edge of blade 23. FIGS. 3 and 10 show the bottom blade and spacer in a forward position with deeper portions of the supporting teeth adjacent to the cutting edge.

As is evident from these three figures, the entire hair clipper is raised away from the scalp when the spacer is shifted forward. Therefore, as the tapering proceeds up the back of the head, the lower blade and spacer can be gradually shifted forward so as to obtain the smooth gradual taper desired.

In the illustrative embodiments, the structural means for affixing the spacer to the hair clipper comprises a flat strip formed of any material having high resilient qualities. The ends of this strip are bent so as to form a rectangular plate 42 and a pair of spring clips 43 which depend perpendicularly therefrom transversely of its long dimension to grasp the sides of bottom blade 24 of the hair clipper. This plate is secured to the bottom face of the base by a pair of hollow rivets 44 which pass through a pair of countersunk holes, referred to as 16 in the preferred embodiment and 36 in the alternative embodiment, drilled through the base. The relationship of these parts is clearly shown in FIG. 8.

In operation, the improved hair clipper in accordance with the instant invention is held so that the flat outer surfaces MA of the supporting teeth rest against the scalp. Starting at the hair line at the back of the neck behind the left ear, the clipper is caused to move in short curving strokes starting off in the generally upward direction. Thus the clipper is caused to travel in a path defining an are which starts out in a generally upwards direction and then curves towards the right side of head. As each stroke is completed, the clipper is shifted to a new position slightly to the right of its old position, and this procedure is followed until it has completely traversed the back of the head from the left ear to the right. This mode of operation causes the closer portions of the cutting edge to traverse the head at the neck line, while the farther portions of the cutting edge traverse the head farther away from the neckline thereby producing a tapered cut. The same procedure is employed on the sides of the head.

If it is desired that the clipper be used further up the back of the head, then the bottom blade and spacer are shifted forward, so that the deeper portions of the spacer teeth are adjacent cutting edge 29. The procedure is then repeated.

A less professional method can be used by parents who prefer to give haircuts in the home. Starting at the same place at the back of the head, the clipper is caused to traverse the head in a horizontal direction. The next path traversed will be slightly above the prior path. Therefore, the bottom blade and spacer are shifted forward to the desired position and the procedure is repeated.

An alternative embodiment of the invention contemplates a wedge-shaped spacer which is permanently affixed to the hair clipper. In this form the invention comprises a bottom blade for a hair clipper which has teeth of graduated lengths and depths and in which each of the teeth is longitudinally beveled from its free end so as to increase in depth as it proceeds back towards the base from which it projects.

In the alternative embodiment shown in the drawings, only three changes are present. Supporting teeth 34 extend all the way across the base from one end to the other rather than halfway. There are fewer of these teeth and they are consequently more widely spaced. And finally, the teeth do not have hook portions at their free ends.

Another embodiment would include teeth of equal depth, with the base portion being beveled in appropriate fashion. The teeth can be of graduated lengths but need not be. In fact, it is within the contemplation of the invention to provide a spacer having no teeth at all, with just the base portion remaining and being beveled in appropriate fashion.

In the study and practice of the invention, variations and modifications will undoubtedly occur, and it is understood that any changes in the details, materials, steps and arrangements of parts which have herein been described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of the invention may be made by those skilled in the art Without departing from the principle and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In an improved hair clipper adapted for tapering the hair in a single step operation, the improvement comprising a spacing attachment positioned, when held against the head during the clipping operation, to form the support for said hair clipper, said spacing attachment being formed With a base having a leading edge and a trailing edge and a plurality of comb-like teeth extending forwardly along said leading edge from one lateral end of said base to a point intermediate its two ends to underlie the cutting element of said hair clipper from one lateral end thereof to a point intermediate its two ends,

said teeth gradually decreasing in depth from said lateral end to said intermediate point forming a laterally beveled supporting surface for laterally tilting said cutting element with respect to the scalp while permitting one lateral end of said cutting element to contact the scalp.

2. The improvement as defined in claim 1, wherein said teeth gradually decrease in length from said lateral end to said intermediate point.

3. The improvement as defined in claim 2, wherein each of said teeth gradually decreases in depth from said leading edge forwardly and wherein said spacing attachment is slidably adjustable forwardly or rearwardly with respect to said cutting element whereby the overall distance of said cutting element from the scalp and the angle at which said cutting element is tilted with respect to said I scalp can be varied.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,533,564 4/1925 Mani -200 2,780,868 2/1957 Brown 30-200 2,918,723 12/1959 Levin 30200 3,209,455 10/1965 Gnage 30200 WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

J. C. PETERS, Assistrmt Examiner.

Claims

1. IN AN IMPROVED HAIR CLIPPER ADAPTED FOR TAPERING THE HAIR IN A SINGLE STEP OPERATION, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING A SPACING ATTACHMENT POSITIONED, WHEN HELD AGAINST THE HEAD DURING THE CLIPPING OPERATION, TO FORM THE SUPPORT FOR SAID HAIR CLIPPER, SAID SPACING ATTACHMENT BEING FORMED WITH A BASE HAVING A LEADING EDGE AND TRAILING EDGE AND A PLURALITY OF COMB-LIKE TEETH EXTENDING FORWARDLY ALONG SAID LEADING EDGE FROM ONE LATERAL END OF SAID BASE TO A POINT INTERMEDIATE ITS TWO ENDS TO UNDERLIE THE CUTTING ELEMENT OF SAID HAIR CLIPPER FROM ONE LATERAL END THEREOF TO A POINT INTERMEDIATE ITS TWO ENDS, SAID TEETH GRADUALLY DECREASING IN DEPTH FROM SAID LATERAL END TO SAID INTERMEDIATE POINT FORMING A LATERALLY BEVELED SUPPORTING SURFACE FOR LATERALLY TILTING SAID CUTTING ELEMENT WITH RESPECT TO THE SCALP WHILE PERMITTING ONE LATERAL END OF SAID CUTTING ELEMENT TO CONTACT THE SCALP.