EP1963058A1

EP1963058A1 - Electric razor

Info

Publication number: EP1963058A1
Application number: EP06828876A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Stefan FÜRST
Original assignee: Braun GmbH
Current assignee: Braun GmbH
Priority date: 2005-12-23
Filing date: 2006-10-27
Publication date: 2008-09-03
Anticipated expiration: 2026-10-27
Also published as: ATE462539T1; DE502006006609D1; EP1963058B1; DE102005062178A1; WO2007079804A1

Abstract

The reciprocating blade assembly (28) oscillates in a cavity (24) beneath a perforated foil (12) and the space is filled with a foam material (39) with the exception of the space (41) into which the blade assembly moves so that at each oscillation air is squeezed through the foil perforations.

Description

Electric razor

The invention relates to an electrically operated shaver according to the preamble of patent claim 1 and a method for this purpose.

From US Pat. No. 3,103,299, an electrically operated razor is already known in which a liquid can be supplied from a container to the razor head via a manually operable pump device. From there, the liquid is placed directly on the skin of an operator. This is intended to provide the user with a type of wet shaving in a dry shaver to facilitate shaving for an operator.

In DE 2053943 A1 as in DE 1703785 A1, liquid is conveyed from a tank formed in the shaver via a line into the space of the blade block. The space in which the blade block is located is formed on the one hand by the perforated shear foil and by the walls of a shaving foil receiving frame and the upper cover of the motor housing. The liquid flowing into the room, which is conveyed by a pump which can be actuated manually according to DE 1703785 A1 and by an electrically driven pump in DE 2053943 A1, not only moistens the knife parts and the foil from the inside but also the skin of an operator, when the liquid passes through the holes of the foil to the outside. The liquid acts as a friction reducing and cooling agent between the shear blade and the knife block. The reaching of the skin of an operator liquid wets the skin areas and there also has a cooling and friction-reducing, which improves a shaving.

Finally, from US Pat. No. 5,121,541 a razor of the type mentioned in the introduction is known in which the liquid located in a liquid tank is transformed by an ultrasonic vibrator into mist, which is then supplied via a line to the space accommodating the shaving head. The fine mist passes through the holes formed in the blade to the outside on the skin surface, which not only makes the skin softer, but at the same time a lubricant of the skin is constantly fed in the constant flow during a shaving. The advantage facilitates the reciprocating movement of the shaver on the skin, cools the skin, reduces small injuries to the skin and reduces the sliding properties of the moving parts in the shaving head, which ultimately results in an overall improved shaving behavior. AIIe above shavers, however, have the disadvantage that the distribution of liquid consuming conveyors and tanks are required in the shaver, which leads to costly shaving equipment in addition to the significantly greater design and production costs.

The object of the invention is therefore to provide a shaving device that cools the skin of an operator with extremely simple means during a shaving process, reduces the sliding properties and at the same time adds conditioning substances, fragrances and softening substances to the skin in order to make a shaving process more pleasant.

This object is achieved by the characterizing features of claim 1. According to the invention, no liquid, but a foam is introduced into the chamber receiving the blade block before shaving. In this case, so much foam is entered into the room until it easily swells or becomes recognizable at the holes of the shaving foil or on the transitions between the shaving foil and the shaving head frame, which form the finest slits. Preferably, the foam is in a pressurized spray bottle from which it is injected into the room. The foam in the shaving head also prevents Bartstaub trickling outwards. Foam binds the beard dust, this allows easy cleaning by rinsing the device under running water.

However, it is also conceivable to remove the shaving foil from the shaving head and to spray the foam around the blade block as well as on the latter itself, so that when the shaving foil is placed on the shaving head frame, the foam is compressed in the resulting space so that the space becomes full filled with foam. Excess foam can then pass outward at the transitions between the shear foil and the shaving head frame as well as over the holes in the shaving foil. Since the shaving foil is usually attached to a removable frame, so the slots can of course also arise between the removable frame and the shaving head, where then the foam penetrates to the outside. Of course, in the sense of the inventions shaving means may be meant in which the shaving head frame is integrally connected to the drive housing, so that the space receiving the blade block is formed only by the housing of the shaver and the shaving foil. Now, when the electric drive of the shaver is turned on, the blade block is set in reciprocating vibrations by a protruding from the drive housing of the shaver drive shaft. The blade block oscillates at a frequency of about 5-10 thousand hertz. According to the invention, at least on one side of the blade block, a piston wall extending transversely to the shearing movement is formed, the lateral surface of which facing the shearing foil follows the contour of the inner surface of the shaving foil and slidably bears against it. The lateral surface of the piston wall facing the bottom of the shaving device forms a kind of fixed housing wall with the foam.

In the first strokes of the piston wall, the foam is initially displaced according to the size of the piston surface and the piston stroke. During further reciprocations, an air-filled displacement forms between the foam, the foil and the piston wall, in which the air is constantly compressed and decompressed. During compression, part of the air is conveyed outward through the holes in the area of the displacement in the foil. When decompressing, ie during the return stroke of the piston wall, air is sucked in through the holes in the displacement.

But it can also be air through the finest channels that can form during the return stroke due to the negative pressure in the foam and start at the transitions between the shaving foil and the shaving head and lead to the displacement, are sucked. At the very high frequencies of movement of the blade block, the amount of air blown through the piston wall from the displacement and then on the holes is not insignificant, so that during the shaving process by the blown air, the skin cooling effect. Since a little foam may have leaked out of the holes at first, it may get on the skin, reducing the gliding motion and making the skin softer. The foam can also deliver fragrances to the skin surface or to the atmosphere, so that the shaving process is more pleasant and even better. The features of claim 1 thus provide a conveyor that requires no further technical means except the provision of the foam, so that even with existing shavers, the invention can be applied.

According to the features of claim 2, it is advantageous if a respective piston wall is formed at both ends of the blade block. This creates both at one end and at the other end of the foil a bubble, so that both sides of the foil shear cooling air of the skin of an operator is supplied. According to the features of claim 3, the piston wall is formed in each case by the last blade of the blade block. As is well known, there are tubular blade blocks into which are placed many slits arranged one behind the other, as is the case with the "Braun Syncro" razors, which have long been sold by the Applicant, and the walls which are left standing form the individual blades of the blade block, but there are also blade blocks These variants can be used for the invention, because each formed at the end blade forms a piston wall, regardless of whether it is annular or disc-shaped or otherwise formed. It is important only that with The foam with the shaving foil and the piston forms a cubic capacity The most effective variant of a piston wall naturally arises when the piston is closed flat and disk-shaped (claim 4).

It is advantageous according to the features of claim 5, on an opening forming the shaving head an opening with a channel through which the foam is introduced from outside into the room. The channel can be formed anywhere on the housing, he only has to reach into the room. It is beneficial in this case to form the channel on the preferably made of plastic, and receiving the foil receiving the removable frame, since here the channel during spraying of the removable frame can be formed with the same. The channel is so deep that the foam can penetrate from below into the room.

According to the features of claim 6, a sealing surface is formed at the entrance of the channel, on which the connecting piece of the foam dispensing pressure bottle can be placed in register and pressure-tight.

According to the features of claim 7, the foam is made of shaving foam, as commercially available in pressurized bottles. This foam has a relatively high stiffness with very finely trapped air bubbles, so that it can form a dimensionally stable capacity. But there are also quite different foams with the above requirements possible.

Advantageously, the foam is enriched with methanol (claim 8), so that the escaping air from the displacement absorb these fragrances and can deliver to the atmosphere or to the skin surface. Advantageously, it is also possible to use the foam with ze (claim 9) to enrich, because even this essential oil has a particularly rich, good fragrant and has proven particularly effective as a fragrance distributor in the air. Of course, other fragrances can be used in the foam, which are then released from the blown out of the displacement air to the skin or to the atmosphere.

According to the features of patent claim 10, a method is still put under protection in which foam is introduced into the room. Subsequently, after switching on the shaver by the formation of operating on the principle of an air pump pump air is discharged through the holes of the foil to the outside, which then acts as an air cushion on the skin surface of an operator and at the same time can reduce the sliding friction on the skin.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the drawing and will be explained in more detail below.

Show it:

1 is a perspective front view of a shaver according to the invention with a channel formed on a removable frame and with two on the removable frame juxtaposed Scherfolien, which are separated in the middle by a hair trimmer,

Fig. 2 view in a blade block receiving space with removed shear foil and removable frame, shown in an enlarged scale and

Fig. 3 is a view X in an enlarged scale of FIG. 2 in the space of the shaving head, although with respect to the figure 2, the piston is closed flat.

According to Fig. 1, the shaver 1 consists of a with an electric drive (not shown) provided housing 2, on the right side wall of an on or off switch 3 is formed. At the front there is a slide switch 18, on which at the upper end a transverse beard trimmer 4 is designed as a trimmer. At the bottom, the shaver 1 has an electrical connection 5 for the power supply of the shaver 1. On the housing 2, a shaving head frame 6 is placed from above, which has raised at its two lateral ends arms 7, 8, which are connected to one another by the beard trimmer 4 for the most part covered bridge 9. Of the Shaving head frame 6 is separable from the housing 2 of the shaver 1 via a parting line 11. Of course, it is also conceivable that the shaving head frame 6 is connected with its arms 7, 8 and its bridge 9 in one piece with the housing 2 of the shaver 1.

According to FIG. 1, the shaving head frame 6 can be removed from the housing 2 to the top via the parting line 11. In the receiving space 10 formed by the bridge 9 and the two arms 7, 8, a shearing foil 12 with a replaceable frame 13 carrying the shaving foil 12 is inserted from above and detachably fixed there by latching means (not shown). The foil 12 consists in this embodiment of two upwardly curved Scherfolienabschnitten 14, 15 which are provided with many small holes 16. On the substantially vertical front side 17 and rear side (not visible) of the shear foil sections 14, 15 sheet metal areas are formed, which have no holes 16, because there is the skin surface hardly touch and on the other hand thereby formed a closed area of the foil without holes is, so that foam and air do not leak on the side but above.

1, a channel 19 is formed on the side wall 47 at the center of the removable frame 13, which in accordance with FIGS. 2 and 3 in one of the inner surface 20 of the shear foil 12, the left and right side surface 21, 22 and the bottom surface 23 of the shaving head frame 6 formed space 24 opens. On the outside of the removable frame 13, a sealing surface 25 is still formed on the channel 19, which serves for the pressure-tight attachment of a foam bottle (not shown) formed connecting piece (not shown).

In Fig. 2 you look practically from the front through the shaving foil 12 into the space 24 inside. The same applies to FIG. 3, although the largest left part of the shaving head frame 6 has been cut away.

From the bottom surface 23 penetrates to Figure 2 from the housing 2 upwards a drive rod 26 shown, which is articulated via a coupling member 27 with a blade block 28, but in the reciprocating motion Y of the blade block 28 fixed thereto. The blade block 28 is releasable via the coupling member 27 from the drive rod 26 for the purpose of cleaning or for the purpose of replacement. The blade block 28 is provided according to Figure 2 with a support 29 on which many individual successively arranged blades 30 are formed. The blades are perpendicular to the inner surface 20 of the shear foil 12 and are adapted to the inner surface 20 at least in the region of the holes 16. For a further explanation of such a device, we refer, for example, to the razor "Braun Syncro", which has been marketed by the applicant for a long time and which shows such a construction.

In the space 24 still protrude two elevations 31, 32 in the left and right, which are connected to the housing 2 and to which locking means 33, 34 are formed, on which when placing the shaving head frame 6 via correspondingly adapted locking means (not shown) there snaps and firmly in the receiving space 10 between the arms 6,7 sits.

Since the shaving foil 12 consists of two shear foil sections 14, 15 formed parallel to one another, of course two blade blocks 28 arranged next to one another (the second one behind them can not be seen) are fastened to the coupling member 27.

In Fig. 2, the blades 35, 36 formed at each end of the blade block 28 respectively form the respective piston wall according to the invention. Since the blades 30 were made of a metallic tube in FIG. 2, in which slots 37 were sawed into the tube for forming the blades, the piston wall 35, 36 results in an annular surface, which can not be seen in the drawing ,

In Fig. 3 at the end of the blade block 28 on both sides of a specially shaped piston wall 38 is formed, the flush and slidably against the inner surface 20 of the shear foil 12 and the closed, preferably formed as a circular disk to the largest possible effective area of a piston wall 38 to receive. As can be seen in Figs. 2 and 3, the still free space 24 is completely filled with a foam 39, so that no significant free spaces more arise.

The effect and operation of the device according to the invention is the following:

Before switching on the shaver 1, a pressurized foam bottle with its discharge nozzle (not shown) attached to the sealing surface 25 and 39 foam introduced via the channel 19 into the space 24, and that until the foam 39 from the holes 16 of Shear foil 12 emerges. Since the removable frame 13 is not 100% seal has at the transition to the shaving head frame 6, it may also be that on this gap, characterized by the circumferential line 40 also exits a little foam. To avoid this, one could spray the line 40 along a seal (not shown), which then forms a tight seal when placing the shear foil 12 connected to the removable frame 13 in the receiving space 10. Accordingly, then only foam could escape through the holes 16 of the foil 12 and indicate when the space 24 is filled with foam 39.

As soon as this state has occurred, the foam bottle (not shown) is closed again and can remove its connecting piece from the sealing surface 25 of the channel 19. Now the device can be turned on via the on / off switch 3, in which case the blade block 28, according to FIGS. 2 and 3, moves horizontally in the direction Y back and forth. Moves the blade block 28 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 to the right, the piston wall 38 moves the foam 39 to the right, which then distributed in the space 24, or partially from the holes 16 of the shear foil 12 and from the slots 40th exit. During the return stroke, ie according to FIGS. 2 and 3 to the left, the foam 39 separates from the piston wall 38 and remains substantially as a foam wall 43 in the amount of the maximum stroke. Now, on the left side of the same process, as described above, so that it is not repeated at this point.

In repeated reciprocating the blade block 28 results in a relatively stable displacement 41, 42 on both sides of the blade block 28, which, as the piston wall 38 has sucked air over the holes 16 is filled with air during the return stroke. The displacement 41 is thus formed from the one side of the piston wall 38, from above from the inner surface 20 of the shear foil 12 and the front side as from below by the foam walls 43, 44. Since the blade block 28 oscillates back and forth approximately at a frequency of 7000-9000 hertz, the displacement 41 is compressed so quickly that the air puffs outward over the holes 16 extending in the region of the displacement 41 and thus an air cushion 45, 46 at forms the outer surface of the shear foil 12, such that during shaving, the skin surface (not shown) of an operator is cooled. During shaving, as is well known, the hair entering the holes is caught by the blades, cut off and received in the space 24 by the foam 39.

The object of the invention can be realized almost without additional means, because only a channel 19 and foam is needed. The design of the piston wall 38 is not an expense, since it is present anyway and ausgebil- only as a closed surface it should be to make optimal air cushions 45, 46. The foam 39 should have a consistency similar to a shaving cream, with the air bubbles in the foam 39 being so small as to provide sufficient resistance of the air during the compression process.

Not only is the skin cooled by the air cushion 45, 46, but the coefficients of friction between the shear foil 12 and the skin surface can be reduced. The foam 39 which nevertheless exits the holes 16 of the sheeting 12 can smooth the surface of the skin and give it a pleasant odor, if the foam contains 39 fragrant substances. The foam 39 may further develop the benefits otherwise associated with wet shaving.

Claims

claims:

1. Electrically operated razor (1) having a perforated with many holes (16) shaving foil (12) on which a driven by an electric drive blade block (28) having a plurality of successively and transversely to the shearing movement (Y) extending blades (30) oscillating slid along to cut through the holes (16) in the space (24) of the blade block (28) entering hairs with the blades (30), wherein the space (24) of the blade block (28) on the one hand by the shaving foil (12) and on the other of side walls (21, 22) of a shaving head frame (6) receiving the shaving foil (12) and a bottom wall (23), the space (24) serving to receive a medium, characterized in that the medium is a foam (39) is that the space (24) with the foam (39) can be filled, that on the blade block (28) with the blade block (28) movable and transversely to the shearing movement (Y) extending piston wall (38) is formed, on the one hand on the Inner surface (20) of Scherf olie (12) and on the other hand in the operation of the razor (1) with the foam (39) forms an air-filled displacement (41).

2. A razor according to claim 1, characterized in that a respective piston wall (38) at both ends of the blade block (28) is formed.

3. A razor according to claim 2, characterized in that each piston wall (38) in each case by the last blades (35, 36) of the blade block (28) is formed.

4. A razor according to claim 3, characterized in that the piston wall (38) is formed as a disc.

5. A razor according to claim 1, characterized in that in a space (24) delimiting the side wall (47), a channel (19) is formed, via which the foam (39) in the space (24) can be introduced.

6. A razor according to claim 5, characterized in that at the entrance of the channel (19) has a sealing surface (25) is formed.

7. A razor according to claim 1, characterized in that the foam (39) is a commercial shaving foam.

8. A razor according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the shaving foam (39) is enriched with methanol.

9. A razor according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the foam (39) is enriched with mint.

10. A shaving implement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the foam contains care products for the skin.

11. A razor according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the foam contains anti-corrosion and / or lubricant for the shaving parts.

12. A method for cooling a skin surface during a shaving operation with an electrically powered shaver (1) having a shearing foil (12) provided with a plurality of holes (16) to which an electric drive driven blade block (28) having a plurality the blades (30) running in succession and transverse to the shearing movement (Y) slide in an oscillating manner with the blades (30) over the holes (16) into the space (24) of the blade block (28), the space (24 ) of the blade block (28) is formed, on the one hand, by the inner surface (20) of the shaving foil (12) and, on the other hand, by side walls (21, 22) of a shaving foil frame (6) receiving the shaving foil (12) and a bottom wall (23), characterized that before shaving the space (24) with a foam (39) is filled, that after switching on the shaver (1) on the blade block (28) formed piston wall (38) displaces the foam (39) so far t that with the foam (39) and the shear foil (12) forms an air-filled displacement (41) and that on the one hand during the advance of the piston wall (38) air from the displacement (41) through the holes (16) of the foil (12) conveyed to the outside and on the other hand in the return stroke air through the holes (16) is sucked into the displacement (41).