EP2926959B1

EP2926959B1 - Hair clipper, head unit of the same, and movable blade of the same

Info

Publication number: EP2926959B1
Application number: EP15152447.7A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Akitaka Ito; Kazuhiro Morisugi
Original assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co Ltd
Current assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co Ltd
Priority date: 2014-03-31
Filing date: 2015-01-26
Publication date: 2017-10-25
Anticipated expiration: 2035-01-26
Also published as: EP2926959A1; CN104942839B; JP6120097B2; JP2015192833A; CN104942839A

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present disclosure relates to hair clippers for a haircut, a head unit of the hair clippers, and a movable blade of the hair clippers.

2. Description of the Related Art

A movable blade as described in the preamble of claim 1 is already known from JP 2008 080111 A .
Usage patterns of hair clippers are classified into a usage pattern where the clipping height is adjusted by attaching an attachment to a main body, and a usage pattern where the hair is closely cropped without using an attachment. In the latter usage pattern, a stationary blade is directly brought into contact with a target region such as the skin. Therefore, there is a risk that a part of the target region enters a gap between the stationary blade and movable blade and the stationary blade and movable blade apply strong irritation to the part. Such irritation has a risk of providing an uncomfortable feeling to a person who gets a haircut (hereinafter referred to as "haircut object person"), so that it is preferable to minimize the irritation. The clipping height means the distance between the position of the hair to be cut by the hair clippers and the root of the hair. The length of the hair after the haircut depends on the clipping height.
Patent Literature 1 (Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. H11-57244 ) discloses one example of the head unit of hair clippers for addressing the above-mentioned problems. The head unit includes a stationary blade including a plurality of unit blades arranged in the lateral direction, and a movable blade including a plurality of unit blades arranged in the lateral
direction. Each of the unit blades of the movable blade includes a first region and second region having different bevel angles. The first region is formed in a part on the root side of the movable blade in the longitudinal direction, and has a bevel angle set within a predetermined range appropriate for cutting the hair. The second region is formed in a part on the tip side of the movable blade in the longitudinal direction, and has a bevel angle set wider than that of the first region.
In this heat unit, the bevel angle on the tip side of the movable blade that easily grasps the target region is set wide. Therefore, even when a part of the target region enters a gap between a unit blade of the stationary blade and a unit blade of the movable blade, the stationary blade and movable blade are inhibited from applying strong irritation to the part.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In the movable blade of Patent Literature 1, the length of the first region and that of the second region are sometimes varied due to a manufacturing error. For example, when the length of the second region is shorter than a desired range, the length of the first region is increased depending on the difference between the desired length and the actual length of the second region. The shape of each unit blade of such a movable blade is described as follows in consideration of respective functions of the first region and second region.
The second region for inhibiting strong irritation from being applied to the target region disappears at the position closer to the tip side of the unit blade than a predesigned position, in the view from the tip side of the unit blade of the movable blade. Instead of that, the first region appropriate for cutting the hair extends from the position closer to the tip of the unit blade than a predesigned position.
Therefore, the length of the second region is shorter than the desired range, and, even when the amount of the target region entering a gap between a unit blade of the stationary blade and a unit blade of the movable blade is so small that strong irritation is not applied to it from each unit blade when each of the length of the first region and that of the second region is within a desired range, strong irritation is sometimes applied to it from each unit blade due to the short length of the second region.
The object of the present disclosure is to provide hair clippers that are inhibited from applying strong irritation to a target region, a head unit thereof, and a movable blade thereof.
The above and other object of the invention are achieved by the movable blade according to claim 1, the head unit according to claim 6 and the hair clippers according to claim 8. Preferred embodiments are claimed in the dependent claims. The hair clippers of the present disclosure include a movable blade having a plurality of unit blades. The movable blade has a distal region, an intermediate region, and a root region that have mutually different bevel angles and that are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the unit blade. The distal region is formed on the tip side of the unit blade, and has a bevel angle which is less liable to cause irritation to the target region compared with the intermediate region and root region. The root region is formed on the root side of the unit blade, and has a bevel angle having a lower cut resistance to the hair compared with the distal region and the intermediate region. The intermediate region is formed between the distal region and root region of the unit blade, and has a bevel angle set so that the bevel angle smoothly varies from the distal region to the root region.
The hair clippers of the present disclosure, the head unit thereof, and the movable blade thereof allow a haircut that is inhibited from applying irritation to a target region.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of hair clippers in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 2 is a side view of a head unit in accordance with the present exemplary embodiment;
FIG. 3 is a front view of the head unit in accordance with the present exemplary embodiment;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a stationary blade and movable blade in accordance with the present exemplary embodiment;
FIG. 5 is a front view of the stationary blade and movable blade in accordance with the present exemplary embodiment;
FIG. 6 is a side view of each unit blade of the stationary blade and each unit blade of the movable blade in accordance with the present exemplary embodiment;
FIG. 7 is a front view of each unit blade of the movable blade in accordance with the present exemplary embodiment;
FIG. 8A is a sectional view taken along line Z8A-Z8A of Fig. 7;
FIG. 8B is a sectional view taken along line Z8B-Z8B of Fig. 7;
FIG. 8C is a sectional view taken along line Z8C-Z8C of Fig. 7;
FIG. 8D is a sectional view taken along line Z8D-Z8D of Fig. 7;
FIG. 8E is a sectional view taken along line Z8E-Z8E of Fig. 7;
FIG. 8F is a sectional view taken along line Z8F-Z8F of Fig. 7;
FIG. 8G is a sectional view taken along line Z8G-Z8G of Fig. 7;
FIG. 8H is a sectional view taken along line Z8H-Z8H of Fig. 7;
FIG. 8I is a sectional view taken along line Z8I-Z8I of Fig. 7; and
FIG. 8J is a sectional view taken along line Z8J-Z8J of Fig. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERED EMBODIMENT(S)

(One example of the embodiment capable of being taken by hair clippers and the blades of the hair clippers in the present disclosure)

[1] The movable blade of the hair clippers in a first aspect of the present disclosure includes a plurality of unit blades. The movable blade has a distal region, an intermediate region, and a root region that have mutually different bevel angles and that are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the unit blade. The distal region is formed on the tip side of the unit blade, and has a bevel angle which is less liable to cause irritation to a target region compared with the intermediate region and root region. The root region is formed on the root side of the unit blade, and has a bevel angle having a lower cut resistance to the hair compared with the distal region and the intermediate region. The intermediate region is formed between the distal region and root region of the unit blade, and has a bevel angle set so that the bevel angle smoothly varies from the distal region to the root region.
In the present aspect, when the length of the distal region is shorter than a desired range, the intermediate region having a bevel angle that varies more smoothly in the distal region than in the root region extends from the position closer to the tip of the unit blade than a predesigned position. While, a part of the intermediate region on a distal region side is formed so that the bevel angle smoothly varies from the distal region. Therefore, the extent to which the part inhibits strong irritation from being applied to the target region is substantially or approximately the same as that of the distal region. As a result, even when the length of the distal region is shorter than the desired range, a unit blade of the stationary blade and a unit blade of the movable blade are more inhibited from applying strong irritation to a target region having entered a gap between them than in the structure where the intermediate region does not exist and the distal region and root region are formed continuously.
[2] In the movable blade of the hair clippers in a second aspect of the present disclosure, the whole bevel angle of the distal region is wider than the bevel angle of the intermediate region and the bevel angle of the root region.
In this aspect, it is harder to apply irritation to a target region than in the structure where a part of the bevel angle of the distal region is narrower than the bevel angle of the intermediate region and the bevel angle of the root region.
[3] In the movable blade of the hair clippers in a third aspect of the present disclosure, the blade width of the intermediate region gradually becomes narrower from the distal region side toward a middle part of the intermediate region, and gradually becomes wider from the middle part toward a root region side.
In the present aspect, when a unit blade of the movable blade comes into contact with a hair, the hair sometimes moves along the edge of the unit blade. Because each unit blade of the movable blade reciprocates with respect to the stationary blade in the direction (hereinafter referred to as "lateral direction") orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the unit blade, the hair is apt to move in the direction in which the blade width of the unit blade becomes narrow. Therefore, hairs are apt to gather to the middle part of the intermediate region. Each hair is thin, so that it is not easy to cut a single hair. However, it is recognized that hairs are more easily cut when the hairs are cut simultaneously than when the hairs are cut one by one. This fact indicates that the hairs having gathered to the middle part of the intermediate region are easily cut. In the present aspect, the hairs are easily cut.
[4] In the movable blade of the hair clippers in a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, the rake face formed in the intermediate region is curved.
The bevel angle of each unit blade varies depending on the shape of the rake face formed in the unit blade. For example, when the shape of the rake face is a tilted surface, the bevel angle is difficult to be varied. In other words, when the shape of the rake face formed in the intermediate region is a tilted surface, the structure where the bevel angle of the intermediate region is varied smoothly from the distal region toward the root region is difficult to be manufactured.
In the present aspect, the shape of the rake face formed in the intermediate region is a curved surface, so that the bevel angle of the intermediate region is easily varied. Therefore, the structure where the bevel angle of the intermediate region is varied smoothly from the distal region toward the root region is more easily manufactured than the structure where the rake face formed in the intermediate region is a tilted surface.
[5] In the movable blade of the hair clippers in a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, the length of the root region in the longitudinal direction of each unit blade is longer than or equal to a half of the whole length of the unit blade.
The inventor of the present disclosure has recognized that, when the length of the root region in the longitudinal direction of each unit blade is longer than or equal to a half of the whole length of the unit blade, the capability of cutting the hair is effectively improved. The present aspect improves the capability of cutting the hair.
[6] The head unit of the hair clippers in a sixth aspect of the present disclosure includes a stationary blade having a plurality of unit blades, and the movable blade of the hair clippers of any one of [1] to [5] that reciprocates with respect to the stationary blade.
The present aspect has an advantage similar to the advantage obtained from the movable blade of the hair clippers.
[7] In the head unit of the hair clippers in a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, the movable blade has a surface facing the stationary blade. The surface gradually separates from the stationary blade toward the tip in the distal region.
In the present aspect, the distal region does not come into contact with a unit blade of the stationary blade. In other words, even when a part of a target region enters a gap between a unit blade of the stationary blade and a unit blade of the movable blade, the part is inhibited from being caught. Therefore, the stationary blade and movable blade are inhibited from applying strong irritation to the part. When a part of the target region comes into contact with the distal region, the distal region serves so as to push back the target region. As a result, the part of the target region is inhibited from further entering the gap between the unit blade of the stationary blade and the unit blade of the movable blade. In the present aspect, it is harder to apply irritation to the target region.
[8] The hair clippers in an eighth aspect of the present disclosure include the head unit of the hair clippers of any one of [6] and [7].

The present aspect has an advantage similar to the advantage obtained from the head unit of the hair clippers.

EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT

The structure of hair clippers 1 is described with reference to FIG. 1.
Hair clippers 1 include main body 10 to be held by a user of hair clippers 1 and head unit 20 mounted to main body 10. Main body 10 includes, inside it, a drive unit (not shown) for driving hair clippers 1 and a power supply (not shown) for supplying electric power to the drive unit.
The structure of head unit 20 is described with reference to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3.
Head unit 20 includes stationary blade 30 fixed to the tip of head unit 20, movable blade 40 that reciprocates with respect to stationary blade 30, fixing frame 21 for supporting stationary blade 30, and holding frame 22 for supporting movable blade 40. Head unit 20 further includes spring 25 for bringing movable blade 40 into contact with stationary blade 30.
As shown in FIG. 2, fixing frame 21 supports stationary blade 30 from the side opposite to the side of stationary blade 30 on which movable blade 40 is disposed, and holds stationary blade 30 so that the position of stationary blade 30 does not displace with respect to fixing frame 21. Holding frame 22 holds movable blade 40 from the side opposite to the side of movable blade 40 on which stationary blade 30 is disposed, and holds movable blade 40 so that the position of movable blade 40 does not displace with respect to holding frame 22.
As shown in FIG. 3, holding frame 22 includes plate 23 to be pressed to movable blade 40, and attachment section 24 attached on plate 23. When head unit 20 is mounted to main body 10 (FIG. 1), attachment section 24 is connected to a part of the drive unit and receives only the power component in the lateral direction of head unit 20. As a result, holding frame 22 reciprocates along the lateral direction of head unit 20.
Spring 25 is attached to fixing frame 21. Spring 25 has a function of pressing movable blade 40 and plate 23 to a side of stationary blade 30. Spring 25 has a structure in which two torsion springs are connected to each other.
Stationary blade 30 includes a plurality of unit blades 31. The plurality of unit blades 31 are arranged at equal intervals along the lateral direction of head unit 20, and slit 32 is formed between unit blade 31 and its adjacent unit blade 31. Stationary blade 30 is fixed to fixing frame 21.
Movable blade 40 includes plate-like base 43, and a plurality of unit blades 41 formed so as to extend from base 43. The plurality of unit blades 41 are arranged at equal intervals in the same direction as that of unit blades 31 of stationary blade 30, and slit 42 is formed between unit blade 41 and its adjacent unit blade 41. Base 43 is pressed to the side of stationary blade 30 by spring 25. With the reciprocation of holding frame 22, movable blade 40 reciprocates along the lateral direction of head unit 20 so as to slide on unit blades 31 of stationary blade 30.
The structure of unit blades 31 of stationary blade 30 is described with reference to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5.
Each unit blade 31 of stationary blade 30 is line-symmetric with respect to the center line of the lateral direction of unit blade 31. Unit blade 31 includes side surface 33 for supporting hairs coming into slit 32, tip surface 34 that is a surface of the tip in the longitudinal direction of unit blade 31, and sliding surface 35 that faces movable blade 40 and slides on unit blade 41 of movable blade 40. Tip surface 34 is rounded. As shown in FIG. 5, the blade width of unit blade 31, which is the width of sliding surface 35 in the lateral direction of unit blade 31, gradually becomes narrower toward the tip surface 34 side.
The structure of unit blades 41 of movable blade 40 is described with reference to FIG. 4 to FIG. 6.
Each unit blade 41 of movable blade 40 is line-symmetric with respect to the center line of the lateral direction of unit blade 41. Unit blade 41 includes rake face 44 for supporting the cut hairs, sliding surface 46 that faces stationary blade 30 and slides on sliding surface 35 of stationary blade 30, top surface 47 on the opposite side to sliding surface 46, and tip surface 48 that is a surface of the tip in the longitudinal direction of unit blade 41. Rake face 44 forms reinforcing surface 45 for reinforcing unit blade 41 in a part on the root side of unit blade 41.
As shown in FIG. 5, the extreme tip of tip surface 34 of stationary blade 30 is separated from that of tip surface 48 of movable blade 40 by distance LA in the longitudinal direction of unit blade 41. Preferably, distance LA is within a range of 0 to 0.7 mm. More preferably, distance LA is within a range of 0 to 0.3 mm. One example of distance LA is 0.2 mm.
The width of slit 42 of movable blade 40 is different from that of slit 32 of stationary blade 30. In other words, the pitch between unit blades 41 of movable blade 40 is different from the pitch between unit blades 31 of stationary blade 30. As shown in FIG. 6, sliding surface 46 of movable blade 40 gradually separates from sliding surface 35 of stationary blade 30 toward the tip.
The structure of rake face 44 is described with reference to FIG. 4 and FIG. 6.
Rake face 44 is partitioned into four surfaces: a first surface, a second surface, a third surface, and a fourth surface, for example. The first surface is a surface on the tip side of unit blades 41 in the longitudinal direction, and a tilted surface that is tilted from the top surface 47 side toward the sliding surface 46 side. The second surface is a surface adjacent to the first surface, and a tilted surface that is tilted from the top surface 47 side toward the sliding surface 46 side. The boundary between the first surface and the second surface forms border line 49A.
The third surface is a surface adjacent to the first surface and second surface, and is a curved surface that is curved from the top surface 47 side toward the sliding surface 46 side. The boundary between the third surface and the first and second surfaces forms border line 49B. The fourth surface is a surface on the root side in the longitudinal direction of unit blade 41, is a surface adjacent to the third surface, and is a tilted surface that is tilted from the top surface 47 side toward the sliding surface 46 side. The boundary between the third surface and the fourth surface forms border line 49C.
Next, the structure of unit blade 41 is described.
Unit blade 41 of movable blade 40 has an edge on a verge on which rake face 44 comes into contact with sliding surface 46. When sliding surface 46 of movable blade 40 slides on sliding surface 35 of stationary blade 30, this edge cuts hairs.
In unit blade 41, distal region 50, intermediate region 60, and root region 70 having mutually different bevel angles are arranged in the longitudinal direction of unit blade 41. Distal region 50 is formed on the tip side of unit blade 41. Root region 70 is formed on the root side of unit blade 41. Intermediate region 60 is formed between distal region 50 and root region 70 of unit blade 41.
Distal region 50 has a bevel angle which is less liable to cause irritation to a target region such as the skin compared with intermediate region 60 and root region 70. The bevel angle of distal region 50 is the angle between distal rake face 51 and distal sliding surface 52. Here, the distal rake face 51 is a part of rake face 44 of unit blade 41 that corresponds to distal region 50, and distal sliding surface 52 is a part of sliding surface 46 of unit blade 41 that corresponds to distal region 50. The bevel angle of distal region 50 means a part on the tip side with respect to border line 49A formed on rake face 44 of unit blade 41, for example. Distal rake face 51 forms the whole of the first surface and a part of the third surface.
Root region 70 has a bevel angle having a lower cut resistance to the hair compared with distal region 50 and intermediate region 60. The bevel angle of root region 70 is the angle between root rake face 71 and root sliding surface 72. Here, root rake face 71 is a part of rake face 44 of unit blade 41 that corresponds to root region 70, and root sliding surface 72 is a part of sliding surface 46 of unit blade 41 that corresponds to root region 70. The length of root region 70 in the longitudinal direction of unit blade 41 is longer than or equal to a half of the whole length of unit blade 41. The bevel angle of root region 70 means a part on the root side with respect to border line 49C formed on rake face 44 of unit blade 41, for example. Root rake face 71 forms a part of the third surface and the whole of the fourth surface.
Intermediate region 60 has a bevel angle set so that the bevel angle smoothly varies from distal region 50 toward root region 70. The bevel angle of intermediate region 60 is the angle between intermediate rake face 61 and intermediate sliding surface 62. Here, intermediate rake face 61 is a part of rake face 44 of unit blade 41 that corresponds to intermediate region 60, and intermediate sliding surface 62 is a part of sliding surface 46 of unit blade 41 that corresponds to intermediate region 60. The bevel angle of intermediate region 60 means a part between the bevel angle of distal region 50 and the bevel angle of root region 70, and decreases from the side near distal region 50 to the side near root region 70. Intermediate rake face 61 forms the whole of the second surface and a part of the third surface.
The whole bevel angle of distal region 50 is wider than the bevel angle of intermediate region 60 and the bevel angle of root region 70. The whole bevel angle of root region 70 is narrower than the bevel angle of intermediate region 60. The bevel angle of the tip side of distal region 50 is wider than the bevel angle of the root side of distal region 50.
As shown in FIG. 6, distal sliding surface 52 is tilted so as to separate from sliding surface 35 of stationary blade 30 gradually in the direction from the side near intermediate region 60 to the tip side. Clearance S is formed between distal sliding surface 52 and sliding surface 35.
The blade width of unit blade 41 of movable blade 40 is described with reference to FIG. 7.
The blade width of unit blade 41, which is the width of the edge of unit blade 41 in the lateral direction, varies among distal region 50, intermediate region 60, and root region 70. The blade width of distal region 50 gradually becomes wider from the tip side toward the side near intermediate region 60. The blade width of intermediate region 60 gradually becomes narrower from the side near distal region 50 toward a middle part of intermediate region 60, and gradually becomes wider from the middle part toward the root region 70 side. The blade width of root region 70 gradually becomes wider from the side near intermediate region 60 toward the root side.
The bevel angle of unit blade 41 is described with reference to FIG. 8A to FIG. 8J.
FIG. 8A is a sectional view of distal region 50. The bevel angle of distal region 50 on this cross section is 72°, for example.
FIG. 8B is a sectional view of distal region 50 on the side near intermediate region with respect to the cross section of FIG. 8A. The bevel angle of distal region 50 on this cross section is equal to that of distal region 50 shown in FIG. 8A, for example.
FIG. 8C is a sectional view of distal region 50 on the side of intermediate region 60 with respect to the cross section of FIG. 8B. The bevel angle of distal region 50 on this cross section is narrower than that of distal region 50 shown in FIG. 8B, for example.
FIG. 8D is a sectional view of the boundary between distal region 50 and intermediate region 60. The bevel angle of the boundary is narrower than that of distal region 50 shown in FIG. 8C, for example.
FIG. 8E is a sectional view of intermediate region 60. The bevel angle of intermediate region 60 on this cross section is narrower than that of the boundary shown in FIG. 8D, for example.
FIG. 8F is a sectional view of intermediate region 60 on the root region 70 side with respect to the cross section of FIG. 8E. The bevel angle of intermediate region 60 on this cross section is narrower than that of intermediate region 60 shown in FIG. 8E, for example.
FIG. 8G is a sectional view of intermediate region 60 on the root region 70 side with respect to the cross section of FIG. 8F. The bevel angle of intermediate region 60 on this cross section is narrower than that of intermediate region 60 shown in FIG. 8F, for example.
FIG. 8H is a sectional view of root region 70. The bevel angle of root region 70 on this cross section is narrower than that of intermediate region 60 shown in FIG. 8G, for example. The bevel angle of root region 70 on this cross section is 45°, for example.
FIG. 8I is a sectional view of root region 70 on the root side with respect to the cross section of FIG. 8H. The bevel angle of root region 70 on this cross section is equal to that of root region 70 shown in FIG. 8H, for example.
FIG. 8J is a sectional view of root region 70 on the root side with respect to the cross section of FIG. 8I. The bevel angle of root region 70 on this cross section is equal to that of root region 70 shown in FIG. 8I, for example.
The function of hair clippers 1 is described with reference to FIG. 4.
As an example of the usage pattern of hair clippers 1 (FIG. 1), a usage pattern is described in which a haircut is performed without attaching an attachment (not shown) to main body 10 (FIG. 1). The user brings stationary blade 30 of hair clippers 1 into contact with a target region of a haircut object person, and cuts the hair of the haircut object person.
In this usage pattern, stationary blade 30 of hair clippers 1 is directly brought into contact with the target region. There is the following risk: a part of the target region enters a gap between unit blade 31 of stationary blade 30 and unit blade 41 of movable blade 40, and stationary blade 30 and movable blade 40 apply strong irritation to the part. While, in movable blade 40 of hair clippers 1, distal region 50 apt to grasp the target region has a bevel angle which is less liable to cause irritation to the target region. As a result, even when a part of the target region enters a gap between unit blade 31 of stationary blade 30 and unit blade 41 of movable blade 40, stationary blade 30 and movable blade 40 are inhibited from applying irritation to the part.
Furthermore, with movable blade 40 of hair clippers 1, even when the length of distal region 50 varies due to a manufacturing error, unit blade 31 of stationary blade 30 and unit blade 41 of movable blade 40 are inhibited from applying irritation to the target region. In movable blade 40 of hair clippers 1, when the length of distal region 50 is shorter than a desired range, intermediate region 60 whose bevel angle varies more smoothly with respect to distal region 50 than with respect to root region 70 extends from the position closer to the tip of unit blade 41 than a predesigned position. While, a part of intermediate region 60 on the side near distal region 50 is formed so that the bevel angle smoothly varies from distal region 50. Therefore, the extent to which the part inhibits strong irritation from being applied to the target region is substantially or approximately the same as that of distal region 50. As a result, even when the length of distal region 50 is shorter than the desired range, unit blade 31 of stationary blade 30 and unit blade 41 of movable blade 40 are more inhibited from applying strong irritation to a target region having entered a gap between them compared with the structure where intermediate region 60 does not exist and distal region 50 and root region 70 are formed continuously.
In movable blade 40 of hair clippers 1, when the length of distal region 50 is longer than a desired range, the excess length causes not reduction of root region 70, but change of intermediate region 60. In other words, intermediate region 60 is relatively reduced. Therefore, even when the length of distal region 50 is longer than the desired range, it is harder to reduce the capability of cutting the hair compared with the structure where intermediate region 60 does not exist and distal region 50 and root region 70 are formed continuously.
Hair clippers 1 of the present exemplary embodiment bring the following advantages.

(1) In movable blade 40 of hair clippers 1, the whole bevel angle of distal region 50 is wider than the bevel angle of intermediate region 60 and the bevel angle of root region 70. As a result, it is harder to apply irritation to a target region compared with the structure where a part of the bevel angle of distal region 50 is narrower than the bevel angle of intermediate region 60 and the bevel angle of root region 70.
(2) In movable blade 40 of hair clippers 1, when unit blade 41 of movable blade 40 comes into contact with a hair, the hair sometimes moves along the edge of unit blade 41. Because unit blade 41 of movable blade 40 reciprocates with respect to stationary blade 30 in the lateral direction of unit blade 41, the hair is apt to move in the direction in which the blade width of unit blade 41 becomes narrow. The blade width of intermediate region 60 gradually becomes narrower from the side near distal region 50 toward a middle part of intermediate region 60, and gradually becomes wider from the middle part toward the root region 70 side. Therefore, hairs are apt to gather to the middle part of intermediate region 60.
Each hair is thin, so that it is not easy to cut a single hair. However, it is recognized that hairs are more easily cut when the hairs are simultaneously cut than when the hairs are cut one by one. This fact indicates that the hairs having gathered to the middle part of intermediate region 60 are easily cut. In the present exemplary embodiment, the hairs are easily cut.
(3) The bevel angle of unit blade 41 of movable blade 40 varies depending on the shape of rake face 44 formed in the unit blade. For example, when the shape of rake face 44 is a tilted surface, the bevel angle is difficult to be varied. In other words, when the shape of intermediate rake face 61 formed in intermediate region 60 is a tilted surface, the structure where the bevel angle of intermediate region 60 is varied smoothly from distal region 50 toward root region 70 is difficult to be manufactured.
In movable blade 40 of hair clippers 1, the shape of the third surface constituting a part of intermediate rake face 61 formed in intermediate region 60 is a curved surface, so that the bevel angle of intermediate region 60 is easily varied. In this case, therefore, the structure where the bevel angle of intermediate region 60 is varied smoothly from distal region 50 toward root region 70 is more easily manufactured than the structure where intermediate rake face 61 formed in intermediate region 60 is a tilted surface.
(4) In movable blade 40 of hair clippers 1, the length of root region 70 in the longitudinal direction of unit blade 41 is longer than or equal to a half of the whole length of unit blade 41. The inventor of the present disclosure has recognized that, when the length of root region 70 in the longitudinal direction of unit blade 41 of movable blade 40 is longer than or equal to a half of the whole length of unit blade 41, the capability of cutting the hair is effectively improved. The present exemplary embodiment improves the capability of cutting the hair.
(5) In head unit 20 of hair clippers 1, clearance S is formed between distal sliding surface 52 and sliding surface 35. Therefore, distal region 50 does not come into contact with unit blade 31 of stationary blade 30. In other words, even when a part of the target region enters a gap between unit blade 31 of stationary blade 30 and unit blade 41 of movable blade 40, the part is inhibited from being caught. Therefore, stationary blade 30 and movable blade 40 are inhibited from applying strong irritation to the part. When a part of the target region comes into contact with distal region 50, distal region 50 serves so as to push back the target region. As a result, the part of the target region is inhibited from further entering the gap between unit blade 31 of stationary blade 30 and unit blade 41 of movable blade 40. In head unit 20 of hair clippers 1, it is harder to apply irritation to the target region.
(6) In movable blade 40 of hair clippers 1, the pitch between unit blades 41 of movable blade 40 is different from the pitch between unit blades 31 of stationary blade 30. For example, when the pitch between unit blades 41 is equal to the pitch between unit blades 31, the timings of cutting the hair with unit blades 41 coincide with each other. Therefore, many hairs must be cut simultaneously. In this case, the power of an electric motor as an example of the power supply must be increased. Thus, such problem is prevented by the structure where the pitch between unit blades 41 of movable blade 40 is different from the pitch between unit blades 31 of stationary blade 30.

(Modified example)

A specific aspect of the movable blade of the hair clippers of the present disclosure is not limited to the aspects shown in the present exemplary embodiment. The movable blade of the hair clippers of the present disclosure can take various aspects different from the present exemplary embodiment within the scope of the purpose of the present disclosure. The following modified example of the present exemplary embodiment is one example of various aspects taken by the movable blade of the hair clippers of the present disclosure.

It is optionally selected whether or not clearance S is formed between distal sliding surface 52 of unit blade 41 of movable blade 40 and sliding surface 35 of unit blade 31 of stationary blade 30.
In unit blade 41 of movable blade 40 of the modified example, a part of distal region 50 on the side near intermediate region 60 comes into contact with unit blade 31 of stationary blade 30. For example, distal sliding surface 52 of distal region 50 is tilted so as to separate from sliding surface 35 of stationary blade 30 in the direction from a middle part of distal region 50 to the tip side thereof.

In unit blade 41 of movable blade 40 of the modified example, distal region 50 and a part of intermediate region 60 on the side near distal region 50 do not come into contact with unit blade 31 of stationary blade 30. For example, distal sliding surface 52 of distal region 50 and intermediate sliding surface 62 of intermediate region 60 are tilted so as to separate from sliding surface 35 of stationary blade 30 in the direction from the side near distal region 50 of intermediate region 60 to the tip side of distal region 50.
It is optionally selected whether or not the length of root region 70 in the longitudinal direction of unit blade 41 is longer than or equal to a half of the whole length of unit blade 41. For example, distal region 50, intermediate region 60, and root region 70 of unit blade 41 have the same length.
It is optionally selected whether or not intermediate rake face 61 of intermediate region 60 is a curved surface. For example, intermediate rake face 61 formed in intermediate region 60 is a tilted surface.
In unit blade 41 of movable blade 40 of the modified example, the blade width of intermediate region 60 gradually becomes narrower from the side of distal region 50 toward the side near root region 70. In this case, hairs are apt to gather to the boundary between intermediate region 60 and root region 70.
A part of the bevel angle of distal region 50 of the modified example is narrower than a part of the bevel angle of intermediate region 60 and/or a part of the bevel angle of root region 70.
A part of the bevel angle of root region 70 of the modified example is wider than a part of the bevel angle of intermediate region 60.
The whole of the bevel angle of distal region 50 of the modified example has the same angle or different angles.
A part of the bevel angle of intermediate region 60 of the modified example has the same angle.
A part or the whole of the bevel angle of root region 70 of the modified example has different angles.
In unit blade 41 of movable blade 40 of the modified example, the boundary between distal rake face 51 of distal region 50 and top surface 47 and tip surface 48 of unit blade 41 is R-chamfered. As a result, even when the boundary comes into contact with a part of the target region, it is hard to apply irritation to the part of the target region.

Claims

A movable blade (40) of hair clippers (1), the movable blade (40) comprising a plurality of unit blades (41), wherein
the movable blade (40) has a distal region (50), an intermediate region (60), and a root region (70) that have mutually different bevel angles and that are arranged in a longitudinal direction of the unit blade (41),
the distal region (50) is formed on a tip side of each of the unit blades (41),
the root region (70) is formed on a root side of each of the unit blades (41), and
the intermediate region (60) is formed between the distal region (50) and the root region (70) of each of the unit blades (41),
characterized in that
the distal region (50) has a bevel angle which is less liable to cause irritation to a target region compared with the intermediate region (60) and the root region (70),
the root region (70) has a bevel angle having a lower cut resistance to a hair compared with the distal region (50) and the intermediate region (60), and
the intermediate region (60) has a bevel angle set so that the bevel angle smoothly varies from the distal region (50) to the root region (70).
The movable blade (40) of the hair clippers (1) according to claim 1, wherein
a whole of the bevel angle of the distal region (50) is wider than the bevel angle of the intermediate region (60) and the bevel angle of the root region (70).
The movable blade (40) of the hair clippers (1) according to claim 1, wherein
a blade width of the intermediate region (60) gradually becomes narrower from a distal region side to a middle part of the intermediate region (60), and gradually becomes wider from the middle part to a root region side.
The movable blade (40) of the hair clippers (1) according to claim 1, wherein
a rake face (44) formed in the intermediate region (60) is curved.
The movable blade (40) of the hair clippers (1) according to claim 1, wherein
a length of the root region (70) in the longitudinal direction of each of the unit blades (41) is longer than or equal to a half of a whole length of each of the unit blades (41).
A head unit (20) of hair clippers (1) comprising:
a stationary blade (30) including a plurality of unit blades (31); and

the movable blade (40) of the hair clippers (1) according to claim 1, the movable blade (40) configured to reciprocate with respect to the stationary blade (30).
The head unit (20) of the hair clippers (1) according to claim 6, wherein
the movable blade (40) has a surface (46) facing the stationary blade (30), the surface (46) gradually separating from the stationary blade (30) toward a tip in the distal region (50).
Hair clippers (1) comprising the head unit (20) according to claim 6.