GB1566767A

GB1566767A - Safety razors

Info

Publication number: GB1566767A
Application number: GB5231877A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Gillette Co LLC
Current assignee: Gillette Co LLC
Priority date: 1976-12-15
Filing date: 1977-12-15
Publication date: 1980-05-08
Also published as: ES239604Y; JPS5528717B2; AU3145277A; FR2374145A1; NL166874B; AU507532B2; NL166874C; IT1090902B; ES236848U; BR7708314A; FR2374145B1; DE2755973A1; ES236848Y; DE7738304U1; DE2755973C2; AR215663A1; JPS53102151A; ES239604U; NL7713830A

Description

(54) SAFETY RAZORS (71) We, THE GILLEITE COMPANY, a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of Delaware, United States of America, of Prudential Tower Building, Boston, Massachusetts 02199, United States Of o America, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following state ment:- This invention relates to safety razor handles, and to safety razors incorporating such handles.

More particularly, the invention provides a safety razor handle for use with a shaving unit of the character described and illus trated in our co-pending patent application number 19358/76 (Serial No. 1,523,376), which includes a blade platform having one or more blades secured to the upper side thereof, the underside of the platform having spaced pivotal mountings and a cam portion intermediate the pivotal mountings.

The invention accordingly provides a razor handle comprising an elongate grip portion and a head at one end of the grip portion, the grip portion and head portion being formed as an integral plastics moulding, the head including a pair of spaced arms formed with pivotal mounting means defining a pivot axis extending transversely to the grip portion, and elongate spring means extending parallel with the pivot axis and having a support leg at each end thereof integral with the spring means and with the head portion.

A razor handle in accordance with the invention can be produced sufficiently cheaply to be disposable as a whole with a shaving unit mounted thereon where the -cutting edge or edges of the unit become dulled. Alternatively, the handle may be designed to facilitate the exchange of used shaving units for fresh ones.

Two presently preferred forms of handle and a modification in accordance with the invention, will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side elevational view of one form of razor assembly, Figure 2 is a top plan view of the shaving unit portion of the razor assembly; Figure 3 is a bottom view thereof; Figure 4 is an elevational view of the head portion of the razor handle.

Figure 5 is a perspective view similar to Figure 4 but showing the handle with the shaving unit mounted thereon; Figure 6 is a perspective view of a second form of razor, Figure 7 is a perspective view of a head portion of the razor shown in Figure 1, and showing in phantom a shaving unit; Figure 8 is a perspective view of the head portion of the razor shown in Figures 1 and 2 but with the arms of the razor being shown in an "open" position; Figure 9 is an exploded perspective view of the head portion of the razor shown in Figures 6 to 8: and Figure 10 is a scrap perspective view showing a modification.

The razors illustrated in the drawings employ a shaving unit 2 of the type fully disclosed and described in British Patent Application No. 19358/76 (Serial No.

1,523,376) referred to above. The shaving unit includes a platform member 4 having a guard 6 and on the upper surface of which is secured a pair of blades 26 separated by a spacer 24 and a cap member 10. The cap and platform members are permanently affixed together with the blades disposed therebetween. The shaving unit is provided on its underside with projections 12 defining journal bearings 14 (Fig. 5) and a projection 16 constituting a cam portion 18 having cam surfaces 20, 22. The journal bearings 14 constitute a pivotal mounting by which the shaving unit is pivotally mounted in use on the handle.

Referring to Figures 1 and 4 it will be seen that the handle 40 includes an elongate grip portion 42 and a head portion 44. The head portion 44 is provided with a pair of spaced arms 46 provided with journals or trunnions 48 which constitute a pivotal mounting means complemental to the journal bearings 14 of the shaving unit. The head portion 44 further includes spaced first and second supports 50, 52 interconnected by a resilient bridge 54 which constitutes a beam spring anchored at its end to the head portion by integral legs and parallel with the pivot axis of the razors The midportion of the bridge means 54 is provided with a cam follower 56 and spaced projections 58 on either side of the cam follower 56 and extending towards the pivot axis.

The handle is formed as a unitary moulding of synthetic plastics, and arms 46 are moulded integrally with the handle 40 and are sufficiently narrow at their juncture with the head portion 44 to permit a slight flexing outwardly in manufacture in order to receive the shaving unit therebetween. The plastics material of the razor handle, and therefore the arms 46, is on the other hand, sufficiently rigid that the arms 46 are not likely to be opened by an operator or by an accidental fall so as to release the shaving unit held therebetween.

Referring to Figure 5, it will be seen that in use, the shaving unit 2 is free to pivot upon the trunnions 48. The cam 18 is engaged by the cam follower 56 and bounded by the projections 58, which thereby assist proper location of the shaving unit on the handle.

During a shaving operation, pivoting movement of the shaving unit causes commensurate movement of the cam 18, causing either cam surface 20 or 22 to bear against the cam follower 56, forcing the spring beam 54 to flex (Fig. 5). The resilient nature of the beam 54, however, exercises a bias against the cam surfaces 20, 22 to return the cam, and thereby the shaving unit, to a central neutral position in which the cam follower 56 is disposed at the juncture of the cam surfaces 20, 22. The shaving unit is preferably, and as shown, provided with stops 60 for positively limiting the range of pivotal movement permitted to the shaving unit.

The handle 41 of the razor shown in Figures 6 to 9 is generally similar to the handle 40 described above, except that it is designed to permit opening and closing movement of the arms 46 away from and towards each other so as to facilitate the exchange of used shaving units for fresh ones. In the two sets of Figures, the same reference numerals are used to identify parts corresponding with each other.

The razor handle is in this embodiment provided with a moulded cam member 30 having an integral pusher portion 32. The cam member is shown in its normal inoperative position in Figures 6 and 7, in which the arms 46 are in a "closed" position. In order to uncouple a shaving unit 2, the user presses on the pusher portion 32 to slide the cam member upwardly and for wardly to its operative position, so that cam surfaces 34 of the cam member engage co-operating portions of the arms 46 to spring the arms apart sufficiently to disengage the trunnions 48 from the journal bearings 14 of the unit 2. The trunnions can then be aligned with the bearings 14 of a fresh unit and the pusher portion 32 released, whereupon the resilience of the arms 46 causes them to move towards each other to engage the trunnions with the fresh unit, and concomitantly to return the cam member to its initial position.

According to the modification shown in Figure 10, the spring beam is split at 36, at the centre of its length and is thus effectively constituted by two spring fingers 22 having their free ends disposed adjacent each other at the central medial region of the beam.

It will be seen that we have provided two forms of razor handle which lend themselves readily to low-cost production, so that the handle can be regarded as disposable. In relation to the first embodiment the razor as a whole is intended to be discarded when the cutting edges of the unit are dulled, while the second form of handle can be re-used with fresh units if desired.

In both cases, the razor assembly permits of rocking of a shaving unit about its pivotal axis, which is parallel with the blade edge or edges against the restoring action of the beam spring which tends to maintain the unit in a neutral medial position of angular adjustment on the handle. Attention is drawn in this respect to the Complete Specification of our prior British Patent No.

1,460,732.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS:- 1. A razor handle comprising an elongate grip portion and a head at one end of the grip portion, the grip portion and head portion being formed as an integral plastics moulding, the head including a pair of spaced arms formed with pivotal mounting means defining a pivot axis extending transversely to the grip portion, and elongate spring means extending parallel with the pivot axis and having a support leg at each end thereof integral with the spring means and with the head portion.

2. A razor handle according to claim 1 wherein the pivotal mounting means comprise respective trunnions on the said arms extending towards each other.

3. A razor handle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the spring means comprises a continuous beam spring provided at its central medial region with a pair of spaced

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. spaced arms 46 provided with journals or trunnions 48 which constitute a pivotal mounting means complemental to the journal bearings 14 of the shaving unit. The head portion 44 further includes spaced first and second supports 50, 52 interconnected by a resilient bridge 54 which constitutes a beam spring anchored at its end to the head portion by integral legs and parallel with the pivot axis of the razors The midportion of the bridge means 54 is provided with a cam follower 56 and spaced projections 58 on either side of the cam follower 56 and extending towards the pivot axis. The handle is formed as a unitary moulding of synthetic plastics, and arms 46 are moulded integrally with the handle 40 and are sufficiently narrow at their juncture with the head portion 44 to permit a slight flexing outwardly in manufacture in order to receive the shaving unit therebetween. The plastics material of the razor handle, and therefore the arms 46, is on the other hand, sufficiently rigid that the arms 46 are not likely to be opened by an operator or by an accidental fall so as to release the shaving unit held therebetween. Referring to Figure 5, it will be seen that in use, the shaving unit 2 is free to pivot upon the trunnions 48. The cam 18 is engaged by the cam follower 56 and bounded by the projections 58, which thereby assist proper location of the shaving unit on the handle. During a shaving operation, pivoting movement of the shaving unit causes commensurate movement of the cam 18, causing either cam surface 20 or 22 to bear against the cam follower 56, forcing the spring beam 54 to flex (Fig. 5). The resilient nature of the beam 54, however, exercises a bias against the cam surfaces 20, 22 to return the cam, and thereby the shaving unit, to a central neutral position in which the cam follower 56 is disposed at the juncture of the cam surfaces 20, 22. The shaving unit is preferably, and as shown, provided with stops 60 for positively limiting the range of pivotal movement permitted to the shaving unit. The handle 41 of the razor shown in Figures 6 to 9 is generally similar to the handle 40 described above, except that it is designed to permit opening and closing movement of the arms 46 away from and towards each other so as to facilitate the exchange of used shaving units for fresh ones. In the two sets of Figures, the same reference numerals are used to identify parts corresponding with each other. The razor handle is in this embodiment provided with a moulded cam member 30 having an integral pusher portion 32. The cam member is shown in its normal inoperative position in Figures 6 and 7, in which the arms 46 are in a "closed" position. In order to uncouple a shaving unit 2, the user presses on the pusher portion 32 to slide the cam member upwardly and for wardly to its operative position, so that cam surfaces 34 of the cam member engage co-operating portions of the arms 46 to spring the arms apart sufficiently to disengage the trunnions 48 from the journal bearings 14 of the unit 2. The trunnions can then be aligned with the bearings 14 of a fresh unit and the pusher portion 32 released, whereupon the resilience of the arms 46 causes them to move towards each other to engage the trunnions with the fresh unit, and concomitantly to return the cam member to its initial position. According to the modification shown in Figure 10, the spring beam is split at 36, at the centre of its length and is thus effectively constituted by two spring fingers 22 having their free ends disposed adjacent each other at the central medial region of the beam. It will be seen that we have provided two forms of razor handle which lend themselves readily to low-cost production, so that the handle can be regarded as disposable. In relation to the first embodiment the razor as a whole is intended to be discarded when the cutting edges of the unit are dulled, while the second form of handle can be re-used with fresh units if desired. In both cases, the razor assembly permits of rocking of a shaving unit about its pivotal axis, which is parallel with the blade edge or edges against the restoring action of the beam spring which tends to maintain the unit in a neutral medial position of angular adjustment on the handle. Attention is drawn in this respect to the Complete Specification of our prior British Patent No. 1,460,732. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:-

1. A razor handle comprising an elongate grip portion and a head at one end of the grip portion, the grip portion and head portion being formed as an integral plastics moulding, the head including a pair of spaced arms formed with pivotal mounting means defining a pivot axis extending transversely to the grip portion, and elongate spring means extending parallel with the pivot axis and having a support leg at each end thereof integral with the spring means and with the head portion.

projections extending towards the pivotal axis, to assist oorrect location of a shaving unit relative to the handle.

4. A razor handle according to any preceding claim, in combination with a shaving unit including a blade platform having one or more blades secured to the upper side thereof and the underside of the platform having spaced pivotal mountings co-operating with the pivotal mounting means on the respective arms, and a cam portion intermediate the said mountings and engaged with a medial portion of the spring means, the unit being pivotable about the pivot axis relative to the handle and the spring means exerting a restoring force on the unit tending to maintain the unit in a neutral position relative to the handle.

5. A razor handle according to any preceding claim, including a cam member mounted on the handle for movement between an operative position in which the cam members forces the said arms apart and an inoperative position in which the arms are moved close together, whereby to facilitate the uncoupling and ooupling of shaving units with the handle.

6. A razor handle according to claim 5, wherein the spring means is constituted by a pair of spring fingers, the free ends of which lie adjacent each other at a central region of the spring beam.

7. A razor handle substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 1 to 5 of the accompanying drawings.

8. A razor handle substantially as here in described with reference to Figures 6 to 9, or Figures 6 to 9 as modified by Figure 10 of the accompanying drawings. ~~