KR20100083161A - Conforming wet shaving razor - Google Patents

Abstract

A wet shaving razor (5) comprising a cartridge (15) having a length wherein the cartridge comprises an upper frame (6) comprising a blade frame (1), a shaving blade (3) joined to the blade frame where the blade extends lengthwise along the cartridge, an upper face (2) that surrounds the blade, and one or more serially arranged rear spring elements (14), each element having a proximate and distal end such that said proximate end is joined adjacent a top edge (30) of the upper face and wherein said distal end is joined to a catch plate (18); a sub-frame (7) upon which said upper frame is resiliently mounted at its bottom edge near a front edge (35) of said sub-frame wherein said sub-frame further comprises front spring elements (12); and a catch plate that causes the rear spring elements to foldably engage with a rear edge of said sub-frame to provide removably secured rear spring elements; and wherein the front spring elements and rear spring elements oppose local deformation of the cartridge under shaving forces encountered during shaving.

Description

Conforming wet shaver {CONFORMING WET SHAVING RAZOR}

The present invention relates to a razor suitable for use in wet shaving, comprising a forming cartridge comprising a rear spring element that foldably engages with the remainder of the cartridge.

The present invention relates to a wet razor comprising a blade and a blade having a cutting edge moved over the surface of the skin to be shaved by the handle, the cartridge and the connected handle. The cartridge may be detachably mounted to the razor handle so that the cartridge can be replaced by a new cartridge when the sharpness of the razor blade has been reduced to an unsatisfactory level, or the cartridge may be mounted on the handle such that the entire razor is discarded when the razor blade or It can be fixedly attached. Removable and replaceable cartridges are commonly referred to as shaving cartridges.

Various proposals have been made for mounting the cartridge on the handle to enable movement of the cartridge during shaving for the purpose of maintaining compliance of the skin contact portion with the skin surface during shaving. For example, many razors on the market today have cartridges pivotable about a longitudinal axis that extends parallel to the cutting edge of the long blade integrated into the cartridge. Applicant has also recognized the utility of providing a consumer with a compliant razor cartridge as disclosed in US Pat. Nos. 7024776B2 and 77131203B2. The compliant razor cartridges disclosed in these two patents were injection molded and the razor blade unit was attached after molding by pushing a metal anchor on the razor blade support of the razor blade unit through a hole in the elastomeric cartridge. In this configuration, however, the thin metal of the razor blade unit acted in a manner similar to the blade, and the blunt stretching device itself required that the hole for the razor blade unit be extended to allow the insertion of the razor blade unit. It was typical to cut the rubber or elastomeric material that formed the cartridge when it was not kept open by the. To accommodate this manipulation, the patentees of these patents recognized that it was ideal to employ a relatively highly stretchable elastomeric material or rubber. Such highly stretchable and / or expandable materials typically also exhibit high tear resistance, but are often relatively expensive. Another not so positive aspect of this disclosed compliant razor was the fact that the fixtures and holes mentioned for razor blade unit insertion often degrade the shaving comfort that a consumer experiences.

Based on this previous development and others, there is still a need for a compliant razor product that overcomes these difficulties experienced during manufacturing and during shaving.

The present invention relates to a wet shaver comprising a cartridge having a predetermined length, wherein the cartridge comprises:

a) 1) razor blade frame;

2) a razor blade coupled to the razor blade frame and extending longitudinally along the cartridge;

3) an upper surface surrounding the razor blade frame; And

4) one or more lined rear spring elements, each having a proximal end adapted to engage adjacent a top edge of the upper face and a distal end adapted to engage a catch plate;

An upper frame comprising a;

b) sub-frame—on the sub-frame the upper frame is elastically mounted at the bottom edge of the upper frame near the front edge of the sub-frame, the sub-frame receiving the front spring element. Further comprising-and;

c) a catch plate for foldably engaging the rear edge of said sub-frame to provide a removably fixed rear spring element;

The front and rear spring elements resist local deformation of the cartridge under the shaving force applied during shaving.

In certain embodiments, several rear spring elements are distributed along the top edge of the upper face, and each rear spring element is deformable in such a way as to apply a substantially constant restoring force regardless of the degree of deformation.

In such embodiments, the deformation of the cartridge under shaving force may vary along the length of the cartridge such that the cartridge undulations along the cartridge with the force exerted by the cartridge against the skin being substantially uniform along the cartridge. I can adapt to it. As a result, a close compliance between the cartridge and the skin contour can be achieved without incurring the inconvenience caused by the cartridge being pressed against the skin under higher forces in certain defined areas. This easily achieved cartridge compliance can be attributed to the rear spring element comprising a sheet of resilient flexible material.

In one embodiment, the cartridge comprises an upper frame and a sub-frame on which the razor blade is supported, with the rear spring element interposed between the upper frame and the sub-frame. Conveniently, the cartridge is formed by a monolithic molding of a resilient flexible material, such as rubber or a rubber-like material, whereby the rear spring element is integrated with the upper frame (especially the upper face) and through the catch plate Are joined at the rear edge. Since the cartridge is formed as a single piece, the manufacture of the cartridge is facilitated because the assembly of the components is minimized. The upper frame is preferably hinged to the sub-frame at the front of the cartridge and, due to the molded configuration, the connection between them can be conveniently provided by living hinges. The hinged connection between the upper frame and the sub-frame makes it displaceable downward, generally towards the handle, under the load applied to the front part of the upper frame. The sub-frame is directed towards the base to the action of the front spring element, which may also be formed by a sheet of resilient flexible material that is deformed by buckling so that a substantially constant restoring force is applied to the sub-frame. The frame can be supported against the underlying base in a manner that allows movement.

A portion of the upper frame may form a guard in contact with the skin in front of the blade during the shaving stroke, and a cap in contact with the skin behind the blade. Alternatively, separate guard elements and / or separate cap elements may be mounted on the upper frame, but any such separate element may be short segments if possible so as not to suppress the bending of the upper frame to conform to the skin contour. It will have to be divided into or along the length of it, showing considerable flexibility. One type of element suitable for mounting or incorporation into a guard surface or cap surface is a lubricating strip.

Although cartridges of the invention may have a single razor blade, a plurality of razor blades, such as two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, or even more razor blades, are included so that their sharp edges It may extend continuously along the cartridge in a substantially parallel state. These razor blades are flexible to adapt to skin contours. Another possibility is that several razor blade segments are arranged along the cartridge so that they can move relative to one another when the upper frame is bent. To facilitate assembly of the cartridge, the razor blade (s) can be interconnected by transverse strips attached to the underside of the razor blades, with the razor blades and strips being undeformed and the flexibility of the razor blade frame. Together they form a flexible razor blade assembly that is substantially coplanar. Alternatively, the razor blade can be fixedly mounted on top of the razor blade support, in which the sharp cutting edge bends forward away from the plane of the razor blade frame to provide a non-coplanar approach angle to the hair. .

The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

1 is a front perspective view of a wet razor equipped with a compliant cartridge in accordance with the present invention;
2 is a rear perspective view of the razor of FIG. 1, FIG.
3 is a front view of the cartridge of the present invention, prior to final engagement of the plurality of rear spring elements with the sub-frame,
4 is a right end view of the cartridge of FIG.

The wet razor 5 of FIGS. 1 and 2 has a handle 10 with a compliant cartridge 15 mounted thereon. As shown, the handle 10 is coupled to the base 8 to which the cartridge 15 can be fastened, but the cartridge can also be releasably connected to the handle 10 to allow replacement of the cartridge 15. . The cartridge 15 comprises an upper frame 6 and a sub-frame 7 joined at the front edge of the cartridge 15. The upper frame 6 comprises a razor blade frame 1 comprising a razor blade 3, wherein the razor blade frame 1 can be integrated by means of clipped in insertion or through insert molding, The latter case is advantageous. In the illustrated embodiment, the cartridge 15 consists of a single piece of rubber or a material having elastic flexible properties similar to a material having suitable characteristics, including BASF's Elastollan C60A10W.

The cartridge 15 has a lower edge 31 which corresponds to and coincides with the upper edge 30 and actually the front edge 35 of the cartridge surrounding the razor blade frame 1 (including the shaving blade 3). An upper frame 6 having an upper face 2, a sub-frame 7 in the form of a plurality of rectangular beams joined together by a living hinge, and a base 8. Include. The upper frame 6 is hingedly connected to the sub-frame 7 at the bottom edge of the upper face 2 and at the front edge 35 of the sub-frame 7. In particular, the upper frame 6 and the sub-frame 7 are integral and are connected by living hinges 9 at their front edges. The upper frame 6 and the sub-frame 7 lie in the first and second planes, respectively, and are positioned relatively so as to branch away from each other rearward from the hinge 9 in the normal state. The sub-frame 7 and the base 8 are hingedly connected at the rear of the cartridge, more particularly the sub-frame 7 and the base 8 are the rear (or trailing) edges 36 of the sub-frame. ) Is integrally connected by living hinge 11. The sub-frame 7 and the base 8 are arranged to diverge from each other in the forward direction away from the hinge 11 in the normal state. In this configuration, the upper frame 6, the sub-frame 7 and the base 8 form a Z shape in the right end view (FIG. 4), but at this time the upper frame 6 and the sub-frame ( 7 disposed between the sub-frame 7 and the base 8 is greater than the angle β delimited, so that the upper frame 6 is suitable for the handle 10 in the normal state. It is set at an angle and ensures the desired deformation characteristics of the cartridge 15 as described below.

The sub-frame 7 is formed by one or more (several in the case shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) rear spring elements 14 arranged in a line along the rear length of the upper surface of the cartridge 15 ( 8) is supported. These rear spring elements 14 are formed by a resilient flexible web integral with the upper frame. Each rear spring element 14 has a proximal end 16 and a distal end 17, where the proximal end 16 is joined adjacent the top edge 30 of the upper face and the distal end 17 is shown in FIG. 3. Coupled to a catch plate 18 such as a bar. The distal end 17 of each rear spring element 14 is an engaging tip 38 useful for engaging the distal end 17 with mating gripping protrusions 39 spaced along the length of the catch plate 18. ) May be included. The distal end 17 of the rear spring element 14 is coupled to the catch plate 18, which then catches the catch plate 18 with the rear edge 36 of the sub-frame 7 (molded production Later downwardly from its original upward position) foldably engages with the rear edge 36 of the sub-frame 7. In particular, there may be engagement grooves 19 spaced apart along the rear length of the sub-frame 7, in which the distal end 17 and the catch plate ( 18) is fitted. With regard to the catch plate 18, the catch plate 18 may or may not be integrally formed with the upper frame 6. If not integrally formed, it is also suitable to form the catch plate 18 from the same material as the upper frame 6 or from different materials having the same or different physical properties as the upper frame material. For example, different materials may be harder than the rubber or elastomeric materials of the spring elements. Suitable materials are Noryl PX5511® and ABS Cycolac® (both obtained from Saudi Basic Industries Corporation, Selkirk, NY, USA), Delrin ( Delrin (R) (DuPont), polystyrene, and the like.

The rear spring element 14 lies in each plane perpendicular to the length of the cartridge 15. The rear spring element 14, which can also be deformed by buckling, functions as an independent spring type member acting between the sub-frame 7 and the base 8, which are sub-frames facing the base 8. Allow for a local displacement of 7) and at the same time apply a substantially constant restoring force to resist such displacement. The flexible and flexible nature of the upper frame 6 and the sub-frame 7 allows the localized portions of the upper frame 6 and the razor blade 3 integrated therein to adjust the razor handle 10 in order to adapt to the skin contours. To be deflected toward In adaptation to the skin contour, the upper frame 6 and the razor blade 3 can be twisted to conform to the ups and downs of the skin area they travel through. Thus, the cartridge 15 is elastically flexible to ensure close contact with the skin over the entire area over which the razor blade is to span.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-4, several front spring elements 12 comprising flexible webs are distributed along the front length of the top face of the cartridge 15. The front spring element 12 extends between the sub-frame 7 and the base 8 and is formed integrally with the top face of the cartridge 15. In the illustrated embodiment, the front spring elements 12 are evenly spaced along the length of the cartridge. The front spring element 12 typically lies in each parallel plane perpendicular to the plane of the upper frame 6 and the sub-frame 7. In certain embodiments, the rear spring element 14 has a depth and / or width that is less than the depth and / or width of the front spring element.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, the razor blade 3 is present in plural. That is, there are a number of razor blades positioned parallel to each other to provide an improved shaving experience. In certain examples of the invention, the cartridge may comprise at least three razor blades, at least four razor blades, at least five razor blades, at least seven razor blades, or at least eight razor blades. It will be apparent that a larger number of razor blades can be incorporated into the cartridge of the present invention as long as the overall cartridge dimensions are acceptable and useful for shaving consumers. For this purpose, the span between blades may range from about 0.25 mm, 0.5 mm, 0.6 mm, 0.7 mm to about 1.5 mm, 0.85 mm, or 0.8 mm. In this embodiment, the span is about 0.75 mm.

The razor blade 3 has a thickness in the range of about 0.01 mm, 0.02 mm, 0.03 mm, 0.04 mm, 0.05 mm, 0.06 mm, 0.065 mm to about 0.08 mm, 0.075 mm, or 0.07 mm. In this embodiment, the thickness is about 0.66 mm.

The razor blade 3 also has a width in the range of about 0.2 mm, 0.3 mm, 0.35 mm to about 0.6 mm, 0.5 mm, and 0.45 mm. In this embodiment, the blade width is about 0.4 mm.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the upper frame 6 further comprises a guard member 22 and a razor blade 3 (here a number of razor blades 3), which together with the guard member 22. The razor blade 3 is formed by a flexible strip of metal. Here, a plurality of razor blades are included in the upper frame 6, which have parallel forward facing sharp cutting edges. The guard member 22 and the razor blade 3 may be made of the same material as the razor blade 3, such as steel, and are provided on the razor blade (and any razor blade support 13 that may be present) and on the underside of the guard member 22. Attached and interconnected and reinforced by lateral connecting strips 24 used in the manufacture of razor blades of conventional cartridges. The maximum flexibility of the cartridge is ensured because the razor blade 3 and the transverse connecting strip 24 are coplanar in the normal undeformed state of the razor blade assembly and the cartridge. In certain embodiments, the razor blade is mounted on the razor blade support 13, while the razor blade support 13 is coupled to the razor blade frame 1, which is then integrated into the upper frame 6. The razor blade 3 and / or the support 13 can be folded up from the plane of the razor blade frame 1 to provide the optimum shaving angle. The shaving angle may range from about 0 to about 35 degrees, about 5 to about 30 degrees, about 10 to about 30 degrees, about 20 to about 30 degrees, about 22 to about 26 degrees, or about 24 degrees. Another means for constructing a razor blade in a shaving assembly is disclosed in US Pat. No. 6,864,86B2.

In certain embodiments of the present invention, Applicant is concerned that molding (eg, injection) of elastomer and / or rubber material around the razor blade may result in damage to the cartridge or cause the shaving cartridge to operate inconveniently and / or Or it was confirmed that it allows insertion of the razor blade without any harmful stretching of the sub-frame. Any non-shaved portion of the razor blade is covered by rubber and / or elastomeric material to enhance comfort. Instead of being concentrated at the anchor point, the shaving stress is distributed along a much longer piece of steel, making the blade less likely to fall out in any case.

In addition, Applicants have found that incorporating a plasticizer into the resin mixture that finally forms the upper frame and the sub-frame assists in ejection of the cartridge from its mold during manufacture. In certain embodiments, the top frame and sub-frame material may contain about 0.1% to about 25%, 1% to about 20%, about 5% to about 20%, about 10% to about 20%, or about 15% plasticizer. It includes. Typically, the elastomeric material is rather difficult to eject from the mold during manufacture. For example, an elastomeric formation similar to the cartridge of the present invention that is longer in the discharge direction and narrower in the direction intersecting the discharge direction is particularly difficult to discharge from the mold. In the present invention, the front and rear spring elements are of shorter or reduced depth compared to previous forms of compliant razor cartridges, such as those disclosed in US Pat. Nos. 7024776B2 and 77131203B2. In one embodiment, the rear spring element has a depth that is less than the approximate depth of the front spring element. In another embodiment, the rear spring element has a width less than the approximate width of the front spring element.

In the embodiment shown, the upper frame 6 comprises positioning holes 33 on one or both sides of the upper frame. The positioning holes 33 may have diameters in the size range of 0.5 mm to about 4 mm, 1 mm to about 3 mm, or about 2 mm. These holes can be particularly useful during manufacture because they can be used to position the razor blade in one or more welding fixtures and molds. They can also be used to align a plurality of cartridges during safe storage. The positioning hole 33 is further designed to include a positioning hole protrusion (not shown) that protrudes from the upper frame 6 during manufacturing, which is intended to be cut at the end of the manufacturing process to minimize the overall size of the cartridge. Can be. In addition, although the illustrated positioning holes are circular, such positioning holes 33 may be formed in various shapes forming openings, such as rectangular, triangular, elliptical, square, wavy, slitted, and even their It is contemplated that they may exist in combination.

The guard member 22 may include a plurality of ribs 23 that span the length of the cartridge 15 and which work together to provide skin stretch gain to the shaver prior to the engagement of the blade to the hair of the shaver. have.

The cap 25 of the upper frame 6 can be a means for determining the shaving geometry of the wet shaver. This is typically suitable when a plurality of razor blades 3 are included in the cartridge. For reference, shaving geometry is understood to include the measurement of the "exposure" of the rearmost razor blade closest to the cap, as known in the art, such as disclosed in US Pat. No. 6212777. In some cases, the exposure of the rear blade is determined with respect to the substantially fixed rigid portion of the cartridge 15. In this example where the cap 25 is part of the upper frame and also includes a flexible flexible material, the cap 25 need not be substantially fixed or rigid as compared to the remainder of the cartridge to make this measurement. It is considered to be. The cap 25 of the cartridge 15 may comprise a shaving aid 26 disposed adjacent or on the front edge of the upper frame 6. 1 and 2, when there is a shaving aid member and there are a plurality of razor blades 3, the exposure of the rear blade is to be determined for the shaving aid member surface disposed on or near the cap 25. Can be.

Suitable shaving aid 26 may be selected from the group consisting of lubrication strips, indicator strips, soap wings, shave gel bars, and combinations thereof. . Such shaving aids are described in US Pat. Nos. 5,568,48,5998431,5906834,6185822,6298559,6301785,644,2839,6944952,70670658; And US Patent Application Publication Nos. 2006/0143925 A1, 2006/0080838 A1, and 2007/0110703 A1.

The dimensions and values disclosed herein are not to be understood as being strictly limited to the exact numerical values recited. Instead, unless stated otherwise each such dimension is intended to mean both the recited value and a functionally equivalent range around that value. For example, a dimension disclosed as "40 mm" is intended to mean "about 40 mm."

All documents cited in the Detailed Description of the Invention are, in relevant part, incorporated herein by reference, and no citation of any document should be construed as an admission to the prior art relating to the invention. In the event that any meaning or definition of the terminology herein described conflicts with any meaning or definition of the terminology of the literature incorporated by reference, the meaning or definition given to that term in the present specification as described herein shall prevail.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, all such changes and modifications that fall within the scope of the invention are intended to be included in the appended claims.

Claims (15)

In a wet shaver comprising a cartridge having a predetermined length,
The cartridge,
a) 1) razor blade frame;
2) a razor blade coupled to the razor blade frame and extending longitudinally along the cartridge;
3) an upper surface surrounding the razor blade frame; And
4) one or more lined rear spring elements, each having a proximal end adapted to be coupled adjacent a top edge of the upper face and a distal end adapted to be coupled to a catch plate;
An upper frame comprising a;
b) sub-frame—on the sub-frame the upper frame is elastically mounted at the bottom edge of the upper frame near the front edge of the sub-frame, the sub-frame receiving the front spring element. Additionally contains-,
The cartridge,
c) a catch plate for foldably engaging the rear edge of the sub-frame to provide a removably fixed rear spring element;
The front spring element and the rear spring element against local deformation of the cartridge under shaving force applied during shaving
Wet shaver. The method of claim 1,
The razor blade is reinforced by at least one transverse connecting strip
Wet shaver. The method of claim 1,
The distal end further comprising an engagement tip
Wet shaver. The method of claim 3, wherein
The engagement tip engages the gripping protrusion of the catch plate.
Wet shaver. The method of claim 1,
The rear spring element has a depth smaller than the approximate depth of the front spring element.
Wet shaver. The method of claim 1,
The rear spring element has a width less than the approximate width of the front spring element.
Wet shaver. The method of claim 1,
The rear spring element is hingedly coupled to the top edge of the upper face.
Wet shaver. The method of claim 1,
The upper frame and the sub-frame are integrally molded
Wet shaver. The method of claim 1,
The catch plate is integrally molded with the rear spring element.
Wet shaver. The method of claim 1,
The catch plate is formed from a material different from the upper frame
Wet shaver. The method of claim 1,
The cartridge further includes a base on which the sub-frame is mounted.
Wet shaver. The method of claim 1,
The razor blade comprises at least three razor blades
Wet shaver. The method of claim 1,
The top face further comprises a shaving aid strip spanning at least a portion of the length of the top face.
Wet shaver. The method of claim 13,
The shaving aid strip includes a plurality of portions spaced along the length of the top surface.
Wet shaver. The method of claim 1,
The upper frame includes a positioning hole
Wet shaver.

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