MXPA99011997A - Razor cartridge with movable blades - Google Patents

Abstract

A razor cartridge comprising a housing (16) having an elongated blade receiving region defined between two side walls (30) spaced from each other along parallel first axes (50) and between a guard (20) and a cap (22) spaced from each other along parallel second axes (52) that are transverse to the first axes, the housing also having blade-receiving slots in the side walls that face each other and extend along third axes (54) that are transverse to both the first and second axes, and elongated blade members having blades (18) with cutting edges that are parallel to the first axes and bent supports (34) that extend downward from the blades and have support ends (64) at the ends of the blade members that are mounted for movement in the slots (28) along the third axes, the slots being defined by front stop portion (70) and back stop portions (72) of the housing on opposite sides of respective first and third axes, the front stop portions being located underneath the blades, the back stop portions being located along a respective first axis outside of the front stop portions in a direction away from the blade receiving region.

Description

CARTRIDGE FOR SHAVING MACHINE WITH MOVABLE SHEETS DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The invention is concerned with razor cartridges having movable blades. In a type of movable razor cartridge design, as shown for example in U.S. Patent No. 4,378,634, the sheets are mounted on folded sheet holders having upper portions that support the sheets at the desired angle and portions thereof. bottom bases that are bent with respect to the upper portions and can slide up and down in slots in a cartridge case against resilient arms during shaving. (Such sheets and leaf supports are shown in Figures 5-7 therein). The base portions of the folded sheet supports extend to the sides beyond the upper bent portions and the sheets. The folded leaf supports are made of sheet metal that has been stamped and folded.

The stamping operation causes burrs at the ends of the supports and these burrs are oriented forward when the sheet holders and the joined sheets are mounted on the cartridge case. The grooves in the cartridge case have rear retention portions and front or front retention portions that define the region in REF: 32225 between them, which the leaf supports can move back and forth as they slide toward up and down in the slots during shaving. The front retention portions are beyond the ends of the sheet, so as not to interfere with the movement of the sheet. When the sheet is centered on the cartridge case, the burrs at the ends of the sheet supports are located beyond the front retention portions; if a blade is moved to one side, it is possible for a burr to be aligned with a front retention portion where it could potentially interfere with the up and down movement of the blade holder. The invention generally comprises a razor cartridge that includes a box and blade elements. The box has an elongated receiving region of the sheet which is defined between two side walls which are spaced apart along parallel first axes and between a protection element and a lid 'spaced apart along parallel second axes which they are transversal to the first axes. The box also has sheet receiving slots in the side walls that face each other and extend along third axes that are transverse to the first and second axes. The elongate blade elements have blades with cutting edges that are parallel to the first axes and blade supports that extend downwardly from the blades and have support ends at the ends of the blade elements that are mounted for movement in the blades. Slots along the third axes. The grooves are defined by front retainer portions and rear retainer portions of the case on opposite sides of the respective first and third axes, the front retention portions are located below the sheets, the rear retention portions are located throughout. of respective first axes to the outside of the front retention portions in a direction away from the sheet receiving region. Implementations of the invention may include one or more of the following characteristics. In certain implementations, the rear retention portions are higher than the front retention portions. The supporting ends of the leaf elements extend along the first axes beyond the sheets. The slots also include anti-rolling elements located on the same side of the first axes as the front retention portions beyond the leaves. The Anti-rolling elements are higher than the front retention portions. The front retention portions have surfaces that make an angle of less than 1 degree (preferably less than 1/2 degree and more preferably less than approximately 1/4 degree) with the third axes. The rear retention portions have surfaces that are parallel to the third axes. The front retention portions and the rear retention portions have surfaces in planes that are spaced apart by a distance that is less than or equal to 0.09 mm (0.0035 inches) greater than the thickness of the bent support. The support ends have burrs that face the protection element. Modes of the invention may include one or more of the following advantages. The placement of the front retention elements inwards under the leaves allows tightening or narrowing of the space allowed for the base portion of the folded leaf support, without risk of contact of the burrs at the ends of the blade support against the front retention elements. Tightening or constricting the space in which the blade holder slides provides a more consistent blade position and consistent blade angle during shaving. The anti-rolling elements prevent the folded leaf supports and the leaves from rotating forward under conditions of extreme force, for example the associated forces when the cartridge is dropped. Other advantages and features of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment thereof and the claims.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a razor according to the invention. Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a blade unit of a razor cartridge of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional exploded view showing the components of the blade unit of Fig. 2. Figure 4 is a vertical section of the sheet unit of Figure 2. Figure 5 is a plan view of a leaf element of the sheet unit of Figure 2. Figure 6 is a front elevation view of the leaf element of Figure 5. Figure 7 is a vertical section of the leaf element of Figure 5. Figure 8 is a partial perspective view, on an enlarged scale, showing the relative positions and heights of the elements front and rear retaining elements and anti-rolling elements and slots in a box of the sheet unit of Figure 2. Figure 9 is a partial plan view showing one end of a cartridge box of a sheet unit Figure 2 Fig. 10 is a vertical sectional view, taken on line 10-10 of Fig. 9 of the cartridge box of Fig. 9. Fig. 11 is a vertical sectional view, taken at 11-11 of Fig. 9. of the cartridge box of Figure 9. With reference to Figure 1, the razor 10 includes a handle 12 and a replaceable shaving cartridge 14. The cartridge 14 includes a molded plastic case 16 carrying three sheets 18, the protection element 20 and the cover 22. The cartridge 14 also includes the interconnection element 24 on which the case 16 is rotatably mounted. The interconnection element 24 is removably attached to the handle 12 and has two arms 26 that rotatably hold the box 16 on its two sides. The carafe 14 is shown in its spring-loaded upward position in Figure 1. With reference to Figures 2-4 and '8, the case 16 of the cartridge 14 has inward facing grooves 28 in the side walls 30 for receiving the ends of the base portions 32 of the folded sheet supports 34 for the sheets 18. The box 16 also has respective resilient arms 36 on which each sheet support 34 is resiliently supported.The sheets 18 and their supports 34 they are located in a substantially unobstructed region 38 between the side walls 30 to provide ease of rinsing the cartridge during use The lid 22 provides a lubricating shaving aid and is received in the slot 40 in the back of the case 16. The lid 22 can be made of a material comprising a mixture of a hydrophobic material and a hydrophilic polymeric material lixiviable by water, as is known in the art and is described, for example, in U.S. Patent Nos. 5,113,585 and 5, 454, 164- which are incorporated herein by reference. The protection element 20 includes a finned elastomeric unit, molded on the front of the box 16 to engage with and stretch the wearer's skin; other protrusions that come into contact with the skin, for example as described in U.S. Patent No. 5,191,712 which is incorporated herein by reference, may be used. The fasteners 42 are secured to the respective sides of the box 16 within the raised edges 44 of the side walls 30 in order to retain the sheets 18 within the box '16 and to locate the cutting edges of the driven sheets by a spring to a desired exposure, as shown in Figure 4. The fasteners 42 can also be wrapped around the bottom or bottom of the box 16 and prevent separation of the ends of the arms 26 from the interconnecting element 24. The figure 2 shows representative elements of three sets of reference axes 50, 52, 54. The two side walls 30 are spaced from one another along parallel first axes 50. The protection element 20 and the cover 22 are spaced apart from one another. length of second parallel axes 52 which are perpendicular to the axes 50. The grooves 28 extend along third axes 54 which are perpendicular to both axes 52 and 50. With reference to FIGS. uras 5-7, It is seen that the sheet 18 is welded in the welds 60 to the upper portion 62 of the sheet support 34. The base portion 32 of the sheet support 34 extends beyond the sheet 18 and the upper portion 62 at the ends 64 of support. The support ends 64 have burrs 66 which are created during the stamping of the bent supports 34. The burrs 66 are directed towards the front of the cartridge when mounted on the case 16. With reference to FIGS. 8, 9, 10 and 11 it is seen that the slots 28 in the ends of the box 16 are partially defined by front retention portions 70 and "rear retention portions 72. In Figure 9, the end of a sheet 18 and its bent support 34 they are shown in dashed lines In figure 10, the sheet 18 and its folded support 34 are shown in side view in dashed lines.It is seen from these figures that the front retention portions 70 are located below the upper portions 62 of the sheet supports 34. It will also be seen (from Figures 8 and 9) that the rear retention portions 72 are located outside the front retention portions 70 (ie, closest to the retention portions 70). xtreme of the box) and are behind the support ends 64 of the leaf supports 34. With reference to FIGS. 9 and 10, the surfaces of the front retention portion 70 and the rear retention portion 72 are in respective planes that are spaced apart along axes parallel to the axes 52 (shown in FIG. 2) for a distance that is slightly greater than the thickness of the base portion 32 to limit the forward and backward movement and rotation of the base portion 32 and thereby provide a linear upward movement. • and controlled downward along third axes 54. This spacing is best shown in Figure 10, in which the section is taken through "the front retention portion 70. The surface of the rear retention portion 72. it is parallel to the third axes 54 (Figure 2) and the surface of the front retention portion 70 makes an angle of 1/4 or less with the axes 54. The base portion 32 is made of 0.28 mm +/- metal. 0.01 mm (0.011 inches +/- 0.0004 inches) and the distance between the planes of the surfaces of the front retention portion 70 and the rear retention portion 72 (as shown in Figure 10) is 0.33 mm + 0.03 mm - 0.013 mm (0.013 inches + 0.0012 inches - 0.0005 inches) at the bottom of the slots Thus, the front retention portions 70 and the rear retention portions 72 have surfaces in planes that are spaced by a distance that is less than or equal to to 0.09 mm (0.0035 inches) ) greater than the thickness of the base portion 32. This nearly parallel arrangement (as opposed to the more divergent faces of the prior art) and the narrow space for the base portion 32 provide a more consistent leaf position and angle Consistent blade during shaving. Figure 11 is a section taken further outward (i.e., closer to the end of the box) and the section passes between the end of a rear retention portion 72 and the opposite anti-roll element 74 which is higher than the associated front retention portion 70 (see Figures 8 and 10) and is further spaced (along axes parallel to the second axes 52) of the rear retention portion 72. As shown in Figures' 8 and 9, the anti-roll element 74 is beyond the end of the blade 18 and the upper support 62 beneath it and thus will not interfere with the travel of the blade 18 up and down, even if the blade support 34 is moved completely to one end of the blade. box 16 or the other. While the forward facing burrs 66 are aligned with the anti-rolling elements 74, there is a greater space between the front portion of the base portion 32 and the element 74 that is between the front portion of the base portion. 32 and the front retention portion 70 and there is less concern about the interference of the flash 66 against an opposing box surface than would otherwise be the case if the narrow spacing were provided in the flash 66. Because the holding portion frontal 70 is below leaf 18, it must have a lower height than if it were beyond leaf 18. With a lower height at the front, under conditions of. extreme force, such as when dropping a cartridge or hitting a surface, the sheets 18 and the bent supports 34 could be swung forward out of their position were it not for the existence of the anti-rolling elements 74, which are more high at a higher elevation. Because the anti-rolling elements 74 are located beyond the sheet 18, they do not interfere with your trip. As can be seen from Figure 9, the front retention portion 70 and the rear retention portion 72 are displaced from each other with a large space behind the front retention portion 70. There is similarly a large space at the front of the retention portion. Most of the rear retention portion 72. This facilitates and allows the use of thinner plastic walls and extra mold parts to facilitate the molding without distortion of the plastic. In manufacturing, the bent supports 32 are manufactured by stamping and bending, which results in the burrs 66 and sheets 18 being welded to the upper portions 62 of the sheet supports 34 in the welds 60 (Figure 5). The bonded sheets 18 and sheet supports 34 are mounted on the box 16 by inserting the support ends 64 into the slots 28 and pressing the sheets and sheet supports down against the resilient arms 36. The protection element 20 and the cover 22 are similarly mounted on the box 16 before. joining the retaining clips 42 that hold the leaves in place, with the cutting edges of the blades resting against the fasteners 42 when they are in the 'rest position shown in Figure 4. The resilient arms 36 propel the blades against the fastener 42 and due to the angle of the upper portion 66 of the blade holder 34, urges the base portion 32 of the blade holder 34 against the rear retention element 72. During shaving, the blades 18 move up and down, with the surfaces of the base portions 32 that they slide against the subsequent retention elements 72. It is noted that, with regard to this date, the best method known by the applicant to carry out the aforementioned invention, is that which is clear from the present description of the invention.

Claims (11)

1. CLAIMS Having described the invention as above, it is claimed as property, contained in the following claims: 1. A razor cartridge, characterized in that it comprises: a box having a leaf receiving region, elongated, defined between two side walls spaced apart along parallel first axes and between a protective element and a lid spaced apart along second parallel axes that are transverse to the first axes, the box also has sheet receiving slots in the side walls which they face each other and extend along third axes that are transverse to the first and second axes and elongated leaf elements having blades with cutting edges that are parallel to the first axes, the leaf elements also have supports folded that extend down from the leaves and have support ends at the ends of the leaf elements that are mounted for movement in the slots along the third axes, the slots are defined by the front retention portions and the rear retention portions of the case on opposite sides of the respective first and third axes, the retention portions Frontals are located under the leaves, the posterior retaining portions are located along respective first axes to the outside of the front retention portions in a direction away from the sheet receiving region. The cartridge according to claim 1, characterized in that the rear retaining portions extend along respective third axes higher than the front retention portions. 3. The cartridge in accordance with the claim 1, characterized in that the support ends extend along the first axes beyond the leaves. 4. The cartridge in accordance with the claim 2, characterized in that the support ends extend along the first axes beyond the leaves. The cartridge according to claim 4, characterized in that the side walls also include anti-rolling elements located on the same side of the first axes as the front retention portions beyond the leaves. The cartridge according to claim 5, characterized in that the anti-rolling elements extend along respective third axes higher than the front retaining portions. The cartridge according to claim 1, characterized in that the front and rear retention portions have surfaces that make an angle less than one degree with the third axes. The cartridge according to claim 1, characterized in that the front and rear retention portions have surfaces that make an angle less than 1/2 degree with the third axes. The cartridge according to claim 8, characterized in that the front retention portions have surfaces that make an angle less than 1/2 degree with the third axes and the rear retention portions have surfaces that are parallel to the third axes. . 10. The cartridge according to claim 9, characterized in that the front retention portions and the posterior retention portions have surfaces in planes that are separated by a distance that is less than or equal to 0.09 mm (0.0035 inches) greater than the thickness of the bent support. The cartridge according to claim 1, characterized in that the supporting ends have burrs at the ends of the supporting ends facing the protection elements, the burrs being outside the front holding portions.