US2628423A - Razor blade holder and sheath - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 17, 1953 H. F. CUNTZ RAZOR BLADE HOLDER AND SHEATH Filed Nov. 7, 1946 FIG.

FIG.

FIG. 3b

FIG. 3

FIG. 3a.

9 5 mm Pol 5 F F 452/ /ww e 5 237A! F I If Patented Feb. 17, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RAZOR BLADE HOLDER AND SHEATH Hermann F. Cuntz, Kew Gardens, N. Y.

Application November 7, 1946, Serial No. 708,423

1 Claim.

My invention involves an article or device for encasing and holding a safety razor blade with an edge protruding in a manner adapted for general cutting utilization, and with means for sheathing and unsheathing the cutting edge readily, so combined as a unit to form a compact article for carrying in pocket or bag without danger of involuntary unsheathing of the cutting edge, and providing an article for handy manipulation when unsheathed.

My invention provides in a unitary structure a sheathed compact article little larger in area than a razor blade, so little thicker as to readily slip into a vest pocket or the like, easily lifted from a table, advantageous for many uses and adapted to easy manufacture. In particular, my invention provides a device into which a regular double edge safety razor blade without alteration is easily inserted, firmly held laterally and endwise sheathed against accidental uncovering of its cutting edge, easily unsheathed when desired for cutting use and replacement of blade.

My device comprises a unitary structure of parts including a holder or support for clasp ing in precise position and protecting a readily insertable and removable cutting edge, and articulated thereto a part serving in one relative position to guard or sheath a cutting edge and in extended relative position a firm handle in conjunction with the holder part. Such structure providing means for reception, encasing and rigid holding of an entire two-edge safety razor blade with one sharp edge protruding for ordinary cutting. My device serves as a durable permanent means for the rigidity required for support of a renewable cutting edge which is the only portion of a knife blade serving its essential and primary utility. Thus instead of repeated sharpening of an ordinary knife blade, only the wearing part, namely the cutting edge portion, is renewed without wear on the permanent parts of my device and without altering the relation of the cutting edge with parts providing handy grasp for manipulation.

Other objects are to provide simplicity of manufacture, low cost of production and permanent assembly, avoidance of any separable parts, security and simplicity of inserting and. accurately positioning of a safety razor blade in the device, and ready replacing or renewal of blades, firm interlocking of parts when closed or opened subject to easy voluntary release, and other ob- Jects and advantages that will appear from the more detailed description herein or that may be realized in the practice of my invention,

In all, my device provides for conservation of billions of slivers of most highly processed steel that have a very transient use for the purpose for which they are originally most meticulously fashioned. It provides means for a further and long life of usefulness of blades discarded for shaving, by conversion to a compact, safe universal cheap cutting instrument for manifold uses.

My device is preferably made of plastic materials, and injection molding services well to economically fashion its parts to a stiff hard finish, with the slight flexibility where desired or needed. Any desired color, embossing, lettering is readily provided in the moulding and may be effected on forming the parts. The casing or pocket for the blade is preferably made as one part and the sheath or cover as another part. These may be fashioned so that slight flexing permits assembling in one simple operation by sliding a bifurcated end of one part over a portion of the other part until studs snap into a hole to form a hinge, thus completing the means for articulated interconnection and forming a permanently unitary structure. v

A typical embodiment of my invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, While many variations of my invention may be made, the form herewith illustrated is approximately full size, details and dimensions and configuration will be adapted to ranges of fancy or methods of manufacture or assembly, and the materials used.

The drawings show in c Figure 1 a" typical two edge safety razor blade;

Figure 1a the end view thereof;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the razor blade combined holder and articulated sheath opened for use in cutting;

Figure 2a is one end view of Fig. 2 showing the protruding cutting edge of a blade in the holder;

Figure 3 is a side view-of device closed with blade edge covered; 7

Figure 3a is one end view andFig. 3b the view of the other end;

Figure 4 is a side view of a retriever, being a thin flat strip of ,metal or other suitable stiff material with a, barbed end to insert beside the blade in its holder and engage the hole in the blade to extract dulled blades for replacements;

Figure 5 is a top view of the blade holder part, and Fig. 5e, Fig. 5) and Fig. 5.17 are cross sections of Fig. 5;

Fig. 6 is a top view, when in open" position, as

3 in Fig. 2 of the sheath part of the device, and Fig. 6a, Fig. 6b and Fig. 6c are cross sections of Fig. 6.

It will be noted that double edged safety razor blades usually, have apertures I along their medial major dimension, as shown in Fig. 1, which I may use as ameans for retracting or retrieving dulled blades from a snug fit in the slit in my holder by inserting the device shown in Fig. 4 until the barb 2 engages an aperture as I to pull the blade out of the slit.

In the device illustrated, the blade holder 3 has walls 4, 4a thinner along the outer edge of the slit, as shown in Fig. 2a, with their inner sides .5 separated to form a slit the length of the blade and of a breadth, forming a tight fitting pocket for the blade laterally and limiting endwise movement. Or the slit may be narrower than the blade thickness, and walls 4 and M be slightly yielding to pinch the blade tightly. To assure a firm locking in of the blade I may fashion the bulge 6 on the inner surface of one wall of the slit in position to engage any recess such as the hole I in the blade. At one end of 3 I fashion a tit Ito snap into the end 2I of the sheath when in closed position. At the other end of holder 3 a protuberance 8 forms a guard above thesharp adjacent corner of the blade. At the lower corner a stop 9 limits the swing of the sheath portion of the device when opening it.

At one end of the holder 3 a flat hill e portion i9 adapted to fit into the butt of the sheath portion has a hole I I for pivots or hinge pintles in the engaging end of the sheath. On the lower part of the holder, closed for bearing and encasing of the inserted edge of the blade, I prefer to form the walls I2 thicker than theopen slit walls, to give stiffness and to match the handhold with the extending thickness of the sheath portion for firm handling.

Thesheath I3 .is a cover part for the protruding blade edge when the device is closed for carrying in the pocket or the like. It is formed at one end with cheeks I separated to exactly fit hinge part I 0 and has bosses I5 formed on each check, which form a pintle to engage hole II in the adjacent end of the holder member to provide the hinge. The pintle may be formed on one cheek I4, when making this part as by molding in plastic. The closed edge of back IQ of the sheath I3 is slit for a short distance as shown at I911, so that the cheeks Hi can be spread apart to permit the pintle portions I5 to slide over the end II) of the holder member and snap into engagement with the hole II.

Thus simply by hand connecting of the two parts is the only assemblingoperation to produce the finished useful unitary. article, i. e. a firm blade holder and a secure sheath to protect the edge, voluntarily operable.

The sheath has the cavity Iii open from one side t9 snugly fit over walls 4, 4a of the body cf the holder, with the closed end IT and thin walls or .sides. I8 preferably forming a spring fit with the outside of the holder upper portion having its wall edges tapered inwardly to ease the. clasping upon closing the device to complete the en" casing of the blade.

At 20 on the cheeks I4 I preferably serrate a part for thumb or finger feel to warn a a nst e tal hin ng 9 th o arts hen i e iiir ulating the opener device. At the outer end is fashioned a snap protrusion 2| to engage the tit 1 on the holder and lock the device closed against involuntary opening.

The limit to open hinging of the two parts is set by engagement of the notch 22 on sheath I3 with the stop 9 on the holder. When so opened. for its utility manipulating, spring pawl 23 snaps into a sharp edged recess 24 on the side of the holder end In and locks the parts open. To close the sheath over' the holder a tit 25 serves to release the pawl 23 of one or both parts of the bifurcated end of the sheath; or one of the cheeks It may have a pawl engaging a notch on the face of hingeportion III, the flexibility of the material of the cheek I4 permitting the necessary displacement for release of the pawl.

While I prefer the advantages of plastic material especiallyas to cost and for functioning and manufacturing of my device, parts or all may be otherwise fashioned. It may be designed for varying protrusion of blade edge suited to general use or for specific uses.

In all I provide an article for extensive use, safe, compact, light, adapted besides its utility for advertising display, and durable, to conserve for practical uses vast quantity of heretofore waste safety razor blades.

I claim:

A compact unitary pocket article consisting solely of a holder and a sheath member for a double cutting edge safety razor blade connected for articulation to protect a protruding cutting edge of a blade and alternatively free the edge for cutting and afford a manipulating holder he for. a h e ember a n a rr w o en i ,full length on o e side and closed t b h ends audit bot om to reqcivecne. knife d e o a razo bladetlate allv. and th yieldin Wa l o the sl eing a a ted to sp n apart he the b a is inserted to maintain a clasping fit on itssides, and said sheath Inemberhavns a l ally open po ket ext ndin l n hwi e to cover the protruding edge of a blade in the holder member and having one end partly bi:

- furca-ted with a yieldingcheek and a pintle boss on the inside thereof adapted to be spread over one end of the holder for the boss to register with and snap onto a bearing on said end of the holder, thereby providing the hinge for articulation of both members and forming a two-piece unitary article, anda snap catch formed at the Ot er nd of t eshea h to r tai bo h me b rs of th articl nclosed os t on h e ermittin ready manual release to expose the blade.

HERMANN F. CUNTZ.

REFERE CE C T D The fcllowing references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

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