US2708942A

US2708942A - Hair clipper with mechanical means to regulate the length of cut

Info

Publication number: US2708942A
Application number: US392580A
Authority: US
Inventors: John C Fiddyment
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1953-11-17
Filing date: 1953-11-17
Publication date: 1955-05-24
Anticipated expiration: 1972-05-24

Description

y, 1955 J. c. FIDDYMENT 2,708,942

HAIR CLIPPER WITH MECHANICAL MEANS TO REGULATE THE LENGTH OF CUT Filed Nov. 17, 1955 HAM CLIPPER WITH MECHANICAL MEANS TO REGULATE THE LENGTH OF CUT John C. Fiddyrnent, Loekport, Ill.

Appiication November 17, 1953, Serial No. 392,580

7 Claims. (Cl. 132-45) This invention relates to improvements in hair clippers used for cutting mens and boys hair which will enable an inexperienced person to make even and graduated or tapering hair cuts that strongly resembles the work done by experts.

An object of the invention is to provide a device that will make even and tapering hair cuts, and to increase the area of hair on a persons head that can be cut ad-- vantageously with my clipper.

A further object is to provide means requiring less skill and time to do the Work. After the operator becomes familiar with the clipper, many persons will be able to make the hair cuts without the assistance of the angle handle control.

Fundamentally my invention consists in the provision of means which will mechanically regulate the taper and length of hair cuts by controlling the angle the handle of the clipper bears to the work in conjunction with a comb like guide that is rockingly and movably attached to the base of clipper.

This invention further resides in the combination, construction, and arrangement of the parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings. While I have shown therein what is now regarded as the preferred embodiment of my invention it is illustrative only and not to be interpreted in a limited sense.

Figure 1 is a bottom view of the comb like guide that rides on the scalp.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of a hair clipper with my improvements thereon.

Figure 3 is a partial end view corresponding to Fig. 2 also showing the attachment of angle control rod attached to band around the neck.

Figure 4 shows a hair clipper with the improvements and the cutter bar of same raised to a high point of hair cut with the modified form of the comb like guide.

Figure 5 is a sectional view of the modified comb like guide at line 5 in 4-.

Figure 6 is an enlarged sectional view of pintle clamp shown in Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawings more specifically, 10 indicates the clipper as a whole; 11 the handle; 12 and 13 the cutter bar; 14 the pintle on cutter bar 13 allowing the clipper to rock in the comb like guide frame 16 by the bearing supports 18; a block 19 resting on pintle 14 and held in place by the screw 20; 15 point of electrical connection; 17 spaced wire of comb like guide; 21 a strip of metal secured to handle 11 of clipper and having a V- like edge 21a. The support 23 for the upper end of the angle control of the handle 11 is adjustably attached by the spring actuated clamp 24 which grips at any point along the edge of the V-like portion 21a and carries on its other end the adjustable fastener 29 for the rod 27. Said fastener includes a bolt with a head 33 and extending through a block 34. The bolt and block have registering holes for the rod 27. The bolt is also longitudinally tapped to receive a thumb screw 36 to clamp the rod 27 in endwise adjusted position in the bolt and block. The block 34 carries a winged nut 35 that clamps the rod 27 against any rocking movement about the bolt 33. When "ice the thumb screw 36 is clamped against the rod 27 (the wing nut 35 being loosened), the bolt 33 can rock to allow the movement of the handle 11 as the cutter bar is moved upward through the hair. The

rods

26 and 27 are connected by an elbow joint 28. Control rod 26 is pivotally connected to the loop fastener 31 at 30, and is movable along the band 32 which is buckled around the neck. 31 is located below the clipper location when same is in operation. Figure 4 shows the modified form of the comb like guide 25a which has the spaced wires at the front and back ends 12a and 1212. These wires are turned back at 12a and 12b as shown at 120. A part of the side frame 25a acts as a stop to prevent the

cutter bars

12 and 13 from dropping below the desired point.

To explain in more detail the operation of the clipper: The comb like guide 16 attached to the base of clipper enables the

cutting bars

12 and 13 to cut over different formations of the skull structure. This is accomplished by causing the comb like guide to ride on the scalp. As this occurs the comb like guide rocks on the pintle supports 14 according to the requirements of the operation. Such rocking causes the

cutter bars

12 and 13 to move away from or towards the plane passing through the guide parts 12a and 1212. Thus the length of the hair cut will be regularly varied as the clipper is moved to locations on the head which locations are progressively higher above the band 32. The location of this angle control connection on the handle of the clipper determines the amount of raise given to the cutter bar of the clipper. If the connection is near to the top of the handle the degree of the angle of the handle changes slowly as the cutter bar is moved upward through the hair making a graduated less taper to the hair cut. If the connection is moved toward the base of the clipper, the degree of the taper of the hair cut increases. This connecting rod is preferably made of wire. The degree of taper to the hair cut depends on the change of the angle of the handle to the Work that takes place in the upward movement of the cutter bar. This is governed by the point at which the angle control 23 is attached to the handle 11. If an even hair length is wanted above the taper cut, the taper control fixture 23a on the handle 11 of the clipper is located about the center of the handle. The joint 28 is made non-rigid and the section of connecting rod 26 dotted is moved about position shown in Fig. 2. Then the adjustable joint 29 is clamped rigid and the angle of the handle will not change in the upward movement of the cutter bar. If it is desired to use the clipper set to cut a shorter length of taper at a greater angle, the angle control fixture 23 is placed at the right point on handle 11 and the connecting

rods

26 and 27 are placed as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 2. The movable joint 28 should then be clamped tight. At the adjustable joint 29 of the angle control unit 23--the connecting rod 27 should be clamped on the bolt by the thumb screw 36 and the bolt 33 left free to turn with the movement of the handle 11. If an even hair cut is wanted at difierent parts of the head, the connecting

rods

26 and 27 are disconnected and the cutter bars set at the right height to make the desired cut and clamped in that position. This may be done by connecting the comb like guide to the adjustable joint 29 by the rod 27 (shown dotted at 27a in Fig. 2), and clamped in that position. Before starting to cut the hair, it should be well combed and the hair cut started from the opposite way it was combed.

It is noted that the guide element which includes the serrated edge portions 12a and 12b is brought into engagement with the patients skull during the clipping operation, thus defining the location of the frame element 25 at all times during the clipping operation. The clipper element proper, 10, is connected to this rectangular frame by the oppositely disposed pintles 14 which define a transverse axis about which the clipper may be rocked during the clipping operation. Now the cutting line is defined by the upper portion or edge portion of the

elements

12 and 13, which line is located much closer to the serrated portion 12a than the serrated portion 12b. Accordingly, by rocking the clipper unit about said transverse axis in counterclockwise direction (when viewed as in Figures 2 and 4), the rectangular frame remaining unrocked, it is evident that the cutting line will be brought closer to the plane which includes or passes through the serrated edges than formerly, so that a shorter cut will be produced, since said serrated edges are kept in engagement with the patients skull during the process. A contrary action and result will be produced by rocking the clipper clockwise with respect to the rectangular frame, as will of course be evident. Thus, by rocking the clipper about said transverse axis during the movement of the device over the patients skull the length of the clip may be varied from location to location, but under a perfectly controlled operation.

It is also noted that said rectangular unit, including the serrated edge portions 12a and 1212, may be used either with or without the control effected by the encircling band 32 and the

links

26 and 27,

pivotal points

28 and 30, and other related elements. When such control elements are used they will serve to define geometrically the exact form of the curve on which the clipped surface will be produced, and it is evident that a peculiar and special curve of movement of the clip line is thus required for any prescribed location of the band, lengths of the links, and location of the gripping element 23 along the rails 21a (only one of which rails, the near one, is shown in Figures 2 and 4). Thus, the parts may be adjusted so that the length of clip will increase as the clipper is moved to higher locations on the skull, to produce a crew cut of accurately defined form, or for other clipping specifications. Or, by loosening the lock screws 28 (only one of which is shown in said figures), and the screws 29 (only one of which is likewise shown in said figures), a partial control of the movements of the clipper will be effected during the upward movement over the skull surface. Or, by setting the clipper in the one direction or the other along the rails 21a various desired forms of movement of the cutting edge over the skull surface, with varying lengths of the clip may be produced according to the desires of the barber and his patient.

It is also evident that by removing the clipper from the control frame, as by slipping the rails 21a endwise from the grips 23, but leaving the rectangular frame with its serrated edges in pivotal connection with the end portion of the clipper, the barber will have great freedom of choice of the length of the cut during the entire clipper movement, since he will be able to rock the clipper about the pintles 14 as he moves the unit over the patients skull, but keeping the serrated edges at all times in contact with the skull to thus define the plane which includes said edges, and thus also effect that limited amount of control which it is desired to produce in the operation.

I contemplate both forms of operation, either with or without the linkage elements and related parts, as being within the scope of my invention, as defined by the claims.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. The combination with a hair clipper having at one end a pair of cooperating clipper cutting elements acting substantially on a line of clipping extending substantially parallel to said-end and means to actuate said clipper elements for clipping, of means to support and guide the clipper comprising a rectangular frame member of size and contour to encircle said clipper end and having upper and lower perimeter elements having head skull engaging edge portions extending substantially parallel to the line of clipping and having frame end elements joining said upper and lower frame elements and lying in proximity to the side faces of the said clipper end portion, together with a pivotal connection between each end element of the frame and the proximate side face of the end portion of the clipper, said pivotal connections establishing an axis of rock of the hair clipper with respect to the frame and the pivotal connections being so positioned on the side faces of the clipper and on the frame end elements that said axis of rock lies substantially parallel to and displaced from the line of clipping and lies backwardly from a plane surface parallel to the axis of rock and including the head skull engaging edge portions of the frame.

2. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein the head skull engaging edge portions of the upper and lower perimeter elements of the rectangular frame member are serrated.

3. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein the axis of rock lies below the line of clipping when the end of the clipper lies substantially parallel to the plane surface which is parallel to the axis of rock and includes the head skull engaging edge portions of the frame.

4. The combination with a hair clipper for a person, said clipper having at one end a pair of cooperating clipper cutting elements acting substantially on a line of clipping extending substantially parallel to said end and means to actuate said clipper elements for clipping, of means to support and guide the clipper comprising a rectangular frame member of size and contour to encircle said clipper end and having upper and lower perimeter elements having head skull engaging edge portions extending substantially parallel to the line of clipping and. having frame end elements joining said upper and lower frame elements and lying in proximity to the side faces of the said clipper end portion, together with a pivotal connection between each end element of the frame and the proximate side face of the end portion of the clipper, said pivotal connections establishing an axis of rock of the hair clipper with respect to the frame and the pivotal connections being so positioned on the side faces of the clipper and on the frame end elements that said axis of rock lies substantially parallel to and displaced from the line of clipping and lies backwardly from a plane surface parallel to the axis of rock and including the head skull engaging edge portions of the frame, together with secondary guide means for the aforesaid elements, comprising a rail extending substantially parallel to the clipper body, means to secure the rail to the clipper body, a bracket element slidably engaged with the rail and movably adjustable along the rail, means to hold the bracket in adjusted position on the rail, an element removably connected to the person at a point below the head skull, a link, and pivotal connections between one link end and the bracket and between the other link end and the element which is removably connected to the person.

5. Means as defined in claim 4, wherein the pivotal connection between the link and the bracket includes means to vary the effective length of the link between the bracket and the element which is removably connected to the person.

6. Means as defined in claim 4, together with means to lock the connection between the link and the bracket against pivotal rock.

7. Means as defined in claim 4, wherein the link includes two sections which are pivotally connected to gether, together with manually operable means to lock said sections against rocking movement with respect to each other on said pivotal connection.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS