US2838835A

US2838835A - Electric shaver and casing therefor in which the housing of the shaver serves as part of the casing

Info

Publication number: US2838835A
Application number: US504986A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jepson Ivar
Original assignee: Sunbeam Corp
Current assignee: Sunbeam Corp
Priority date: 1955-04-29
Filing date: 1955-04-29
Publication date: 1958-06-17
Anticipated expiration: 1975-06-17
Also published as: CH341092A; FR1147146A; DE1027103B

Description

June 17, 1958 l. .JEPsoN ELECTRIC sHAvER AND cAsING THEREFOR IN wHcH THE HOUSING oF TAE sHAvER sERvEs As PART oF THE oAsxNG Filed April 29, 1955 Wwf/w3 477045955 'HMMMTM.,

United States Patent 2,838,835 ELECTRIC SHAVER AND CASING THEREF OR IN WHICH THE HOUSING OF THE SHAVER SERVES AS PART F THE CASING Ivar Jepson, (lak Park, Ill., assignor to Sunbeam Corporation, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application April 29, 1955, Serial No. 504,986

9 Claims. (Cl. 30-34) heretofore. These have generally consisted of a complete enclosure for receiving the entire electric shaver and unit and its associated electric power cord. Moreover, these cases could be classified into two general types, the pliablebag type and the rigid box type. The pliable bag type case usually includes a flexible or pliable bag or container often incorporatingl a snap or zipper type fastener for maintaining the case in'a closed condition. The rigid box type carrying case, as the name implies, generally comprises a rigid-box ofplastic or other rigidrmaterial with an associated cover often hinged thereto, and sometimes includingasuitable latch for'rholding the cover in closed position. f i

Electric shaver'cases of the above-mentioned types have been 4available for just about as long as electric shavers have been sold, and although they haverproven to be more or less satisfactory over this long period of time, each of the two types mentioned above has certain inherent disadvantages. The rigid box type of case, although affording adequate protection to the shaver contained therein, is generally quite bulky. The pliablebagftype of case, which is ordinarily made of natural or simulated leather, is probably the easiest to use, since the electric cord and shaver are merelyinserted into it and it is then closed. It is, however, susceptible to scratching, cutting, etc., and of more importance is theffact that it does not provide as high a degree of protection to the shaver, and specically the cutting head, as do the rigid box type carrying cases. It will be understood that the most important and perhaps the most easilydamaged part of electric- Shavers comprises the comb and associated cutting head, since it must be exposed in use and-usually is protected only by a comb guard or the like. The rest of the shaver is usuallyY enclosed-in a rigid and sturdy housing, so it doesnotneed protection to the same extent as the cutting mechanism. Although, as mentioned above, the rigid type case adequately protects the cutting mechanism while at the same time not bein-g very susceptible' to scratching and cutting, it `is considerably more bulky than the pliable bag type, and, therefore, in` order to keep the size of this typeof case fairly small so that it can be conveniently stored, the space which is provided therein for the accommodation of the shaver and its cord has accordingly been minimized.- As-a result, when using the rigid'type case, the shaver itself-must beproperly positioned in a certain location in the case, and the electric cord must be wound into a compact unit and placed in its particular portion of the case. If each unit is not so placed, the cover can- -not be closed. Those who use electric shavers know that unless the shaver and cord can be easily and simply placed into `a protective case, the user will not do so, with the result`that1'the cutting head of the shaver is left exposed ICC except perhaps for a removable comb guard and is thus.

susceptible to damage during periods of nonuse.-

Since lall electric shavers are provided with a sturdy housing portion for housing the drive motor and othermechanism, it-would be desirableto effectively provide a protective casing which employs as a part thereof the shaver housing alreadyV provided, and further includes' a cooperating cover portion-which not only would protect the cutting head `ofthe shaver during periods of ,nonuswep but would provide storage space therein .for the powerv cord and the like. Specifically, it would be desirable to eliminate the bulkiness of the conventional rigid boxptype case` while retaining `the desirable. protectiveV .features thereof whereby the electric cord and the delicate por-5` tions of the shaver itself maybe readily enclosedfor properprotecton. It would, moreover, bev desirable A.to

provide a case which, while being handsome in appearancey and sturdy in constructiomcould be used to quickly and facilely enclose vthe electric shaver sovas to provideY the necessary protection thereof. It is also desirable to pro-` vide a fastening mechanism for completing the package to,` insure thatthe shaver and the electric cord which are con? tained within the case cannot fall out orbe damaged when the case is jostled around, as, for example, when it is in a suitcase during traveling. Additionally, it is desirable that this fastening mechanism be manually operated a minimum of time and effort, preferably withthe saline^ motion by which Vthe'case is opened so' as to encourage the use of the case, and it is also desirable, to insurethat this fastening is of such a construction that it will not be-A come struck or jammed, or otherwise defective, even after long periods of use. It is,'moreover, desirable that the electricV shaver `case construction be relatively inexpensive to manufacture so `as not to apprecia'bly increase the over-l all manufacturing cost of an electric shaver with which it is sold.

Accordingly, it is an object of 'the present invention to provide a new and improved combined electric shaver and case.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved electric shaver case wherein 'the disadvantages of prior art constructions enumerated above are completely eliminated.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved electric shaver case which employs an im? proved latch arrangement which may be easily released for removing the electric shaver and cord from the case.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved electric shaver case which is compact in design, handsome in appearance, sturdy in construction; convenient to use, and reliable in performance.

Further objects and advantages of the present 'inven-l tion will become apparent as the following description proceeds, and the features of novelty which characterize the invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.

Briefly, `the above objects are realized in accordance with the present invention by the provision of an elec-- tric shaver case consisting simply of a rigid, cuplike cover portion, the lid of which is adapted tomate with" and engage a shoulder on the electric shaver housing itself, this shoulder being in the vicinity of and surround-4 The cutting head thus extends into a cavity in the cover, and a portion, of the electric shaver housing itself serves as part of ther protective case for the shaver.v In addition, the cavity( ing the cutting head ofthe shaver.

Patented June -17,

' covered by a removable comb guard.

y 3 nolded portions in the shaver housing so as to simply and securely attach the cover to the shaver.

For a better understanding of the present invention, reference may be had to th accompanying drawing in which: h Y

Fig. 1 is an elevational View, partly in section, of a ycombined electric shaver and case embodying the present invention, and illustrating the manner in which the case is used to protect an electric shaver and also house therein a power cord and the like;

Fig. 2 is a sideY elevational view of Fig. l, looking at Fig. 1 from the left and assuming the entire structure is shown in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary partial sectional view taken along line 3-3 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary partial section taken along line 4-4 in Fig. 2, but showing the associated latch in the position it assumes when a latch releasing force is applied in the direction of the arrow;

, Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a portion of a latch mechanism of Figs. 1 to 4; Y

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the cover with the portion shown in Fig. 5 removed; and

Fig. 7 is a partial sectional view taken along line 7 -7 in Fig. 3, assumingY that Fig. 3 shows the complete structure.V n

Referring nowV to the drawing, and particular-ly to Figs. kl to 7, there is illustrated a combined electric shaver and case, generally designated by the reference numeral 10, in which the shaver portion proper, and particularly the operating mechanism thereof, is substantially identical with that of the shaver disclosed and claimed in United States Letters Patent 2,688,184, Jepson, assigned to the same assignee as the instant application. This shaver is designated by the reference numeral 11 and comprises a cup-shaped housing portion 12a which encloses a suitable motor or drive mechanism fully disclosed in the above-identified patent. To complete the housing, there are included housing portions 12b and 12C, commonly called end caps; lbetween which extends a suitable comb 13 which may or may not be It will be understood that the comb 13 forms a part of the cutting mechanism of the shaver. The end caps 12b and 12C and the cap-shaped housing portion 12a may be molded `from a suitable moldable plastic or the like to provide a very pleasing appearance. Beneath the comb 13 and above the housing portion 12a on either side of the shaver are comb locks 14 for removably holding the comb 13 in position and which may be pivoted to a position to permit removal of hair in the space beneath the comb 13. Except for the specific exterior conliguration of the housing portion 12a described in detail hereinafter, the shaver 11 may otherwise be identical with that disclosed in the above-mentioned patent and no further description thereof is included herein.

In accordance with the present invention, the cupshaped shaver housing portion 12a is also employed as a part of a protective case, and to this end there is provided a continuous shoulder 15, which surrounds the cutting head or cutting mechanism and, for purposes of discussion, may be used as the line of demarcation between the shaving head of the shaver and the housing portion 12a thereof. This shoulder 15 effectively is the upper edge of the cup-shaped housing portion 12a which projects outwardly from the

end caps

12b and 12a` and the'comb locks 14.V The housing portion 12a of the shaver 11 may also include any suitable decorative means such as the recess 16, which might also serve as a finger gripping surface to facilitate manipulation of the shaver 11. Those portions of the shaver 11 which are above the shoulder 15 are more fragile and require more protection than do the portions below the shoulder 15 which are amply protected -by the rigid housing portion 12a. Thus, during periods of nonuse, the portion above the shoulder 15 should be given added protection.

For the purpose of providing this added protection and to complete a protective casing for the shaver 11, there is provided a cuplike cover 17 cooperating with the housing portion 12a. As illustrated, the cover 17 is provided around its lower edge with a tapered or chamfered portion 17a to mate with the shoulder 15 on the shaver housing portion 12a, so that when the cover 17 is placed in the position shown in Figs. l and 2 with respect to the shaver 11, the chamfered portion 17a thereof abuts against the shoulder 15 throughout the length thereof. This provides a satisfactory seal whereby dust and other particles are prevented from entering the casing, which essentially is defined by the shaver housing portion 12a and the cover 17. With this arrangement the outer wall of the cover 17 blends smooth- -ly into the housing portion 12a so that when the cover 17 is in position an external appearance of a unitary casing is provided.

To provide storage space, the cover 17 is large enough to provide a substantial storage chamber 1S therein which extends a sufficient distance `beyond the comb 13 and end caps 12b and 12C of the shaver 11, so that a power cord 19 therefor may easily be positioned within this recess or cavity 18 and stored therein when the cover 17 is in the position of Fig. 1 of the drawing. Since Figs. l and 2 are full scale drawings of a commercial embodiment of the present invention, it will be appreciated that the complete package including the combined shaver and case is relatively small and compact even with the additional storage space provided by the cavity 18. Although a smaller space 18 could be provided and still accommodate an electric cord 19, in order to encourage the use of the cover 1 7 to protect the shaver 11, it has been found desirable to make this space suiiiciently large, whereby the cord may be inserted therein without great care as to the manner in which it is wrapped or folded. The storage space provided is suicient to accommodate, in addition to the cord 19, a tube of sharpening compound and also a small brush for periodically cleaning the whiskers out of the shaver. Preferably the power cord 19 may be wrapped around four lingers of one hand and then pushed into the open end of the cover 17 before placing the cover into the position shown in Figs. l and 2 of the drawing.

Since the cover 17 is relatively rigid, being molded from a plastic material such as, for example, the same material from which the housing portion 12a of the shaver 11 is molded, a sturdy enclosure is provided for protecting the cutting head of the shaver from possible damage, while, at the same time, providing a over-all unit which is very compact, especially when compared with conventional prior art type electric shaver cases.

In order to secure the cover 17 to the shaver 11 and yet permit ready connection to and removal thereof from the shaver 11, a pair vof spring biased pivotable latches 20 are provided, one on either side of the cover 17. Since the latches 20 are identical in construction, being counterparts of one another, only the latch 20 which is visible in Fig. 2 of the drawing is described. It will be understood, however, that two such latches are provided, one on each side of the case, both of which must be actuated when the cover 17 is removed from or attached to the shaver housing.

Specifically, the latches 20 each consist of a spring latching member 21 which is disposed in a recess 17b defined in the inner wall of the cover 17 and is secured to the cover 17 by means of a suitable rivet 22 which extends through an aperture 17C in the cover. A U- shaped portion 21a which is provided at the lower end of the spring latching member 21 is self-biased inwardly toward the shaver 11 so as to coact with a cooperating recess 23 preferably molded into the housing for shaverv S 11. Specifically, each end cap 12b and 12C is illustrated as being provided with a recess 23 cooperating with the latch portion 21a of latching member 21.. Therefore, when the cover 11 is placed with the rim or edge 17a thereof in abutment with the shoulder 15 on the shaver housing portion 12a, the U-shaped latch portions 21a of the spring latching members 21 are self-biased into latching engagement with the recesses 23 thereby to .secure the cover 17 to the shaver 11.

So as to facilitate the manual actuation of the latch mechanisms 20 to withdraw the U-shaped latch portions 21a of thelatching spring 21 from engagement with the recesses 23 of the shaver 11, there is provided on each side of the cover 17 a pivotally mounted latch actuating member 25 having an inwardly directed protuberance 25a at the lower end thereof, the inner end of which protuberance is upturned and has disposed thereon a tab 26 which is adapted to be received in a rectangularly shaped Islot 2lb provided near the end of the corresponding spring latching member 21.

The actuating member 25, which is conveniently a metal stamping, has a pair of integral side walls 25b and 25e which taper outwardly from the respective upper corners of each member 25 to approximately the longitudinal median thereof, at which point a pair of

convex shoulders

27 and 28 are delined. Thus, there are provided inegral fulcrums delined by the

shoulders

27 and 28 upon which the latch actuating members 25 are pivoted to actuate the spring latching members 21 to latch releasing position. Y

In order to accommodate the sides 25h and 25C of the latch actuating member 25 Within the cover in a manner to permit pivotal movement about the

shoulders

27 and 28 thereby to withdraw the latch portion 21a out of the recess 23, a pair of spaced,

parallel slots

29 and 30 are formed in the wall of the cover 17 for each of the latches 20 in positions corresponding to the desired locations of the walls 25b and 25C of the member 25. These

slots

29 and 30 further serve to prevent lateralm movement of each of the members 25 so that there is no interference with the etlicient operation of the latches 20.

For the purpose of providing supports for the

shoulders

27 and 28 and to limit downward movement of each latch actuating member 25, the cover 17 is provided with a pair of

abutments

31 and 32 in the

slots

29 and 30 in a position to engage the

shoulders

27 and 28, respectively. To provide a smooth surface on the inner walls of the cover 17 without making these walls unnecessarily thick, the

slots

29 and 30 on each side of the cover 17 are preferably defined between a U-shaped rib 33 and an upstanding rectangular portion 34, best shown in Figs. 6 and 7 of the drawing.

For the purpose of further securing each of the latch actuating members 25 in position, the upper end of each is provided with a laterally extending tab 25a having a tongue 35 at the end thereof receivable within an opening 21e` defined in the corresponding spring latching member 21. Initially, the tongue 35 is disposedin the plane of the tab 25d, as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawing, but upon assembly each of the tabs 35 is deformed to the position shown in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawing, thereby maintaining the parts in assembled relationship and effectively dening a stop to limit the maximum counterclockwise movement of the latch actuating member 25, as viewed in Fig. 3 of the drawing.

In order to utilize the case of the present invention to protect the shaver 11, the shaver cord 19 is first placed in the chamber 18 in the cover 17, and the cover is then placed over the cutting head including the end caps 12b and 12e of the shaver 11. As the rim or edge 17a of the cover 17 is moved toward the shoulder 15, the latch portionsv21a ride outwardly over the curved upper surfaces of the end caps 12b and 12a` until the rim 17a engages the shoulder 15. At that time the latch portions 21a are opposite the recesses 23 and snap into latchassessesa n age space for the shaver cord and the like.

When a person desires to remove the cover 17 from the shaver 11, he merely presses on the upper portions of the latches 20 with his thumb and middle inger, respectively, in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 4 of the drawing, eiectively squeezing the upper latch portions together while pulling the cover 17 away from the shaver 11. In one continuous motion the latches 20 are released and the shaver cutting head is exposed for use with the electric cord being right at hand for ready attachment to the shaver 11 and to a suitable power outlet.

There is thus provided a combined shaver and case 10 which is structurally rigid so as to adequately protect the shaver 11, is compact in design and simple to use so as to encourage its use to protect the shaver 11, and is handsome in appearance and inexpensive to manufacture so as to be readily saleable.

While a particular embodiment of the invention has been shown, it will be understood, of course, that the ,invention is not limited thereto, since many modifications may be made, and it is, therefore, contemplated by the appended claims to cover any such` modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A combined shaver and case comprising an electric shaver having a housing portion and an associated cutting mechanism, means defining a shoulder on said housing portion surrounding said cutting mechanism, and a cupshaped cover member for receiving therein said cutting mechanism, said cover member having a single opening therein, said opening being at one end of said cover member, and said cover member including a rim surrounding said single opening engageable with said shoulder portion.

2. The combined shaver and case of claim l wherein said housing portion and cover member Iprovide a rigid housing with the outer wall of said cover member smoothly conforming with the outer wall of said housing portion.

3. A `case for an electric shaver of the type having a shaving head, comprising, a cuplke housing .portion defining a unitary part of said shaver, means defining a rim on said housing at least Ipartially surrounding said shaving head, a cuplike cover member having the rim portion thereof adapted to mate with the rim on said housing portion, the cavity in said cover member being larger than required to house the shaving head of said shaver whereby the electric cord for said shavermay be stored in a portion of the cavity of said cover during periods when the shaver is not in use, and latch means for removably attaching said :cover to said housing.

4. A shaver case comprising a cover defining a recess therein, a shaver having a housing partially enclosing the drive mechanism whereby only the cutting mechanism is exposed, said cover mating with a portion of said housing to enclose said cutting mechanism and a portion of said housing, said cover having a cavity therein substantially larger than that necessary to house said cutting mechanism whereby accessories for said shaver may be housed therein, a latch on said cover resiliently biased into the recess of said cover, Imeans on that portion of said housing received rwithin said cover for -coacting with said latch to maintain said cover in engagement with said housing, and means exterior of said cover for manually moving said latch out of. said recess, said housing having an outwardly Vtapered portion for progressively moving said latch outwardly against said bias as said cover is :placed on said shaver whereby said cover is secured in place .merely by inserting said cutting mechanism of said shaver therein.

5. In an electric shaver case of the type having tirst and second walled portions removably engaging one another to form an enclosure, an improved latching mechanism, comprising, a leaf springlattached near one end thereof to the inner side of the wall of said first portion, latching means supported on said leaf spring and biased into latching engagement thereby, coacting means on said second portion for cooperating with said latching means to hold said first and second portions together, and latch actuating means pivotally mounted intermediate the ends thereof on the outer side of the wall of said first portion, said latch actuating means having a connection with the free end of said leaf spring and having a movable portion to disengage said latc'hing means from said coacting means when .said latch actuating means is pivoted whereby a force exerted on said latch actuating means permits the separation of said rst and second portions.

6. A latch comprising a ysupport wall, a leaf spring securednear one end to one side of said wall and having a reverse bend near the other end, said bend forming a U-shaped Iportion directed away from said wall, an aperture in said wall through which said other end of said 'spring m'ovably extends, an actuating member .pivotally disposed on the other `side of said wall and connected to said other end of said spring, another aperture in said wall through which the other end of said actuating member extend-s, and means on said one side of said Iwall for maintaining said other end of said actuating member on said one side of said wall whereby pivotal movement of 8 said actuating member moves said U-shaped portion toward said wall to latch releasing position.

7. The latch of claim 6 wherein said actuating member includes portions disposed within spaced parallel slots dened on the other side of said wall for conning movement of said actuating member to pivotal movement.

8. The latch of claim 6 wherein said actuating member includes means engageable with the other end of said leaf spring for limiting maximum pivotal movement thereof in one direction.

9. A lat-:hing mechanism comprising a support 'having a wall, a leaf spring secured at one end to one side of said wall, a protuberance near the other end of said spring, and a latch actuating member pivotally mounted on the other side of said wall, said latch actuating member having a protruding portion intermediate the ends thereof which is held in engagement with the outer side of said wall by means of said leaf spring which is attached to one end of said actuating member in the vicinity of `said protuberance.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,320,807 Upham June 1, 1943 2,379,969 Kobler et al. July 10, 1945 2,395,296 Schwab Feb. 19, 1946 2,561,241 Streng July 17, 1951