US3106774A - Razor blade and one-piece holder combination - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 15, 1963 A, w. WHlTTON, JR 3,106,774

' RAZOR BLADE AND ONE-PIECE HOLDER COMBINATION Filed June 50. 1961 QZZdea/b Z55 4] L/fiZMW/L,

vif as' United States Patent 3,106,774 RAZOR BLADE AND ONE-PIECE HOLDER COMBINATION Algiean W. Wliitton, In, Glenview, llll., assignor to American Hospital Supply Corporation, Evanston, 111., a

corporation of Illinois Filed June 30, 1961, Ser. No. 121,108 3 Claims. (CI. 30-32) This invention relates to a device for use in shaving and, more specifically, to a razor particularly adapted for use in shaving the human body. A main object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive razor which may be discarded after a single use and which is therefore particularly useful in hospitals and other institutions where cleaning and sterilization are costly and bacterial cross-contamination is an ever present hazard. More specifically, it is an object to provide an inexpensive razor of one-piece plastic construction (exclusive of the blade) which is capable of being readily manufactured by an injection molding process. Another object is to provide a low-cost disposable razor having a double-edge blade and having a shaving capacity considerably greater than the single edge blades of limited-use razors which are presently commercially available. A further object is to provide a disposable razor comprising a one-piece plastic holder and a double-edged blade carried thereby, the holder and blade being simple to assemble and cooperating when fully assembled to maintain the blade in securely locked position.

Other objects will appear from the specification and drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is an isometric view of a razor embodying the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an end view of the razor looking from the end of the handle thereof;

FIGURE 3 is a broken sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 44 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged partial section of the razor illustrating the size relationship between the handle and the openings of blades of different curvature.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, the razor consists essentially of a razor blade generally designated by the numeral 11 and a one-piece plastic blade holder generally designated by the numeral 12. Except for the enlarged portion 13 of its opening 14, blade 11 is substantially identical to a conventional double-edged razor blade. Blade 11 is formed from highly tempered spring steel of the type commonly used for thin double-edged razor blades and, as shown most clearly in FIGURE 2, has end portions 15 substantially narrower than the width of the remainder of the blade.

Blade holder 12 comprises a handle 16 and a shaving head 17. The head and handle are integrally formed from a thermoplastic material such as polystyrene, methyl methacrylate, cellulose acetate butyrate, etc. As shown in FIGURE 3, handle 16 is hollow and the entire holder is shaped to permit forming in one piece by injection molding techniques. The one-piece construction of the holder results in a low cost structure which makes disposal after a single use economically feasible and which eliminates the costly cleaning and sterilizing procedures otherwise necessary for hospital use.

Handle 16 has a generally cylindrical configuration. The base portion 18 has a smooth outer surface whereas the remainder of the handle is provided with longitudinally-extending and circumferentially-spaced ribs 19.

Like the head of a conventional safety razor, head 17 is generally rectangular in shape and of arcuate transverse section. The outer surface 20 of the head is convex while 3,106,774 Patented Oct. 15, 1963.

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the inner surface 21 is concave. Along each side of the head are longitudinally-extending slits or openings 22 through which the ground longitudinal edges of blade 11 project when the blade is fitted snugly against the heads inner surface (FIGURE 3).

At each end of the head along the undersurface thereof are a pair of spaced shoulders 23 having outwardly sloping blade-engaging surfaces 23a merging with substantially parallel and opposing blade-engaging surfaces 23b (FIGURES l, 2 and 4). Since the spacing between surfaces 2312 for each pair of shoulders is less than the width of the end portions 15 of blade 11, the blade-engaging surfaces 231) cooperate with the longitudinal edges of blade end portions 15 to produce and maintain the blade curvature illustrated most clearly in FIGURE 4. As a centrally apertured blade 11, fitted over handle 16, is urged towards the heads concave inner surface 21, contact between the blades end portions 15 and the sloping surfaces 23a of the shoulders tends to cam the longitudinal edges of the end portions 15 inwardly towards each other and, in so doing, imposes a transverse curvature upon the blade. Such a cooperative action between the blade and the shoulder surfaces 23a, and the resulting curvature of the blade, is indicated in FIGURE 4 by the broken lines 11a showing a blade advancing in the direction of arrow 25.

Once the curved blade is fully seated against the concave surface 21, its natural springiness tends to resist the curvature imposed on it and forces the longitudinal edges of end portions 15 tightly against the shoulders to lock the blade firmly in place. Since surfaces 23b are parallel the side edges of blade end portions 15 will firmly engage or wedge against these shoulder surfaces and will not tend to slide free thereof when the blade is in fully inserted position. It is to be noted that when the razor is in use, the forces normally imposed upon the blade during a shaving operation tend to urge the blade into a straightened or planar condition and, as a result, such forces increase the locking action between the edges of the blades end portions and the surfaces 23b of the shoulders.

It is believed from the foregoing that the structure of the present invention constitutes a simple and highly effective shaving device which is relatively inexpensive because of the one-piece molded plastic construction of its holder. Preferably, blade 11 is fitted upon the holder by the manufacturer and the unit is packaged and marketed as a complete razor suitable for disposal after one or more uses.

While in the foregoing I have disclosed an embodiment of the invention in considerable detail for purposes of illustration, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that many of these details may be varied without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A safety razor comprising a one-piece holder having an elongated handle and a head at one end of said handle, said head being generally rectangular in shape and having a transverse concavity along the handle-facing side thereof, a thin flexible razor blade of generally rectangular shape being disposed along the concave side of said head, said head being provided along said concave side with at least one pair of spaced opposing surfaces engaging opposite longitudinal edge portions of said blade, said blade normally being flat when in an untensioned state and being held by said opposing surfaces in a flexed and tensioned condition with a curvature conforming with the concavity of said head, whereby, said blade is firmly anchored in place by the tension thereof directed against the spaced surfaces of said head.

2. A safety razor comprising a one-piece plastic holder having an elongated handle and a head at one end of said handle, said head being generally rectangular in shape and having a transverse concavity along the handle-facing side thereof, a thin flexible razor blade of generally rectangular shape being disposed along the concave side of said head, said head being provided along said concave side and adjacent opposite ends of said head with pairs of transversely-spaced shoulders providing opposing surfaces engaging opposite longitudinal edge portions of said blade at each end thereof, said blade normally being fiat when in an untensioned state and being held by the opposing surfaces of said pairs of shoulders in a flexed and tensioned condition with a blade curvature conforming with the concavity of said head, whereby, said blade is firmly locked in place by the tension thereof exerted against said shoulder surfaces.

3. A safety razor comprising a one-piece plastic holder having an elongated handle and a head extending normal to said handle at one end thereof, said head being generally rectangular in shape and having a transverse concavity along the handle-facing side thereof, a thin flexible razor blade of generally rectangular shape being disposed along the concave side of said head and having an opening therethrough receiving said handle, said head being provided along said concave side and adjacent op- 4 posite ends of said head with pairs of transversely-spaced shoulders, each pair of shoulders being provided with opposing and generally parallel surfaces immediately adjacent the concave surface of said head, said parallel surfaces engaging opposite longitudinal edge portions of said blade at each end thereof, said pairs of shoulders also having inclined surfaces remote from the concave surface of said head and diverging in the general direction of said handle, said blade normally being fiat when in an untensioned state and being held by said parallel surfaces in a flexed and tensioned condition with a curvature conforming with the concavity of said head, whereby, said blade is firmly locked in place by the tension thereof exerted against the parallel surfaces of said head.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,018,042 Thompson Oct. 22, 1935 2,353,599 Swann et al July 11, 1944 2,558,601 Winslow June 26, 1951 2,580,058 Willhelm Dec. 25, 1951 2,712,178 Marzio July 5, 1955

Claims (1)

1. A SAFETY RAZOR COMPRISING A ONE-PIECE HOLDER HAVING AN ELONGATED HANDLE AND A HEAD AT ONE END OF SAID HANDLE, SAID HEAD BEING GENERALLY RECTANGULAR IN SHAPE AND HAVING A TRANSVERSE CONCAVITY ALONG THE HANDLE-FACING SIDE THEREOF, A THIN FLEXIBLE RAZOR BLADE OF GENERALLY RECTANGULAR SHAPE BEING DISPOSED ALONG THE CONCAVE SIDE OF SAID HEAD, SAID HEAD BEING PROVIDED ALONG SAID CONCAVE SIDE WITH AT LEAST ONE PAIR OF SPACED OPPOSING SURFACES ENGAGING OPPOSITE LONGITUDINAL EDGE PORTIONS OF SAID BLADE, SAID BLADE NORMALLY BEING FLAT WHEN IN AN UNTENSIONED STATE AND BEING HELD BY SAID OPPOSING SURFACES IN A FLEXED AND TENSIONED CONDITION WITH A CURVATURE CONFORMING WITH THE CONCAVITY OF SAID HEAD, WHEREBY, SAID BLADE IS FIRMLY ANCHORED IN PLACE BY THE TENSION THEREOF DIRECTED AGAINST THE SPACED SURFACES OF SAID HEAD.

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