US3162944A

US3162944A - Close grip safety razor

Info

Publication number: US3162944A
Application number: US215902A
Authority: US
Inventors: Sam M Baseel
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1962-08-09
Filing date: 1962-08-09
Publication date: 1964-12-29
Anticipated expiration: 1981-12-29

Description

Dec. 29, 1964 s. M. BASEEL CLOSE GRIP SAFETY RAZOR Filed Aug. 9, 1962.

United States Patent 3,162,944 CLOSE GRE SAFETY RAZOR Sam M. Baseel, 6205 Loughborough Ave., St. Louis, Mo. Filed Aug. 9, 1962, Ser. No. 215,902 6 Claims. (Cl. 39-605) The invention relates to safety razors of the familiar type utilizing double edge, thin, flexible blades clamped between cooperating head members and the invention comprises the features of construction which adapts such a razor to be held and manipulated readily by a user who is shaving a person other than himself.

The objects of the invention are to combine the advantages of a safety razor of the type referred to and an ordinary open razor of the type generally used by a barber, particularly in providing for holding the razor by grasping the blade area directly between the thumb and fingers of the user; to render the razor readily adjustable for right or left hands and to facilitate use of opposite edges of a double blade and for application to irregular surfaces of the skin of the person being shaved; and to avoid interference with the shaving operation by the elongated rigid handle usually present in safety razors of the type referred to.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention:

FIG. 1 shows a hand of a user with the razor in operating position, a portion of the razor, by which it is held, being also shown in broken lines in a dilferent position.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the razor shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a vertical transverse section through the razor opened up but also showing the razor in closed position in broken lines.

FIG. 4 is an end view of a razor embodying a modification of the form shown in FIGS. 1-3.

FIG. 5 is an end view of a razor embodying another modification of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a top view of the razor shown in FIG. 5.

The razor including its blade holding parts are of the familiar type mentioned, having a head or body 1 with side edges 2 forming guards spaced from side support element 3. Movable relative to the head is a blade carrier comprising an elongated upstanding central element 5 with upstanding transverse end bars 6. A bladeholding structure includes arcuate caps 7, 8 each having lugs 9 pivoted at 10 to bars 6. Central element 5 includes a threaded stem 11 slidable in head 1 by manual rotation tion shown in FIG. 1, distorting a thin flexible blade 15 and clamping it in operating position between elements 7, 8 and 3. Cap 8 is provided with a pair of upstanding ears 17 at opposite ends projecting upwardly of the cap 8 and over the adjacent portion of cap 7, when the razor is closed.

Ears 17 are apertured to form bearings for an elongated pivot 19 extending lengthwise of the head and positioned on the transverse center line 18 of the head when the caps are closed. Between car 17 a finger holding piece 21 is crimped at one side edge to form an elongated sleeve hearing about pivot 19 so as to swing thereon in an arc transversely of the length of the razor blade between the two positions indicated in FIG. 1. The swinging side edge of finger piece 21 is crimped to form a pair of

shoulders

22, 23 facing toward the pivot.

When the razor is closed, the finger piece may be swung to either side of the razor so as to overlie either cap 7, 8 and the associated guard 2. In this position the razor may be grsaped as shown in FIG. 1 and readily manipulated by the user to be moved over a surface to be shaved. The thumb of the user may be applied directly to the nut-like piece 12 or to the underface of the razor head and nearer to a guard 2.

The shouldered portion of the finger piece is extended lengthwise of the blade beyond the end of the same and of the head, and one, two, three or four fingers may engage the uppermost shoulder 22, thus providing for a secure grasp of the razor.

FIG. 4 illustrates another form of the invention particularly adapted for a generally similar razor in which a removable one-piece rigid clamping cap 31 has a central upstanding car 32 at each end journaling a pivot 33 on which is swivelled a finger piece 34 corresponding to that previously described.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate another form of the invention in which the blade side support elements 41 and clamping

cap structure

44, 45 correspond to that shown in FIGS. 1-3 but a single car 47 projects from cap 44 at the center of the latter and a pivot 49 extends vertically through car 47 and a finger piece 51 has a central projecting portion 52 receiving pivot 49. The joint between the pivot and the finger piece is loose so that the finger piece may tilt vertically and swing, in a plane generally parallel to the plane of the cap structure, from one side of the razor to the other side of the razor, as indicated in broken lines in FIG. 6.

In each form of the invention the usual elongated handle rigid with the head is eliminated and the razor is grasped effectively by thumb and fingers at opposite sides of the shallow blade clamping elements and closely adjacent to the blade itself, as is characteristic of the use of the old-fashioned straight blade razor in general use by barbers.

Although the razor disclosed herein is particularly adapted for use by barbers, it may be used readily by others including a person shaving himself.

The details of construction may be varied other than as shown Without departing from the spirit of the inven tion and the exclusive use of modifications coming within the scope of the claims is contemplated.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination in a safety razor comprising a blade support structure with spaced side elements for engaging the spaced margins of a separable blade,

a cap structure with spaced side elements overlying said support side elements,

means for drawing said support structure and cap structure toward each other to clamp the margins of a blade between said elements,

a flat surface finger piece provided with a pivot extending along one edge of the finger piece and journaled on one of said structures substantially intermediate the side elements of the latter,

said finger piece being movable about said pivot to a position over and in contact with either side element of said cap structure and projecting beyond the adjacent cutting edge of a blade to accommodate gripping of an upper face of the finger piece and the lower face of the support structure between opposed fingers and thumb of a user, respectively, but leaving the opposite cutting edge of the blade projecting away from the opposite side elements of the support structure and cap structure for shaving, said finger piece being reversible on said pivot to provide for use of either cutting edge of the blade.

2. A combination as described in claim 1 in which the swinging edge of the finger piece is olfset transversely of the flat surface of the remainder of the finger piece and forms a shoulder extending lengthwise of the finger piece and facing the pivot for engagement by the tips of the users fingers.

3. A combination as described in claim 1 in which the 3 v pivot on the cap structure extends substantially parallel with the edges of the support structure and the finger piece has an elongated sleeve bearing closely engaging the pivot.

4. A combination as described in claim 1 in which the pivot is disposed vertically at the center of the cap structure and the finger piece rotates in anarc substantially parallel to the Width of the cap structure in moving from contact with one edge of the support to contact with the Other edge of the support.

- 5. In a safety razor comprising a body with elongated elements forming a support for a separable blade,

' blade holding caps having individual pivots respectively at opposite end portions of said support With the pivotaxes parallel to said elements, the caps being movable about their respective pivots to project upwardly from said support, to accommodate application of a blade'to the support, and'to overlie said support and clamp a blade thereto, 7 7 means drawing said support and caps together, 7 a finger piece having one edge pivoted along the movable edge of one of said caps and tiltable thereon in an arc transverse to the length of said elements and caps to overlie a selected one of said marginal portions of said support and project a finger-engageable part beyond the adjacent edge of said support mar ginal portion.

6. In a safety razor, a shallow blade support structure with convex-concave upper and lower faces and similarly shaped cooperating cap structure,- 1 i a tightening device with a manually operable element at the concave face of the support structure for drawing the two structures together to clamp a blade between them, i a

a finger holding piece with pivots on said cap structure to swing about an are extending transversely of said structure and to a position at either side of said structures to project beyond the latter,

said finger piece being provided near its swinging edge With upstanding and depending shoulders facing to- Ward its pivotsfor engagement by the fingers of a user in opposition to a thumb underlying said support structure. V

References Cited in the file of this patent V UNITED STATES PATENTS 731,090

I Muros Nov. 10,

Claims

1. IN COMBINATION IN A SAFETY RAZOR COMPRISING A BLADE SUPPORT STRUCTURE WITH SPACED SIDE ELEMENTS FOR ENGAGING THE SPACED MARGINS OF A SEPARABLE BLADE, A CAP STRUCTURE WITH SPACED SIDE ELEMENTS OVERLYING SAID SUPPORT SIDE ELEMENTS, MEANS FOR DRAWING SAID SUPPORT STRUCTURE AND CAP STRUCTURE TOWARD EACH OTHER TO CLAMP THE MARGINS OF A BLADE BETWEEN SAID ELEMENTS, A FLAT SURFACE FINGER PIECE PROVIDED WITH A PIVOT EXTENDING ALONG ONE EDGE OF THE FINGER PIECE AND JOURNALED ON ONE OF SAID STRUCTURES SUBSTANTIALLY INTERMEDIATE THE SIDE ELEMENTS OF THE LATTER, SAID FINGER PIECE BEING MOVABLE ABOUT SAID PIVOT TO A POSITION OVER AND IN CONTACT WITH EITHER SIDE ELEMENT OF SAID CAP STRUCTURE AND PROJECTING BEYOND THE ADJACENT CUTTING EDGE OF A BLADE TO ACCOMMODATE GRIPPING OF AN UPPER FACE OF THE FINGER PIECE AND THE LOWER FACE OF THE SUPPORT STRUCTURE BETWEEN OPPOSED FINGERS AND THUMB OF A USER, RESPECTIVELY, BUT LEAVING THE OPPOSITE CUTTING EDGE OF THE BLADE PROJECTING AWAY FROM THE OPPOSITE SIDE ELEMENTS OF THE SUPPORT STRUCTURE AND CAP STRUCTURE FOR SHAVING, SAID FINGER PIECE BEING REVERSIBLE ON SAID PIVOT TO PROVIDE FOR USE OF EITHER CUTTING EDGE OF THE BLADE.