US3216109A

US3216109A - Electric shaver

Info

Publication number: US3216109A
Application number: US298370A
Authority: US
Inventors: Carl E Erickson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1963-07-29
Filing date: 1963-07-29
Publication date: 1965-11-09
Anticipated expiration: 1982-11-09

Description

Nov. 9, 1965 c. E. ERICKSON ELECTRIC SHAVER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 29, 1963 INVENTOR. Car/ 5. inc/(50f; BY I j ATTORNEY Nov. 9, 1965 c. E. ERICKSON ELECTRIC SHAVER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 29, 1963 Ill INVENTOR. Car/ 5 fr/cks 0/7 ATTO KN D.

United States Patent 3,216,109 ELECTRIC SHAVER Carl E. Erickson, 678 Carroll Drive, Moraga, Calif. Filed July 29, 1963, Ser. No. 238,370 4 Claims. (Cl. 3041.5)

This invention relates to an electric shaver having overlapping cutting means and hair collecting means therefor. The main objects of this invention are:

First, to provide an electric shaver which is easily manipulated in use and is highly efficient.

Second, to provide an electric shaver which comprises a foraminate fixed cutter and shield member of curved cross section and of substantial width and a coacting rotatable blade unit having a plurality of axially spaced parallel disk-like blades fixedly mounted on the shaft to constitute a unit and so that each blade has a reverse stroke or movement relative to the fixed blade on ecah rotation of the unit and the strokes of adjacent blades overlap.

Third, to provide an electric shaver having these advantages which includes a chamber in which the rotatable blade unit is disposed and having a waste discharge conveyor located at the inner end thereof, the body member having a detachable waste receptacle unit into which said conveyor discharges.

Fourth, to provide an electric shaver having these features in which the body member provides a handle which may be conveniently and effectively grasped for manipulating the shaver in use sidewise in either directions and in widely varying angular relation to the surface on which it is operated.

Objects relating to details and economies of the invention will appear from the description to follow. A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a shaver embodying my invention, several parts being shown conventionally.

FIG. 2 is an end view thereof from the right of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal fragmentary view partially in section on a line corresponding to line 33 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a transverse section on a line corresponding to line 44 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the rotatable blade unit.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a fragment of the shaft, one of the blades, and one of the blade supporting collars illustrated in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view on a line corresponding to line 77 of FIG. 3.

In the accompanying drawing some of the parts are shown mainly conventionally and it should be understood that in the drawing it is not practical to illustrate parts in the size of a commercial embodiment.

In the accompanying drawing, the housing designated generally by the numeral 1 comprises a pair of complementary members 2 which include side wall portions 3 conformed to provide a handhold or grip portion and complementary end wall portions 4. The two sections, in the embodiment illustrated, are secured together by the screws 5 and 6.

The housing side walls terminate in substantially inwardly spaced relation to the outer ends of the end walls and they are inwardly curved to provide handholds or grip portions. The ends of the end walls project beyond the outer edges of the side walls to receive the fixed cutter and shield unit 7 which is of curved cross section and extends from end to end of the housing and which comprises frame engaging end members 8 and the longitudinal side members 9 which connect the inner ends of the end members 8 and are disposed against the outer edges of the side walls 2. This unit includes a foraminate 3,216,109 Patented Nov. 9, 1965 fixed cutter and shield 10 which in the embodiment illustrated has diagonally disposed slot-like portions 11 with serrated edges and thickly disposed perforations 12, the structure in this respect being substantially that of my pending application for patent, Serial No. 213,219, filed July 30, 1962 which has matured into Patent No. 3,154, 851, granted November 3, 1964.

The rotatably driven blade unit comprises a shaft 13 and a plurality of disk-like oval blades 14 desirably of uniform thickness and which may be formed of sheet stock and are supportedly mounted on the shaft 13 in inclined relation to its axes and in spaced parallel relation to each other, these blades being supported in spaced relation by the spacing members 15 which also serve as reinforcing members for the blades. The shaft 13 is provided with a longitudinally extending rib or spline 16, the blades being provided with notches 17 engaging this rib, and the spacing members 15 are provided with notches 18 engaging the rib or spline 16.

These blades 14 are disposed in such angular relation to the shaft and in such spaced relation to each other that as the shaft is rotated the blades are in shearing relation to the fixed cutter and shield unit and as the shaft 'is rotated the positioning of the blades in inclined relation results in a sweeping shearing action of the blades relative to the fixed cutter and shield unit as is indicated by dotted lines in FIG. 3. This results in a compound cutting action of the blades relative to the fixed cutter, substantial arcs of the edges of the blades being in constant shearing relation to the fixed cutter and shield unit and this produces a very desirable cutting or shearing action. For example, the periphery of one blade at one extreme tilted portion thereof sweeps around the inside of the fixed cutter shield in a circular path with trailing portions of that same blade sweeping portions of the shield displaced progressively axially toward the axial center of the blade. Since the blades are spaced on the shaft 13 so that one extreme of one blade is axially displaced beyond the opposite extreme edge of its adjacent blade, the opposite extreme tilted edge of a second or adjacent blade, and its trailing portion will follow the path and at least a portion of the surface just traversed by the first portion of the first blade being considered. Further, the axial progression of such opposite edge of the second blade will be opposite to the axial progression of the first blade, over the same area of the inside of the shield. Thus one blade will sweep to the right and the adjacent blade will sweep to the left in opposite or compound shearing action over a series of perforations 12 and portions of slots 11. If the first blade does not make a complete clean cut of a whisker, the next blade will pick up the remaining fragment and shear it 0E oppositely against the opposite edge of the hole or slot through which the fragment may be projecting. In this illustrated embodiment of my invention nearly fifty percent (50%) of the edges of the blades are in operative relation to the fixed cutter unit. The minor axes of the ovals of the blades are perpendicular to the axis of the shaft and their radii on that axis is equal to the radius of said shield unit. The other radii of the oval shapes increase to a maximum as a function of the angle of each radii to the axis of the shaft, being equal to the radius of the shield unit divided by the sine of the angle of each radii to the shaft.

The driving, electric motor 19 is supportedly mounted in the inner end of the housing to extend longitudinally thereof and in substantially parallel relation to the cutter unit.

The motor shaft 211 is supported on

bearings

21 and 22 and is connected by the

gears

23, 24 and 25- to the shaft 13, the gear 25 being disposed at one end of the shaft. The electrical connections for the motor to a source of power is indicated at 26.

In this embodiment of my invention the chamber in which the driven blade unit is disposed is provided with a discharge way 27 with which the spiral conveyor 28 coacts to discharge the clippings into the receptacle 29 which has dovetailed engagement at 30 with the housing and which is provided with a retaining detent 31. The gear 24 is mounted on the shaft of the conveyor which has a bearing 32 at its end on which the gear 24 is mounted, and a bearing 33 at its other end, these bearings being mounted in the housing end members as are also the bearings for the motor shaft and the blade unit shaft or spindle 13.

The driven cutter blade unit of my present invention includes the arrangement of the disk-like oval blades in inclined relation to the axes of the shaft as in my said pending application. The structure of this application is highly efiicient and may be produced much more economically than that of the above referred to patent although it will be understood that the shearing action of the blades relative to the fixed cutter is the same.

I have illustrated and described my invention in a highly practical embodiment thereof. I have not attempted to illustrate or describe other adaptations or embodiments which I contemplate as I believe this disclosure will enable those skilled in the art to embody or adapt my invention as may be desired.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to secure by letters Patent is:

1. In a razor, the combination of a chambered body member dimensioned to constitute a handpiece and having an opening in its outer end extending from side to side thereof, an elongated foraminate fixed cutter and shield unit of cylindrically curved cross section supportedly mounted on and constituting a closure for said opening in the outer end of said body member, a blade unit comprising a shaft rotatably mounted at its ends on said body member, a plurality of disk-like oval blades of uniform thickness supportedly mounted on said shaft in fixed inclined relation to its axis and in spaced parallel relation to each other with the radii of the ovals being equal to the radius of said shield unit divided by the sine of the angle between the axis of the shaft and radii of the oval whereby the peripheries of the blades are in coacting shearing relation to said fixed cutter and shield unit, said blades having continuous peripheral shearing edges coacting with said fixed cutter and shield unit and being spaced by a distance less than twice the radius of said shield unit divided by the tangent of the angle of the major axes of the oval shapes to the axis of the shaft so that the sweeps of the cutting edges of adjacent blades overlap on each rotation of the blade unit with the peripheral edges of the blades in coacting shearing relation to the said cutter and shield unit, means for driving said blade unit shaft including an electric motor mounted in said housing and having driving connection to said blade unit shaft at one end thereof, said body member having a conveyor way disposed in substantially spaced relation to and opening to the chamber in which the said blade unit is disposed, and a spiral clipping discharge conveyor rotatably mounted in said body member in coacting relation to said conveyor way and drivingly connected to said motor, said body member having a detachable waste receptacle disposed at the discharge end of said conveyor way.

2. In a razor, the combination of a chambered body member dimensioned and conformed to constitute a handpiece and including end walls, an elongated foraminate fixed cutter and shield of arcuate curved cross section and of substantial width supportedly mounted on and constituting the outer end wall of said chambered body member, a rotatable blade unit comprising a shaft rotatably and supportedly mounted at its ends on the end walls of said body member, and a plurality of disk-like oval blades of uniform thickness supportedly and fixedly mounted on said shaft in inclined relation to its axis and in uniformly spaced parallel relation to each other, said blades having continuous peripheral cutting edges with the radii of the ovals being equal to the radius of said shield unit divided by the sine of the angle between the axis of the shaft and the radii of the oval at the end of each radii, the blades being spaced by a distance less than twice the radius of said shield unit divided by the tangent of the angle of the major axes of the oval shapes to the axis of the shaft so that the sweeps of the cutting edges of adjacent blades in relation to said fixed cutter and shield overlap and move in shearing contact across the inside of said cutter and shield, means for driving said rotatable blade unit including a motor unit mounted in said housing in inwardly spaced relation to said blade unit and having driving connections to said blade unit shaft at one end thereof, said body member having a trough disposed in inwardly spaced relation to said blade unit and open to the portion of the chamber of said body member in which said blade unit is disposed, and a spiral conveyor rotatably mounted in said body member in coacting relation to said trough and drivingly connected to said motor unit, said housing having a detachable waste receptacle disposed at the discharge end of said trough.

3. In a razor, the combination of a chambered body member including side and end walls and dimensioned to constitute a handpiece, an elongated foraminate fixed cutter and shield unit of arcuate curved cross section and of substantial width supportedly mounted on and constituting the outer end Wall of said chambered body member, a rotatable blade unit comprising a shaft rotatably and supportedly mounted at its ends on the end walls of said body member and a plurality of disk-like oval blades of uniform thickness fixedly mounted on the shaft in inclined relation to its axis and in uniformly spaced parallel relation to each other and in coacting shearing relation to said fixed cutter and shield unit, said blades having continuous shearing edges with the radii of the ovals being equal to the radius of said shield unit divided by the sine of the angle between the axis of the shaft and the radii of the oval at the end of each radii, the blades being spaced by a distance less than twice the radius of said shield unit divided by the tangent of the angle of the major axes of the oval shapes to the axis of the shaft so that the sweeps of the cutting edges of the adjacent blades overlap and move in shearing contact across the inside of said cutter and shield, means for driving said rotatable blade unit including an electric motor mounted in said housing in inwardly spaced relation to said blade unit and having a driving connection to one end of its said shaft at the outer side of the blades thereon, said chamber having a trough disposed in inwardly spaced relation to said blade unit and open to the portion of the chamber of said body member in which said blade unit is disposed, a spiral conveyor rotatably mounted in said body member in coacting relation to said trough and drivingly connected to said electric motor unit, and a waste receptacle disposed at the discharge end of said trough and detachably mounted on said housing on said body member.

4. In a razor the combination of a chambered body member the inner end portion of which is dimensioned and conformed to constitute a handpiece and having an opening in its outer end extendig from side to side thereof, an elongate foraminate fixed cutter and shield unit of cylindrically curved cross-section supportedly mounted on and constituting a closure for said opening in the outer end of said body member, a blade unit comprising a shaft sup-- portedly and rotatably mounted on said body member, a plurality of oval blades supportedly mounted on said" shaft in fixed inclined relation to its axis and in uni-- formly spaced parallel relation to each other and in cm acting shearing relation to said fixed cutter and shield unit, said blades having continuous peripheral shearing edges coacting with said fixed cutter and shield unit with the radii of the ovals being equal to the radius of said shield unit divided by the sine of the angle between the of the shaft so that the sweeps of the cutting edges of 5 adjacent blades overlap on each rotation of the blade unit With the peripheral edges of the blades in coacting shearing relation to said fixed cutter and shield unit, means for driving said blade unit mounted in said body member in inwardly spaced relation to said blade unit and having 10 driving connection to said blade unit shaft, said body member having a waste receiving chamber receiving the material discharged from said blade unit and a demountable Waste receiving receptacle positioned to receive the mounted in said body member to receive the discharge from said blades and arranged to discharge into said waste receptacle.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,286,443 6/42 Scully 3043.92 2,674,037 4/54 Swenson 3041.6 2,802,260 8/57 Allen 3041.5 2,950,530 8/60 Fox 3041.5 3,154,851 11/64 Erickson 3041.5

WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

discharge from said chamber, and a conveyor rotatably 15 MYRON C-KRUsEExamiIwr-

Claims

1. IN A RAZOR, THE COMBINATION OF A CHAMBERED BODY MEMBER DIMENSIONED TO CONSTITUTE A HANDPIECE AND HAVING AN OPENING IN ITS OUTER END EXTENDING FROM SIDE TO SIDE THEREOF, AN ELONGATED FORAMINATE FIXED CUTTER AND SHIELD UNIT OF CYLINDRICALLY CURVED CROSS SECTION SUPPORTEDLY MOUNTED ON AND CONSTITUTING A CLOSURE FOR SAID OPENING IN THE OUTER END OF SAID BODY MEMBER, A BLADE UNIT COMPRISING A SHAFT ROTATABLY MOUNTED AT ITS ENDS ON SAID BODY MEMBER, A PLURALITY OF DISK-LIKE OVAL BLADES OF UNIFORM THICKNESS SUPPORTEDLY MOUNTED ON SAID SHAFT IN FIXED INCLINED RELATION TO ITS AXIS AND IN SPACED PARALLEL RELATION TO EACH OTHER WITH THE RADII OF THE OVALS BEING EQUAL TO THE RADIUS OF SAID SHIELD UNIT DIVIDED BY THE SINE OF THE ANGLE BETWEEN THE AXIS OF THE SHAFT AND RADII OF THE OVAL WHEREBY THE PERIPHERIES OF THE BLADES ARE IN COACTING SHEARING RELATION TO SAID FIXED CUTTER AND SHIELD UNIT, SAID BLADES HAVING CONTINUOUS PERIPHERAL SHEARING EDGES COACTING WITH SAID FIXED CUTTER AND SHIELD UNIT AND BEING SPACED BY A DISTANCE LESS THAN TWICE THE RADIUS OF SAID SHIELD UNIT DIVIDED BY THE TANGENT OF THE ANGLE OF THE MAJOR AXES OF THE OVAL SHAPES TO THE AXIS OF THE SHAFT SO THAT THE SWEEPS OF THE CUTTING EDGES OF ADJACENT BLADES OVERLAP ON EACH ROTATION OF THE BLADE UNIT WITH THE PERIPHERAL EDGES OF THE BLADES IN COACTING SHEARING RELATION TO THE SAID CUTTER AND SHIELD UNIT, MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID BLADE UNIT SHAFT INCLUDING AN ELECTRIC MOTOR MOUNTED IN SAID HOUSING AND HAVING DRIVING CONNECTION TO SAID BLADE UNIT SHAFT INCLUDING AN ELECTRIC MOTOR MOUNTED HAVING A CONVEYOR WAY DISPOSED IN SUBSTANTIALLY SPACED RELATION TO AND OPENING TO THE CHAMBER IN WHICH THE SAID BLADE UNIT IS DISPOSED, AND A SPIRAL CLIPPING DISCHARGE CONVEYOR ROTATABLY MOUNTED IN SAID BODY MEMBER IN COACTING RELATION TO SAID CONVEYOR WAY AND DRIVINGLY CONNECTED TO SAID MOTOR, SAID BODY MEMBER HAVING A DETACHABLE WASTE RECEPTABLE DISPOSED AT THE DISCHARGE END OF SAID CONVEYOR WAY.