Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6826835
-
Patent Number
6,826,835
-
Date Filed
Friday, September 5, 200321 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, December 7, 200420 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
- Leydig, Voit & Mayer, Ltd.
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 030 342
- 030 4392
- 030 34651
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
An electric shaver has two elongate shaving heads extending across an upper end of a body on front and rear sides thereof. Each head has co-operable outer cutting foil and inner shearing cutter. A drive mechanism is located in the upper body end and is in drive engagement with the heads for reciprocating the cutters in opposite directions against the corresponding foils for cutting. Each head has a first part and the upper body end includes a second part, which are in movable engagement with each other such that the head is compressible downwardly to move outwardly from the front/rear side of the body, thereby stretching a user's skin flat to facilitate shaving.
Description
The present invention relates to an electric shaver and in particular to a reciprocatory shaver.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present market for men or ladies shavers are usually dominated by two main types of shaving system, namely the foil and rotary types. Amongst the foil type shavers, various manufactures produce different combinations of foil and trimmer designs. However, all of these shavers are derived from essentially the same spring-loaded foil system which includes an oscillating cutter that slides against the inner surface of a thin metal cutting foil. The cutter is spring-loaded so that it is kept in contact with the foil at all times. The movement of the foil, from the user's point of view, is a simple up and down movement, facilitated by the same spring that keeps the cutter in contact with the foil.
Some modern shavers offer a variable spring rate that can be regulated by the user to change the spring force, such that the up and down movement of the foil is adjustable to be softer or harder. Thus, the softer the spring is, the gentler the shaver becomes, and vice versa. The longstanding up and down foil movement is not ideal, whether it be adjustable or not, as the natural shaving motion is a smooth gliding action and not a “press in your face” action.
The present invention seeks to mitigate or at least alleviate such a problem by providing an improved electric shaver of this type.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention, there is provided an electric shaver comprising an oblong body having upper and lower ends and having front and rear sides, and a pair of elongate shaving heads extending across the upper body end on respective front and rear sides of the body. Each shaving head has an outer cutting foil and an inner shearing cutter co-operable with the foil to perform a cutting action. Also included is a drive mechanism located in the upper body end and in drive engagement with the shaving heads for reciprocating the two shearing cutters in opposite left and right directions against the corresponding cutting foils for cutting. At least a first of the shaving heads has a first part and the upper body end is provided with a second part. The two parts are in movable engagement with each other such that the first shaving head is compressible downwardly to move outwardly from the corresponding one of the front and rear sides of the body, thereby stretching a user's skin flat to facilitate shaving.
Preferably, the movable engagement between the two parts comprises a slidable engagement.
More preferably, the slidable engagement between the two parts is linear and inclined at an acute angle with respect to the body.
Further more preferably, the slidable engagement between the two parts is inclined at an angle of substantially 45° with respect to the body.
In a preferred embodiment, the shearing cutter of the first shaving head includes a base in engagement with the drive mechanism and includes the first part, and the drive mechanism includes the second part in said movable engagement with the first part.
More preferably, the first part has a pair of legs flanking the second part, and each of the legs and the adjacent side of the second part include a protrusion in slidable engagement within a slot to permit the downward and outward movement of the first shaving head.
In a preferred embodiment, the cutting foil of the first shaving head includes the first part and is supported by a fixture which is provided at the upper body end and includes the second part is in said movable engagement with the first part.
More preferably, the cutting foil has opposite ends each providing the first part, the fixture has opposite ends each providing the second part adjacent a respective said first part, and the adjacent first and second parts of each pair include a protrusion in slidable engagement within a slot to permit the downward and outward movement of the first shaving head.
It is preferred that the second shaving head has substantially the same construction as the first shaving head, both shaving heads being compressible downwardly to move outwardly from the corresponding front and rear sides of the body.
In a specific construction, the shearing cutter of each shaving head comprises a row of cutter blades mounted fast on an elongate member that is in turn supported at its mid-length by a spring connected to a base in engagement with the drive mechanism.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
The invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:
FIG. 1
is a front perspective view of an embodiment of an electric shaver in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 2
is a cross-sectional view of the electric shaver of
FIG. 1
, taken along line II—II of
FIG. 3
;
FIG. 3
is a cross-sectional view of the electric shaver of
FIG. 2
, taken along line III—III;
FIG. 4
is a cross-sectional view corresponding to
FIG. 3
, showing the motion in use of a rear shaving head;
FIG. 5
is a cross-sectional view corresponding to
FIG. 3
, showing the motion in use of a front shaving head; and
FIG. 6
is a cross-sectional view corresponding to
FIG. 3
, showing the motion in use of two shaving heads.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to the drawings, there is shown a twin-foil wet and dry electric shaver
10
embodying the invention, which has an oblong hollow body
100
having upper and lower ends
102
and
104
, and a pair of front and rear elongate shaving heads
200
A and
200
B (or
200
collectively). The shaving heads
200
co-extend generally horizontally across the upper body end
102
. Each shaving head
200
has an outer U-sectioned cutting foil
210
and an inner shearing cutter
220
co-operable with the foil
210
to cut beard or any other body hair, and includes an individual pocket
230
supporting the foil
210
, exposing the same, for collecting the cut hair.
The shaver
10
includes a drive mechanism
300
located in the upper body end
102
, which supports both shaving heads
200
by their cutters
220
. The drive mechanism
300
is operable to reciprocate the two cutters
220
in opposite left and right directions slidingly against the corresponding foils
210
for cutting beard through a shearing action.
The drive mechanism
300
is implemented by an electric motor
310
having a vertical shaft
312
, a crank pin
320
mounted fast on the shaft
312
for spinning thereby, and a pair of front and rear oscillators
330
A and
330
B (or
330
collectively), in engagement with respective cutters
220
. The oscillators
330
are driven by the crank pin
320
to slide rapidly in opposite left and right directions.
Upper and lower sections
320
A and
320
of the crank pin
320
are eccentric and offset in opposite directions. A bottom part
332
A/
332
B of each oscillator
330
A/
330
B has a laterally extending slot in sliding engagement with the pin section
320
A/
320
B respectively, such that both oscillators
330
A and
330
B are set into reciprocation upon spinning of the crank pin
320
.
Each oscillator
330
includes a laterally elongate base
334
that is supported by the upper body end
102
for lateral sliding movement. Also included is a generally rectangular central block
336
upstanding from the base
334
for supporting a corresponding cutter
220
. The left and right faces of the block
336
are formed symmetrically with a pair of side grooves
338
that are straight and inclined at an angle of about 45° across the block's top inner and bottom outer corners as shown, with respect to the shaver body
100
. The top face of the block
336
includes a middle groove
339
which extends from back to front and has an inclined bottom parallel to the side grooves
338
.
Each cutter
220
is formed by a row of part-circular cutter blades
222
mounted fast on a horizontal bar
224
that is in turn supported at its mid-length by a vertical coil spring
226
connected to a base bracket
240
. The spring
226
provides a relatively stiff flexing support for the cutter blades
222
(and bar
224
) relative to the base bracket
240
.
The base bracket
240
has a generally rectangular shape, having a pair of left and right legs
242
that flanks the oscillator block
336
from above, and including a shorter middle leg
244
that fits slidably within the block's top groove
339
. The middle leg
244
has a bottom inclined at an angle of about 45° matching with that of the top groove
339
. An integral rib
243
, inclined at the same angl of about 45°, on the inner surface of each side leg
242
engages slidably with the side groove
338
on the same side of the block
336
.
With this arrangement, each base bracket
240
or the overall cutter
220
is slidable relative to the block
336
or the corresponding overall oscillator
330
in opposite directions, back-to-front and up-and-down, as guided by the sliding engagement inclined at 45° between the grooves
338
and the corresponding ribs
243
. A compression coil spring
337
in each groove
338
co-acting between respective opposite ends of the groove
338
and the associated rib
243
resiliently biasses the cutter
200
upwardly and inwardly relative to the corresponding oscillator
330
.
An oblong frame
106
is fixed across the upper body end
102
, acting as an upward extension thereof and surrounding both base brackets
240
. The frame
106
has opposite end plates
108
each having a pair of front and rear grooves
109
that are inclined in opposite directions at the same angle of about 45° as the side grooves
338
on the same side of the two front and rear oscillator blocks
336
. Each pocket
230
has opposite end plates
232
each having a rib
234
that is inclined at the same angle of about 45° as the corresponding front or rear groove
109
and is in sliding engagement therewith.
As guided by such sliding engagements at opposite ends, each pocket
230
and the cutting foil
210
fixed thereto are slidable in union with the associated cutter
220
relative to the corresponding oscillator
330
in opposite back-to-front and up-and-down directions. Thus, the cutting foil
210
and the cutter
220
of each shaving head
200
are floating in opposite back-to-front and up-and-down 45° directions, with the cutter
220
laterally slidable by the supporting oscillator
300
against the cutting foil
210
for cutting beard.
With such an arrangement, the front and rear shaving heads
200
A and
200
B are individually compressible downwardly and simultaneously outwardly (to the front or back respectively) relative to the shaver body
100
as illustrated in
FIGS. 4
to
6
.
In
FIG. 4
, the shaver
10
is glided forwards under the chin with the rear shaving head
200
B being compressed and thus spread rearwards, whereby the skin between the two shaving heads
200
A and
200
B is stretched flat to facilitate shaving. In
FIG. 5
, the same result is achieved by sliding the shaver
10
rearwards whilst compressing and thus spreading the front shaving head
200
A forwards. Both shaving heads
200
A and
200
B may be compressed simultaneously to spread apart and thus stretch the skin between them flat.
It is understood, as is apparent from
FIG. 4
or
5
, that only one of the shaving heads
200
is required to be movable in the manner as described above in order to stretch skin between the two shaving heads
200
. Each shaving head
200
is guided for the described motion at two places, i.e. as between the cutter base
240
and the drive mechanism
300
and between the foil pocket
230
and the body frame
106
. For simplicity, it is envisaged that the shaving heads
200
may be guided to move in the same manner at only one of these two places.
The invention has been given by way of example only, and various other modifications of and/or alterations to the described embodiment may be made by persons skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as specified in the appended claims.
Claims
- 1. An electric shaver comprising:an oblong body having upper and lower ends and having front and rear sides; a pair of elongate shaving heads extending across the upper body end on respective front and rear sides of the body, each having an outer cutting foil and an inner shearing cutter co-operable with the foil to perform a cutting action; and a drive mechanism located in the upper body end and in drive engagement with the shaving heads for reciprocating the two shearing cutters in opposite left and right directions against the corresponding cutting foils for cutting; wherein at least a first of the shaving heads has a first part and the upper body end is provided with a second part, and the two parts are in movable engagement with each other such that the first shaving head is compressible downwardly to move outwardly from the corresponding one of the front and rear sides of the body, thereby stretching a user's skin flat to facilitate shaving.
- 2. The electric shaver as claimed in claim 1, wherein the movable engagement between the two parts comprises a slidable engagement.
- 3. The electric shaver as claimed in claim 2, wherein the slidable engagement between the two parts is linear and inclined at an acute angle with respect to the body.
- 4. The electric shaver as claimed in claim 3, wherein the slidable engagement between the two parts is inclined at an angle of substantially 45° with respect to the body.
- 5. The electric shaver as claimed in claim 1, wherein the shearing cutter of the first shaving head includes a base in engagement with the drive mechanism and includes the first part, and the drive mechanism includes the second part in said movable engagement with the first part.
- 6. The electric shaver as claimed in claim 5, wherein the first part has a pair of legs flanking the second part, and each of the legs and the adjacent side of the second part include a protrusion in slidable engagement within a slot to permit the downward and outward movement of the first shaving head.
- 7. The electric shaver as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cutting foil of the first shaving head includes the first part and is supported by a fixture which is provided at the upper body end and includes the second part is in said movable engagement with the first part.
- 8. The electric shaver as claimed in claim 7, wherein the cutting foil has opposite ends each providing the first part, the fixture has opposite ends each providing the second part adjacent a respective said first part, and the adjacent first and second parts of each pair include a protrusion in slidable engagement within a slot to permit the downward and outward movement of the first shaving head.
- 9. The electric shaver as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second shaving head has substantially the same construction as the first shaving head, both shaving heads being compressible downwardly to move outwardly from the corresponding front and rear sides of the body.
- 10. The electric shaver as claimed in claim 1, wherein the shearing cutter of each shaving head comprises a row of cutter blades mounted fast on an elongate member that is in turn supported at its mid-length by a spring connected to a base in engagement with the drive mechanism.
US Referenced Citations (11)
Foreign Referenced Citations (3)
Number |
Date |
Country |
8-10463 |
Jan 1996 |
JP |
9-206483 |
Aug 1997 |
JP |
10-43443 |
Feb 1998 |
JP |