The invention relates to safety razors and, more specifically, to razors provided with two shaving heads.
Several attempts have been made to propose a razor including at least two shaving heads having different sizes to allow shaving of different hair areas of the body.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,461,078 granted to Carreker discloses a razor assembly including first and second handle portions, with first and second razor heads mounted at the ends of the handle portions. The handle portions are pivotally mounted together so that the heads may be moved from a position wherein the handle portions are substantially in a straight line with the heads widely spaced, to a position wherein the handle portions make a small acute angle with the heads close to each other.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,285,124 granted to Diakonov discloses a safety razor comprising a normal sized razor head and a retractable miniature razor head which is movable from a first position where it is retracted behind the normal sized head to a second position where it is deployed above the normal sized head for use in trimming the area beneath the center of the user's nose.
One disadvantage of such razors is that the use thereof is not perfectly safe The user has to be very cautious in order not to cut himself or herself with one razor head while using the other.
A further disadvantage of Carreker's razor is that its handle is near twice as long as a standard razor handle, which makes it difficult to grip comfortably the handle.
It is an object of the invention to provide a razor having two shaving heads, the use of which is safer.
It is another object of the invention to provide a razor, the use of which is more comfortable.
The razor according to the invention comprises:
Accordingly, while the one head is in use position, the other is substantially out of reach, thereby decreasing the risk that the user cut himself or herself.
The razor according to the invention is also compact, which allows comfortable gripping while shaving.
According to a preferred embodiment, the support is capable of occupying a third or intermediate position in which both razor heads are lodged within the handle.
The razor may comprise means for locking said support in its first use or second use or intermediate position.
Such locking means may be at least partly provided onto said manually operable actuator.
The actuator preferably comprises a hollow body and a pusher provided with arms capable of being clipped in slots provided in the handle. The pusher is slideable with respect of the body, between a locking position in which the arms are received in the slots, and an unlocking position in which the arms are located outward from the slots.
The razor preferably comprises a compression spring which permanently biases the pusher toward its locking position.
Furthermore, the handle may comprise two longitudinal rails which slidingly cooperate with the support so as to guide it during movement.
The razor heads preferably have different sizes, in order to allow shaving of different hair areas of the body.
In a preferred embodiment, where each razor head consists in a removable cartridge, the razor comprises a lock-and-release mechanism for disposal and replacement of each razor head.
Each lock-and-release mechanism is mounted on the support, at an end thereof, and comprises:
In a preferred embodiment, wherein the handle comprises a top shell member and a bottom shell member, in addition to their triggering function, the spring members form clip members for holding said shell members together.
More precisely, the fixed portion of each spring member comprises a pair of holes which cooperate with hooks formed in the top shell member and the bottom shell member, respectively.
In addition, the razor may comprise a movable or flexible cover covering each end of the handle when the corresponding razor head is lodged within the handle.
The above and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
A razor according to the invention is generally indicated by reference number 1 in the drawings.
Razor 1 comprises a handle 2 which is elongated along a longitudinal axis X. Handle 2 is hollow, thereby forming a housing defining an open front end 3 and an opposite open back end 4. It has a central constriction 5 and presents in side view an arcuate shape, thereby providing comfortable hand grasping. Therefore, the handle axis X can be considered as an arcuate average line joining the center points of the open ends 3, 4.
Razor 1 further comprises a first shaving blade unit or head 6, including one or more blades (three in the illustrated example) and which is mounted at the front end 3 of the handle 2 so that the edges of the blades are substantially perpendicular to the handle axis X.
First head 6 is movable with respect of the handle 2 along a direction substantially parallel to the handle axis X, between:
In the use position, the first head 6 is ready for use to allow shaving, while in the retracted position it is hidden in the handle 2 so that it is inoperable and substantially unreachable with the fingers to be protected from damage and avoid any accidental cutting.
As illustrated on
The heads 6, 7 preferably have different sizes, the first one 6 having a standard width W6 while the second one 7 has a width W7 which is less than W6 (see
Standard head 6 is used in normal shaving (beard, legs), while the narrow one 7 is dimensioned for easy maneuverability in order to facilitate accurate trimming of particular hair areas, e.g. moustaches, sideburns or pubic hairs.
As the standard head 6, the narrow head 7 is movable with respect of the handle 2 along a direction parallel to the handle axis X, between:
In its use position, the narrow head 7 is ready for use to allow shaving, while in the retracted position it is hidden in the handle 2 so that it is inoperable and unreachable with the fingers to be protected from damage and avoid any accidental cutting.
Both heads 6, 7 are mounted on a common support or platform member 8 which is in turn mounted in the handle 2 so as to be safely slideable with respect of the same, between:
a second use position (
As illustrated on
As illustrated in
A flat arcuate guiding plate 21 is clipped onto the platform member 8. More precisely, the guiding plate 21 is provided with a central hole 22, the edge of which cooperates with hooks 23, 24 protruding from the transversal walls 17, 18. The guiding plate 21 has a bottom surface 25 which is in contact with a top edge 26 of the stiffening ribs 12, 13, 14, thereby providing stable mounting of the guiding plate 21 on the platform member 8.
Platform member 8 also comprises a pair of parallel ribs 27, 28 protruding from a lower surface 29 of the platform member 8, and which extend longitudinally substantially all along the length of the platform member 8.
As illustrated in
The guiding means also comprise two parallel elongated top rails 33, 34 protruding from an inner top surface 35 of the top shell member 10, extending along lateral edges of the guiding plate 21.
As a result, the platform member 8 is precisely slidingly guided between the bottom shell member 9 and the top shell member 10.
Razor 1 further comprises a manually operable actuator 36 which is slideable with respect of the top shell member 10 along a direction substantially parallel to the handle axis X, for moving the platform member 8 from one position to the other.
As illustrated on
The hollow body 37 of the actuator 36 passes through an elongated aperture 42 which is formed in the top shell member 10 between the top rails 33, 34. The actuator 36 also has a substantially flat head 43 which projects, at one end of the body 37 opposite to the lugs 38, from a top external surface 44 of the top shell member 10.
The head comprises a recess 45 for receiving a finger (e.g. the thumb) of a user to help him grip the actuator 36.
The actuator 36 also comprises a release button 43 including a pusher 47 which is slidingly mounted in the body 37 along an elevational axis Y substantially perpendicular to the handle axis X. Pusher 47 has a main body 48 mounted in a corresponding bore 49 formed in the body 37 of the actuator 36, and diametrically opposed transversal arms 50, 51 which project laterally from the main body 48 and which are received in respective lateral slots 52 formed in the longitudinal side walls 19, 20 of the housing 16.
The release button 46 also includes a cover member 53, which projects from the recess 45 to be accessible for a user's finger, and which is clipped onto the pusher 47 by means of hooks 54 cooperating with corresponding shoulder surfaces 55 formed on the main body 48 of the pusher 47.
Pusher 47 is slideable with respect of the body 37 along the elevational axis Y, between a locking position in which the pusher 47 is at a distance from the plate member 11, the cover member 53 projecting from the recess 45, and an unlocking position in which the pusher 47 is close to the plate member 11, the cover member 53 being at least partly received within the recess 45.
Pusher 47 comprises a cylindrical pin 56, in the continuity of the main body 48 on the other side of the transversal arms 50, 51, so that the pusher 47 is substantially cross-shaped.
A return spring 57 is mounted in compression between the pusher 47 and the platform member 8, so as to permanently bias the pusher 47 towards its locking position. More precisely, spring 57 has a bottom end 58 which is mounted onto a pin 59 protruding from the plate 11, and a top end 60 which is mounted on the pin 56 of the pusher 47, the pins 56, 59 thereby together forming spring guiding means.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As the spring 57 biases the pusher 47 to its locking position, the arms 50, 51 abut longitudinally against transversal shoulder surfaces of the intermediate slots 63, thereby preventing the platform member 8 to move longitudinally.
Whenever the user wants to take out any of the shaving heads 6, 7, he squeezes the release button 46 against the action of the return spring 57, thereby releasing the arms 50, 51 from the intermediate slot 63. The user is then capable of sliding the actuator 36 in each direction with respect of the handle 2 so as to move the platform member 8 toward the first or the second use position.
During movement of the platform member 8 toward any of the first or second use positions, the platform member 8 being precisely guided by the top and bottom rails 30, 31, 33, 34 as described hereabove, the arms 50, 51 slide onto edges 64 of the top rails 33, 34, thereby holding the pusher 47 in its unlocking position.
As soon as the arms 50, 51 come in front e.g. of the front end slot 61, the return spring 57 suddenly moves the pusher 47 toward its locking position, where the arms 50, 51 are clipped in the front end slots 61, thereby locking the platform member 8 in its first use position.
Respectively, as soon as the arms 50, 51 come in front of the back end slot 62, the spring 57 suddenly moves the pusher 47 toward its locking position, where the arms 50, 51 are clipped in the back end slots 62, thereby locking the platform member 8 in its second use position.
Accordingly, whichever the position of platform member 8 is, it is strongly held in position with respect of the handle 2, thereby preventing the heads 6, 7 from accidentally moving from one position to the other. Accordingly, there is low risk that a user cuts himself or herself with one head while shaving with the other. Moreover, since the actuator 36 is on a top side of the razor 1, there is also low risk that during shaving the fingers of the user, which grasp the razor 1 by its lateral faces, accidentally move the actuator 36. This further increases safety of the razor 1.
Moreover, whichever the position of the platform member 8 is, the flat arcuate guiding plate 11 always blanks the elongated aperture 42, thereby preventing visual access to the technical parts inside the handle 2 and therefore enhancing visual aspect of the razor 1.
In addition, each shaving head 6, 7 consists in a replaceable cartridge which is removably attached to the platform member 8 so that after the edges of the blades are dulled the cartridges 6, 7 are disposed of and replaced by new ones.
In order to achieve replacement of the shaving heads 6, 7, the razor 1 includes two lock-and-release mechanisms 65, respectively mounted in seats 66, 67 provided at both ends of the platform member 8.
Each lock-and-release mechanism 65 includes a resilient V-shaped retainer 68 having two legs 69, 70 movable toward and away from each other. Bearing members 71 are formed at the ends of the legs 69, 70, removably attached to corresponding curved hooks 72 provided on the back side of the corresponding shaving head 6, 7 to permit swiveling movement of the shaving head 6, 7 with respect of the platform member 8.
A cam member 73 is mounted between the legs 69, 70 for permanently biasing them away from each other in order to maintain the bearing members 71 in cooperation with the corresponding hooks 72. Between the legs 69, 70 is also mounted a plunger 74, a front portion 75 of which is in contact with a V-shaped cam surface provided on the back side of the shaving head 6, 7. A compression spring 76, interposed between the plunger 74 and the cam member 73, biases them away from each other, thereby pushing forward the plunger 74 to maintain permanent contact of the latter with the shaving head 6, 7, and pushing backwards the cam member 73 to maintain permanent contact of the latter with the legs 69, 70.
The lock-and-release mechanism 65 is triggered by actuators 77 mounted near the ends 3, 4 of the handle 2. Each actuator 77 includes a button 78 which is mounted on a flexible front portion 79 of a flat metal spring member 80, a fixed back portion 81 of which is rigidly maintained in grooves 82, 83 formed in side walls 84, 85 of the bottom and top shell members 9, 10.
The front portion 79 of each flat spring member 80 extends longitudinally across an oval-shaped side opening 86 formed in the vicinity of each end of the handle by complementary cut-outs 87, 88 in the shell members 9, 10.
Each spring member 80 is provided with two rectangular holes formed in the fixed back portion, i.e. a bottom hole 89, which cooperates with a hook 90 formed in the side wall 84 of the bottom shell member 9, and a top hole 91 which cooperates with a hook 92 formed in the side wall 85 of the top shell member 10. The spring members 80 thereby form clip members which hold the bottom and top shell members 9, 10 together.
Each button 78 has an oval-shaped main body 93 which extends transversally through the opening 86 to be accessible for the fingers of the user, and a base portion 94 having an inwardly directed flat surface 95 in contact with the front portion 79 of the spring member 80, and an outwardly directed shoulder surface 96 which abuts against an inner edge of the opening 86.
Each leg 69, 70 has a transversally protruding wing 97, an end of which is in contact with an inner surface 98 of the flat spring member 80.
As depicted on
Longitudinal grooves 104, 105 are formed in the cover member 99 and in the platform member 8, cooperating with corresponding ribs 106 provided on the plunger 74 in order to guide forth and back movement of the latter.
In the use position, wherein the razor head 6 or 7 protrudes from the corresponding end 3 or 4 of the handle 2, the wings 97 contact the flexible front portion 79 of the flat spring member 80, so that, under manual action, movement of the buttons 78 toward each other biases the legs 69, 70, via the wings 97, thereby releasing the bearing members 71 from the hooks 72, whereas forward movement of the plunger 74 under bias of the spring 76 ejects the shaving head 6 or 7 and allows for disposal and replacement of the latter.
In the intermediate position or in the other use position of the platform member 8, wherein the razor head 6 or 7 is received within the handle 2, the wings 97 contact the fixed back portion 81 of the flat spring member 80, so that movement of the buttons 78 has no effect on the legs 69, 70, thereby preventing disposal and replacement of the razor head 6 or 7 when it is not in use position. Making it is possible to replace a shaving head only when it is in its use position prevents any wrong action on the buttons from accidentally ejecting head when disposal and replacement are not necessary.
As depicted on
Holder 107 comprises lateral wings 111, 112 for engaging the razor handle 2, the wings 111, 112 together forming a V-shaped seat against which abuts a complementary side surface 113 of the handle 2, located in the vicinity of the central constriction 5. As depicted on
In the above recited embodiment, both ends 3, 4 of the handle 2 are permanently open. However, in optional embodiments, they may be at least partially and/or temporarily covered by cover members.
In a first optional embodiment, the razor is provided with movable flaps which are slidingly mounted on the handle under control of the platform actuator, between:
In a second optional embodiment, the razor is provided with manually removable lids which are mounted onto the ends of the handle whenever the corresponding razor heads are in retracted position, so as to prevent manual access to the blade and protect the inside of the handle. As soon as the user needs to use one of the razor heads, he simply has to remove the corresponding lid.
In a third optional embodiment, each end of the razor handle is provided with a flexible terminal wall (e.g. made of thermoelastic or rubber material) which allows the corresponding razor head to pass through when moving from its use position to its retracted position, and vice-versa.
For instance, this terminal wall is provided with a central slot through which the corresponding razor head is able to pass while distorting the wall. The terminal wall forms a shield which prevents manual access to the blades and protects the inside of the handle, in particular against dust and moisture.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2004/003670 | Mar 2004 | EP | regional |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/EP05/03458 | 3/15/2005 | WO | 9/12/2006 |