Claims
- 1. A shaving unit comprising an elongate skin engagement surface for contacting the skin in advance of a blade edge moved across the skin during shaving, said surface being defined by a series of elements (9;42) defining slots (10) therebetween, characterized in that the slots (10) are arranged for hairs to pass through the slots, and laterally adjacent elements (9;42) are formed and spaced apart along the surface to engage resiliently hairs passing through the slots therebetween for applying a light pulling force to the hairs as the skin from which the hairs project slides over the surface, wherein each of the slots extends from a leading edge to a trailing edge of said surface, the width of each slot tapers rearwardly from the mouth thereof at the leading edge and has a minimum value less than the diameter of a hair, and the adjacent elements are resiliently movable relative to each other substantially parallel to the plane of said surface in response to passage of the hairs through the slots, the hairs passing through the slots being gripped between the adjacent elements to extend the hairs from the skin and the hairs being released at the trailing edge of said surface to meet the blade edge before retracting into the skin.
- 2. A shaving unit according to claim 1, wherein the adjacent elements exert a pulling force on the hairs in the range of 0.5 to 20 gms.
- 3. A shaving unit according to claim 2, wherein the adjacent elements exert a pulling force on a hair substantially equal to 5 gms.
- 4. A shaving unit according to claim 1, wherein the slots (10) have a minimum width at the trailing edge of the surface.
- 5. A shaving unit according to claim 1, wherein the slots (10) have a minimum width substantially equal to 0.05 mm.
- 6. A shaving unit according to claim 1, wherein the slots (10) are positioned at a uniform pitch of not more than 1.20 mm.
- 7. A shaving unit according to claim 6, wherein the pitch is in the range of 0.70 to 1.00 mm.
- 8. A shaving unit according to claim 1, wherein the slot width at the mouth thereof is not less than the width of the surface elements at the leading edge of the surface.
- 9. A shaving unit according to claim 8, wherein the slot width at the slot mouth is approximately 1.5 times the width of the surface elements at the leading edge of the surface.
- 10. A shaving unit according to claim 9 wherein the slot width at the slot mouth is substantially 0.50 mm.
- 11. A shaving unit according to claim 1, wherein the elements (9) are substantially planar elements.
- 12. A shaving unit according to claim 1, wherein the elements (9) are provided by respective teeth of a unitary comb-like member (6).
- 13. A shaving unit according to claim 12, wherein the comb-like member (6) is made of sheet material and the teeth have a thickness in the order of 0.08 mm.
- 14. A shaving unit according to claim 1, wherein the surface elements (9) are supported by respective springs.
- 15. A shaving unit according to claim 14, wherein the surface elements are supported by respective torsion springs connected to the elements at the leading edge of said surface.
- 16. A shaving unit according to claim 15, wherein the skin engagement surface adjoins a front wall (8) at the leading edge, said front wall having notches (11) registering with the slots and separating connecting strips constituting said torsion springs.
- 17. A shaving unit according to claim 1, wherein the leading edge of the skin engagement surface adjoins a front surface extending substantially perpendicularly to the skin engagement surface, there being a sharp edge transition between said surfaces.
- 18. A shaving unit according to claim 14, wherein the elements (9) have tail portions (19) inclined away from the skin engagement surface.
- 19. A shaving unit according to claim 14, wherein the elements (9) are bifurcated with rearwardly extending prongs (20).
- 20. A shaving unit according to claim 19, wherein the prongs (20) of each element define an additional slot (30) through which hairs can pass and be engaged resiliently by the prongs to be subject to light pulling forces.
- 21. A shaving unit according to claim 14, wherein the surface elements (9) are supported by respective springs (35) connected to the elements at the trailing edge of said surface.
- 22. A shaving unit according to claim 21, wherein the springs (35) extend rearwardly and then upwardly to the surface elements.
- 23. A shaving unit according to claim 22, wherein rearwardly extending portions of said springs (35) act as torsion springs allowing relative lateral movement between adjacent elements.
- 24. A shaving unit according to claim 22 wherein the surface elements have pointed tips at their forward ends.
- 25. A shaving unit according to claim 1, wherein the surface elements (42) are carried on respective parallel leaf springs (41).
- 26. A shaving unit according to claim 25, wherein the surface elements (42) and the leaf springs (41) are integrally moulded with an elongate support member (40).
- 27. A shaving unit according to claim 1 including a frame in which a member defining the skin engagement surface is supported by spring means enabling resilient displacement of the member generally perpendicular to said surface.
- 28. A shaving unit according to claim 1 wherein the skin engaging surface is the guard surface of the shaving unit.
- 29. A shaving unit according to claim 1, wherein the skin engaging surface is located behind a leading blade edge and in front of the cutting edge of a further blade (2) of the shaving unit.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
9407896 |
Apr 1994 |
GBX |
|
Parent Case Info
This is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/GB95/00777, with an international filing date of Apr. 4, 1995.
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