Patent Application
20200361103
The invention relates to a shaving unit for use in a shaving device, said shaving unit comprising a supporting member and at least two hair cutting units supported by the supporting member, wherein each hair cutting unit comprises an external cutting member with hair-entry openings and an internal cutting member which is rotatable relative to the external cutting member about an axis of rotation and which has a plurality of hair-cutting elements, wherein the shaving unit further comprises a retaining structure which is releasably couplable to the supporting member and which is configured to retain the at least two hair cutting units in an operational position relative to the supporting member in an assembled condition of the shaving unit, and wherein the retaining structure comprises, for each respective hair cutting unit of the at least two hair cutting units, a locking member comprising at least one locking element which, in the assembled condition of the shaving unit, is biased by spring force towards the external cutting member of the respective hair cutting unit and engaged by an engagement element of the external cutting member to prevent rotation of the external cutting member about the axis of rotation.
The invention further relates to a shaving head comprising a base structure including a coupling member configured to releasably couple the shaving head to a main body of a shaving device, and a shaving unit of the type mentioned in the opening paragraph which is releasably couplable to the base structure.
The invention further relates to a shaving device comprising a main body accommodating an actuator and a shaving head of the type mentioned here before which is releasably couplable to the main body for being driven by the actuator.
Shaving units having two or more hair cutting units, each comprising an external cutting member with hair entry openings and an internal cutting member which is rotatable relative to the external cutting member, are well known. In such shaving units the internal cutting member is usually urged into contact with the external cutting member, for example by a drive spindle driving the internal cutting member into rotation, to enable the cooperation of the external and internal cutting members to effectively cut hairs. To prevent rotation of the external cutting member relative to the supporting member for the hair cutting units under the influence of friction and hair-cutting forces exerted by the rotating internal cutting member, known shaving units comprise a locking structure to prevent such rotation. Known locking structures comprise one or more protrusions provided on the supporting member that, in the operational position of the hair cutting unit relative to the supporting member, engage a corresponding number of indentations provided in a circumferential flange of the external cutting member. Such a locking structure causes difficulties for the user when assembling the shaving unit, for example after cleaning. When assembling the shaving unit, the user has to precisely align said indentations relative to said protrusions before coupling the retaining structure to the supporting member. When the user fails to do so, the shaving unit may be damaged during assembly or afterwards during use, or the shaving unit may not function optimally, as a result of an oblique position of the external cutting members relative to the supporting member.
The above mentioned problem has been partially resolved by a shaving unit of the type mentioned in the opening paragraph, which is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,318,223. This known shaving unit comprises three hair cutting units supported by a supporting member. Rotation of the external cutting members relative to the supporting member is prevented by locking elements which, in the operational position of the hair cutting units, are biased by spring force towards the external cutting members and engage indentations provided in the circumferential flanges of the external cutting members. The known shaving unit comprises a single common retaining member which is releasably couplable to the supporting member to retain all three hair cutting units in their operational positions relative to the supporting member. The locking elements are integrally formed on a single polygonal frame of a resilient sheet material which is fastened to the common retaining member for the hair cutting units. When assembling the shaving unit, the user has to place each external cutting member, with the associated internal cutting member arranged therein, in a respective opening provided in the supporting member. In this step the external cutting members can be placed in an arbitrary rotational position relative to the center lines of said openings, which is convenient for the user. In a next step the user has to couple the common retaining member to the supporting member. When in this step the locking elements are not aligned relative to the indentations of the external cutting members, the locking elements will be biased against the flanges of the external cutting members. When subsequently the shaving unit is activated, the one or more external cutting members, which are not properly aligned relative to the locking elements after coupling of the common retaining member to the supporting member, will be rotated by the friction and hair-cutting forces of the rotating internal cutting members until the locking elements are aligned with and biased into the corresponding indentations, thereby automatically locking the external cutting members against further rotation. A disadvantage of this known shaving unit is that the common retaining member and the single polygonal frame carrying the locking elements fastened to the common retaining member limit the design freedom for the shaving unit, in particular as regards the spatial arrangement of the hair cutting units. As a result, the known shaving unit has a mere planar arrangement of the hair cutting units.
An object of the present invention is to provide a shaving unit of the type mentioned in the opening paragraph which does not have the disadvantage of the known shaving unit. In particular the object of the present invention is to provide such a shaving unit with an increased design freedom as regards the spatial arrangement of the hair cutting units, while providing a similar or even an improved ease of use for the user during assembly of the shaving unit as compared with the known shaving unit.
In order to achieve said object, according to the invention a shaving unit of the type mentioned in the opening paragraph is characterized in that the retaining structure comprises, for each respective hair cutting unit of the at least two hair cutting units, a separate retaining member which is releasably couplable to the supporting member and which is configured to separately retain the respective hair cutting unit in an operational position relative to the supporting member independently from any other of the at least two hair cutting units, wherein the locking member provided for the respective hair cutting unit is separately arranged from any other locking member, provided for any other of the at least two hair cutting units, and integrated with the separate retaining member provided for the respective hair cutting unit. In the assembled condition of the shaving unit according to the invention, each hair cutting unit is retained in its operational position relative to the supporting member by a separate retaining member which is individually and releasably coupled to the supporting member independently from the other hair cutting units. The locking member, which comprises one or more locking elements biased by spring force towards the external cutting member and engaged by the external cutting member to prevent rotation thereof, is integrated with the separate retaining member and, as a consequence, separately arranged from the locking members provided for the other hair cutting units. This composition provides a large design freedom as regards the spatial arrangement of the separate retaining members and the separate locking members, integrated in the retaining members, with respect to the supporting member. As a result, said composition also provides a large design freedom as regards the shape of the supporting member and, consequently, the spatial arrangement of the hair cutting units supported by the supporting member. The supporting member may, for example, have a strongly curved shape, for example the shape of part of a sphere. On the other hand, the separate locking members provide at least a similar degree of user comfort as compared with the shaving unit of U.S. Pat. No. 4,318,223 during assembly of the shaving unit, in that the user can place the external cutting members in arbitrary rotational positions in the corresponding openings of the supporting members. The ease of use is even increased, because the mutually separate arrangement of the locking members integrated into the separate retaining members enables the user to remove and place back the hair cutting units one by one from and into the supporting member by separately releasing the separate retaining members and the locking members integrated therein. In an embodiment of a shaving unit according to the invention, the supporting member comprises a base member and, for each respective hair cutting unit of the at least two hair cutting units, a separate supporting element which is pivotally supported by the base member, wherein the separate retaining member provided for the respective hair cutting unit is releasably couplable to the supporting element provided for the respective hair cutting unit to retain the respective hair cutting unit in the operational position. The mutually separate arrangement of the locking members integrated into the separate retaining members allows the separate retaining members with the separate locking members integrated therein to be individually coupled to and pivotal with the separate supporting elements. The separate supporting elements allow the hair cutting units to individually and independently pivot relative to the base member of the supporting member, so that the orientations of the hair cutting units can be individually adapted to the local contours of the skin in contact with the hair cutting units.
In a further embodiment of a shaving unit according to the invention, the engagement element comprises an indentation provided in a circumferential flange of the external cutting member. The indentation provides a simple and reliable interaction with the biased locking element.
In a preferred embodiment of a shaving unit according to the invention, the supporting member comprises, for each respective one of the separate retaining members, a coupling structure configured to enable coupling of the respective separate retaining member to the supporting member by a rotational motion of the separate retaining member relative to the supporting member about the axis of rotation of the respective hair cutting unit. In this embodiment, the separate retaining member for the hair cutting unit is coupled to the supporting member by a rotational motion about the axis of rotation of the hair cutting unit. For this purpose the coupling structure may for example comprise a bayonet coupling. As a result of the rotational motion of the separate retaining member during the coupling step, the locking element integrated into the retaining member may be aligned with and, consequently, biased into engagement with the engagement element of the external cutting member in case the locking element is not already aligned and engaged with the engagement element after placing the retaining member on the supporting member before the coupling step. Thus, this embodiment may provide an automatic locking of the external cutting member against rotation already during assembly of the shaving unit by the user.
In a further embodiment of a shaving unit according to the invention, the locking member comprises a spring member which is fastened to a base portion of the separate retaining member, and the at least one locking element is mounted to the spring member. This embodiment provides a simple structure and integration of the separate locking members into the separate retaining members.
In a still further embodiment of a shaving unit according to the invention, the base portion is mainly annular and the spring member is semi annular having a central portion and two end portions, wherein the locking element is mounted to the central portion of the spring member, and wherein the two end portions of the spring member are mounted to the base portion of the separate retaining member. This embodiment provides a robust structure of the spring member of the locking member, a relatively large biasing force on the locking element, and a relatively large motion path for the locking element in the biasing direction.
In a yet further embodiment of a shaving unit according to the invention comprising the semi-annular spring member, in the assembled condition of the shaving unit the spring member is arranged at a side of the base portion facing away from the external cutting member. In this embodiment, in the assembled condition of the shaving unit the semi-annular spring member may rest against said side of the base portion of the separate retaining member, so that the locking element mounted to the central portion of the spring member has a well-defined position in the biasing direction relative to the engagement element of the external cutting member. The arrangement of the semi-annular spring member at said side of the base portion further enables the spring member to deform to a sufficient degree when, during assembly of the shaving unit by the user, the locking element does not immediately engage the engagement element of the external cutting member.
In a further preferred embodiment of a shaving unit according to the invention, the base portion is mainly annular and the locking member comprises two semi-annular spring members and two locking elements, wherein each locking element is mounted to a central portion of a respective one of the two spring members, and wherein each spring member has two end portions mounted to the base portion of the separate retaining member. In this embodiment, two locking elements are provided for preventing rotation of the external cutting member, whereby the locking function of the separate locking member is improved. The two semi-annular spring members may be provided in an annular configuration on a side of the annular base portion, thereby providing a robust structure of the separate locking member, a relatively large biasing force on the locking elements, and a relatively large motion path for the locking elements in the biasing direction.
In a yet further preferred embodiment of a shaving unit according to the invention, the two locking elements and the two semi-annular spring members of the locking member are integrally formed from a single metal blade. In this way, the separate locking member can be manufactured in a simple manner from a single metal blade, for example by means of a metal cutting and bending process, and can be mounted to the separate retaining member in a simple way, for example by further bending a portion of the metal blade around a mounting element integrally provided on the separate retaining member.
In a further embodiment of a shaving unit according to the invention, the spring member is arranged in a recessed chamber provided in the base portion at a side of the base portion which faces the external cutting member in the assembled condition of the shaving unit. In this embodiment the recessed chamber enables the spring member to deform to a sufficient degree when, during assembly of the shaving unit, the locking element does not immediately engage the engagement element of the external cutting member.
Furthermore, according to the invention, a shaving head of the type mentioned in the opening paragraphs is characterized in that the shaving unit used therein is a shaving unit according to the invention as described here before.
Furthermore, according to the invention, a shaving device of the type mentioned in the opening paragraphs is characterized in that the shaving head used therein is a shaving head according to the invention as described here before.
For a better understanding of the invention, and to show more clearly how it may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example only, to the accompanying drawings, in which:
The shaving head 5 is shown in more detail in
As further shown in
The shaving unit 11 comprises a supporting member and further comprises the three hair cutting units 7a, 7b, 7c which are supported by the supporting member in an assembled condition of the shaving unit 11 as shown in
The retaining member 23a comprises a mainly annular base portion 43 which is releasably couplable to the supporting element 21a to retain the hair cutting unit 7a in an operational position relative to the supporting element 21a in the assembled condition of the shaving unit 11. For this purpose the retaining member 23a comprises two bayonet-type coupling elements 45 which are provided in two diametrically opposite circumferential positions on the annular base portion 43. Only one of the two bayonet-type coupling elements 45 is visible in
It is noted that the shaving unit 11 comprises a separate retaining member 23b, 23c, similar to the retaining member 23a, for each of the other hair cutting units 7b, 7c, which is releasably couplable to the respective supporting element 21b, 21c in a manner similar to the retaining member 23a. Thereby, each of the three hair cutting units 7a, 7b, 7c is separately retained in its operational position relative to the respective supporting element 21a, 21b, 21c independently from any other of the hair cutting units 7a, 7b, 7c. As a result, in the condition of the shaving head 5 as shown in
The supporting element 21a comprises a skin contacting surface 59, visible in
In an alternative embodiment of the shaving unit according to the invention, not shown in the figures, the supporting elements 21a, 21b, 21c are omitted and the supporting member of the shaving unit merely comprises a common base member for supporting the hair cutting units. In this alternative embodiment, similar to the embodiment shown in
During operation of the shaving unit 11 the rotating internal cutting member 27a exerts a friction force on the external cutting member 25a. Furthermore, as a result of the cooperation between the internal cutting member 27a and the external cutting member 25a in cutting hairs, the rotating internal cutting member 27a exerts hair-cutting related forces on the external cutting member 25a during operation of the shaving unit 11. These friction and hair-cutting related forces induce a mechanical torque about the axis of rotation 41 exerted on the external cutting member 25a. To prevent rotation of the external cutting member 25a about the axis of rotation 41 under the influence of said mechanical torque during normal operation, the retaining structure of the shaving unit 11 comprises, for each hair cutting unit 7a, 7b, 7c, a locking member 67.
As shown in
As shown in
In the assembled condition of the shaving unit 11, wherein the circumferential flange 33 of the external cutting member 25a is retained in the direction parallel to the axis of rotation 41 between the annular internal rim 49 of the supporting element 21a and the abutment surface 53 of the base portion 43 of the retaining member 23a, the locking elements 79a, 79b are in their protruding positions as shown in
The locking members 67 comprising the resiliently biased locking elements 79a, 79b integrated in the separate retaining members 23a, 23b, 23c enable a convenient assembly of the shaving unit 11 by the user, for example when the user has removed the hair cutting units 7a, 7b, 7c from the supporting elements 21a, 21b, 21c for cleaning. In particular, when bringing and retaining the hair cutting unit 7a in its operational position relative to the supporting element 21a starting from the disassembled condition shown in
In an alternative embodiment of the shaving unit according to the invention, the locking member may comprise only a single locking element. The single locking element may be mounted to a single semi-annular spring member similar to the spring member 71a described here before. The single semi-annular spring member may have two end portions mounted to the annular base portion of the retaining member and a central portion carrying the single locking element. In further alternative embodiments, the spring member of the locking member carrying the locking element may have a different shape and may be fastened to the base portion in a different way and in a different position as compared to the spring member 71a described here before. The spring member and the locking element may be integrally formed with the base portion from a single plastic material, for example by means of an injection molding process. The number of locking elements provided on the locking member may be greater than two.
An example of an alternative embodiment of the shaving unit according to the invention is shown in
While the invention has been described and illustrated in detail in the foregoing description and in the drawings, such description and illustration are to be considered as exemplary and/or illustrative and not in a limiting sense. The invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments.
Other variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed invention, from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word “comprising” does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article “a” or “an” does not exclude a plurality. For the purpose of clarity and conciseness of the description, features are disclosed herein as part of the same embodiment or as part of separate embodiments, however, it will be appreciated that the scope of the invention may include embodiments having combinations of all or some of the features disclosed. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17202713.8 | Nov 2017 | EP | regional |
| 17203036.3 | Nov 2017 | EP | regional |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2018/080838 | 11/9/2018 | WO | 00 |
