This application claims benefit from European patent application EP 19170649.8, filed on Apr. 23, 2019, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The following description relates to a skin adapter for shaving devices, and more particularly to a skin adapter having an outer member comprising a ribbon configured to engage hair during a shaving operation.
Conventional shaving devices generally include a head unit having at least one or more cutting members or blades retained therein. The at least one or more cutting members or blades have cutting edges that are aligned in the same plane or substantially in the same plane with the exterior of the head unit.
A common drawback of conventional shaving heads with cutting members (either fixed blades or movable blades), is the aggressive shaving resulting in nicks and cuts, due to the high exposure of the blades. Even if a lubricating element is placed on the shaving head, the glideness of the shaving head is limited due to the high exposure of the blades.
The present disclosure provides a skin adapter configured to attach to a head unit of a razor. The skin adapter comprising an outer member configured to attach to the head unit. The outer member having a leading portion, trailing portion, and an aperture arranged between the leading portion and the trailing portion. The leading portion and trailing portion being positioned on an outermost surface of the outer member, and one or more ribbons positioned within the aperture of the outer member. The ribbons extending between the leading portion and trailing portion of the outer member.
According to the current disclosure a skin adapter configured to attach to a shaving head, effectively results in the cutting edge exposure being negative relative to the skin adapter surface. Furthermore, the ribbons effectively cause the hair to be aligned with the ribbons or “prepared” before being cut by the cutting members. This configuration reduces the occurrence of nicks and cuts by providing additional contact points which increases the surface area that the shaving force is applied over the skin during shaving and aligns the hair in a manner that reduces the number of times and orientations the cutting members need to go over the skin in order for a user to have a satisfactory shave.
The ribbons may have a width within a range of 0.3 mm to 3.5 mm.
The skin adapter may comprise two or more ribbons arranged with a distance in between. The distance between ribbons is within a range of 2 mm to 20 mm.
The ribbons may be monolithically formed with the outer member.
The ribbons may be formed of a polymer.
The ribbons may be formed of a metal.
The outer member may comprise at least one lubricating element positioned on at least a portion of the outermost surface of the outer member.
The outer member may comprise at least one lubricating element positioned on at least one of the leading portion and trailing portion.
In examples, a razor comprises a handle, a head unit comprising at least one shaving blade with a cutting edge, the head unit being configured to connect with the handle; and the aforementioned shield adapter.
The skin adapter may comprise a plurality of protrusions or recesses that may be configured to engage corresponding protrusions or recesses provided on the head unit.
The outer member of the skin adapter may be configured to be slidably engaged the head unit.
The skin adapter may be configured to expose at least a portion of the at least one razor blade.
A shaving plane may be defined by a tangential line intersecting the leading portion and the trailing portion of the adapter. A cutting edge exposure may be defined as the vertical distance between the cutting edge and the shaving plane.
In examples, a method of making a skin adapter comprises: providing a foil having a plurality of ribbons; and insert molding an outer member with the foil.
The skin adapter 300 may further include an aperture 330 centered in the outer member 310 of the skin adapter 300. As seen in
Returning to
Shown in
The ribbons 230 may have a thickness t within a range of 0.4 mm<t<1.0 mm for shaving and trimming: 1.0<t<10.0 mm for trimming. This thickness prevents the ribbons from deflecting toward the blades 130 of the head unit 100 when a user applies a pressure on the ribbons 230 during a shaving operation. The thickness t of the ribbons 320 may also vary and may be optimized for different hair length needs. For example, a small thickness t for close shave or high thickness for sensitive skins or for trimming.
Additionally, the innermost surface 320b of the ribbons 230 may be at a distance dy2 from a bottom surface 350 of the outer member 310. dy2 may be defined as the distance between the innermost surface of the ribbon 320b from the bottom surface 350 of the outer member. This distance may be a in a range of 3 mm<dy2<5 mm for shaving and 5 mm<dy2<15 mm for trimming.
The outer member 310 further comprises an attachment portion 340 configured to releasably attach the skin adapter 300 onto the head unit 100. In the example shown in
Alternatively, the attachment portion 230 may be configured to be slidable mounted on the head unit 100. In these examples, the attachment portion 230 may be shaped as a peripheral skirt defining longitudinal guides and having at least one open side.
The ribbons 320 are positioned within the aperture 330 of the outer member 310 but are dimensioned in a manner to allow a user to access the blades 130 of the head unit when the skin adapter 300 is attached to the head unit 100. Further, the positioning of the ribbons relative to the cutting edges 130a of the blades 130 may vary depending on the operation that the user wishes to follow, for example shaving or trimming.
In this configuration, the skin adapter 300 acts as a guard between a user's skin and the blades 130 during a shaving operation. Furthermore, an aspect of this configuration is to position the blades 130 in an exposure that is negative relative to the shaving plane which is defined by a tangential line intersecting the leading portion 312 and the trailing portion 314. If the cutting edge 130 is aligned with (or positioned at) the shaving plane the cutting edge exposure is considered neutral, if the cutting edge 130 is above the shaving plane (for example,
These configurations may be beneficial for a user who has sensitive skin. Furthermore, the ribbons 320 may be adapted to comb or position the hair during a shaving operation. These configurations urge the hair into a more optimal position so that more hair may be cut during a single pass compared to a razor not incorporating the ribbons 320. This is especially helpful for users whose hair grows in different directions, thus reducing the need to shave over a single spot multiple times and/or in different orientations, which can cause further irritation to the skin.
The skin adapter 300 may include any appropriate number of ribbons 320 that would guard a user's skin from excessive contact with blades 130 while also permitting a user to access the blades 130 during a shaving operation, for example, 2 to 8 ribbons 320.
In the Examples shown in
Since the foil 420 is a separate component that could be used in insert molding process and due to the thickness of the foil, which may be, for example, 50 μm, the foil 420 assures that the closeness of the shaving operation may not be affected. The combination of the skin adaptor 400 along with the foil 420 results in that the glideness is enhanced and skin protection is significantly improved with the usage of the adaptor 400.
The foil 420 may comprise a plurality of ribbons 422. The plurality of ribbons 422 may extend between the leading and trailing portions 312, 314 of the outer member 310. The plurality of ribbons 422 may have a pitch or distance Dx′ therebetween. The distance Dx′ may be within a range of 2 to 20 mm, optionally 5 to 15 mm. Each of the ribbons 422 may have a width Wx′ within a range of 0.3 to 3.5 mm, optionally 0.5 to 1.5 mm.
The ribbons 422 may be positioned within the aperture 330 of the outer member 310 but are dimensioned in a manner to allow a user to access the blades 130 of the head unit when the skin adapter 400 is attached to the head unit 100.
In this configuration, the skin adapter 400 acts as a guard between a user's skin and the blades 130 during a shaving operation. Similar to the skin adapter 300 in
Furthermore, the ribbons 422 may be adapted to comb or position the hair on the skin during a shaving operation. This configuration urges the hair into a more optimal position so that more hair may be cut during a single pass compared to a razor not incorporating the ribbons 320.
The foil 420 may include any appropriate number of ribbons 422 that would guard a user's skin from excessive contact with blades 130 while also permitting a user to access the blades 130 during a shaving operation, for example, 2 to 8 ribbons 422. In circumstances, an adapter comprising a single centered ribbon may be foreseen.
Shown in
The ribbons 422 may have a thickness t′ within a range of 0.4 mm<t<1.0 mm for shaving and 1.0<t<10.0 mm for trimming. This thickness t′ prevents the ribbons from deflecting toward the blades 130 of the head unit 100 when a user applies a pressure on the ribbons 422 during a shaving operation.
Additionally, the innermost surface 420b of the ribbons 422 may be a distance dy2′ from a bottom surface 350 of the outer member 310. dy2′ may be defined as the distance between the innermost surface of the ribbon 420b from the bottom surface 350 of the outer member. This distance may be a in a range of 3 mm<dy2<5 mm for shaving and 5 mm<dy2<15 mm for trimming.
Throughout the description, including the claims, the term “comprising a” should be understood as being synonymous with “comprising at least one” unless otherwise stated. In addition, any range set forth in the description, including the claims should be understood as including its end value(s) unless otherwise stated. Specific values for described elements should be understood to be within accepted manufacturing or industry tolerances known to one of skill in the art, and any use of the terms “substantially” and/or “approximately” and/or “generally” should be understood to mean falling within such accepted tolerances.
Although the present disclosure herein has been described with reference to particular embodiments, it is to be understood that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and applications of the present disclosure. Additionally, any of the features of the described embodiments are combinable when not conflicting. For example, a skin adapter may include lubricating elements 520 and 620. Additionally, for example, lubricating elements 520 and/or 620 may be combinable with the skin adapter 300 shown in
It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope of the disclosure being indicated by a fair reading of the following claims.
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