US3143796A - Electric head construction with movable slide cover - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 11, 1964 BOND 3,143,796

ELECTRIC HEAD CONSTRUCTION WITH MOVABLE SLIDE COVER Filed Feb. 8, 1963 I20 26 b/ 30 2 0 I40 INVENTOR. Bil/[Kl Y B 0N0 BY Mc.GIew 8 Toren ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent 3,143,796 ELEQTRXC HEAD CONSTRUCTIGN WilH MQVABLE SLIDE CQVER Beverly Bond, South Norwalk, Conn, assignor to Ronson Corporation, Woodbridge, NJ. Filed Feb. 8, 1963, Ser. No. 257,182 1 Ciaim. ((11. 39-34) This invention relates in general to electric razor construction and, in particular, to a new and useful construction for the head portion or top portion of the razor housing which carries a curved, stationary cutting element, and to an improved roll-type protective covering therefor.

The present invention is an improvement over prior art devices, particularly in respect to the provision of novel means for protecting an exposed stationary cutting element. Prior to the present invention, removable caps or cover elements have been provided for electric razor housings which are snapped into place in a position protecting an exposed cutting element. A disadvantage with devices of this type is that they may become disassociated from the razor housing and either be broken or be lost. In addition, with the removable type cap elements, it is necessary to remove the protective element efore shaving, store it in an accessible position and then to reinstall it over the cutting element after the shaving has taken place all of which is time consuming and cumbersome.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an improved head construction for a razor which includes a stationary, curved cutting element which comprises a roll-type cover element which is arranged to ride in grooves defined in the head so that it may be moved between a position in which it is covering the complete stationary cutting element and a position in which it is removed from the cutting element to permit use thereof.

A feature of the construction is that the groove defined in the curved side pieces of the head construction is such that the roll-type cover will be locked or seated in the groove when it is in the closed position, and it will become similarly seated when in a fully open position.

The roll-type cover advantageously includes an inexpensive plastic slide element made up of a plurality of semi-circular, interconnected link elements which provide sufiicient flexibility for the relatively rigid plastic material to permit it to be guided around in an arcuate manner between opened and closed positions. The construction of the housing parts is such that the groove defined therein for the track of the roll slide is enlarged at a location in which the trailing end of the slide is in a position substantially closing all of the stationary curved cutting elements so that the roll slide is frictionally positioned in a closed position. The slide may be easily manipulated by pressing it inwardly against the razor head or housing to permit it to be slid from a closed position to an open position at which the elements of the slide will again expand into a widened portion of the groove so that it will be similarly frictionally held in an open position.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved housing construction for an electric razor.

A further object of the invention is to provide an electric razor head construction which includes a housing which holds a stationary, curved cutting element and which includes side members on each side of the cutting element, each of which carries a groove in which is slid able a roll slide member extending between the side members, the roll slide member being movable between a closed position in which it overlies the cutter and an 3,143,796 Patented Aug. 11, 1964 open position at which it is displaced to one side of the cutter.

A further object of the invention is to provide a razor head construction which includes spaced side elements which carry a stationary cutting blade at the upper ends thereof and which includes grooves defined in an exposed space above the blade extending around in an arc and then downwardly to a removed location from the blade, and including a roll slide element having side edges engaged in respective grooves of each side member and slidable in the grooves from a position completely overlying and closing the blade element to a position completely exposing and opening the blade element.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a razor head construction which is simple in design, rugged in construction and economical to manufacture.

The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objections attained by its use, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a head for an electric razor, constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the razor head indicated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section taken along the line 3--3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a section taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective exploded View of a portion of portions of the razor head indicated in FIG. 1.

Referring to the drawings in particular, the invention embodied therein includes a razor head generally designated ill which comprises side wall elements 12 and 14 which have curved edges 12a and 14a, respectively, and which are joined together by front wall portions and rear wall portions 1e and 18, respectively. A resilient stationary cutting blade element 20 is also held by the side walls and front and rear walls in a curved manner, as indicated, and is oriented so that it cooperates with a movable cutting element (not shown) which is located within the housing.

In accordance with the invention, each of the side walls 12 and 14 has grooves or trackways 22, 22 which are defined therein and which extend in a curve substantially parallel to the curve defined by the edges 12a and 14a, respectively. The grooves 22, 22 accommodate fiattened end portions 24 of a slide element or roll-type cover generally designated 26.

The cover 26 is made up of a plurality of semicircular link elements 26a which are joined together or formed as an integral piece in a manner to permit the flexible manipulation of the roll-type cover 26. The cover 26 is advantageously made of a material such as a plastic and is advantageously made transparent. One end of the cover 26 is provided with an enlarged link portion 26b of semicircular cross section which is provided with tab elements 28 and 30 on each end provided for manipulating the roll cover 25 between open and closed positions.

As indicated in FIGS. 13, the roll top cover 26 is in a closed position in which it extends completely over the stationary cutting blade element 20 and forms a protection therefor. The roll top cover 26 may be slid in the grooves 22, 22 from the top position in which it covers the stationary blade 20 to a position located against the rear face of the shaver overlying the Wall 18 by sliding the flat end areas 24 in the grooves 22, 22.

A feature of the construction is that each groove 22 includes an enlarged portion 22a at a location which will be in alignment with the extreme edge of the link 26b when the top cover member 26 is in a closed position. This permits the flattened side edges 24, due to resiliency of the cover member 26, to move outwardly into the groove and an abutment 22b formed at the location of the enlarged area prevents easy removal or displacement of the top cover member 26 from the closed position. This construction constitutes, in fact, a snap-in lock action of the cover member in the groove and, in order to disengage the cover member from the groove, a certain force has to be exerted inwardly to overcome the tendency of the cover member toward its normally flattened position.

The top cover member 26, however, may be displaced from the close position along the groove 22 by pressing inwardly or by applying pressure at the tab elements 28 and 30 and by urging these elements downwardly to move the top cover member downwardly along the rear wall 18.

The groove 22 is also provided with a widened area 220 which provides for the locking of the end of the roll top member 26 in this area against easy displacement when the roll top cover is moved to an open position exposing the stationary blade element 20.

Thus, it can be seen that the invention provides a displacable cover member which is formed integrally with a razor head and which may be easily manipulated between open and closed positions for the purpose of covering or exposing a stationary blade element. A feature of the construction is that when the cover element is located in either a fully open or a fully closed position, it will not be easily displaced from such position without the applying of pressure to eifect such displacement. This ensures that the slide will not migrate out of a position protecting the blade element when the razor is stored, and also ensures that it will not migrate back over the blade element when the razor is being used.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the inventive principles, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.

What is claimed is:

A razor head construction comprising a pair of oppositely disposed side members each having a groove defined therein adjacent its respective periphery in corresponding laterally aligned locations, a curved cutting member held between said side members with a curved peripheral surface disposed uppermost,

a flexible cover member having side edges confined in respective grooves of said side members for sliding movement therein, said cover member being of a size to completely overly said cutting member, and the side member grooves extending from a location at one end adjacent an edge of said cutting member and thence around the side of said cutting member to a location spaced away from said cutting member by an amount at least sufiicient to accommodate the full length of said cover member at a location out of alignment with said cutting member, the grooves of said side members having a first widened area adjacent an edge of said cutting member permitting expansion of the adjacent edge of said cover member thereinto when said cover member is in a position completely overlying said curve cutting member, the side members at the location of the first widened area of said groove forming a first abutment preventing the sliding of said cover member off said cutting member, the grooves at said side member having a second widened area at a location spaced away from said cutting member with the side members forming a second abutment at a location preventing the sliding of said cover out of a fully open position disposed out of alignment with said cover member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,691,216 Ross Oct. 12, 1954 2,787,830 Argiro Apr. 9, 1957 2,811,774 Otto et al. Nov. 5, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 876,245 Great Britain Aug. 30, 1961 1,122,410 Germany Jan. 18, 1962

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