US3581392A - Shaver and long hair trimmer - Google Patents

Abstract

A SHAVER COMPRISES A HOUSING, A MOTOR IN THE HOUSING AND HAVING A ROTATABLE DRIVE SHAFT, A SHAVING HEAD THAT< CAN BE COUPLED WITH THE DRIVE SHAFT, AND TRIMMER DEVICE FOR TRIMMING SIDEBURNS AND LONG HAIR. THE TRIMMER DEVICE INCLUDES A FIRST TOOTHED BLADE AND A SECOND TOOTHED BLADE MOUNTED ON THE FIRST BLADE FOR OSCILLATORY MOVEMENT RELATIVE THERETO. MOUNTING MEANS MOUNTS BOTH BLADES FOR MOVEMENT AS A UNIT TRANSVERSELY OF THE DRIVE SHAFT BETWEEN AN INOPERATIVE AND AN OPERATIVE POSITION. COUPLING MEANS COUPLES THE SECOND TOOTHED BLADE WITH THE DRIVE SHAFT FOR OSCILLATION BY THE LATER AND INCLUDES A COUPLING MEMBER A FIRST POSITION OF WHICH ENGAGES THE SECOND BLADE AND A SECOND PORTION OF WHICH ENGAGES THE DRIVE SHAFT WHEN THE BLADES MOVE AS A UNIT TO THEIR OPERATIVE POSITION.

Description

June 1, 1971 HUBNER 3,581,392

SHAVER AND LONG HAIR TRIMMER Filed May 24, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet l Inventor O/fi #41640 X v l 04m! JM June 1, 1971 Q HUBNER 3,581,392

SHAVER AND LONG HAIR TRIMMER Filed May 24, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor o Nae/var United States Patent Office 3,581,392 Patented June 1, 1971 3,581,392 SHAVER AND LONG HAIR TRIMMER Otto Hubner, 33 Gruntal, 8 Munich, Germany Filed May 24, 1968, Ser. N0. 731,851 Claims priority, application Germany, May 29, 1967, P 15 53 718.5 lint. Cl. 1326b 19/06, 19/38, 19/10 US. Cl. 30-341 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A shaver comprises a housing, a motor in the housing and having a rotatable drive shaft, a shaving head that can be coupled with the drive shaft, and a trimmer device for trimming sideburns and long hair. The trimmer device includes a first toothed blade and a second toothed blade mounted on the first blade for oscillatory movement relative thereto. Mounting means mounts both blades for movement as a unit transversely of the drive shaft between an inoperative and an operative position. Coupling means couples the second toothed blade with the drive shaft for oscillation by the latter and includes a coupling member a first portion of which engages the second blade and a second portion of which engages the drive shaft when the blades move as a unit to their operative position.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a shaver in general, and more particularly to an electric shaver. Still more particularly the present invention relates to an electric shaver of the type comprising separate shaving heads for short and long hairs.

It is of course known to construct electric shavers with a shaving head for short hair, namely for beard stubble, and with a separate shaving head, a so-called trimmer, for trimming long hair such as sideburns. The present invention is directed, however, particularly to the type of shaver which is of generally cylindrical configuration. In this type of shaver various problems have been encountered in providing a trimmer device. A known shaver of the type herein question comprises a first shaving head for short hair and a second shaving head or trimmer for long hair, both of which are driven constantly and simultaneously by the drive shaft of the motor. The shaving head for short hair is driven directly and the shaving head for long hair, the trimmer as it will hereafter be identified, is driven indirectly through the intermediary of an eccentric which turns in an elongated aperture provided in a toothed plate which is mounted pivotable about an axis offset to one side of the motor output shaft.

This construction has not been very successful in competing with shavers of generally rectangular outline for various reasons. One of these is the fact that both the shaving head, which hereafter is a term utilized only for the shaving head to be used for cutting short beard stubble, as well as the trimmer are driven continuously and simultaneously, a fact which makes this construction rather noisy in operation and which also requires an increased energy input, the latter being undesirable especially if the shaver is battery-operated as is usually the case with the type of shaver here under discussion. A further disadvantage is the fact that in the aforementioned construction the trimmer extends radially outwardly of the substantially cylindrical housing and, as pointed out before, is constantly driven. It happens quite frequently during use of the shaving head that the trimmer acci dentally contacts the skin or the hair of the user and pinches the skin, or abrades it. For this reason the aforementioned known construction utilizes a special protective ridge in the vicinity of the trimmer, but this in turn makes it more difiicult to use the trimmer when desired. Finally, the trimmer comprises two sets of teeth, each provided on a toothed plate, and one set of teeth is movable with reference to the other to provide a shear action for hair which projects between the stationary and the movable teeth. In the known construction, however, the movable set of teeth does not perform a straight line motion but rather a slightly arcuate motion which varies the angle of contact of the teeth and adversely influences the cutting efiiciency of the device.

It should also be noted that, generally speaking, it has been found that shavers with trimming devices are not universally requested by the consumers. Thus, they constitute only a certain percentage of all electric shavers sold. Inasmuch as it is not possible to provide in the known prior-art shavers of the type under discussion a trimming device whenever such is desired by the consumer, it is necessary to keep on hand two different shavers one of which is provided with the trimming device and the other of which is without it. This of course means the expense of having quantities of these different shavers on hand and also the larger manufacturing costs involved in manufacturing two distinct types of shavers in smaller quantities than would otherwise be the case.

It is therefore a general object of the present invention to overcome the disadvantages outlined above.

A more particular object of the invention is to provide a shaver of the type here under discussion with a trimmer assembly which can be mounted in and demounted from the shaver at will so that the shaver may normally be available without the trimmer presently but can be provided therewith whenever a request for a shaver with trimmer assembly is made.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION -.In pursuance of these objects, and others which will become apparent hereafter, one embodiment of my invention provides, in a shaver of the type comprising a housing, a motor having a rotatable drive shaft and a shaving head arranged to be secured to the housing and coupled with the drive shaft, a trimmer device for trimming sideburns and long hair, which trimmer device includes a first toothed blade and a second toothed blade mounted on the first toothed blade for oscillatory movement relative thereto. Mounting means mounts the first and second blades for movement as a unit transversely of the drive shaft between an inoperative and an operative position. Coupling means couples the second toothed blade with the drive shaft for oscillation by the latter and comprises a coupling member having a first portion which engages the second blade and a second portion which is adapted to engage the drive shaft in response to movement of the blades to operative position. By this arrangement the coupling member receives motion from the drive shaft and transmits this motion to the second blade, causing the same to perform oscillatory movements with reference to the first blade, whenever the blades move to operative position.

Advantageously, the coupling member is constructed as a rocker member having a projecting head portion of substantially T-shaped outline which serves to engage the second toothed blade for the purpose of transmitting oscillatory motion thereto.

With my present invention it is possible to normally locate the trimmer device entirely within the confines of the housing and to have it extend outwardly beyond the housing only when it is intended to actually use the trimmer device for trimming sideburns or long hair. While the trimmer device is located within the confines of the housing, it is, in accordance with the present invention, disconnected from the drive shaft so as not to constitute a load on the motor. Moreover, this arrangement provides for a straight-line oscillatory motion of the movable or second toothed blade when the trimmer device is in operation.

The present invention overcomes a problem which heretofore always provided difficulties in the construction of trimmer devices in shavers of the type here under discussion. Reference is had to the fact that the mounting of the trimmer device with the necessary shifting mechanism permitting movement of the trimmer device into and out of the housing as provided by the present invention, has been found very diflicult to accomplish because of the limited available space. It must be remembered here that the diameter of such cylindrical shavers is usually only on the order of a few centimeters. It is clear that the pivot for the motion transmitting member which can be coupled with the eccentric on the drive shaft and which transmits motion from the same to the movable toothed blade of the trimmer device, must always be located to one side of the orbital path of the eccentric, even when the device is moved into and out of the housing. The eccentric, on the other hand, cannot be made as small as the other problems might dictate, because the available space makes it necessary to use short-armed levers and therefore requires a certain orbital path of the eccentric. This problem has been overcome in accordance with the present invention by providing a construction capable of effecting the desired movements and of being located within the available space. This construction makes possible not only the movement of the trimmer device into and out of the housing, but also a straight-line movement of the movable toothed blade.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a somewhat schematic side view of a shaver according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top-plan view of the trimmer device utilized in the shaver of FIG. 1, with the shaving head for short hair being omitted; and

FIG. 3 is an exploded view illustrating the components of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Discussing now the drawing in detail, and firstly FIG. 1 thereof, it will be seen that I have illustrated a shaver of substantially cylindrical outline having a housing H which is shown in broken lines, a trimmer device T secured to the housing, and a shaving head S also secured to the housing, in this case through the intermediary of the trimmer device T.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the trimmer device T comprises a substantially disk-shaped casing 1 which may consist of synthetic plastic material and which has the cross-sectional outline of the housing H. The casing 1 is provided with a laterally projecting extension 1' defining an opening 1". A glide 2 is provided in the bottom wall of the casing 1 for the purpose of mounting the first or bottom toothed blade 4 slidable outwardly and inwardly through the opening 1". Holding members 5 serve to maintain the blade 4 in place, as is seen most clearly in 4 FIG. 2. However, it will be understood that a different arrangement for guiding the blade 4 and maintaining it in place is also feasible.

The blade 4 is provided at one edge with a row of teeth 3. Another blade 9 overlies the blade 4 and is provided at one edge with a row of teeth 6 which overlies the row 3. The blade 9 is provided with elongated openings 7, that is openings which are elongated in the direction transversely of the elongation of the glide 2, and bolts or pins 8 extend into and through the respective openings 7 so that the blade 9 may perform reciprocatory movements with reference to the blade 4 in direction transversely of the elongation of the glide 2. Conical springs 19 serve to press the blade 9 against the blade 4, the use of such conically configurated springs being preferred to the use of cylindrical springs because the conical springs offer less resistance to lateral deflecting forces which occur during oscillation of the blade 9 than do cylindrical springs. It will be seen that the blade 9 engages the blade 4 not in surface-tosurface contact which would provide too much friction, but only along its row of teeth 6 and with the downwardly extending bulge 18. That portion of the opening 1" which remains unobstructed by the blades 4 and 9 after the same are received in the casing 1 is closed via a closure member 26 whose projecting portions 27 extend into slots 28 provided in the portion 1 of the casing 1.

A rocker member 10 is also mounted on the blade 4, turnable as a double-armed lever about a pivot axis defined by the pin 11 provided on the blade 4. The rocker member 10 is provided with an elongated cut-out 12 of substantially key-hole shape, that is a cut-out having a narrower and a wider portion. The rotary drive shaft of the motor (which latter is not illustrated because it may be of conventional construction and is not important for the purposes of the invention) is identified with reference numeral 14 and carries an eccentric 13 which extends into the cut-out 12 of the rocker member 10. The latter is in turn provided with a projecting head portion 15 of substantially T-shaped outline which extends without play into an opening 16 in the blade 9. It will be appreciated that the blade 9 and the rocker member 10 could be of substantially fork-shaped configuration; in view of the small thickness of the components involved it is however preferred to construct them as solid members. To reduce space requirements the pin 11 is carried by the blade 4 adjacent one lateral edge thereof and in the region of the row 3 of teeth, and the blade 9 is provided with an elongated cut-out 17 through which the pin extends upwardly into engagement with the rocker member 10.

The casing 1 has a peripheral side wall provided with an edge face 1'. An actuating member 20, whose configuration is most clearly visible in FIG. 3, overlies the blades 4 and 9, and the holding members 5,, and has a radially extending flange portion 20a overlying the edge face 1" and provided with an engaging portion 22 extending outwardly beyond the edge face 1". It is clear that the member 20 is confined in its configuration to the outlined curvature of the side wall of the casing 1 so as to be slidable therealong. It is provided, as also shown in FIG. 3, with an arcuate slot 21 into which a guide pin 23 extends which is rigid with the blade 4. FIG. 3 shows clearly that the construction and configuration of the member 20 is such that it can use the space between the blades and the rocker member 10, thus avoiding the need to provide additional space for the member 20.

In operation of the novel shaver according to the pres ent invention, the unit consisting of the blades 4 and 9 and the rocker member 10 can be moved into and out of the opening 1". FIG. 2 shows the unit withdrawn into the confines of the casing 1. In this position the eccentric 13 is located in the wider portion of the opening 12 and can rotate therein without engaging the rocker member 10. The portion 14a (see FIG. 3) of the drive shaft 14 is coupled with the shaving head S and drives the same at all times when the shaver is in use. The particular construction of the shaving head S is of no importance for the purposes of the present invention, and is not shown because it is well known to those skilled in the art. It is simply necessary to remember that, when the trimmer device is in the position shown in FIG. 2, the shaving head S continues to be driven while the eccentric 13 does not drive the trimmer device.

To make use of the trimmer device the member 20 is moved in an arcuate path by engaging the engaging portion 22 and sliding the same in the direction of the arrow F in FIG. 2, that is towards the right. The slot 21, which constitutes in effect a cam, forces the pin 23 which constitutes a cam follower to move in outward direction, together with the blade 4, the blade 9' and the rocker member 10. In FIG. 2 this outward direction is towards the upper edge of the drawing. As a result of this movement the rows of teeth 3, 6 project outwardly beyond the opening 1 and at the same time the eccentric 13 enters into the narrower portion of the opening or cut-out 12 in the rocker member 10. The latter is now coupled with the drive shaft 514 and is caused by movement of the eccentric 13 to perform rocking movements about the pin 11. This causes the head 15 to reciprocate the blade 9 which moves with reference to the pins 8 in the manner dictated by the elongation of the slots 7.

It is clearly visible in the drawing that the entire trimmer device constitutes with the casing 1 a fiat substantially disk-shaped assembly. Inasmuch as the casing 1 is provided with the hollow sleeve-shaped projections 24, it can be mounted on the housing H via the screws 29 whenever a customer wishes to have the shaver supplied with the trimmer device. The screw-threaded extension 25 of the casing 1 then serves to threadedly connect the shaving head S to the casing 1 and the shear system of the shaving head S becomes coupled in known manner, which need not be illustrated because it is known to those skilled in the art, with the drive shaft portion 14a when the shaving head S is thus coupled. If the shaver is to be supplied without the trimmer device, then a space-holding member of the shape and configuration of the casing 1 may be inserted between the head S and the body of the housing H. However, in case of this expedient it is also possible to construct the drive shaft 14 so that it can be extended into coupling engagement with the shaving head S without the interposition of such a space-holding member, in which case a separate extension portion may be provided which can be connected with the drive shaft 14 and which carries the eccentric 13. This extension will then be connected with the drive shaft 14 whenever a customer requests that the trimmer device be supplied with the shaver and it will have a length sufficient to extend the drive shaft by a distance corresponding to the axial thickness of the trimmer device.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of shavers differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in an electric shaver, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended Within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.

1. In a shaver, in combination, a housing having an outer circumferential surface; a motor in said housing and having a rotatable drive shaft of predetermined length; a shaving head arranged to be secured to said housing and coupled with said drive shaft; a trimmer device for trimming sideburns and long hair, including a casing of given axial length removably insertable into said housing intermediate said motor and said shaving head, a first toothed blade and a second toothed blade mounted on said first toothed blade for reciprocatory movement relative thereto, and both accommodated in said casing, mounting means mounting said first and second blades for movement as a unit transversely of said drive shaft between an operative position in which they project in part beyond said surface outwardly thereof, and an inoperative position in which they are completely located within the outline of said surface, and coupling means for coupling said second toothed blade with said drive shaft for reciprocation thereby, said coupling means comprising a coupling member having a first portion engaging said second blade and a second portion adapted to engage said drive shaft in response to movement of said blades to said operative position, whereby said coupling member receives motion from said drive shaft and transmits such motion to said second blade causing the same to perform reciprocatory movements with reference to said first blade; and a shaft extension bridging said given axial length and connecting said shaft with said shaving head when said trimmer device is inserted in said housing.

2. In a shaver as defined in claim 1, said housing comprising an outer peripheral wall provided with an opening and said blades projecting partly through said opening in said operative position.

3. In a shaver as defined in claim 2; and further comprising an actuating member operatively connected with said blades and accessible exteriorly of said housing for enabling manual shifting of said blades as a unit between said operative and inoperative. positions.

4. In a shaver as defined in claim 3, said coupling member being a rocker member and said second portion thereof constituting a projection projecting to one side of said first portion and including a head engaging said second blade.

5. In a shaver as defined in claim 4, wherein said rocker member is carried by said first blade.

6. In a shaver as defined in claim 5, said first blade comprising a cam follower, and said actuating member comprising a cam portion mounted within said housing for sliding movement in a predetermined path and being provided with a cam face cooperating with said cam follower, and an engaging portion accessible exteriorly of said housing for effecting sliding movement of said cam portion whereby to transmit motion to said cam follower and effect movement of said rocker member and said blades between said operative and inoperative positions and consequently between a position of engagement with and a position of disengagement from said drive shaft.

7. In a shaver as defined in claim 4, wherein said drive shaft comprises an eccentric mounted thereon for rotation therewith, said rocker member being provided with an elongated aperture through which said drive shaft extends and in which said eccentric is located for rotation, said aperture having a first aperture portion in which said eccentric is located when said blades are in said inoperative position and which is sufficiently large for unobstructed rotation of said eccentric therein, and a second aperture portion in which said eccentric is located when said blades are in said operative position and which is configurated for engagement of said eccentric with said rocker member and transmission of motion to the same.

8. In a shaver as defined in claim 1, wherein said casing is a fiat substantially disc-shaped casing, said blades and said means being mounted in said casing and being mountable in and removable from said housing together with said casing as a unitary assembly inwardly of said shaving head.

9. In a shaver as defined in claim 8, wherein said housing is of substantially hollow cylindrical configuration.

10. In a shaver as defined in claim 8, said shaft extension having a length at least equal to said given axial length for extending said drive shaft so that the same may be coupled with said shaving head when said trimmer assembly is mounted in said housing.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,392,443 7/1968 Kawano 30-34.1

OTHELL M. SIMPSON, Primary Examiner

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