PATENT SPECIFICATION

Convention Date (United States) : Feb. 16, 1931. Application Date (in United Kingdom) : Oct. 13, 1931. No, 28,474/31. Complete Accepted : June 30, 1932.

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COMPLETE SPECIFICATION. Improvements in or relating to Safety Razors

375,651

We, Art Metal Works, Inc., a Corporation organised under the Laws of the State of New Jersey, United States of America, of 46—50, Center Street, Newark, State of New Jersey, United States of America, Assignees of Louis Vincent Aronson, a Citizen of the United States of America, of c/o Art Metal Works, Inc., of 46—50, Center Street, Newark, State of New Jersey, United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:—

This invention relates to a combined safety razor and sharpening device.

Among the objects of this invention are the provision of mechanism for facilitating a rotation of a safety razor blade for moving the faces of the edges, on the same side of the blade, respectively, into cooperative engagement with a guard and a sharpening device, and the provision of means for facilitating a rotation of the razor blade for presenting either face of either edge to the sharpening device.

According to the present invention a combined safety razor and sharpening device is provided, in which the razor blade is secured to a support and the blade support and the blade are mounted for movement with relation to a holder and away from the guard and sharpening device to facilitate turning of the blade about its longitudinal axis and in such manner that each edge of the blade can be positioned for shaving and also brought into contact with the sharpening device without moving the blade from its support.

More specifically regarded a combined safety razor and sharpening device is provided in which the razor blade is secured to a support, the support and the blade thereof being adapted to be simultaneously moved to carry the blade edge or edges away from the guard and the sharpening-device on the holder to permit rotation of the blade about its longitudinal axis, and an axis perpendicular thereto, so that each face of the edge or each face of the edges of the blade, where a double-edged blade is used, can be positioned for shaving and also brought into contact with the sharpening device without moving the blade from its support.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein preferred embodiments are illustrated by way of example.

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section through the combined razor and sharpening device taken transversely through the razor head ;

Fig. 2 is a side view ;

Fig. 3 is an end view looking down toward the razor in Fig. 1 ;

Fig. 4 is a section similar to that m Fig. 1, showing several positions of the razor blade carrying head ;

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section through the handle and razor head taken longitudinally of the razor head ;

Fig. 6 shows one of the moved positions of the razor blade ;

Fig. 7 shows in transverse section, the head portion of a modified form of razor embodying the invention.

Fig. 8 shows a second modification ;

Fig. 9 shows parts of another modification in section ; and

Fig. 10 shows a partial top plan view of the modification shown in Fig. 9.

The combined safety razor and sharpening device includes a handle 10 removably secured to a member 11 on which a supporting member 12 is formed or to which it is rigidly connected. The member 12 has suitably secured thereto or formed integral therewith on one side a guard 13 provided with raised portions 14 for spacing the razor blade 15 from the guard proper. Formed on or secured to the opposite side of the member 12 are ears 16 in which the ends of the shaft of a sharpening roller 17 are journalled. This roller may be made of any suitable material and may be provided with a helical rib as shown. The roller may be rotated by rolling the same over the hand of the user or otherwise as desired.

As shown in Fig. 5, the razor blade 15 may be removably, secured to an inner clamping or supporting member 23, by an upper clamping member 21 which has bayonet slot connections with the heads of studs 22 extending through openings in the razor blade 15 and supported by the lower clamping member 23. In the modification as shown in Figs. 9 and 10, the lower clamping member 23a may be provided with aligning studs 22a cooperating with aligning holes in the upper clamping plate 21a which may be provided with a rectangular hole 39 to receive the rectangular head 40 of a stud swiveled in the lower clamping plate 23a. As the head 40 is turned into the position shown in Figs. 9 and 10, it engages with cam faces at the walls of the hole 39 to move the clamping plate 21a toward the clamping plate 23a.

The lower clamping member 23 may be provided with ears 24 in which are secured short bearing studs supported freely in ears 25 on a member 26. The member 26 is supported on a plunger 27 which extends through the handle 10 and is drawn downwardly to move the edges of the raxor blade into cooperative position with the guard and sharpening device, by means of a spring 28 which operates between a shoulder within the handle 10 and a finger piece 29 threaded on the plunger 27.

In Fig. 1 the razor blade is shown in the operative position with one edge resting on the spacers 14 on the guard 13 and with the other edge resting on the sharpening roller 17. The supporting member 26 is normally aligned with the member 12 by means of aligning pins 30 on the member 12 engaging in holes 31 in the member 26. These aligning pins function to hold the edges of the razor blade in the proper operative position.

When it is desired to turn the razor about an axis extending through the plunger 27 the razor is moved into the dotted line position, shown in Fig. 4, by applying pressure to the member 29, and then the razor blade holder may be rotated by rotating the member 29 or by moving finger wheels 32 which are non-rotatably secured upon the bearing studs 24, about said axis.

The razor blade may also be turned to present the opposite faces of the edges to the guard and roller by moving the plunger 27 and razor blade into the position shown in full lines, Fig. 4, and then by rotating the clamping means and razor blade about a longitudinal axis by manipulation of the finger wheels 32.

If it is desired to sharpen both faces of both edges of the blade, the razor blade may be moved into, the dotted line position shown in Fig. 4 and may be rotated by means of the finger piece 29 or the finger wheels 32 about an axis extending through the plunger 27. By this means, the corresponding faces of both edges may be sharpened on the sharpening device 17. The other pair of corresponding faces may be brought into cooperative position with respect to the guard and sharpening roller by rotating the clamping devices and blade by means of the finger wheels 32 about an axis extending longitudinally of the blade after the blade has been moved into the position shown by full lines in Fig. 4. Upon releasing the plunger 27, the faces of the edges of the razor blade will be drawn into cooperative position with respect to the guard and sharpening device whereupon one of the edges may be sharpened. After this edge has been sharpened the blade may be moved into the dotted line position shown in Fig. 4 and rotated about an axis extending through the plunger 27 so as to present the other edge to the sharpening device.

As shown in Fig. 7, if it is desired the razor blade may take the position indicated in this figure by making the ears 16a and the part 35 of the member 12a of lengths to accomplish this, or the same may be accomplished by the use of rollers of different diameters. In this way the blade may be mounted at the angle desired for shaving.

If desired, the bearing slots in the ears 16b, Fig. 8, may be elongated in the direction shown so that the sharpening roller may travel toward the face of the edge of the blade. The roller 17 may be normally held against the edge of the blade by means of a spring 36 which may bear against a roller or the shaft supporting the roller 17.

This construction permits the roller to come into uniform yielding contact with the blade for facilitating proper sharpening action throughout the length of the blade.

In Figure 6 the blade holder and blade are shown at an angular position with the supporting member 26 resting upon the roller 17, or upon this roller and the guard 13, in such position that the parts may be cleaned or washed after use, that is, to place the blade and holder in this position it is merely necessary to press upwardly on the finger piece 29 and turn the same through a small angle. Thereby the blade holder will be held in this extended position as long as desired for cleaning or for ready replacement of the blade.

While the invention has been described with respect to certain particular preferred examples which give satisfactory results, it will be understood by those skilled in the art, after understanding the invention that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and it is intended, therefore, in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim is :—

1. A combined safety razor and sharpening device in which the razor blade is secured to a support and the blade support and the blade are mounted for movement with relation to a holder and away from the guard and sharpening device to facilitate turning of the blade about its longitudinal axis and in such a manner that each edge of the blade can be positioned for shaving and also brought into contact with the sharpening device without moving the blade from its support.

2. A combined safety razor and sharpening device in which the razor blade is secured to a support, the support and the blade thereof being adapted to be simultaneously moved to carry the blade edge or edges away from the guard and the sharpening device on the holder to permit rotation of the blade about its longitudinal axis, and an axis perpendicular thereto, so that each face of the edge or each face of the edges of the blade, where a double-edged blade is used, can be positioned for shaving and also brought into contact with the sharpening device without moving the blade from its support.

3. A combined safety razor and sharpening device in which the blade is supported between a guard on one side and a sharpening device on the other side of the holder and in which the blade support and the holder are adapted to be moved relatively to each other along their common longitudinal axis to separate the blade edges from the guard and sharpening device of the holder to permit turning of the razor blade about its longitudinal central axis and about the said longitudinal axis of the holder.

4. A combined safety razor and sharpening device according to claim 1, 2 or 3, in which the blade support in its operative position is adapted to be held in alignment with respect to the holder by a cooperating pin and slot arrangement or the like on the blade support and the holder.

5. A combined safety razor and sharpening device according to any one of the preceding claims in which spring means or the like is provided which acts on the blade support for drawing the blade into simultaneous cooperative relation with the guard and sharpening device.

6. A combined safety razor and sharpening device comprising a channel-shaped frame mounted on a handle and having a guard at one edge of the channel and a sharpening device at the other edge thereof, the support for the blade and its retaining means or clamp normally resting within said channel-shaped frame member, a plunger slidably mounted in the handle, a spring for urging the plunger to move the blade into cooperative relation with the guard and sharpening device, and means for moving the plunger against the force of the spring to move the blade and its support free of the guard and sharpening device to permit the blade to be turned about either of two different axes.

7. A combined safety razor and sharpening device according to any one of the preceding claims including a retaining means or clamp for a double-edged biade and having an attaching means including a member pivotal about an axis extending lengthwise of the blade whereby either blade surface of either of the two blade edges may be brought into contact with the sharpening device while the blade remains secured in the clamp.

8. A combined safety razor and sharpening device according to any one of the preceding claims including a plunger rotatably carried by the handle or holder and having a portion adapted to be engaged by the thumb of the user, said handle having a finger engaging portion whereby the device may be held in one hand and the plunger moved to elevate the blade retaining means to a position whereby the blade will be substantially spaced from the guard, said retaining means with the blade clamped therein being rotatable about an axis extending in the general direction of the handle.

9. A combined safety razor and sharpening device according to any one of the preceding claims in which means are provided for aligning the support with respect to the gurard and sharpening device.

10. A combined safety razor and sharpening device having its parts constructed, arranged and adapted to operate substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings and for the purpose specified.