This invention relates to a combined razor and magazine which are separable to enable the razor to be used for shaving apart from the magazine.

The invention has for its object to provide a separate razor and a separate magazine or loading device which however have co-acting parts for not only positioning the parts for the loading operation but which parts have an additional function in enlarging the blade channel of the razor to enable a blade to be easily and smoothly fed into the razor from the magazine and at the same time insuring that the cutting edge of the blade will travel free. This avoids any chance of the blade contacting anything until it is in shaving position and the cutting edge is prevented from becoming dull by any contact with a hard surface.

The razor to carry out the objects of the invention co-operates with the positioning means in being spread for the reception of the blade and also functions when the magazine is withdrawn by moving the blade from the place where it was deposited by the magazine into a firm position for shaving.

The invention also resides in certain details of construction which will be hereinafter more fully described and finally embodied in the claims.

The accompanying drawing illustrates one form of the invention. Figure 1 is a front view of a razor and magazine slightly separated but in position for assembly, these parts embodying my invention. Figure 2 is a top view of the razor and magazine assembled and showing one blade being fed into the razor which blade is ejecting another blade from the razor. Figure 3 is an end view of the shaving head of the razor shown in Figure 1. Figure 4 is a similar view with the positioning means of the magazine shown in section to illustrate the spreading of the blade clamping members. Figure 5 is a perspective view of the magazine. Figure 6 is a perspective view of a clip that may be used for loading a stack of blades as a unit into the magazine. Figure 7 is a central vertical longitudinal section of the magazine and its clip of blades. Figure 8 is a bottom view of one end of the magazine with the plunger partly withdrawn. Figs. 9 and 10 show two sectional views of part of the razor, one with part of the magazine ready for insertion and the other with this part inserted.

While various forms of razors and magazines can be used in carrying out my invention the drawing shows the present preferred form. The razor is shown as provided with a handle 10 which has a pivoted front member 11 movable laterally on the pivot 12 to throw its upper end 13 into or out of supporting position under a blade platform 14. The blade platform supports the blade 15 and is provided with a suitable guard 16. At the corners of the guard are the front stops 17 against which the front corners of the blade 15 rest when in shaving position. The blade platform thus forms one clamping member of the shaving head and is provided with an extension 18 which is pivoted at 19 so that it can be lowered for cleaning purposes by swinging the handle member 11 and allowing the blade platform to drop. The other clamping member comprises a top plate 20 on the end of an extension 21 which extends up from the handle 10 and is usually integral therewith. The extensions 18 and 21 are spaced apart and at least one of them has a spring action to allow a limited separation of them and also to allow them to clasp a blade when released without operating the handle. The top plate has an abutment 22 which is adapted to engage the back edge of the blade 15 and thus co-operate with the front stops 17 which engage the front corners of the blade to clasp the blade firmly in shaving position.

This construction of razor is well adapted for manufacture from sheet metal and the resiliency of the shaving head is such as to enable a separation of the walls 18 and 21 to release the blade from its front engagement with the stops 17. At the same time the parts are stiff enough to hold the blade firmly in place and to prevent chattering of the blade in the shaving operation. It will also be noted that two members of the shaving head are rectangular, one fitting within the other and hinged together at the bottom. When separated by spreading the two extension walls 18 and 21, not only are the stops 17 and the abutment 22 pushed farther apart but the blade platform 14 and the top plate 20 are also separated slightly to ease up the contact on the flat faces of the blade.

The magazine is adapted to hold a supply of blades and is equipped with means for forcing the blades out of the magazine. The feeding of the blades is, of course, in succession whereby the blades can be projected, one at a time, from the magazine.

A magazine is shown at 23. While the blades may be stacked in the magazine by hand they are usually arranged in a clip 24 and form a stack 25. The clip is arranged in the magazine easily and is readily removable for replacement. The form shown comprises a magazine having an open bottom covered by a floor plate 26 which is hinged to the body portion of the magazine at 27 and extends up part way on the side at 28 and has a suitable finger piece for its operation, as at 29. The floor plate is provided with a spring 30 which presses the stack of blades upwardly, as the clips are provided with openings 31 in the bottom which enables the spring to bear on the bottom of the stack 25. The clip 24 is readily insertable into the magazine from the back when the floor plate is lowered. The spring is out of the way as it is fast to the floor plate. The clip slides in on tracks 32 formed by bending in the bottom edges of the side walls of the magazine. The clip is held against upward movement by the teat 33 which is seated in the detent 34 in the end wall of the magazine. This form of clip is of the type at present used in a magazine razor now on the market.

The magazine is provided with an ejecting means in the form of a flat plunger 35 having a finger piece 36 for sliding it back and forth. The plunger can retreat to a point where its front edge 37 can clear the rear end of the stack 25. This allows the spring 30 to push the stack up against the top of the magazine and the plunger then picks up the top blade and can be used for pushing it out of the magazine. The magazine has a slot forming a blade outlet 38 in line with the plunger and wider than the blades in order that each blade, when ejected, will have its cutting edge 39 clear the end 40 of the blade outlet. This insures the cutting edge of the blade against contact with the slot and thus insures that it retains its keen edge.

The magazine and the razor have co-acting means for positioning these two articles for feeding a blade from the magazine into the shaving head of the razor. The means shown comprises a projection or finger 41 extending from one side of the magazine and it co-operates with the razor by fitting between the two extensions 18 and 21 of the shaving head. This is clearly shown in Figures 4 and 9. The finger 41 is shown flat to give it a wide bearing surface in the razor.

The positioning means has an additional function in spreading the shaving head to enlarge the blade channel in it. This function is secured by an element in the form of a raised part or hump 42 which acts to spread the blade clamping members of the shaving head to separate the stops 17 and abutment 22. This releases the blade from the clamping action. The released position is shown in Figure 4 and the clamping position is shown in Figure 3. This freedom makes it easy to push the blade endwise from the razor when a following blade is pushed endwise from the magazine into the shaving head.

Another feature is the disposition of the parts to so locate the magazine that the front edge 40 of the outlet slot 35 is in rear of the front stops 17 of the blade platform. The blade that enters the razor is thus pushed in a line that keeps its cutting edge 39 away from the end of the slot 38 and clear of the front stops 17.

When the plunger 35 has been pushed all the way in, the new blade is seated on the blade platform with its rear edge against the abutment 22. The magazine is then withdrawn. This enables the two clamping members of the shaving head to spring toward each other and the blade is pushed forward by the abutment 22 until its front corners engage the front stops 17. In Figure 2 I have exaggerated the showing to illustrate the incoming blade and the outgoing blade in the shaving head, the incoming blade being set back of the outgoing blade during the blade movement. The blade coming in is given a tendency to cling to the back of the shaving head by inclining the front edge 37 of the plunger as shown in Figure 2.

Another feature of the razor is the assurance that the blade fed into the razor endwise from the magazine will not slide freely past the stop furthest from the magazine. The finger 41 is long enough to give sufficient bearing in the razor, usually being about half as long as the razor is wide. The hump 42 is therefore only in the half of the razor nearest the magazine and as the parts 14 and 21 are somewhat resilient the stop 17 nearest the magazine is pushed well out but the one farthest from the magazine is relieved only a little to enable the used blade to be forced past it. The effect of this is to arrest a blade that has been too swiftly passed or projected from the magazine when the forward end reaches the far corner of the shaving head.

The various elements of this invention are combined to provide a cheap and simple mechanism for loading blades successively into the razor. This is accomplished without handling any blade individually, thus eliminating danger of cutting the fingers. The blades are fed into the razor without any injury to the cutting edge of the blade as the mechanism is designed to feed the blade with its cutting edge clear of any guiding means until it is in shaving position and then only the corners are in engagement with the stops.

Various changes can be made in the various parts without departing from the scope of my invention.

I claim—:

1. The combination of a razor having a blade channel with a blade magazine having a blade channel through which blades are projected and means on the magazine for attaching it to the razor with their blade channels in the same plane, said attaching means also acting to spread the blade channel in the razor.

2. The combination of a razor having a blade channel therein, the walls of the blade channel being separable to a limited extent with a magazine having a blade channel through which a blade can be projected, said razor and magazine having co-acting means for properly positioning them relative to each other, said means also spreading the blade channel of the razor.

3. The combination of a razor having a resilient portion to receive a blade, with a blade magazine having a projecting part to enter the razor to position the magazine and to spread the blade receiving portion.

4. The combination of a razor having two members to form a blade holder, said members having resiliency to grasp a blade, with a blade magazine having a blade channel and including a positioning element which co-operates with the razor to position the razor and the magazine and which also spreads the two members which receive the blade.

5. The combination of a razor with a blade channel having walls that have a limited separation, with a magazine including a projection for separating the said walls and also acting as a positioning means for the magazine.

6. The combination of a razor including a two-piece shaving head having a blade channel formed by a guard with front stops and a plate with a rear stop, said members being resiliently held in place, with a magazine having a positioning means, said positioning means including a means for separating the guard and plate whereby the shaving head is spread and a blade from the magazine travels out of contact with the front stops.

7. The combination of a razor with a blade holder including a blade platform having front stops and a clamping plate having a rear stop, with a magazine having a blade outlet, and means for positioning the magazine with its blade outlet out of register with the front stops of the blade channel of the razor, said positioning means separating said blade platform and clamping plate out of normal clamping position.

8. The combination of a razor with a blade channel for the endwise passing of a blade, with a magazine having a blade passage, said magazine and said razor having co-acting positioning means whereby a blade fed from the magazine is slightly to the rear of a blade in the razor.

9. The combination of a razor having two members with a spring action to normally clasp the front and rear edges of a blade between them, with a magazine for feeding blades successively to the razor and including a positioning means which spreads the members into releasing position.

10. The combination of a razor comprising two members with a spring action to clasp the front and rear edges of a razor blade, said members having spaced extensions with a magazine for blades including a projecting part for entering the space between the extensions which positions the magazine on the razor and spreads the members to increase the distance between the blade clasping parts of the razor.

11. The combination of a razor having a blade platform with front projections and a supporting extension and having a top plate with a supporting extension spaced from the extension of the blade platform, one of said extensions having a spring action, with a magazine having a blade outlet, said magazine having a projection to fit between the extensions to position the magazine with the front edge of its blade outlet in rear of the front projections of the blade platform, said projections spreading the extensions in order that a blade may pass into the razor in rear of its shaving position.

12. The combination of a razor having a blade platform with front projections and a supporting extension and having a top plate with a supporting extension spaced from the extension of the blade platform, one of said extensions having a spring action with a blade magazine having a blade outlet and including a projection fitting between the extensions to move the member having the spring action and in this way broaden the blade holding part of the razor and acting as a positioning means to support the magazine on the razor with the front edge of its blade outlet in rear of the front projections of the blade platform whereby a blade from the magazine clears said projection when fed into position from the magazine, the withdrawal of the positioning means allowing the members to seat a blade in shaving position.

13. The combination of a razor having a blade passage expandible from front to rear, with a magazine having a feeding means and including positioning means insertable in the razor which means expands the blade passage.

14. The combination of a razor having a shaving head of two members resiliently held in grasping position and spaced apart at their rear portions, with a magazine for blades having a finger to enter the space in the shaving head for supporting the magazine in the shaving head, the finger having a hump near the magazine whereby the members of the shaving head are spread farther apart on the end toward the magazine than on the other end.

15. The combination of a razor including a shaving head with two members having resiliency to grasp a blade and having spaced extensions, with a magazine having a finger to enter the space longitudinally of the shaving head to position the razor and the magazine and a hump on the finger to spread the extensions on the end adjacent the magazine.

Octavius Victor Rodrigues.