The present invention relates to safety razors of the type in which new blades are adapted to be fed into the head of the razor from a separable blade-filled magazine.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an improved safety razor of the type described, which razor is of new and simplified construction and has but a minimum number of relatively movable parts, which parts are so associated with each other as to function effectively in receiving a blade and in positioning and supporting the blade in shaving position.

Other more specific objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from an understanding of the construction, arrangement and operation of the component razor parts.

For purposes of illustration one embodiment of the invention is presented herein, but it will of course be appreciated that the invention is capable of being incorporated in other structurally modified forms coming equally within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a safety razor constructed in v accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a front view of the razor;

Fig. 3 is a back view of the razor;

Fig. 4 is a face view of a blade of the type usable in the razor;

Fig. 5 is a front side view of a magazine of the type used in inserting the blades in the razor;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional view through the head of the razor taken on approximately the line 6—6 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is a front view of the main frame of the razor;

Fig. 8 is a side view of the same;

Fig. 9 is a back view of the same;

Fig. 10 is a plan view of the blade-seating plate;

Fig. 11 is a front view of the same;

Fig. 12 is an end view of the same;

Fig. 13 is a front view of the set clamping spring; and

Fig. 14 is aside view of the same.

The new razor includes a substantially rigid handle 10 of plastic or other material and a head 11 in which a blade 12 is adapted to be inserted endwise from one side of the head.

The head 11 includes a substantially rigid main frame 13 of sheet metal construction. The lower portion of the frame 13 extends downwardly into and is fixedly secured within a slot 14 in the upper end of the handle 10. The upper portion of the frame 13 is curved forwardly at 15 and terminates at its upper end in a narrow forwardly and downwardly inclined flange 16, which flange constitutes the cap against the underside of which the blade 12 is adapted to be clamped. The cap 16 overlies the rear portion only of the blade 12 in order to leave the cutting edge 17 of the blade exposed.

The frame 13 is provided, immediately beneath and behind the cap 16, with a flat downwardly extending section 18, which section forms the rear stationary wall of the expansible channel 19 in which the positioning key 20 of the usual blade dispensing magazine 21 is adapted to be inserted. The bottom of the channel 19 for the positioning key 20 is formed by one of two forwardly and upwardly turned ears 22 at the ends of the flat section 18. The frame 13 is abruptly reduced in width below the flat section 18 and tapers downwardly into the handle 10. The side edges of the downwardly tapering section 23 of the frame are provided with narrow forwardly turned edge flanges 24, which edge flanges serve to rigidify the frame 13 and form the sides of a shallow forwardly opening pocket 24a in which the hereinafter described seat clamping spring 25 is nested.

The head 11 of the razor is provided, in front of the frame 13, with a forwardly and downwardly movable blade seating plate 26 of generally L-shaped cross section. The upper portion of the plate 26 consists of a flat forwardly projecting flange 27, which flange underlies the cap 16 on the frame and constitutes the seat for the blade 12. The seat 27 terminates along its front edge in a downwardly curved, longitudinally serrated formation 28, which formation constitutes the guard for the cutting edge 17 of the blade on the seat. Behind the guard 28 the seat 27 is provided with a clearance opening 29.

The plate 26 is provided, immediately beneath and behind the seat 27, with a flat downwardly extending flange 30, which flange is disposed in forwardly spaced relation to the flat section 18 of the frame and forms the front forwardly shiftable wall of the expansible channel 19 for the positioning key 20 of the blade dispensing magazine. Below the flange 30 the plate 26 terminates in two laterally spaced downwardly tapering end portions 31, which portions are nested between the upper ends of the edge flanges 24 on the correspondingly tapered intermediate section 23 of the frame. Above and outwardly of the downwardly tapering end portions 31 the ends of the downwardly extending flange 30 of the plate 26 are notched out at 32 to fit between the upturned ears 22 on the ends of the flat section 18 of the frame and are provided above the notched out portions with forwardly and downwardly curved ears 33, one of which forms the front wall of the socket which coacts with the usual wedging embossment 34 on the key 20 of the magazine.

The two laterally spaced downwardly tapering end portions 31 at the bottom of the flange 30 of the blade seating plate 26 form between the same a centrally arranged downwardly opening rectangular recess 35 of substantial width and depth, which recess has a straight horizontally disposed upper edge 36 and parallel side edges 37. The upper edge 36 of the recess 35 is located in the downwardly extending flange 30 a substantial distance below the seat 27 and also a substantial distance above the lower ends of the downwardly tapering end portions 31, and constitutes a line-contact fulcrum 36 for self-adjusting coaction with the seat clamping spring 25.

The seat clamping spring 25 is of substantially flat heavy leaf construction. The lower portion 38 of the spring is downwardly tapering from and is clamped solidly against the front face of the lower correspondingly tapered portion 23 of the frame 13 in the pocket 24a between the edge flanges 24 in snugly fitting but free association with such edge flanges by means of a tongue 39, which tongue extends forwardly from the frame 13 through an aperture 40 in the spring and is turned laterally to secure the lower portion of the spring flatly against the front face of the frame.

The upper portion 41 of the spring is reduced abruptly in width, is of generally rectangular form, and is bent forwardly at 42 and again near the upper edge 43 of the spring at 44. The section 45 of the spring between the bend lines 42 and 44 is nested snugly but freely within the downwardly opening rectangular recess 35 in the flange 30 of the seat, while the forwardly bent section 46 of the spring above the bend line 42 extends upwardly a short distance beyond the upper edge 36 of the recess in the plate 26 and bears rearwardly and upwardly with substantial pressure at an angle of about 25° against the upper edge 36 of the recess, in line-contact with the front of such edge, thereby rockingly or floatingly pressing and clamping the seat 27 both upwardly and rearwardly against the cap 16 on the interposed blade 12.

The front cutting edge 17 of the blade 12 is engaged at its ends by small upstanding lugs 47 at the ends of the guard 28, while the rear edge 48 of the blade is engaged at its center by a small forwardly projecting lug 49 on the frame 13 at the intersection of the cap 16 and the flat downwardly extending section 18 of the frame. The rear edge of the seat 27 is provided with a small opening 50 which facilitates free engagement of the lug 49 with the rear edge of the blade.

With the blade 12 clamped between the cap 16 and the seat 27 in shaving position, the downwardly extending flange 30 of the plate 26 will be spaced forwardly a slight distance from the frame 13 and will contact the frame only at the lower extremities of the downwardly tapering portions 31, in fulcrumming engagement with the frame at laterally spaced points 51.

In order to insert a new blade into the head of the razor, the key 20 of the magazine 21 is forced into the channel 19 between the frame 13 and the blade clamping plate 26, during which movement the embossment 34 on the key 20 will engage with the socket formed by the adjacent ear 33 and will force the plate 26 forwardly away from the frame 13 far enough to relieve the pressure of the lugs 47 and 49 on the blade. When the finger-operated plunger 52 of the magazine is then moved toward the head of the razor a new blade will be slid into place between the cap 16 and the seat 27 and the blade already in the head will be ejected from the far side of the head by the new blade.

I claim:

1. In a safety razor of the type in which new blades are adapted to be fed into the head of the razor from a separable blade-filled magazine, a substantially rigid sheet metal main frame which is provided at its upper end with a forwardly projecting cap against the underside of which a blade is adapted to be clamped in shaving position, a movable plate in front of the frame, which plate includes a forwardly projecting seat beneath the cap for clamping the blade against the cap and a downwardly extending flange at the rear edge of the seat, said downwardly extending flange provided with a centrally arranged downwardly opening recess the upper edge of which is spaced a substantial distance below the upper edge of said flange and also a substantial distance above the lower edge of said flange, and a leaf spring in front of the frame, the lower portion of said spring rigidly secured against the frame with the upper portion of the spring freely nested within the recess in said flange, and with the upper extremity of the upper portion of the spring bent forwardly out of said recess and positioned in front of said flange, in vertically spaced relation to said seat, and in vertically lapped, rearwardly biased, resiliently yieldable fulcrumming abutment with the upper edge of said recess.

2. In a safety razor of the type in which new blades are adapted to be fed into the head of the razor from a separable blade-filled magazine, a substantially rigid sheet metal main frame which is provided at its upper end with a forwardly projecting cap against the underside of which a blade is adapted to be clamped in shaving position, a movable plate in front of the frame, which plate includes a forwardly projecting seat beneath the cap for clamping the blade against the cap and a downwardly extending flange at the rear edge of the seat, said downwardly extending flange provided with two laterally spaced downwardly extending terminal portions which form between the same a centrally arranged downwardly opening recess the upper edge of which is spaced a substantial distance below the upper edge of said flange and also a substantial distance above the lower edge of said flange, said plate spaced forwardly with respect to the frame except at the lower extremities of the said laterally spaced downwardly extending portions of said flange, where the plate fulcrums against the frame when the blade is in shaving position, and a leaf spring in front of the frame, the lower portion of said spring rigidly secured against the frame with the upper portion of the spring freely nested within the recess in said flange, and with the upper extremity of the upper portion of the spring bent forwardly out of said recess and positioned in front of said flange, in vertically spaced relation to said seat, and in vertically lapped, rearwardly biased, resiliently yieldable fulcrumming abutment with the upper edge of said recess.

3. In a safety razor of the type in which new blades are adapted to be fed into the head of the razor from a separable blade-filled magazine, a substantially rigid sheet metal main frame which is provided at its upper end with a forwardly projecting cap against the underside of which a blade is adapted to be clamped in shaving position, said frame tapering downwardly below the cap and provided along its side edges with downwardly converging forwardly projecting edge flanges which form between the same a shallow forwardly opening pocket, a movable plate in front of the frame, which plate includes a forwardly projecting seat beneath the cap for clamping the blade against the cap and a downwardly extending flange at the rear edge of the seat, which flange is provided with two laterally spaced downwardly tapering portions which are nested snugly but freely between the upper portions of the edge flanges of the frame, said laterally spaced downwardly tapering portions forming between the same a centrally arranged downwardly opening recess, the upper edge of which recess is spaced a substantial distance below the seat and also a substantial distance above the lower extremities of said downwardly tapering portions, and a leaf spring in front of the frame, the lower portion of which spring tapers downwardly, is nested within the pocket formed by the lower portions of the edge flanges on the frame, and is rigidly secured flatwise against the frame, and the upper portion of which spring nests freely within said recess, with the upper extremity of the upper portion of the spring bent forwardly out of said recess in front of the downwardly extending flange of the plate in vertically lapped, rearwardly biased, resiliently yieldable fulcrumming abutment with the upper edge of said recess.

References Cited in the file of this patent

United States Patents

2,281,980 Kuhnl June 25, 1940

2,281,980 Kuhnl May 5, 1942

2,661,533 Shnitzler Dec. 8, 1953

2,671,961 Nelson Mar. 16, 1954

2,799,926 Shaylor July 23, 1957