To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Miles H. Standish, a citizen of the United States, residing at Middleboro, in the county of Plymouth, State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety-Razors; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to razors in general, and more particularly to the class of safety-razors; and it has for its object to provide a construction wherein the razor-blades will have a bodily rotary motion to successively engage the beard, a further object of the invention being to so mount the blades as to insure an efficient cutting and to provide means for rotating them automatically and for starting and stopping the rotating means.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be evident from the following description.

In the drawings forming a portion of this specification, and in which like numerals of reference indicate similar parts in the several views, Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of the apparatus, a portion of the casing being broken away to show the interior operating mechanism and the hinged portion of the casing being opened. Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken longitudinally of the device. Fig. 3 is a detail view showing one of the cutting-blades and the manner of mounting it.

Referring now to the drawings, the present apparatus comprises a casing 5, having a handle 16 at one end, the opposite end of the frame being broadened, as shown, to accommodate a drum 7, which latter is fixed upon a shaft 8, mounted in bearings in the sides of the casing. One of the bearings for the shaft 8 is closed, as shown, while the other bearing is open, whereby one end of the shaft may be passed longitudinally into the closed bearing and the other may be then slid into the open bearing. A spring-pressed latch 9 upon the side of the casing is adapted for movement into position to bridge the slot 10 of the open bearing to prevent withdrawal of the shaft therefrom.

In the periphery of the drum 7 are formed a number of longitudinal dovetail slots 11, and in these slots are slidably engaged the backs of a corresponding number of razor-blades 12, which are shaped to fit the grooves. The grooves are slightly tapered from one end of the drum to the other, and the blades are correspondingly tapered, so that as the blades are slid into the grooves they will wedge tightly thereinto, and wabbling or displacement will be prevented. To prevent rearward movement of the blades from the slots, the shaft 8 has a threaded portion at one end of the drum, and on this threaded portion is screwed a disk-shaped nut 15, which is adapted to impinge against the ends of the blades. Adjacent to the handle 16 there is journaled a shaft 17, on which is fixed a spiral spring 18, the outer end of the spring being-attached to a portion of the frame, and the protruding end of the shaft has a key 19 attached thereto for rotating the shaft to wind up the spring. On the shaft 17, which is the drive-shaft for the apparatus, there is splined a gear 20, carrying a clutch member 21 in operative relation to a second clutch member 21′, fixed upon the shaft, the clutch member being held yieldably in engagement by the helical spring 22′, encircling shaft 17 and bearing with its ends against wheel 20 and a stop 20′ upon the shaft, respectively, whereby the shaft may be rotated in one direction to wind the spring without rotating the gear-wheel. The gear-wheel 20 engages a gear 22 on a second shaft 23, carrying a gear 24, which in turn meshes with a gear 25 upon a shaft 26, said gear 25 meshing with a gear 27 on the shaft 8, the result being that the drum is rotated at a high rate of speed to move the razor-blades at the under side of the apparatus in a direction away from the handle, or downwardly.

In order to stop the mechanism or to permit it to operate when the spring is wound up, a spring-pressed pawl 28 is pivoted to the frame in operative relation to the gear 20, and one end of this pawl projects from the casing of the apparatus and in proximity to the handle to permit of manipulation by the thumb of the operator. When the pawl is pressed it releases the gear and the apparatus may operate, and when the pawl is released the gear is engaged and the apparatus is stopped.

The entire mechanism is inclosed in the casing 5, and the end of the casing in which the drum 7 is disposed is formed cylindrical to conform to the shape of the drum. In the bottom of the cylindrical portion of casing is formed a slot, through which the cutting edges of the blades successively project for an instant as the drum rotates, and guards or guides 31 and 32 are provided at opposite sides of the slot of the casing, and which are adapted to bear against the face of the person shaved and hold the blades the proper distance from the face. The upper side of the portion of the casing inclosing the drum is hinged, as shown at 33, to permit of exposing the drum, so that the blades may be readily cleansed, the casing when closed preventing the lather from the blades being thrown against the operator or the person being operated upon.

What is claimed is—

1. A device of the class described comprising a rotatable drum having blades disposed longitudinally thereof and removably engaged therewith, a spring-actuated shaft operatively connected with the drum for rotating it, means for controlling the shaft, and a casing inclosing the drum and having a slot through which the blades are adapted to successively project.

2. A device of the class described comprising a frame having a handle, a drum mounted in the frame at the opposite end from the handle and having blades disposed longitudinally thereof and removably mounted therein, said drum being removably mounted in the frame, a spring-operated drive-shaft operatively connected with the drum for rotating the latter, and a stopping device disposed adjacent to the handle and in operative relation to the drive-shaft to engage and release it.

3. A device of the class described comprising a frame having a handle, a drum mounted in the handle, blades removably engaged with the drum and extending longitudinally thereof, a casing for the drum and having a slot through which the blades are adapted to successively project, guides at the sides of the slot, a portion of the casing being removable to expose the drum, a drive-shaft in operative relation to the drum, and a stopping device adapted for movement into and out of operative relation to the drive-shaft.

4. In a device of the class described, a drum having an axle projecting from the ends thereof for supporting the drum rotatably, the axle at one end of the drum having a threaded portion, dovetail slots formed longitudinally of the drum and tapered away from the threaded end of the shaft, blades tapered to fit the slots, and a disk engaged with the threads of the shaft and adapted to impinge the ends of the blades and hold them in engagement with the slots.

In testimony whereof I hereunto sign my name, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, on the 1st day of January, 1901.

Miles H. Standish.

Witnesses:

Nathan Washburn,

Catherine D. Standish.