To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, John Guinan, a citizen of the United States, residing at Woodhaven, in the county of Queens and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Razors, of which the following is a specification.

A razor in the hands of one skilled in its use may be successfully and effectively wielded under normal conditions, but when traveling the unsteady motion of the carrier, vessel, or car renders the use of the razor unsafe and dangerous. Aged and nervous persons and beginners are liable to inflict injury to themselves when using the razor for shaving.

This invention provides a razor and safety attachment which may be used jointly and which will enable the razor to be used without the safeguard, the latter being constructed to hold firm upon the razor when applied thereto and adapted to be readily reversed from one side to the other and to be easily attached to or removed from the razor, as required.

The invention consists of the novel structural features and combinations of parts, which hereinafter will be more particularly described and claimed, and illustrated in the drawings hereto attached, in which corresponding parts are designated by the same reference-numerals in all the views.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of a razor and safety attachment combined embodying the essential features of the invention. Fig. 2 is a section on the line X X of Fig. 1 looking to the right, as indicated by the arrow, showing the parts on a larger scale. Fig. 3 is a section on the line Y Y of Fig. 1 looking to the right, as indicated by the arrow, the parts being illustrated on a larger scale. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the safety attachment.

The razor comprises the blade 1 and the shank 2 and is adapted to be provided with the usual handle. (Not shown.) The end of the shank 2 adjacent to the blade 1 is reduced, as shown at 3, and of polygonal form in transverse section, so as to preclude slipping of the safety attachment when properly applied.

The reduced portion 3, as illustrated, is an octagon in cross-section, although this form is not essential so long as a plurality of sides or faces are provided for the jaws of the clamp to firmly grip.

The guard-bar 4 comprises parallel members spaced apart and joined at intervals by means of ties 5, which consist of short bars. The companion parts of the guard 4 are preferably integrally formed, consisting of a flat strip having elongated openings 6 formed therein to provide the companion members of the guard and the connecting pieces or ties 5. The connecting-bars 5 are alternately bent in opposite directions from the plane of the guard to form projections at opposite sides, which are adapted to come in contact with the sides of the blade 1 and space the guard therefrom to admit of the edge of the razor performing effective work and to provide ample clearance for the soap and beard. The outer end of the guard 4 is upwardly curved, as shown at 7, and the clip 8 is pivoted thereto and provided with inwardly-extended lugs 9 to embrace the back and sides of the blade to hold the outer end of the attachment in place. A lug 10, projected from a side of the curved end 7, prevents outward displacement of the clip when properly fitted to the outer end of the blade.

The inner or rear end of the guard 4 is curved upward, as shown at 11, to form one member of a clamp, the upper end of the clamp member being outwardly curved to form the jaw 12. The coöperating clamp member 13 is pivoted to the clamp member 11 intermediate of its ends, and its upper portion is outwardly curved to form the jaw 14 to act in opposition to the jaw 12 for gripping opposite sides of the polygonal portion 3 of the shank 2. Any means may be employed for pivotally connecting the clamp member 13 to the clamp member 11, and, as shown, the part 13 has a portion 15 pressed therefrom to form a tongue, which is passed through an opening of the member 11 and bent, as shown most clearly in Fig. 2, to hold the two parts 13 and 11 together. The gripping sides of the jaws 12 and 14 may be curved or formed in any manner, but it is preferred to have them conform to the sides or faces of the polygonal part 3, thereby preventing turning of the guard upon the shaft after the jaws have been pressed together to grip the part 3. The jaws 12 and 14 are outwardly deflected between their ends, so as to embrace upper, lower, and opposite side portions of the shank, as shown most clearly in Fig. 2, thereby preventing possible displacement or movement of the clamp. The shoulders formed at the end of the reduced portion 3 constitute stops for the ends of the clamp to abut against and prevent any longitudinal movement thereof.

Any means may be employed for pressing the lower ends of the clamp members 11 and 13 apart to cause the jaws 12 and 14 to move inward and grip the part 3. The means found most simple and to give the best results consist of the lever 16, pivoted to a member of the clamp, as 11,and having the cam or wedge end 17 extended between the lower ends of the clamp members 11 and 13. Ears 18 are provided at the rear end of the lever 16 to embrace opposite sides of the shank 2 to hold the lever in place and prevent lateral movement thereof. A rib 19 projects from the upper side of the lever 16 and is adapted to enter a corresponding groove 20, formed in the shank 2, so as to prevent any longitudinal movement of the guard when properly fitted to the blade 1 for use. When the wedge or cam end 17 of the lever 18 is moved inward, the jaws 12 and 14 of the clamp are adapted to separate a distance to admit of the part 3 of the shank either being passed between the jaws or removed therefrom, as required. When the safety attachment has its clamp portion fitted to the part 3 of the razor-shank, it is secured by pressing the rear end of the lever 16 toward the shank until the ears 18 embrace opposite sides of the shank and the rib 19 enters the groove 20. After the guard has been thus secured at its rear end it is made fast at its front end by turning the clip 8 up against the outer end of the blade 1 and causing the lugs 9 to embrace the back and sides thereof. To reverse the guard from one side of the blade to the other, it is necessary to turn the clip 8 outward and downward and to operate the lever 16 to loosen the clamp when the blade or the guard may be relatively turned, as found most convenient, the attachment being made secure by retightening the clamp and setting up clip 8 in the manner described.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is—

1. In combination with a razor, a safety attachment comprising a guard, a clamp at the inner end of the guard, a lever for tightening the clamp and provided with ears to embrace opposite sides of the shank of the razor, and means for securing the outer end of the guard to the razor-blade, substantially as set forth.

2. In combination with a razor, a safety attachment comprising a guard, a clamp at the inner end of the guard, a lever for tightening the clamp and provided with ears to embrace opposite sides of the shank of the razor, an interlocking projection between said lever and shank to prevent relative longitudinal displacement of the guard, and means for securing the guard at its outer end to the blade of the razor, substantially as specified.

3. In combination with a razor having a portion of its shank of polygonal form in cross-section, a guard, a clamp at the inner end of the guard composed of jaws oppositely deflected between their ends to embrace upper, lower and opposite side portions of said polygonal portion of the shank, and means for securing the outer end of the guard to the blade, substantially as set forth.

4. In combination, a razor having a portion of its shank reduced and of polygonal form in cross-section, a safety attachment comprising a clamp composed of jaws oppositely deflected between their ends to embrace upper, lower and opposite side portions of the polygonal portion of the shank and conforming to the faces thereof, and having the ends of the jaws abutting against the shoulders formed at the ends of said polygonal portion, and means for securing the outer end of the guard to the blade of the razor, substantially as set forth.

5. A safety attachment for razors comprising a guard consisting of spaced members connected at intervals and having portions projected from opposite sides to properly space the guard from either side of the blade, substantially as set forth.

6. In a safety attachment for razors, a guard comprising spaced longitudinal members and intermediate connecting portions, the latter being deflected to form projections at opposite sides of the guard to properly space the same from either side of the blade, substantially as set forth.

7. In a safety attachment for razors, a guard comprising a strip having a series of elongated openings formed therein to provide spaced parallel members and intermediate connecting portions, the latter being alternately deflected from the plane of the strip to form spacing projections at opposite sides of the guard, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

John Guinan. [l. s.]

Witnesses:

Elizabeth V. Guinan,

John J. Byrnes.