To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Carl Gustav Schimkat, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fremont, in the county of Sandusky, State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety-Razors; and I do 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, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to safety razors, and consists in the construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully set forth and pointed out particularly in the claims.

The object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive safety razor, wherein the arrangement is such as to enable a thin blade to be readily and firmly held in the supporting frame, and quickly and easily removed without any other operation or movement than that required to insert or remove said blade, the coöperation of the parts causing the blade to become automatically locked upon inserting it in the holder.

The above object is attained by the structure illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:—

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a razor embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a plan view, showing the retaining blade-holder plate and the blade therein. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the frame or holder in which the blade is seated, showing the guard along the forward edge thereof. Fig. 5 is a plan view of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is an enlarged transverse section as on line 6—6 of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the parts shown in Fig. 3.

Referring to the characters of reference, 1 designates the blade-supporting plate or frame, having the depending back portion 2, from which projects the integral bracket member 3 into which the screw 4 on the handle 5 is detachably secured for the purpose of mounting said plate upon said handle. Struck centrally from the plate 1 is an upwardly projecting tongue 6 having at its free end the rounded shoulder 7. At the forward edge of the plate 1 are the guard-teeth 8, and at the opposite sides of said plate are the rolled, confining members 9 which are formed integral with said plate and overhang the upper face thereof.

The blade 10 is preferably formed of thin steel of uniform thickness, and is provided with a suitable cuting edge, 11.

The blade is held in a retainer 12 which consists of a piece of metal folded upon itself, so as to embrace the back or rear edge of the blade, and which extends onto the blade sufficiently to give the required rigidity thereto. Projecting from the under portion of the blade retainer at its opposite ends are the lateral shoulders 13. The blade is firmly, although removably seated in the retaining-plate 12, and said retaining-plate is removably seated in the frame or blade-supporting plate by entering its margins under the confining members 9, and forcing it downwardly until the shoulders 13 strike against the upper edges of said confining members, at which time the back of the retaining-plate 12 will have passed the rounded shoulder 7 in the spring tongue 6, which presses forcibly against the blade-retainer, thereby automatically locking said retainer and blade within the supporting-plate or frame.

The tension of the spring 6 is such as to force the blade retainer against the confining members 9 and cause the cutting edge of said blade to bear upon the guard 8, thereby firmly securing the blade in position, the rounded shoulder 7 in the spring tongue engaging the back of the blade-retainer, preventing the retainer and blade working out of the holder or frame. To remove the blade from the supporting-plate or frame, it is only necessary to draw rearwardly upon the blade-retainer by grasping the shoulders 13 with the thumb and finger, when by exerting sufficient force to overcome the resistance of spring 6, the blade may be withdrawn. One blade-retainer will answer for a number of blades for the reason that said blades are removably seated therein.

By the engagement of the shoulders 13 of the blade retainer with the edges of the confining members 9, said retainer is arrested at a point to cause the edge of the blade to lie properly upon the guard 8, preventing the blade extending too far over said guard. By this arrangement, it will now be evident that thin, light blades may be securely held in the blade holder by means of the blade retaining plate, thereby obviating the employment of screws and clamps to maintain the blade in position, the tension of the spring 6 being sufficient to maintain the parts firmly in working relation, yet permitting the removal of the blade retainer by drawing backwardly thereon with sufficient force to overcome said spring, producing a light, simple and inexpensive razor of the safety type.

Having thus fully set forth my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:—

1. In a safety razor, the combination of a blade support having a guard, a thin, flat blade, a rigid blade holder having extending sides which embrace the opposite sides of the blade to stiffen it and between which the blade is retractably seated, the blade support having confining members which extend onto and forcibly engage the blade retainer, and means engaging the back of the retainer to hold it in place under said confining members.

2. In a safety razor, the combination with the blade holding frame having a fixed guard and integral side confining members, a thin, flexible blade, a blade retainer having extending sides which embrace the opposite sides of the blade to stiffen it and between which the blade is retractably seated, said blade retainer removably mounted on the frame and engaged by said confining members, and means for holding the blade retainer yieldingly in place.

3. In a safety razor, the combination with the blade supporting frame having confining members, a blade, a separable blade retainer having extending sides which embrace the sides of the blade and between which the blade is retractably seated, said retainer lying on the frame, said confining members engaging said blade to hold it in place, and means on the frame for automatically locking the blade retainer in place.

4. In a safety razor, the combination of the supporting plate having marginal retaining members and provided with a spring tongue struck centrally therefrom, a relatively thin, flexible blade, a relatively rigid blade retainer in which the blade is removably seated and which extends over the major portion of said blade, said retainer having lateral shoulders which engage the confining members, the spring tongue of the supporting plate engaging the back of the blade retainer to maintain it yieldingly in position.

In testimony whereof, I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

Carl Gustav Schimkat.

Witnesses:

M. Keller,

E. M. Mehen.