To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Alonzo A. Warner, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Britain, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety-Razors, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in safety razors, and the objects of my improvements are simplicity and economy in construction, with convenience and efficiency in use; particularly with reference to the blade and the guard.

In the accompanying drawing: Figure 1 is a side elevation of my razor, a portion of the handle being broken away. Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation of the same, less the handle, the plane of section extending centrally and longitudinally through the parts that are sectioned. Fig. 3 is a side elevation with the handle and guard removed. Fig. 4 is a detached side elevation of the guard and its clamp or holder, the guard being slipped endwise partly out of place in order to better show a portion of one side of the guard. Fig. 5 is an enlarged transverse section on the line x x of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is an enlarged transverse section on the line y y of Fig. 1.

My razor is what may be called the old fashioned style or form having a thin blade with a ribbed or thickened back and a shank pivoted to a handle so that the edge of the blade may be shut in between the two scales of the handle. The handle A is of an ordinary construction. The blade 7 is made of a separate piece of sheet metal from the back 8 and tang 9, and detachably secured within the back as hereinafter described. The back and main portion of the tang are formed from one piece of sheet metal doubled upon itself along the middle of its length with a rounded bend. In the tang portion the two side members of the bent or folded metal are left with a space between that is thick enough for the filling piece 10 that is set in between them and which projects beyond the end of the main portion of the tang 9 to form the tip 11 of the tang as shown. The folded portion of the tang 9 is substantially U shaped in cross section as shown in Fig. 5, and its filling piece may be secured therein by rivets 12 and 13. As shown the rivet 13 serves as the pivot or hinge for the handle A. The sheet metal forming the back is swaged into the form of a hollow rod or tube with pendent flanges 14 that are left slightly separated in order to leave sufficient space between them to insert the upper portion of the blade 7. The outer at of roll or hollow rod which forms the back is closed by a short cylindrical plug 15, the inner end of which plug is beveled off as shown in Fig. 2. This plug may be secured in any ordinary manner, as for example, by soldering.

The filling piece 10 of the tang is cut away at its inner end and for part of its length from the said end at the top, in order to leave space for the introduction of the swinging latch 16 and its spring 17. The latch 16 is pivoted on the pin 18 at the junction of the back and tang and is provided with a holding face or shoulder 19 for engaging a shoulder 20 on the confronting end of the detachable blade 7. The spring 17 is secured in any proper manner, as for example, by a pin 21, and the metal of the tang, so that it may bear with some tension on the tail 22 of the latch with a constant tendency to force the latch into the position shown in Fig. 2. The latch may be forced against the spring to disengage the latch from the shoulder 20 of the blade by pressing back on the projection or handle 23. The upper outer corner of the blade is recessed or cut away so as to leave an upwardly and outwardly inclined locking shoulder 24 for engaging with the beveled inner end of the plug 15, as shown in Fig. 1. The upper portion of the blade is made of a thickness to fill the slot or space between the flanges 14 of the back 8, while the upper or back edge of the blade 7 is designed to rest against the upper wall of the hollow back. The razor may be provided with any desired number of these detachable blades so that when one blade is dull, it may be removed and a sharp blade substituted therefor.

In order to change blades, the handle 23 of the latch may be forced away from the end of the blade to disengage the shoulders 19 and 20 of the latch and blade. Then pulling on the heel of the blade will withdraw that end while the other end fulcrums on the plug 15. When the heel end of the blade is out far enough to clear the latch, the blade may be moved endwise a little so as to disengage the locking shoulder 24 from the plug 15 for removing the blade. To put in a new blade, it is inserted in the space between the flanges with the notched upper and outer corner just inside of the plug 15 for engaging the locking shoulder 24 with the beveled end of the plug. After such engagement the heel end of the blade is swung inwardly to bring the end of the blade against the latch. Then pressing that end of the blade inwardly will force the latch out of the way and against its spring and as soon as the blade reaches the position shown in Fig. 2 the latch will, by the spring, be forced into engagement with a snap and stopped in the position shown in Fig 2.

I form the guard 29 for my razor of a flat sheet metal plate with the usual comb form at the lower edge. One of the broad sides of this guard is designed to rest squarely against one of the broad sides of the blade and the other broad side of the guard is provided with a series of longitudinal grooves 25 for adjustably fixing the guard in position on the blade in connection with the resilient guard holder 26. This guard holder is formed of a piece of sheet metal that is separate from the guard and is doubled upon itself along the middle of its length and shaped at the bent portion to fit and embrace the back 8 while the lower part of the member 27 is fitted to one of the broad sides of the blade for bearing thereon, while the opposite member of the guard holder has an inwardly projecting rib 28 formed at its lower edge for engaging the desired one of the longitudinal grooves 25, as best shown in Fig. 6. The guard holder is so formed that its two clamping members 27 and 28 have to be forced apart slightly in order to slip the guard in between the razor blade and the member 28, whereby the guard holder is put under tension when the parts are in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 6.

The guard and its holder may be both slipped upon the razor together, or the guard may be first placed thereon and the guard holder afterwards slipped thereon. Both ends of the guard and its holder are alike so that they may be put on either end first, and thereby place the guard on either broad side of the blade as may be desired. By changing the guard so that the ribbed member 28 is seated in a higher or lower groove in the series of grooves 25, the toothed edge of the guard may be made to project more or less from the edge of the blade. This is especially useful when the edge of the blade is worn away so to make a narrower blade.

While I have shown my guard and its holder in connection with a blade or back of a specific construction, they are equally applicable to an ordinary blade made in one piece with the back, or to any blade with a thickened back, and may be so applied without any substantial change in construction.

By my improvement I construct the blade, back and tang from sheet metal, whereby the construction Is simple and inexpensive. The blade proper is readily and conveniently detachable for sharpening, or for substitution, and is firmly and efficiently held in place. It is substantially a flat sided blade, that is to say, it is free from ribs or projections of any kind on its sides. It is inserted in the slot of the back by moving the blade edgewise in the slot towards the back, instead of slipping the blade longitudinally into the end of the back towards the handle, as in other detachable blades. The complete razor, without the guard, is substantially in the form of the old fashioned forged razor, although it is made of sheet metal.

The guard and its holder are conveniently applied to either side of the blade for right or left handed use and the proper projection of the guard teeth can be had with blades of different widths.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a razor, the combination of a flat sided blade having at its upper outer corner a recess with an inwardly and downwardly slanting shoulder and at about the middle of its width on its opposite end, an outwardly facing shoulder 20, and an upwardly inclined end face above the said shoulder, with a slotted back having near its upper outer end an upwardly and inwardly extended holding shoulder fixed therein, and a spring actuate latch pivoted by its upper end within the upper part of the said slotted back, and having an upwardly facing holding shoulder 19 near the lower outer end of the said latch and below its pivot, the said shoulders at the upper outer corner of the said blade and back being fitted to engage each other, and the said latch being fitted to engage the holding shoulder 20 and upwardly inclined end face at the opposite end of the said blade.

2. In a razor, the combination of a back and tang, with the back in the form of a slotted tube, a plug having a beveled end fixed within the outer end of the said tube, a latch pivoted within the tang near its junction with the back, the said latch having a holding shoulder and a projecting handle, a spring fixed within the tang and pressing upon the said latch for holding it in engagement, and a blade fitted to the said slotted tube and having at its outer end a holding shoulder for engaging the beveled end of the said plug and having at its heel end a holding shoulder for being engaged by the holding shoulder of the said latch.

3. In a razor, the combination of the blade and back with a guard having on one broad side a flat face for resting upon one broad side of the blade, and on its opposite broad side a series of longitudinal grooves, and a guard holder in the form of a spring clamp having a longitudinal rib engaging one of the grooves in the said series, for adjustably holding the guard on the blade.

4. In a razor, the combination of the blade and a ribbed back with a flat guard adapted to rest upon one of the broad sides of the blade, and a separately formed guard holder having a tubular back for fitting snugly the ribbed back of the blade and definitely locating the guard holder relatively to the width of the blade and two clamping members extending from the tubular back of the said guard holder, one of which members presses upon one broad side of the blade and the other of which presses upon the guard and in turn presses the guard upon the other broad side of the blade.

5. In a razor, the combination of a blade and a ribbed back with a flat guard adapted to rest upon one of the broad sides of the blade, a resilient guard holder having a tubular back for fitting snugly the ribbed back of the razor, the said guard holder having two clamping members one of which presses upon one broad side of the blade and the other of which presses upon the guard and in turn presses the guard upon the other broad side of the blade, and means for holding the said guard at varying positions relatively to the said two clamping members.

Alonzo A. Warner.

Witnesses:

John J. Hecksman,

E. F. Hall.