To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, William R. Fowler, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety-Razors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a safety razor of improved construction.

The object of the invention is to provide a razor whose handle and blade-seat shall be directly connected together by a safety-guard, and these parts so positioned, relatively, that the razor-blade on the seat will be inclined and have its cutting-edge nearest to the handle and its opposite or back edge most remote from the handle.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which,

Figure 1 is a front view of the razor showing the blade in position. Fig. 2 shows a reverse or back view of the razor. Fig. 3 shows a front view of all parts of the razor except the blade. Fig. 4 is a view of the blade. Fig. 5 is a view showing one edge of the body of the razor with the blade in position. Fig. 6 is a perspective front view of the body of the razor—the blade being omitted.

The body part of the razor comprises the seat, 1, for the blade, the safety comb-guard, 2, and the handle, 3. These parts are all made of one piece of sheet-metal plate.

The blade-seat, 1, has an inclined position relative to that portion, 3, of the plate that serves as the handle; this relative position of the parts named is shown plainly in Figs. 5 and 6 and affords a great convenience in shaving, due to the fact that when the handle is grasped by the hand the blade will be presented to the face at about the proper angle. To facilitate grasping the handle a hole, 4, therein is provided; the ball of the thumb of the person's hand may be pressed into this hole on either side, while the forefinger presses against the opposite side of the handle.

The seat is provided at some or all of its corners, as may be preferred, with lugs, 5, which project above the plane of the seat and serve as stops which retain the blade, 6, from shifting.

The blade is preferably rectangular in shape and may be made of “ribbon steel”, that is, a strip of thin sheet steel that is tempered to serve as a razor and from which the blades are cut.

A blade-fastener comprises a clamp or hook, 7, mounted on a lever, 8, at the back of the seat and pivoted by a pin, 9. The clamp hook, 7, curves about the end of the seat to the front surface thereof, and at the front takes over the blade, 6. The opposite end of the seat has a stationary hook, 10, under which one end of the blade, 6, is inserted. After one end of the blade has been thus inserted the lever, 8, may be turned to bring the movable clamp hook, 7, over the other end of the blade, and thereby the blade will be held securely in position on its seat.

When the lever, 8, is turned to the holding position its long end encounters a raised lug, 16, on the back of the seat, 1; the lever is sufficiently elastic to enable its long end to ride over said lug, 16, and thereby the lever will be held from return movement.

The comb-guard has a special construction consisting of a series of parallel bars, 11, and alternating slots, 12; it will be observed the bars have no free or projecting ends similar to the teeth of a comb, but said endless bars are integral with the blade seat, 1; and all the bars of the series have a bend, 13. The bent bars unite the blade seat, 1, with the handle, 3. In the present instance an offset, 14, is formed in the plate between the endless bars, 11, and the handle. It is this construction which gives the blade seat the inclined position relative to the handle, already referred to.

The cutting edge, 15, of the blade is nearest the handle and overlaps but does not rest upon that part of all the guard-bars, 11, adjacent the seat, 1, the said cutting edge is entirely free from contact with said bars. The bend, 13, of the bars projects or is prominent a short distance in front of the cutting edge, 15. This bend in the guard-bars, in the operation of shaving, bears against the part of the face to be shaved, and constitutes the safety feature of the razor.

It is obvious the blades may be ground on both long edges, and thereby either edge may be used.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,—

1. A safety razor having a body part comprising a blade-seat provided at one end with a stationary hook, a handle, and a safety guard consisting of a series of parallel endless bars all having a bend and sail bars connecting between the blade-seat and handle; a lever pivoted at the back of the seat and carrying a clamp-hook which curves to the front of the seat-end opposite said stationary hook, and a blade held to its position on the seat by the stationary hook and the clamp-hook on the lever.

2. A safety razor consisting of three pieces, the first piece comprising a straight flat handle, a blade-seat which has an inclined position at an angle of about forty-five degrees with respect to said handle, and said blade-seat and handle directly connected by a parallel-bar safety-guard having a curved bend, 13, adjoining the said seat and a reversely-curved bend adjoining the handle; the second piece comprising a razor-blade secured on said seat with the cutting-edge of the blade nearest to the said handle; and the third piece comprising a lever.

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

William R. Fowler.

Witnesses:

Felix R. Sullivan,

G. Ferdinand Vogt.