RAZOR BLADE UNIT HEAD AND SAFETY RAZOR INCLUDING SUCH A BLADE UNIT

• US 20100175265A1
• Filed: 06/20/2006
• Published: 07/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bic-Violex SA (Societe BIC)
• Original Assignee: Dic-Violex SA
• Inventors: Bozikis, Ioannis, Efthimiadis, Dimitris, Gratsias, Spiros
• Granted Patent: US 8,336,212 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 30/50
• CPC Class Codes: B26B 21/227 with blades being resiliently mounted in the changeable unit
• CPC Class Codes: B26B 21/4012 Housing details, e.g. for cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/08 using ultrasonic vibrations non-plastics element to plastics elements B29C65/645
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/54 Joining several hollow-preforms, e.g. half-shells, to form hollow articles, e.g. for making balls, containers; Joining several hollow-preforms, e.g. half-cylinders, to form tubular articles
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/7186 Shaving equipment

Abstract

A razor blade unit having a frame and blades movably mounted in the frame, each blade being elastically biased toward a rest position where the upper face of each blade bears against upper stop portions of the frame, the upper face of each blade being parallel to the corresponding upper stop portions.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A razor blade unit including a frame and at least one blade movably mounted in the frame, the blade including an upper face, a lower face and a cutting edge, the frame including at least one upper stop portion and the blade being elastically biased toward the upper stop portion, where the blade is in a rest position,

wherein the upper face of the blade bears against the upper stop portion when the blade is in the rest position, the upper face being substantially parallel to the upper stop portion.

22. The razor blade unit according to claim 21, wherein the blade is movable under forces encountered during shaving and the rest position is a position of maximum exposure of the blade.

23. The razor blade unit according to claim 21, wherein the frame includes at least one elastic finger elastically biasing the blade toward the rest position.

24. The razor blade unit according to claim 21, wherein the frame is made of synthetic material.

25. The razor blade unit according to claim 21, wherein the frame is deprived of metal.

26. The razor blade unit according to claim 21, wherein the upper and lower faces of the blade include two parallel main surfaces and two tapered facets which taper toward the cutting edge, the tapered facet of the upper face bearing against the upper stop portion in the rest position and the tapered facet of the upper face being substantially parallel to the upper stop portion.

27. The razor blade unit according to claim 21, wherein the frame includes a guard, a cap and two side portions joining the guard to the cap, the blade extending parallel to the guard and the cap between two lateral ends which are near the two side portions, the side portions including two upper stop portions against which the two lateral ends of the blade bear in the rest position, the upper face of the blade being substantially parallel to the two upper stop portions.

28. The razor blade unit according to claim 27, including a plurality of parallel blades, wherein the side portions include two upper stop portions for each blade, against which the two lateral ends of each blade bear in the rest position, the upper face of each blade being substantially parallel to the corresponding upper stop portions.

29. The razor blade unit according to claim 21, wherein the blade is slidingly mounted in two slots which are provided in the two side portions of the frame.

30. The razor blade unit according to claim 29, wherein the blade is borne by a bent support having a lower portion extending in a plane parallel to the slots and an upper portion extending in a plane parallel to the blade, the lower portion extending parallel to the cutting edge between two lateral portions which are slidingly mounted in the slots.

31. The razor blade unit according to claim 30, wherein each slot of the frame is defined between a front guide surface and a back guide surface belonging to the corresponding side portion of the frame, the front guide surface being closer to the guard and the back guide surface being closer to the cap, and the front and back guide surfaces being laterally offset with regard to one another parallel to the cutting edge of the blade.

32. The razor blade unit according to claim 31, wherein each lateral portion of the lower portion of the blade support has a side edge and the slot in which the side portion is slidingly mounted has its front guide surface closer to the side edge and its back guide surface further away from the side edge.

33. The razor blade unit according to claim 30, wherein each side portion of the frame further includes a lower stop portion which is near the front guide surface and which is disposed under the upper portion of the bent support to limit sliding of the blade and bent support away from the rest position.

34. The razor blade unit according to claim 33, wherein the lower stop portion is substantially parallel to the upper portion of the bent support.

35. The razor blade unit according to claim 33, wherein each lateral portion of the lower portion of the blade support has a side edge and the lateral portions of the lower portion of the bent support are protruding laterally from the upper portion and from the blade, each lower stop portion being offset laterally from the front guide surface, away from the corresponding side edge of the lower portion of the blade support.

36. The razor blade unit according to claim 30, wherein the upper portion of the bent support extends parallel to the cutting edge between two lateral edges, and each side portion of the frame including two lateral guide surfaces respectively facing the lateral edges of the upper portion of the bent support.

37. The razor blade unit according to claim 36, wherein the blade extends parallel to the guard and the cap between two lateral ends, the lateral edge of the upper portion of the bent support having a rounded protrusion which protrudes laterally from the corresponding lateral end of the blade, the rounded protrusion being in sliding engagement with the corresponding lateral guide surface.

38. The razor blade unit according to claim 37, wherein the bent support is a cut out and bent sheet metal part including lateral wings which constitute the rounded protrusions, the lateral wings having rounded angles.

39. The razor blade unit according to claim 36, wherein each slot of the frame is defined between a front guide surface and a back guide surface belonging to the corresponding side portion of the frame, the front guide surface being closer to the guard and the back guide surface being closer to the cap, and the front and back guide surfaces being laterally offset with regard to one another parallel to the cutting edge of the blade,

wherein each side portion of the frame further includes a lower stop portion which is near the front guide surface and which is disposed under the upper portion of the bent support to limit sliding of the blade and bent support away from the rest position,

and wherein the blade unit includes several parallel blades and each side portion of the frame includes at least two slots separated by a partition including the front guide surface, the lower stop portion and the lateral guide surface of one of the slots, and the back guide surface of the other slot.

40. The safety razor including a handle and a razor blade unit as claimed in claim 21, mounted on the handle.