BLADE DISPENSER

• US 20170174412A1
• Filed: 12/15/2016
• Published: 06/22/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2015
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Accutec Incorporated
• Original Assignee: AccuTec Blades, Inc.
• Inventors: WONDERLEY, Jeffrey W., ERDMANN, Paul Phillipp
• Granted Patent: US 10,259,642 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 83/10 for dispensing razor-blades

Abstract

A blade dispenser is provided that includes a housing, a carrier, and a blade eject assembly. The housing defines a carrier cavity having an open end, and includes a blade loading mechanism. The carrier is operable to hold a plurality of blades. The carrier is selectively disposable within the carrier cavity of the housing. The blade eject assembly includes a button biased in a normal position relative to a base. The button is operable to be moved relative to the base and engage a blade disposed within the carrier, and to move the blade to a position where at least a part of the blade is disposed outside the housing.

Claims

1. A blade dispenser, comprising:

a housing defining a carrier cavity having an open end, which housing includes a blade loading mechanism;

wherein the blade loading mechanism includes a sled, a flexible member, a pivotable member, and a biasing element;

wherein the sled comprises a cam;

a carrier operable to hold a plurality of blades and which carrier is selectively disposable within the carrier cavity of the housing;

wherein the carrier comprises a dog capable of being selectively positioned at lengthwise positions within the carrier;

wherein the cam is capable of contacting a follower latch disposed on the dog; and

a blade eject assembly having a button biased in a normal position relative to a base, wherein the button is operable to be moved relative to the base and engage a blade disposed within the carrier and move the blade to a position where at least a part of the blade is accessible from an exterior of the housing.

2. The blade dispenser of claim 1, wherein the contact of the cam and the follower latch induces the follower latch to be moved away from the position it had prior to the contact with the cam.

3. The blade dispenser of claim 1, wherein the housing further comprises a row of teeth positioned lengthwise along the bottom of the carrier cavity, and wherein the row of teeth are configured to engage a pawl disposed on the follower latch.

4. The blade dispenser of claim 3, wherein the sled is capable of being biased against the dog such that a ramped portion of the cam contacts the follower latch of the dog, and wherein the contact of the ramped portion of the cam with the follower latch induces the disengagement of the pawl with the row of teeth.

5. The blade dispenser of claim 3, wherein the row of teeth comprises a feed pitch greater than the thickness of one blade.

6. The blade dispenser of claim 3, wherein the overlap of the length of the tip of the pawl and the length of the tip of a tooth within the row of teeth is less than the thickness of one blade.

7. The blade dispenser of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a row of teeth, wherein the follower latch comprises a pawl, wherein the row of teeth comprises a feed pitch greater than the thickness of one blade, and wherein the overlap of the length of the tip of the pawl and the length of the tip of a tooth within the row of teeth is less than the thickness of one blade.

8. The blade dispenser of claim 1, wherein the blade eject assembly is selectively positionable relative to the housing in an open position and in a closed position, wherein the blade eject assembly is pivotally mounted to the housing, and the housing includes at least one blade eject assembly latch button, which button is operable to secure the blade eject assembly relative to the housing.

9. The blade dispenser of claim 1, wherein the carrier includes one or more panels that define a blade cavity sized to contain a plurality of blades, which blade cavity has a cross-sectional geometry that accommodates the blades held within the carrier, wherein the one or more panels includes a top panel and a front panel configured to receive a portion of the blade eject assembly button;

wherein the top panel may engage the front panel and wherein such engagement produces a slot between the top panel and the front panel;

wherein the front panel comprises ribs disposed on the interior of the front panel such that the ribs control the size and shape of the slot when engaged with the top panel.

10. The blade dispenser of claim 1, wherein the housing has a floor panel that includes a carrier surface and a bottom surface, which bottom surface is disposed opposite the carrier surface, and which floor panel includes a lengthwise extending slot, which slot extends through the floor panel between the carrier surface and the bottom surface;

and

wherein the sled is configured for travel along the lengthwise extending slot disposed in the floor panel.

11. The blade dispenser of claim 10, wherein the sled includes a slot member extending between a bottom surface flange and a blade flange, which slot member is received within the lengthwise extending slot disposed in the housing floor panel, and the bottom surface flange is disposed adjacent the bottom surface of the housing floor panel, and the blade flange is disposed adjacent the carrier surface of the housing floor panel;

wherein the cam extends outwardly from the blade flange; and

wherein the flexible member is attached the bottom surface flange of the sled, and extends around at least a portion of the pivotable member, and the biasing element is operable to bias the sled toward the open end of the carrier cavity of the housing.

12. The blade dispenser of claim 1, wherein the pivotable member comprises at least two sides and wherein the pivotable member further comprises a biasing element coupled to the pivotable member on each of the two sides.

13. The blade dispenser of claim 1, wherein the carrier is a unitary structure that includes a plurality of panels and each panel is connected to another panel by a hinge, and the panels are configured to assemble and define a blade cavity sized to contain a plurality of blades, which blade cavity has a cross-sectional geometry that accommodates the blades held within the carrier.

14. The blade dispenser of claim 13, wherein the housing further comprises a cap and a base;

wherein the cap and the base at least partially define the carrier cavity;

wherein the base comprises posts;

wherein the cap comprises holes;

wherein the posts are capable of engaging the holes to align the cap with the base.

15. The blade dispenser of claim 1, wherein the blade eject assembly includes a blade engagement structure attached to the blade eject assembly button, which blade engagement structure is configured to engage one of the plurality of blades which the carrier is operable to hold.

16. The blade dispenser of claim 15, wherein the blade engagement structure extends outwardly from blade eject assembly button, and includes a widthwise extending member having a length substantially equal to a width of the plurality of blades which the carrier is operable to hold.

17. The blade dispenser of claim 16, wherein the widthwise extending member includes a slot disposed in a top surface of the member.

18. The blade dispenser of claim 17, further comprising a selectively removable insert having at least one contactor, wherein the insert is attached to the blade engagement structure and the contactor extends outwardly from the slot.

19. A blade dispenser, comprising:

a housing defining a carrier cavity having an open end, which housing includes a blade loading mechanism;

wherein the blade loading mechanism includes a sled, a flexible member, a pivotable member, and a biasing element;

wherein the sled comprises a blade flange and a cam;

wherein the cam comprises a contact surface having a ramped portion at a joinder portion;

wherein the ramped portion is angled toward the flexible member;

wherein the cam further comprises a web member coupled to the blade flange and the joinder portion;

a carrier operable to hold a plurality of blades and which carrier is selectively disposable within the carrier cavity of the housing; and

a blade eject assembly having a button biased in a normal position relative to a base, wherein the button is operable to be moved relative to the base and engage a blade disposed within the carrier and move the blade to a position where at least a part of the blade is accessible from an exterior of the housing.

20. A blade dispenser, comprising:

a housing defining a carrier cavity having an open end;

a carrier operable to hold a plurality of blades and which carrier is selectively disposable within the carrier cavity of the housing;

wherein the carrier comprises a row of teeth disposed lengthwise along an interior of the carrier;

wherein the carrier further comprises a dog capable of being selectively positioned at lengthwise positions within the carrier;

wherein the dog comprises a follower latch;

wherein the follower latch comprises a pawl; and

wherein the follower latch is angled on the dog such that the pawl of the follower latch is engaged with the row of teeth; and

a blade eject assembly having a button biased in a normal position relative to a base, wherein the button is operable to be moved relative to the base and engage a blade disposed within the carrier and move the blade to a position where at least a part of the blade is accessible from an exterior of the housing.