Safety razor

• US 6,311,400 B1
• Filed: 01/20/2000
• Issued: 11/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Gillette Company (The Procter & Gamble Company)
• Original Assignee: Gillette Company (The Procter & Gamble Company)
• Inventors: Hawes, Christopher Martin, Miller, Chrispin
• Primary Examiner(s): PAYER, HWEI SIU CHOU
• Application Number:
  US09/463,471
• Time in Patent Office: 656 Days
• Field of Search: 30/50, 305/26, 305/27, 30/47, 30/62, 30/57
• US Class Current: 30/527
• CPC Class Codes: B26B 21/225 the changeable unit being resiliently mounted on the handle

Abstract

A safety razor includes a suspension structure for supporting a blade unit (2) on a handle (1) so that the blade unit (2) is able to pivot about a longitudinal axis A and is able to move downwardly towards the handle (1), but is restrained from movement in a direction perpendicular to the permitted downward movement. The suspension structure includes a pair of arms (21) each including a rigid part (22) coupled between resilient parts (23 and 24). The free ends of the arms (21) carry pivot pins (15) and are interconnected by a strut (16) which may carry a leaf spring (18) to act on the underside of the blade unit to bias the blade unit to a rest position about the pivot axis.

Claims

1. A shaving razor structure for supporting an elongate blade unit comprising:

a handle structure,

a blade unit engaging structure for engaging said blade unit and providing pivotal mounting of said blade unit about a pivot axis parallel to a longitudinal axis of said blade unit, and

resiliently deformable arm structure connected between said handle structure and said blade unit engaging structure for permitting displacement of the engaging structure and the blade unit downwardly towards the handle structure and restraining movement of the engaging structure and the blade unit in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of downward displacement.

2. The razor structure of claim 1 wherein said arm structure restrains movement of the engaging structure in a direction substantially perpendicular to a movement plane defined by said direction of downward displacement and said pivot axis.

3. The razor structure of claim 2 wherein said arm structure restrains movement of the engaging structure in a direction substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis.

4. The razor structure of claim 3 wherein said arm structure comprises further comprising a hub connected between said arms and said handle structure.

5. The razor structure of claim 4, wherein each arm comprises a substantially rigid beam member having the ends thereof respectively resiliently hingedly connected to the hub and to the blade unit engaging structure.

6. The razor structure according to claim 5, wherein the beam member of each arm is resiliently hingedly coupled to at least one of the hub and the blade unit engaging structure by a resiliently flexible arm portion.

7. The razor structure according to claim 6, wherein the resiliently flexible arm portion is integral with the beam member.

8. The razor structure according to claim 7, wherein the resiliently flexible arm portion has the form of a leaf spring.

9. The razor structure according to claim 8, wherein the leaf spring has an arcuate form, and its curvature is directed so that the leaf spring straightens and then reverses its curvature in response to displacement of the blade unit engaging structure towards the handle.

10. The razor structure according to claim 9, wherein the leaf spring is straight substantially midway through the displacement of the blade unit from a rest position to a position of maximum displacement.

11. The razor structure according to claim 5, wherein each arm has the beam member connected between two leaf spring portions in a Z configuration.

12. The razor structure according to claim 11, wherein each leaf spring portion lies substantially in a plane substantially perpendicular to the movement plane and the leaf spring portions of each arm are convergent towards the blade unit.

13. The razor structure according to claim 12, wherein the leaf spring portions of each arm converge towards the blade unit engaging structure attached to that arm.

14. The razor structure according to claim 13, wherein the leaf spring portions are convergent to a point substantially on the pivot axis.

15. The razor structure of claim 4 wherein said blade unit engaging structure comprises pivot elements for pivotal engagement with the blade unit adjacent the ends thereof.

16. The razor structure of claim 15, wherein each pivot element comprises a pin for engagement in a journal provided on the blade unit.

17. The razor structure according to claim 15, wherein said blade unit engaging structure comprises a strut member interconnecting the pivot elements and holding said pivot elements against movement relative to each other.

18. The razor structure as claimed in claim 17, wherein the blade unit engaging structure includes a spring element provided on said strut member for cooperating with the blade unit to resist pivotal movement of the blade unit.

19. The razor structure according to claim 18, wherein said spring element is positioned to bear on the underside of the blade unit.

20. The razor structure of claim 18 wherein the spring element is integral with the pivot element or the strut member on which it is carried.

21. The razor structure as claimed in claim 15, wherein each said pivot element has a spring element for cooperating with the blade unit to resist pivotal movement of the blade unit.

22. The razor structure of claim 1 wherein said arm structure restrains movement of the engaging structure in a direction substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis.

23. The razor structure according to claim 1, wherein the blade unit engaging structure includes a spring element for cooperating with the blade unit to resist pivotal movement of the blade unit.

24. The razor structure according to claim 1, wherein the blade unit engaging structure and the resiliently deformable arm structure are made as a one piece moulding.

25. The razor structure according to claim 1, wherein the resiliently deformable arm structure is incorporated with a blade unit in a shaving cartridge for detachable mounting on a razor handle.

26. The razor structure according to claim 1, wherein the resiliently deformable arm structure is firmly attached to the handle structure and a blade unit is detachably mountable on the engaging structure.

27. A blade unit supporting structure for suspension mounting of an elongate blade unit, the structure comprising:

a blade unit engaging section including at least one pivot element defining a pivot axis substantially parallel to the length of the blade unit for pivotal movement of the blade unit about said axis;

a suspension section including a hub and a pair of arms extending symmetrically from the hub and connected to respective portions of the blade unit engaging section disposed to be adjacent opposite ends of the blade unit;

the arms being resiliently deformable to allow displacement of the engaging section and the blade unit downwardly towards the hub, while restraining movement of the engaging section and the blade unit in a direction substantially perpendicular to a movement plane defined by said direction of downward displacement and said pivot axis.

28. A blade unit supporting structure according to claim 27, wherein the or each pivot element comprises a pin for engagement in a journal provided on the blade unit.

29. A blade unit supporting structure as claimed in claim 28, wherein a pivot element is carried by each of said portions of the engaging section for pivotal engagement with the blade unit adjacent the ends thereof.

30. A blade unit supporting structure according to claim 27, wherein the engaging section includes a strut member interconnecting the said portions of the engaging section and holding said portions against movement relative to each other.

31. A blade unit supporting structure as claimed in claim 30, wherein a spring element for resisting pivotal movement of the blade unit is provided on the strut member.

32. A blade unit supporting structure according to claim 27, wherein the engaging section includes an element for cooperating with the blade unit to resist pivotal movement of the blade unit.

33. A blade unit supporting structure according to claim 32 wherein the element for cooperating with the blade unit is a spring element provided on at least one of said portions of said engaging section.

34. A blade unit supporting structure as claimed in claim 33, wherein the spring element is a leaf spring positioned to bear on the underside of the blade unit.

35. A blade unit supporting structure as claimed in claim 33, wherein the spring element is integral with the engaging section or the strut member on which it is carried.

36. A blade unit supporting structure according to claim 27, wherein each arm comprises a substantially rigid beam member having the ends thereof respectively resiliently hingedly connected to the hub and to the respective portion of the engaging section.

37. A blade unit supporting structure according to claim 27, wherein the supporting structure is made as a one piece moulding.

38. A blade unit supporting structure according to claim 27, wherein the supporting structure is incorporated with a blade unit in a shaving cartridge for detachable mounting on a razor handle.

39. A blade unit supporting structure according to claim 27, wherein the supporting structure is firmly attached to a razor handle and a blade unit is detachably mountable on the blade unit engaging section.

43. A blade unit supporting structure according to claim 39, wherein each arm has the beam member connected between two leaf spring portions in a Z configuration.

44. A blade unit supporting structure according to claim 43, wherein each leaf spring portion lies substantially in a plane substantially perpendicular to the movement plane and the leaf spring portions of each arm are arranged to converge towards the blade unit.

45. A blade unit supporting structure according to claim 44, wherein the leaf spring portions of each arm converge towards a portion of the blade unit engaging section to which that arm is connected.

46. A blade unit supporting structure according to claim 45, wherein the blade unit engaging section is arranged to support the blade unit for pivoting about a longitudinal axis of the blade unit and the leaf spring portions are convergent to a point substantially on the pivot axis.

40. A blade unit supporting structure for suspension mounting of an elongate blade unit to a handle in a safety razor, the structure comprising:

a lower structure for attaching to the handle;

an upper structure for engaging the blade unit; and

a pair of arms extending symmetrically with respect to a handle axis from the lower structure to the upper structure;

each arm comprising a substantially rigid beam member having first and second ends respectively resiliently hingedly coupled said upper and lower structure; and

the arms permitting the upper and lower structures to move towards each other in a predetermined movement plane, while restraining displacement of the upper structure in a direction transverse to said movement plane.

41. A blade unit supporting structure according to claim 40, wherein at least one end of the beam member of each arm is resiliently hingedly coupled by a resiliently flexible arm portion to the upper or lower structure.

42. A blade unit supporting structure according to claim 41, wherein the resiliently flexible arm portion is integral with the beam member.

47. A blade unit supporting structure according to claim 41, wherein the resiliently flexible arm portion has the form of a leaf spring.

48. A blade unit supporting structure according to claim 47, wherein the leaf spring has an arcuate form and its curvature is directed so that the leaf spring straightens and then reverses its curvature as the upper and lower structures move towards each other.

49. A blade unit supporting structure according to claim 48, wherein the leaf spring is substantially straight midway through the movement of the upper and lower structures from a rest position to a position of minimum distance apart.