Electric shaver

• US 8,479,397 B2
• Filed: 01/14/2010
• Issued: 07/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Sato, Masaaki, Shimizu, Hiroaki, Hosokawa, Shin, Shiba, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Mitchell, Katherine
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cardenas-Garcia, Jaime F
• Application Number:
  US12/687,435
• Publication Number:
  US 20100180448A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,272 Days
• Field of Search: 30 437- 4392, 303/465.1
• US Class Current: 30/43.92
• CPC Class Codes: B26B 19/046 Cutters being movable in the cutting head
• CPC Class Codes: B26B 19/048 Complete cutting head being movable

Abstract

In an electric shaver moving inner blades reciprocally and linearly, outer blades which are elongated in longitudinal direction are respectively held on outer blade frames and the outer blade frames are further held in floatable in floating direction on a frame holder. An outer blade mounting base has a pair of protrusions formed at positions near to both ends thereof in the longitudinal direction to protrude in the floating direction and the frame holder has a pair of end walls arranged in parallel in the longitudinal direction and a pair of engaging rims formed at both ends in the longitudinal direction. The engaging rims enclose the protrusions so as to position the frame holder to the outer blade mounting base when the frame holder is attached to the outer blade mounting base.

Claims

1. An electric shaver comprising:

a plurality of outer blades which comprise a metal thin plate, have an elongated shape in a first direction and are arranged in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction;

a plurality of outer blade frames having an elongated shape in the first direction and to which the outer blades are respectively attached;

a plurality of inner blades which are reciprocally and linearly moved in the first direction to slide on inner faces of the outer blades, and are arranged in the second direction;

a driver that has a plurality of inner blade attaching bases protruding outward in a third direction perpendicular to both of the first direction and the second direction and that drives the inner blades reciprocally and linearly in the first direction;

an outer blade mounting base which is provided on a top portion of the driver and includes a pair of protrusions provided at positions near both ends of the outer blade mounting base in the first direction, said protrusions protrude upward in the third direction and are elongated in the second direction; and

a frame holder which is attached to the outer blade mounting base and has a pair of end walls arranged in parallel with the second direction and disposed inside of the protrusions of the outer blade mounting base in the first direction and a pair of engaging rims provided at both ends in the first direction that enclose and engage with the protrusions, when the frame holder is attached to the outer blade mounting base, wherein each of the end walls has a plurality of guide grooves elongated in the third direction to which the outer blade frames are engaged and hold the outer blade frames movable in the third direction.

2. The electric shaver in accordance with claim 1, wherein

each of the end walls has a height, in the third direction, substantially equal to a height of the protrusions, in the third direction and

the frame holder has a pair of engaging arms configured to protrude outward in the first direction and inward in the third direction from center portions of top faces of the end walls in the third direction so as to enclose the protrusions when the frame holder is attached to the outer blade mounting base.

3. The electric shaver in accordance with claim 2, wherein

each engaging arm crosses the engaging rim at a middle portion thereof and is integrally formed with the engaging rim.

4. The electric shaver in accordance with claim 2,

wherein a rigidity of the engaging arm is larger than a rigidity of the engaging rim.

5. The electric shaver in accordance with claim 2, wherein

a rigidity adjusting groove is provided on the engaging arm that adjusts the rigidity of the engaging arm.

6. The electric shaver in accordance with claim 5, wherein

a rigidity of the engaging arm is larger than a rigidity of the engaging rim.

7. The electric shaver in accordance with claim 2, wherein

the frame holder has engaging portions integrally formed with the engaging arms or the engaging rims to be fixed to a housing of the driving unit.

8. The electric shaver in accordance with claim 1, wherein

the electric shaver has a main body which is grippable by a user and a head portion which is swingable in at least one of the first direction and the second direction;

the head portion includes the driver and a swing mechanism which enables swinging of the head portion in at least one of the first direction and the second direction, a housing containing the driver and the swing mechanism and head cover attached to the housing;

the outer blade mounting base serves as a top cover of the housing;

each of the end walls has a height in the third direction, substantially equal to a height of the protrusions in the third direction;

the frame holder has a pair of engaging arms that protrude outward in the first direction and inward in the third direction from center portions of top faces of the end walls so as to enclose the protrusions when the frame holder is attached to the outer blade mounting base;

each the engaging arm crosses the engaging rim at a middle portion thereof and is integrally formed with the engaging rim; and

an end of each engaging arm, that protrudes inward in the third direction, serves as an engaging portion engageable with both of the head cover and the outer blade mounting base so that the head cover is attached to the housing via the frame holder.

9. The electric shaver in accordance with claim 3, wherein

rigidity of the engaging arm is larger than that of the engaging rim.

10. The electric shaver in accordance with claim 3, wherein

a rigidity adjusting groove is formed on the engaging arm adjusts the rigidity of the engaging arm.

11. The electric shaver in accordance with claim 10, wherein

a rigidity of the engaging arm is larger than a rigidity of the engaging rim.

12. The electric shaver in accordance with claim 3, wherein,

the frame holder has engaging portions integrally formed with the engaging arms or the engaging rims to be fixed to a housing of the driving unit.

13. The electric shaver in accordance with claim 1, wherein

a pair of the engaging rims are provided so as to protrude outward to bind an end of the rear side wall to an end of the front side wall at both ends of the frame holder in the first direction.

14. The electric shaver in accordance with claim 1, wherein an aperture is defined by each end wall of the frame holder and each engaging rim of the frame holder, the protrusions of the outer blade mounting base being engaged within the apertures.

15. The electric shaver according to claim 1, wherein the frame holder is attached to the outer blade mounting base such that the frame holder is positioned over the outer blade mounting base, the protrusions of the outer blade mounting base projecting upwardly, in the third direction, to be engaged by the engaging rims of the frame holder.