Linkage mechanism providing a virtual pivot axis for hair removal apparatus with pivotal head

• US 7,162,801 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2003
• Issued: 01/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Gillette Company LLC (The Procter & Gamble Company)
• Original Assignee: Gillette Company (The Procter & Gamble Company)
• Inventors: Royle, Terence
• Primary Examiner(s): PAYER, HWEI SIU CHOU
• Application Number:
  US10/676,402
• Publication Number:
  US 20040128834A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,203 Days
• Field of Search: 30/341, 30/439, 30/439.1, 30/439.2, 303/465.1, 305/27, 745/20, 403/322
• US Class Current: 30/43.92
• CPC Class Codes: B26B 19/048 Complete cutting head being movable
• CPC Class Codes: B26B 19/10 involving two or more different types of reciprocating cutting elements, e.g. a pair of toothed shearing elements combined with a pair of perforated cutting elements or a combined toothed and perforated cutting assembly
• CPC Class Codes: B26B 21/225 the changeable unit being resiliently mounted on the handle

Abstract

A linkage mechanism for a shaver or depilator has a head carrying at least one hair removal member mounted for rocking about a virtual axis that remains nearly static during pivoting. The linkage mechanism five links, which include a pair of spaced support arms pivoting on the head. A first transverse link member rotates about a third axis and pivots on each of the support arms. Second and third transverse link members pivot on the body and on respective ones of the support arms.

Claims

1. A linkage mechanism for a hair removal appliance having a head (1) carrying at least one hair removal member and mounted for rocking about a virtual axis, said linkage mechanism being mountable on an appliance body (2) and comprising:

a pair of spaced support arms (4,5) for pivotable attachment to the head (1) at first and second pivot axes (11,12), said first and second pivot axes being spaced apart by a first distance;

a first transverse link member (6) for pivotably mounting on said body (2) for rotation about a third axis (17) and being pivotably attached to each of said support arms (4,5), at fourth and fifth pivot axes (15,16) spaced apart by a second distance less than the first distance; and

second and third transverse link members (7,9) for pivotably mounting on the body (2) at respective first ends thereof and being pivotably attached at respective second ends thereof to respective ones of said support arms (4,5) at sixth and seventh pivot axes (13,14) spaced apart by a third distance, said first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh axes being mutually parallel.

2. A mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said third distance is less than said first distance.

3. A mechanism according to claim 2, wherein said third distance is less than said second distance.

4. A mechanism according to claim 2, wherein said second distance is less than said third distance.

5. A mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said respective first ends of the second and third transverse link members (7,9) are pivotally mounted on the body at eighth and ninth pivot axes (8,10) which are spaced apart, and parallel to said first and second axes.

6. A mechanism according to claim 5, wherein a plane perpendicular to said parallel axes intersects said third, eighth and ninth axes (17,8,10) at spaced points forming an isosceles triangle.

7. A mechanism according to claim 5, wherein said eighth and ninth axes (8,10) are colinear.

8. A mechanism according to claim 5 or 7, wherein said third, eighth and ninth axes (17,8,10) and said virtual axis are parallel.

9. A mechanism according to claim 1 wherein the distance between said first and sixth axes (11,13) equals the distance between said second and seventh axes (12,14).

10. A mechanism according to claim 1 wherein the distance between said first and sixth axes (11,13) is greater than the distance between said second and seventh axes (12,14).

11. A mechanism according to claim 1 wherein the distance between said first and fourth axes (11,15) equals the distance between said second and fifth axes (12,16).

12. A mechanism according to claim 11 wherein the distance between said first and sixth axes (11,13) is less than the distance between said first and fourth axes (11,15) and the distance between said first and sixth axes (11,13) equals the distance between said second and seventh axes (12,14).

13. A mechanism according to claim 11 wherein the distance between said first and sixth axes (11,13) is greater than the distance between said first and fourth axes (11,15) and the distance between said first and sixth axes (11,13) equals the distance between said second and seventh axes (12,14).

14. A mechanism according to claim 11 wherein the distance between said first and sixth axes (11,13) is greater than the distance between said first and fourth axes (11,15), the distance between said second and seventh axes (12,14) is less than the distance between said second and fifth axes (12,16) and the distance between said first and sixth axes (11,13) is greater than the distance between said second and seventh axes (12,14).

15. A mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the first, second and third transverse link members (6,7,9) are pivotably attached to said support arms by respective film hinges.

16. A mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the second and third transverse link members are attached to the body by respective film hinges (8,10).

17. A mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the second and third transverse link members are moveable relative to one another.

18. A mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the support arms (4,5) are not parallel to one another.

19. A mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the first transverse link member (6) is configured as a bell crank.

24. A hair removal apparatus, comprising:

the linkage mechanism according to claim 1 the head (1) carrying the at least one hair removal member supported on said linkage mechanism mounted on said body (2) for rocking about said virtual rocking axis.

25. A hair removal apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said at least one hair removal member is a cutter unit for performing shaving.

26. A hair removal apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said at least one hair removal member is an epilation head for plucking hair.

20. A linkage mechanism for a hair removal appliance having a head (1) carrying at least one hair removal member and mounted for rocking about a virtual axis generated by said linkage mechanism, said linkage mechanism being mountable on an appliance body (2) and comprising:

a pair of spaced support arms (4,5) pivotally connectable to the head (1) at first and second pivot axes (11,12);

a first common link member (6) for pivotably mounting on said body (2) for rotation about a third axis (17) and being pivotably attached to each of said support arms (4,5), at fourth and fifth pivot axes (15,16); and

second and third transverse link members (7,9) for pivotably mounting on the body (2) at respective first ends thereof and being pivotably attached at respective second ends thereof to respective ones of said support arms (4,5) at sixth and seventh pivot axes (13,14).

21. A mechanism according to claim 20, wherein the first, the fourth and the sixth axes (11, 15, 13) define a first set of three pivot axes and the second, the fifth and the seventh axes (12,14) define a second set of three pivot axes, and wherein the three pivot axes within at least one set of said first and second sets of pivot axes are co-planar.

22. A linkage mechanism for a hair removal appliance having a head (1) carrying at least one hair removal member and mounted for rocking about a virtual axis generated by said linkage mechanism, said linkage mechanism being mountable on an appliance body (2) and comprising:

first and second spaced support arms (4,5) for pivotally connecting to the head (1) at first and second pivot axes (11,12);

a first common link member (6) for pivotably mounting to said body (2) for rotation about a third axis (17) and being pivotably attached to each of said support arms (4,5), at fourth and fifth pivot axes (15,16); and

at least one stabilizing link member (7) for pivotably mounting on the body (2) and being pivotably attached to only one of said first and second support arms (4,5).

23. A linkage mechanism according to claim 22, further comprising a second stabilizing link member (9) for pivotably mounting on the body (2) at a first end thereof and being pivotably attached at a second end thereof to the other of said first and second support arms (4, 5) at another pivot axis (14).

27. A method of mounting a component such as a head (1) carrying at least one hair removal member mounted, for rocking about a virtual axis, the method comprising the steps of:

pivotably attaching a pair of spaced support arms (4,5) to the head (1) at first and second pivot axes (11,12), said first and second pivot axes being spaced apart by a first distance;

pivotably mounting a first transverse link member (6) on a body (2) for rotation about a third axis (17) and pivotably attaching the first link member (6) to each of said support arms (4,5), at fourth and fifth pivot axes (15,16) spaced apart by a second distance less than the first distance; and

pivotably mounting second and third transverse link members (7,9) on the body (2) at respective first ends thereof and pivotably attaching the second and third link members at respective second ends thereof to respective ones of said support arms (4,5) at sixth and seventh pivot axes (13,14) spaced apart by a third distance, said first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh axes being mutually parallel.