A single-blade razor apparatus and methods for manufacturing the same. A razor apparatus may include a handle and a head pivotably mounted on the handle. The head may include a rear side including an aperture for receiving a single blade, as well as a front side through which a cutting edge of the blade is exposed during use. An upper portion and a lower portion of the head may form the aperture. The lower portion may physically interface with the upper portion so that a front region of the upper portion is physically supported by the lower portion. In a particular implementation, the lower portion may include several protruding latches proximate the front side of the head, which may respectively mate with recesses formed in the upper portion. Alternatively, the latches may be formed in the upper portion and may respectively mate with recesses formed in the lower portion.

Methods and apparatuses for an intelligent shaving system is disclosed herein. An example intelligent shaving system includes a handle, at least one blade connected to the handle, a microcontroller attached to the handle, a wireless communication unit configured to send and receive data from microcontroller to an external device, a memory configured to store data applicable to the at least one blade, and one or more sensors configured to send sensory data from the one or more sensors to microcontroller. The one of the one or more sensors is a proximity sensor or a camera having image sensor configured to capture video and/or still images. The shaving system assists in determining blade attrition and provides indicators to assist in shaving techniques. The shaving system further may include at least one blade slightly curved to follow a tangent of the skin. The at least one blade may have a nanolattice structure.

Replaceable shaving assemblies are disclosed that include a blade unit, an interface element configured to removeably connect the blade unit to a handle, on which the blade unit is pivotably mounted, and a return element disposed between the blade unit and interface element. The return element provides resistance during shaving and positions the blade unit in a rest position when not in use.

A functional polymeric cutting edge structure and methods for manufacturing cutting edge structures using polymeric materials are provided. A razor blade for use in a razor cartridge or a blade box for assembly in a razor cartridge frame may be formed using the present invention.

A shaving cartridge includes a housing having a top surface, a bottom surface, a front edge, a rear edge, and a pair of side edges extending between the front edge and the rear edge. The housing includes at least one blade having a cutting edge and being disposed between the front edge and the rear edge, and a pair of retainers each having a top portion, a bottom portion, and a portion connecting the top portion to the bottom portion. The retainers extend along the pair of side edges between the front edge of the housing and the rear edge of the housing.

A method of making a razor cartridge including providing at least one razor blade having a cutting edge extending along a length of the razor blade and printing at least one printed object on the length is provided. The razor blade is positioned between the guard and the cap where the visible surface of the at least one razor blade includes a printed object. The printed object may extend continuously along the length of the razor blade and/or may have multiple portions having a comb-like structure. The printed object appears as a solid object to a viewer's naked eye. The solid object includes a plurality of printed ink dots not visible to the viewer's naked eye. The printed object of flexible, polymer ink may act as a guard element on the razor blade which helps with glide and to manage a user's skin (e.g., bulge) during shaving.

A razor blade comprising a blade substrate with a blade edge substrate portion ending in blade tip. The razor blade is covered by a strengthening coating deposited on the blade edge substrate portion via a deposition process. The deposition process causes a hardness value of the strengthening coating layer to be increased, which, among other factors, allows for a decreased thickness of the blade substrate with coating. The blade substrate with coating has (i) a thickness of between about 1.57 and 2.37 micrometers measured at a distance of about five micrometers from the coating tip, (ii) a thickness of between about 4.62 and 6.74 micrometers measured at a distance of about twenty micrometers from the coating tip, and (iii) a thickness of between about 19.82 and 27.52 micrometers measured at a distance of about one hundred micrometers from the coating tip.

The retainer is operable to secure at least one blade within a housing of a shaving blade cartridge. The retainer extends along a pair of side edges of the housing, between a front edge of the housing and a rear edge of the housing. The retainer includes an upper end portion and either a lower end portion extending substantially parallel to the upper end portion and connected to the upper end portion by an intermediate portion, or one or a plurality of legs extending from an edge of the upper end portion.

A masking foil, for a shaving cartridge, and a shaving cartridge comprising a housing having a top surface, a bottom surface, a front edge, a rear edge, and a pair of side edges extending between the front edge and the rear edge. The housing includes a main blade disposed between the front edge and the rear edge. The main blade includes a main cutting edge extending toward the top surface and is movable in the housing. The shaving cartridge further comprises a masking foil. The masking foil includes a front portion located forward of the main cutting edge, a back portion located rearward the main cutting edge, and at least one ribbon which extends between the front portion and the back portion and which partially covers the main cutting edge.

A razor blade substrate having a substrate that includes a blade edge portion having a profiled geometry which is covered by a strengthening coating deposited on the razor blade substrate at least at the blade edge portion. The strengthening coating covering the blade edge tip, having a profiled geometry and having a tapering geometry with two coating sides converge toward a blade edge tip. The strengthening coating includes a strengthening layer made of a titanium- and boron-containing material.