ATTACHMENT COMB, CUTTING HEAD AND HAIR CUTTING APPLIANCE

Abstract

An attachment comb, particularly a skin protecting comb, for a blade set of a cutting head of a hair cutting appliance, the attachment comb including a supporting frame and comb teeth that are arranged in a series and that define a skin contact zone at a top side thereof. The teeth extend from the supporting frame and include rounded tips at frontal ends thereof. Additionally, the teeth are non-uniform along the series and include two outer lateral teeth that define lateral ends of the series, along with central teeth arranged therebetween. At the lateral teeth, a lateral teeth tip radius (R.sub.tl) is present that is greater than a tip radius (R.sub.tc) of the central teeth. Also described herein is corresponding a cutting head and hair cutting appliance.

Claims

1. An attachment comb, particularly a skin protecting comb, for a blade set of a cutting head of a hair cutting appliance, the attachment comb comprising: a supporting frame; and a plurality of comb teeth that are arranged in a series and that define a skin contact zone at a top side thereof, wherein: the plurality of comb teeth extend from the supporting frame and comprise rounded tips at frontal ends thereof, the plurality of comb teeth are non-uniform along the series and comprise two outer lateral teeth that define lateral ends of the series having rounded lateral tooth tips, and central teeth having rounded central teeth tips arranged therebetween, the lateral teeth comprise a lateral teeth tip radius (R.sub.tl) corresponding to a curvature of the rounded lateral tooth tips when the lateral teeth are viewed in a side view perpendicular to the extension direction of the series of teeth, the central teeth comprise a central teeth tip radius (R.sub.tc) corresponding to a curvature of the rounded central tooth tips when the central teeth are viewed in a side view perpendicular to the extension direction of the series of teeth, and at the lateral teeth, the lateral teeth tip radius (R.sub.tl) is greater than the central teeth radius (R.sub.tc), and the plurality of teeth further comprise a rear side facing the blade set in the mounted state, and a front side that is opposite to the rear side, wherein the top side where the skin contact zone is formed connects the front side and the rear side, wherein the rounded tips of the plurality of comb teeth are formed at a transition between the front side and the top side, wherein the rounded tips are convex, and wherein at the front side a concave curvature adjoins the rounded tips.

2. The attachment comb as claimed in claim 1, wherein at the central teeth a uniform central teeth tip radius (R.sub.tc) is present that is, seen in side view, smaller than the lateral teeth tip radius (R.sub.tl).

3. The attachment comb as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lateral teeth tip radius (R.sub.tl) is in a range of 1.0 mm to 2.5 mm, optionally in a range of 1.5 mm to 1.8 mm, and wherein the central teeth tip radius (R.sub.tc) is in a range of 0.25 mm to 0.8 mm, optionally in a range of 0.35 mm to 0.7 mm.

4. The attachment comb as claimed in claim 1, wherein in a vertical direction, the lateral teeth protrude beyond the central teeth towards the top side, and wherein the lateral teeth tips are upwardly offset with respect to the central teeth tips.

5. The attachment comb as claimed in claim 1, wherein in a longitudinal direction, the lateral teeth protrude beyond the central teeth, wherein the lateral teeth tips are forwardly offset with respect to the central teeth tips.

6. The attachment comb as claimed in claim 1, wherein a longitudinal extension of the lateral teeth is greater than or equal to a longitudinal extension of the central teeth, wherein the longitudinal extension of the lateral teeth is preferably 0.1 mm to 0.3 mm greater than the longitudinal extension of the central teeth, optionally 0.1 mm to 1.5 mm greater than the longitudinal extension of the central teeth.

7. The attachment comb as claimed in claim 1, wherein a width of the lateral teeth is greater than a width of the central teeth, wherein a ratio between the width of the lateral teeth and the width of the central teeth is in a range between greater than 1.0 and 1.5, optionally between 1.25 and 1.5.

8. The attachment comb as claimed in claim 1, wherein tooth slots are formed between the plurality of comb teeth of the series, wherein the tooth slots have a width of no more than 1.5 mm, optionally no more than 1.2 mm.

9. The attachment comb as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supporting frame forms opposite lateral walls, wherein lateral lugs extend inwardly from the lateral walls to contact top side lateral end bars of a stationary blade of the blade set, wherein at a bottom side of the attachment comb a linking bar extends between the lateral walls, and wherein the plurality of comb teeth extend substantially in a vertical direction from the linking bar.

10. The attachment comb as claimed in claim 9, wherein the lateral walls and the lateral teeth form snap-on mounting features that cooperate for releasably attaching the attachment comb to the blade set.

11. The attachment comb as claimed in claim 1, wherein the attachment comb is operable in a minimized offset configuration, wherein, in the mounted state, the skin contact zone formed at the top side of the attachment comb is upwardly offset from a top surface of the stationary blade of the blade set, by an offset value in a range of greater than 0.0 mm to 0.2 mm, optionally by an offset value of 0.05 mm to 0.2 mm.

12. The attachment comb as claimed in claim 1, comprising a first series of comb teeth and a second series of comb teeth that is opposite to the first series of comb teeth, wherein the first series of comb teeth and the second series of comb teeth define therebetween a recess for the blade set of the hair cutting appliance.

13. A cutting head for a hair cutting appliance, the cutting head comprising: a blade set comprising a stationary blade and a movable blade, the stationary blade and the movable blade comprising at least one toothed leading edge jointly defined by respective teeth of the stationary blade and the movable blade, the teeth of the stationary blade and the movable blade basically extending in a longitudinal direction, wherein the stationary blade further comprises a top surface at the teeth thereof, the top surface being arranged to face a user's skin when in operation, and an attachment comb as claimed in claim 1, wherein the attachment comb is releasably mounted to the blade set.

14. The cutting head as claimed in claim 13, further comprising a swiveling mechanism that couples the blade set and a housing portion, wherein the attachment comb is arranged, in a mounted state, to be pivoted together with the blade set with respect to the housing portion.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0075] These and other aspects of the disclosure will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter. In the following drawings

[0076] FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of an exemplary hair cutting appliance that may be equipped with an exemplary embodiment of an attachment comb in accordance with the present disclosure;

[0077] FIG. 2 shows a perspective top view of a blade set for a cutting head for a hair cutting appliance;

[0078] FIG. 3 shows a partial perspective top view of a cutting head of a hair cutting appliance and an attachment comb that may be attached thereto, wherein the attachment comb is shown in a detached state;

[0079] FIG. 4 is another view of the arrangement of FIG. 3 in an attached state of the attachment comb;

[0080] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the attachment comb shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 in a bottom view;

[0081] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional front view of the attachment comb in a state attached to a blade set along the line VI-VI in FIG. 7;

[0082] FIG. 7 is a top view of the arrangement of FIG. 6;

[0083] FIG. 8 is a front view of the attachment comb in isolation;

[0084] FIG. 9 is a top view of the attachment comb of FIG. 8;

[0085] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional side view along the line X-X in FIG. 9;

[0086] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional side view along the line XI-XI in FIG. 9; and

[0087] FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional side view along the line XII-XII in FIG. 9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0088] FIG. 1 schematically illustrates, in a simplified perspective view, an exemplary embodiment of the hair cutting appliance 10, particularly an electric hair cutting appliance. The hair cutting appliance 10 may comprise a housing or, more particularly, a housing portion 12, a motor indicated by a dashed block 14 in the housing portion 12, and a drive mechanism or drive train indicated by a dashed block 16 in the housing portion 12. For powering the motor 14, at least in some embodiments of the hair cutting appliance 10, an electrical battery, indicated by a dashed block 18 in the housing portion 12, may be provided, such as, for instance, a rechargeable battery, a replaceable battery, etc. However, in some embodiments, the cutting appliance 10 may be further provided with a power cable for connecting a power supply. A power supply connector may be provided in addition or in the alternative to the (internal) electric battery 18.

[0089] The hair cutting appliance 10 may further comprise a cutting head 20. At the cutting head 20, a blade set 22 may be attached to the hair cutting appliance 10. The blade set 22 may be driven by the motor 14 via the drive mechanism or drive train 16 to enable a cutting motion. FIG. 2 shows a perspective top view of a blade set 22 that may be incorporated in the hair cutting appliance 10 illustrated in FIG. 1. The cutting motion may generally be regarded as a relative motion between a stationary blade and a movable blade (cutter blade) which will be further described and discussed hereinafter. Hence, the terms stationary blade (guard blade) and movable blade (cutter blade) shall not be interpreted in a limiting sense.

[0090] Generally, a user may grasp, hold and manually guide the cutting appliance 10 through hair in a moving direction 30 to cut hair. The cutting appliance 10 may be regarded as a hand-guided or hand-operated electrically powered device. Furthermore, the cutting head 20 or, more particularly, the blade set 22 can be connected to the housing portion 12 of the cutting appliance 10 in a pivotable manner, refer to the curved double-arrow indicated by reference numeral 28 in FIG. 1. In some applications, the cutting appliance 10 can be moved along skin to cut hair growing at the skin. When cutting hair closely to the skin, basically a shaving operation can be performed aiming at cutting or chopping hair at the level of the skin. However, also clipping (or trimming) operations may be envisaged, wherein the cutting head 20 comprising the blade set 22 is passed along a path at a desired distance relative to the skin.

[0091] When being guided through hair, the cutting appliance 10 including the blade set 22 is typically moved along a common moving direction which is indicated by the reference numeral 30 in FIG. 1. It is worth mentioning in this connection that, given that the hair cutting appliance 10 is typically manually guided and moved, the moving direction 30 thus not necessarily has to be construed as a precise geometric reference having a fixed definition and relation with respect to the orientation of the hair cutting appliance 10 and its cutting head 20. That is, an overall orientation of the hair cutting appliance 10 with respect to the to-be-cut hair at the skin may be construed as somewhat unsteady. However, for illustrative purposes, it may be fairly assumed that the (imaginary) moving direction 30 is parallel (or generally parallel) to a main central plane of a coordinate system which may serve in the following as a means for describing structural feature of the hair cutting appliance 10. The X-axis and the Y-axis define a horizontal plane.

[0092] In some Figures shown herein, exemplary coordinate systems are shown for illustrative purposes. As used herein, an X-axis is assigned to a longitudinal direction. Further, a Y-axis is assigned to a lateral direction. Accordingly, a Z-axis is assigned to a vertical (height) direction. Respective associations of the axes/directions X, Y, Z with respective features and extensions of the components illustrated can be derived from those Figures. The X-axis and the Y-axis jointly define a horizontal plane. It should be understood that the coordinate system X, Y, Z is primarily provided for illustrative purposes and not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. This involves that the skilled person may readily convert and transform the coordinate system when being confronted with further embodiments, illustrations and deviating view orientations. Also a conversation of Cartesian coordinate systems into polar coordinate system may be envisaged, particularly in the context of a circular or curved blade set.

[0093] The blade set 22 shown in more detail in FIG. 2 comprises a stationary blade 24 and a movable blade 26 that may be moved with respect to the stationary blade 24 in a reciprocating motion. The stationary blade 24 and the movable blade 26 may jointly define at least one toothed leading edge 32, 34, preferably a first toothed leading edge 32 and a second toothed leading edge 34. The first toothed leading edge 32 and the second toothed leading edge 34 are arranged in parallel fashion and facing away from each other. The movable blade 26 is indicated in FIG. 2 in a dashed representation. The movable blade 26 may be driven by a drive shaft 50 in a reciprocating manner. Consequently, the movable blade 26 and the stationary blade 24 may be reciprocatingly moved with respect to each other and therefore cooperate to cut hairs that enter slots between teeth 38 of the stationary blade 24 and teeth 40 of the movable blade 26 at the respective leading edges 32, 34 when the hair cutting appliance 10 is moved through hair in the moving direction 30. At the drive shaft 50, a driving pin 60 is formed in an off-center fashion. Hence, when the drive shaft 50 rotates, the driving pin 60 revolves about a driving axis to actuate an entrainer unit 66 that is coupled to the movable blade 26 by a driving bridge 68 (shown in FIG. 6).

[0094] In FIG. 2, a top surface of the stationary blade 24 that is facing the skin of the user when the appliance 10 is in operation is indicated by 36. In some embodiments, the top surface 36 is parallel to the horizontal plane defined by the X-axis and the Y-axis.

[0095] The stationary blade 24 may be arranged as a guard for the movable blade 26. It is particularly preferred that the stationary blade 24 comprises a first wall portion and a secondary wall portion which are at least partially spaced from each other such that a guide slot for the movable blade 26 is defined therebetween, refer also to the cross-sectional representation of the blade set 22 in FIG. 6. As a consequence, the stationary blade 24 may also cover the movable blade 26 at the at least one toothed leading edge 32, 34.

[0096] As already indicated above, the blade set 22 may be particularly suited for shaving and trimming operations. Shaving performance and trimming performance may be further improved when the blade set 22 is capable of following an actual skin contour. Consequently, it is particularly preferred that the blade set 22 is attachable to the housing portion 12 of the hair cutting appliance 10 in a pivotable fashion. A swiveling mechanism is indicated in FIG. 2 by reference numeral 42. The blade set 22 is attached to the swiveling mechanism 42. The swiveling mechanism 42 may form a part of the cutting head 20 that is interposed between the blade set 22 and the housing portion 12. The swiveling mechanism 42 may define a pivot or, rather, a virtual pivot for the blade set 22, refer to the curved double-arrow 28 in FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0097] So as to define a maximum swiveling angle of the blade set 22 with respect to the housing portion 12, the swiveling mechanism 42 may comprise a limit stop 44 that may cooperate with a contact surface 46 to define an allowed range of the swiveling motion. By way of example, the swiveling mechanism 42 may be arranged as a four-bar-linkage mechanism. In this embodiment, the swiveling mechanism 42 comprises a base link 52 that may be attached to the housing portion 12. A first side link 54 and a second side link 56 may be coupled to the base link 52. At a top end thereof, the swiveling mechanism 42 may comprise a top link 58 that connects the first side link 54 and the second side link 56. Between the respective links 52, 54, 56, 58 hinges may be provided, particularly living hinges, that enable relative rotation between neighboring links and thus the overall pivoting motion.

[0098] Generally, at least in some embodiments, the cutting head 20 may be regarded as a replaceable and/or a detachable cutting head. To this end, the cutting 20 may comprise an attachment interface 48 which is arranged to engage a respective receiving interface at the housing portion 12 of the hair cutting appliance 10. Particularly, the cutting head 20 may be arranged as a plug-in cutting head 20. As already indicated above, the blade set 22, particularly the movable blade 26 thereof, may be coupled to the drive shaft 50. The drive shaft 50 may comprise an eccentric portion (pin 60) that may revolve about a longitudinal axis of the drive shaft 50. Consequently, an eccentric drive mechanism 16 may be provided for driving the movable blade 26 in a reciprocating fashion with respect to the stationary blade 24.

[0099] At lateral ends of the blade set 22, so-called side protectors or lateral end bars 62, 64 are formed. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the lateral end bars 62, 64 are molded to the stationary blade 24.

[0100] Being fitted with the swiveling mechanism 42 as exemplarily illustrated in FIG. 2 or with another exemplary embodiment of a swiveling mechanism, the cutting head 20 may be particularly suited for shaving operations. However, it is further preferred that the hair cutting appliance 10 is also suited for hair trimming operations. Hair trimming may involve cutting hairs at a desired length. The desired remaining length of the hairs may be defined by a so-called attachment comb. When attaching the attachment comb to the hair cutting appliance 10, it has to be considered that the blade set 22 is preferably pivotably mounted at the housing portion 12. At least in some embodiments as discussed herein, it is preferred that the contour-following feature is provided also in the comb mode when the attachment comb is mounted to the blade set 22.

[0101] In the following, exemplary embodiments of attachment combs for blade sets 22 will be elucidated and described in more detail. It goes without saying the single features disclosed in the context of a respective embodiment may be combined with any of the other embodiments, also in isolated fashion, thereby forming further embodiments that still fall under the scope of the present disclosure. Generally, the attachment combs may be referred to as skin protecting combs. In some embodiments, the attachment combs are arranged as spacing attachment combs. However, in some embodiments, the attachment combs do not or only slightly space the blade set away from the skin. In this exemplary configuration, a major purpose of the attachment comb is hair conditioning/lifting and skin protection.

[0102] In FIG. 3, an attachment comb 70 is illustrated in a state detached from a cutting head 20 of a hair cutting appliance 10 as already explained in connection with FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. The comb 70 may also be referred to as skin protecting comb.

[0103] The comb 70 is arranged to be releasably attached to the blade set 22, as will be described in more detail hereinafter. The comb 70 comprises a supporting frame 72 from which comb teeth 74 extend. In the mounted state of the comb, the comb teeth 74 are oriented parallel to the teeth 38 of the stationary blade 24. It is preferred to have a non-uniform arrangement of the comb teeth. That is, differently shaped comb teeth 74 may be provided. The comb teeth 74 involve lateral teeth 76 (outer teeth) and central teeth 78. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, at respective outer lateral ends of the comb 70, lateral teeth 76 are provided. Between the lateral teeth 76, central teeth 78 are formed. Together, the lateral teeth 76 and the central teeth 78 form at least one series of teeth 82, 84. In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 3, a first series 82 and a second series 84 is provided that are opposite to one another. The first series 82 and the second series 84 define therebetween a window or recess 88 for the blade set 22.

[0104] The supporting frame 72 of the comb 70 comprises a first lateral wall 90 and a second lateral wall 92. A linking bar 94 connects the lateral wall 90 and the lateral wall 92 at the side of the first series 82. A linking bar 96 connects the lateral wall 90 and the lateral wall 92 at the side of the second series 84.

[0105] The lateral walls 90, 92 define lateral ends of the supporting frame 92. The linking bars 94, 96 define longitudinal ends of the supporting frame 92. Together the lateral walls 90, 92 and the linking bars 94, 96 define a four-sided frame of the comb 70. The linking bars 94, 96 are arranged at a bottom end of the comb 70. At a top end of the comb 70, lateral lugs 98, 100 extend from the lateral walls 90, 92. The lateral lugs 98, 100 extend inwardly and face one another.

[0106] Additional reference is made to the perspective views of FIG. 4 and FIG. 5. The view orientation of FIG. 4 is similar to the view orientation of FIG. 3, whereas in FIG. 4 the comb 70 is shown in the attached state. In FIG. 5, a perspective bottom view of the comb 70 is provided. As shown in FIG. 4, in the mounted state, the lateral lugs 98, 100 cover and retain the lateral end bars 62, 64 at the lateral ends of the blade set 22.

[0107] Further, as can be seen in FIG. 5, at the lateral walls 90, 92, inner guide ribs 104 are formed that define the lateral position (Y-position) of the blade set 92 in the mounted state. In the exemplary arrangement of FIG. 5, the guide ribs 104 extend in the vertical direction, for production/molding reasons.

[0108] At the lateral teeth 76 mounting surfaces 106 for the stationary blade 24 of the blade set 22 are formed at a rear top side thereof, refer to FIG. 3 and FIG. 5. At the lateral lugs 98, 100, mounting surfaces 108 are formed that are opposite to the mounting surfaces 106 at the lateral teeth 76, refer to FIG. 5. The mounting surfaces 106, 108 cooperate to retain and secure therebetween the stationary blade 24 of the blade set 22. Hence, the lateral teeth 76 and the lateral lugs 98, 100 jointly form snap-on mounting/locking features for the attachment of the comb 70 at the blade set 22. In the exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 3 to 5, the lateral teeth 76 are deflectable so that the stationary blade 24 may pass mounting ramps 110 at the rear sides of the lateral teeth 76, refer also to FIG. 6. Hence, the attachment comb 70 is easy to attach and easy to detach.

[0109] At the lateral teeth 76, tips 116 are formed. At the central teeth 78, tips 118 are formed. The tips 116, 118 of the teeth 76, 78 form a skin engagement zone when the comb 70 is moved along the skin in a movement direction in an orientation suitable for hair cutting. Between the teeth 76, 78, tooth slots 120 are present.

[0110] Additional reference is made to FIGS. 6 to 12, wherein FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 show the comb 70 in an attached state, and wherein any of FIGS. 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 show the comb 70 in isolation.

[0111] With reference to FIG. 8, a width of the lateral teeth 76 is indicated by w.sub.tl. A width of the central teeth 78 is indicated by w.sub.tc. Further, a width of the tooth slots 120 is indicated by w.sub.ts. In the assembled state, the lateral lugs 98, 100 define a vertical limit stop for the blade set 22. More particularly, the stationary blade 24 of the blade set 22 is locked (in the Z-position) between mounting surfaces 106, 108 at the lateral lugs 98, 100 and the lateral teeth 76, as discussed herein before.

[0112] In FIG. 6, a top side of the comb 70 in the mounted state is indicated by 124. At the top side 124, the comb 70 faces and contacts the skin. In certain exemplary embodiments, the central teeth 78 slightly protrude beyond the top surface 36 of the stationary blade 24 in the vertical direction Z. The top surface 36 and the top surface 124 are not necessarily coincident. A respective offset is indicated in FIG. 6 by o.sub.c. The offset o.sub.c from the top surface 36 of the stationary blade 24 ensures that primarily the top side 124 of the comb 70 and not necessarily the top surface 36 contacts the skin when the comb 70 is attached to the blade set 22. A bottom side of the comb 70 that is opposite to the top side 124 is indicated in FIG. 8 by 126. Further, in FIG. 8, a skin contact zone of the central teeth 78 is indicated by 128. A skin contact zone of the lateral teeth 76 is indicated by 140.

[0113] As shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 8, the lateral teeth 76 protrude beyond the central teeth 78 in the vertical direction Z. A respective offset is indicated in FIG. 6 and FIG. 8 by o.sub.top. The (vertical) offset o.sub.top between the skin contact zone 140 and 128 ensures that the lateral teeth 76 act as supporting teeth so that the contact pressure for the central teeth 78 is reduced.

[0114] Further reference is made to the cross-sectional lateral views of FIG. 10, FIG. 11 and FIG. 12. Respective positions of the cross-sectional views are indicated in FIG. 9 by lines X-X, XI-XI, and XII-XII.

[0115] With reference to FIG. 10, the shape of the lateral teeth 76 is described in more detail. As already discussed further above, a mounting surface 106 of the lateral teeth 76 cooperates with a mounting surface 108 of the lateral lugs 98, 100 to retain therebetween the stationary blade 24 in the mounted state.

[0116] The lateral teeth 76 comprise a top side 132, a rear side 134, and a front side 136. The lateral teeth 76 extend from one of the linking bars 94, 96 in the vertical direction Z and the longitudinal direction X. The top side 132 defines the skin contact zone 140. The top side 132 connects the rear side 134 and the front side 136. The rear side 134 delimits the window or recess 88 for the stationary blade 24, refer to FIG. 9.

[0117] At the transition between the rear side 134 and the top side 132, the mounting surface 106 is formed. At the transition between the top side 132 and the front side 136, the tip 116 is formed. A tip radius is indicated by Rd. The tip 116 is convex in the view of FIG. 10. Adjacent to the tip 116, a concave curvature 138 is formed. As a consequence, the front side 136 of the lateral teeth 76 is somewhat S-shaped. Further, at the rear side 134, the mounting ramp 110 is formed.

[0118] With reference to FIG. 12, the shape of the central teeth 78 is described in more detail. The central teeth 78 comprise a top side 152, a rear side 154, and a front side 156. The central teeth 78 extend from the linking bars 94, 96 in the vertical direction Z and the longitudinal direction X. The top side 152 defines the skin contact zone 128. At the transition between the top side 152 and the rear side 154, a rear tip 160 is formed. The rear side 154 faces the window or recess 88, refer to FIG. 9. In the mounted state as shown in FIG. 7, the rear tip 160 forms a longitudinal limit stop for the stationary blade 24 of the blade set 22.

[0119] At a transition between the top side 152 and the front side 156, the tip 118 is formed. A tip radius is indicated in FIG. 12 by R.sub.tc. The tip 118 is convex in the view of FIG. 12. Adjacent to the tip 118, a concave curvature 158 is formed at the front side 156. Overall, the front side 156 is somewhat S-shaped.

[0120] In FIG. 11, a longitudinal extension of the lateral teeth is indicated by l.sub.tl. Similarly, a longitudinal extension of the central teeth is indicated by l.sub.tc. A longitudinal offset between the lateral teeth 76 and the central teeth 78 is indicated by o.sub.lt.

[0121] In combination, the offsets o.sub.top and o.sub.lt between the lateral teeth 76 and the central teeth 78 define a somewhat diagonal offset (in the vertical direction Z and the longitudinal direction X) therebetween. The upper and frontal contour of the tips 116 of the lateral teeth 76 protrudes beyond the upper and frontal contour of the tips 118 of the central teeth 78.

[0122] A further benefit of the design of the attachment comb 70 illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 12 is that the shape thereof may be formed in a relatively simple mold without additional sliders and/or further additional molding components. While the foregoing aspect is beneficial, this design shall not be interpreted in a limiting sense.

[0123] The design parameters presented herein describe the non-uniformity of the lateral teeth and the central teeth. More particularly, in accordance with the above described embodiments, the lateral teeth are more exposed but, at the same time, smoother than the central teeth.

[0124] While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, such illustration and description are to be considered illustrative or exemplary and not restrictive; the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Other variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed invention, from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims.

[0125] In the claims, the word “comprising” does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article “a” or “an” does not exclude a plurality. A single element or other unit may fulfill the functions of several items recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage.

[0126] Any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope.