Shaving blade assembly

Abstract

A shaving blade assembly and a method of using a shaving blade assembly may include a blade, a resilient element, and a first moveable member. The resilient element may support the blade and be arranged to urge the blade in a first direction orthogonal to a cutting edge of the blade. The first movable member may abut the blade in a second direction opposite to the first direction and be held in at least one position.

Claims

1. A shaving blade assembly comprising: at least one blade having a cutting edge, at least one resilient element supporting the at least one blade and arranged to urge the at least one blade in a first direction orthogonal to the cutting edge; and a first movable member, wherein: the first movable member is configured to abut the at least one blade in a second direction opposite to the first direction, the first movable member is further configured to be selectively held in a plurality of different first positions, and the first movable member defines a lever that extends outwardly.

2. The shaving blade assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one blade is a plurality of blades.

3. The shaving blade assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one resilient element is a plurality of resilient elements.

4. The shaving blade assembly of claim 1, wherein the first movable member is configured to be held by friction in at least one position of the plurality of different first positions.

5. The shaving blade assembly of claim 1, wherein the first movable member comprises a substantially arcuate segment.

6. The shaving blade assembly of claim 1, further comprising a second movable member, wherein: the at least one blade has a first end and an opposite second end, the abutment between the first movable and the at least one blade is located at the first end, and the second movable member is configured to abut the second end in the second direction and be held in at least one position of a plurality of different second positions.

7. The shaving blade assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one resilient element is bendable.

8. The shaving blade assembly of claim 1, further comprising a housing configured to receive the at least one blade, wherein the housing supports the resilient element, the housing having at least one substantially C-shaped retainer configured to retain the at least one blade within the housing, wherein the lever extends outwardly away from the at least one substantially C-shaped retainer, is movable with respect to the at least one substantially C-shaped retainer, and is provided between the at least one substantially C-shaped retainer and the resilient element.

9. The shaving blade assembly of claim 8, wherein the at least one substantially C-shaped retainer is provided at an end of the at least one blade.

10. The shaving blade assembly of claim 1, further comprising a second movable member, wherein the second movable member defines a lever extending outwardly.

11. A shaving blade assembly comprising: a blade, a resilient element supporting the blade and arranged to urge the blade in a first direction orthogonal to a cutting edge of the blade; a pair of substantially C-shaped retainers configured to retain a pair of ends, respectively, of the blade, and a movable member configured to move with respect to the blade and the pair of substantially C-shaped retainers, wherein the first movable member is configured to abut the blade in a second direction opposite to the first direction and the movable member is further configured to be selectively held in a plurality of different positions.

12. The shaving blade assembly of claim 11, wherein the movable member defines a lever that extends outwardly.

13. The shaving blade assembly of claim 12, further comprising a housing configured to receive the blade, wherein the housing supports the resilient element, the housing having the pair of substantially C-shaped retainers, the pair of substantially C-shaped retainers being configured to retain the pair of ends, respectively, of the blade within the housing, wherein the lever extends outwardly away from one substantially C-shaped retainer of the pair of substantially C-shaped retainers and is provided between the one substantially C-shaped retainer and the resilient element.

14. The shaving blade assembly of claim 13, wherein the substantially C-shaped retainers are provided at opposite sides of the housing.

15. The shaving blade assembly of claim 13, wherein the one substantially C-shaped retainer includes a window, and the lever extends through the window.

16. A method of adjusting a shaving blade assembly, wherein the shaving blade assembly comprises a blade supported by a resilient element configured to urge the blade in a first direction orthogonal to a cutting edge of the blade, and a movable member abutting the blade in a second direction opposite to the first direction, wherein the method includes: moving the movable member between an initial position and a final position; and at least one of: releasing the movable member from being held in the initial position; or holding the movable member in the final position, wherein the movable member includes a lever.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the movable member is configured to move along an arcuate path when moved between the initial and final positions.

18. The method shaving of claim 16, wherein the lever extends outwardly.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The disclosure may be more completely understood in consideration of the following detailed description of aspects of the disclosure in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a shaving blade assembly according to a first example;

(3) FIG. 2 is a cross-section cut along the plane II-II of the shaving blade assembly of FIG. 1;

(4) FIG. 3A is a schematic of the shaving blade assembly of FIG. 2 when the movable member is in an initial position; and

(5) FIG. 3B is a schematic of the shaving blade assembly of FIG. 2 when the movable member is in a final position.

(6) While aspects of the disclosure are amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the intention is not to limit aspects of the disclosure to the particular embodiment described. On the contrary, the intention of this disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(7) As used in this disclosure and the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. As used in this disclosure and the appended claims, the term “or” is generally employed in its sense including “and/or” unless the content clearly dictates otherwise.

(8) The following detailed description should be read with reference to the drawings. The detailed description and the drawings, which are not necessarily to scale, depict illustrative aspects and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. The illustrative aspects depicted are intended only as exemplary.

(9) Aspects of the disclosure relate to a shaving blade assembly 10 as shown on FIGS. 1 to 3B. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a shaving blade assembly 10. The shaving blade assembly 10 has a hollow housing 20 that generally forms a rectangular parallelepiped, however the housing 20 may be any other suitable shape. The housing 20 may also include a guard bar, a cap, and a pair of substantially c-shaped retainers 70 each having a top portion, a bottom portion, a substantially convex portion connecting the top and bottom portions, where the retainers 70 are adapted to retain the position of the blades 30 within the housing 20. The retainers may extend along a pair of side edges of the housing 20 and are spaced apart and positioned on opposite sides of the housing 20. The retainers 70 may be either integral with the housing or a separate component assembled with the housing. Additionally, the shape of the retainers can be either complementary to the shape of a movable member 50A, 50B or not.

(10) Secured within the housing 20 is at least one blade 30. In this embodiment, a plurality of blades 30 are shown, however, it is contemplated that the shaving blade assembly 10 may have any number of blades 30. Additionally, the blades 30 that are shown are elongate in shape; however, it is contemplated that the blades 30 may be formed into any other suitable shape. Each blade 30 has a cutting edge 32 that defines a line and is adapted to cut facial hair or body hair.

(11) The blades 30 traverse the housing 20 between a first end 22 to a second end 24. The blades 30 may be partially exposed through an opening in the housing 20. Each blade 30 has two ends that correspond with the first and second ends of the housing 22, 24. The ends of the blades 30 may be oriented to extend beyond the boundaries of the opening in the housing 20 and be partially covered and unexposed. Additionally, each blade may be one piece, bent to form an angle, or may comprise a blade support attached on it.

(12) Turning to FIG. 2, which is a cross-section along plane II-II in FIG. 1, a movable member 50B is disposed within the interior of the housing 20 and contacts the edge of blades 30. In this embodiment, the shaving blade assembly 10 has two movable members 50A, 50B, one on each side of the shaving blade assembly 22, 24. However, it is contemplated that the shaving blade assembly 10 may have any number of movable members 50A, 50B.

(13) Each movable member 50A, 50B is formed into an arcuate shape and is adapted to slide along a corresponding arcuate track within the housing 20 (not shown). Each movable member 50A, 50B defines a lever 52A, 52B that extends outwardly. The housing 20 has corresponding windows 60A, 60B that allow the respective levers 52A, 52B to extend from the inside of the housing 20 to the exterior of the housing 20. Further, the levers 52A, 52B are adapted to be engaged by a user of the shaving blade assembly 10.

(14) In this embodiment, the levers 52A, 52B of the movable members 50A, 50B are disposed on the ends 22, 24 of the shaving blade assembly 10; however, it is contemplated that the levers 52A, 52B may be disposed anywhere on the shaving blade assembly 10, for example, on the top surface, the bottom surface, or any other suitable location.

(15) Encased within the housing 20 is a mounting structure 40 that has a flexible and resilient element 42 extending therefrom. In this embodiment, the resilient element 42 is an elongate spring finger, however the resilient element 42 can have any other suitable form, for example, a helical spring. The resilient element 42 may be composed of any type of appropriate single or multiple materials, including, but not limited to: a metal, polymer, composite material, or combination of them. It is envisioned that in this embodiment two resilient elements 42 are used, each being disposed on respective first and second sides 22, 24; however, it is contemplated that any number of resilient elements 42 may be used.

(16) The resilient element 42 is adapted to contact the underside of each blade 30, which is the surface of the blade 30 that is facing the interior of the housing 20. Further, the resilient element 42 contacts all of the blades 30. The resilient element 42 may be integral with or assembled in the housing 20 with a pre-loaded stress such that the resilient element 42 may be adapted to urge or push the blades 30 in a first direction, specifically orthogonally to the cutting edge of the blade 30, toward the opening in the housing, thereby causing the ends of the blades 30 to contact or abut the respective movable members 50A, 50B. Orthogonally to the cutting edge of the blade 30 means any direction in a plane P perpendicular to the cutting edge. The shaving blade assembly 10 may include a plurality of resilient elements 42 at each end of the housing 20. In such a configuration, at least one of the plurality of resilient elements 42 contacts the blades 30 or the blade support.

(17) In operation, when a normal force is applied to the outer surface of the blades 30 in a second direction (toward the inner cavity of the housing 20), which is opposite to the direction that the resilient element 42 is urging the blades 30, the blades 30 are configured to flex or bend the resilient element 42. The force applied to the blades 30 that bends the resilient element 42 causes the blades 30 to retract toward or into the interior of the housing 20. The force applied to the blades from the resilient elements may range from 0-0.4 N, most specifically may be 0.3 N. When the force is alleviated, the resilient element 42 urges the blades 30 in the first direction and against the movable members 50A, 50B.

(18) Turning to FIGS. 3A and 3B, the movable members 50A, 50B are adapted to apply a normal force on the blades 30 causing the blades 30 to move away from the shaving plane. Shown in FIG. 3A, the movable member 50B is in an initial or first position where the end of the blades 30 are resting against the movable member 50B. In this position, the blades 30 are approximate to the shaving plane.

(19) In contrast, as shown in FIG. 3B, the movable member 50B is in a final or second position where the end of the blade 30 is abutting the movable member 50B, however the resilient element 42 is in a more flexed or bent position. In this configuration, the blades 30 are retracted deeper into the housing 20 and are further away from the shaving plane than when the movable member 50B was in the initial position.

(20) Additionally, as can be seen in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the movable member 50B can be secured or held in place by a holding element 26B. Each movable member 50A, 50B has a respective holding element 26A, 26B. The holding element 26A, 26B holds the movable members 50A, 50B in order to avoid accidental movement or release of the position of the blades 30 while shaving. The holding element 26A, 26B holds or locks the movable members 50A, 50B into the initial position and/or final position. For illustrative purposes, only the initial and final positions are discussed, however it is contemplated that the movable member(s) 50A, 50B may be positioned in any number of positions or stages. Each of the holding positions places the blades 30 in a different position relative to the shaving plane. For example, as shown in FIG. 3B, when the position of the movable member 50B is at first holding position 26B′, the head is at the “bold” setting, in which the blades are allowed maximum travel. At a second holding position 26B″, the head is at a “sensitive” setting in which the blades are allowed less travel than in the first holding position 26B′, and in position 26B′″ the blades 30 are held against the mounting structure 40. The moveable member 50A may be similarly moved to positions 26A′, 26A″, and 26A′″ as shown in FIG. 3B

(21) Additionally, a color coding or number system may be used with the holding element 26A, 26B to aid the user in selecting the correct position for each of the movable members 50A, 50B.

(22) It is contemplated that any suitable holding element 26A, 26B may be implemented to hold the movable members 50A, 50B into place, including, but not limited to: a spring loaded ball-lock pin and corresponding recesses, a protrusion and matching cavities, or a frictional contact between the movable members 50 and the corresponding windows 60A, 60B of the housing 20. It is also contemplated that either one of the corresponding movable members 50A, 50B or windows 60A, 60B can have the ball lock/protrusion or cavities. For example, movable member 50B may have a protrusion and corresponding window 60B may have a cavity, or vice versa.

(23) In the embodiment that has two movable members 50A, 50B on opposing sides of the shaving blade assembly 22, 24, the user should adjust each of the movable members 50A, 50B to be at the same holding position to achieve a uniform cutting performance. Adjusting the holding position can be done easily by applying pressure on the levers 52A, 52B of the movable members 50A, 50B, for example, a user can toggle each lever with their finger, to dislodge the holding elements 26A, 26B and move the blades 30 into a different position. If a user desires to have a cleaner and more bold shave, they can adjust the blades 30 such that the blades 30 are disposed close to the shaving plane. However, if a user desires a more sensitive and less bold shave, they can adjust the blades 30 further away from the shaving plane.

(24) It is also contemplated that the shaving blade assembly 10 is adapted to attach to a razor handle and maybe interchangeable, for example, when the blades become dull or damaged. However, it is also contemplated that the shaving blade assembly may be permanently attached to a razor handle and can be used as a disposable razor.

(25) Throughout the description, including the claims, the term “comprising a” should be understood as being synonymous with “comprising at least one” unless otherwise stated. In addition, any range set forth in the description, including the claims should be understood as including its end value(s) unless otherwise stated. Specific values for described elements should be understood to be within accepted manufacturing or industry tolerances known to one of skill in the art, and any use of the terms “substantially” and/or “approximately” and/or “generally” should be understood to mean falling within such accepted tolerances.

(26) Although the present disclosure herein has been described with reference to particular embodiments, it is to be understood that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and applications of the present disclosure.

(27) It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope of the disclosure being indicated by the following claims.