US2371412A - Safety razor and blade - Google Patents

Description

March 13, 1945.

M. J. sHNlTzLr-:R

SAFETY RAZOR AND BLADE Filedv sept. 12, 1944 Patented Mar. 13, 1945. l y, l e

4UNiTriD STATES PATENT ortica* SAFETY RAZOR AND BLADE Meyer J. Shnitzler, Jamaica Plain, lMass., assigner to 4Gillette Safety Razor Company, Boston, Mass., a corpcrationtof Delaware Application September 12, 1944, Serial No. 553,679

9 Claims. (Cl. 30-70) ,v The present invention consists in a new and f1 tothe very time of its presentation for shaving improved blade for safety razors of the type emin the safety razor.

f the tie is of seconda-ry ploying cooperating blade-clamping members foi 'I'he particular shape c o supporting a thin flexible blade in position for importance so long as 1t fulfills the requirements shaving. Two general types of such safety razors 5 above outlined. If the razor contains an elonare now commonly used; one in which the twciv gated blade-locating rib, the blade iS C'OIISSPOHCI- to provide; an la in .members f the azor aie detachable mgly slotted and 1t 1S lmpqrtant y ndllia be entirely? separted for the removal unobstructed passage t0 thls Slot when the tl'e `or resentetion of the blade, and the other in iS broken out of the blade. This is true because whilzlh the clamping members are not detachl0 if the passage were to be interrupted by ragged. able but are arranged for a nmifd Separationf-i fragments of the t1e left in the blade it could not only in Order to provide passage in which the be passed over the blade-locating rib. v'With that `blade'may be presented endwise between them. nd in VW @n ,important featm'e OfthElDVB-H *sary to employ an web ed blade; ,thans to Say, 15 terminal enlargement, wider than the blade slot .a madenaving its two sharpened side portions land in S0 arraneinethe tie that itis greater in separated by a medial longitudinal slot opening length from Side t0 Side than the Width of the out throughone of its unsharpened endsslot. Accordingly, when the tie is broken out of The rineipei object of the present invention is the blade it removes With it an 'areapfdll to protlflide a thin, nexibie safety razor blade of .2 free and unvbstruted aDprQaCh tof-the enrvf such construction that it may be trianufactured the blade Slot-v referred manner of effecting the desired re- A p and yet may be used with equal feeiiity-in razors Sluts iS t0 notch the @sharpened end Portion it compares fvorably with a C10sed end blade I30 mum of force tc elect the desired results.

in the facility of the manufacturing steps by l Allolllel: benellclal result of ,this blade con' which it is produced. It is entirely convenient stluctlon 1S that lt Tendegrs Posslble the employ' for the user 1n that its t1 ansformation intoan mellttof a' safety llzolf; lll Whlcll thetclampm open-end blade requires 'no effort or attention` on opera loll may be e ec ed from a een ral pom the part of the user but is effected in the usual 3" Without Wholly Sellaralllllg the clampmg members steps of withdrawing the blade from 1ts magafor the presenllalmn of the blade' Zme or of presentmg It to the Safety razor. 'Ihese and other features of the inventmn will I have discovered that these and other advanbe @est understood and appreclated from the fol' 40 l me, connectmg lmk or budge between the two p thereof selected for purposes of illustration and 1 a magazine or in the razor itself for breaking out sca e of the ead of 'a Safety razollvsllowmq this tie in the step of presenting the blade to the 45 blade as bem? presented thereto;

razor. The tie may be so iocatedin the" bled Flg 2 ls a slmllal vlew Ol the blade alone;

`ing the 'blade in this selffcontained conditiony up 55 Fig. 3 is a fra menta View .in rs ective .that lt does not ln ally Way llltellele Wltll ple' showing the end if the rllllade with tlle 1tlieY rel l moved; 1

for the reception of a fresh blade. `During the 5o ingpl 13 aglg a sul] Iellgr scafleholll manufacturing Pl'ofess` mQTeQVeI' the ,tie main Fig. 5 is a View in longitudinal :section corretains the blade as a self-contained unit, prevent- 'spending to Fig 1,. and

ing any spreading or distortion of the side' pory rtg. 6 isa detailed top pian view of asprine tions of the blade at its free end and maintainelement Shown in Figs- 1 and 5,

The invention as herein shown is embodiedfin guiding edges for centering letter is presented to the appear.

blade. These yend portions, stitute flexing hinges when the blade is clamped a blade of the well-known Gillette type a1- though it is not limited in its application to that or to any specific type of blade but with appropriate modifications may be embodied with advantage in any slotted blade.

The blade herein shown is formed of thin flexible sheet steel .003 to .007 inch, or thereabouts, in thickness. It comprises two sharpened side portions I of complementary shape with sharpened longitudinal edges II. The side portions o the blade are partially separated by a longitudinal medial slot I2 terminating at both ends in a transverse enlargement substantially wider than the slot and having a curved transverse end edge. As herein shown, the blade is provided also with a pair of intermediate diamond-shaped enlargements and with a circular central enlargement to fit and receive blade-locating projections and the cap spindle of the razor with which the blade is to be used. Preferably and as herein shown. the walls I of the slot which connect the terminal enlargement I3 with the intermediate enlargement I4, and the rest of the slot, diverge toward the end of the blade and are utilized as the blade When the razor as will presently The blade is provided'in each of its corners with l a reentrant notch andthese notches define elon- `gated unsharpened end portions I6 and II in the or one of them, conin transversely curved position for shaving in the razor. As herenshown, one end portion IB only is modified for purposes of the present invention; the other I1 being left in its usual shape.

Centrally disposed in the end I6, however, `is a tongue I8 dened by end notches I9 and 2li. The outer walls of these notches are spaced apart Va greater distance than the width of the Slot I2, these dimensions being indicated in Fig. 4 by reference characters A and B and the relationship exists A B. The inner` walls of the notches I9 .and .20 flare outwardly and the base of the tongue I8 merges into the tie or bridge portion 2l `the inner edge of which is .formed by the transverse terminal enlargement I3. It will thus be seen reduced in thickness at its ends by the shape of the notches I9 and 20, is the only connection in the end I6 between the two side portions of the blade. The bladeis given this characteristic shape in order to provide a fragile, easily breakable tie that can be removed by the application of slight force and when so removed will provide an unobstructed opening into the slot I2 which is at least as wide as the slot itself and which will thus permit the presentation of a rib or other projection having the full width ofthe slot.

Having provided a fragile tie in this manner, provision is made for easily removing it by forming the tie integrally with the tongue I8 which extends longitudinally intothe space provided by the notches I9 and 20. l Accordingly when the tongue is twisted in either direction out of the plane of theblade the tie 2l is snapped of! and broken out of the blade along two lines running into the enlargement I3. These lines of fracture generally converge slightly ask clearly shown in Fig.- 3 so that the opening formed in the end of the blade is slightly contracted at the outer edge f the enlargement I3. However, since the outer edges of the .notches i9 and 2B are substantially widerthan the blade 'slot I2 the points or fangs remaining in the blade will always be spaced more widely apart than the width of the blade slot and the effective opening thus provided will permit the entrance of a rib of the full width of the slot.

The tongue I8 may be twisted to break the tie 2| by means available either in the razor or in the magazine but as herein shown the safety razor is equipped with a tie removing device. The razor illustrated in Figs. l and 5 comprises a guard member 22 secured to the upper end of the handle 23 and a cooperating cap member 24. The blade supporting face of the guard member is generally convex in transverse contour and the inner face of the cap.24 is correspondingly concave so that when the blade is clamped between them it has imparted to it a substantial transverse curvature.

To the upper face a forked-leaf spring of the guard is attached 25 (see also Fig. 6) which extends the full length of the guardmember. It `is centrally perforated to afford free passage fol' `the cap spindle 26 and slightly separated at its side edges yfrom the upper surface of the guard. It serves as a blade-locating and re- I yand break out the tie 2i taining ldevice in vrises a rib 28 having the `razor when an open-end blade is slipped endwise beneath its edges. Its forked ends are slightly ared upwardly to facilitate entrance of the blade and the end edges of the guard are correspondingly beveled for the same purpose.

Corner studs 2l project downwardly from each corner of the cap and are received in correspond ing recesses provided for thatpurpose in the body vof the guard 22. The locating studs v2l engage the shoulders of the elongated end portions I6 and Il of the blade, thus not only locating the blade transversely of the razor but positively preventing distortion by spreading of theside portions I0 at the open end of the blade.

The guard is cut away centrally near `each end for the reception of a breaking device constructed and arranged to engage the tongue III by a twisting movement when a blade is presented to the razor as suggested in Fig. 5 of the drawing. This tie-breaking device comprises a -flat plate 28 from which vwardly inclined edge face 30. The rib 29 extends upwardly, slightly above the surface of the guard and substantially iiush with the forked ends of the retaining spring 25. The device is heldin position by a screw 3I passing through the plate 28 and threaded into the body of the guard 22. The retaining spring 25 is secured in place by rivets 32 passing into the body of the guard.

From vthe foregoing description it will be .apparent that when a blade ofthe construction illustrated in Figs. 1-4 is presented to either end of the razor by `hand or from a magazine thcend of the 'blade I6 moves inwardly along the surface of the guard 22 while the tongue I8 y'encounters the inclined edge 38 of the rib 29 andis deflected downwardly by it. As the blade is pressed .inwardly the tongue vI8 is deflected or twisted downwardly more and 2l is broken away from the end of the blade and a passage opened into the end of Vthe slot I2 through the diverging edges I5 above referred to. When this happens, the blade is free to be advanced fully into shaving position. It is kept centrally in yalignment by the rib 28 which fills the vblade slot I 2 and it is arrested in the .proper longitudinal position .by the engagement of the inclined wall of the vrib 28 with the inside edge of the slotted end I'I ofthe blade. This locates a downwardly and rear-l more until finally the -tie the blade with the cap studs 21 properly regend portions defined by spaced end notches, and l istering with the end notches in the blade. o Aca tie extending transversely between the' inner cordingly the cap may now be drawn downends of said notchesand across the end of said wardly into blade-clamping position by a screwlongitudinal slot. threaded connection (not shown) with the cap 5 6. Adouble edged blade for a safety razor, havspindle 26. l ing sharpened edge portions `partially separated Having thus disclosed my invention and `debyalongitudinal medialslot transversely widened scribed in detail an illustrative embodiment at its end, an unsharpened end portion, a transthereof, I claimI as new and desire to secure by verse tie joining the side portions adjacent to and Letters Patent: o beyond the widened end of the said s1ot,*and a l5 broken by twisting the said tongue.

mentand having side edges dened by notches 7. A safety razor and blade combination in- I that spread wider than said slot. cluding a razor having cooperating blade-clamp- 2. A safety razor blade comprising two sharping members provided at one end with wedgeened side portions separated by a longitudinal shaped tie-breaking device, together with a slot terminating in an enlargement, a tongue 20. slotted blade having a slot-closing tie at one end defined by parallel notches in the end `of the located in position to be broken out of the blade blade, and a, breakable tie into which the tongue I by the tie-breaking device of the razor when the merges and which is longer from end vto end than "blade iS presented endWiSe between the Said the width of the slot. clamping members.

3. A safety razor blade comprising sharpened 8. A safety razor and blade combination inside portions, separated by a longitudinal slot cluding a razor having cooperating blade-clamphaving a terminal enlargement, a tongue projecting members arranged to be seperated t0 provide ing outwardly in line with said slot, and a breaka blade-passage between them, and a tie breaker able tie connected to said tongue and being itself located in the blade passage at one end 0f the "o across one end of its slot located in position to be of the said blade slot; whereby an unobstructed broken by. encountering said tie-breaker when passage to the slot is opened when the tie is presented endwise between the said clamping members. I

cludinga razor having cooperating` blade-clamp- 35 9. A safety razor and blade combination inenlargement 40 ing a tie across one end of its slot, the tie having 5. A double edged blade for a. safety razor, hava projection vso located as to encounter the said ing corner notches deiining elongated unsharpinclined face, whereby the tie may be broken out ened end portions and alongitudinal slot extendby a twisting movement. i ing into said end portions, a tongue in one of said MEYER J. SHNITZLER..

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