阅读说明：本技术 剃刀刀片架 (Razor cartridge ) 是由 小文森特·P·沃克 J·A·华盛顿 T·M·哈利特 M·F·穆尔吉达 U·H·鲍蒂斯塔 于 2020-04-01 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明公开了一种用于剃刀刀片架的子组件,该子组件具有基座,该基座包括具有顶部表面的前壁和具有顶部表面的后壁。至少一个刀片在前壁和后壁之间安装到基座。至少一个刀片具有切割刃,该切割刃定位在与前壁的顶部表面和后壁的顶部表面相切的平面上方至0.5mm处。(A subassembly for a razor cartridge has a base including a front wall having a top surface and a rear wall having a top surface. At least one blade is mounted to the base between the front wall and the rear wall. At least one blade has a cutting edge positioned up to 0.5mm above a plane tangent to the top surfaces of the front and rear walls.)

1. A subassembly (44) for a razor cartridge (10), the subassembly comprising:

a base (30) comprising a front wall (34) having a top surface (36) and a rear wall (35) having a top surface (37);

at least one blade (24a,24b, and 24c) mounted to the base between the front wall and the rear wall, the at least one blade having a cutting edge (26a,26b, and 26 c);

wherein the top surface on the front wall of the base is positioned a vertical distance of at least 0.5mm below the cutting edge.

2. The subassembly (44) of claim 1, said top surface on said front wall of said base being positioned at a vertical distance of 0.5mm to 3mm below said cutting edges (26a,26b, and 26 c).

3. The subassembly (44) of claim 1 or 2 wherein the top surface is bounded on lateral ends (48,50) by retaining walls (52,54), and a clamp is positioned between each of the retaining walls and a respective lateral wall (56,58) to retain the at least one insert (24a,24b, and 24 c).

4. The subassembly (44) of claim 3, wherein a length (L1) of the top surface (36) of the front wall (34) is at least 90% of an exposed overall length (L2) of the at least one blade (24a,24b,24 c).

5. A sub-assembly (44) according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising a holder (32) secured to the base (30), the holder having an upper skin contacting surface (14) and a front face (16) defined by a plurality of ribs (22) forming a plurality of open slots (18, 20).

6. The subassembly (44) of claim 6 wherein the front face (16) has a lower surface (21) interconnecting the plurality of ribs (22).

7. A sub-assembly (44) according to claim 6, wherein the lower surface (21) is positioned at a vertical distance (d5) of 0.5mm to 3mm below the cutting edge (26a,26b,26 c).

8. A sub-assembly (44) according to claim 5, 6 or 7, wherein the holder (32) has a rear face (40) with a top surface (60) extending between the ribs (22), the top surface being positioned a vertical distance (d6) below the cutting edge (22).

9. A sub-assembly (44) according to any of claims 5 to 8, wherein the upper skin contacting surface (14) and the front face (16) intersect at an outer angle of 45 to 85 degrees.

10. A method of assembling a razor cartridge (10), the method comprising:

providing a base (30) comprising a front wall (34) having a top surface (36) and a rear wall (35) having a top surface (37);

mounting at least one blade (24a,24b,24c) having a cutting edge (26a,26b,26c) to the base between the front wall and the rear wall and at least 0.5mm above the top surface of the front wall; and

a cage (32) having a plurality of ribs (22) is mounted to the base.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said mounting said holder (32) comprises mounting a front face (16) of said holder in front of said front wall (34) of said base (30).

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said mounting said cage (32) comprises positioning a lower surface (21) of said front face (16) a vertical distance below said cutting edges (26a,26b,26 c).

13. The method of any of claims 10-12, further comprising securing the cage (32) to the base (30).

14. The method of any of claims 10-13, further comprising mounting a second blade (24a,24b,24c) having a cutting edge (26a,26b,26c) to the base (30).

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said mounting said second blades (24a,24b,24c) comprises spacing said cutting edges (26a,26b,26c) apart by at least 1.75 mm.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to wet safety razors, and more particularly to razor cartridges having a housing for protecting the skin from contact with one or more blades.

Background

Generally, a cartridge or blade unit of a safety razor has at least one blade with a cutting edge, which is moved over the surface of the skin being shaved by means of a handle to which the cartridge is attached. Some razors are provided with a spring-biased cartridge that pivots relative to the handle to follow the contour of the skin during shaving. The cartridge may be removably mounted on the handle so that when the blade sharpness has diminished to an unsatisfactory level, the cartridge is replaced with a new cartridge or permanently attached to the handle if it is desired to discard the entire razor when one or more blades have become dulled. Razor cartridges typically include a guard that contacts the skin in front of one or more blades during shaving and a cap for contacting the skin behind the one or more blades. The cap and guard may help to establish a so-called "shaving geometry", i.e., parameters that determine the orientation and position of the blades relative to the skin during shaving, which in turn has a strong influence on shaving performance and razor efficacy. The cap may include a water leachable shaving aid to reduce drag and improve comfort. The guard may be generally rigid, for example integrally formed with a frame or platform structure that provides support for the blades. The guard may also include a softer elastomeric material to improve skin stretching.

In addition, covers have been developed that fit over shaving cartridges to facilitate cutting of hair to a specified length. These covers also protect the skin by lifting the blades from the skin surface and thus limiting contact. However, since these covers are intended to be mounted on existing razor cartridges intended to shave skin, the trimmer performance of the covers (i.e., cutting the hair to length) is limited and not effective. Accordingly, there is a need for a safety razor that safely and efficiently cuts hair to a specific length.

Disclosure of Invention

In one aspect, the invention features, in general, a subassembly for a razor cartridge having a base including a front wall having a top surface and a rear wall having a top surface. At least one blade is mounted to the base between the front wall and the rear wall. At least one blade has a cutting edge positioned at least 0.5mm above a plane tangent to the top surfaces of the front and rear walls.

In another aspect, the invention features, in general, a method of assembling a razor cartridge including providing a base including a front wall having a top surface and a rear wall having a top surface. At least one blade having a cutting edge is mounted to the base between the front wall and the rear wall. The cutting edge is positioned at least 0.5mm above a plane tangent to the top surfaces of the front and rear walls. A holder having a plurality of ribs is mounted to the base.

In another aspect, the invention features, in general, a razor cartridge having a base including a front wall with a top surface. The holder is fastened to the base. The cage has an upper skin contacting surface with a plurality of ribs defining a plurality of open slots and a front face generally transverse to the upper skin contacting surface. The front face has a lower surface interconnecting a plurality of ribs defining a plurality of open slots extending into the front face and communicating with the open slots of the upper skin contacting surface. At least one blade is mounted to the base. The blade has a cutting edge positioned above the upper skin contacting surface and immediately behind the front wall. The lower surface of the front face is positioned a vertical distance below the cutting edge.

Drawings

Other features and advantages of the invention, as well as the invention itself, may be more fully understood when the following description of various embodiments is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1A is a front perspective view of a razor cartridge according to one possible embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1B is a rear perspective view of the razor cartridge of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 2 is an assembly view of the razor cartridge of FIGS. 1A and 1B.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a subassembly of the razor cartridge of FIGS. 1A and 1B.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the subassembly taken generally along line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the razor cartridge taken generally along line 5-5 of FIG. 1.

Detailed Description

Referring to fig. 1A and 1B, front and rear perspective views of razor cartridge 10 are shown, respectively. The razor cartridge 10 may be mounted to a handle (not shown). The razor cartridge 10 may be removably or permanently mounted to a handle. For example, razor cartridge 10 may be removably mounted on a handle to allow replacement of the razor cartridge 10 with a new razor cartridge 10 when the blade sharpness has diminished to an unsatisfactory level, or the entire razor cartridge may be permanently attached to the handle if it is desired to discard the entire razor when one or more blades have become dulled. Razor cartridge 10 may include a housing 12. The housing 12 may be molded from a polymeric material or made from other materials such as metal. The housing 12 may have an upper skin contacting surface 14 and a front face 16 transverse to the upper skin contacting surface 14. The upper skin contacting surface 14 may define a plurality of open slots 18 that communicate with a plurality of corresponding open slots 20 defined by the front face 16. The open slot 18 may extend all the way to the rear face 40 (fig. 1B). The open slots 20 may be defined and interconnected by a lower surface 21 of the front face 16. Thus, when hairs contact the front face 16, these hairs are immediately guided to the open slots 20 (i.e. the open slots 20 extend into the front face 16). The open slots 18 and 20 may be separated by corresponding ribs 22. The ribs 22 may extend continuously down the upper skin contacting surface 14 and down the front face 16. Thus, the front face may be defined by a plurality of ribs 22 and lower surface 21 to form open slot 20. The ribs may have a width "w 1" of about 0.25mm to about 5mm and more preferably about 0.4mm to about 1 mm. The ribs 22 may be spaced apart (i.e., the width of the slots 18 and 20) from about 0.25mm to about 5.0mm, and preferably from about 0.7mm to about 0.8 mm. If the spacing between adjacent ribs is too large, the blades may shave a person (a vertical gap in the middle region of the upper lip) rather than cutting hair to length (e.g., a person may sag between ribs 22). In certain embodiments, the width "w 1" may be less than the distance between ribs 22. As will be described in greater detail below, the ratio of the width to the height of the ribs 22 should be sufficient to prevent the ribs 22 from breaking or deforming during use. In addition, the spacing of the ribs 22 (i.e., the slot width) and the width of the ribs 22 can affect the efficiency of the blade in cutting hair. For example, the width of the slots 18 and 20 should be large enough to allow hair to pass through, and the width of the ribs 22 should be large enough to provide sufficient strength without trapping unwanted hair. The dimensions of the ribs 22 may also prevent the skin from sagging between the ribs 22 and contacting the skin during a shaving stroke.

As shown in fig. 2, one or more blades 24a,24b, and 24c may be mounted within the housing 12, as shown in fig. 2. Each of the blades 24a,24b, and 24c may have a corresponding cutting edge 26a,26b, and 26 c. The first blade 24a and the first cutting edge 26a may be immediately adjacent to the rib 22 of the front face 16. Although three blades 24a,24b, and 24c are shown, razor cartridge 10 may have more or fewer blades 24 depending on the desired performance and cost of razor cartridge 10. The open slots 18 and 20 may extend transverse to the cutting edges 26a,26b, and 26 c. Blades 24a,24b, and 24c may be secured to housing 12 using one or more clamps 28a and 28 b. The blade 24 may be secured in the housing 12 or may be resiliently mounted such that the blade member 24 (e.g., the respective cutting edge 26) is biased against the clips 28a and 28 b. The clips 28a and 28b can help hold the blades 24a,24b, and 24c in an up-down direction (i.e., toward and away from the upper skin contacting surface 14). Clamps 28a and 28b may comprise metal, such as aluminum, but plastic may also be used. Clamps 28a and 28b may also be interconnected to form a unitary assembly. Other assembly methods known to those skilled in the art may also be used to secure and/or mount the blades 24a,24b, and 24c to the housing 12, including but not limited to wire wrapping, cold forming, heat staking, insert molding, ultrasonic welding, and adhesives. As will be described in more detail below, the ribs 22 may prevent the cutting edges 26a,26b, and 26c from contacting the skin during travel, thus cutting only hair and not skin.

Referring to FIG. 2, an assembly view of the razor cartridge 10 is shown.

In certain embodiments, the housing 12 may comprise a two-piece assembly. For example, the housing 12 may include a base 30 (e.g., a lower portion) and a easy-tower (ibta) holder 32 (e.g., an upper portion) mounted above the base 30. In certain embodiments, the base 30 may be permanently secured to the cage 32. Thus, the holder 32 may define the upper skin contacting surface 14, and the blades 24a,24b, and 24c may be mounted to the base 30. In certain embodiments, the holder 32 (with or without the clamps 28a and 28 b) may secure the blade 24 within the base 30. For example, the clamp 28 may provide a temporary or additional securing means for the blades 24a,24b, and 24 c.

The base 30 may have a front wall 34 and a rear wall 35 with respective top surfaces 36 and 37. The first cutting edge 26a may be immediately behind the front wall 34 to facilitate the unimpeded passage of hair to the first cutting edge 26 a. One or more of the top surfaces 36 and 37 may be recessed relative to the cutting edges 26a,26b, and 26 c. Top surfaces 36 and 37 may extend along length "L1". It should be appreciated that the front and rear walls 34, 37 may have one or more protruding features to help secure the base 30 to the cage 32. Top surfaces 36 and 37 may extend between and be positioned below clamps 28a and 28 b. The concave top surface 36 may allow for an open area in front of the first cutting edge 26a so that hairs are not trapped, as well as providing an area on the housing for the clips 28a and 28b to rest above the top surface 36. For example, one or more of the top surfaces 36 and 37 may be recessed more than 0.20mm relative to the first cutting edge 26a so that the top surfaces 36 and 37 do not interfere with or contact the skin during hair trimming. As will be explained in more detail below, all of the blades 24a,24b, and 24c may be mounted to the base 30 such that the cutting edges 26a,26b, and 26c are positioned above the top surface 36 along the length "L1". In certain embodiments, L1 may be from about 17mm to about 35 mm. As a result, all of the cutting edges 26a,26b, and 26c are not protected by the guard and cap as with conventional razor cartridges, and because the top surfaces 36 and 37 are recessed such that they do not act as a guard and cap to support (e.g., contact) the skin, all shaving forces will be applied directly to the cutting edges 26a,26b, and 26 c. However, a retainer 32 may be mounted over the base 30 to prevent the cutting edge 26 from contacting the skin, thus resulting in a very safe shave by cutting the hairs to a predetermined length. The clamps 28a and 28b may be mounted to the base 30 before the cage 32 is mounted to the base 32. The cage 32 may define a pair of openings 38a and 38b sized to receive the corresponding clamps 28a and 28 b. The cage 32 may be spaced from the clamps 28a and 28b to facilitate simple assembly. For example, the openings 38a and 38b may allow the clips 28a and 28b to be secured to the housing 12 before or after the retainer 32 is mounted to the base 30. The openings 38a and 38b may allow the holder 32 to directly contact the cutting edges 26a,26b, and 26c by not resting on top of the clamps 28a and 28 b. In certain embodiments, the cage 32 will rest directly against the cutting edges 26a,26b, and 26c, thus potentially eliminating the need for the clamp 28. Furthermore, if the holder 32 rests on top of the clamp 28 rather than on the cutting edges 26a,26b and 26c, hairs and shaving debris may be trapped between the holder 32 and the cutting edges 26. Openings 38a and 38b may be closed and extend between front face 16 and back face 40. As also shown in fig. 1B, rear face 40 may interconnect ribs 22 at a rear portion of housing 12 (e.g., cage 32), and lower surface 21 may interconnect ribs 22 at a front portion of housing 12 (cage 32) to reinforce ribs 22.

Referring to FIG. 3, a subassembly 44 is shown that may be incorporated into the razor cartridge of FIG. 1. Subassembly 44 may include base 30, blades 24a,24b, and 24c, and clamps 28a and 28 b. The blades 24a,24b, and 24c may be mounted to the base 30 between the front wall 34 and the rear wall 46. In certain embodiments, the length "L1" of the top surface 36 of the front wall 34 may be at least 90% of the exposed total length "L2" (e.g., the distance between the clips 28a and 28 b) of the blades 24a,24b, and 24 c. The top surface 36 may be defined on the lateral ends 48 and 50 by retaining walls 52 and 54. Retaining walls 52 and 54 may extend above top surface 36 to facilitate positioning and securing clamps 28a and 28b to base 30. For example, each clip 28a and 28b may be positioned between one of the retaining walls 52 and 54 and the corresponding lateral wall 56 and 58.

Referring to FIG. 4, a cross-sectional view of subassembly 44 is shown, taken generally along line 4-4 of FIG. 3. The top surface 36 on the front wall 34 of the base 30 may be positioned at a vertical distance of at least 0.5mm below the cutting edges 26a,26b, and 26c (e.g., the cutting plane 64). In certain embodiments, the perpendicular distance d1 may be from about 0.5mm to about 5 mm. The position of the top surface 36 may allow the hair to reposition itself in a more vertical position as the hair is cut (e.g., by the first cutting edge 26 a). For example, if the top surface 36 is positioned too close to the cutting plane 64 (or first cutting edge 26a), the top surface 36 may push down in front of the blade 24 and trap long hairs, thereby negatively affecting cutting efficiency, especially for hairs that are longer than those that tend to lay flat on the skin. One or more of the cutting edges 26a,26b, and 26c may be positioned at a vertical distance "d 2" above a plane P1 that is P1 tangent to the top surface 36 of the front wall 34 and the top surface 37 of the rear wall 46. The distance d2 may be greatest proximate the first cutting edge 26a of the front wall 34 and smallest proximate the rear wall 46. It is believed, without being bound by theory, that increasing d2 closer to front wall 34 improves cutting efficiency. After the hair is cut by the first cutting edge 26a, the hair is less likely to be flattened because it is shorter, and thus d2 may be smaller at the second cutting edge 26b and even smaller at the cutting edge 26c closest to the rear wall 46. In certain embodiments, d2 may be about 0.5mm to about 3mm when measured at any of cutting edges 26a,26b, and 26 c.

The shaving efficiency of the razor cartridge 10 (fig. 1) may be enhanced by improving rinsability. Conventional razor cartridges rely on a smaller distance between the cutting edges or an intermediate guard between adjacent blades to improve comfort because the pressure is distributed between the cutting edges 26a,26b and 26 c. However, the ribs 22 (fig. 1) absorb all pressure from the skin rather than the cutting edges 26a,26b and 26c, which allows the cutting edges 26a,26b and 26c to be spaced further apart from each other. In certain embodiments, the distance "d 3" and "d 4" between a pair of immediately adjacent cutting edges 26a,26b, and 26c may be greater than 1.75mm, for example, from about 1.8mm to about 2.0mm, or from about 2.0mm to about 2.5mm, which may allow for even more effective rinsing by providing an open gap (as best seen in fig. 3) between the nearest cutting edges 26a,26b, and 26c without sacrificing cutting efficiency or comfort.

Referring to FIG. 5, a cross-sectional view of the razor cartridge 10 is shown, taken generally along line 4-4 of FIG. 1. The cage 32 may be mounted to the subassembly 44 (i.e., the base 30). The housing 12 (e.g., base 30 and holder 32) may allow hair to pass freely through the slot 20 (fig. 1) of the front face 16. The upper skin contacting surface 14 and the front face 16 may intersect at an external angle "a 1" of less than 90 degrees, such as from about 45 degrees to about 85 degrees, to facilitate passage of hair through the slots 20 of the front face 16 (fig. 1). The intersection of the front face 16 and the upper skin contacting surface 14 may form a radius R1 of the rib 22. In certain embodiments, R1 may be from about 0.1mm to about 3mm, and preferably from about 0.25mm to about 1 mm. The lower surface 21 may be positioned a vertical distance "d 5" of at least 0.5mm (e.g., about 0.5mm to about 3mm) below the cutting edges 26a,26b, and 26 c. The rear face 40 may have a top surface 60 extending between the ribs 22 (see also fig. 1B) that is positioned a vertical distance "d 6" below the cutting edges 26a,26B, and 26c, which may help free release hairs (i.e., prevent the hairs from being flattened during a shaving stroke), thus allowing the hairs to be cut more effectively.

The upper skin contacting surface 14 may have an opposing interior surface 62 (e.g., the height of the ribs 22). The length of hair left after trimming with razor cartridge 10 may be determined by the perpendicular distance "d 8" measured from upper skin contacting surface 14 to opposing interior surface 62 (e.g., where cutting edges 26a,26b, and 26c are in contact with opposing interior surface 62). It should be understood that the cutting edges 26a,26b, and 26c may contact or be spaced apart from the opposing interior surface 62. The perpendicular distance "d 8" may be about 0.5mm to about 5mm, and more preferably about 1mm to about 2.5 mm. If d8 is too small, the skin may bulge between ribs 22 and contact the skin, thus cutting the hair too short. Furthermore, hairs longer than 5mm tend to lie flat and will therefore not be cut if d8 is greater than 5 mm.

It is believed, without being bound by theory, that increasing the vertical distances d5 and d6 improves the cutting effect by minimizing interference with the hair before it is cut by the first cutting edge 26a (up to d5) and after it is cut by the last cutting edge 26c (up to d 6). Thus, the exposure of the cutting edges 26a,26b, and 26c may be determined by d8 (e.g., the height of the ribs 22), rather than features that may push hair down against the skin, making them more difficult to cut, such as guards in front of the blades. For a typical razor, a guard that contacts the skin does not present such a problem because the cutting edge is contacting and shaving the skin (i.e., is cutting hairs at or below the skin level). Thus, the cutting edge is able to contact and cut lay-flat hairs, lift them and cut them. However, cutting hairs above the skin level is more difficult because the cutting edge may not be able to reach flat lying hairs. Accordingly, the housing 12 may define a horizontal gap 66 extending from the first cutting edge 26a to a front interior face 68 opposite the front face 16. In certain embodiments, the horizontal gap 66 may be about 0.5mm to about 3.0mm, and more preferably about 1mm to about 2 mm. The gap 66 may allow for improved rinsing and longer cut hairs to be rinsed through the housing 12. The gap 66 may also allow hairs to be released and presented to the first cutting edge 26a in a more upright position. The front wall 34 and the top surface 36 may be recessed and therefore do not extend into the gap 66. It should be appreciated that the lateral end walls 52 and 54 (fig. 3) are positioned laterally at the bottom surface 36 and therefore do not extend into the gap 66 either.

The positioning of the ribs 22 (fig. 1A and 1B) over the cutting edges 26a,26B, and 26c helps prevent skin from contacting the cutting edges 26a,26B, and 26c and eliminates the need for guard bars in front of the cutting edges 26a,26B, and 26c for supporting the skin. For example, the height and spacing of the ribs 22 may prevent skin from bulging between the ribs and contacting the cutting edges 26a,26b, and 26 c. In addition, the ribs 22 (fig. 1A and 1B) may also allow the cutting edges 26a,26B, and 26c to be spaced further apart from each other because the cutting edges 26a,26B, and 26c do not exert pressure on the skin.

The dimensions and values disclosed herein are not to be understood as being strictly limited to the exact numerical values recited. Rather, unless otherwise specified, each such dimension is intended to mean both the recited value and a functionally equivalent range surrounding that value. For example, a dimension disclosed as "40 mm" is intended to mean "about 40 mm". The term "about" should be interpreted herein as being within typical manufacturing tolerances.

Each document cited herein, including any cross referenced or related patent or patent application and any patent application or patent to which this application claims priority or its benefits, is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety unless expressly excluded or otherwise limited. The citation of any document is not an admission that it is prior art with any disclosure of the invention or the claims herein or that it alone, or in combination with any one or more of the references, teaches, suggests or discloses any such invention. Further, to the extent that any meaning or definition of a term in this document conflicts with any meaning or definition of the same term in a document incorporated by reference, the meaning or definition assigned to that term in this document shall govern.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of this invention.