Cutlery – Cutting tools – Plural cooperating blades
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-23
2001-08-28
Payer, Hwei-Siu (Department: 3724)
Cutlery
Cutting tools
Plural cooperating blades
C030S200000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06279234
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a hair-cutting system including a hair-cutting apparatus for cutting hairs, said apparatus being held in a hand during operation, and having a toothed cutting device, having a comb device mounted on the hair-cutting apparatus in the area of its toothed cutting device and having juxtaposed comb teeth, said comb teeth each having a distal tooth end and a proximal tooth end and a contact zone extending between the two tooth ends, and of which at least the comb teeth are connected to holding means of the hair-cutting apparatus with the aid of connecting means, and in which system during operation at least some of the comb teeth can be applied to a skin area of a person with at least those areas of their contact zones which adjoin the distal tooth ends and can be moved over this skin area in an operating direction with their distal tooth ends facing forward.
Such a hair-cutting system of the type defined in the opening paragraph is known, for example from the patent document WO 98/25734 A1 which corresponds substantially to U.S. Pat. No. 5,898,999, assigned to U.S. Philips Corporation. In this known hair-cutting system the comb device comprises two guide member configurations which are rigidly connected to the comb teeth and which extend in a longitudinal direction of the housing of the hair-cutting apparatus, which guide members engage in guide grooves in the hair-cutting apparatus and by means of which the comb device is movably mounted with respect to the hair-cutting apparatus, so that during operation of the hair-cutting system it is simply possible to select different cutting lengths by moving the comb device. Because of the rigid connection of the two guide member configurations with the comb teeth it is necessary that, in order to guarantee a correct hair-cutting process by means of the known hair-cutting system, the hair-cutting apparatus with the comb device should always be held in such a relative position with respect to the skin area of a person that, as the comb teeth of the comb device are moved over a skin area, an optimum contact with this skin area is achieved for at least those parts of the contact zones of the comb teeth which adjoin the distal tooth ends. However, unfortunately such a contact of these parts of the contact zones of the comb teeth with a skin area depends to a large extent on the dexterity and experience of a user of the hair-cutting system. In the case of lack of experience and lack of dexterity it is not unlikely that the distal tooth ends of the comb teeth are clear of the skin area just passed, as a result of which the hairs in this area are not or not satisfactorily raised and are therefore guided unsatisfactorily towards the toothed cutting device, which results in an unsatisfactory cutting action. When the user lacks experience and/or dexterity it is also possible that the distal tooth ends of the comb teeth are applied too steeply to a skin area of a person, in which case not only those parts of the contact zones of the comb teeth which adjoin the distal tooth ends but all the contact zones of the comb teeth also are clear of the relevant skin area and the comb teeth occupy too steep positions relative to the relevant skin area, as a result of which the hairs situated in this skin area are fended off by the comb teeth, which likewise results in these hairs not being raised properly and leads to an unsatisfactory cutting action.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to preclude the afore-mentioned problems and to provide an improved hair-cutting system.
According to the invention, in order to achieve this object in a hair-cutting system of the type defined in the opening paragraph, the connecting means are constructed to enable the angular position of at least the comb teeth of the comb device with respect to the hair-cutting apparatus to be changed continually, and the connecting means are further constructed and arranged in such a manner that when during operation of the hair-cutting system at least some of the comb teeth are moved over a skin area a continual contact with this skin area is guaranteed for at least those parts of the contact zones of said comb teeth which adjoin the distal tooth ends by a continual change of the angular position of said comb teeth
In preferred embodiments of the invention, it is achieved in a simple manner and by simple means that, as the comb teeth are passed over a skin area of a person during operation of a hair-cutting system in accordance with the invention, at least those parts of the contact zones of the comb teeth which adjoin the distal tooth ends are automatically brought into continual contact with said skin area. Thus, at least in the area of their distal ends, the comb teeth always occupy a position relative to a skin area which is advantageous for a proper raising of hairs, so that a proper raising of hairs and, consequently, a correct cutting performance is always achieved with a hair-cutting system in accordance with the invention.
In especially preferred embodiments of a hair-cutting system in accordance with the invention:
the connecting means include pivoting means with the aid of which at least the comb teeth of the comb device can be tilted with respect to the hair-cutting apparatus;
the pivoting means are formed by a pivoting spindle which extends transversely to the juxtaposed comb teeth and which is arranged adjacent the contact zones of the comb teeth;
in relation to the distal tooth ends and the proximal tooth ends of the comb teeth, the pivoting spindle is situated nearer the distal tooth ends;
the comb device includes two limbs which form parts of the connecting means and between which at least most of the comb teeth of the comb device are arranged, and the pivoting spindle is arranged at the location of a respective one of the ends of the two limbs, the two limbs engaging in guide grooves of the hair-cutting apparatus with their parts which are remote from the pivoting spindle, which grooves form parts of the holding means of the hair-cutting apparatus;
the pivoting means are formed by at least one control lever pairs which comprises two control levers, which at the location of each of their two lever ends both have a joint, two connecting lines of which each connecting line connects the two joints for a respective control lever to one another, intersect one another in an intersection point which, in relation to the contact zones of the comb teeth, is situated at that side of these contact zones which is remote from the hair-cutting apparatus;
the connecting means include at least one cam device arranged between at least one comb tooth and the holding means of the hair-cutting apparatus and comprising an at least partly curved cam slot and at least one cam follower which engages in the cam slot, the cam slot having at least one center of curvature which, in relation to the contact zones of the comb teeth is situated at that side of these contact zones which is remote from the hair-cutting apparatus;
the angular position of the entire comb device is continually adjustable with respect to the hair-cutting apparatus with the aid of connecting means; and
the angular position of the toothed cutting device with respect to the hair-cutting apparatus is continually adjustable with the aid of the connecting means. The principal merits of these embodiments reside in a particularly simple construction and a high reliability.
It is to be noted that a hair-cutting system comprising a hair-cutting apparatus and a hair pressing block is known from the U.S. Pat. No. 4,557,050 and is shown in FIG. 23 of said patent document, and is described in column 6, lines 37 to 55. The hair pressing block is mounted so as to be continually pivotable with respect to the hair-cutting apparatus. The comb has pin-like comb teeth similar to a regular hair comb and is adapted merely to bring hairs in parallel alignment with one another. Furthermore, during normal operation the comb and the hair pressing roller are not adapted to be applie
Chaouachi Jaleleddine
Hauer Andreas
Schaller Peter
Bartlett Ernestine C.
Payer Hwei-Siu
Spain Norman N.
U.S. Philips Corporation
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