Cutlery – Razors – With cooperating shearing blades
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-17
2001-05-08
Watts, Douglas D. (Department: 3724)
Cutlery
Razors
With cooperating shearing blades
C030S034200
Reexamination Certificate
active
06226870
ABSTRACT:
FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to electrical shavers, and also to an auxiliary device particularly useful with such electrical shavers. The invention is especially applicable to the rotary-type electrical shaver, and is therefore described below with respect to that application; but it will be appreciated that the invention could be used in other electrical shavers as well.
Two basically different techniques are now used for shaving: the “wet shaving” technique, using wet soap (or lather or shaving cream) and a razor blade (straight blade or safety blade); and the “dry shaving” technique, using an electrical shaver and no soap (or lather or shaving cream). Each technique has its own advantages and disadvantages. The main advantages of the “wet shave” are the ability of obtaining a close shave, the refreshing after-feeling produced after the shave, and the convenience of cleaning by merely rinsing the blade; whereas the main advantages of the “dry shave” are the convenience of shaving whenever and as frequently as desired, the reduced danger of nicking, cutting or irritating the skin, and the elimination of the expense of frequent blade replacement since electrical shavers are generally self-sharpening during use.
Since the advantages of the “wet shaving” technique stem from the use of wet soap, lather or shaving cream, it would be very desireable to be able to use an electrical shaver also for wet shaving. The vibratory-type electrical shaver has been adapted for wet shaving since this type of shaver involves very small vibratory movements. However, insofar as I am aware, the rotary-head type electrical shaver has not been adapted for wet shaving. Actually, the instructions accompanying a very popular rotary-type electrical shaver expressly caution against wetting the cutter head.
OBJECTS AND BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical shaver particularly, but not exclusively, of the rotary-head type with a construction enabling the shaver to be used for wet shaving as well as for dry shaving, and thereby to provide the advantages of wet shaving.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an electrical shaver which better erects the hairs to be shaven, and/or better taughtens the skin, particularly while wet shaving, to enable closer shaves to be attained as compared to the present electrical shavers, by actions similar to those produced by the very popular 2-blade or 3-blade safety razors.
A still further object is to provide an auxiliary device particularly useful with the new electrical shaver for cleaning the cutter head, and/or for drying it when used with wet soap.
According to one broad aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electrical shaver, comprising: a housing including an electrical motor within the housing, and at least one cutter head carried by the housing and coupled to the electrical motor so as to be driven thereby; characterized in that the housing includes a sealing end wall blocking the passage of liquid from the cutter head to the electrical motor; and in that the cutter head is magnetically coupled to the electrical motor, so as to be driven thereby, by a magnetic field which penetrates the sealing end wall.
According to further features in the described preferred embodiments, the cutter head is magnetically coupled to the electrical motor by at least one drive magnet on one side of the sealing end wall mechanically coupled to the electrical motor, and at least one driven magnet on the opposite side of the sealing end wall mechanically coupled to the cutter head.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electrical shaver comprising: a housing closed at one end by a sealing end wall, the housing including an electrical motor and a drive magnet at one side of the sealing end wall mechanically coupled to the electrical motor; and a shaver head assembly preferably removably attached to the one end of the housing, the shaver head assembly including a cutter head and a driven magnet mechanically coupled thereto and located at the opposite side of the sealing end wall when the shaver head assembly is attached to the housing; the driven magnet being magnetically coupled to the drive magnet by a magnetic field penetrating the sealing end wall when the shaver head assembly is attached to the housing.
According to further features in the described preferred embodiments, the shaver head assembly includes a plurality, preferably three, of cutter heads each including a rotary cutter member driven by the electrical motor within the housing when the shaver head assembly is attached thereto.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electrical shaver comprising a housing including an electrical motor; and a cutter head caried by the electrical motor. The cutter head includes a rotary cutter member; a static cutter member enclosing the rotary cutter member and formed with a plurality of slots for reciving hairs to be cut by the rotary cutter member as the static cutter member is pressed against and moved over a surface containing the hairs to be cut; and a scraper member having a thin, hard scraper edge at least partially enclosing the static cutter member and spaced radially from its outer edge such as to be effective to erect the hairs, and to tauten the surface containing the hairs, as the static cutter member is moved over, while pressed against, the surface containing the hairs to be cut. These features, particularly when the electrical shaver is used for a wet shave, produce hair-erecting and skin-taughtening actions comparable to those produced by the two-blade or three-blade safety razor.
As will be described more particularly below, such an electrical shaver may be used for taking a light dry shave, or a close wet shave; and particularly in the latter case, such a shaver will provide most or all the above advantages of a wet shave with a blade, in addition to those of a dry shave with an electric shaver. A still further advantage of the preferred embodiment of the invention described herein is that it can be implemented with but a few changes, involving little more than the addition of a few simple parts, in the rotary-type electrical shavers commercially-available today.
According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided an auxiliary device particularly useful with the novel electrical shaver to facilitate drying and/or cleaning the shaver head assembly when it has been detached from the electrical shaver.
Further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description below.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3172416 (1965-03-01), Simmons
patent: 3310693 (1967-03-01), Aronoff
patent: 3992775 (1976-11-01), De Vries
patent: 4653519 (1987-03-01), Kanner
patent: 5621971 (1997-04-01), Szymansky
patent: 69118 (1940-01-01), None
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