Cutlery – Cutting tools – Plural cooperating blades
Reexamination Certificate
2001-06-05
2003-03-04
Shoap, Allan N. (Department: 3724)
Cutlery
Cutting tools
Plural cooperating blades
C030S225000, C076S104100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06526662
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention generally relates to haircut scissors. More particularly, this invention relates to haircut scissors that prevent hairs from escaping along the haircut edges of the haircut scissors so as to achieve neat and efficient haircut.
BACKGROUND ART
It is known that hairs pinched between haircut edges
102
of a conventional pair of haircut scissors
101
escape or slip as indicated by an arrow in the accompanying
FIG. 5
, and often partially remain uncut. Hairs which are neatly combed tend to be cut along a curved line with a conventional pair of haircut scissors against intent as shown in the accompanying
FIG. 6
due to slippage of the hairs along the haircut edges of the scissors.
Such slippage of hairs can take place with conventional thinning scissors or shears as well. In an attempt to prevent such slippage, a conventional pair of thinning scissors are provided with V-shaped or U-shaped haircut edges
202
between protrusions as shown in the accompanying FIG.
7
. Hair slippage on the haircut edges
202
of the thinning scissors is thus effectively prevented.
The assignee of this application disclosed in International Application No. PCT/JP99/05381 slits
304
having a predetermined length and width as schematically shown in the accompanying
FIGS. 8
,
9
and
10
which are provided at intervals along a haircut edge L of a pair of haircut scissors. The width W of these slits
304
is smaller than twice that of a typical hair. These slits
304
provide the following advantageous features.
Even when the width W of the slits
304
is somewhat smaller than that of a typical hair, a hair X which is sliding on the haircut edge L in the direction indicated by an arrow will itself get caught on the mouth
305
of one of the slits
304
and obstruct movement of other hairs that follow as shown in the accompanying FIG.
8
. Thus, slits
304
having a width W which is smaller than that of a typical hair will work as a hair slippage stop.
When the width W of the slits
304
is as large as that of a typical hair, a hair or hairs X traveling in the direction indicated by an arrow will somehow get into one of the slits
304
and obstruct movement of other hairs that follow as shown in the accompanying FIG.
9
. Thus the slits
304
having a width W as large as that of a typical hair will work as a hair slippage stop.
When the width W of the slits
304
is nearly twice that of a typical hair, a plurality of hairs will enter slits
304
one after another or get caught together at the mouth
305
of slits
304
as shown in the accompanying FIG.
10
. Thus the slits
304
which possess a width which is greater than that of a typical hair but smaller than twice that of a typical hair will also work as a hair slippage stop.
Slits
304
provided at intervals along a haircut edge L of a pair of haircut scissors, whose breadth W is made smaller than twice that of a typical hair, can effectively prevent hair slippage.
When cut, hairs whose breadth W is smaller than that of the slits
304
may get temporarily stuck within the slits
304
, however, they will eventually and naturally fall out of the slits during use of the haircut scissors. Hairs whose width W is larger than that of the slits
304
may also be squeezed somehow into the slits
304
and remain within the slits. However, the stuck hairs can be raked out easily with fingers or readily brushed off.
Some people, however, particularly love cleanliness. Such people hate to see any cut hairs remain within the slits
304
even temporarily. Downy hairs will get caught within the slits
304
more easily than full fledged ones. Professional barbers as well as beauticians therefore cannot disregard as trifles such particularity of their customers.
In addition, thick hairs will be damaged if they are forcedly pressed into narrow slits
304
or scraped against the side edges of the slits
304
. Such damage should be carefully avoided.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a pair of haircut scissors having such slits that can effectively eliminate hair slippage on a haircut edge or edges of the haircut scissors without damages to hairs.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a pair of haircut scissors having such slits that can prevent cut hairs from getting stuck within the slits.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to an embodiment of the present invention, as defined in the attached claim
1
, fine slits are arranged along a haircut edge of a pair of haircut scissors. Each slit is provided thinner than twice the thickness of a typical hair, and is filled up with a filler. One reason why the slit should be thinner than twice the thickness of a typical hair is that if the slit is more than twice as thick as a typical hair, the haircutting performance of a pair of scissors incorporating such slits will become poor. A top portion of each filler is chipped off to a degree to provide a microscopic nick so as to catch a hair or hairs therewith, effectively preventing hair slippage or escape on the haircut edge.
It is to be noted that the term “a pair of scissors” as used herein includes a pair of thinning scissors or shears and other scissors used to cut hair.
The filler will not hinder the expected function of the slit because the nick compensates that expected function. There are a number of ways to provide such a filler having a nick.
The nick of a filler may be provided concurrently with whetting processes of the haircut edge, as defined in the attached claim
2
, since amicroscopic top portion of the filler is very thin and thus relatively or very fragile. The nick may be so small as to be virtually indiscernible to the naked eye.
The haircut edge of a scissors blade requires whetting once in a while in order to retain professional cutting property. Each whetting process will produce a fresh nick on the filler. Therefore, the filler will always have a nick at its top edge.
The filler may be provided so flexible as defined in the attached claim
3
as to be pressed and deformed by a hair or hairs to provide a nick. Such a flexible filler may be an elastically deformable material such as a rubber material, or a plastically deformable material such as a plastic material or a soft metallic material.
A plastically deformable filler will provide a permanently deformed nick when its top edge is pressed by a hair, while an elastically deformable filler will provide a temporarily deformed nick which will disappear when the pressure from a hair is removed. These fillers eliminate nick forming processes.
A filler of the present invention may be provided by plating means as defined in the attached claim
4
. A metallic material when plated in the fine slit will fill up the void of the slit. The filler when formed in the slit by plating means will provide a natural notch in an indeterminate form at a top edge portion of the filler as will be readily appreciated by a person skilled in the art. The plated filler is stable and rigid.
The attached claim
5
defines use of metallic powder whose melting point is somewhat lower than the metallic material of a scissors blade where slits are formed. The powder is filled up in each slit and immersion plated with the same or different metallic material whose melting point is the same or only slightly different from the powder material to form a filler in the slit. The metallic powder may be Au, In or Sn, and the immersion plating material may also be Au, In or Sn, or other materials whose melting points are respectively close to those of the powder materials.
A method for providing a pair of haircut scissors which include a scissors blade having a plurality of slits each with a filler which is formed by plating is defined in the attached claim
6
.
The filler may be provided by electroplating as defined in the attached claim
7
. Electroplating will fill up the void of each slit with a plating material. An adequately formed filler may be provided in the slit by repeating the plating process, if a single process has proved to be inadequate. The
Adachi Kogyo, Inc.
Cohen Jerry
Perkins Smith & Cohen LLP
Prone Jason
Shoap Allan N.
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