To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, William H. Burns, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Hair-Trimmers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates particularly to hair trimmers adapted for personal use in trimming the hair of the head; and the primary object is to provide an improved and simplified device which can be cheaply manufactured and readily and safely manipulated in the hair trimming operation.

A further object is to make provision for facility of adjustment and ease of assembling or disconnecting the parts.

The invention is illustrated in the preferred embodiment in the accompanying drawing, in which—

Figure 1 represents a plan view of my improved safety hair trimmer, the view showing the side of the device which is disposed adjacent to the scalp in the hair trimming operation; Fig. 2, an edge elevational view of the same; Fig. 3, a plan view showing the opposite side of the device from that shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 4, an enlarged sectional view taken as indicated at line 4 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5, a plan view of a disconnectable lever employed for securing the parts together; Fig. 6, a perspective view of an adjustable guard employed; Fig. 7, an edge elevational view of a similar guard of slightly modified form; Fig. 8, a section through the wing of the guard, taken as indicated at line 8 of Fig. 7; and Fig. 9, a broken sectional view corresponding with Fig. 4, but showing a modified arrangement of the parts.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive, A represents a main supporting plate which is provided at its upper portion with an inclined dished handle A¹, adapted to be grasped by the thumb and fingers; B, a guard adjustably connected with the plate A; C, a thin blade clampingly secured between the plate A and guard B; and D, a clamping lever disconnectably joined to a double-headed stud D¹, which extends through the plate, the blade, and the clamping wing of the guard B.

The plate A is of flat form and has its upper portion bent at an angle to afford the handle A¹, which is dished, as indicated at 1, to enable the handle to be securely grasped between the thumb and fingers. The lower edge of the plate is deeply serrated to afford guard-teeth 2, 2^a. The member A is slightly bent at the base of the teeth, as indicated at 3, so that the teeth form a slight angle with the body of the plate A. In the preferred form, the teeth are inclined to the opposite side of the plane of the plate A from that on which the handle A is located. The extremities of the intermediate teeth 2 are curved rearwardly, or outwardly, as indicated at 2^b. The plate A is provided centrally with a vertical slot 4 in which the stud D¹ is adjustable.

The adjustable guard B comprises a clamping wing 5, which is disposed parallel with the plate A, and an outstanding inclined guard-wing, or rest-member 5^a, which is adapted to bear against the scalp in the hair trimming operation, it being noted that the pressure of the instrument against the scalp will be borne by the wing, or shoe, 5^a, and the extremities of the guard-teeth with which the plate A is provided. The member B is preferably formed by bending a piece of sheet-metal into approximately V-form to provide the wings 5 and 5^a, the apex 5^b of the bent member being disposed, when the device is assembled, some distance above the points of the teeth 2, 2^b. The extremities of the clamping-wing 5 of the member B are provided with rearwardly, or outwardly, turned flanges 5^c which embrace the vertical edges of the plate A. The clamping-wing 5 is provided with a central perforation 5^d through which the stud D¹ extends freely.

The stud D¹ has a rear head, or flange, 6, of sufficient size to prevent passage through the slot 4, and has at the opposite end a smaller head, or flange, 6^a, which may be passed through the opening 5^d. The wing 5 of the member B is provided with forwardly-struck bosses 5^f, which flank the opening 5^d. The stud D¹ is of sufficient length to have applied thereto the lever D. The lever D is provided with a slotted inner end 7 and a roughened free extremity, as indicated at 8. The slot 7 is enlarged somewhat at its inner end, and the furcations flanking the slot will yield sufficiently to enable the lever to be forced into pivotal engagement with the stud D¹. This may be done when the lever is at right-angles to the apex portion 5^b of the guard B. The clamping is effected by turning the lever D at right-angles, the lever riding on the cam-lugs 5^f. The blade C, which is interposed between the plate A and the adjacent wing 5 of the member B has its upper, or blunt edge-portion, provided with a vertical slot 9, the lower end of which affords a pivotal bearing which engages the stud D¹. The cutting edge of the blade projects some distance below the elbow portion 5^b of the member B; and both blade and guard B may be adjusted with relation to the extremities of the teeth 2, 2^a, by moving the stud D¹ along the vertical slot 4 of the plate A. This may be accomplished by turning the lever D to a vertical position to loosen the stud, then moving the blade and guard B to the desired position, and then clamping the parts together by swinging the lever D to a position crosswise of the cam-lugs 5^f. It will be noted that the farther the cutting edge of the blade is withdrawn from the extremities of the teeth 2, 2^a, the longer the hair will be left in the trimming operation.

It may be desirable, in trimming the hair about the ears, to set the blade in an oblique position, or in a position with the cutting edge forming an angle with a line drawn through the points of the teeth of the plate A, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1. This may be accomplished by loosening the lever D and turning the blade about the stud D¹ as an axis, and then clamping the parts together. In this condition, the device may be swung in an arc above the ear and will trim the hair in graduated length.

In Fig. 2, the dotted line 10, 10 may be assumed to indicate the outline of the head, illustrating how the instrument may bear against the head in the hair trimming operation.

In the illustrations given in Figs. 7 and 8, B¹ represents a guard of the same general form as the guard shown in Fig. 6, and having correspondingly numbered wings. In this case, the wing 5^a is of convex cross section, as will be understood from Fig. 7, but is made concave on the side which bears against the scalp. That is, in a longitudinal direction the wing 5^g is bowed toward the wing 5, the central portion 5® being closer to the wing 5 than the extremities.

In the modification shown in Fig. 9, A² represents a plate corresponding to the plate A; B² represents the adjustable guard; and C¹ represents the blade. In this case, the blade is placed on the opposite side of the plate A² from that on which the guard B² is located; and the guard-teeth of the plate A² are slightly bent, or inclined away from the guard B². In this arrangement of the parts, which is less desirable than the first described arrangement, the blade is held by the head 6 of the stud D¹.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitation should be understood therefrom.

What I regard as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is—

1. A hair-cutter, comprising a main plate equipped with a handle and provided with guard-teeth, a V-form guard disposed at one side of said plate and having one wing adjacent to said plate and an inclined wing, a blade, and means for clampingly securing the blade and the first-mentioned wing of said guard to said plate in adjusted relation with respect to the extremities of said teeth, said V-form guard having its folded edge disposed back of the cutting-edge of the blade and having its wings divergent rearwardly from the folded edge of the guard.

2. A hair-cutter, comprising a plate having its upper portion equipped with a handle and its lower portion equipped with guard-teeth, said plate provided with a vertical slot, a blade provided with a vertical slot, a guard having a wing parallel with said plate and an inclined wing, and a stud extending through said members and equipped with a clamping device.

3. A hair-cutter, comprising a plate having its upper portion bent at an angle to afford a handle and having its lower portion equipped with guard-teeth, said plate provided with a vertical slot, a guard having one wing provided with a central opening and having another wing extending at an angle from the first-named wing, a blade provided with a central opening, a stud extending through said slot and openings, and a clamping lever engaging said stud.

4. A hair-cutter, comprising a plate provided with a handle and equipped with guard-teeth, said plate having a central vertical slot, a stud adjustable in the said slot, a guard having a wing provided with a central opening through which said stud extends and having an inclined free wing, a blade interposed between said guard and plate and provided with a vertical slot, and a clamping lever disposed between the wings of said guard and engaging said stud.

5. In a device of the character set forth, the combination of a plate having its upper portion disposed at an angle affording a handle and having its lower portion equipped with guard-teeth, said plate provided with a vertical central slot, a guard having a wing parallel with said plate and an upwardly-inclined wing spaced with relation to said first-named wing, said first-named wing having a central perforation, a stud having a rear head engaging said plate adjacent said slot and having a smaller front head disposed in front of said first-named wing of said guard, a clamping lever located between the wings of said guard and detachably engaging the front head of said stud, and a blade detachably engaging said stud.

6. A device of the character set forth, comprising a plate equipped with a handle and provided with guard-teeth, a guard, clamping means connecting the guard and plate and including a central stud, and a blade engaging said stud and adapted to swing about the same as a pivot and to be clamped with its cutting edge disposed in any desired relation to a line extending through the extremities of the guard-teeth.

7. A device of the character set forth, comprising a plate equipped at one edge-portion with a handle and provided at the opposite edge-portion with guard-teeth, said guard-teeth inclined slightly with relation to the plane of said plate, and having its cutting edge adjacent its inclined teeth, a blade adjacent said plate, a guard, and clamping means connecting said parts together and pressing the edge-portion of the blade against the adjacent surface of said inclined teeth.

8. A device of the character set forth, comprising a plate equipped with a handle and provided with guard-teeth, a blade, a guard having a wing adjacent said plate and having an inclined wing of outwardly convex cross section and longitudinally concave form, and a clamping device securing said plate, blade and guard together.

9. A device of the character set forth, comprising a plate having its upper portion bent at an angle to afford a handle and having its lower portion provided with guard-teeth, said plate provided with a central vertical slot, a guard having a wing provided with a central opening and equipped with outwardly-turned flanges embracing the vertical edges of said plate, said guard having also an upwardly-extending inclined wing spaced with relation to said first-named wing, a stud provided with a rear head engaging said plate adjacent said slot and provided with a smaller front head disposed in front of the first-named wing of said guard, and a clamping lever disposed between the wings of said guard and engaging said stud.

10. A device of the character set forth, comprising a plate provided at its upper portion with a handle and at its lower portion with guard-teeth, a guard having a clamping wing provided with a central opening and with a cam-lug adjacent said opening, said guard having also a wing spaced with relation to said first-named wing, a stud extending freely through the slot in said plate and through a central opening in the first-named wing of said guard, and a clamping lever engaging said stud and co-acting with said cam-lug.

William H. Burns.

In presence of—

L. Heislar,

L. V. Higgins.