This invention appertains to improvements in safety razors, and has for an object to provide an extremely simplified construction and arrangement of parts as to greatly facilitate the changing of blades without dismantling the entire holder as has heretofore and often been required for the purpose.

Another object of the invention is to provide a safety razor as hereinbefore characterized, which embodies a means whereby the blade holder proper of the razor may be readily and easily adjusted to a desired angular relation with respect to the connected end of the handle portion, whereby the manipulation of the razor will be greatly facilitated and in a manner to assure of a more uniform shaving of the varying contours of the face and neck of the user.

If desired, the handle clamping nut may comprise a sleeve-like portion containing a spring tending to move the clamping sleeve towards the handle pivot so that a more gradual adjustment of the handle clamping may be effected.

With the foregoing and other equally important objects and advantages in view, the invention resides in the certain new and useful combination, construction and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described, set forth in the appended claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a safety razor according to the present invention,

Figure 2 is a central longitudinal section of Figure 1, on the line 2—2,

Figure 3 is a plan of Figure 1,

Figure 4 is a detached view of the pivoted portion of the handle and its pivot spindle,

Figure 5 is a front elevation, partly in section, of a modified form of the device,

Figure 6 is a vertical section taken on the line 6—6 of Figure 5,

Figure 7 is a top plan view of the said modified form, and—

Figure 8 is a detached view of the clamping sleeve.

Referring to the drawings, wherein like characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views thereof, and more particularly to Figures 1 to 4, the embodiment of the invention, as shown therein by way of example, includes a blade 11 removably supported on one side of a holder 12 and a pair of angled arms 13 extending from its other side; the said arms being substantially L-shaped and having their longer portions secured to the holder 12 in spaced relation and in the plane of the longitudinal center thereof, so that the shorter arm portions 17 are inturned toward each other and lie parallel to the adjacent side of the holder. A handle is to be engaged with the arm portions 17 and is to be made up of a bolt or shank 14, a clamping sleeve 15, and an enlongated nut 16, the latter constituting the handle proper.

The blade 11, which may be either single or double edged, is to be clamped in position on the holder 12 by a screw device comprising a bolt 18 passing through the holder and having a suitably shaped clamp head 19 on its outer end and a nut 20 on its inner end; the latter being housed within the space formed between the arms 18 and the angled portions 17.

The blade clamping bolt 18 is preferably a T-headed one, the head 19, at its outer end, passing through a slot 21 in the blade 11 and engaging the blade by a partial turning movement as shown in Figure 3. Preferably, the head 19 is made from a strip of spring metal which is bowed in an upward direction, so that its ends will bear on the blade 11 (as shown in Figure 2), when properly positioned. With this arrangement, the amount of clamping effort or grip exerted by the nut 20 may be more easily and better adjusted than when a rigid head is provided for the bolt 18, while any tendency for the bolt to rotate, as the nut is tightened, will be prevented after the ends of the head come into contact with the blade.

The nut 20 is preferably rotatably attached to the holder 12 by means of a hollow cylindrical axial extension 22 passing through an aperture in the holder 12 and upset, as indicated at 23, in a recess surrounding the aperture. In this manner, when the nut 20 is loosened, the bolt head 19 will be positively moved away from the blade 11, thus considerably facilitating removal of the blade. The nut will also thus always be in the position illustrated and will not be liable to move towards the pivoted handle, which would otherwise limit the full range of movement of the latter. Further, the blade may be removed for cleaning, stropping or renewal purposes, without detaching any other part, thereby not only facilitating the operation, but avoiding risk of damaging the blade edges by contact with other detachable parts.

The correct position of the blade 11, in relation to the guards or combs 24 carried by the holder 12, is ensured by positioning pins 25 engaging holes in the blade in the usual manner. These positioning pins 25 are provided by the ends of the arms 13 passing through and upset on the holder 12, as is clearly shown in Figures 1 and 5.

The shank portion 14 is provided with a head or flange 26, formed with bearing surfaces 27 at the opposite ends of its lower side (as shown in Figure 2), for engagement therewith of the free ends of the shorter arm portions 17 and the adjacent edge of the clamping sleeve 15 in also formed with like bearing surfaces 28. These companion bearing surfaces 27 and 28 act to increase the clamping action of the head or flange 26 and the sleeve 15 on the pivot arms 17, when the handle nut 16 is tightened on the shank 14.

In the modification illustrated in Figures 5 to 8 inclusive, the positioning pins 25 and arm portions 13 and 17 are all made by different bent portions of one length of wire or rod. In this instance, the head portion 26 of the shank 14 is formed with a lateral opening or recess 29 (which corresponds to the under side of the head or flange portion 26 aforesaid) leading to a bearing surface 27 which is formed at one end of a longitudinal slot 30 in the part 14 adjacent the head. The arm part 17 may thus pass through the lateral opening 29 and be brought to the bearing surface 27 by relatively moving the parts, after slacking off the handle nut 16 and moving the sleeve 15 to expose the opening 29. The arm part 17 may be retained in contact with the bearing surface 27 by the bearing surfaces 28 (Figure 8) on the edge of the clamping sleeve 15 when brought into the position shown in Figures 5 and 6 in which position the sleeve covers and closes the opening 29.

When the blade 11 is of substantial thickness, the holder 12 is preferably recessed longitudinally as shown in Figure 6 to correspond with the shape of the blade and to bring its edges into the desired proximity to the guards or combs 24 of the holder 12.

If desired the blade 11, when of sufficient thickness may be formed with a circular recess 31 (Figures 6 and 7) to receive the head 19 of the blade clamping bolt, the slot 21 being formed in the base of the recess 31. In this manner the projection of the head 19 above the surface of the blade 11 is reduced or such projection may be altogether avoided.

By the employment of the invention with a stiff blade, the blade may be removed from the holder for cleaning, stropping or renewal, without detaching any other part, by merely loosening the blade clamping nut 20 and turning the bolt head 19 to register with the slot 21 in the blade. For ordinary use and maintenance, therefore, it will be unnecessary to separate the tool into more than two parts, the blade and the holder assembly.

Without further description, it is thought that the features and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and it will of course be understood that changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention or its scope as claimed.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. A safety razor comprising a blade holder, an angularly adjustable support offset at one side of said holder, a sleeve having oppositely arranged bearing surfaces in its upper end, a shank adapted to be inserted through said sleeve, said shank having a recess in one side of the upper end thereof, said bearing surfaces being adapted to cooperate with the said recess to seat the said holder support in place, and a clamp member adapted for engagement with the lower end of said shank and the adjacent end of said sleeve to secure said holder support rigidly in position after an angular adjustment thereof.

2. A safety razor comprising a blade holder, an angularly adjustable support for said holder, said support being substantially U-shaped and having its connected portion extending parallel to said holder to form a pivot, a sleeve having oppositely arranged bearing surfaces in its upper end, a shank adapted to be inserted through said sleeve, said shank having a recess in one side of the upper end thereof, bearing surfaces cooperative with the said recess to seat the said connected portion of the holder support in place, and an elongated clamp nut in screw threaded engagement with the lower end of said shank and adapted to be tightened against the adjacent end of said sleeve to secure the said connected portion of the holder support rigidly in position after an angular adjustment thereof.

3. A safety razor comprising a blade holder, a substantially U-shaped support having the free ends of its opposite leg portions secured to the lower side of said holder, a blade clamp adapted to overlie a blade on the upper side of said holder, means carried by said holder and housed within the confines of said support for securing said blade clamp in place, a sleeve having oppositely arranged bearing surfaces in its upper edge, a shank adapted to be passed through said sleeve and having a recess in one side of its upper end and cooperative with the said bearing surfaces of said sleeve to pivotally engage over the connected part of said support, and an elongated member adapted for engagement with the lower ends of said shank and sleeve to secure said support rigidly in position after an angular adjustment thereof relative to said shank.

John Robert Watts.