One of the objects of this invention is to provide a simple form of safety razor of the wafer blade type.

Another object of this invention is to provide a razor of the class described which will have an improved blade-holding principle forming the cutting edge into a curved line, being a combination of pressure upon the ends of the wafer blade and the lower central portion thereof as indicated by A and B in Fig. 6 of the drawing. This overcomes any possibility of movement or chattering of the blade in relation to the razor during shaving. It improves the cutting property of the blade and also permits it to better conform to the surface of the skin over which the razor is passing.

A third object of this invention is to provide a guard having grooves or teeth that are diagonal in relation to the guard itself. This feature permits the guard to create a greater friction upon the skin under the blade, thereby stretching it tighter and improving the cutting efficiency of the blade. This form of guard also has a tendency to move the skin sidewise at approximately right angles to the direction of the razor stroke, thereby further improving the shaving quality of the razor.

A fourth object of this invention is to provide a handle that has a definitely enlarged portion forming a natural grip for the thumb and fingers.

I accomplish these and other objects in a manner set forth in the specification and accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a front elevation showing the parts in an open position; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the razor in a closed or working position; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a plan of the guard member; Figs. 5 and 6 are for illustration of the principle of combination of pressures that hold the blade, with Fig. 5 showing the parts in an open position and Fig. 6 showing them closed with pressure applied at A and B. Fig. 7 is an enlarged diagrammatic view of the head of the razor.

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic top view of the head of the razor.

Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic view of a portion of the arm 12 of the razor.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring in detail to the drawing, there is shown a handle 10, on one end of which are disposed the curved arms 11 and 12, which are substantially the same width as is the diameter of the handle 10. The ends of the arms 11 and 12 are joined by the arcuate plate 13 and flat back 14.

Secured to the arm 11 at the hinge 15 is a rectangular guard member 16 having one straight side 17 and an arcuate side 18 which constitute a guard for the razor and are spaced somewhat away from and inside of the edge 19 of the curved plate 13. The end 20 of the guard member 16 is straight and is adapted to occupy the notch 21 in the arm 12 when the device is in a closed position. To further expedite the clamping action that is holding the blade 24 and the positioning of the guard 16, there is provided a spring 22 on the side of the arm 12, said spring bearing against the end 20 of the guard member 16 and in turn against the blade 24 to create pressure at point A of the blade.

Secured to the arcuate side 18 of the guard member is a clamping jaw 25 which is curved to conform with the interior of the plate 13 and is fixedly joined by the legs 26 to the side member 18 of the guard 16. When the razor is closed, the clamping jaw 25 creates pressure at the point B of the blade 24. The blade 24 is substantially one-half of the width of the ordinary wafer blade and is held firmly between the members 13 and 25 and by the member 22 and the arm 11.

While the arms 11 and 12 are integral with the handle 10 and form substantially an are at the upper end of said handle, the inner face of the arm 12 from its point of joinder with the curved plate 13 for a distance of approximately of an inch below said plate is parallel with the plane of the axis of the handle 10 so that the distance between the point on said arm 12 of an inch below the curved plate 13 is considerably further to the point where the guard member 18 is hingedly connected with the arm 11 than the distance from the point where the arm 12 connects with the curved plate 13 to the point where the guard member 18 is hingedly connected with the arm 11. This construction permits the insertion of the wafer blade 24 while the clamping joint 25 is open as shown in Fig. 1.

The wafer blade is of such a length as to permit it to be readily placed upon the clamping jaw 25 when in its open position as shown in Fig. 1, but is sufficiently long so that when the clamping jaw 25 is closed, the end 20 of the guard member 16 will press the spring 22 in and against the end of the wafer blade 24 and thereby compress the wafer blade 24 by the contact of one end of the blade with the inner edge of the arm 11 and contact of the other end of the blade with the spring 22.

The closing of the clamping jaw 25 with the attached guard member causes the end 20 of the guard member so pressing against the spring 22, to seat itself in the notch 21 of the arm 12 and hold the same in said locked position, thereby causing the end pressure upon the wafer blade 24 between the arm 11 and the spring 22. This spring 22 is of piano wire welded to the arm 12 in such a position as to permit the same to be compressed beyond the inner surface of the arm 12 upon closing the jaw 25.

Upon closing of the clamping jaw 25 the same applies initial pressure on the under side of the blade 24 and limits the movement of the blade 24 between the element 13 and the jaw 25, however, the blade 24 is held firmly in its arched position limited in its upper arch by the plate 13. The pressure which holds said blade 24 firmly in its arched position is provided by the pressure of the spring wire 22 on one end of the razor blade 24 and the abutting of the other end of the razor blade 24 against the opposite side of the frame of the razor just below the plate 13.

The spring wire 22 has an outwardly extending offset just opposite the notch 21 in the arm 12. Upon closing the jaw and guard member the end 20 of the guard member fits snugly against the arm 12 and having enough give to the guard member to cause this snugly fitting and still permitting the same to be readily closed, but when the Jaw member is completely closed the end 20 of the guard fits into the notch 21 and by its contact against the offset in the spring wire 22 causes said spring wire 22 to press in against the end of the blade 24.

It can be seen from the foregoing that I have provided an extremely simple and effective form of razor which has the minimum number of parts, all of which are joined together, and the closing and opening movements are made by a simple hinge action. It will be noted that the line of the arms 11 and 12 is inclined somewhat with relation to the axis of the handle 10, and that the angle of the face 13 is less than 90 degrees with relation to the arms 11 and 12.

These angles and parts may be modified to suit the ideas of the individual manufacturer without departing from the spirit of this invention.

I claim:

1. A razor of the class described, consisting of a handle having a pair of forked arms disposed on one end thereof and having a curving plate joining said arms at the outer ends thereof, together with a guard member hingedly attached to one of said arms near a junction with said plate in spaced relation with said curved plate, and a clamping jaw attached to said guard adapted to bear against the underside of a wafer razor blade when said guard is in a latched position the arm opposite the hinge of the guard member having a recessed portion in its outward surface slightly below its joinder with a plate connecting the upper portion of said arms and having a spring wire attached to said arm adapted to be pressed against the end of the wafer razor blade member when the clamping jaw is closed.

2. A razor of the class described, having a forked frame and having a curved plate uniting the ends of said frame, a curved guard hingedly mounted in front of said curved plate and spaced therefrom, a clamping jaw attached to said guard conforming to the interior of said curved plate and means for latching said guard into a position in which the jaw would be urged towards the interior of said curved plate.

3. A razor having a longitudinal handle provided with a pair of curved arms at one end thereof, the curvature of said arms being substantially the same as an are struck from a center near the outermost end of the opposite arm, an arcuate plate inclined with relation to the axis of said handle and uniting the outermost ends of said curved arms, a guard member consisting of a rectangular wire frame, one narrow end of which is hinged to one of said arms and the other narrow end of which is adapted to latch against the opposite arm, one side of said guard being straight and the other side being curved to conform with the edge of said plate, said curved plate being adapted to receive a wafer razor blade on its inner side, said guard member having a blade engaging jaw attached thereto and means for latching said guard in a blade engaging position.

4. The razor as described in claim 3, characterized by having the plane passing through the center of said plate, inclined with relation to the axis of the handle and having a back plate joining the ends of said arms and extending to the outermost edge of an arched plate connecting the outermost ends of the forked like arms of the frame.

5. A razor of the class described, consisting of an arcuate plate against which a razor may be held, a curved jaw hingedly mounted near the upper end of one arm of the forked frame slightly below an arched plate connecting the outer ends of said forked frame, a guard disposed in front of said plate and attached to said jaw, means for hinging said jaw and guard to one end of said curved plate, and means for latching said jaw and guard to the opposite end of said curved plate, together with a handle attached to said curved plate inclined with relation to the outermost face thereof consisting of the hinged mounting of an arched guard member plate on one of the forked arms of the frame, and a recessed portion in the outermost surface of the other arm of the forked frame adapted to receive for seating therein the opening end of the hinged guard member.

6. In a razor of the class described, an arcuate plate against which a wafer razor blade may be held, a curved jaw hingedly mounted upon one of the arms of the frame below the arched plate joining the outer ends of said forked frame and between the edges thereof, a guard member having one side disposed in front of said plate and attached to said jaw, means for hinging said jaw and guard to one end of said curved plate, and means for latching said jaw and guard to the opposite end of said curved plate which means shall be adapted to produce pressure upon the ends and under side of the wafer razor blade said jaw being hingedly mounted to one arm of the forked frame slightly below an arched plate joining the outer ends of said forked frame and having the end of the guard member opposite the hinge adapted to seat in a recessed portion in the outer surface and near the upper portion of the fork like arm opposite the hinge.

7. In a razor of the class described, an arcuate plate against which a wafer razor blade may be held thereby forming an arcuate lined cutting edge, a curved jaw hingedly mounted to one arm of the forked frame slightly below an arched plate connecting the outer ends of said forked frame and within the guard member said plate between the edges thereof, a guard disposed in front of said plate attached to said jaw, provided with grooves that are diagonal in relation to the guard, means for hinging said jaw and guard to one end of said curved plate, and means for latching said jaw and guard to the opposite end of said curved plate, which means shall be adapted to produce pressure upon the ends and underside of the wafer razor blade accomplished by hingedly connecting one end of the guard member to one of the arms of the forked frame and adapting the other end of the guard member to seat itself in a recess on the outermost surface of the other arm of the forked frame, when in its closed position, and thereby press against a spring attached to the locking arm of said forked frame and cause the same to move inwardly beyond the inner surface of said forked arm.

8. In a razor of the class described, a wafer razor blade positioned to form an arcuate lined cutting edge by means of portions of the frame pressing against the ends of the wafer blade sufficiently to cause the same to arch, a guard provided with grooves that are diagonal in relation to the guard disposed below and forward of the cutting edge of the razor blade, and a handle having an enlarged roughened portion slightly distanced from the head of the razor adapted for better holding of the razor during the shaving operation.

9. In a razor of the class described, forked arms having their outermost ends connected by an arched plate, a guard member hingedly mounted on one of said arms below said arched plate, an arched plate attached to said guard member, grooves in the front portion of said guard member diagonal in relation to the guard, disposed below and forward of the cutting edge of the razor blade, a handle having an enlarged roughened portion slightly distanced from the head of the razor adapted for better holding of the razor during the shaving operation, one end of the guard member being hingedly connected to one of the forked arms of the razor frame, a recessed portion on the outermost surface of the fork of the frame opposite the hinge and a flexible element attached to said razor frame adapted to press against one end of the razor blade when the hinged guard member is seated in its closed position.

10. In a razor, the combination of a wafer razor blade with a holding frame, adapted to hold the cutting edge of the blade in an arcuate position, when locked in the frame, by means of a, portion of said frame being arched above the blade, a portion of said frame positioned below and pressing against the under side of said blade, and a portion of said frame abutting against each end of the razor blade, the spacing of which end abutting portions is slightly less than the length of the blade between the end portions so abutting against the frame when said blade is not in its arched position.

Errol F. Kingsley.

REFERENCES CITED

The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

NumberNameDate

951,456Saxon ______________ Mar. 8, 1910

998,184Kampfe ____________ July 18, 1911