To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Robert M. Keating, a citizen of the United States, residing at Springfield, Hampden county, State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Shaving Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention belongs to that class of shaving apparatus adapted to fold into small compass, to be thereby more readily transported upon the person.

My invention is fully illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which—

Figure I is a top plan view of my device distended for use. Fig. II is a plan view in reverse of Fig. I. Fig. III is a top plan view of the device folded. Fig. IV is a plan view in reverse of Fig. III. Fig. V is a section in side elevation on the dotted line x x of Fig. I, and Fig. VI is a side view of my device folded.

B is a curved back or frame, preferably formed of sheet metal, and curved to be in cross-section approximately the quadrant of a circle.

Hinged to the upper front corners of the back, when in position seen in Fig. V, is a blade and guard holder, D, and hinged to the lower rear edge of back B, when in position shown in Fig. V, is a handle, C.

Hinged at each end, respectively, to the blade-holder D and handle C is a link, E, which causes the hinged handle and guard and blade-holder to move together, and which causes the handle to be thrown out when the blade is in an operative position, as seen in Figs. I and II, and compels the blade to lie flat under the handle when the handle is folded, as shown in Figs. III and IV.

The blade-holder D, hinged at d to lips from the back B, consists of sockets conforming to and holding the ends of the blade H, which sockets, hinged at their upper ends, have their lower ends united and framed by the guard I, extending parallel to the edge of the blade. The blade-holder D and back B are so combined that the blade can be readily removed or inserted in its sockets when the device is folded, as seen in Fig. VI, but so that when in an operative position the back projects over and rests upon the top of the blade, as more particularly seen in Fig. V, and so holds the blade in its seat and forces it to its proper position if disarranged therefrom.

The handle C is simply a segment of the sheet metal of the back, so that when folded its inner and outer surfaces coincide with those of the back, and to all intents and purposes of transportation the handle is obliterated. The handle C is hinged upon a pin, c, journaled in the back, as shown; and upon a hinge parallel to and slightly removed from the pin c, and upon the handle C, so as to form a crank-arm thereto, is the point of attachment of one end of link E. The other end of link E is hinged at e to the guard, and the position of the crank-arm upon handle C is such as to cause said handle to be thrown out, as seen in Fig. II, when the blade H is in its operative position and forming approximately the radius of the circle of which the back is the arc, while the position of said crank is such as to also draw the blade down into the position seen in Fig. IV when the handle is swung to coincide with the back. When the handle is swung out a shoulder of the link E bears against the pin c, to form a stop to prevent the handle from being rotated further, said shoulder h being shown in Fig. VI. When the handle is distended, to prevent its accidental swing toward its folded position, which would communicate a movement undesirable to the blade, the crank-pin bis adapted to be slid in its bearings, to have one end extend over the back, as seen more particularly in Fig. I, which stop, together with the one formed by shoulder h, holds both blade and handle rigid. Without special invention the form of either or both of these stops may be varied, while effecting the same result.

The device so constructed is instantly changed from an operative position to a folded one, and vice versa, and when folded may be safely carried in a vest-pocket, as it is almost impossible to unfold it accidentally.

Now, having described my invention, what I claim is—

1. The within-described improved shaving-apparatus, consisting of a back or frame supplying journal-bearings to both a handle and blade-holder, a combined blade-holder and guard hinged to the front edge of said back, a handle hinged to the rear edge of the back, and a link hinged at one end to the free edge of the blade-holder and to a crank-arm upon the hinged end of the handle, all combined and operating substantially as shown, to cause any movement of the free ends of the blade-holder and handle in rotating upon their hinges to be to and from each other, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In shaving apparatus, the combination and arrangement, substantially as shown and described, of a back, B, composed of a sheet of metal or other hard substance, a handle, C, in effect punched out of said back and hinged to the rear edge thereof to coincide therewith when closed, a combined blade and guard holder, D, hinged to the front corners of the back, adapted to swing with the blade H under the back to fold and adapted to bring the top of the blade under the back when distended, a link, E, hinged at one end to the guard I and at its other end to a crank-arm upon the hinge of handle C, and a stop adapted to be combined with the back to hold the handle and blade distended in an operative position, all operating as and for the purpose set forth.

Robert M. Keating.

Witnesses:

R. F. Hyde,

T. M. Brown.