No. 747,069.Patented Dec. 15, 1903.
United States Patent Office.
Charles H. Hill, Jr., of Canaan-Four-Corners, New York, assignor of one-half to Frederick C. Bostwick, of Canaan-Four-Corners, New York.
Guard for Safety-Razors.
SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 747,069, dated December 15, 1903.
Application filed June 24, 1902. Serial No. 113,008. (No model.)
To all whom it may concern:
Be it known that I, Charles H. Hill, Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing at Canaan-Four-Corners, in the county of Columbia and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Guards for Safety-Razors, of which the following is a specification.
This invention relates to guards adapted to be readily applied to blades of razors, &c. ; and it consists in the novel features of construction and arrangements and combinations of parts which adapt them to be combined with a blade of a razor and be readily adjusted in relation to the cutting edge of the same, as the condition of the beard or surface of the cuticle of the face may require for safe and comfortable shaving.
The purposes and advantages of this invention will be readily understood by the following description and claims when taken in connection with the drawings (in one sheet) forming a part of this specification, and in which—
Figure 1 is a view of the guard from its front side when applied to a blade of a razor and secured thereto by means provided. Fig. 2 is a view of the blade of the razor from opposite side with the guard applied and secured thereto. Fig. 3 is a section taken at line 1 in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a section taken at line 2 in Fig. 1, and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the guard and its adjuncts when ready to be applied to the blade.
Similar letters of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views.
In the drawings, A is a blade of a razor of ordinary construction as generally found in market. a is its back, and a′ is its cutting edge. This blade is shown in Figs. 3 and 4 to be tapering from back a to cutting edge a′, the said taper having its lines of surface from back to edge slightly concave, as are commonly made.
B is a guard-plate made of thin sheet metal of any suitable kind or of a suitable alloy, yet preferably of aluminium, because of its lightness and freedom from liability of oxidizing. This guard-plate is made with a length about or nearly equal to that of the cutting portion A′ of the blade below its back portion A2 and has integral with its lower margin a series of guard-fingers b b, having between them notch-form openings b′, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 5. The plane portion B′ of this guard-plate is made flat or with a straight line of surface in direction of its width from upper edge margin b2 to the line where the said guard-fingers connect with the said guard-plate, as shown in Fig. 3, so that the latter may have bearing against the inclined concave surface a2 of the side of the blade at two lines only and not by the entire side surface of the plane portion B′ of the guard-plate bearing on the inclined concave surfaces a2 of the blade. The guard-fingers b b are uniformly curved outwardly from the line b3 of the bottoms of the notch-form openings b′, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5.
C C are elastic metal loop-form yokes made of resilient thin metal or alloy and adapted to hold the guard-plate B connected with blade A and with its flat plane portion over the concaved portion of the blade A, which is below the back portion a, and so as to have bearing thereon by its line of upper edge margin b2 and line of lower edge margin b3, from which the guard-fingers b are projected, thereby relieving all the intermediate portion of the concave surface a2 of the blade from contact with the said guard-plate, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. These loop-form yokes are preferably made similar in form, dimensions, and resiliency with one leg of the yoke, as leg c, longer than the other and so as to be adapted to be secured to the upper half portion of the plate B at a short distance below its upper edge margin b2 by rivets or by brazing or soldering or by both these means, as may be found to be advantageous or be preferred. The opposite leg c′ is shorter than leg c and is made to extend down to relatively past the line of the upper edge of upper margin b2 of the guard-plate B to short distance, so as to have bearing against the blade A at two points, one being at the upper corner edge a3 of the back and the other on the concave surface of the blade at point a4, which is relatively just below the point a5, at which the upper margin-line b2 of guard-plate B bears on the concaved surface of the opposite side of the blade. These two legs c and c′ of the respective yokes C are shown to be connected by suitably-formed bows c2, the openings of which are sufficiently wide to admit their respective upper portions to readily receive the extreme width of the back a of the blade A. The openings between the legs c and c′ are contracted by said legs as they run from the respective openings of the said loops, as shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 5. These bows C C have through each a screw-thread perforation c3, in which works a suitable finger-screw D, which is adapted to be run downward or upward through the opening c4 between the back of the blade and upper side portions of said bows in a line relatively coincident with a line which may be drawn from the edge of blade A to and through the point of middle of width of the back of said blade. The lower corners c5 of the short legs c′ of yokes C are slightly turned outward from the plane of the inner surface of said leg, so as to enable the operator to readily insert the blade A endwise between the guard-plate B and the leg c′ without liability of the said lower corners c5 striking the outer end of blade A, as would be the case were said corners not turned outward.
The manner in which this guard-plate is applied to blade A is as follows: The finger-screws D are revolved in proper direction so as to draw their screw-threaded bodies d upward toward the curved upper portion of the bows of the respective yokes, when the blade A will be inserted endwise successively into the openings in the same, with the back a of the blade within the wider portion of the respective openings of the yokes, while the concaved portion of the blade will be passed in between the plane flat portion B′ of the guard B and the lower end portions of the short legs c′ of said yokes, as shown in Fig. 4. The operator will now turn screws D in proper direction so as to carry their lower ends down to bearing on the top edge surface of the back portion of the blade, so as to move said blade relatively downward and to such a distance below the line of the bottoms of the notches between fingers b b as may be preferred or be suitable for best operations. By this means the cutting edge of blade A may be nicely adjusted in relation to the line of lower edge margin of the flat portion B of the guard-plate, so as to increase or lessen the extension of the line of said cutting edge downward past the line at which the outward curving of said guard-fingers from the straight plane surface of the said guard-plate. When the said screws D are turned to run upward in relation to the guard-plate, the inclined side surfaces of the blade A, the resilient force of the several members of the yokes C operating through the lines of surface of the plane portion of guard-plate B in contact with one of the inclined side surfaces of the blade and through the lines of surface of the short legs c′ in bearing against the opposite side inclined surface of the blade, so as to force by the pressure so applied to both said inclined surfaces of the blade the said guard-plate upwardly relatively toward the back portion of the blade, when the length of projection of the line of cutting edge of the blade below the bottoms of the notches between the fingers b will be increased. The operator by these screws D may so nicely adjust this guard-plate as to adapt the cutting edge of the blade to be nicely guarded by the fingers b, so as to guard said edge against cutting the surface of the face of the person, while the beard may be cut close to the said face-surface in a uniform manner.
Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is—
1. A guard for razors formed by the combination with a guard-plate of thin metal of form corresponding with the portion of the blade below the back portion thereof, and having projected from its lower edge margin a series of guard-fingers, separated by notch-form openings described, of two yokes C each having two legs c c′ one of each being longer than the other and secured to the upper margin of said guard-plate and the shorter legs having their lower ends extended relatively to past the upper edge of said guard-plate and having a resilient bow-form portion between said two legs, and screws adapted for screwing through the bow portions of said yokes and adapted to be moved at pleasure in direction toward and from said guard-fingers, and all adapted to operate as set forth.
2. In a guard for a cutting-blade, the combination with a guard-plate of thin metal of dimensions and form described and having integral with its lower edge margin a series of guard-fingers arranged on a line corresponding with a line of cutting edge with which the said guard edge is to be employed, of yokes C C having each a leg thereof connected with a suitable upper portion of said guard-plate, and having its opposite side leg projected below the line of upper edge of said plate, and a resilient bow portion integral with both said legs, and screws adapted to be moved at pleasure relatively downward into the openings between said two legs of each yoke and adapted to exert pressure on the back of a blade which may be in place between the said guard-plate and said short legs, so as to force the cutting edge of said blade in direction downward past the bottoms of the openings between said guard-fingers, and when released from pressure on the back of said blade, allow the resilient force of the bows of said yokes to have pressure on the inclines of the side surfaces of the latter, and thereby move the blade upward in direction of said bows of said yokes as set forth.
3. The combination with cutting-blade A, having back a and cutting edge a′ and wedging portions, formed by inclined sides a2 a2, of guard-plate B, guard-fingers b b, yokes C C having resilient bows, and legs c c′, the former connected with said guard-plate B and the latter having their lower ends projected relatively below the upper line of the said guard-plate, and screws D adapted to be operated at pleasure for moving said blade in direction from said bows, the openings between said legs c c′ being tapering in form from the bow ends of said yokes toward their lower ends, so as to adapt the long leg of each yoke to press this guard-plate to a bearing on one of the inclined sides of said blade at two horizontal lines thereon which are at a proper distance apart, while the opposite legs may, respectively, have a pressing bearing against the opposite inclined side of the blade at two points therein which are distant from the other, as and for the purposes set forth.
Charles H. Hill, Jr.
Witnesses:
R. C. Drowne,
W. J. Lord.
