To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Benjamin Kiam, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New Orleans, in the parish of Orleans and State of Louisiana, have made certain new and useful Improvements in Safety-Razors, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improvement in safety-razors; and it consists in certain novel constructions and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a safety-razor embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of the frame with the handle in place, the guard-plate and blade being removed. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the blade, and Fig. 4 a detail perspective view of the guard-plate. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a safety-razor differing somewhat in construction from that shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section on about line 6 6 of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view of the back plate shown in Figs. 5 and 6. Fig. 8 is a detail perspective view of the blade employed in the construction shown in Figs. 5 and 6. Fig. 9 is a detail perspective view of the guard-plate; and Fig. 10, a detail perspective view, partly broken away, of the operating-screw employed in the construction shown in Figs. 5 and 6.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the razor comprises a main frame A, having side bars B, connected at their ends by the back plate C, which may preferably be formed integrally with the frame A, as will be understood from Figs. 1 and 2. The side bars B are notched or recessed at b on their inner sides to permit the introduction of the blade D and the guard-plate E in applying said parts D and E to and removing them from the frame A. The blade D is a thin flexible plate of metal formed at its opposite edges d to cut and provided in its ends with notches d′, which may fit over the inner edges of the side bars B at b′ when the parts are applied as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. This blade D is sufficiently flexible to be bent between the concave inner face C′ of the back plate C and the convex and opposing face E′ of the guard-plate E when the said guard-plate is pressed tightly against the inner face of the back plate C in the use of the invention. The guard-plate E has the guard-teeth e at its side edges and is provided in its ends with the notches e′, which coincide with the notches d′ in the blade D and receive the inwardly-projecting portions b′ of the side bars B of the main frame when the parts are applied as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

The guard-plate E′ is pressed tightly against the inner face of the back plate C in practice by the compressing-screw F, carried by the handle G and turning in a threaded bearing a′ in the cross-bar a of the frame A, as will be understood from Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings.

In operation the guard-plate and the blade may be readily removed and replaced at will, thus facilitating the thorough cleansing of the razor, and I am able to secure the blade in place without perforating the said blade and also without perforating the guard-plate which presses against the blade and bends the same to any desired curve in the use of the invention.

It will be understood that in operation the blade D may be bent to any desired extent in order to secure the proper relation between the blade and the guard, whereby the user of the razor may shave close or otherwise, according to his taste.

In Figs. 5 to 10, inclusive, I show a somewhat different construction. In this construction the main frame H has its side bars I grooved transversely in their inner faces at i to facilitate the application of the blade J and guard-plate K, such parts having end notches J′ and K′, and an operating-screw L being secured to the guard-plate K and projecting thence into a longitudinal bore M′ in the handle M, the cross-bar N of the main frame being provided with an opening N′, receiving the milled nut O, which threads on the operating-screw L, and thus operates to feed the guard-plate K toward and from the back plate P in the use of the invention. The operation of this construction will be readily understood, and it will also be understood that in making this construction it is preferred to secure the back plate P detachably to the side bars I of the main frame by screws or otherwise, as shown at P′, to facilitate assembling the parts.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is—

1. The safety-razor herein described comprising a main frame having side bars provided in their inner sides with recesses b and with projecting portions b′ and having the back plate rigid with said main frame and concaved on its inner face, the flexible blade and the guard-plate provided in their ends with notches to receive the inwardly-projecting portions b′ on the inner sides of the side bars of the main frame, and the handle provided with a screw turning through the cross-bar of the main frame and bearing against the guard-plate and adapted to press the same toward the back plate, the guard-plate having a convex surface conforming to the concave surface of the back plate, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination in a safety-razor, of a main frame having side bars and a back plate rigid with said side bars and having a concaved inner face, a guard-plate movable within the main frame and having a convex face opposing the concave face of the back plate, a flexible blade fitting between said back plate and guard-plate, and means carried by the main frame for pressing the guard-plate toward the back plate, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination in a safety-razor, of the main frame having its side bars notched or cut away in their inner sides, and having a back plate connecting the ends of said side bars and concaved in its inner face, the side bars being provided adjacent to the back plate with inwardly-projecting portions, the blade and convex guard-plate having end notches receiving said inwardly-projecting portions of the side bars, and means for pressing the guard-plate toward the back plate to secure the blade between said plates, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination in a safety-razor, of the main frame, the back plate rigid with the main frame and concaved in its inner face, the blade and conxex guard-plate operating and guided in the main frame, and a screw independent of both back plate and guard-plate and supported by the main frame and operating against the guard-plate to press the same toward the back plate, substantially as set forth.

Benjamin Kiam.

Witnesses:

F. W. Hanaford,

Jno. M. Ritter.