To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Jeremiah Reichard, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety-Razors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in safety-razors.

The object of my invention is to provide a new and improved safety-razor which is simple in construction, strong, and durable, composed of few parts, not apt to get out of order, the blade of which can readily be inserted and removed without manipulating any locking devices, in which razor the blade is held in proper position, and which safety-razor can readily and thoroughly be cleaned in a very convenient manner.

A further object of my invention is to provide a new and improved safety-razor which is simple in construction.

In the accompanying drawings, in which like letters of reference indicate like parts in all the figures, Figure 1 is a rear perspective view of the blade-holder of my improved safety-razor. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectional central view through the blade-holder and blade of my improved safety-razor, the blade being held in the blade-holder, the section being taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a top view of the blade holder or casing of my improved safety-razor. Fig. 4 is an enlarged transverse sectional view through my improved blade. Fig. 5 is a top view of the blade.

The blade holder or casing A of my improved safety-razor is struck up from a single piece of sheet metal substantially in the shape of a reversed letter S. The casing is composed of a bottom part a, a front b, which is preferably provided with an opening b′, in which an ornamental configuration is produced, and of a top d, substantially at right angles to the front. At the rear edge of the top the spring sheet metal is doubled over toward the front so as to form a loop-shaped holding-spring B, which from the rear edge of the top extends upward and is then curved downward and toward the front. This loop-shaped spring forms the upper member of the reversed letter S, the top d forms the middle member, and the bottom a the bottom member, the distance between the top d and bottom a being very much greater than the distance between the top d and the loop-spring B. A series of slots C are punched into the top of the casing and extend across the upper front angle of the casing, and a short distance down the front b of the casing and between the slots the guard-teeth D are formed. Each guard-tooth is provided about midway of its length on the top of the casing with an upward bend or protuberance e, upon which the blade E rests a short distance from its cutting edge, so that the free or cutting edge of the blade will be held a short distance above the upper surface of the top of the casing. A short distance inward of the free edge of the loop-spring B a series—that is to say, two or more—of projections H are formed on the upper surface of the top d of the casing, against which projections a shoulder g on the under side of the blade E can rest.

Part of the loop-spring B is preferably cut out, as shown at B′, so as to make it lighter and of less tension. The loop-spring B, which serves to hold the blade in place, extends almost the entire length of the top of the casing—that is, to within a short distance from each end of the top of the casing—the blade, however, being of such length as to extend from end to end of the casing at the rear edge of the top, so that when the blade is in place each end of the blade projects a certain distance beyond the corresponding end of the loop-shaped holding-spring B, thus permitting of using a finger to push one end of the blade lengthwise until this end is in line with the corresponding end of the holding-spring B, whereby the other end of the blade is pushed beyond the corresponding end of the top of the casing, thus permitting of readily grasping that end of the blade projecting beyond the end of the top of the casing for the purpose of pulling the blade entirely out from between the holding-spring B and the top of the casing.

The blade E consists of a thin strip of sheet-steel, one edge of which is sharpened, as at h, to form the cutting edge, and the opposite edge or rear edge of the blade is embraced by a substantially U-shaped metal strip G, which forms a stiffener and back for the blade and is of such dimensions that when the blade is inserted between the top of the casing and the loop-shaped holding-spring B the closed outer edge of this strip G rests against the inner surface of the loop-shaped spring at its bend, and the shoulder g, formed by the bottom front edge of said strip, rests against the projections H on the upper surface of the top of the casing. Thus when the blade is inserted by pushing it lengthwise between the upper surface of the top of the casing and the loop-shaped holding-spring B it is guided into its proper place in the holder and is also held securely in place, as the free edge of the loop-shaped spring B bears down on the upper surface of the blade, and the projections H prevent the blade from moving toward the front of the casing or the guard. Thus by simply inserting the blade lengthwise between the top of the casing and the holding or clamping spring B it is brought into and held in its proper position without requiring the use or manipulation of any locking device, such as a separate spring, a screw, or similar device.

For the purpose of uniting the blade E with its stiffening and backing metal strip G and without the use of solder, shellac, or analogous means I insert the back of the blade G in the U-shaped strip G while the latter is open and then place a few granules of a hard substance between the surface of the rear part of the blade and the inner surfaces of the U-shaped strip, such granules of hard substance being, for example, grains of emery, powdered hardened steel, and the like, and thereupon the U-shaped strip is closed under a great pressure upon the blade, whereby these granules of hard material are forced partly into the surface of the blade and partly into the surface of the shanks of the backing-strip G, and thus serve to hold the blade and its backing-strip firmly and securely and rigidly together. As this casing is entirely open at the back from end to end and entirely unobstructed in its interior, a cloth or towel can be readily introduced into this casing from the back and readily be moved lengthwise to and fro for the purpose of cleaning the casing.

J is the handle, which is applied in the usual manner on the bottom of the casing by means of a screw J′.

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

1. In a safety-razor, a blade-holder casing struck up from a single piece of sheet metal and having a bottom, a front, a top and a holding-spring, made integral with the top and extending downward and frontward from the rear edge of said top, said top being provided with a series of projections on its upper surface beneath said holding-spring to form abutments for a shoulder on the blade, substantially as set forth.

2. In a safety-razor, a blade-holder casing struck up from sheet metal and having a bottom, a front, a top and a holding-spring on the rear edge of the top, which holding-spring extends downward and frontward over said top, the casing being provided on its upper surface with projections near the front edge of the top and also provided on its upper surface with projections adjacent to said holding-spring to form abutments for a shoulder on the blade, substantially as set forth.

3. In a safety-razor, the combination with a blade-holding casing, having a bottom, a front, a top and a holding-spring extending over the top, all made of a single and continuous piece of sheet metal, said casing having projections on its upper surface adjacent to said holding-spring and a removable blade having a shoulder on its under surface near the rear edge, which shoulder can rest against said projections, substantially as set forth.

4. In a safety-razor, the combination with a blade-holding casing having a bottom, a front, a top and a holding-spring extending upward from the rear edge of the top and downward and frontward over the top, all made of a single and continuous piece of sheet metal, said casing having guard-teeth and having projections on its upper surface adjacent to the front of the top and also having projections to its upper surface adjacent to the said holding-spring and a blade provided on its under side with a shoulder adjacent to the rear edge, which blade when in place in the holder rests against the projections at the holding-spring and on the projections adjacent to the front of the top, substantially as set forth.

Signed at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 14th day of February, A. D. 1906.

Jeremiah Reichard.

Witnesses:

P. H. Goodwin,

W. L. Pape.