To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Otto Kampfe, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, city and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Shaving Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to safety shaving implements, that is, devices whose operation is essentially that of removing shavings or thin layers as opposed to cutting, such for example, as an incisive cut, and in which implements I employ a guard, the object of which is not only to prevent any incision but to limit the depth or extent of the shaving or layer removed, and the device of my invention is especially applicable as a corn razor or callous flesh remover.

In Letters Patent granted to me July 4, 1905, No. 793793, the subject matter of which was divided out of my present application, I have shown, and described the simpler and generic forms of my invention, in which the blade was fixed in the handle and the guard pivoted to the blade, so as to be turned to one side for cleaning or for some use where the guard was not desired, such as an incisive cut.

In the preferred form of my invention which I have described and illustrated herein, the handle is hollow, the guard bears a pivotal relation to the shank of the blade and is mounted thereon and the blade is pivoted at its shank to the handle, so that the blade and guard may together be swung into the handle. In a position of use, both the blade and the guard are held in position by spring members and the spring member which acts upon the guard is secured to the shank of the blade and is adapted to hold the guard in place in either of two positions.

In the device of this application, as in the device in my aforesaid patent, I leave a space between the inner edge of the guard and the cutting edge of the blade and vary the extent of said space along the cutting edge of the blade and so am enabled to control the depth or thickness of the shavings or layers removed in the use of the implement.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a side elevation and partial section through the handle, illustrating the preferred form of my invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view except that the guard is raised away from the blade. Fig. 3 is an elevation from the opposite side of the implement. Fig. 4 is a cross section through the blade and guard. Fig. 5 is a plan or top edge view of the parts shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is an elevation and section through the handle, showing a slightly modified form of my invention.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, the handle or blade sheath of the knife is composed of the side portions a a′ upon the metal case or lining portions 2 2, and between these lining portions there is a spacing frame 3, said parts being riveted to M gether in the usual manner of assembling a knife handle. The spacing frame 3 is reduced or off-set at one end so as to produce the spring 4. The blade b and its tang b′ are integral; the blade is about the form shown and the blade and tang are pivotally connected to the handle by a pivot pin 5, which passes through the parts of the handle.

c represents a spring member formed integrally with the tail piece c³ and overlying the tang b′ of the blade to which said parts are secured in any well known manner, such as by the flush rivets 6. This spring member is recessed so as to pass around the pivot pin 5, as the same extends at both sides or in both directions beyond said pivot pin 5.

d represents the guard connected to the blade by a pivot pin 7 and provided near the pivot pin 7 with flat faces 8 and 9, which in the two positions shown in Figs. 1 and 2, are adapted to bear upon the flat face of the spring member so as to normally maintain the guard d in either of the relations to the blade shown in these figures,—for while Fig. 1 represents the position of use, Fig. 2 represents the position in which the guard is placed in cleaning the implement after use. This guard is provided with the end catch d′ which as a hook passes over the back of the blade at the free end and performs the twofold function of limiting the downward movement of the guard into the position Fig. 1 and a device to be engaged by the finger in raising the guard to the position Fig. 2.

From the drawings, it will be noticed that the spring end 4 overlies the notched upper edge of the tang b′ of the blade and bearing thereon holds the blade in the position Fig. 1; that the spring end 4 is no wider than the tang of the blade and that there is a recess between the same and the metal case 2 at one side, through which recess the tail piece c³ of the spring member may pass and be outturned with the blade and its guard as swung over into the handle. The drawing does not show this position, but it is readily understood. This tail piece c³ performs the function, when the blade is within the recess of the handle, of being the means of outturning the blade and the guard, because while the handle is held in one hand, the finger of the other hand presses against the concave surface of the tail piece and the blade and guard are swung over and outward into the position Fig. 1. For surgical and other purposes, it may at times be desirable to use the blade without the guard, such for example as making an incisive cut, in which case the guard should be swung up into the position Fig. 2, when it will be clearly away from the blade.

In the form of my invention shown in Fig. 6, the pivot pin that connects the blade and guard together, also connects both of these to the recessed handle, the tang of the blade being provided with a spring 10, having a flat upper face bearing upon the flat faces 8 and 9 of the guard and adapted to maintain the guard either in the position shown in Fig. 6 or in the position shown in Fig. 2. In this form of my invention, both the blade and guard are adapted to be turned into the handle recess, and while the guard may be removed or turned out by engaging the catch d′, it will no doubt be necessary to provide one side of the blade with a recess for engagement by the nail of a finger as is usual in ordinary knives.

I claim as my invention:

1. A corn knife comprising a recessed handle, a blade pivoted to the handle, a guard pivoted to the blade for independent movement and the blade and guard together adapted to turn into the handle, and a spring bearing on the guard for holding the same in position as desired.

2. A corn knife comprising a recessed handle, a blade pivoted to the handle, a guard pivoted to the blade for independent movement and the blade and guard together adapted to turn into the handle, a spring bearing on the guard for holding the same in position as desired and a second spring secured to the handle and bearing on the blade for holding it in the desired position.

3. A corn knife comprising a recessed handle, a blade pivoted to the handle, a guard pivoted to the shank of the blade for independent movement and having square faces at its pivot end, and the blade and the guard together adapted to turn into the handle, a spring secured to the tang of the blade and having a flat edge bearing upon an edge of the guard for holding the same in position as desired.

4. A corn knife comprising a recessed handle, a blade pivoted to the handle, a guard pivoted to the tang of the blade for independent movement and having square faces at its pivot end, and the blade and the guard together adapted to turn into the handle, a spring secured to the tang of the blade and having a flat edge bearing upon an edge of the guard for holding the same in position as desired, and a second spring secured to the handle and bearing on the blade for holding it in the desired position.

5. A corn knife comprising a recessed handle, a spring 4 arranged along the handle behind the recess, integral with and forming part of the back of the handle, a blade pivoted to the handle, a guard pivoted to the tang of the blade for independent movement and having square edges at its pivot end, and the blade and the guard together adapted to turn into the handle, a spring secured to the tang of the blade and having a flat edge bearing upon an edge of the guard for holding the same in position as desired, the spring 4 bearing upon the blade.

6. A corn knife comprising a recessed handle, a blade pivoted to the handle, a guard pivoted to the tang of the blade for independent movement and having square edges at its pivot end, and the blade and the guard together adapted to turn into the handle, a spring secured to the pivot end of the tang of the blade and having a free end extending away from the blade and having a spring finger with a flat edge bearing upon an edge of the guard for holding the same in position as desired.

In witness whereof I have signed my name to the foregoing specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

Otto Kampfe.

Witnesses:

J. M. Riemann,

J. H. Reilly.