Title of Invention

AN IMPROVED RAZOR BLADE ASSEMBLY

Abstract

According to present invention, there is provided an improved razor blade assembly comprising of an antifriction strip, three blades supported by metal base characterised in that the top portion of said metal base being moulded with the blade by insert moulding of engineering grade polymer through matching perforations on both blade and to portion of metal base, integrated guard bar and at least 12 numbers of integrally moulded inner body, other inner body being fitted on the outer body frame with plastic clamps on both ends of the assembly, underside of outer body frame having new to facilitate the whole Razor Blade Assembly to be pivotally mounted on a razor handle assembly such that said Razor Blade Assembly as a whole is pivotally movable on said handle assembly to take the contour of the surface to be shaved in response to forces encountered during shaving

Full Text

- 2 - The present application is being filed as addition of Patent to invention disclosed in Indian Patent Application No 1337/CAL/97 ( ) of 16th July, 1997. According to Patent Application No 1337/CAL/97, there has been disclosed an "IMPROVED RAZOR BLADE ASSEMBLY". r The present invention relates to wet shaving implements and is directed more particularly to Razor Blade Assembly which as a whole is movable on handle assembly during shaving operation and consists of individual blade components having a base, formed by fixing a L-shaped metal back-up rib, which is fixed to the blade by insert moulding with engineering grade polymer. The base support is independently movable during shaving operation and the blades follow the contours of the face on their own during shaving process. In particular the improved cartridge consists of an antifriction strip blades and guard bar assembled together on a body and replaceable on an unit to be fitted to a suitable razor handle. It is already provided in various Patents that in a blade assembly, in which various blades arc fitted to an assembly, move on the shaving surface and also it is known that this assembly is adopted to take the contours of the shaving surface during the process of shaving. It is known in the art to provide a razor blade assembly winch may be connected to, and used in conjunction with a razor handle to facilitate shaving operation. U S. Patent No.3,724,070 shows a blade assembly in which blade means are held between blade assembly surfaces adapted to engage the surface being shaved in front of and behind, respectively, cutting edge portions of the blade means. Such surfaces arc generally referred to a "guard" and "cap" -3- It is known that the shaving efficiency of safety razor assembly is improved if the blade assembly is adopted to pivot on the razot handle during a shaving operation, permitting the blade assembly to follow the contours of a surface being shaved more closely For improved shaving pivotally movable razor handle assembly can take the surface of the skin contour to be shaved in response to forces encounter during shaving apart from fixed type razor blade assembly The above facilities illustrated in U S Patent Nos 3,935,639, 3;939,247, 3,724,070, 3,950,849, 4,026,016, 4,083,104 to get more shaving efficiency independently Movable blades giving better response to force encounter during shaving Another means by which increased shaving efficiency may be obtained in that of retaining the blade assembly, as a whole, stationary but permitting movement of individual components thereof in response to forces encountered during shaving In U.S Patent No 4,168,571 there is shown a blade assembly in which the guard, cap and blade means are each moveable independently of each other in dynamic fashion Indian Patent No- 155035 in which it has been shown a blade assembly in which the guard element and blade means are independently moveable In Indian Patent/Specification No 160909, there is shown a blade assembly in which the blade means, guard element is independently moveable and the blade assembly as a whole moves pivotally on a suitable razor assembly U S Patent No 4,492,024 there is disclosed a safety razor blade assembly adapted for pivotal movement, as a whole on a razor handle during a shaving operation, and having blade means moveable within the blade assembly in response to forces encountered shaving operation It is now observed that in all the conventional cartridges mentioned above, single blade or plurality of blades are fixed rigidly to the body of the cartridge without any flexible support provided in between the blades and therefore the effectiveness and flexibility of those kind of blades arc greatly reduced Moreover, in the absence of proper support the single blade or multiple blades fail to take the shave of the shaveable surface of the face in response to forces applied during the shaving process - 4 - Moreover, it has been mentioned in previous Patents in the art that the base of the blade is made of engineering grade polymer But while manufacturing the cartridge as per prior art it has been observed that there is a tendency for bending of the blades while the base is formed by insert moulding This is because of dissimilar properties, particularly in terms of coefficient of expansion and contraction of metal and polymer The shrinkage factor of polymer is much higher (approximately 0 02 mm/cm) as compared to steel, which has a coefficient of expansion in much lower range For this reason it is found that a slight curvature results in the blades after being moulded by polymer and which results in discomfort during shaving On measurement it has been observed that the blade gets distorted within the maximum and minimum limits of 0 12 mm and 0 05 mm respectively According to an object of the present invention is to provide an improved shaving blades cartridge which is normal in its constructional design and obviates all disadvantages and drawbacks associated with conventional shaving blade cartridges existing in the art An object of the present invention is to provide an improved shaving blade cartridge which is simple but rigid in its construction, easy to operate, effective in its use and having over all flexibility in operation Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved shaving blade cartridge having a base formed by fixing L-shaped metal back up rib such that the top portion of the rib and back portion of the blade are wrapped together by insert moulding with engineering grade polymer Independently moveable "L" shape blade assembly having we components 16 and 18 which is shown in Fig 3 and it fixing by moulding process with engineering grade polymer A still object of the present invention is to provide an improved razor blade assembly wherein both the back portion of the blade and the top portion of the rib have got matching perforations so that the said portions arc wrapped together by insert moulding with engineering grade polymer For proper fixing the blade 16 with "L" shaped metal back up nb 18 there is so many matching perforation in both components for wrapped to gathet by moulding process with engineering grade polymer -5- Another object is "L" shaped metal back up ob 18, which is 'shown in Fig.3, gives better rigidity as well as comfort during shaving Alongwith that another object of present invention is integrated guard bar gives better control of shaving geometry i. e., protrusion and shaving angle According to an object of the present invention is to provide an improved Razor Blade Assembly where the base of the blade is thicker than the actual thickness of the blades, thereby achieving greater rigidity, as well as flexibility and comfort during shaving Yet another object of the present invention is to provide improved shaving blade cartridge, provided with an integrated guard bat to control the protrusion and shaving angle, more closely, thereby enabling better and comfortable shave An object of the present invention is to provide an improved shaving blade cartridge comprising of body member having top, middle and bottom blades, supported by metal back up ribs, partially wrapped with engineering grade polymer base which enable the blade to be independently resilient in relation to forces encountered during shaving and follows the contours of the shaving surface and at the same time maintaining a close control on the protrusion and shaving angle of the blades with with respect to "guard bar" and "cap" to give a comfortable shave A still another object of the present invention is to provide an improved razor blade assembly where the metal base is partially wrapped with engineering grade polymer on the top portion keeping the bottom vertical portion exposed thereby providing optimum rigidity and flexibility to the blades after being assembled Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an improved shaving blade cartridge, which ts elegant in its appearance, cheaper in original costs, stronger in its construction and light in weight Keeping the above objects in mind, according to the present "invention there is provided an improved Razor Blade Assembly comprising an antifriction stop, a plurality of blades supported by metal base charactenzed in that the top portion of said metal base being moulded with the blade by insert moulding of engineering grade polymer through matching - 6 - perforations on both blade and top portion of metal base, the inner body having integrally moulded raised spring and there is three pairs of slots 11,11',13.13',15,15' at the two end of the inner body which are giving protect location of blades against integrally moulds guard bar 10 for improving shaving geometry, inner body being fitted in outer cases 2 and there is two plastic clamps 32,32' being riveted 41,39 at both end of the assembly, a guard, a cap portion and a plurality of blades 48,48' with parallel sharpened edges wherein the force on the first blade is less than or equal to the force on the second blade is less than or equal to the force on the third blade, the blades which are placed on raise springs 15,17 give the up and down movement and take the contour of skin surface to be saved in response to forces Reference is made to the accompanying drawings in which is shown an illustrative embodiment of the invention, from which its normal features and advantages will be apparent Fig 1 is a top view of the blade assembly Fig 2 is a front view of the blade assembly Fig 3 is the exploded view Fig i is the top view of the blade holder box (inner body) Fig 5 is the sectional elevation view thereof Fig 6 is the top view of the outer frame Fig 7 is the sectional elevational view thereof Fig 8 is the sectional view of the end section of blade assembly Fig 9 is the top view and side sectional view of the insert moulded blade joint with the rib by insert moulding the two item with polymer Fig 10 is the side sectional and top view of razor head and cartridge highlighting the cam follower riding on cam path after assembly and thereby impelling the cartridge to return to a fixed angular position with razor in no load condition. Referring to the accompanying drawings, it will be seen that the illustrated Razor Blade Assembly comprises a moulded outer case 2 having two end portions 3, 5, interconnected by front and back wall portion, 4, 6, a moulded blade holder box 8 having two end portions 7, 9 connected by front and back wall 10, 12 The front wall 10 acts as guard bar in the improved razor blade assembly The back wall portion 12 of blade holder box have an upper portion 14 having antifriction strip 46 fixed on it, which engages and, lubricates the skin, being shaved behind the cutting edges - 7 - 16,16J,l6" of the blades 40,40',40" of the assembly, thereby fulfilling the function and occupying the position of "Top Cap" portion of ordinary cartridges Such portion hereafter will be referred as "Top Portion", each end portion 7,9 is provided with three slots 11,13,51,1 l',13,51 One end portion 7 is provided with three plastic moulded spring fingers 15,17,52 extending thereform inwardly and upwardly of the box as viewed in Figs 4 and 5 The other end portion 9 is provided with three plastic moulded spring fingers 15',17',52' of similar configuration The fingets 15,17,52,15',17',52' extend in opposite directions The fingers 15,17,52 extend from end portion 7 towards the other end portion 9 and fingers 15'17',52' extend end portion 9 towards other end portion 7 There are another three pairs of similar spring fingers 19,21,53,19,21,53' provided inwardly arid upwardly to locate in front of each of three spring fingers provided at end portion 7,9 The assembly comprises the blades 40,40',40" having cutting edges 16,16',16" and metal base 18,18,18" having slide at either end thereof The top horizontal portions of metal base 18,18',18" are fixed to the blades 40,40',40" by insert moulded engineering grade polymer portions 48,48',48" The moulded polymer portions 48,48',48" also wrap the portions behind the blade cutting edges 16,16',16" and horizontal portions of bases 18,18\18" covering the matching holes of both the components The slide portions are inserted into the slots 11,11', 13, 13',51,51' at either ends 7,9 of the blade holder box 8 Underside of blade 40 having cutting edge 16 and metal base 18 rests on the raised surfaces 20,20',22,22' of two pairs of spring fingers 15,15',19,19' In the illustrated assembled blade holder box another blade 40' having cutting edge 16' and metal base 18' rests on raised surfaces 24,24',26,26J of two pairs of spring fingers 17,17',21,21' Similarly another blade 40" having cutting edge 16" and metal base 18" rests on raised surfaces 54,54,55,55' of two pairs of spring fingers 52,52',53,53J The slide portions of three blades 40,40',40" arc inserted into the slots 11,13,51 of end portion 7 and 11',13',51' of end portion 9 During shaving the top blade 40 moves over the surface being shaved behind middle blade 40' moves over the surface being shaved behind bottom blade 40" -8- The outer body case 2 having two end portions 3, 5 connected by back wall 6 and front wall 4 extended longitudinally On the undcisidc of the said outer case 2 arc disposed two extensions 27,29 having at their fiee ends, respectively, inwardly extending opposed rails 23,25 each rail having respective arcuate upper surfaces 28,30 The extension comprises a pivot mounting means by which the blade assembly is removable and pivotally attached to a suitable razor handle Referring to Figs 6 and 7 it has been shown that underside of the outer case 2 is additionally provided with a cam means 34 adopted to a matching cam follower (56) as shown in Fig 10 which impels the blade assembly to a predetermined position Referring to Figs 6 and 7 which shows the plan view and side sectional view of the outer case 2 is provided with shell bearing journals comprising of the outer race (23,25) and inner race (35,37) in between which the bearing portion of the lazor (57) as shown in Fig 10 are fitted to provide a flexible attachment allowing pivotal movement Along with this pivotal movement of cartridge blades are also move independently against spring fingers 15, 15', 19, 19', 17, 17', 21, 21',52, 52', 53, 531 while shaving The inner case 8 with the assembled blades 40,40',40" is placed into the outer case 2 longitudinally and both are secured in place by plastic clamps 32,32', through holes 39,39',41, 41' at both ends of the clamps 32,32' on the underside of the innerbox While shaving the blades 40,40',40" move independently of each other against the bias of the spring fingers 15,15',19,19',17,17',21,21\52,52\53,53' and at the same time the blade assembly as a whole, pivots on the handle following the contours of the surface being shaved It is to be understood that the present invention is by no means limited to the particulai constructions herein disclosed and/or shown in the drawings but also comprises any modifications or equivalents within the scope of disclosure -9- I CLAIM 1 An improved razor blade assembly comprises of. an antifriction strip, a plurality of blades supported by metal base characterized in that the top portion of said metal base being moulded with the blade by insert moulding of engineering grade polymer through matching perforations on both blade and top portion of metal base, the inner body having integrally moulded raised spring and there is three pairs of slots (11,11',13,13',15,15') at the two end of the inner body which are giving protect location of blades against integrally moulds guard bar (10) for improving shaving geometry, inner body being fitted in outer cases (2) and there is two plastic clamps (32,32') being riveted (41,39) at both end of the assembly, a guard, a cap portion and a plurality of blades (48,48') with parallel sharpened edges wherein the force on the first blade is less than or equal to the force on the second blade is less than or equal to the force on the third blade, the blades which axe placed on raise springs (15,17) give the up and down movement and take the contour of skin surface to be saved in response to forces. 2 An improved razor blade assembly as claimed m claim 1,-wherein the thickness of the metal base is more than the actual thickness of the blade itself 3. An improved razor blade assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the blade and the metal base is attached together by insert moulding with engineering grade polymer covering the matching perforations and exposing the blade cutting edge and bottom vertical portion of base -10- 4. An improved razor blade assembly as claimed in claim 1, in which the first, second and third blades are independently movable during shaving. 5. An improved razor blade assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the integrated guard bar closely controls the protrusion and shaving angle of the blade 6. An improved razor blade assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the metal bases of first, second and third blade facilitate optimum holding and flexibility of independent movement during shaving. 7 An improved razor blade assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the antifriction strip gives a smoother and more comfortable shave. - 8. An improved razor blade assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the three blades give a progressively closer shaver 9 An improved razor blade assembly as claimed in claim 1, the-razor handle holds the razor blade assembly in a pivotally movable manner in which razor blade portion (28,30) facilitates to give a pivotally movement for improved shaving 10. An improved razor blade assembly substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing According to present invention, there is provided an improved razor blade assembly comprising of an antifriction strip, three blades supported by metal base characterised in that the top portion of said metal base being moulded with the blade by insert moulding of engineering grade polymer through matching perforations on both blade and to portion of metal base, integrated guard bar and at least 12 numbers of integrally moulded inner body, other inner body being fitted on the outer body frame with plastic clamps on both ends of the assembly, underside of outer body frame having new to facilitate the whole Razor Blade Assembly to be pivotally mounted on a razor handle assembly such that said Razor Blade Assembly as a whole is pivotally movable on said handle assembly to take the contour of the surface to be shaved in response to forces encountered during shaving

Documents:

01065-cal-1998 abstract.pdf

01065-cal-1998 claims.pdf

01065-cal-1998 correspondence.pdf

01065-cal-1998 description (complete).pdf

01065-cal-1998 drawings.pdf

01065-cal-1998 form-1.pdf

01065-cal-1998 form-2.pdf

01065-cal-1998 form-3.pdf

01065-cal-1998 form-5.pdf