Razor with floatably secured shaving blade member

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/934,238 filed Jun. 12, 2007.

[0002] The present invention relates to a razor suitable for wet shaving wherein the razor comprises a cartridge that includes a floatably secured shaving blade member for provision of a conforming shave.

[0003] In the past few years, there has been an increase in the number of blades that are incorporated into wet shaving razors. This increase has been seen in an attempt to provide users with a closer shave while increased guard area has also burgeoned to provide increased shaving comfort. Despite this advantage of increased comfort, it is accompanied with a slight disadvantage of making it more difficult for a user to see the skin surface that is being shaved. Thus, this inability to see the shaving area makes a more precise shave more difficult to achieve. Furthermore, a large portion of marketed razors have and do still contain clips at the respective longitudinal ends of the cartridge to secure the shaving blades to the cartridge housing. Users, however, perceive that these clips also contribute to a less precise shave as they block the view of certain portions of skin surface to be shaved. The clips of commercially available razors, however, serve an important purpose of keeping the shaving blades secured to the razor cartridge.

[0004] Clearly, there is a need to provide a shaving product to consumers that allows for an improved view of the surface to be shaved so that there is little to no apprehension about safety or the preciseness of the resulting shave due to a blocked view. There remains an additional need to heighten the efficiency of the contact area of the razor's shaving surface and the skin surface such that as much contact area as possible equates to area where hair is being shaved.

[0005] The present invention relates to a shaving blade unit comprising a shaving cartridge having a floatably secured shaving blade member wherein said cartridge comprises:

• • [0006] a. a housing having a front wall, a rear wall, and opposing side walls extending between said front and rear walls;
  • [0007] b. said shaving blade member having opposing ends with a shoulder at each end and wherein said shoulder rests along said side wall and wherein a cutting edge of said shaving blade member is facing a front surface of said housing;
  • [0008] c. a resilient member disposed rearward of said shaving blade member and that is secured by a shaving blade member retainer; and
  • [0009] wherein said resilient member provides a forward biasing force to said shaving blade member such that said contact between said shoulder and said side wall is at least maintained when said unit is removed from a skin surface during shaving.

[0018] The present invention is related to a shaving blade unit as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and FIGS. 9 and 10. In FIGS. 1 and 2, the shaving blade unit 10 comprises a shaving cartridge 15 having a floatably secured shaving blade member 20 while the cartridge 15 comprises a housing 25 having a front wall 26, a rear wall 27, and opposing side walls 28 extending between said front and rear walls 26, 27. The shaving blade member 20 has opposing ends 21 with a shoulder 22 at each end 21. Each shoulder 22 rests along a respective said side wall 28 with a cutting edge 23 of the shaving blade member 20 is facing a front surface 25a of the housing 25. The cartridge 15 additionally includes a resilient member 30 that is disposed rearward of the shaving blade member 20. This resilient member 30 is secured to a rear surface 25b of the housing 25 by a shaving blade member retainer 35. The resilient member 30 acts to provide a forward biasing force to the shaving blade member 20 such that contact between the shoulder 22 and its respective side wall 28 is at least maintained when the unit 10 is removed from a skin surface during shaving.

[0019] The housing 25 serves as a carrier for the shaving blade member 20 within the unit 10 and may be formed from injection molded plastics. For instance, suitable plastic materials include, but are not limited to, Xylex® resin (a transparent blend of polycarbonate and an amorphous polyester available from SABIC Innovative Plastics), Zylar® (a water clear styrene methylmethacrylate copolymer that has been modified for impact which is available from NOVA Chemicals), and Noryl® (which is a class modified PPE resins consists of amorphous blends of PPO polyphenylene ether resin and polystyrene available from SABIC Innovative Plastics). The shaving blade member retainer 35 may be formed from the same materials as the housing 25. The retainer 35 may additionally be formed separately from the housing 25 and attached thereto or it may be integrally formed with the housing 25 via extrusion molding etc.

[0020] The retainer 35 secures the resilient member 30 to the rear of the shaving blade member 20. As a result of being secured by the retainer 35, the resilient member 30 exhibits a relatively stationary surface upon which the shaving blade member 20 may exert force against during shaving use and times of non-use by a consumer. This biasing force serves to provide shaving blade members that are able to conform to the surface of the skin more readily but with the appropriate amount of give that allows for a comfortable shave. At times, the forward biasing force may be sufficient to maintain contact between the shoulder 22 and the adjacent side wall 28 when the unit 10 is contacted with the skin surface during shaving.

[0021] In certain embodiments, the retainer 35 comprises a channel 36 in which the resilient member 30 may rest. The channel 36 further secures the resilient member 30 within the cartridge 15. The cross-sectional shape of the channel 36 may take any number of forms, e.g., semicircular, rectangular, slitted, triangular, etc., depending on whatever is most suitable given the shape of the resilient member 30. FIG. 4 shows cross section at x of FIG. 1 wherein the resilient member is round. FIGS. 3 and 5 show a cross section at x in a shaving blade unit of the present invention where the resilient member and mating channel comprise a rectangular and triangular cross sections, respectively. As shown, the resilient member 30 may have a cross-sectional shape of any type so long as it is a shape that mates with the channel's shape (when channel 36 is present) to provide a snug configuration of the two components. Furthermore, rear portions of the shaving blade members 20 contact the resilient member 30 to provide the biasing force.

[0022] The resilient member 30 may be formed of a number of different materials to provide the relatively responsive return that is characteristic of this component. For instance, the resilient member 30 is selected from the group consisting of solid or hollow elastomeric tubing, solid or hollow rubber tubing, foam forms, coils, spring fingers, and combinations thereof. In particular, the resilient member 30 may comprise a single component that is paired with its respective retainer 35 where the resilient member 30 runs along the length of the retainer 35 or substantially the entire length of the retainer 35. Alternatively, the resilient member 30 may occur in a plurality with a single retainer 35 such that a single member is disposed rearward of each shaving blade member 20 where there is also a plurality of shaving blade members 20 within a unit 10. For instance, where there are a plurality of shaving blade members (e.g., five as shown in FIG. 6) disposed in a parallel configuration within a cartridge 15 and there are correspondingly three retainers 35 to provide support for the shaving blade members 20, there may be a section of solid or hollow elastomeric tubing that is placed with one of its round ends (serving as a resilient member 30) contacting the retainer 35 or the channel 36 of the retainer 35 while an opposing end of the tubing portion is contacting a rear portion of the shaving blade member 20. Similarly, a second tubing portion would be disposed further down the length of the same retainer to contact the retainer or channel of the retainer and the rear portion of a second, third, fourth, and fifth parallel shaving blade members that line up with the corresponding portion of the first shaving blade member. FIGS. 7a and 7b show a single retainer of the unit of FIG. 6 without the shaving blade members along with a cross section of the same retainer.

[0023] It is desirable for the retainer 35 to comprise a recess 37 to receive at least a portion of the shaving blade member 20. The recess 37 may be formed in any shape that easily accommodates the shaving blade member. A plurality of such slitted recesses 37 are shown in FIG. 8, which is a cross section at y of FIG. 1. The recesses 37 are disposed forward of a lubricating strip 60, which is disposed after the shaving blade members 20. Such recesses 37 may be spaced at regular intervals along a length of the retainer 35, where the length runs from the rear wall 27 to the front wall 26 of the housing when the retainer 35 is joined to the housing 25. The recesses 37 may range in from about 0.15 mm to about 0.25 mm, about 0.16 mm to about 0.23 mm, from about 0.17 mm to about 0.21 mm, from about 0.17 mm to about 0.19 mm, or even about 0.18 mm. Regardless of the recess 37 width, it is important that to the extent there is unoccupied area within the recess 37, steps must be taken to ensure that the shaving blade member 20 does not move in a deleterious manner in the recess 37 when shaving occurs such that cutting of the skin is prevented. There may be a plurality of recesses 37 in a retainer 35 that run along the length of the retainer 35 to accommodate a plurality of shaving blade members 20. There may also be a two or more shaving blade member retainers 35 present along the length of the housing 25. The plurality of retainers 35 disposed along the length of the cartridge tends to provide an heightened balance and support of the shaving blade member(s) contained within the cartridge 15. In FIGS. 1 and 2, there are three retainer(s) 35 disposed along the length of the cartridge 15.

[0024] As indicated immediately above, there may be more than one shaving blade member 20 present in the unit 10. For instance, there may be a plurality, e.g., 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or even more blade members 20 disposed within the unit where their respective cutting edges 21 are placed parallel to one another. Suitable shaving blade members 20 may comprise a shaving blade alone which has been bent or a shaving blade which has been joined to a bent blade support. Such suitable shaving blade members are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,804,886 and U.S. application Ser. Nos. 11/400,989 and 11/401,131. The shaving blade members may also have cutting edges 23 with the same or varying tip radii, the latter of which is disclosed in US Patent Publications 2007/0227008A1, 2007/0227009A1, 2007/0227010A1. In certain embodiments of the present invention, it has been found advantageous and quite possible to decrease the distance between the opposing end 21 of the shaving blade member 20 and its respective adjacent side wall 28. This is made possible due to the no longer existent need to include clips at or immediately adjacent the ends 21 of the shaving blade member(s) to secure the members 20 to the housing. For instance, it is desirable that each opposing end 21 of the shaving blade member 20 is no more than about 5 mm, 4 mm, 3 mm, 2 mm, 1 mm, or even 0.5 mm from the adjacent side wall 28. Therefore, it is envisioned that various embodiments of this invention shall include units that are free of clips disposed at opposing ends 21 of the shaving blade member(s).

[0025] Another aspect of this invention is the shoulder 22 which resides at the opposing end 21 of each shaving blade member 20 (as shown in FIG. 2). The shoulder 22 is a cut out of the shaving blade member's opposing end 21 that is disposed at the member's 20 upper corner edge. The elimination of this shaving blade member 20 edge provides a surface that can easily abut and conform to the side wall 28 of the housing 25, particularly at its rear surface 25a. The shoulder 22 is particularly useful in allowing the shaving blade member 20 to remain a prescribed geometry position as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,212,777. It has been well established that by achieving and maintaining the correct blade geometry a more comfortable and closer shave results. The incorporation of a shoulder at an opposing end of a shaving blade member removes the need for a clip to retain the blade geometry. This improved design allows for a less complicated manufacturing process that is also less costly due to the decrease in starting material and removal of a process step of securing the clips to the cartridge. Ideally, this shoulder may have a depth of from about 0.5 mm to about 2.0 mm and a width (from opposing end 21 toward a center of shaving blade member 20) of from about 0.5 mm to about 1.5 mm and is formed by a process selected from the group consisting of laser cutting, metal stamping, machining methods, and combinations thereof.

[0026] In most instances, the unit of the present invention shall be paired with a handle 50 to form a usable razor. The handle 50 may be removably attachable to the cartridge or may be integrally formed with the cartridge. FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate a removable handle that includes an ejection button 45 which may be depressed to separate the handle 50 from the unit 10. A cartridge hood 40 may also be paired to the cartridge 15 to form the unit 10. Particularly in the instance when a removable handle is implemented the cartridge hood serves as a connection point between the handle 50 and the cartridge 15. It often aids in the maneuverability afforded a shaver when trying to replace the cartridge with a new cartridge when the shaving blade members have been dulled by continued use or unintended damage to the cutting edge 21 of the shaving blade member.

[0027] The floatable securing of the shaving blade member 20 within a cartridge 15 that is disclosed herein comprises the steps of providing a housing 25 for a cartridge 15 where the housing 25 comprises a front wall 26, a rear wall 27, and opposing side walls 28 extending between the front and rear walls 26, 27; resting a shaving blade member 20, having opposing ends 21 with a shoulder 22 at each end 21, at its shoulder 22 along the side wall 28; positioning a resilient member 30 rearward of the shaving blade member 20; securing the resilient member 30 and the shaving blade member 20 with a shaving blade member retainer 35; wherein the resilient member 30 provides a forward biasing force to the shaving blade member 20 such that contact between said shoulder 22 and said side wall 28 is at least maintained when said unit 10 is removed from a skin surface during shaving.

[0028] The dimensions and values disclosed herein are not to be understood as being strictly limited to the exact numerical values recited. Instead, unless otherwise specified, each such dimension is intended to mean both the recited value and a functionally equivalent range surrounding that value. For example, a dimension disclosed as “40 mm” is intended to mean “about 40 mm.”

[0029] All documents cited in the Detailed Description of the Invention are, in relevant part, incorporated herein by reference; the citation of any document is not to be construed as an admission that it is prior art with respect to the present invention. To the extent that any meaning or definition of a term in this document conflicts with any meaning or definition of the same term in a document incorporated by reference, the meaning or definition assigned to that term in this document shall govern.

[0030] While particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of this invention.