1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to hand-held razor structures, cartridges and systems for shaving, and in particular to hand-held versatile razor structures, cartridges and systems for shaving. The present invention comprises one or more razor blade strips, wherein a single razor head comprises a primary group of blades on a first common plane on a front face of a shaver head, wherein the primary group of blades is for shaving broad, relatively flat areas of hair, and a secondary blade group on a second common plane located on a top or top-back edge of the shaver head, wherein the second common plane is separate and distinct from the first common plane and the secondary blade group is for precise shaving in confined, contoured, hard-to-reach areas, especially around the nostrils, in crevices such as chin clefts, and around the edges of sideburns, mustaches and beards.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Shaving razors have been known in a variety of forms. Individuals employ shaving razors of various designs to tackle a variety of shaving challenges. These challenges include shaving not only broad/open and relatively flat areas of hair such as the areas of the cheeks, chin and neck, but also providing a precise and accurate ability to trim and sculpt smaller, more confined and discreet areas of hair such as the area under the nose and around the nostrils, in chin clefts, around skin scars, blemishes and skin imperfections, and on the edges of sideburns, mustaches and beards.
For example, when shaving the open areas of the cheeks or neck, the individual makes broad strokes to remove large patches of facial hair by holding the handle and moving the razor, with the blades contacting the skin, in one direction for cutting the hair extending from the skin. Normally, when the broad/open area shaving is completed, the individual then manipulates the razor to reach into confined areas for finer and more precise grooming.
Current shaving razor designs do not provide individuals the multiple benefits of a convenient, simple and effective means of shaving both the broad/open areas of the body as well as the confined/hard-to-reach areas of the body with the same shaving device.
Modern conventional razors are typically made with one or more parallel strip-like razor blades positioned on a single common working plane and secured upon the head of the razor. A handle extends from the head of the razor. The individual holds the handle and ordinarily scrapes or moves the head of the razor in one direction at a time along the skin such that the blade or blades cuts the hair.
Early razor designs have been made in which the head of the razor holds a single flat razor blade with two sharpened blade edges extending in opposite directions. These early razor designs comprise blade edges spaced apart from one another on opposite sides of the head of the razor. A first blade edge is used until dull, filled with lather or cut hairs, becomes damaged, i.e., the first blade edge is no longer efficient and/or safe to continue cutting hair. Once the first blade is deemed worn, the individual manually rotates the head of the razor 180 degrees to present a second, i.e., opposite of the first blade edge, blade edge toward the skin. Such a single replaceable razor blade having two sharpened edges and mounted within a head of a razor that can be opened and closed was one time very common, and it provided the individual with twice the blade life, i.e., each blade had opposing usable sharp edges. In addition, the first and second blade edges of these designs proved particularly effective for trimming and sculpting facial hair as it was easy to maneuver the single blade edge into confined, hard-to-reach areas of the face, for example, around nostrils, in crevices such as chin clefts, and the like. However, each of the first and second blade edges dulled easily as single blades and therefore sometimes did not deliver a close, smooth and comfortable shave.
In recent years, typically developed and available razor blade systems comprise at least two or more parallel strip-like razor blades positioned closely to one another on a common working plane. Several current systems have three cutting blades on the working plane, and it is possible to add a fourth and successive blades to the razor head assembly. These parallel-blade constructions are used in shaving systems that may be, for example, a disposable shaving cartridge adapted for coupling to or uncoupling from a reusable razor handle, or a shaving head which is integral with a razor handle so that the complete razor is discarded as a unit when the blade or blades become dulled. In many of these systems, the parallel strip-like razor blades are encased in a razor head or cartridge which provides a fixed orientation of the blades to the skin through the use of leading, trailing and glide surfaces which define a working plane of the razor head. These various surfaces of the head all bear against the skin being shaved, and thus ensure the sharpened edges of the blade strips are presented at the proper angle to skin being shaved. In the case of each of these parallel strip-like razor blade systems, the first blade is intended to give a rough cut, and the second or successive blades give a closer cut to provide the individual being shaved with a closer, smoother shave.
Many conventional razors for shaving have a handle or a hand grip structure with means for securing a replaceable razor blade cartridge to it. The handle may also be disposable or it may be essentially permanent and meant to be re-used with many replacement cartridges. These cartridge razor systems are often desirable, in that a more expensive, ergonomic permanent handle, which can be reused multiples of times, can be provided and used in conjunction with a much less expensive replaceable cartridge containing the razor blades. The razor blades in such replaceable cartridges dull fairly rapidly with use and thus they are frequently replaced, typically after just a dozen or fewer shaves. A variety of techniques and cartridge structures have been developed to allow the entire razor head to be readily replaced by the individual.
Razors having a fixed relationship between the head of the razor and the handle require considerable maneuvering on the part of the individual in order to maintain the razor system at its optimum attitude on the individual's face, particularly when negotiating areas such as the jaw line, where there are rapid changes in facial contour. To provide improved shaving characteristics, many razors have been provided with a pivoting head or cartridge, which is preferred by some users of manual safety razors.
In such a pivoting head or cartridge structure, the portion of the handle nearest the cartridge typically includes one or two spring-loaded mechanisms. The first spring-loaded system is used to return the pivoting head to its center or at-rest position. The second spring-loaded system is provided if the razor has a removable cartridge. Wherein there is a removable cartridge, the cartridge is typically held onto the handle by two pivot pins or bearing surfaces which engage in an interlocking manner with complementary sockets or arcuate slot structures located on the bottom of the cartridge. Since the handle can be re-used over and over, it is more economical to equip the essentially permanent handle with a more expensive mechanism for providing this spring-loaded pivoting, attachment structure than could be economically built into the disposable cartridge which is frequently replaced. This approach results in a cartridge having fewer spring-loaded components resident on it, thus reducing its cost.
Conventional razors typically comprise a guard member, a platform member and a cap member between which the razor blade or blades are sandwiched when the razor is ready for use. The handle, the platform, the guard member and cap member traditionally are all fixed relative to one another. The razors may be provided with a single, double or triple-edged blades. In recent decades, the entire shaving unit or head has been made to be disposable.
More specifically, a modern conventional razor cartridge typically has a blade platform or seat having formed thereon a guard bar for smoothing the skin adjacent to the cutting edge or edges of the razor blade during shaving. The razor's guard structure is disposed in fixed relation to the cutting edges and includes a back portion upstanding from the blade support portion. The guard and back portions define parallel opposite lengthwise edges of the platform member. As such, they define a single “working plane” which bears against the skin and controls the angle and distance at which the sharpened edges of the blades are allowed to bear against a section of the skin to be shaved as the blade is moved across the skin. In addition, the sharpened corners of the razor blade strips are guarded by the configuration of the head or cartridge structure for the safety of the individual, so the blade corners do not cut the skin of the individual.
The blade platform may include a channel which can be used to re-load the cartridge if the cartridge is reusable. A cap is provided to complete the main supporting structure of the razor cartridge. The blades are often retained on the blade platform by the passing of plastic pins through holes in the blades and then passing the pins into a heading which forms part of the cap. In this manner, the cap holds the blade or blades in place. The cap typically is pinned, fused, cemented or otherwise bonded together with the blade seat structure and captivates the blade or blades, and any spacers between them.
To provide even greater shaving efficacy and comfort, many current razor designs also contain small ribbed strips that run the length of the shaver head, parallel to the cutting blade or blades, intended to first engage or “grab” the hair before it is cut by the first and successive cutting blades. This ribbed strip, whose ribs are sometimes referred to as “microfins” or “fingers,” is generally located at the leading edge of the razor head, in a position forward of or ahead of the first cutting blade. It is the first element or member on the shaver head to engage the individual's skin surface in a shaving stroke.
In addition to the ribbed skin-engaging strip, an additional shaving-aid strip has often been affixed to the working plane of the razor in close proximity to the working edges of the blades—often at the trailing edge of the razor head, located rearwardly, behind or after the last cutting blade in the multiple blade razor design. It is the often last element or member on the shaver head to engage the individual's skin surface in a shaving stroke. This solid water-soluble shaving-aid strip, or “glide” strip as it is sometimes called, contains a lubricant, whisker softener, razor cleaner, medicinal agent, cosmetic agent or a combination of the above as part of the razor head. The shaving-aid strip may be a shave-aiding agent combined with a solid, water-soluble micro-encapsulating or micro-porous structure which retains the agent. The strip can be the agent itself when it is a water-soluble solid.
Together, the razor head's platform, guard structure, blade edges, cap, skin-engaging microfins and the lubricating glide strip all cooperate with the skin to define shaving geometry and efficacy and are intended to give the individual a safe, close and comfortable shave. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,956,848 to Tseng et al., wherein a razor head assembly having the above described characteristics is disclosed.
However, there are unexpected deficiencies with modern conventional blade designs. Unlike earlier razor designs such as the single blade edge razor described above that did not incorporate either the ribbed skin-engaging strip to grab hair or the lubricating glide strip to provide additional comfort or skin conditioning, the design of the multiple blade razor head containing these additional elements dictates that the cutting blade or blades be significantly offset from the parallel edges of the razor head. When the cutting blade or blades are significantly offset in this manner, they are positioned near the center of the shaving head and away from the leading or trailing edges of the shaver head. While this design in general offers the individual a closer and more comfortable shave for shaving broad areas of the face, it also necessarily creates a deficiency and usability shortcoming by limiting the individual's ability to use the shaver to reach into confined, hard-to-reach and delicate areas of the face and body such as under the nostrils, in chin clefts, around mustaches and on sideburn and beard edges and the like with precision and accuracy. In practice, the edges of the razor cartridge holding the ribbed strip and lubricating strips “get in the way” or “block” the blade cutting edge's access to confined body areas. The individual must then attempt to push and wedge the razor cartridge into the confined area. This difficult maneuvering process of the razor is cumbersome for many individuals and often results in an inability to cut the targeted hair. Additionally, in the case where the individual is overly persistent in attempting to position the razor into these confined areas, skin irritations and sometimes skin abrasions or lacerations may be produced. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,784,790 to Carson III et al., wherein a razor head assembly that exhibits the characteristics and shortcomings described above is disclosed.
Thus, it may be said, that the new generation of multiple-blade razors comprising two, three or more parallel in-line blades and comfort/lubricating strips provide superior shaving closeness and comfort in broad open areas but make shaving confined, hard-to-reach areas difficult and cumbersome. Further, earlier generations of single blade razor systems provide the benefits of precision trimming and sculpting control in confined, hard-to-reach areas but do not optimize broad-area shaving comfort and closeness.
There have been previous attempts at trimming and sculpting razors, but none has overcome deficiencies set forth above. It would be desirable in many instances, for example, to have a razor design that can deliver the benefits of closeness and comfort that modern multi-blade razors (with their ribbed skin-engaging and lubricating strips) provide while at the same time having that same razor deliver greater efficiency and effectiveness for highly maneuverable, precision shaving that was at one time more readily possible with early single blade razor designs that were ideal for shaving in confined areas that require trimming, edging and sculpting on the individual's body. That is, it would be convenient to provide a low-cost, single-head, multi-blade razor construction which is usable and effective in all areas of the face and body and meets all the individual's facial and bodily shaving challenges and needs.
Limited efforts have been made to address this shortcoming. While several types of razor designs that can shave both broad/open and relatively flat areas as well as confined, hard-to-reach areas with the same device have been proposed, none of the proposed designs offer an optimal solution that is at the same time affordable, convenient, easy-to-use and provides an individual-experience consistent with the shaving razor systems that are presently commercially available and in public use.
There are several known shaving devices that have been proposed to overcome the deficiencies set forth above. Following are examples of such devices and a discussion of how each of the proposed devices fail to effectively and economically meet the needs of shaving both broad/open and relatively flat areas in addition to confined, hard-to-reach areas with the same device.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,052,905 to Branchinelli, et al. discloses a dual-headed razor system having a single handle structure having an additional separate built-in telescoping mini-handle, with a pair of separately detachable razor heads each separately connected to the handle and telescoping mini-handle. Each head has a pair of blades mounted on it. The razor system is said to be useful in shaving and sculpting an area of hair on an individual. In this design, there are two separate razor heads, which means the structure is bulky and has limited maneuverability. Further, using two razor heads add significantly to the cost of the razor approach by requiring two cartridge support structures and two cartridges. More significantly, the complex mechanical handle structure having movable parts and a telescoping member adds greatly to the manufacturing cost of the approach.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,989,328 to Sokoloff discloses a razor assembly that includes two separate razor heads mounted on a single “Y”-shaped handle where each head is facing in the opposite direction of the other. One razor head attached to one branch of the “Y” is adapted to hold a conventional size blade. The other razor head attached to other branch of the “Y” is adapted to hold a smaller blade for trimming. The individual chooses between either razor head by rotating the handle with his fingers. So, as with the Branchinelli design, there are two separate razor heads, which means the structure is bulky and has limited maneuverability. Further, using two heads adds significantly to the cost of the razor approach by requiring two cartridge support structures and two cartridges.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,499,218 to Rocha discloses a razor having a shaving head which includes dual blades with multiple shaving edges having different lengths and/or shapes to provide a selection of shaving edges for various types of hair encountered on the body of an individual. Each blade has straight and convex shaving edges on two sides thereof as well as blade extensions having shorter straight and convex shaving edges on two ends. The razor further includes a handle with a conduit located therein in communication with the shaving head whereby water can travel through the handle, into the shaving head and past the blades to dislodge debris. Further, the razor is equipped with a slidable plunger which is slidable in the conduit so that oils, creams or liquids can be applied through the shaving head. While the approach presented embodies a single-head razor approach, the four-sided blade in the Rocha design would add significantly to the cost of manufacturing the blade cartridge. Further, the complex nature and multi-function use of the razor handle containing a water-flushing system and reservoir and plunger for loading and dispensing oils, creams and other liquids make the system cumbersome to use and costly to produce.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,663,843 to Savage discloses a shaving razor that utilizes a trailing blade aligned along the longitudinal axis of the razor's shaving head for trimming and at least one leading blade for primary shaving. The cutting edge of the leading blade is aligned diagonally to the cutting edge of the trailing blade and therefore slices through the hair or beard at a different angle of attack than does a conventional blade. While the approach presented embodies a single-head razor approach, the angled blade configuration in the Savage design would add significantly to the cost of manufacturing the blade cartridge. Further, only one of the blades on the razor head is used for broad-stroke shaving and therefore does not offer the individual the optimal and effective means for shaving broad areas of the face afforded by a razor with a plurality of blades on a common plane specifically designed for that purpose.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,285,124 to Diakonov discloses a razor for trimming beards and mustaches around their edges. The design comprises a razor blade, a head for holding the razor blade, and a blade support all having complementary tapered ends which taper from an edge opposite the cutting edge to a point just above the end of the cutting edge. The tapered ends permit the individual of the razor to trim his beard or mustache beneath his nostrils. The illustrated device also includes a retractable miniature safety razor which is movable from a first position where it is retracted behind the head to a second position where it is deployed above the head for use in trimming the area beneath the center of the individual's nose. The Diakonov design is primarily used for trimming beards and mustaches and does not offer the individual an optimal and effective means for shaving broad areas of the face. Further, the complex nature and multi-function use of the razor handle containing a retractable system and multiple razor heads makes the system complicated to use and costly to produce.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,778,535 to Ledesma discloses a hand held razor configured to provide a cutting pattern suitable for penetrating into and shaving corners and similar areas of a individual's face providing restricted access to razors. The razor has a head holding three blades disposed in parallel, spaced apart relation occupying a single plane, and a handle. The three blades are of different lengths, and are held centered on the head in order of progressively increasing length, with the shortest blade disposed at the bottom of the head. While the Ledesma design offers the individual some improved ability to shave restricted areas, it does not optimize the razor's ability to effectively, rapidly and efficiently shave the broad, open skin surfaces of the face.
Thus, improvements in dual-purpose shaving and trimming/sculpting razors are still needed as the prior art has not properly solved the deficiencies of effectively and economically shaving both broad/open and relatively flat areas in addition to confined, hard-to-reach areas with the same device.