US3295204A

US3295204A - Cleaning apparatus for electric shavers

Info

Publication number: US3295204A
Application number: US346564A
Authority: US
Inventors: Brophy Robert Brian
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1964-02-21
Filing date: 1964-02-21
Publication date: 1967-01-03
Anticipated expiration: 1984-01-03

Description

1967 R. B. BROPHY 3,295,204

CLEANING APPARATUS FOR ELECTRIC SHAVERS Filed Feb. 21, 1964 32 34 89 86 h 47 L as 95 4s 88 37 9,\ I L i 7O SI 4 38 3 42 43 30 4o INVENTOR. 1205527 B .BEOPHY 77 B Ff ATT'O N EV United States Patent Oflfice 3,295,204 Patented Jan. 3, 1967 3,295,204 CLEANING APPARATUS FOR ELECTRIC SHAVERS Robert Brian Brophy, 2501 Sycamore Canyon Road, Montecito, Calif. 93103 Filed Feb. 21, 1964, Ser. No. 346,564 Claims. (Cl. 30-415) power and an additional motor drive are required to operate the fan and a suitable passageway must be provided in the shaver for the cleaning air stream. Also, when a hair receptacle is utilized, an attachment to the body of the shaver for the receptacle must be provided.

The present invention utilizes a casing having an air chamber which is surrounded by a flexible side Wall so that it can be squeezed by the fingers to produce an air pumping action. The flow of air provided by the pumping action is directed over the cuting head assembly to pick up the hair cuttings which have been collected therein and the air moves the cuttings into a collection chamber in the casing. The squeeze chamber and the collection chamber are located on opposite sides of the motor which drives the eating head assembly so that the motor and cutting head assembly need not be modified to operate in connection with the present invention. The cap which protects the cutting head assembly when not in use, is equipped with a soft liner so that it can be used to seal the space between the fixed and moving cutting members during air flow over the cutting head assembly. The invention is applicable to a cutter head assembly having various numbers of individual cutting heads, each comprised of a fixed and a movable cutting member. Also, the invention can be utilized with either a battery operated motor or with a motor connected to an electric cord.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning apparatus for electric shavers in which cleaning air flow is produced by squeezing a flexible portion of an air chamber.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cleaning apparatus for electric shavers in which a jet of air is passed over the cutting head assembly by squeezing a portion of the shaver casing and deposits the hair Clippings in another portion of the shaver casing.

A further object of the invention is to provide a cleaning apparatus for electric shavers in which the hair cuttings are not observed during the cleaning operation and in which the hair cuttings are not scattered about the room.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cleaning apparatus for electric shavers in which the protective cover for the cutting head assembly is lined with a sealing material to seal any space between the fixed and movable cutting members.

These and other objects of the invention not specifically set forth above will become readily apparent from the accompanying descriptions and drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an electric shaver incorporating the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a vertical section of the electrical shaver of FIGURE 1 showing the squeeze chamber and the collection chamber.

FIGURE 3 is a horizontal section along line 3-3 of FIGURE 2 showing the inlet valve for the squeeze chamber and the compartment containing the motor.

FIGURE 4 is an end elevational view along line 44 of FIGURE 2 showing the flexing of the squeeze chamber.

FIGURE 5 is a transverse vertical section along line 5-5 of FIGURE 2 illustrating the cutting head assembly.

FIGURE 6 is a transverse vertical section of a modification of the invention in which the cutting head assembly comprises a single cutting head.

FIGURE 7 is a partial section of a modification of the hair collection chamber wherein the air screen is located in the side of the chamber.

FIGURE 8 is a plan view of a modification of the air orifice plate which contains a plurality of openings for distributing air over the cutting head assembly.

Referring to the embodiment of the invention chosen for illustration, casing 10 for the electric shaver consists of an elongated polyethylene body containing a squeeze chamber 11 at one end and a hair collecting chamber 12 at the other end. Curved wall 13 of chamber 11 is thin and flexible whereas curved wall 14 for chamber 12 is heavy enough to be substantially rigid. The casing 10 also comprises two rigid

side panel portions

15 and 16 which are joined at their ends by rigid

transverse panels

17 and 18. The

panels

15, 16, 17, and 18 define a central chamber 19 which contains a shaver motor 20 and the chamber 19 is closed by a bottom cap 21. Chamber 11 has top and

bottom walls

22 and 23, respectively, while chamber 12 has top and

bottom walls

24 and 25, respectively.

The cutting head assembly 30 has three

cutting heads

31, 32, and 33 each of which comprises a fixed cutting member 34 having sides 35 supported by a channel member 36. A movable cutting member 37 for each cutting head is located within the fixed member 34 and is reciprocated by an arm 38 driven by motor 20. The channel members 36 are supported on a support 40 located above chamber 19 and extending over a portion of

top walls

22 and 24. A cap 42 surrounds the cutting head assembly 30 and has

thick side walls

43 and 44 which abut the top of

panels

15 and 16. Also, the cap 42 has

transverse walls

45 and 46 located closely adjacent opposite ends of the cutting heads. Since the

side walls

43 and 44 are opposite to outer sides 35 of cutting heads 31 and 33, these walls form an air passageway 47 through the cutting head assembly.

Thin end Walls

48 and 49 of cap 42 project beyond the

transverse walls

45 and 46 and abut the top of

curved walls

13 and 14, respectively, in order to enclose the cutting head assembly, except for the cutting head surfaces which extend across the open top of cap 42. Any suitable fastening means can be utilized to releasably attach the cap 42 to casing 10.

The bottom wall 23 of squeeze chamber 11 contains a circular opening 50 defined by an enlarged groove 51 located between a lower solid wall flange 52 and upper fingers 53 which have an air passage 54 between them. A valve plate 55 has its edge located between flange 52 and fingers 53 and is smaller in diameter than groove 51 to provide an air passage 56 around the edge of the valve plate. When the plate is in its lower position shown in FIGURE 2, the air passage 56 is closed by the wall flange 52 to block opening 50, but when the valve plate is in its upper position away from flange 52, air can pass through

passages

56 and 54 into chamber 11. The top Wall 22 of chamber 11 contains a circular opening 60 defined by an enlarged groove 61 located between a lower solid wall flange 62 and upper fingers 63 having an air passage 64 between them. The edge of valve plate 65 is located between wall flange 62 and fingers 63 and the plate is smaller in diameter than groove 61 to provide an air passage 66 around the edge of plate 65. With valve plate 65 in its lower position, the wall flange 62 closes the air passage 66 and blocks opening 60. However, when valve plate 65 moves away from wall flange 62, air can pass through passage 66 and between fingers 63 into space 67 covered by cap end wall 48.

The transverse wall 45 contains an air jet opening in the form of a restricted slot 70 which extends across the end of the cutting head assembly and which is located above the level of channel members 36. The transverse wall 46 is positioned adjacent support 40 and contains an enlarged opening 71 which has the cross-sectional shape of passage 47 in which the cutting head assembly 30 is located. A chamber 72 is contained within cap end wall 49 and connects through an opening 73 in top wall 24 with the interior of collection chamber 12. Top wall 24 supports a ramp surface 74 which provides a smooth passage through chamber 72 between

openings

71 and 73. Also, wall 14 of collecting chamber 12 has a projection 75 extending across and below opening 73. The bottom wall 25 of chamber 12 contains an opening 76 which is covered by a screen 77 and which is closed by a plug 78 containing a vent opening 79.

When the shaver is not in use, the cutting head assembly is covered by a standard snap-on cover 85 having top 86 and

sides

87 and 88. A layer of soft material 89 is secured to the under surface of top 06 so that it covers the top surface of the cutting head assembly and seals any openings existing between fixed cutting members 34 and movable cutting members 37. Also, the layer 89 seals the spaces between the cutting heads and rollers 90 which extend therebetween. Layer 89 can be formed of any suitable material, such as felt or foam rubber, and the cover has a ridge 91 on each side which snaps into a grove in cap 42 in order to retain the cover.

The invention is utilized after shaving is completed and the cover 85 has been attached over the cutting head assembly 30. Hair cuttings removed by the shaving operation are dispersed within the cutting head assembly and the invention is designed to remove these cuttings without the necessity of removing cap 42 and cutting head assembly 30. By squeezing the wall 13 of chamber 11, as illustrated in FIGURE 4, the air pressure within the chamber 11 moves valve plate 65 upwardly to open the air passage 64 between fingers 63 and also force valve plate 55 downward to close opening 50. Thus, air is forced into chamber 67 and through jet slot 70 so that the air enters passageway 47 around the cutting head assembly at increased velocity. The air passing through the cutting head assembly picks up hair cuttings and carries them through chamber 72 and opening 73 and past projection 75 into collection chamber 12. The screen 77 retains the clippings in the chamber while the air escapes through vent opening 79 in plug 78.

When the wall 13 of chamber 11 is released, it returns to its normal configuration thereby creating a reduced pressure in chamber 11 which pulls valve plate 65 downwardly against flange 62 to close opening 60 and lifts valve plate 55 to open passage 54 between fingers 53 so that a new charge of air is introduced to chamber 11.

When the fingers again squeeze wall 13, another jet of air is directed from slot 70 through the cutting head assembly to pick up additional cuttings and deposit them in collecting chamber 12. After several squeezing actions, substantially .all of the air clippings are removed from the cutting head assembly. Since the cover 85 is at tached during the squeezing operation, the layer 89 prevents air from escaping from passage 47 through the openings in the cutting members and around the rollers. The ramp surface 74. serves to direct the clippings toward opening 73 and the projection 75 prevents the clippings in collection chamber 12 from falling back through opening 73 when the shaver is turned upside down. By re-' moving the screen 77 and plug 78, the hair clippings in chamber 12 will drop through opening 77 and a brush can be extended into chamber 12 to assist in removal of the clippings. Only occasional cleaning of chamber 12 will be necessary even though the cutting head assembly is cleaned by the air jet after every shaving operation.

With heavy use of the shaver, the chamber 12 could become packed with clippings so that the opening 76 is closed. A modification is therefore provided in which the screen 77 is replaced by screen 77 (see FIGURE 7) located in side wall 14 above the bottom Wall 25. Thus, the screen will provide an air vent which will not become clogged and the clippings can build up over opening 76 which is closed by a plug 78 having no air vent. In order to obtain a more dispersed distribution of the air over the cutting head assembly, a modification of the transverse wall 45 provides with a plurality of jet openings 95 distributed over the wall area as illustrated in FIGURE 8. These openings can have the same total area as slot 70 but distribute the air at more than one level.

The invention can be applied to a shaver having a single cutting head as illustrated in FIGURE 6. The cutting head 96 consists of a fixed cutting member 97 having sides 08 and 99 which are connected by a bottom wall 100. The wall 100 and the adjacent portion of the side walls are held in a groove in the top of casing 101 and the movable cutting member 102 is driven by arm 103 connected with the motor (not shown) located in casing 101. A cover 104 has a sidewall 105 which engages the entire top edge of casing 101 and a transverse wall 106 extends across the cover adjacent one end of cutting head 96. Wall 106 contains a jet slot 107 for discharging air into passageway 108 around the cutting head 96. Another transverse wall of cover 104, similar to wall 46 of the prior embodiment is located adjacent the other end of the cutting head. It is understood that a squeeze chamber (not shown) is located at one end of casing 101 for pumping air through slot 107 and that a collection chamber (not shown) is located at the opposite end of casing 101 to receive hair clippings picked up by the air screen in passage 108. The modification of FIGURE 6 is operated by squeezing the squeeze chamber in the same manner as the prior embodiment. Since the cover 104 covers the entire top of the shaver, air cannot escape from the various air passages, except from a vent in the collecting chamber.

I The present invention can be incorporated in any cutting head design regardless of shape. The shaver body 10 can be molded as right and left halves and thereafter secured together. Also, the squeeze chamber and collection chamber could be located in a pedestal separate from the shaver head assembly and motor so that the invention is utilized by attachment of the head assembly and motor to the pedestal. While the casing 10 is preferably fabricated of polyethylene, other material or combination of materials can be used. Various other modifications are contemplated by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A cleaning apparatus for an electric shaver having a cutting head assembly driven by a motor comprising: a casing for said shaver comprising a squeeze chamber, a space for said motor, and a collection chamher;

a cap member connected to said casing covering the sides of said cutting head assembly and having a wall adjacent one end of said assembly;

a cover for closing the top surface of said cutting head assembly and forming with said cap member a passageway through said cutting head assembly;

jet opening means in said wall;

said squeeze chamber adapted for introducing air to said passageway through said jet opening means to blow out the hair cuttings from said cutting head assembly; and

said collection chamber adapted for collecting hair cuttings removed by the air flowing through said passageway.

2. A cleaning apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said squeeze chamber has an entrance opening and an exit opening, first valve means located at said entrance opening and second valve means located at said exit opening, said exit opening being connected with said jet opening means, said valve means alternately opening and closing upon successive squeezing of said squeeze chamber in order to pump air through said jet opening means.

3. A cleaning apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein said collection chamber has an air inlet opening and an air release opening, said inlet opening being connected with the discharge end of said passageway, and a screen covering said air release opening to prevent escape of hair cuttings from said collection chamber.

4. A cleaning apparatus as defined in claim 3 having projection means within said collection chamber extend ing across and below said inlet opening for preventing escape of hair cuttings through said inlet opening upon change in attitude of said casing.

5. A cleaning apparatus for an electric shaver having a cutting head assembly driven by a motor comprising:

means for covering the top and side of said cutting head assembly to form an air passageway therethrough;

a squeeze chamber located at one end of said passageway for directing air through said passageway to remove hair cuttings collected therein;

a collection chamber located at the other end of said passageway for collecting the hair removed by the air flow through the passageway;

a wall positioned transversely across said one end of said passageway; and

jet opening means in said wall for increasing the velocity at which air is introduced to said passageway from said squeeze chamber.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,899,841 2/1933 Acken 3041 1,950,097 3/1934 Brunner 3041.5 2,318,255 5/1943 Nichols 30--41.5 X 2,320,807 6/1943 Upham 30-90 2,372,280 3/1945 Johnston 30-90 2,597,552 5/1952 Wagner 30-90 2,608,756 9/1952 Jepson 309O 2,743,732 5/1956 Lovasz 304l 2,747,273 5/1956 Olsson 3041 2,916,821 12/1959 Witmer 3041.5 3,139,683 7/1964 Waldman 30-41 3,154,851 11/1964 Erickson 3041.5 3,176,392 4/1965 Gwinn 3041 3,177,582 4/1965 Curtis 30-90 WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

MYRON C. KRUSE, Examiner.

Claims

1. A CLEANING APPARATUS FOR AN ELECTRIC SHAVER HAVING A CUTTING HEAD ASSEMBLY DRIVEN BY A MOTOR COMPRISING: A CASING FOR SAID SHAVER COMPRISING A SQUEEZE CHAMBER, A SPACE FOR SAID MOTOR, AND A COLLECTION CHAMBER; A CAP MEMBER CONNECTED TO SAID CASING COVERING THE SIDES OF SAID CUTTING HEAD ASSEMBLY AND HAVING A WALL ADJACENT ONE END OF SAID ASSEMBLY; A COVER FOR CLOSING THE TOP SURFACE OF SAID CUTTING HEAD ASSEMBLY AND FORMING WITH SAID CAP MEMBER A PASSAGEWAY THROUGH SAID CUTTING HEAD ASSEMBLY; JET OPENING MEANS IN SAID WALL;