Abstract:
A safety razor includes a holding member for holding a razor blade; a pair of shaft members rotatably connected to the rear side of the holding members opposite to the razor blade; and a pair of cover members each slidably connected to a corresponding one of the shaft members for covering the holding member when the said shaft members are moved substantially in parallel with the holding member.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a safety razor and more particularly to the construction of the safety razor improving safety and portability. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     A known safety razor is mainly constructed of a holding member for holding a razor blade and a rod formed integrally with the holding member or mechanically coupled thereto such as by threading. The rod extends substantially vertically to the longitudinal direction of the holding member and centrally from the rear side of the holding member opposite to the razor blade, thus forming generally a T-shaped outer appearance. This T-shaped outer appearance, however, involves some problems that the overall dimension of the safety razor becomes large and it is not handy for carrying it. Furthermore, since the razor blade is always exposed outwardly, it is necessary while not using it for the purpose of safety to additionally provide a removable protection cover or to prepare a case sufficiently large for accommodating the safety razor. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention has been made in consideration of the above prior art problems and has its object to provide a safety razor having the construction improving safety and portability. 
     According to one aspect of the present invention, the safety razor comprises a holding member for holding a razor blade; a pair of shaft members rotatably connected to the rear side of said holding member opposite to said razor blade; and a pair of cover members each slidably connected to a corresponding one of said shaft members for covering said holding member when said shaft members are moved substantially in parallel with said holding member. With such construction, it is possible to rotate both the shaft members and cover members slidably coupled thereto. While using, the cover members are positioned perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of the holding member to make the former as a handle of the safety razor. While not using, the cover members are positioned substantially in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the holding member to make the former serve as a protection cover for the razor blade. 
     The above and other objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective, exploded view showing an embodiment of the safety razor according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the safety razor with cover members covering the holding member; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an intermediate state during assembling the safety razor; and 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the safety razor with cover members displaced from the holding member to make the former serve as a handle of the safety razor. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiment. FIG. 1 is a perspective, exploded view showing an embodiment of the safety razor according to the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 1 represents a holding member for holding a razor blade (not show. The holding member 1 is generally of a box shape. The construction thereof is not directly relevant to the gist of the present invention so that the detailed description therefor is here omitted. Generally centrally of the rear side of the holding member 1 opposite to the side where a razor blade is held, a pair of right and left shaft members, including first shaft members 2a and 2b and second shaft members 3a and 3b are coupled rotatably to bearing members 11 and 11. More in particular, the bearing members 11 each formed with elongated holes 12 extend from the rear side of the holding member 1, both bearing members 11 being mounted with a certain interval therebetween. The right and left first shaft members 2a and 2b are each formed with protrusions 21 by which the first shaft members are rotatably coupled to the bearing members 11. Each of the first shaft member 2a, 2b is also formed with a hole 22 into which a coupling rod 31 formed on each of the second shaft members 3a and 3b is inserted to ensure a coupling between the first shaft member 2a, 2b and second shaft member 3a, 3b. The right side first shaft member 2b is formed with a recess 23 which can engage with a rod 32 protruded from a left side second shaft member 3a while using the safety razor. The relative position of the first and second shaft members 2a, 2b, 3a and 3b is fixed as will be described later. A pair of cover members 4a and 4b are constructed such that they can slidable relative to the second shaft members 3a and 3b and cover the outer surfaces of the second shaft members 3a and 3b. The slide connection therebetween is effected by the provision of elongated apertures 33 and 33 formed in the second shaft members 3a and 3b and engaging members 41 and 41 formed on the cover members 4a and 4b. The top ends of the engaging members 41 slide along the inner surfaces adjacent the elongated apertures 33 of the second shaft members, as shown particularly in FIGS. 2 and 3. The cover members 4a and 4b are constructed to have sufficient dimensions for covering also the holding member 1. The lengths of the second shaft members 3a and 3b as well as the cover members 4a and 4b are so determined as they are suitable for holding the cover members 4a and 4b serving as the handle of the safety razor. Materials of the elements are preferably synthetic resin. The arrows shown in FIG. 1 indicate how the safety razor is assembled using such as adhesive agent or other suitable means. 
     The operation of the safety razor constructed as above will be described herinunder. First, while the safety razor is not used, it can be folded together as shown in FIG. 2. In particular, the right and left shaft members including the first and second shaft members 2a, 2b, 3a and 3b are exploded to the right and left side by rotating them around the protrusions 21 and 21 toward the holding member 1. Thereafter, each of the cover members 4a and 4b is slidably moved to the midst of the holding member 1 to fully cover it, thus folding the safety razor to become substantially of a straight line shape. 
     Next, to use the safety razor, the cover members 4a and 4b  are pulled outward as shown by arrows of FIG. 3 to expose the holding member 1. Thereafter, the cover members 4a and 4b together with the right and left shaft members 2a, 2b, 3a and 3b are rotated about the protrusions 21 and 21 to position them approximately at the right angle relative to the longitudinal direction of the holding member 1. As a result, the cover members 4a and 4b abut against each other to form a safety razor outer appearance of a T-shape. In this state, the cover members 4a and 4b serving as the handle of the safety razor can be held with ease. In addition, in this state, the recess 23 formed in the right side first shaft member 2b engages with the rod 32 formed on the left side shaft member 3a to fix the mutual position of the first and second shaft members 2a, 2b, 3a and 3b. A space between the elongated hole 12 formed in the bearing member 11 and the protrusion 21 permits a slight back and front movement of the holding member 1 relative to the first shaft members 2a and 2b, thus facilitating a shaving operation. 
     The bearing construction including the bearing members 11 and the protrusions 21 for rotatably coupling the holding member 1 and the right and left shaft members is not limited to the above embodiment, but various modifications are possible. For example, the mutual mounting position between the bearing members and the protrusions may be reversed, or another bearing construction including balls and spherical recesses rotatably coupling to the balls may be used. As to the slide engagement between the engaging members 41 and 41 and the right and left side second shaft members 3a and 3b, it is apparent that the mutual position therebetween may be reversed. The slide engagement is not limited to only the above embodiment, but various modifications are possible. For example, a slide engagement with a guide rail and a follower may also be used. 
     As described so far, according to the safety razor of the present invention, the cover members together with the shaft members are positioned perpendicularly to the holding member, thereby constructing the safety razor as of a T-shape similar to the conventional one and enabling securely holding with hand the cover members serving as a handle. Furthermore, while not using, the cover members together with the shaft members are positioned substantially in parallel with the holding member so that the safety razor can be folded in a straight line shape and also the holding member can be covered with the cover members. Therefore, a razor blade can be shielded with the cover members, thus ensuring a safety of carrying the safety razor. In addition, a separate protection cover or a large case as used heretofore is not necessary. Since the safety razor of this invention can be folded, the overall dimension is small thus realizing a compact safety razor with a high portability. 
     Although the present invention has been described with reference to the particular embodiment, the present invention is not limited thereto. Various other changes and modifications may be made within the spirit and scope of the present invention.