Razor cleaning device

A wall mountable razor cleaning device including a pad portion mounted on a rear panel. The pad portion includes a textured forward surface. The textured forward surface is capable of removing hair from a razor blade.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a razor cleaning surface that is particularly adapted for wall mounting or as a portable cleaning device and more particularly pertains to allowing hair that has been built up within or on the blades of the razor to be removed.

The difficult task when using disposable razors and razors having changeable blades involves the removal of hairs that become lodged within, and/or between these blades. Some people become so frustrated by this task that they eventually attempt to pick these hairs out from the blades with their fingers, with the result being cuts to their fingers. What is needed is a way to remove built-up hair from within razor blades without having to resort to extreme measures.

The present invention attempts to solve the abovementioned problem by providing a unique textured pad having a surface that is soft to the touch but which is not overly slippery, i.e., its coefficient of factor being sure that the motion of the blade over the surface causes the hairs to be removed. The device of the present invention can be mounted on a shower wall or the like so that the user can run the razor blade against in a direction opposite that of when shaving, in order to remove these hairs from the blade.

The use of razor cleaning accessories is known in the prior art. More specifically, razor cleaning accessories heretofore devised and utilized for the purpose of cleaning a razor are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.

By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,009,622 to Lieblad discloses a razor cleaning device comprised of a housing with a water hole for submerging the razor in water and squeezing. U.S. Pat. No. 3,464,110 to Anna and U.S. Pat. No. 4,054,963 to Taylor disclose various devices for cleaning electric razors.

While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objective and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe a convenient unique cleaning surface for a wall mountable razor cleaning device or a portable device for allowing hair that has been built up within blades of the razor to be removed.

In this respect, the wall mountable razor cleaning device according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of allowing hair that has been built up within blades of the razor to be removed.

Therefore, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for a new and improved razor cleaning materials which may be wall mountable or a separate member usable on any surface. This cleaning device can be used for allowing hair that has been built up within blades of the razor to be removed. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In the view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of razor cleaning accessories now present in the prior art, the present invention provides an improved razor cleaning material and device. As such, the general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new and improved razor cleaning device which has all the advantages of the prior art and none of the disadvantages.

To attain this, the present invention essentially comprises a pad portion. The pad may be a separate member or mounted on a panel or other suitable means. The pad portion includes a forward surface that has a slight texture or pebbled feel to it. The texturing or pebbles need not have high points and low points that vary significantly from each other. In a preferred embodiment, the textured pad may be comprised of a composition having a major portion thereof an ethylene vinyl acetate resin. The textured forward surface is capable of removing hair from a razor blade. A housing may be coupled with respect to the pad portion. The housing may have an open outer end, a closed inner end, and a surrounding side wall. The housing may also be dimensioned for holding a plurality of spare razor blades therein. In one embodiment, the open upper end is hingedly coupled with the rear panel of the pad portion. The closed inner end has a plurality of suction cups or hook and loop fasteners such as Velcro™, an adhesive or other suitable means disposed thereon to allow securement of the housing to a selected surface.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved razor cleaning material.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a new and improved razor cleaning pad for removing hair.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved razor cleaning material which has all the advantages of the prior art razor cleaning accessories and none of the disadvantages.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved razor cleaning material which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved razor cleaning material which is of durable and reliable construction.

An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved razor cleaning material which is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such wall mountable razor cleaning device economically available to the buying public.

Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved razor cleaning material for allowing hair that has been built up within blades of the razor to be removed.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved razor cleaning material including a pad portion mounted on a rear panel. The pad portion includes a textured forward surface. The textured forward surface is capable of removing hair from a razor blade.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a wall mounted case for storing replacement blades for a razor.

The same reference numerals refer to the same parts through the various figures.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference now to the drawings, and in particular, toFIGS. 1 through 4thereof, the preferred embodiment of the new and improved wall mountable razor cleaning device embodying the principles and concepts of the present invention and generally designated by the reference number10will be described.

Specifically, it will be noted in the various Figures that the device relates to a wall mountable razor cleaning device for allowing hair that has been built up within blades of the razor to be removed. In its broadest context, the device consists of a pad that may be used alone or in combination with a housing. Such components are individually configured and correlated with respect to each other so as to attain the desired objective.

The pad portion is preferably a material known as a foamy or an “EVA Foamy” sold by Darice at Michaels stores. The pad is preferably made of a flexible slightly textured polymeric material and blends thereof. One preferred polymeric material is a textured foam material that is preferably a ethylene vinyl acetate. The ethylene vinyl acetate may have additives present. These additives may include one or more blowing agents and/or crosslinking agents. Other additives may include stearic acid or other fatty acid, a calcium carbonate and/or a clay. The preferred embodiment of the present invention is as follows:

Ethylene vinyl acetate resin60-90%by weightBlowing agent1-5%by weightCrosslinking agent0-1%by weightStearic acid0-1%by weightCalcium Carbonate5-15%by weightClay5-15%
In a most preferred embodiment the composition of the pad may be:

EXAMPLE

It has been found that a textured EVA foamed material having the following composition is particularly useful in practicing of the present invention. This composition is as follows:

Other materials that may be used for the pad include foam material made of natural materials or synthetic materials, such as styrene butadiene rubber or polyurethane.

The pad portion12may be mounted on a rear panel14. The pad portion12includes a textured forward surface16. The textured forward surface16is capable of removing hair from a razor blade18.

The housing20is coupled with respect to the pad portion12. The housing20has an open outer end22, a closed inner end24, and a surrounding side wall26. The housing20is dimensioned for holding a plurality of spare razor blades28therein. The open outer end22is hingedly coupled with the rear panel14of the pad portion12. The closed inner end24has a plurality of suction cups, a hook and loop fastener such as Velcro™, an adhesive or other suitable means29disposed thereon to allow securement of the housing20to a selected surface. Additionally, as noted inFIG. 2, the housing20is provided with alternate securement means, such as hook and loop fasteners30.

In use, the shaving person will take his razor32and place the razor blade18against the textured forward surface16of the pad portion12. In a stroke opposite that of the shaving stroke, the blade18is pressed against the textured forward surface16thereby removing the hair particles from the blade18in a manner that is more thorough than running the blade18under a stream of water.

FIG. 5shows an example of another embodiment of the housing of the present invention. While the pad of the present invention may be used by itself, in some instances it may be desirable to have the pad12secured to a rear panel14. The rear panel may be any shape or configuration desired. The pad may be secured to the panel by any suitable means such as an adhesive, pins, etc. Although the rear panel is shown with a particular shape, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the shape of the rear panel is unlimited. Similarly, the pad may be any shape desired.