SHAVING CARTRIDGE RETAINING CASINGS AND STORAGE TRAY THEREFOR

Abstract: The casings (11) are adapted to retain a single safety razor cartridge unit (27) therein, each of which have at least one blade and a head cartridge member to which the blade is permanently secured and which also provides a guard surface. The head unit (27) is detachably engageable with a safety razor handle (28). Each casing (11) defines a single chamber in which a single shaving head unit (27) is retained. The structure in each casing (11) retains the head unit (27) therein against accidental removal in such a manner that the cutting edge of the blade is protected against damage and wherein the head unit (27) is engageable by the handle (28) while the head unit is still within the casing (11). Each head unit (27) when engaged with the handle (28) is withdrawable from its casing (11) by means of rocking the handle (28). The tray (10) comprises slide means securing structure to secure each individual casing (11) in the tray (10) in a side-by-side relationship, and the tray (10) and slide means are so configured as to permit each of the casings (11) to be slid endwise out of the tray (10) by the handle (28) engaged with the razor head (27) such that with the handle (28) engaged with the head (27) an operator may remove the blade unit (27) from the casing (11) or may alternatively slidably remove the blade unit (27) and casing (11) from the tray (10).

Description: The invention relates to wet shaving implements and is directed more particularly to shaving blade assemblies or cartridges which are dispensed in open top casings which are stored in trays in side-by-side relationship and which may be removed from each casing upwardly through its open top or the casing and cartridge together may be removed from the tray edgewise thereof by a handle being connected to the cartridge. In the wet shaving art replaceable razor blade assembly cartridges have been known for several years which could be replaced on a shaving handle assembly such as the type shown in the following U.S. Patents: 4,488,357; 4,492,024; 4,492,025; 4,551,916; 4,498,235. Several type of storage trays and magazines have been advanced for containing and transporting shaving cartridges such as the types shown in the following U.S. Patents: 3,785,051; 3,880,284; 4,043,035; 4,047,295; 4,128,172. The cartridge tray type where the cartridge may be engaged by a razor handle and removed from the tray with a rocking motion of the shaving handle is the type shown in the following U.S. Patents: 3,771,223; 3,783,493. Casings or cartridge covers have been shown in the following U.S. patents: 4,587,730; 4,601,392. As described in the above identified prior art patents razor shaving assembly cartridges have been known which have trays and magazines therefor as well as overcovers or casings for covering cartridges mounted on shaving handles but there has not been known prior to the present invention a transport tray and casings for carrying a plurality of razor blade assemblies each in an open top casing from which the blade assembly may be removed from the open top of the casing without removing the casing from the tray or a casing and cartridge may be removed edgewise or transversely of the major axis of a tray with the cartridge within the casing for subsequent removal from the casing by engaging the handle in the casing with one hand, grasping the inverted casing with the other hand and rocking the cartridge to remove it from the casing. According to the present invention there is provided the combination of a plurality of individual protective safety razor head unit casings and a tray for storing said plurality of said casings in side-by-side relationship, each of said casings being adapted to retain a single safety razor head unit therein, each of said head units having at least one blade and a head member to which the blade is permanently secured and which provides a guard surface, said head unit being detachably engageable with a safety razor handle, each said casing defining a single chamber in which a single head unit may be retained, structure in said casing for retaining said head unit therein against accidental removal in such a manner that a cutting edge of said blade is protected against damage and for permitting said head unit to be engaged by said handle while said head unit is still within said chamber, each said head unit when engaged with said handle being withdrawable from the top of its casing by means of said handle, said tray including slide means securing to secure each individual casing in said tray in said side-by-side relationship, characterized in that said tray and slide means being so configured as to permit each of said casings to be slid endwise out of said tray by said handle engaged with said head unit such that with said handle engaged with said head unit an operator may remove said head unit from said casing or may alternately slidably remove said head unit and casing from said tray. The cartridges may be removed individually from each casing while each casing is maintained engaged with the tray or the casing containing a cartridge may be removed from the tray and the handle employed to remove the cartridge from the casing for shaving at a later time and replaced into the casing for either transport during a trip or the casing and its cartridge returned to the tray. The invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cartridge and casing magazine tray for receiving a plurality of razor cartridges within casings in side-by-side relation for selectively removing either a cartridge upwardly from each casing or removing the cartridge and its carrier casing from the magazine along the axis of the cartridge. Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken along the major axis of the magazine. Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken along the major axis of the casing. Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view taken along the minor axis of the casing. Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of a casing having a cartridge installed therein. Figure 6 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a casing and its contained cartridge being removed transversely of the major axis of the magazine tray by a razor handle. Figure 7 is a vertical transverse sectional view of a cartridge casing containing a cartridge showing the cartridge being removed from the top of the casing in place on the casing tray by a removable razor handle. Referring now to the drawings and for the moment to Figure 1, 10 designates an injection molded resilient plastic or solid casing tray structure for containing and/or transporting a plurality of open top box-like resilient plastic rectangular casing structures 11. Upstanding from the base 12 of the tray 10 are a plurality of vertical walls 13 spacing the casing structures 11 from each other side-by-side along the tray 10 with their open tops directed upwardly. Positioned on each wall 13 are two spaced apart lugs or limit stops 14 positioned at a height along the walls 13 to engage the open tops of the casings 11 each of which contains a cartridge to permit the casings being slid transversely onto the tray 10 beneath the stops 14 which, will assure against the casings 11 being pulled upwardly between the walls 13. One longitudinal side 15 of the tray 10 along its major axis may have a barrier wall to guard against the casings 11 being pushed across and off the tray. Ledges 16 extend off the bottom of the walls 13 and form footing supports for the casings 11 when they are slid in place as shown in Figure 1. At the bottom of the side of the tray 10 where the casings are introduced are positioned lip-like projections 17 each having a protuberance 18 positioned to register with dimpled recesses 19 in the bottom ends of the casings 11 as best seen in Figures 2 and 3 for locking the casings 11 in place between the walls 13 and assuring against an endwise shift of the casings 11 along their major axes relative to the tray 10 and to provide a snap fit of the casings 11 between the walls 13 and side ends of the tray 10. The casings 11 have a bottom 20, an open top 20A, end walls 21, 22 joined by side walls 23, 24 and are provided with water drain and ventilation openings 25. As best seen in Figures 3, 4 and 5, each casing 11 within its open top box like structure has a set of vertical ribs 26 at each end which are spring biased to grip and yieldingly release a razor cartridge 27 when engaged by a handle 28 and rocked as shown by the arrows in Figure 6 for removing the cartridge 27 from the casing 11 for shaving. The attachment of the handle 28 to the cartridge 27 is well known and described in the prior art patents referred to hereinbefore. The cartridge is of the type in which a head unit accommodates at least one blade and a head member to which said blade is permanently secured and which provides a guard surface. The cutting edge of the blade is protected when the head unit is seated with a casing. By having open top casings 11 and at least a one open sided tray structure the present invention as best seen in Figure 1 permits the casing 11 to be retained on the tray 10 while the cartridge 27 is removed from the casing 11 open top by the razor handle 28 or once the handle is attached to the cartridge 27 while it is in place in the open top casing 11, the handle 28 may then be shifted toward the open side of the tray as shown in Figure 6 which will overcome the lock between the protuberances 18 on the tray projection and the dimple recess 19 in the bottom of casing 11 permitting the casing 11, its cartridge 27 and handle 28 to be removed endwise from the tray as shown in Figure 6. This will permit the razor cartridge 27 and handle 28 to be taken on an overnight trip protected by the casing 11 until it is time to shave at which time by gripping the casing 11 in one hand and the handle 28 in the other and imparting a rocking action to the handle 28, the casing 11 may be removed for shaving and afterwards be replaced by reversing the sequence. As shown in Figure 7 the cartridge 27 is engaged by the handle 28 and by rocking the handle the cartridge is disengaged from the grasp of ribs 26 and by raising the handle 28 the cartridge is removed from the casing 11 and tray or magazine 10.

Claims: The combination of a plurality of individual protective safety razor head unit casings (11) and a tray (10) for storing said plurality of said casings in side-by-side relationship, each of said casings (11) being adapted to retain a single safety razor head unit (27) therein, each of said head units (27) having at least one blade and a head member to which the blade is permanently secured and which provides a guard surface, said head unit being detachably engageable with a safety razor handle (28), each said casing (11) defining a single chamber in which a single head unit may be retained, structure in said casing for retaining said head unit therein against accidental removal in such a manner that a cutting edge of said blade is protected against damage and for permitting said head unit to be engaged by said handle while said head unit is still within said chamber, each said head unit when engaged with said handle being withdrawable from the top of its casing by means of said handle, said tray including a slide means securing structure (14 16, 18, 19) to secure each individual casing in said tray in said side-by-side relationship, characterized in that said tray (10) and slide means being so configured as to permit each of said casings (11) to be slid endwise out of said tray (10) by said handle (28) engaged with said head unit (27) such that with said handle engaged with said head unit an operator may remove said head unit from said casing (11) or may alternatively slidably remove said head unit (27) and casing (11) from said tray (10). A combination according to claim 1, characterized in that each casing (11) is an open top box like resilient plastic casing structure having means (26) within the casing to removably support a head unit (27) in inverted position, plastic walls (23, 24) upstanding from said tray positioned to space a line of said open top plastic casings side-by-side from each other, and in that stops (14) project from said tray walls (13) positioned to engage the tops of said open top box like plastic casings to prohibit withdrawal of the casings (11) upwardly from between said walls (13) but to permit withdrawal of a head unit (27) from the open top of said casing and permit the casing (11) and head unit (27) to be slid transversely of the major axis of the tray (10) for removal therefrom. A combination according to claim 2, characterized in that said means (26) within the box like casing for retaining the head unit in the casing are vertical alignment ribs (26) secured to the casing and resilient grip means at their free ends to restrain the head unit within the casing to permit withdrawal of said head unit by rocking it upwardly of the casing through its open top without disturbing the casing relative to the tray. A combination according to claim 2 or claim 3, characterized in that the open top box like casings have drain and ventilation openings (25) between their side and bottom walls (23, 24, 20). A combination according to any of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the slide means securing structure is dimpled recesses (19) at the bottom of the ends of said casings along their major axis for resiliently registering with protrusions (18) upstanding from the tray (10) to cause a snap fit between the tray and casing to restrain the casing against sliding endwise of the tray unless subjected to a force sufficient to overcome the engagement of the protrusion upstanding from the tray with the dimpled recess at the underside ends of the open top casings.

Inventors: APPRILLE, DOMENIC V., JR., GRAY, MICHAEL J., JACOBSON, CHESTER F., WESTON, RONALD P.
Applicants: THE GILLETTE COMPANY
Application year: 1988
Main classification: B26B29
IPC codes: B65D83, A45D27, B26B21