Abstract:
The safety razor includes a blade housing and a ceramic blade having a base disposed within the blade housing. The ceramic blade generally extends outwardly from the blade housing to expose a cutting edge suitable for shaving. The blade housing itself extends through at least a portion of the base to non-removably lock the ceramic blade therein. Accordingly, attempting to remove the ceramic blade from the blade housing results in destruction of the cutting edge.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to a disposable razor. More particularly, the invention relates to a disposable safety razor that shatters upon attempted removal from the razor head. 
         [0002]    Hand-held articles such as toothbrushes, razors, writing instruments or utensils can be dangerous, when modified, especially in prisons or hospitals. For example, prison inmates may melt plastic toothbrushes into sharp objects for use as knives. Metal blades from shavers or razors may be extracted and attached to an elongated handle for use as a knife or other sharp weapon. Resourceful prison inmates can even modify plastic eating utensils such as knives, forks and spoons to produce weapons. Notably, prison inmates are extremely resourceful and frequently create dangerous weapons from the aforementioned everyday articles. These hand-held weapons can, in turn, be used to attack other inmates or even prison guards. 
         [0003]    Shaving razors, in particular, can be especially dangerous because they carry cutting blades. Most shaving razors consist of three main parts: (1) a head portion made from a rigid plastic or metal body; (2) a conventional razor blade or multiple razor blades mounted in the head; and (3) a handle, typically fabricated from a robust, rigid material such as plastic. The shaving razor head and body are usually strong and only structurally fail under forces that far exceed normal everyday use. The blade mounted within the head portion is of particular concern because of the presence of an extremely sharp cutting blade. The blade in most shaving razors can be easily extracted from the head portion. For example, some blades are designed to be interchanged so a user may easily remove an old worn down blade with a new, sharp blade. Other shaving razor designs include head and body portions that are frangible, thereby enabling easy removal of the blade therefrom. In prison or hospital environments, the blade can be attached to another article and used as a weapon. This is particularly dangerous as prison inmates and potentially suicidal hospital patients may easily extract and use the corresponding blade for unintended purposes. Utilizing easily breakable body or head portions with the razor blade assembly may actually increase the number of injuries in correctional facilities or hospitals because the blades are even more easily removable. 
         [0004]    Materially, most razor blades are formed from composite or alloy metal materials. Razor blades have also been manufactured from other types of materials, including ceramic, glass or other vitreous materials. Thus, a variety of non-metallic blade constructions are available in the prior art. But, manufacturing razors having blades other than metal require a host of fabrication steps. For instance, glass blades are especially difficult to mass produce and assemble because separately formed glass elements are difficult to fuse together. Ideally, glass is fused or formed immediately into the razor blade assembly, such as being immediately mounted to the head portion. Manufacturing a blade that requires a complex assembly process is more expensive to mass produce than other, simpler, razor blades. Unsurprisingly, simple disposable metallic-based razors dominate current market sales. 
         [0005]    Even simple metallic razor blade assemblies have several manufacturing, processing and assembly steps. For example, assembly may require that several individual or partially assembled components be put together at one or more workstations. In this regard, generally at least the body portion, the head portion, and the blade require assembly. The head portion may include a slot for permanently or interchangeably securing one or more blades therein. The handle portion and the head portion may be formed together or separately. The two must be connected when separately formed. Some manufacturing techniques known in the art mold a thermoplastic material around opposite side edges of the blades. To protect the blades during the assembly process a selectively removable cap may also be attached to the head to protect the otherwise exposed blades. 
         [0006]    One common manufacturing problem associated with metallic-based razors is consistent blade performance. In particular, specific spatial positioning of metallic razor blades in the head portion of the razor assembly dictates the angles at which the blades contact the skin. This directly affects shave performance. The quality of razor fabrication and subsequent assembly can affect the consistency at which the blades are assembled into the razor head. For example, shave performance is at least partially based on the placement of the blades in the head. Sometimes users undesirably experience vibrations of the blades during shaving. This is commonly referred to as “chatter”. Chatter detracts from the overall “smoothness” of the shave. Separate fabrication and assembly steps typically contribute to chatter. Mass manufacturing of razor blades has improved over the years through the use of plastic parts and injection molding. Accordingly, manufacturers are able to produce more consistently dimensioned products using these manufacturing techniques. One drawback, however, is that these plastic parts are only used for the head and body portions of the razor assembly and do not significantly improve blade performance. 
         [0007]    Another drawback of metallic-based blades is that the razor blade itself tends to bend during shaving. The blade should ideally be flush against the shaving surface. But, flexible metallic-based blades tend to bend at the middle of the blade due to counter-active forces along the shaving surface and a lack of support therein. Consequently, matching mating parts of the razor assembly should be carefully aligned during assembly. Adequate care may require labor intensive quality assurance measures, which ultimately increase the cost of manufacturing. 
         [0008]    Another drawback of the aforementioned razor blade assemblies includes vibrations among various subcomponents and vibrations of the actual razor blade assembly itself during shaving. Vibrations among subcomponents of the razor blade assembly are commonly referred to as “clam-shelling.” Clam-shelling may occur between loose fitting sections of the head and body portions. For example, the head may vibrate back and forth relative to the body. Another undesirable vibration is associated with the cantilever design of most convention razor blade assemblies. In this case, the user applies a force at one end of the body portion such that the head portion, containing the blades therein, contacts the shaving surface. The blades attach to and are supported at opposite edges of the head portion. The blades are generally less supported away from the edges of the head and toward the middle of the head portion. The material stiffness of the blades ultimately determines the amount the blades are able to bend. Rapid bending and returning of the blades themselves can cause vibration because the head and corresponding blades do not remain flush with the shaving surface. In this case, the cantilever configuration of the razor blade assembly allows the head and corresponding blades to undesirably hop or vibrate along the shaving surface. 
         [0009]    Disposable shaving razors known in the art also include mechanisms for retaining shaving cream in the body portion of the razor. In one prior art device, the shaving cream manually dispenses by telescopic movement of a handle over a central stem of the razor. Accordingly, the shaving cream dispenses through an aperture in the head of the razor. A pressure sensitive adhesive coats the surface around the aperture for sealing the dispensing aperture prior to use of the razor. But, this prior art device must be sealed together in several different layers to retain and hold the shaving cream. Moreover, the telescopic handle and central stem must be rigid and could be used as a weapon by inmates, similar to a toothbrush handle. 
         [0010]    Thus, there exists a significant need for a disposable razor that cannot be manipulated into a weapon and includes a blade that breaks with attempted removal therefrom. Such an improved razor blade assembly should include a pliable plastic handle for retaining shaving cream therein and a hard plastic housing for retaining a ceramic blade such that the ceramic blade shatters into useless fragments upon attempted removal from the housing. Moreover, the improved razor blade assembly should be easy to manufacture, assemble and be cost effective. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides further related advantages. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0011]    The safety razor disclosed herein generally includes a blade housing and a ceramic blade having a base disposed within the blade housing. The ceramic blade generally extends outwardly from the blade housing to expose a cutting edge suitable for shaving. Preferably, the blade housing extends through at least a portion of the base to non-removably lock the ceramic blade therein. Accordingly, attempting to remove the ceramic blade from the blade housing results in destruction of the cutting edge. This occurs because the blade housing is made from a material relatively more rigid than the ceramic blade. In one embodiment, the ceramic blade may include multiple cutting edges coupled together by the base. Moreover, the blade housing may include a carriage extending away from the handle to optimize contact of the cutting edge with a shaving surface. A handle made from a pliable plastic material may also be selectively attached to the blade housing. 
         [0012]    The blade housing may extend through at least a portion of the base in one of several different embodiments. For example, the blade housing may extend through a longitudinal aperture formed through the body of the base. The single longitudinal aperture may, in an alternative embodiment, be replaced by multiple longitudinal apertures formed through the body of the base. In another embodiment, the blade housing extends through a notch formed along at least one side of the base. More preferably, the blade housing extends through a pair of notches formed on opposite sides of the base. In these embodiments, the blade housing restricts horizontal and vertical movement of the ceramic blade therein by virtue of extending through at least a portion of the base. This feature enhances the non-removability of the ceramic blade and base within the interior of the blade housing. In another alternative embodiment, the blade housing may extend through both a notch and an aperture formed in the base, and may encompass at least a portion of the base to securely lock the ceramic blade within the blade housing. 
         [0013]    Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]    The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention. In such drawings: 
           [0015]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a disposable razor, in accordance with the present disclosure; 
           [0016]      FIG. 2  is a side view of the disposable razor of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0017]      FIG. 3  is a front view of the disposable razor of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0018]      FIG. 4  is a perspective environmental view of the disposable razor, illustrating dispensing shaving cream after removal of a nib; 
           [0019]      FIG. 5  is an environmental view illustrating shattering a ceramic razor blade upon attempted removal from a rigid plastic housing; 
           [0020]      FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of the disposable razor, taken about the line  6 - 6  of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0021]      FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view of the disposable razor, taken about the line  7 - 7  of  FIG. 4 , illustrating dispensing shaving cream after nib removal; 
           [0022]      FIG. 8  is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of a pair of ceramic razor blades mounted in the plastic housing, taken about the circle  8  of  FIG. 6 ; 
           [0023]      FIG. 9  is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the plastic housing, illustrating shattering of the ceramic razor blades therein; 
           [0024]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view illustrating a dual blade mounted within a partial cutaway of the razor head; 
           [0025]      FIG. 11  is a perspective view similar to  FIG. 10 , illustrating a dual blade having an elongated aperture in the blade base; 
           [0026]      FIG. 12  is a perspective view similar to  FIG. 10 , illustrating a dual blade having a plurality of elongated apertures in the blade base; 
           [0027]      FIG. 13  is a perspective view similar to  FIG. 10 , illustrating a dual blade having a notch formed along one side of the base; 
           [0028]      FIG. 14  is a perspective view similar to  FIG. 10 , illustrating a dual blade having a combination of the notch and the elongated aperture; 
           [0029]      FIG. 15  is a perspective view similar to  FIG. 10 , illustrating a dual blade having a combination of the notch and a plurality of the elongated apertures; 
           [0030]      FIG. 16  is a perspective view illustrating a single blade mounted within a partial cut away of the razor head; 
           [0031]      FIG. 17  is a perspective view similar to  FIG. 16 , illustrating a single blade having an elongated aperture in the blade base; 
           [0032]      FIG. 18  is a perspective view similar to  FIG. 16 , illustrating a single blade having a plurality of elongated apertures in the blade base; 
           [0033]      FIG. 19  is a perspective view similar to  FIG. 16 , illustrating a single blade having a notch formed along one side of the base; 
           [0034]      FIG. 20  is a perspective view similar to  FIG. 16 , illustrating a single blade having a combination of the notch and the elongated aperture; and 
           [0035]      FIG. 21  is a perspective view similar to  FIG. 16 , illustrating a single blade having a combination of the notch and a plurality of the elongated apertures. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0036]    As shown in the drawings for purposes of illustration, the present invention for a disposable razor is referred to generally by the reference number  10 . In  FIG. 1 , the disposable razor  10  generally includes a body  12  and a head  14  for retaining a ceramic blade  16  ( FIGS. 16-21 ) or a plurality of ceramic blades  16  ( FIGS. 10-15 ). The disposable razor  10  is ideal for gift packs for hotels, motels, hospitals, airlines and for other company or product advertisements, or give-away toiletry items. For example, a logo or other advertisement may be applied to the body  12 . The disposable razor  10  is also particularly ideal for use in prisons and hospitals as the ceramic blade  16  shatters upon attempted removal from the head  14 , as described in more detail below. That is, inmates and suicidal hospital patients would no longer be able to extract the ceramic blade  16  from the head  14  for use as a weapon or to impose self-inflicted wounds. Hence, the disposable razor  10  could save thousands of dollars in medical expenses from injuries related to blades that could previously be extracted from the head  14  and used as a weapon. 
         [0037]    The overall size of the disposable razor  10  is preferably close to that of a common book of matches. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the disposable razor  10  is one and thirteen-sixteenth inches long, one and one-half inches wide and one-fourth inches thick at a bottom end  18  having a breakaway nib  20 . Moreover, the disposable razor  10  is preferably approximately one-fourth to five-sixteenths inches thick at a top end  22  where the ceramic blade  16  is affixed to the head  14 . Thus, the overall size of the disposable razor  10  is ideal for traveling or for use in small areas, such as a hotel room or prison bathroom. The disposable razor  10  may also be grouped with other toiletry items provided to hotel guests, provided in a gift pack or sold in a travel pack. 
         [0038]    As shown in  FIG. 2 , the body  12  generally angles outwardly from the head  14  toward the bottom end  18 . The body  12  is preferably manufactured from a pliable plastic material that can be deformed by being squeezed. The body  12  should be flexible enough such that a shaving solution  24  may be dispensed therefrom after the nib  20  breaks away from the body  12  ( FIG. 4 ).  FIG. 4  specifically illustrates a user hand  26  grasping a front portion  28  and a rear portion  30  of the body  12  to dispense the shaving solution  24  therefrom. 
         [0039]      FIG. 3  illustrates a front view of the disposable razor  10 . In this embodiment, the head  14  includes a pair of ceramic blades  16  mounted therein. The head  14  is preferably manufactured from a hard plastic material that encases at least the external ends of the ceramic blades  16 . Preferably, the head  14  is manufactured using an injection molding machine capable of casting (injecting) twenty-four units at a time. This is accomplished by first mounting one or more of the ceramic blades  16  in an injection molding die. Thereafter, hot injection molding material is rapidly injected into the die and molded around the ceramic blades  16  to form the head  14  generally shown in  FIG. 3 . The head  14  cools into a hardened plastic material substantially resilient to bending or flexing. Of course, the injection molding die would be designed to retain standard size razors (i.e. the ceramic blades  16 ) as most single edge, double edge and injection molding blades are the same width—i.e. the width of a standard book of matches. Moreover, the head  14  is curved (see  FIG. 2 ) similar to that of a bent book of matches. This angle is the preferred shaving angle for use with the disposable razor  10  because it enhances shave quality. The head  14  may be manufactured from a hard plastic material similar to that used with conventional metallic-based razors. 
         [0040]      FIG. 3  also illustrates the wide body configuration of the body  12 . The body  12  is different from conventional razors known in the art because the width of the body  12  extends approximately the width of the head  14  and the ceramic blades  16 . Conventional razors have long and skinny handles. The head portion of conventional razors is therefore more difficult to control and maneuver during shaving due to torque about the elongated handle. Such torque is nearly nonexistent in the present disposable razor  10 . The wide base of the body  12  provides this enhanced control during shaving. The surface area of the body  12  is also larger and easier to grasp. These features also allow users to stabilize movement of the disposable razor  10  during shaving to prevent other undesirable vibrations. 
         [0041]    The ceramic blade  16  mounts to the head  14 , which is manufactured from a hard plastic material as described above. The interplay between the ceramic blade  16  and the plastic head  14  makes it impossible to extract the ceramic blade  16  therefrom without completely shattering or destroying the ceramic blade  16 .  FIG. 5  illustrates a user having removed the head  14  from the body  12 . In  FIG. 5 , a pair of hands  26  bend the head  14  near its longitudinal mid point. The force required to break the plastic material of the head  14  is much greater than any force used during shaving. The ceramic blade  16  is otherwise locked within the plastic material comprising the head  14  during the molding process. But, attempting to remove the ceramic blade  16  as shown in  FIG. 5  causes, not only the head  14  to snap into pieces, but also causes the ceramic blade  16  to shatter into a plurality of pieces  32 . In fact, simply twisting or even bending the head  14 , without breaking it, causes the ceramic blade  16  to shatter. The ceramic blade  16  shatters into the plurality of pieces  32  primarily because it has brittle ceramic material properties. This aspect of the disposable razor  10  effectively prevents a prison inmate or a mental health facility patient from bending or breaking the head  14  and extracting the ceramic blade  16  therefrom. Accordingly, the pieces  32  are completely useless fragments of the original ceramic blade  16 . The pieces  32  cannot be used as a weapon as could conventional metallic-based razors extracted from a head portion thereof. 
         [0042]      FIG. 6  illustrates a cross-sectional view of the disposable razor  10  having the shaving solution  24  within the body  12 . As shown, the nib  20  extends from the bottom end  18  of the body  12  to be selectively removed therefrom when the contents (i.e. the shaving solution  24 ) is to be dispensed. In application, a user breaks the nib  20  away from the body  12  ( FIG. 7 ). The body  12  is then compressed along the directional arrows generally shown in  FIG. 7  to dispense the shaving solution  24  out from within the interior of the body  12 . The pliable plastic material that comprises the body  12  compresses as shown between  FIGS. 6 and 7 . The shaving solution  24  may include any type of liquid, including shaving gel, aftershave, shaving cream, shaving oil, lotion or soap. Appropriately, the nib  20  may be broken away from the body  12  either before shaving, in the case of shaving gel, or after a shave, in the case of aftershave. The nib  20  may, alternatively, be a cap or other removable device capable of retaining the shaving solution  24 . One important aspect of the body  12  is that the body  12  cannot be readily made into an elongated and substantially hardened weapon as can be done with conventional razor blade handles. As such, the pliable plastic material that comprises the body  12  is preferably soft and flexible. The body  12  does not include any elongated sections of rigid plastic that could be removed from the head  14  and melted or sharpened at one end into a weapon. 
         [0043]      FIGS. 8 and 9  illustrate a pair of ceramic blades  16  mounted to the head  14 . As shown in  FIG. 8 , the ceramic blades  16  mount within the head  14  at an angle to enhance the comfort of the shave. The ceramic blades  16  are approximately twice as hard as stainless steel and can withstand extremely high temperatures. But, the ceramic blades  16  cannot withstand minor deformation (e.g. twisting). The inherent brittleness of ceramic material causes the ceramic blades  16  to break into the pieces  32  ( FIG. 9 ) when the head  14  is twisted, distorted or otherwise broken in half ( FIG. 5 ). In this instance, ceramic is a particularly ideal material for use as a razor blade. Ceramic has desirable properties of high strength, hardness and corrosion resistance and can be manufactured to provide a satisfactory sharp shaving edge. Moreover, ceramic blades offer precise blade extension with cleaner, sharper cutting edges than conventional metal-based razor blades. Ceramic is also resistant to bending, unlike metallic-based blades. Thus, the entire length of a ceramic blade is engageable with the shaving surface, which is an improvement over metallic-based blades that tend to bend or bow in unsupported areas of the razor blade assembly. Accordingly, the ceramic blade  16  is better supported and more resistant to bending, which helps prevent and eliminate the aforementioned and undesirable vibrational characteristics associated with metallic-based razor blades. Moreover, over time, steel materials often exhibit increased strength in the work area (e.g. the sharpened edge) from extensive use. Ceramic material subjected to similar operation does not exhibit similar material strengthening in the work area because ceramic is considerably more brittle and does not bend under similar loads. Thus, ceramics are much more susceptible, relative to metal-based razor blade edges, to fracture-type breakage. This is particularly ideal in the present disclosure as the ceramic blades  16  are well suited for limited or one-time use in a prison or mental facility where inmates or patients of these institutions are unable to remove the ceramic blade  16  from the head  14  absent shattering the ceramic blade  16  into a plurality of pieces  32  ( FIG. 9 ). Hence, the ceramic blade  16  cannot be removed and used to injure others or to inflict wounds, such as in an attempted suicide. Rather, ceramic blades  16  shatter into the useless pieces  32  upon attempted removal from the head  14 . 
         [0044]    The ceramic blade  16  may be manufactured from any one of a plurality of polycrystalline ceramic substrate materials. Such materials may include silicon carbide, silicon nitride, mullite, hafnia, yttria, zirconia or alumina. Alternatively, the ceramic blades  16  could comprise polycrystalline ceramic substrate materials being adhered in alumina and hot isostatically-pressed tetragonal zirconia. The abraded edge of the ceramic blade  16  may then be subjected to heat-treatment, referred to as “annealing”. Annealing reduces surface raggedness and substrate defects resulting from initial mechanical abrasion manufacturing. Once complete, the ceramic blade  16  remains brittle relative to the head  14  and shatters upon attempted removal once molded to the head  14 . 
         [0045]      FIGS. 10-15  illustrate various embodiments of the ceramic blade  16  compatible with the disposable razor  10  disclosed herein. For example,  FIG. 10  illustrates a partial cutout of the head  14  to illustrate the positioning of the ceramic blades  16  within the interior of the head  14 . Each of the blades  16  are commonly linked to one another via a base  34  disposed substantially within the interior of the head  14 . In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 10 , the head  14  simply extends around and encompasses the entire exterior periphery of the base  34  and encompasses a portion of the ends of the ceramic blades  16  (as shown in phantom). The portion of the head  14  that extends over a portion of the ceramic blades  16  prevents a user from simply pulling the ceramic blades  16  and the corresponding base  34  out from within the head  14 . As discussed in greater detail below, the base  34  includes a variety of mechanisms to enhance locking placement within the head  14  to prevent, among others, horizontal and vertical movement. 
         [0046]    For example,  FIG. 11  illustrates an embodiment wherein the base  34  includes a single longitudinal aperture  36  extending through a portion of the base  34 . The longitudinal aperture  36  is filled by the head  14  as best shown by a block  38  extending out from the longitudinal aperture  36  and the base  34  in the cutaway view of the head  14 . Extrusion of the block  38  through the longitudinal aperture  36  further lockingly retains the ceramic blades  16  of the base  34  within the head  14 . The block  38  effectively prevents horizontal or vertical movement of the base  34  or the ceramic blades  16 . A user would be required to break a portion of the head  14  away from the base  34  to slide the block  38  out from within the longitudinal aperture  36 . This is extremely difficult because the head  14  is now formed, not only around the exterior surface of the base  34  and a portion of the ceramic blades  16 , but through the longitudinal aperture  36  formed within the interior of the base  34 . This only further enhances the retention and rigidity of the ceramic blades  16  and the base  34  within the interior of the head  14 . Accordingly, this design cuts down on any undesired vibrational movement of the ceramic blades  16  and increases the difficulty in dislodging the ceramic blades  16  from the head  14  without shattering the ceramic blades  16  as described above. In fact, the relative material properties of the head  14  relative to the ceramic blades  16  and the base  34  make it impossible to remove the ceramic blade  16  from the head  14 . That is, deforming any portion of the head  14  that may cause it to break will cause the ceramic blades  16  to shatter. 
         [0047]      FIG. 12  illustrates an alternative embodiment to the single longitudinal aperture  36  described above with respect to  FIG. 11 .  FIG. 12  illustrates multiple of the longitudinal apertures  36  and multiple blocks  38  extending through those longitudinal apertures  36 . The cutout view of  FIG. 12  best illustrates how the blocks  38  extend through the longitudinal apertures  36  and are formed as part of the head  14  to effectively lock the base  34  and the ceramic blades  16  to the head  14 .  FIG. 13  is another alternative construction wherein the longitudinal aperture  36  is replaced by a pair of notches  40  at opposite ends of the base  34 . A notch block  42  accordingly extends through the notches  40  and provides a similar locking mechanism as the block  38  that extends through the longitudinal apertures  36 , as described above. One or more of the notches  40  and the notch blocks  42  may be used in the construction shown in  FIG. 13 . Preferably, the notches  40  are formed at opposite ends of the longitudinal base  34  to prohibit horizontal and vertical movement of the base  34  within the interior of the head  14 . Accordingly, the notches  40  are effective at preventing side-to-side and forward-to-back movement of the base  34  within the head  14 . Again, removal of the ceramic blades  16  and the base  34  would require breaking a portion of the head  14  to free movement of the base  34  from the notch blocks  42 . In doing so, a user would effectively shatter the ceramic blades  16  and the base  34  into useless fragments because of the relative brittleness of the ceramic blades  16  relative to the head  14 . 
         [0048]      FIGS. 14 and 15  illustrate a combination of the longitudinal aperture  36  and the notches  40  within the base  34 . For instance,  FIG. 14  illustrates the single longitudinal aperture  36  having the block  38  extending therethrough. Furthermore, the base  34  includes a pair of the notches  40  formed at opposite ends thereof and having the notch blocks  42  extend therethrough. The features of the block  38  and the notch blocks  42  extending through the respective longitudinal aperture  36  and the notches  40  prevents side-to-side and forward-to-back movement of the base  34  within the interior of the head  14 . In a similar embodiment,  FIG. 15  merely replaces the longitudinal aperture  36  with multiple longitudinal apertures  36  and the singular block  38  with multiple blocks  38  extending through those multiple longitudinal apertures  36 . In these embodiments, the head  14  extends through more portions of the base  34  and decreases the amount of ceramic material between each of the longitudinal apertures  36  and notches  40 . In doing so, the base  34  and the ceramic blades  16  are more prone to shattering in the event any portion of the head  14  is broken. 
         [0049]    The embodiments illustrated with respect to  FIGS. 16-20  are similar in concept to those embodiments disclosed with respect to  FIGS. 10-15 , except that the pair of ceramic blades  16  illustrated in  FIGS. 10-15  are replaced with a singular ceramic blade  16 . Specifically,  FIG. 16  illustrates the single ceramic blade  16  disposed within the interior of the head  14 . As shown, a portion of the head  14  encompasses the outer ends of the ceramic blade  16 . The ceramic blade  16  is also held in place by the head  14 , which encompasses the outer surface periphery of the base  34 .  FIG. 17  illustrates the single longitudinal aperture  36  having the block  38  extending through the base  34 . This locks the ceramic blade  16  to the head  14  in a manner similar to that described with respect to  FIG. 11  above.  FIG. 18  similarly locks the ceramic blade  16  to the head  14  through implementation of the multiple longitudinal apertures  36  and the multiple blocks  38 . Like  FIG. 13 ,  FIG. 19  makes use of the notches  40  and the notch blocks  42  within the base  34  to secure the ceramic blade  16  to the head  14 .  FIGS. 20 and 21  utilize the combination of the longitudinal aperture  36  and the block  38  with the notches  40  and the notch blocks  42  in the base  34  to lock the ceramic blade  16  to the head  14  in a manner comparable to FIGS.  14  and  15 —except with respect to the single ceramic blade  16  instead of the dual ceramic blades  16 . 
         [0050]    In general, the purpose of adding the longitudinal aperture  36  (or multiple longitudinal apertures  36 ) and the notches  40 , or a combination thereof, is to ensure the highest degree of locking the ceramic blade  16  to the head  14  via the base  34 . The additional features of the longitudinal apertures  36  and the notches  40  having the corresponding blocks  38  and the notch blocks  42  extending therethrough further prohibits side-to-side movement, forward-to-back movement, horizontal displacement and vertical displacement of the ceramic blade  16  within the head  14 . The head  14  further substantially encompasses the bottom portion and top portion of the base  34  to mitigate any vertical movement of the ceramic blade  16  or the base  34  within the interior of the head  14 . Furthermore, the longitudinal apertures  36  and the notches  40  may enable the construction of a disposable razor  10  wherein the head  14  does not need to encompass a portion of the outer periphery of the ceramic blades  16 . This is because it is important that the ceramic blades  16  substantially lock to the head  14  to ensure non-removability therefrom. Without some obstruction of preventing forward-to-back horizontal movement of the ceramic blades  16 , as is accomplished through use of the block  38 , the notch block  42  or encompassing a portion of the outer periphery of the ceramic blade  16 , a user would otherwise be able to dislodge the ceramic blade  16  from within the interior of the head  14  and merely pull out the ceramic blade  16  for use as a weapon. One or a combination of the longitudinal apertures  36 , the notches  40  or the structure of the head  14  that extends over a portion of the ceramic blade  16  may be used in accordance with the disposable razor  10  disclosed herein to accomplish providing a disposable razor  10  that has a non-removable ceramic blade  16  that otherwise shatters upon attempted removal. 
         [0051]    Although several embodiments have been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications may be made to each without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited, except as by the appended claims.