Abstract:
Improvements in an interchangeable shaver that accepts a variety of different disposable razors. To retain a disposable razor with a handle the interchangeable shaver has a cavity where the handle of the disposable razor slides into the holder to grip the handle and prevents the disposable razor from rotating as the shaver is drawn up, down and along the back, legs or other area of a person. The adapter angles the disposable razor to provide an optimal shaving angle for maximum hair removal and the closest shave to reduce the frequency of repeat shaving. A further improvement is an adapter that connects the interchangeable shaver to a disposable head. The adapter is configured to accommodate different disposable heads with a single adapter. The shaver has an extendable handle configured to prevent the razor from rotating on the shaft.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    Not Applicable 
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Not Applicable 
       THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT 
       [0003]    Not Applicable 
       INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC 
       [0004]    Not Applicable 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    1. Field of the invention 
         [0006]    This invention relates to improvements in a shaver for self-shaving a person&#39;s own back, legs or other area that might be difficult to reach. More particularly, the present back shaver provides an adjustable extension arm that allows a person to connect a disposable razor that can be purchased from a store and temporally secured to the adjustable extension arm to allow a person to self-shave their back legs or other area that might be difficult to reach. 
         [0007]    2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98 
         [0008]    As people get older, especially men, hair begins to grow on the back of a person. For some the hair can grow thick and may cause trouble with clothing and may be unsightly and undesirable. Removal of the hair can take a number of different methods. One method can be to have another person remove the hair on their back using a razor, wax, laser, chemicals or electrolysis. These methods require a second person to remove the hair from a back legs or other area that might be difficult to reach. This problem can also occur in pregnancy or for a person who in handicapped and wants to shave an area that may be out of their normal reach. 
         [0009]    For a person to shave the hair on one&#39;s own back requires a mechanism that allows access to the complete back to be shaved. To shave the hair to a minimal length of hair or a “close shave” the optimal angle of the shaving blade to the skin must be maintained over the entire surface of the back. The causes particular difficulty because the shape, length and width of a back, the use of one or both arms and the contours of a back around the sides, shoulder blades, the spine and the planar/contoured sections of a back. 
         [0010]    A number of patents and or publications have been made to address these issues. Exemplary examples of patents and or publication that try to address this/these problem(s) are identified and discussed below. 
         [0011]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,167,069 issued on Dec. 1, 1992 to Kathleen H. Quinn discloses an invention called the Razor Reach. The razor in this patent has a linear extending straight handle with a pivoting razor at the end of the handle. The razor is pivoted in fixed increments to allow a person to set the length of the arm, adjust the angle and then reach the razor behind their back to shave the hair. While this patent allows a person to shave their own back or other area that is difficult to reach, the razor is a custom razor and does not accept standard pre-existing razors or replacement heads. 
         [0012]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,266,888 issued on Jul. 31, 2001 for Thomas E. Zowaski discloses a Reaching Razor. This patent has an adjustable handle with pivoting elbow sections. While the razor allows a person to reach behind them to shave a back, the pivoting elbows must be frequently readjusted to accommodate the contours of a back as the user shaves the power back, the upper back and around their sides. 
         [0013]    U.S. Pat. No. 7,856,725 issued on Dec. 28, 2010 for Brett C. Marut discloses a Razor With Articulated Handle Extension. This paten has a handle that essentially folds in-half to shorten the handle to achieve a long reach and also to make a more compact size for storage. The patent further uses an electric razor to shave back hair without using disposable razors. While this patent provides a razor that can be used to shave a back, the razor does not use replaceable razors and razor heads. 
         [0014]    What is needed is an extendable razor that is easily extendable to set the angle of the shaving blade at the optimal angle for hair removal. The shaver should also accept disposable razor and razor heads. This disclosure provides a solution to the problem that has not been solved by others. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0015]    It is an object of the interchangeable shaver to accept a variety of different disposable razors. Disposable razors are made by a variety of different companies and each company has their own geometry for the head and for the shaft or handle that retains the razor blades. These disposable razors can have from one to a multiple number of razors. To retain a disposable razor with a handle the interchangeable shaver has a cavity where the handle of the disposable razor slides into the holder to grip the handle and prevents the disposable razor from rotating as the shaver is drawn up, down and along the back, legs or other area of a person. While the handle retainer firmly grasps the handle the holder also allows quick release of the disposable razor. The adapter angles the disposable razor to provide an optimal shaving angle for maximum hair removal and the closest shave to reduce the frequency of repeat shaving. 
         [0016]    It is an object of the interchangeable shaver to have an adaptor for accepting a replaceable shaving head. While some disposable razors provide a complete razor, it is often more common to replace just the head with blades. For this type of replaceable blades the interchangeable shaver has an adapter that connects the interchangeable shaver to a disposable head. The adapter is configured to accommodate different disposable heads with a single adapter. 
         [0017]    It is another object of the interchangeable shaver for the shaft to be extendable. Making the shaft extendable allows the user to work with a short handle, a long handle or any intermediate length to have maximum versatility with a length of between six inches and 36 inches. The extendable shaft further allows a user to reduce the overall length for storage and transportation as well as extend the shaft to a desired length for use. Extension of the handle is provided with fixed detents or with friction couplings. 
         [0018]    It is still another object of the interchangeable shaver to have a non-round shaft. The non-round shaft is used to prevent the razor head from rotating as the razor is being dragged along the back, legs or other area of the body. The shaft can be elliptical, multi-sided or have a key that prevents rotation of the telescoping sections. 
         [0019]    Various objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention, along with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals represent like components. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S) 
         [0020]      FIG. 1  shows a side view of the telescoping hand tool extended. 
           [0021]      FIG. 2  shows a side view of the telescoping hand tool retracted. 
           [0022]      FIG. 3  shows a top view of the telescoping hand tool. 
           [0023]      FIG. 4  shows a side view of the shaver. 
           [0024]      FIG. 5  shows a front view of the shaver. 
           [0025]      FIG. 6  shows a rear top perspective view of the shaver. 
           [0026]      FIG. 7  shows a front top perspective view of the shaver. 
           [0027]      FIG. 8  shows top front perspective view of the insert. 
           [0028]      FIG. 9  shows a side sectional view of the insert. 
           [0029]      FIG. 10  shows a perspective view of the shaver and the insert for the end of the hand tool. 
           [0030]      FIG. 11  shows a perspective view of a razor inserted into the insert and then into the hand tool. 
           [0031]      FIG. 12  shows a perspective view of a disposable razor head on the shaver and then into the hand tool. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0032]      FIG. 1  shows a side view of the telescoping hand tool  20  extended,  FIG. 2  shows a side view of the telescoping hand tool  20  retracted and  FIG. 3  shows a top view of the telescoping hand tool  20 . From  FIG. 1  the hand tool  200  is shown at near complete extension. The sections are configured as non-circular sections to prevent the sections from spinning within each other. This ensures that when a person is placing torsional loads on a shaver the head of the razor will not rotate to an undesirable orientation. In the preferred embodiment the shaft sections are elliptical or flattened circular sections of telescoping sizes. From the largest section  21  to the smallest section  26 . While six sections hand section,  22 ,  23 ,  24 ,  25  and top section  26  are shown, there could be more or less than six sections. 
         [0033]    The number of sections are selected based upon the desired length of that is desired by the user. The hand section  21  is shown with a cushion  27  that also makes the hand tool  20  easier to grasp if the users&#39; hand is wet. The top view of  FIG. 3  shows the elliptical shape of the sections. The last section  26  of the arm has an elbow  31  transitions into a cross section  32  that angles the cross section  32  from the pole sections  21 - 26 . The cross section  32  has a receiver  30 . The receiver is essentially a cylindrical receiving tube  33  with an interior hole  35 . The end of the rim  34  provides a shoulder. 
         [0034]    In  FIG. 2  the sections  21 - 26  are shown shortened to allow a user to access an area of the back that is closer to the handle. The sections are tightly telescoped together to reduce movement between adjoining sections. It is also contemplated that the sections can have detents or spring loaded pins that retain sections in fixed positions. When using spring loaded pins the pins must be depressed to allow the section(s) to slide or telescope with each other. Making the shaft extendable allows the user to work with a short handle, a long handle or any intermediate length to have maximum versatility with a length of between six inches and 36 inches. The extendable shaft further allows a user to reduce the overall length for storage and transportation as well as extend the shaft to a desired length for use. Extension of the handle is provided with fixed detents or with friction couplings. 
         [0035]      FIG. 2  further shows the receiver  30  placed at an angle  36  to allow the receiver to provide a different angle  36  for the receiver hole  34 . It is contemplated that the elbow  31  can allow the cross section to pivot on the last section  26  to alter the angle from 90 degree to straight. 
         [0036]      FIG. 4  shows a side view of the shaver,  FIG. 5  shows a front view of the shaver  50 ,  FIG. 6  shows a rear top perspective view of the shaver  50  and  FIG. 7  shows a front top perspective view of the shaver  50 . The shaver  50  has a bottom surface  51  with a chamfer that allows the shaver  50  to be inserted into the receiver hole  35  (shown in  FIG. 1 ) of the receiver  30 . A taper  52  allows the shaver  50  to be gripped within the receiver hole  35 . Both the taper  52  of the shaver  50  and a taper in the receiver hole  35  are approximately the same to provide sufficient gripping forces without the use on fasteners or bonding agents. The mid-section of the shaver  50  is a curved neck  55 . The curved neck  55  provides a preferred angle of about 40 degrees to create a more optimal angle for shaving. The curved neck  55  extends to an expansion  56 . 
         [0037]    The expansion spreads the shaver  50  to provide a locating and gripping portion for securing a replaceable razor head (not shown). The top of the shaver  50  has a curved surface that allows a replaceable razor to move in an arc travel  57  on the shaver  50  and on the curved face  60 . A plurality of locating and stop pins  59  is located on the end of the shaver  50  to limit the arc travel of a replaceable razor head. 
         [0038]    The shaver  50  has a split  58  that extends down to a through hole  54  near a relief  53  near the taper  52 . This split  58  allows the two sides of the shaver  50  to be flexed together to accept a disposable razor head and to return to a normal position to retain the disposable razor head. The shape and configuration of the pins and arc travel  57  allows different disposable razor heads from different manufactures to mount onto the shaver  50  thereby allowing the shaver  50  to provide a universal solution for disposable razors. 
         [0039]      FIG. 8  shows top front perspective view of the insert  80 ,  FIG. 9  shows a side sectional view of the insert  80 . The insert  80  has a bottom end  81  with a relief hole  82  that provides a reduced weight to the insert  80 . From the base  81  the side is tapered  84  to allow the insert  80  to be inserted and gripped by the inside tapered diameter of the receiver  30  (shown in  FIG. 1 ) without the use of a fastener or bonding. A shoulder  85  prevents the insert  80  from being inserted too far into the receiver  30 . The body of the insert  80  then expands to a plurality of spring tabs  86 . 
         [0040]    In this preferred embodiment of the insert  80  there are six spring tabs  86 , but more or less than six spring tabs  86  are contemplated. The selection of six spring tabs  86  has provided the optimal number for grasping onto the handle of a disposable shaver  120  (as shown in  FIG. 11 ). The spring tabs  86  are relieved with slots  87  that extend to a slot relied  88  hole that essentially allows each spring tab  86  to operate independently from the base of the insert  80  to the end  89  of each spring tab  86 . The inside  90  surface of the spring tab(s)  86  are curved to press against the handle of a disposable razor  120 . The inside bottom of the insert  80  has receiver pocket  91  where the end of a disposable razor  120  stops or rests. 
         [0041]      FIG. 10  shows a perspective view of the shaver  50  and the insert  80  for the end of the hand tool  35 . From the bottom of this figure the open end  35  of the receiver  30  is shown at the end of the cross member  32  of the receiver tube  33 . The neck  55  extends to the curved face of the shaver  50 . With the insert  80  the spring tabs  86  extend from the tapered end  84 . The tapered end  52  of the shaver  50  and the tapered end  84  of the insert  80  are essentially the same and compliment the hole  35  of the receiver  30 . 
         [0042]    The shaver  50  can be inserted  102  into the receiver hole  35  or the receiver or the insert  80  can be inserted  101  or interchanged into  100  the open end  34  of the receiver hole  35  to accept a disposable razor secured into the insert  80  or disposable shaving head secured to the shaver  50 . 
         [0043]      FIG. 11  shows a perspective view of a disposable razor  120  inserted into the insert  80  and then into the hand tool  30 . This is a typical configuration when using a disposable razor with an attached handle  120 . A user inserts  92  the disposable razor  120  into the insert  80 , and the insert  80  into the receiver tube  33  of the receiver  30  until the end of the handle of the disposable razor  120  is gripped. The user may rotate the disposable razor  120  to obtain optimal grip of the handle of the disposable razor and the irregular shaft of the disposable razor  120  falls into the slots of the spring tabs of the insert  30 . The cross member  32  extends to the adjustable shaft of the receiver  30  to allow the user to set the desired length of the handle. After the disposable razor  120  has been sufficiently used, a user simply pulls  93  the disposable razor out of the insert  80  and can then install a replacement disposable razor  120  into the insert  80 . 
         [0044]      FIG. 12  shows a perspective view of a disposable razor head  110  on the shaver  50  and then into the hand tool  30 . This is a typical configuration when using a disposable razor head  110 . A user inserts the shaver  50  into the receiver tube  33  of the receiver  30  and the squeezes  61 / 62  the sides of the shaver  50  as they place a disposable razor head  110  onto the shaver  50  to grip the disposable razor head  110 . The cross member  32  extends to the adjustable shaft of the receiver  30  to allow the user to set the desired length of the handle. After the disposable razor head  110  has been sufficiently used, a user simply squeezes  61 / 62  the sides of the shaver  50  to release the disposable razor head  110 . The user can then install a replacement disposable razor  110  into the insert shaver  50 . 
         [0045]    Thus, specific embodiments of an interchangeable shaver have been disclosed. It should be apparent, however, to those skilled in the art that many more modifications besides those described are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. The inventive subject matter, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims.