Abstract:
A safety razor blade unit is provided including at least one blade with a sharp cutting edge extending lengthwise of the blade unit, the blade being carried by a blade assembly, a support structure to which the blade assembly is pivotally joined by a hinge running the length of the blade, the support structure including first spring elements, disposed along the length of the blade assembly, configured to resiliently oppose local deformation of the blade unit under shaving forces encountered in regions where the first spring elements act, and second spring elements, interposed between the support structure and blade assembly, configured to resiliently bias the blade assembly toward a normal position with respect to the support structure.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application is a continuation, and claims the benefit of priority from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/411,080, filed Apr. 10, 2003, which is a continuation of PCT/US01/31600, filed Oct. 11, 2001, which claims priority from GB 0025336.9, filed Oct. 16, 2000, the contents of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD  
       [0002]     This invention relates to safety razors.  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0003]     This invention relates to safety razors of the kind in which a blade unit assembly is carried by a handle and includes at least one blade member with a cutting edge which is moved across the surface of the skin being shaved by means of the handle. A blade unit may be mounted detachably on a razor handle to enable the blade unit to be replaced by a fresh blade unit when the blade sharpness has diminished to an unsatisfactory level, or it may be fixedly attached to the handle with the intention that the entire razor be discarded when the blade or blades have become dulled. Detachable and replaceable blade units are commonly referred to as shaving cartridges.  
         [0004]     There have been various proposals for mounting a blade unit on a handle to enable movement of the blade unit during shaving with the aim of maintaining conformity of the skin contacting parts with the skin surface during shaving. For example, many razors currently marketed have blade units which are pivotable about longitudinal axes extending parallel to the cutting edges of the elongate blades incorporated in the blade units. In WO 97/26119 and WO 99/04938, there are described safety razors with blade unit support structures which permit further freedom of movement of the rigid blade units relative to the razor handles. It has also been proposed to make the blade unit flexible between supporting points at its ends so that the cartridge can bow under shaving forces. WO 88/04980 describes another construction in which flexible blade elements are carried by a deformable foam block, but there is no separate handle as the razor is held by means of the foam block. In spite of these previous attempts, there remains a need for a safety razor with a blade unit which is able to conform closely to the skin contours during shaving.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0005]     The present invention has for its object to fulfill the foregoing need and, in accordance with the invention, there is provided a safety razor blade unit comprising at least one blade with a sharp cutting edge extending lengthwise of the blade unit, and a support structure supporting the at least one blade, the support structure being resiliently compliant along the length of the blade unit under shaving forces imposed on the blade unit during shaving, the support structure including spring elements disposed along the blade unit to oppose local deformation of the blade unit under the shaving forces encountered in the regions where the spring elements act.  
         [0006]     In a preferred embodiment, several spring elements are distributed along the blade unit, and each spring element is deformable in such a manner so that it exerts a substantially constant restoring force irrespective of the degree of deformation.  
         [0007]     With such an assembly, the deformation of the blade unit under shaving forces can vary along the length of the blade unit enabling the blade unit to conform to skin undulations along the blade unit, with the forces exerted by the blade unit against the skin being substantially uniform along the blade unit. As a result, close conformity between the blade unit and the skin contours can be achieved without causing discomfort due to the blade unit being pressed against the skin under higher forces in certain confined areas.  
         [0008]     Conveniently, the spring elements are so formed that they deform by buckling, and they may consist of webs of resiliently flexible material. Alternatively, the spring elements may comprise leaf springs, or other spring devices, which are capable of exerting a substantially constant force over the normal range of the blade unit deformation.  
         [0009]     One form of safety razor blade unit according to the invention comprises at least one blade with a sharp cutting edge and a support structure supporting the at least one blade, the support structure having a blade platform structure carrying the at least one blade and having a front located forward of the at least one blade and a rear located behind the at least one blade, an intermediate structure, a base, a hinged connection between the intermediate structure and the front of the blade platform structure, the intermediate structure being movably mounted to the base to permit movement of the front of the blade platform structure towards and away from the base, and spring elements acting to urge the front of the blade platform structure away from the base and to urge the rear of the blade platform structure to rotate away from the base about the hinged connection, there being several spring elements disposed along the blade unit to act on respective portions of the blade platform structure being capable of displacement against the action of the spring elements unaccompanied by corresponding displacement of other portions of the blade platform structure.  
         [0010]     A further aspect of the invention provides a safety razor blade unit comprising at least one blade with a sharp cutting edge, and a support structure supporting the at least one blade, the support structure having a blade platform structure carrying the at least one blade, a sub-frame, a base, the sub-frame having a forward edge hingedly connected to the blade platform forwardly of the at least one blade, and a rear edge hingedly connected to the base, and spring elements acting between the sub-frame and the blade platform structure and acting between the sub-frame and the base to urge the blade platform structure away from the base.  
         [0011]     Several spring elements can be distributed along the blade unit and act between the sub-frame and respective portions of the blade platform structure. Also, several spring elements can be distributed along the blade unit and act between the base and respective portions of the sub-frame.  
         [0012]     In a currently preferred embodiment, the support structure includes an upper frame on which the blade or blades are carried, and a sub-frame, with spring elements being interposed between the upper frame and the sub-frame. Conveniently, the support structure is formed by a unitary molding of a resiliently flexible material, such as rubber or rubber-like material, the spring elements then being integral with the upper frame and also being integral with the sub-frame of the blade unit. With the support structure formed as a unitary moulding, manufacture of the blade unit is facilitated as assembly of components is minimized. The upper frame is preferably hinged to the sub-frame at the front of the support structure, and, with a moulded construction, the connection between them can be conveniently provided by a living hinge. The hinged connection between the upper frame and the sub-frame is preferably displaceable downwardly, generally towards the handle, under load forces exerted on the upper frame near the front thereof. The sub-frame can be supported with respect to an underlying base in a manner permitting movement of the sub-frame towards the base against the action of suspension springs which can also be formed by webs of resiliently flexible material which deform by buckling so that a substantially constant return force is exerted on the sub-frame.  
         [0013]     The upper frame can form a guard surface for contacting the skin ahead of the blades during a shaving stroke, and a cap surface for contact with the skin behind the blades. Alternatively, a separate guard element and/or a separate cap element could be mounted on the upper frame, although any such separate element would itself need to exhibit substantial flexibility along its length, or perhaps be divided up into short segments so as not to inhibit the flexing of upper frame to conform to the skin contours. One type of element which could, with advantage, be provided is a lubricating strip, which could be located adjacent the front or rear edges of the blade unit, such strips being adapted to deliver lubricant to the skin surface during shaving in a manner well known per se.  
         [0014]     In another embodiment of the invention, the blade or blades are carried by an upper frame consisting of a series of independent upper frame members spaced apart along the blade unit and extending substantially perpendicular to the length of the blade unit, these upper frame members being acted upon by respective spring elements. The forward end of each upper frame member is mounted for movement against the action of the respective spring element about an axis extending lengthwise of the blade unit. The spring can act on an arm which is attached to and extends rearwardly from the forward end of the upper frame member so that this member is biased to an upper pivotal position. Conveniently, the spring urges a pin upwardly against the arm, the pin being guided for up and down movement with respect to a base frame, and the upper frame member can be pivotally mounted on a support post guided for up and down movement substantially parallel to the direction of pin movement, whereby the forward end of the upper frame member can move downwardly under shaving forces imposed on the blade unit against a restoring force exerted by the spring element.  
         [0015]     Although the blade units of the invention may have a single blade, a plurality of blades, e.g. 2, 3, 4 or more blades, are preferably included and extend continuously along the blade unit with their sharpened edges substantially parallel. These blades are flexible for conforming to the skin contours. Another possibility is for several blade segments to be disposed along the blade unit so that they are able to move relative to each other as the upper frame flexes. To facilitate assembly of the blade unit the blades are preferably interconnected by transverse strips attached to the undersides of the blades, these strips and the blades together forming a flexible blade assembly in which, in an undeformed condition, the blades and strips are substantially coplanar to enhance the flexibility of the blade assembly. The blades are preferably as described in our British Patent Application No. 0025339.3 and the International Patent Application claiming priority therefrom.  
         [0016]     The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS  
       [0017]      FIG. 1  shows in perspective a safety razor equipped with a blade unit in accordance with the invention in a front perspective view;  
         [0018]      FIG. 2  is a front elevation of the blade unit of the razor shown in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0019]      FIG. 3  is an end elevation of the blade unit;  
         [0020]      FIG. 4  is a cross-section taken along the line IV-IV in  FIG. 2 ;  
         [0021]      FIG. 5  is an isometric view of the blade unit;  
         [0022]      FIG. 6  is a view showing the blade unit as seen in the direction of the arrow VI in  FIG. 3 ;  
         [0023]      FIG. 7  is an exploded isometric view of the blade unit;  
         [0024]      FIGS. 8 and 9  show the blade unit from the front and rear respectively, in a deformed condition as may arise during shaving;  
         [0025]      FIGS. 10 and 11  show the blade unit from the front and rear, respectively, in another deformed condition as may arise during shaving;  
         [0026]      FIG. 12A  is an isometric view from the front showing a blade unit as illustrated in FIGS.  1  to  11  but with a modified support structure;  
         [0027]      FIG. 12B  is an isometric view of the support structure of the blade unit shown in  FIG. 12A ;  
         [0028]      FIG. 13  is a rear isometric view of the blade unit shown in  FIG. 12A ;  
         [0029]      FIG. 14  is an isometric view showing from the front another safety razor with the blade unit embodying the invention;  
         [0030]      FIG. 15  is an isometric view showing the blade unit of the safety razor of  FIG. 14  from the rear;  
         [0031]      FIG. 16  is a rear elevation of the blade unit of the razor of  FIGS. 14 and 15 ;  
         [0032]      FIG. 17  is a cross-section taken along the line XVII-XVII in  FIG. 16 ;  
         [0033]      FIG. 18  is an end elevation of the blade unit of  FIGS. 14 and 15 ;  
         [0034]      FIG. 19  illustrates in perspective another embodiment of a safety razor having a blade unit in accordance with the invention;  
         [0035]      FIGS. 20A and 20B  show on an enlarged scale a leaf spring included in the blade unit of the razor shown in  FIG. 19 ;  
         [0036]      FIG. 21  is an isometric view illustrating a further embodiment of a safety razor with a blade unit according to the invention;  
         [0037]      FIG. 22  is a rear isometric view of the razor of  FIG. 21 ;  
         [0038]      FIG. 23  is an end view of the razor shown in  FIG. 21 ;  
         [0039]      FIG. 24  is a front elevation of the razor shown in  FIGS. 21-23 ; and  
         [0040]      FIG. 25  is a cross-section taken along the line XXV-XXV in  FIG. 24 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0041]     The razor illustrated in FIGS.  1  to  11  has a handle  1  on which a blade unit  2  is mounted. As shown, the handle  1  has a fixed support platform  3  to which the blade unit  2  is securely fastened, but the blade unit could equally well be releasably connected to the handle  1  to allow replacement of the blade unit  2 , The blade unit  2  comprises a support structure  4  on which a blade assembly  5  is carried. In the illustrated embodiment, the support structure  4  consists of a unitary moulding of rubber or a material having similar resiliently flexible properties to materials having appropriate characteristics include (i) Kraton G2705 having a hardness of 55 on the Shore A scale manufactured by the Shell Corporation, (ii) Evoprene #966 having a Shore A hardness value of 27 and distributed by Gary Chemical Corporation of Leominster, Mass., (iii) Santoprene 271-55 having a Shore A hardness value of 55 and manufactured by Advanced Elastomerics Corporation, and (iv) Santoprene 271-73 having a Shore A hardness value of 73 and also manufactured by Advanced Elastomerics Corporation.  
         [0042]     The support structure  4  includes a blade platform structure formed by an upper frame  6  on the upper face of which the blade assembly  5  is positioned, a sub-frame  7  which has the form of a substantially planar sheet, and a base  8  which can also have the form of a substantially planar sheet. The upper frame  6  is hingedly connected to the sub-frame  7  at the front of the support structure  4 , and in particular the upper frame  6  and sub-frame  7  are integral and are connected by a living hinge  9  at their forward edges. The upper frame  6  and the sub-frame  7  lie in first and second planes respectively, and are relatively positioned normally to diverge from each other rearwardly away from the hinge  9 . The sub-frame  7  and the base  8  are hingedly connected at the rear of the support structure  4 , and more especially the sub-frame  7  and base  8  are integrally connected by a living hinge  10  at their rear edges. The sub-frame  7  and base  8  are normally disposed to diverge from each other in the direction forwardly away from the hinge  10 . With this configuration, the upper frame  6 , sub-frame  7  and base  8 , as viewed in end elevation ( FIG. 3 ), or transverse cross-section ( FIG. 4 ), define a Z shape, but with the angle a subtended between the upper frame  6  and the sub-frame  7  being greater than the angle P subtended between the sub-frame  7  and the base  8  so that the upper frame  6  is normally set at an appropriate angle with respect to the stem of the handle  1  and to ensure the desired deformation characteristics of the support structure as explained below. Several spring elements in the form of flexible webs of the handle  1  and to ensure the desired deformation characteristics of the support structure as explained below. Several spring elements in the form of flexible webs  12  are distributed along the blade unit  2 . The flexible webs  12  extend between and are integrally interconnected with the upper frame  6  and the sub-frame  7 , the flexible webs  12  being uniformly spaced apart along the support structure  4 . As shown, there are six spring webs  12  although more or less than this number may be employed. The spring webs  12  normally lie in respective parallel planes perpendicular to the planes of the upper frame  6  and the sub-frame  7 . The spring webs  12  constitute respective spring elements and each web  12  is capable of deforming by buckling, to allow the portion of the upper frame  6  in the region of that web  12  to be displaced towards the sub-frame  7  with the deformed or buckled web  12  exerting a substantially constant restoring force independent of the degree of buckling and hence the downward displacement of the upper frame  6 . Since the spring webs  12  act independently of each other, different portions of the upper frame  6  along the length thereof may be readily displaced by different amounts towards the sub-frame  7 .  
         [0043]     The sub-frame  7  is similarly supported with respect to the base  8  by several suspension springs  14  distributed along the blade unit  2  between the sub-frame  7  and the base  8 . These suspension springs are also formed by resiliently flexible webs integral with the sub-frame  7  and the base, there being six springs webs  14  uniformly spaced apart along the blade unit  2  in the illustrated embodiment. The spring webs  14  lie in respective planes perpendicular to the length of the blade unit  2  and, conveniently, the webs  14  are aligned and coplanar with the webs spring  12 . The spring webs  14 , which can also deform by buckling, serve as independent spring elements acting between the sub-frame  7  and the base  8 , and they allow local displacement of the sub-frame  7  towards the base  8  and hence the handle  1 , while exerting a substantially constant restoring force resisting such displacement. The resiliently flexible nature of the support structure with the springs webs  12 , 14  is such that localized portions of the upper frame  6  and the blade assembly  5  carried thereon can be deflected towards the razor handle  1  in order to adapt to the skin contours without necessarily influencing the, dispositions of other portions thereof, and the upper frame  6  and the blade assembly  5  can, as a consequence, contort to comply with the undulations of the skin area over which they are moving. Thus, the blade unit  2  is resiliently compliant to ensure close contact with the skin over the full area spanned by the blades.  
         [0044]     Thus,  FIGS. 8 and 9  illustrate the blade unit  2  with the upper frame  6  and blade assembly  5  deformed into a concave form, their medial portions M being displaced towards the handle  1  by a greater amount than their end portions E with the spring webs  12 , 14  towards the centre M of the blade unit  2  being buckled to a greater extent than those webs  12 , 14  located nearer the ends of the blade unit  2 .  FIGS. 10 and 11  on the other hand show the blade unit  2  deformed into a convex configuration, the blade assembly  5  and upper frame  6  being displaced downwardly towards the handle  1  by a greater amount at the ends E of the blade unit  2  than at the central portion M of the blade unit  2 , and, in this case, the spring webs  12 , 14  towards the ends of the blade unit being buckled more than those webs closer to the centre of the blade unit. Although both sets of webs  12 , 14  are shown buckled in FIGS.  8  to  11 , this is not inevitable or essential. It is possible, for example as a result of downward shaving force applied towards the rear R of the blade unit, for the spring webs  12  to buckle so that the upper frame  6  and blade assembly  5  are displaced downwardly adjacent the rear edge R without the suspension spring webs  14  buckling and without any displacement of the upper frame  6  and the blade assembly  5  at their front edge F. Also a force applied near the front edge F can cause downward displacement of the upper frame  6  and blade assembly  5  at their front edge due to the suspension spring webs  14  buckling without the spring webs  12  becoming buckled. As a consequence, the upper frame  6  and blade assembly  5  are compliant both in the direction longitudinally of the blade unit  2  and in the direction perpendicular thereto in order to adapt to conform closely the contours of a skin area being shaved. Because the angle a subtended between the upper frame  6  and the sub-frame  7  is greater than the angle P subtended between the sub-frame  1  and the base  8 , the spring webs  12  are somewhat longer and correspondingly weaker than the spring webs  14 , whereby the spring webs  14  exert a greater resistance to downward displacement of the upper frame  6  and the blade assembly  5  at their front edge F than the resistance to downward displacement exerted by the spring webs  12  at the rear edge R of the upper frame  6  and blade assembly  5 , which characteristic is considered desirable as during shaving greater forces are generally imparted to a blade unit in the region of the guard than those exerted in the region of the cap.  
         [0045]     In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS.  1  to  11 , the blade assembly  5  comprises a guard member  15  and a plurality of elongate blades  16 , the guard member  15  and the blades  16  being formed by flexible strips of metal. The blades  16  have parallel forwardly facing sharpened edges  17 . The guard member  15  and the blades  16  are interconnected by transverse strips  18  such as steel as used for the manufacture of blade in conventional blade units, which may be made of the same material as the blades  16 , e.g. steel, and which attached to the undersides of the blades and guard member. Maximum flexibility of the blade unit is ensured by the blades  16  and transverse connecting strips  18  being coplanar in the normal, undeformed condition of the blade assembly and the blade unit. The guard member  15  is also substantially coplanar with the blades  16  and connecting strips  18  although as shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 , the guard member has an upwardly inclined rear portion, and slits  19  are spaced along the length of this portion of the guard member  15  for enhanced flexibility of this member  15 . Including the guard member  15  in the blade assembly  5  can be advantageous in reliably defining the shaving geometry of the blades, and the first blade in particular. The strips  18  have turned-down T-shaped ends which are engaged with notches  20 , 21  moulded in the front and rear edges of the upper frame  6  in order to secure the blade assembly  5  to the support structure  4 . The upper frame  6  includes longitudinal front and rear frame members  22  and a series of transverse frame members  23  spaced along the blade unit  2  and substantially perpendicular to the length of the blade unit  2 . The transverse frame members  23  are acted upon by respective spring elements and the upper edges of the spring webs  12  are attached to the respective frame members  23 . In the assembled blade unit  2 , the strips  18  of the blade assembly  5  extend above respective frame members  23 . The cap  24  of the blade unit  2  includes a flexible lubricating strip  25  which sits in a groove extending along the rear longitudinal member  22  of the upper frame  6  and is held in place by the transverse strips  18  of the blade assembly  5 . The support structure  4 , at the front of the upper frame  6  in the region of its hinged connection to the sub-frame  7 , forms a guard  26  which has longitudinal ribs  27  moulded thereon although protrusions of other configurations could be provided. Also, if preferred, a separate flexible guard element could be mounted on the support structure  4  and have a desired guard surface configuration.  
         [0046]     The modified safety razor blade unit shown in  FIGS. 12A, 12B  and  13  is for the most part the same as that described above with reference to FIGS.  1  to  11 . However, in this embodiment, the sub-frame  7 A has the form of a corrugated sheet rather than a substantially planar sheet. The corrugations which are only shallow and have their ridges  7   b  and valleys  7   c  directed parallel to the planes of the spring webs  12 , 14 , serve to increase the flexibility of the sub-frame in the longitudinal direction of the blade unit  2 . Another difference is that, in place of the notches  21  for securing the trailing ends of the blade carrying strips  18 , through holes  21 A are provided in the rear longitudinal frame member  22 , the ends of the strips  18  being inserted through the respective holes  21 A to ensure a secure connection between the blade assembly  5  and the unitary support structure  4 .  
         [0047]     In FIGS.  14  to  18 , there is illustrated an embodiment in which the safety razor has a blade unit  102  mounted on a handle  101 , the blade unit  102  including a flexible blade assembly  105  carried by a compliant support structure  104 . The blade assembly  105  includes flexible strip blades  116  interconnected by transverse strips  118  attached to the undersides of the blades  116 , as well as a flexible guard bar  126  and a flexible cap bar  125  respectively carried on the transverse strips  18  in front of and behind the blades  116 . The support structure  104  has a base frame  108  shown U-shaped in cross-section with upper and lower platforms  130 , 132 . A series of upwardly extending support members in the form of posts  134  are spaced apart along the base frame  108  and are slidably guided for up and down movement in holes formed in the upper and lower platforms. The posts  134  project above the upper platform  130  and have enlargements or abutments  135  which engage the underside of the upper platform  130  to limit their upward displacement. Mounted pivotally on the upper ends of the support posts  134 , for pivotal movement about an axis A directed longitudinally of the blade unit  102 , are respective upper frame members  123 , these frame members  123  being normally arranged to extend upwardly and rearwardly from their forward ends  123   a  which are connected to the support posts  134 . The down-turned ends of the transverse strips  118  of the blade assembly are engaged with the respective upper frame members  123 . The forward  123   a  end of each upper frame member  123  is bent through nearly 180′ and extended to form a rearwardly directed arm  136 , and a pin  138 , which like the posts  134  is guided in holes in the upper and lower platforms  130 ,  132  of the base frame  108 , bears against the arm  136  to urge the upper frame member  123  to an upper pivotal position. Each of the pins  138  is pushed upwardly by a coil spring  112  which surrounds the pin  138  between the lower platform  132  and an abutment flange  139  on the pin  138 . The abutment flange  139  also serves to limit the upward movement of the pin  138  by engaging the underside of the upper platform  130 . The springs  112  also act to bias the support posts  134  to their uppermost positions so that the normal position of the support structure  104  and blade assembly  105  is as illustrated in the drawings. However, the upper frame members  123  are moveable independently of each other, as are their respective support posts  134 , and this, in conjunction with the flexibility of the blade assembly  105 , means that the blade unit  102 , is resiliently compliant to enable close conformity with the skin contours during shaving. To further enhance the compliant characteristic of the blade unit  102  the upper frame members  123  can themselves be resiliently flexible. The arrangement of the restoring springs  112  to resist the deformation of blade unit under shaving forces is such that there is a substantially uniform force exerted by the blade unit against the skin irrespective of the degree of blade unit deformation over the area of contact with the skin.  
         [0048]     The embodiment of the razor illustrated in  FIGS. 19 and 20  is basically similar to that of FIGS.  12  to  16 . The blade unit  202 , which is mounted on the razor handle  201 , includes a blade assembly  205  carried on a support structure  204  including a base frame  208  and upwardly projecting support posts  234  guided for up and down sliding movement relative to the base frame  208 . Upper frame members  223  are, in this case, constituted by the transverse strips  218  which interconnect the blades  216  and support the flexible guard and cap bars  226 ,  225 , although separate frame members could be provided. The upper frame members  223  have their forward ends pivoted on the upper ends of the post  234 . Respective spring elements in the form of leaf springs  212  are mounted on the base frame  208  adjacent the rear edge and extend forwardly and upwardly for the free ends of the springs  212  to act on the upper frame members  223 . As demonstrated by  FIGS. 20A and 20B  which depict one of the springs  212  in an unstressed and a stressed condition, respectively, the springs  212  are arcuate in cross-section. The effect of this spring configuration is that the spring tends  212  to flatten as it is deformed due to downward pivotal movement and/or displacement of the associated upper frame member  223 , and, in this way, the spring  212  exerts a substantially constant return force irrespective of the deformation of the blade unit  202  during shaving.  
         [0049]     The razor illustrated in FIGS.  21  to  25  is generally similar to that of  FIGS. 19 and 20 , but differs in that in place of the support posts  234 , pivotal support arms  334  with lower rear ends pivotally connected to the base frame  308  are provided to mount the upper frame members  323  on which is carried the blade assembly  305  including the parallel blades  316 , the flexible guard bar  326  and the flexible cap bars  325 . First spring elements consisting of leaf springs  312  are mounted on the support arms  334  and act on extension fingers  336  of the upper frame members  323  to bias the upper frame members  323  to an uppermost pivotal position, and second spring elements  314 , which are formed by respective leaf spring arms  314  of a common comb-shaped leaf spring  315  mounted on the base frame  308 , act with their free ends against the undersides of the support arms  334 . The leaf spring elements  314  are strongly pre-tensioned so that the forces exerted on the respective support arms  334  do not increase significantly as the support arms are pivoted downwardly by shaving forces imparted against the upper face of the blade unit in use of the razor, the upward pivotal movement of the arms  323  being limited by fingers  324  thereon abutting against the base structure  308  as may be seen in  FIG. 25 . The upward pivotal movement of the anus  323  is similarly limited by the fingers  336  abutting the arms  334 . As in the previous embodiments, the blades  316  and the blade assembly  305  as a whole are flexible, so that, with independently supported upper frame members  323 , the blade unit  302  is resiliently compliant over the full area of its contact with the skin during shaving.  
         [0050]     Other support structure arrangements and modifications to the specifically described embodiments are possible without departing from the principles of the invention and will occur to those skilled in the art. Merely by way of example, it is mentioned that the pivotal mountings and associated leaf springs  312 ,  314  between the pivotal support arms  334  and the base frame  308  and/or between the pivotal support arms  334  and the upper frame members  323  in the embodiment shown in FIGS.  21  to  25  could be replaced by living hinges. It is to be understood, therefore, that the embodiments specifically described above are given by way of non-limiting example only and it is the intention that the scope of the invention should be limited only by the claims which follow.