Abstract:
A storage vessel for holding between shaves a wet razor with its head and cutting blade submerged in a liquid and its handle held out of the liquid and dry. The vessel liquid is comprised of a mixture of hydrophobic and hygroscopic materials and of anti-viral and anti-bacterial materials, effective to reduce cutting blade oxidation due to exposure to water and air during nonuse storage and to maintain the blade sharp and sanitary for shaving comfort. These materials specifically might be mineral oil and calcium chloride (CaCl 2 ), and nano-gold or nano-silver.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    Wet blade razors utilize one or more blades that become dull after use. This dulling is caused by many factors, including mechanical wear by being dragged over and against the skin to be shaved, and by chemical oxidation due to exposure with water and shaving lather during shaving, and to rinse water and air drying thereafter during storage before being used again. 
         [0002]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,007,633 discloses apparatus useful for storing such a razor in a manner to reduce oxidation wear between shaves. Specifically, the apparatus included the use of a vessel containing a hydrophobic, such as mineral oil mineral oil held therein so that the stored blade could be submerged in it away from exposure to air during storage. Further, a hygroscopic material is contained within the mineral oil operable to reduce or eliminate water accumulation in the oil. 
         [0003]    This solution minimizes oxidation wear between shaves, but yet another potential problem exists. Thus, over time the liquid mixture can accumulate bacteria that could be transferred to the shaver, leading possibly to an infection or disease. 
       SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    This invention relates to and a specific object of this invention is to provide a storage container for holding the blade(s) of a wet razor in a protective manner, so as to preserve blade sharpness and to eliminate or reduce the growth of a viruses or bacteria in the container or on the blade. 
         [0005]    A more detailed object of this invention is to provide a storage container for holding the liquid mixture in which the razor blade(s) can be positioned during non-use periods between shaving, where the liquid mixture can be hydrophobic and hygroscopic, and where anti-viral or anti-bacterial particles can be exposed to the liquid mixture operable to preclude or aggressively minimize the growth of bacteria in the liquid mixture and/or on the razor blade. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]    Further objects, advantages and features of this invention will be apparent after considering the following disclosure and description, including as a part thereof the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
           [0007]      FIG. 1  is a top plan view of an embodiment of container suited for incorporating this invention; and 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is a sectional view of the container as seen from line  2 - 2  in  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    Apparatus useful for practicing this invention is illustrated in the form of an top-open liquid-tight vessel  10 , having a bottom wall  12  and four upstanding side walls  14 ,  16 ,  18  and  20 . Wall  14  is inclined from the vertical, and has a ledge  20  slightly sloping from the horizontal suited for holding the head  22  of a stored safety razor  24 , with the head then being elevated above the bottom wall  12  and the razor handle  26  also spaced above the bottom wall  12  and extended past the side wall  18  through an open wall notch  28 . 
         [0010]    The vessel  10  can hold protective liquid of this invention up to the level  30 . The stored razor will have its head  22  and blade or blades (not shown) submerged in the liquid, while its handle  26  cantilevered away from the razor handle and blade will be supported above the liquid. 
         [0011]    The above-noted U.S. Pat. No. 5,007,633 disclosed using a hydrophobic liquid (such as mineral oil) and a hygroscopic material (such as granular pellets of calcium sulfate or calcium chloride CaCl 2 ) in a razor storage container. The hydrophobic liquid reduces exposure of the razor blade(s) to oxidizing air and the hygroscopic material reduces water accumulation in the liquid. 
         [0012]    This invention provides for introducing anti-viral and/or anti-bacterial materials to the hygroscopic material and the hydrophobic liquid held in the razor storage container. Nano-silver or nano-gold particles serve well as anti-viral and/or anti-bacterial materials that can be added to the hygroscopic and hydrophobic liquid combination for minimizing or reducing viral or bacterial buildup in the liquid combination and/or its transfer via the razor blade(s) to the razor user. 
         [0013]    Different methods and combinations of these methods can be used for admitting nano-silver or nano-gold particles into the container liquid to achieve the desired goal of providing for effective anti-bacterial and anti-viral applications. These techniques/methods are broadly divided into bulk based method and surface based methods. Technically, the surface based methods are more effective, when measured as effectiveness per unit mass of the particles. However, the bulk based methods may be cost effective in terms of manufacturing. 
         [0014]    In the bulk method, the nano-particles would be mixed with the material used to form the container component itself, to provide that the walls of the container and the exposed wall surfaces would have sufficient concentration of the particles to yield the needed minimum exposure to the hygroscopic and hydrophobic liquid. 
         [0015]    This bulk method can also be used for the construction of the hygroscopic tablets. The same applies if the fluid is to be made colloidal with the use of the suspended particles, with or without the aid of additional thixotropic agents. In fact, the thixotropic material itself may be made from, partially or wholly, the nano-particles. 
         [0016]    The surface method can be effectively applied, for example, with hot plasma or hot gas containing the nano-particles as one of its components being directly sprayed on to the inner walls of the container. The temperature of the plasma/hot gas is adjusted to soften/melt the surface layer of the inner wall such that the particles contained in the plasma/hot gas would stick to the surface. 
         [0017]    Yet another approach for providing nano-particles to the hygroscopic material and hydrophobic liquid would be to secure strips of adhesively backed tapes, having the nano-particles on the non-adhesive surface of the tapes, onto the inner walls of the container. This would be much like the anti-slip strips used to cover the floors of shower tubs and stalls in the bathroom. Micro-strips of this type can also be used to cover part of the hygroscopic tablets. 
         [0018]    The nano-particles dissolve and blend directly in the hydrophobic liquid, as an added liquid or colloidal mix. The nano-particles can be formed into tablets, with a filler if needed and either as separate tablets or combined with the hygroscopic pellets of calcium chloride CaCl 2 , allowing the tablets to be added to the hydrophobic liquid. Still further, the nano-particles can be incorporated into or coated onto the container walls so that such will be exposed to the container liquid. This coating could alternatively be provided on any material sheet suited to be removably fitted into the container and be exposed then to the liquid held therein. Further, the nano-silver or nano-gold materials can be introduced into and mixed with the granular vessel plastic before the same is injection molded into the plastic container. 
         [0019]    The container surfaces, when exposed to the hygroscopic and hydrophobic liquid held in the razor storage container, thus will ultimately charge the container liquid with the advantageous characteristic of the nano-silver and/or nano-gold materials as being anti-viral and anti-bacterial. 
         [0020]    Although both nano-silver and/or nano-gold materials provide anti-viral and/or anti-bacterial characteristics to the hygroscopic and hydrophobic liquid, nano-silver might be preferred as it is both easier to handle and slightly more economical than nano-gold materials. 
         [0021]    With the razor storage container filled to a level just over the sloping ledge  20  with the protective hygroscopic and hydrophobic liquid combination, the stored razor head could be rested on the ledge to submerge the razor blade(s) in the protective liquid, for providing anti-viral and anti-bacterial blade protection. Alternatively, should the liquid level be below the ledge, the razor head could first be dipped into the liquid in the vessel sump region to coat the blade(s), and then be rested on the ledge, allowing excess liquid drainage from the razor head back to the vessel sump region. 
         [0022]    The proposed liquid mixture of hydrophobic, hygroscopic, and anti-viral and anti-bacterial materials provides safe protection against blade dulling from corrosion and against virus and/or bacteria buildup on the wet razor blade that could be transferred to the razor user. The illustrated storage container provides only one manner of utilizing the invention, with the blade head submerged in the liquid and the cantilevered handle supported above the liquid; although other containers can be used.