Patent Publication Number: US-2023158695-A1

Title: Shaving razor cartridge

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to wet shaving safety razors and more particularly to shaving razor cartridges that have a housing for retaining and/or rigidly fixing one or more blades to the housing. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     In general, a cartridge or blade unit of a safety razor has at least one blade with a cutting edge which is moved across the surface of the skin being shaved by means of a handle to which the cartridge is attached. Some shaving razors are provided with a spring biased cartridge that pivots relative to the handle to follow the contours of the skin during shaving. The cartridge may be mounted detachably on the handle to enable the cartridge to be replaced by a fresh cartridge when the blade sharpness has diminished to an unsatisfactory level, or it may be attached permanently to the handle with the intention that the entire razor be discarded when the blade or blades have become dulled. Razor cartridges usually include a guard which contacts the skin in front of the blade(s) and a cap for contacting the skin behind the blade(s) during shaving. The cap and guard may aid in establishing the so-called “shaving geometry”, i.e., the parameters which determine the blade orientation and position relative to the skin during shaving, which in turn have a strong influence on the shaving performance and efficacy of the razor. The cap may comprise a water leachable shaving aid to reduce drag and improve comfort. The guard may be generally rigid, for example formed integrally with a frame or platform structure which provides a support for the blades. Guards may also comprise softer elastomeric materials to improve skin stretching. 
     Wet shaving razors have evolved over the years to include unitary blade members that do not require a blade to be welded to a bent blade support member. These unitary blade members are typically thinner than the previous bent blade support members. It is often difficult to maintain the unitary blade members within the housing securely during repeated shaving strokes because the unitary blade members tend to move in cap-guard direction during a shaving. Movement of the unitary blade members during a shaving stroke can lead to shaving inefficiency and increased nicks and cuts. Similar problems may also occur with welded blade assemblies (i.e., a bent blade support with a welded blade). Thus, there is a need for a safety shaving razor having a housing to minimize movement of the blades during a shaving stroke. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In one aspect, the invention features, in general a shaving razor cartridge with a housing having a blade platform. A first blade retention member is positioned on the blade platform and has a front wall with a first lateral end, a second lateral end and a blade support region between the first lateral end and the second lateral end of the first blade retention member. A second blade retention member is positioned on the blade platform and has a rear wall facing the front wall of the first blade retention member. The rear wall having a first lateral end. A second blade retention member has a rear wall facing the front wall of the first blade retention member. The rear wall having a first lateral end, a second lateral end and a blade support region between the first lateral end and the second lateral end of the rear wall of the second blade retention member. The first lateral ends are spaced apart by a first vertical distance. The second lateral ends are spaced apart by a second vertical distance. The blade support regions are spaced apart by a third vertical distance that is less than the first vertical distance. 
     In another aspect, the invention features, in general a shaving razor cartridge with a housing having a blade platform. A first blade retention member is positioned on the blade platform and has a front wall formed by a first wall and a second wall that define an obtuse included angle. A second blade retention member is positioned on the blade platform and has a rear wall facing the front wall of the first blade retention member. The rear wall has a first wall and a second wall that define an obtuse included angle. A blade member is positioned between the front wall and the rear wall. The second walls have a contact length of about 0.2 mm to about 1.0 mm. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Other features and advantages of the present invention, as well as the invention itself, can be more fully understood from the following description of the various embodiments, when read together with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG.  1    is a perspective view of a shaving razor cartridge according to one possible embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG.  2    is a cross section view of the shaving razor cartridge, taken generally along the line  2 - 2  of  FIG.  1     
         FIG.  3    is a top view of a first possible embodiment of a housing with a plurality of blade members that may be incorporated into the shaving razor cartridge of  FIG.  1   . 
         FIG.  4 A  is a top view of a first blade retention member of  FIG.  3   . 
         FIG.  4 B  is a top view of a second blade retention member of  FIG.  3   . 
         FIG.  5    is a top view of a blade platform of  FIG.  3   . 
         FIG.  6    is a top view of a blade member positioned between the first blade retention of  FIG.  4 A  and the second blade retention member of  FIG.  4 B . 
         FIG.  7 A  is a top view of a second possible embodiment of a first blade retention member. 
         FIG.  7 B  is a top view of a second possible embodiment of a second blade retention member. 
         FIG.  8    is a top view of a second possible embodiment of a blade platform. 
         FIG.  9    is a top view of a second possible embodiment of a housing with a plurality of blade members that may be incorporated into the shaving razor cartridge of  FIG.  1   . 
         FIG.  10    is a top view of a blade member positioned between the first blade retention of  FIG.  7 A  and the second blade retention member of  FIG.  7 B . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to  FIG.  1   , a perspective view of a shaving razor cartridge  10  is shown. The shaving razor cartridge  10  may be mounted to a handle (not shown). The shaving razor cartridge  10  may be removable or permanently mounted to the handle. For example, the shaving razor cartridge  10  may be mounted detachably on a handle to enable the shaving razor cartridge  10  to be replaced by a fresh shaving razor cartridge  10  when the blade sharpness has diminished to an unsatisfactory level, or it may be attached permanently to the handle with the intention that the entire razor be discarded when the blade or blades have become dulled. The shaving razor cartridge may include a housing  12 . The housing  12  may be molded out of a rigid plastic or manufactured from other materials, such as metal. A guard  14  may be positioned at a front portion  16  of the housing and a cap  18  may be positioned at a rear portion  20  of the housing  12 . The guard  14  is typically a unitary molded member that can be formed of a rigid plastic (e.g., the same material as the housing  10 ). In certain embodiments, the cap  18  may comprise one or more lubricants that are released during a shaving stroke. 
     One or more blade members  22 ,  24 ,  26 ,  28  and  30  may be mounted to the housing  12  between the cap  18  and the guard  14  (i.e., in front of the cap  18  and behind the guard  14 ). The blade members  22 ,  24 ,  26 ,  28 , and  30  may each have a respective cutting edge  32 ,  34 ,  36 ,  38 , and  40  generally directed towards the guard  14 . A primary blade member  22  may be nearest the guard  14 , secondary blade  24  is next nearest the guard  14 , and so on until the fifth blade  30  is furthest from the guard  14 . Although five blade members  22 ,  24 ,  26 ,  28  and  30  are shown, the housing  12  may have more or fewer blades depending on the desired performance and cost of the shaving razor cartridge  10 . The guard  14  and the cap  18  may define a shaving plane that is tangent to the guard  14  and the cap  18 . The guard  14  may be a solid or segmented bar that extends generally parallel to the blade members  22 ,  24 ,  26 ,  28  and  30  and supports the skin during a shaving stroke. In certain embodiments, the housing  12  may comprise a skin-engaging member  15  (e.g., a plurality of fins or other protrusions) in front of the guard  14  for stretching the skin during a shaving stroke. In certain embodiments, the skin-engaging member  15  may be insert injection molded or co-injection molded to the housing  12 . However, other known assembly methods may also be used such as adhesives, ultrasonic welding, or mechanical fasteners. The skin engaging member  15  may be molded from a softer material (i.e., lower durometer hardness) than the housing  12 , such as an elastomer. 
     In certain embodiments, the blades  22 ,  24 ,  26 ,  28  and  30  may be mounted to the housing  12  and secured by one or more clips  62  and  64  located at opposite lateral sides of the housing  12 . The blade members  22 ,  24 ,  26 ,  28  and  30  may be fixed in the housing  12  or may be resiliently mounted such that the blade members  22 ,  24 ,  26 ,  28  and  30  (e.g., respective cutting edge  32 ,  34 ,  36 ,  38 , and  40 ) are biased against the clips  62  and  64 . The clips  62  and  64  may aid in retaining the blades  22 ,  24 ,  26 ,  28  and  30  in an up and down direction (i.e., toward and away from a top surface  55  of the housing  12 ). Each of the clips  62  and  64  extend thru the housing  12  or wrap around the housing  12 . The clips  62  and  64  may comprise a metal, such as aluminum or plastic. The clips  62  and  64  may also be interconnected to form a one piece assembly. Other assembly methods known to those skilled in the art may also be used to secure and/or mount the blades members  22 ,  24 ,  26 ,  28  and  30  to the housing  12  including, but not limited to, wire wrapping, cold forming, hot staking, insert molding, ultrasonic welding, and adhesives. 
     Referring to  FIG.  2   , a cross section of the shaving cartridge  10  is shown, taken generally along the line  2 - 2  of  FIG.  1   . One or more of the blade members  22 ,  24 ,  26 ,  28  and  30  may be a bent blade unit. For example, each blade members  22 ,  24 ,  26 ,  28  and  30  may comprise a unitary member having a base portion  42 ,  44 ,  46 ,  48 ,  50  and respective bent portion  52 ,  54 ,  56 ,  58 ,  60  located between the respective cutting edge  32 ,  34 ,  36 ,  38 ,  40  and the base portion  42 ,  44 ,  46 ,  48 ,  50 . The base portions  42 ,  44 ,  46 ,  48 ,  50  may be generally parallel to each other and transverse to a shaving plane P 1  that is tangent to the guard  14  and the cap  18 . In other embodiments, the one or more of the blades may be welded blade assemblies (e.g., a blade welded having a cutting edge connected to a blade support having a base portion and a bent portion).  FIG.  2    illustrates shaving forces F 1  may exert a force on the blade members  22 ,  24 ,  26 ,  28  and  30  in a direction from the guard  14  toward the cap  18 . Accordingly, the blades  22 ,  24 ,  26 ,  28  and  30  may rock backwards toward the cap  18  during a shaving stroke. The movement of the blades members  22 ,  24 ,  26 ,  28  and  30  may increase as the thickness and rigidity of the blade members  22 ,  24 ,  26 ,  28  and  30  decreases. The blade members  22 ,  24 ,  26 ,  28  and  30  may have a support height “SH 1 ” of about 1.5 mm to about 2.5 mm. For example, the height of the portion of the blade, such as the base  42 , that is supported and or contacted by the housing  12 . 
     Referring to  FIG.  3   , a top view of the blade members  22 ,  24 ,  26 ,  28  and  30  mounted to the housing  12  is illustrated. Each of the blade members  22 ,  24 ,  26 ,  28  and  30  may have a first surface and a second surface. For example, the blade member  30  may have a first surface  62  and a second surface  64 . The first surface  62  may face toward the rear portion  20  of the housing  12  and the second surface  64  may face toward the front portion  18  of the housing  12 . The housing  12  may have one or more blade platforms  66 ,  68  and  70  extending from the rear portion  20  of the housing  12  toward the front portion  18 . Although three platforms are shown, more or less platforms may be used depending on the desired level of support for the blade members  22 ,  24 ,  26 ,  28  and  30 . Each blade platform  66 ,  68  and  70  may have a plurality of blade retention members. For example, the blade platform  66  may have a first blade retention member  72 , a second blade retention member  74 , a third blade retention member  76 , a fourth blade retention member  78 , a fifth blade retention member  80  and a sixth blade retention member  82 . One of the blade members  22 ,  24 ,  26 ,  28  and  30  may be positioned between a pair of consecutive blade retention members. For example, the blade member  30  may be positioned between the first blade retention member  72  and the second blade retention member  74 . The blade member  28  may be positioned between the second blade retention member  74  and the third blade retention member  76 . The blade member  26  may be positioned between the third blade retention member  76  and the fourth blade retention member  78 . The blade member  24  may be positioned between the fourth blade retention member  78  and the fifth blade retention member  80 . The blade member  22  may be positioned between the fifth blade retention member  80  and the sixth blade retention member  82 . 
     Referring to  FIGS.  4 A and  4 B , a top view of the first blade retention member  72  and the second blade retention member  74  are shown, respectively. In certain embodiments, the first blade retention member  72  and the second blade retention member  74  may be the same size or shape (as shown). The first blade retention member  72  may have a front wall  84  with a first lateral end  86  and a second lateral end  88 . A blade support region  90  between the first lateral end  86  and the second lateral end  88  may include a second wall  102  that contacts and supports the blade member  30  ( FIG.  3   ) during shaving. The second blade retention member  74  may have a rear wall  92  with a first lateral end  94  and a second lateral end  96 . A blade support region  98  between the first lateral end  94  and the second lateral end  96  may include a second wall  106  that contacts and supports the blade member  30  ( FIG.  3   ) during shaving. In certain embodiments, the front wall  84  may be formed by a first wall  100  and the second wall  102  that define an obtuse included angle “A 1 ”. The second wall  102  may include the blade support region  90 . Similarly, the rear wall  92  may be formed by a first wall  104  and the second wall  106  define an obtuse included angle “A 2 ”. The blade support regions  90  and  98  (i.e., the second walls  102  and  106 ) may have a contact length of about 0.2 mm to about 1.0 mm and preferably about 0.3 mm to 0.6 mm. The increased contact length (e.g., the length of the second wall  102  or the second wall  106  contacts one of the blade members  22 ,  24 ,  26 ,  28  and  30 ) may provide for improved blade security and decreased blade movement during shaving, resulting in a more comfortable and efficient shave. The obtuse angles A 1  and A 2  may facilitate easier blade member assembly, which may become more difficult as the contact length of the second walls  102  and  106  increases. The blade retention member  72  may have a length “L 1 ” and the blade retention member  74  may have a length “L 2 ”. The length “L 1 ” may be a horizontal distance extending between lateral ends  86  and  88 . The length “L 2 ” may be a horizontal distance extending between lateral ends  94  and  96 . The lengths “L 1 ” and “L 2 ” may be about 1 mm to about 3 mm and preferably about 1.5 mm to about 2.5 mm. In certain embodiments, a ratio of the contact length of one of the blade support regions  90  and  98  (i.e., second walls  102  and  106 ) to the corresponding length “L 1 ” and “L 2 ” may be about 1:3 to about 1:10 and preferably about 1:3 to about 1:5. 
     The first blade retention member  72  may have a first lateral end wall  108  extending from the first lateral end  86  and away from the first wall  100 . The first blade retention member  72  may have a second lateral end wall  110  extending between the blade support region  90  (and second wall  102 ) and the lateral end  88 . The first lateral end wall  108 , the second lateral end wall  110  and the first wall  100  may act as relief walls (e.g., they do not contact a blade member) to facilitate loading of the blades between the blade retention members  72  and  74 . In addition, the first lateral end wall  108 , the second lateral end wall  110  may provide sufficient rigidity to the first blade retention member  72  and thus prevent deflection or distortion which may result in unwanted blade movement. 
     The second blade retention member  74  may have a first lateral end wall  112  extending between the blade support region  98  (second wall  106 ) and the first lateral end  94 . The second blade retention member  74  may have a second lateral end wall  114  extending from the second lateral end  96  and away from the first wall  104 . The first wall  104 , the first lateral end wall  112  and the second lateral end wall may act as relief walls (e.g., they do not contact a blade member) that facilitate loading of the blades between the blade retention members  72  and  74 . Furthermore, the first lateral end wall  112  and the second lateral end wall  114  may provide sufficient rigidity to the second blade retention member  74  and thus prevent deflection or distortion, which may result in unwanted blade movement. In certain embodiments, the blade retention members  72  and  74  may have a respective width “w 1 ” and “w 2 ” of about 0.75 mm to about 1.25 mm. The width “w 1 ” may be a vertical distance extending from the second wall  102  to a rear wall  105  of the first blade retention member  72 . The rear wall  105  may be generally parallel to the second wall  102 . The width “w 2 ” may be a vertical distance extending from the second wall  106  to a front wall  115  of the second blade retention member  74 . The front wall  115  may be generally parallel to the second wall  106 . 
     The blade retention members  72  and  74  are described in greater detail, referring to  FIGS.  4 A and  4 B , in addition to  FIG.  5   , which illustrates a top view of the blade platform  66 . The front wall  84  of the first blade retention member  72  may face the rear wall  92  of the second blade retention member  74 . In certain embodiments, the rear wall  92  and the front wall  84  may be generally aligned (e.g., overlapping). For example, the blade support region  98  of the rear wall  92  may be offset from (e.g., not aligned with or overlapping) the blade support region  90  of the front wall  84 . The blade support region  98  may be generally aligned with the first wall  100 . The blade support region  90  may be generally aligned with the first wall  104 . Accordingly, aligning the blade support regions  90  and  98  with a non-blade support surface or wall (e.g., the first wall  100  and the first wall  104 ), may facilitate positioning the respective blade members (e.g, blade member  30  of  FIG.  3   ) between blade retention members  72  and  74 , as well as, provide a more robust steel condition in the cavity of the injection mold that makes the housing  12  ( FIG.  1   ). 
     The first lateral end  86  of the front wall  84  may be spaced apart from the first lateral end  94  of the rear wall by a first vertical distance “d 1 ” of about 0.4 mm to about 1.8 mm. The second lateral end  88  of the front wall  84  may be spaced apart from the second lateral end  96  of the rear wall  92  by a second vertical distance “d 2 ” of about 0.4 mm to about 1.8 mm. The blade support region  90  of the front wall  84  may be spaced apart from the blade support region  98  of the rear wall  92  by a third vertical distance “d 3 ” of about 0.07 mm to about 0.38 mm. The third vertical distance may be less than both the first vertical distance and the second vertical distance to securely support the member blade  30  ( FIG.  3   ). The larger first and second vertical distances may improve blade loading assembly, as well as provide for a more robust tooling steel design in the injection molding cavity that creates the housing  12  ( FIG.  3   ). 
     Referring to  FIG.  6   , a partial top view is shown detailing the blade member  30  positioned between the first and second blade retention members  72  and  74 . The first blade support region  90  of the first blade retention member  72  may face and contact the first surface  62  of the blade member  30 . The second blade support region  98  of the second blade retention member  74  may face and contact the second surface  64  of the blade member  30 . The first surface  62  of the blade member  30  may be spaced apart from the wall  100 . The second surface  64  of the blade member  30  may be spaced apart from the wall  104  of the second blade retention member  74 . It is understood that the other blade members  22 ,  24 ,  26  and  28  ( FIG.  3   ) may be positioned between respective blade retention members  74 ,  76 ,  78 ,  80  and  82  ( FIG.  3   ) in the same manner as described for blade member  30 . Furthermore, the blade platforms  68  and  70  may have a similar pattern of blade retention members as shown and described for blade platform  66  to facilitate the positioning and securing of the blade members  22 ,  23 ,  24 ,  26 ,  28  and  30  ( FIG.  3   ). 
     Referring to  FIGS.  7 A and  7 B , alternative embodiments of a first blade retention member  200  and a second blade retention member  202  are illustrated. In certain embodiments, the first blade retention member  200  and the second blade retention member  202  may be the same size or shape, but they may be oriented differently with respect to each other (e.g., mirror images). The first blade retention member  200  may have a front wall  204  with a first lateral end  206 , a second lateral end  208 . A blade support region  210  between the first lateral end  206  and the second lateral end  208  may contact and support a blade member (not shown). It is understood the blade support region  210  may be a wall. The second blade retention member  202  may have a rear wall  212  with a first lateral end  214  and a second lateral end  216 . A blade support region  218  between the first lateral end  214  and the second lateral end  216  may contact and support the blade member  30  (not shown). It is understood the blade support regions  210  and  218  may be generally parallel walls. 
     In certain embodiments, the front wall  204  of the first blade retention member  200  may be formed by a first wall  220  and the blade support region  210  that define an obtuse included angle “A 3 ”. Similarly, the rear wall  212  of the second blade retention member  202  may be formed by a first wall  222  and the blade support region  218  that define an obtuse included angle “A 4 ”. The obtuse angles “A 3 ” and “A 4 ” may facilitate loading of blade members by providing a larger opening between adjacent blade retention members  200  and  202 , as well as, increase the size of the adjacent blade retention members  200  and  202 . For example, an acute angle may decrease the size of the blade retention members  200  and  202 , thus making them weaker. The first lateral end  206  may be positioned between a first lateral end wall  224  and the first wall  220  (e.g., an intersection between the first lateral end  224  wall and the first wall  220 ). A second lateral end wall  226  of the first blade retention member  200  may be positioned between the lateral end  208  and the blade support region  210 . The first lateral end  214  of the second blade retention member  202  may be positioned between a first lateral end wall  228  and the first wall  222 . A second lateral end wall  230  may be positioned between the blade support region  218  and the second lateral end  216 . 
     The blade support regions  210  and  218  may have a contact length of about 0.2 mm to about 2.0 mm and preferably about 0.3 mm to 0.6 mm. The increased contact length may provide for improved blade security and decrease blade movement. The first blade retention member  200  may have a length “L 3 ” that is a horizontal distance from the first lateral end  206  to the second lateral end  208 . The second blade retention member  202  may have a length “L 4 ” that is a horizontal distance extending from the first lateral end  214  to the second lateral end  216 . The lengths “L 3 ” and “L 4 ” may be about 1 mm to about 3 mm and preferably about 1.5 mm to about 2.5 mm. In certain embodiments, a ratio of the contact length of the blade support regions  210  and  218  to the corresponding length “L 3 ” or “L 4 ” may be about 1:3 to about 1:10 and preferably about 1:3 to about 1:5. The first lateral end walls  224  and  228 , the second lateral end walls  226  and  230  and the first walls  220  and  222  may act as relief walls (e.g., they do not contact the blade members) to facilitate loading of the blade members between the respective blade retention members  200  and  202 . In addition, the first lateral end walls  206  and  228 , the second lateral end wall  226  and  230  may provide sufficient rigidity to the respective first and second blade retention members  200  and  202  and thus prevent deflection or distortion which may result in unwanted blade member movement during shaving. 
     In certain embodiments, the blade retention members  200  and  202  may have a respective width “w 3 ” and “w 4 ” of about 0.75 mm to about 1.25 mm. The width “w 3 ” may be a vertical distance extending from the blade support region  210  to a rear wall  225  of the first blade retention member  200 . The rear wall  225  may be generally parallel to the blade support region  210 . The width “w 4 ” may be a vertical distance extending from the blade support region  218  to a front wall  235  of the second blade retention member  74 . The front wall  235  may be generally parallel to the the second blade support region  218 . 
     Referring to  FIG.  8   , a top view of another possible embodiment of a blade platform  232  having a plurality of first blade retention members  200   a ,  200   b ,  200   c  and second blade retention members  202   a ,  202   b  and  202   c . In certain embodiments, the first blade retention members  200   a ,  200   b  and  200   c  may have the same orientation and mirror images of the second blade retention members  202   a ,  202   b  and  202   c . The blade support regions  210  and  218  may face each other and may be generally aligned (e.g., overlapping). The blade support regions  210  and  218  may be spaced apart by a distance “d 4 ” to receive a respective blade member (not shown). The first lateral end  206  may be spaced apart from the first lateral end  214  by a vertical distance “d 5 ” of about of 0.4 mm to about 1.8 mm. The second lateral end  208  may be spaced apart from the second lateral end  216  by a vertical distance “d 6 ” of about 0.4 mm to about 1.8 mm. The vertical distances d 5  and d 6  may be greater than the vertical distance d 4  to facilitate loading and assembly of the blade members and provide a more robust steel condition in the cavity of the injection mold that creates the blade platform  232 . The spacing of the respective distal ends  206 ,  214 ,  208  and  216  allows for a much larger open area on either side of blade support regions  210  and  218 . 
     One or more of the blade first blade retention members  200   b ,  200   c  and second blade retention members  202   a ,  202   b  may support more than one blade; however, only one blade member may be positioned between a single pair of blade retention members. For example, the second blade retention member  202   a  may include both the blade support region  218  to support one blade member and another blade support region (e.g., wall  235 ) to support another blade member (not shown). One of the blade support regions  218  may contact or support a front side of one blade member and the other blade support region  235  may support a rear side of another blade member. The two blade support regions  218  and  235  positioned on the same blade retention member (e.g., blade retention member  202   a ) may be offset from each other in both a horizontal and a vertical direction to provide sufficient support and spacing of the blade members. This may be accomplished by orienting the first blade retention members  200   a ,  200   b ,  200   c  and second blade retention members  202   a ,  202   b  and  202   c  in an alternating manner. For example, one of the second blade retention members  202   a ,  202   b ,  202   c  may be positioned between two of the first blade retention members  200   a ,  200   b ,  200   c  on the blade support  232 . 
     Referring to  FIG.  9   , a top view of another embodiment of a housing  250  is shown that may be incorporated into the shaving razor cartridge  10  of  FIG.  1   . The housing  250  may include a plurality of blade platforms  232 ,  252  and  254 . Each of the blade platforms  252  and  254  may have a plurality of first blade retention members  200   d ,  200   e ,  200   f ,  200   g ,  200   h  and  200   i  and second blade retention members  202   d ,  202   e ,  202   f ,  202   g ,  202   h  and  202   i  arranged in a similar manner as previously described for the blade platform  232  having the first blade retention members  200   a ,  200   b  and  200   c  and the second blade retention members  202   a ,  202   b , and  202   c . For example, the blade platform  252  may comprise the first blade retention members  200   d ,  200   e  and  200   f  arranged in an alternating fashion with second blade retention members  202   d ,  202   e  and  202   f  (e.g., one of the second blade retention members  202   d  may be positioned between two of the first blade retention members  200   d  and  200   e ). The blade platform  254  may comprise the first blade retention members  200   g ,  200   h  and  200   i  arranged in an alternating fashion with second blade retention members  202   g ,  202   h  and  202   i  (e.g., one of the second blade retention members  202   g  may be positioned between two of the first blade retention members  200   g  and  200   h ). Each of the blade members  22 ,  24 ,  26 ,  28  and  30  may be supported by one or more blade retention members on a front side and one or more blade retention members on a rear side. For example, the blade member  30  may be supported on the first surface  62  by the blade retention members  200   a ,  200   d  and  200   g  and on the second surface  64  by the blade retention members  202   a ,  202   d  and  202   g . It is understood that more or less blade retention members may be used depending on the desired level of rigidity of the blade members  22 ,  24 ,  26 ,  28  and  30 , which may be impacted by factors such thickness of the blade members  22 ,  24 ,  26 ,  28  and  30 . 
     Referring to  FIG.  10   , a top view of the blade member  30  positioned between the first blade retention member  200  of  FIG.  7 A  and the second blade retention member  202  of  FIG.  7 B  is shown. The first blade support region  210  of the first blade retention member  200   a  may face and contact the first surface  62  of the blade member  30 . The second blade support region  218  of the second blade retention member  202   a  may face and contact the second surface  64  of the blade member  30 . The first surface  62  of the blade member  30  may be spaced apart from the wall  220 . The second surface  64  of the blade member  30  may be spaced apart from the wall  214  of the second blade retention member  202   a . The walls  220  and  214  be angled relative to each other (not parallel), thus facilitating blade member loading (positioning of blade members between a pair of blade retention members). Similarly, the walls  208  and  230  may be angled relative to each other (not parallel) to facilitate positioning the blade members between respective blade support regions (e.g., blade member  30  positioned between the blade support regions  210  and  218 ). In certain embodiments, the walls  220  and  228  (and the walls  208  and  230 ) may be slanted relative to each other at an included angle of about 10 degrees to about 120 degrees. 
     Every document cited herein, including any cross referenced or related patent or application and any patent application or patent to which this application claims priority or benefit thereof, is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety unless expressly excluded or otherwise limited. The citation of any document is not an admission that it is prior art with respect to any invention disclosed or claimed herein or that it alone, or in any combination with any other reference or references, teaches, suggests or discloses any such invention. Further, to the extent that any meaning or definition of a term in this document conflicts with any meaning or definition of the same term in a document incorporated by reference, the meaning or definition assigned to that term in this document shall govern. 
     While particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of this invention.