Patent Publication Number: US-6701619-B2

Title: Manual safety straight razor having double-sided blades

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to a manual safety straight razor having double-sided razor blades. More particularly, the invention relates to an in line double-sided straight razor blade manual safety straight razor having dual razor sharp cutting edges positioned between front and rear guards which can be easily used both by professionals and at home users either by pulling or pushing a razor blade strip for precise and safe shaving of hair from the face and other body regions. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     There are different kinds of razors, such as professional use, at home use or disposable razors in the market. Since a sharp blade of a razor is used in direct contact with the skin or neck to remove hair from the skin, vigilant attention must be given to shaving. In order to avoid a possible accidental cut, nick or scrape from using a straight razor by the hands of at home users other than a barber or beautician, the T bar razors have been widely used and are still in use. 
     Since the advent of blood infected communicable diseases such as AIDS, the HIV virus, hepatitis and other diseases, there has been a serious social health problem. Even trained professional such as barbers or beauticians will from time to time accidentally cut, nick or scrape the skin of their customers with razors, causing some minor bleeding. Barbers beauticians and healthcare workers are reluctant to come into contact with blood from others, however, and tend to avoid tasks where such contact is likely. Due to the above circumstances, special sterilization has been required recently for professional razors used in the barbershops or beauty parlors by a public health center. 
     In order to avoid an accidental cut, nick or scrape of the skin, not only is vigilant attention is requested even for the skilled barber or beautician, but also a safety razor has also been proposed. U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,290 to Edward A. Andrews discloses a double-sided straight razor shaving device having dual razor sharp cutting edges positioned between front and rear guards, and an in line handle which can easily be gripped for precise shaving of the face and other body regions. This double-sided safety has four razor strips, which cannot be used for pull and push shavings. This double-sided safety has four razor strips, which cannot be used for both pulling and pushing shaving methods. 
     The Japanese Patent Publication No. 114246/1999 (not examined) discloses a change blade type razor and a method of shaving hair from the face and other body regions, whereby a safe and slanted shaving process can be easily carried out even by an unskilled user. The Japanese Patent Publication No. 277369/1994 (not examined) discloses a wet-type razor device  1  which comprises a long handle portion  2 , a shaving portion  3  mounted to the long handle portion  2  by fixing parts  9  and  26 , whereby a shaving hair from the face and other body regions can be carried out. 
     The Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 11674/1994 (not examined) discloses a safety razor having double-sided blades, and includes a handle portion  1 , an elongated from cutter portion  2 , and a pair of razor blades  7  and  8  provided at both side portions of the front cutter  2  so that both pack portions  7   b  and  8   b  are located at both side portions of a back portion  2   b  of the front cutter portion  2 . A plane Q linking the belly  2   a  of the front cutter portion  2  extending to the back portion  2   b,  including a pair of razor blade strips  7   a  and  8   a,  and a plane R linking the razor blade strips  7   a  and  8   a  and the back portion  7   b  and  8   b  are substantially parallel to each other, or a space between the planes Q and R is narrowed gradually from the back portion  2   a  of the front cutter portion  2  into the belly  2   a.    
     The razor shown in the Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 104770/1987 (not examined) has a handle portion  1 , a pair of connecting portions  2  and  2 , a pair of support portions  3  and  3 , and a pair of blade strips  4  and  4  held into the support portions  3  and  3 , a sponge  5  inserted between the blade strips  4  and  4  and the support portions  3  and  3 . 
     The razor holder described in the Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 104770/1987 (not examined) includes a handle portion  1  having a holder  1   b  having a holder  1   b,  which comprises a groove  3 , whereby a razor blade strip can be easily made. 
     The in-line double-sided manual safety straight razor of this invention is based on the inventor&#39;s many years of experience as a barber, and on the inventor&#39;s observation that the angle of inclination of the plane linking a bottom portion of a blade edge of a razor and a rounded elongated lower portion of a top elongated wide complementary head portion must have an angle between 20-30 degrees with respect to the skin surface. In this regard, if the angle of inclination of the plane linking a blade edge of a razor and a rounded elongated lower portion of a top elongated wide complementary head portion of a top elongated wide complementary head portion is below 20 degrees, the shaving angle of the hair blade edge becomes a dull scraping angle, thus causing insufficient shaving of facial hair. However, if the inclination angle is over 30 degrees, the blade edge becomes a sharp edge which can cut the skin accidentally. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A principal object of this invention is to provide a manual safety straight razor having double-sided blades that can be easily used both by professionals and at home users either by pulling or pushing the razor blade strips of the manual safety razor for easy, precise and safe shaving of hair from the face and other body regions. 
     Another object of this invention is to provide a manual safety straight razor having double-sided blades whereby an accidental cut, nick or scrape of the skin can be avoided. Thus, infection from blood-infected communicable diseases such as AIDS, the HIV virus, hepatitis and other serious diseases can be prevented. 
     Another object of this invention is to provide a manual safety straight razor having double-sided blades, in which both angle of inclination of planes linking the razor blade strips of the manual safety straight razor and a rounded elongated lower member portion are between 20-30 degrees in order to fit the razor blade strips on the skin surface with a given shallow and safe angle of inclination for shaving. 
     Another object of this invention is to provide a manual safety straight razor having double-sided bladed, in which both of the angles of inclination of planes linking the razor blade strips of the razor blades and a rounded elongated lower member portion of the razor structure is between 20-30 degrees with respect to the skin surface in order to enable a user to either pull or push the razor blade strips on the skin surface. 
     Another object of this invention is to provide a manual safety straight razor having double-sided blades which can be easily used both by professionals and at-home users either by pulling or pushing the razor blade strip for precise and safe shaving of hair from the face and other body regions. 
     Another object of this invention is to provide a manual safety straight razor having double-sided blades which can be easily pulled or pushed by wrist motion of a user. 
     Another object of this invention is to provide a manual safety straight razor having double-sided blades, in which a correct angle of inclination of a pair of razor blades to a face or other body regions can be easily selected. 
     Another object of this invention is to provide a manual safety straight razor having double-sided blades, which is simple in construction, so that it can be easily made. 
     Still another object of this invention is to provide a manual safety straight razor having double-sided blades that allows many individuals to use the professional services of a barber or beautician of facial shaving without anxiety. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The object and features of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the preferred embodiment thereof with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a pair of razor blade strips being mounted into an elongated front handle portion of a manual safety straight razor of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is an elongated schematic longitudinal sectional view of the manual safety straight razor shown in FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is an elongated schematic longitudinal sectional view of the manual safety straight razor shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in which one of the razor blade strips is being pulled out into a front direction; and 
     FIG. 4 is an enlarged schematic longitudinal sectional view of the manual safety straight razor shown in FIG. 3, in which another razor blade strip is being pushed to shave hair. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to the drawings, a manual safety straight razor  10  having double-sided blades comprises an elongated rear handle portion  12  and an elongated front handle portion  14  which is pivotally secured to a front of the elongated rear handle portion  12 . 
     As particularly shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the elongated front handle portion  14  has a longitudinal cutter head portion  14   a  including an elongated wide complementary opening  14   b  and a pair of middle staged tenons  14   c,  The tenons  14   c,    14   c  are spaced from each other to form longitudinal opening  14   e  between edge portions  14   d,    14   d,  so as to allow blade spacing portion  16  and a pair of razor blades  18 ,  18  to extend outwardly through the opening  14   e.    
     The blade spacing portion has a top elongated wide complementary head portion  16   a  interlocking into the elongated wide complementary opening  14   b,  a middle platform structure  16   b  extending from the top elongated wide complementary head portion  16   a,  and a lower platform structure  16   c  extending from the middle platform structure  16   b.  The middle platform structure  16   b  is a little narrower than the top elongated wide complementary head portion  16   a,  and the lower platform structure  16   c  is a little narrower than the middle platform structure  16   b.  A rounded elongated lower portion  16   d  is formed at the distal end of the lower platform structure  16   c.    
     As shown in FIGS. 2-4, a pair of razor blades  18 ,  18  are detachably mounted, respectfully, between a corresponding one of the tenons  14   c  and the middle platform structure  16   b  of the blade spacing portion. A razor blade cutting strip  18   a  of the razor blade  18  is sharpened to form an outer inclined flat cutting blade portion. Accordingly, when a pair of the razor blades  18 ,  18  are mounted between the tenons  24   c  and the middle platform structure  16   b,  the outer inclined flat cutting blade portions of the razor blade cutting strips  18   a,  and  18   a  are arranged symmetrically and face outwardly to form an imaginary V shaped working surface. 
     To this end, an imaginary line L 1  (at an angle of 20 degrees with respect to the skin surface) representing the plane linking the rounded elongated lower portion  16   d  and the tip of the razor blade cutting strip  18   a  is formed when the manual safety razor  10  is inclined to fit the razor blade strip  18   a  to the skin&#39;s surface. Meanwhile, an imaginary line L 2  (at an angle of 30 degrees with respect to the skin surface) representing the plane linking the rounded elongated lower portion  16   d  and the razor blade cutting strip  18   a  if formed when the manual safety razor  10  is not inclined. Thus, it should be appreciated that an angle between the lower platform structure  16   c  and a plane orthogonal to the skin surface is between 20-30 degrees when the manual safety razor  10  is inclined to place the razor blade cutting strips  18   a,    18   a  on the skin&#39;s surface. 
     In practice, the rounded elongated lower portion  16   d  of the razor structure  16  is placed on the skin. Subsequently, the front handle portion  14  is inclined to touch an edge portion of the razor blade  18  on the surface of the skin s to form a proper angle of inclination of between 20-30 degrees between the plane orthogonal to the skin surface and the platform structure  16   c.    
     In view of the fact that both the angle of inclination of planes linking the tip of the razor cutting blade strips  18   a,    18   a  of the razor blades  18 ,  18  and the rounded elongated lower portion  16   d  are between 20-30 degrees with respect to the skin surface, the razor blades  18 ,  18  are fitted softly at a suitable angle to the surface of the skin. Therefore, easy, safe and reliable shaving of hair h from the surface of the skin s can be carried out not only by the barber and beautician, but also by an unskilled user. 
     Accordingly, the desired angles of inclination between the razor blades  18 ,  18 , and the plane orthogonal to the skin surface can be easily adjusted between 20-30 degrees. As a result, the hair h can be shaved from the face and other body regions softly, safely and reliably without causing an accidental cut, nick or scrape of the skin. 
     At the same time, both pulling and pushing motions of the inclined surface of the razor blade cutting strips  18   a,    18   a  can be carried out easily and freely by the wrist motion of a user. 
     It is to be understood that the in-line angle safety straight razor of this invention is by no means limited to the particular construction and uses herein described, disclosed and/or shown in the drawing. It is also to be understood that modifications to the invention as described may be made, as might occur to one with skill in the field of the invention, within the scope of the appended claims. All embodiments contemplated hereunder, which achieve the objects of the invention. 
     Other embodiments may be developed without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claims.