Improvements in Safety-razors.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Jan., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 4th May, 1892-Accepted, 4th June, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Safety-razors.
I ERNST SCHARFF of 18 Fahrgasse Frankfort on the Main Germany Manu-.
facturer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Safety razors are usually prevented from cutting the skin by a guard plate or
a row of teeth by which the skin is slightly depressed in front of the cutting edge
so that the razor shall pass clear of the skin. These devices are not suited for
shaving strong thick beards inasmuch as by the bending down of some of the hairs
by the teeth they escape the razor which must therefore be passed more than once
over the same place and even then the shaving operation is imperfect and
troublesome.
To avoid this defect I make the guard teeth integral with the blade holder
(which forms a kind of basket to catch the lather) instead of out of sheet metal,
the teeth being of ✓ sectional form so as to present thin bevelled, and rounded
edges to contact with the skin so that instead of pressing or bending down the hairs
they pass between them like a fine comb thus enabling the razor edge to pass close
to the skin and remove the whole of the hair, across which it passes, at the first
stroke. These improved safety teeth afford quite as much security against wounding
as the wider ones do since they efficiently perform their function of slightly
depressing the skin in front of the razor edge.
The invention also relates to the mode of removably holding and adjusting the
blade, and adapting the holder to suit blades of different thicknesses. The razor
blade is held in a frame, comprising end clips, against which it is pressed by the
thrust of a screw, formed on the handle and working through a screw socket in the
boss of the frame, the screw pressing against the underside of the blade through a
curved steel tongue forming a guide to prevent injury to the edge of the razor
when inserting it. By means of this screw and a jam nut thereon, the cutting edge
of the blade may be accurately adjusted with regard to the upper ends of the row
of curved V edged guard teeth on which it bears. These guard teeth spring from
the boss of the frame, and form a basket to catch the lather. A forked or
U shaped spring bears by its upper end against the back of the blade whilst the
ends of its limbs are pivoted in opposite sides of the boss, the spring being so
curved or bowed at the lower part as to present an abutment for a regulating nut
screwing on the socket, whereby the spring may be caused to press more or less,
against the back of the razor. By slacking the nut the spring pivots sufficiently on
the socket to allow the blade to be readily removed.
Dated this 14th day of January 1892.
D. DUHANTT,
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Safety-razors.
1, ERNST SCHARFF of 18, Fahrgasse Frankfort-on-the-Main, Germany, Manu-
facturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
Safety-razors are usually prevented from cutting the skin by a guard plate or a
row of teeth by which the skin is slightly depressed in front of the cutting edge,

page_text: so that the razor shall pass clear of the skin without encountering any resistance
therefrom which would necessarily cause the razor edge to penetrate it. The teeth
of such devices are usually cut out of the metal plate on which the razor blade is
held and present a greater or less extent of surface to contact with the skin.
These devices are not suited for shaving strong thick beards inasmuch as by the
bending down of some of the hairs by the teeth they escape the razor which must
therefore be passed more than once over the same place and even then the shaving
operation is imperfect and troublesome. The conditions are similar when the
teeth are made of thin wire or in cylindrical form. If the teeth be made of sheet
metal and hollowed at their surface, the surfaces touching the skin are narrower
but still a number of the hairs would be turned back when shaving although to a
less extent. To avoid this defect, I make the guard teeth integral with the blade
holder (which forms a kind of basket to catch the lather) instead of out of sheet
metal, the teeth being of V-sectional form so as to present thin bevelled and
rounded edges to contact with the skin, the effect being that instead of pressing or
bending down the hairs they pass between them like a fine comb, thus enabling
the razor edge to pass close to the skin and remove the whole of the hair, across
which it passes, at the first stroke. These improved safety teeth afford quite as
much security against wounding as the wider ones do, since they efficiently
perform their function of slightly depressing the skin in front of the razor edge.
The invention also relates to the mode of removably holding and adjusting the
blade, and adapting the holder to suit blades of different thicknesses. The razor
blade is held in a frame comprising end clips, against which it is pressed by the
thrust of a screw formed on the handle and working through a screw-socket in
the boss of the frame, the screw pressing against the underside of the blade through
a curved metal tongue forming a guide to prevent injury to the edge of the razor
when inserting it. By means of this screw and a jam-nut thereon, the cutting
edge of the blade may be accurately adjusted with regard to the upper ends of
the row of curved V-edged guard teeth on which it bears. These guard teeth
spring from the boss of the frame and form a basket to catch the lather. A forked
or U-shaped spring bears by its upper end against the back of the blade whilst
the ends of its limbs are pivoted in opposite sides of the boss, the spring being so
curved or bowed at the lower part as to present an abutment for a regulating nut
screwing on the socket whereby the spring may be caused to press more or less
against the back of the razor. By slacking the nut, the spring pivots sufficiently
on the socket to allow the blade to be readily removed.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this
Specification, wherein
Figure 1 shews a front elevation of the safety-razor looking towards the edge
of the blade;
Figure 2 is a side-elevation, Figure 3 a rear elevation, Figure 4 a top-plan
(without the blade) and Figure 5 a central cross-section (on an enlarged scale) of
the safety-razor.
The razor blade B is confined between a pair of end clips C C and its cutting
edge rests on the ends of the guard-teeth A. The teeth A. A are cut out of a
basket on the back of which is cast a socket. H provided with an internal and
external screw-thread. The internal thread screws on the threaded extension of
the handle G, whilst the external thread carries the regulating nut E for the
spring D.
An apertured plate or frame is attached directly across the basket
terminating in turned-up clips C C at either end for holding the blade and carrying
at its centre a metal tongue K which serves to protect the cutting edge of the
blade when inserting it in its holder. The spring D which by its upper part presses
on the back of the blade B, thus holding it firmly in position, has turned-in. ends
which are inserted in two holes, bored at j, in the socket H, the spring pivoting atj
and being fixed by the regulating nut E in the required position. By screwing the
latter downwards the upper end of the spring D moves slightly in a backward and
downward direction so as to permit the blade to be easily removed. The regulation

page_text: of the blade will be best understood by reference to the cross-section shewn in
Figure 5. The screw-threaded prolongation of the handle passes through the
socket F and presses against the metal tongue K. By screwing the handle up
or down, the space for the blade between tongue K and clips C, is diminished
or increased whereby the blade is forced backwards, or pushed slightly forwards,
by the pressure of the spring D so that the cutting edge of the blade may be adjusted
to suit the teeth in the best position for use. The handle G is then fixed in the
right position in relation to the socket H, by means of the check-nut F.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what I
claim is-
1.) A safety-razor in which the guard teeth, which prevent the blade cutting
the skin, are not made, as hitherto, of sheet metal or of wire or of cylindrical form
so as to present a more or less broad surface to contact with the skin, but are made
of such a cross-section and so arranged that they only present a very narrow edge
to contact with the skin, in order that they may pass between the hairs and not
bend them down, as described.
n
2.) In a safety-razor of the kind referred to in Claim 1, providing the upper
end of the handle G with a screw-threaded prolongation working through a socket H
to enable the blade B to be accurately adjusted to the teeth A by turning the screw
so as to vary the space for the reception of the blade and so set the blade forward
or backward accordingly.
3.) In a safety-razor of the kind referred to in Claim 1, the spring D, of the
form described, pressing against the back of the blade and pivoted to the socket H,
and the regulating nut E, screwing on the socket H, for the purpose of enabling
the blade to be readily mounted and dismounted.
CHIS tay
Dray 1002.
E. SCHARFF,
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.