Improvements in Razors.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Jan., 1893-Accepted, 4th Mar., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Razors.
I, JOHN ANDREW STENBERG, residing in La Vergne, in the County of Cook
in the State of Illinois, United States of America, Machinist, 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 :—
This invention is designed to provide a tool for removing the beard, which may
be used in place of and which obviates many of the inconvenient and objectionable
features pertaining to the ordinary razor. It has been devised more especially for
use at home rather than by the barber in the barber shop, but it may be used by
the barber upon others with good effect and without the injurions and painful results'
usually attending too close or too frequent shaving.
My improved implement embodies a spirally tooth or ribbed rotating cylinder,
which acts in conjunction with a stationary blade to cut the beard, very much in
the same way a lawn mower severs the grass. It also embodies a suitable device for
rotating the cylinder, proferably a gear meshing directly with the cutting teeth or
ribs of the former and adapted to be actuated by the thumb or finger, and a
suitable bandle in which the cylinder and motor device are properly housed and
supported. A comb-like guard is also placed over the exposed portion of the
cylinder at the cutting point so as to prevent the skin from being caught between
the cutting devices.
All these features are fully illustrated in the drawing accompanying this appli-
cation and forming a part thereof,
Fig. 1 therein being a side viow; Fig 2 a vertical section; Fig. 3 a front or
edge view and Fig. 4 a top view of the invention;
Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are views of the comb, the stationary blade and the rotary
cylinder, respectively.
Fig. 8 is an exaggerated end view of the cylinder teeth.
In said drawing A represents the handle of the implement, which I prefer to
fashion as shown, that is to say with eyes or openings a a, each adapted to receive.
one of the fingers of the hand by which the razor is held and operated, and a
shank or plain portion a'. A proper housing for the cutting cylinder and its
actuating device is attached to this handle, and may consist of the plates or
cheeks a a', and the triangular portion a, the former supporting the journal of
the actuating device and the latter supporting and covering the cylinder. A joint:
permitting movement by the handle may be employed to unite the handle and the
housing if desired, and I prefer that construction as it allows the handle to be
moved to position at right angles to the cutter, as indicated at dotted lines in"
Figure 1, or to an intermediate angle. When thus changed in position it will,
perhaps better suit some users. I have had no difficulty however in using the
implement upon all parts of the face when the handle is in line with the cutter, as
shown by the full lines. The joint referred to is perhaps best made by providing
the stem with arms a pivoted upon the pivot or journal of the actuating gear
hereinafter described, and to lock the handle in its desired position, spring depressed
catches a adapted to enter notches a' in the periphery of the cheeks are provided.
These catches are supported upon a block a' movably held in the hollow stem a
in one piece with the arms a', and acted upon by the spring a'. To release the
catches, the blook a' is provided with projections a adapted to be lifted by the
finger. As shown at Figure 2 the stem a³ is made separate from and placed within
the hollow of stem a'. This however is not a necessary feature, as the stems may
be made in one piece.
The spirally toothed or ribbed cutting cylinder is shown at B. It is preferably.

page_text: made hollow and supported upon a journal or arbor b, the ends of which find
support in the ends of the top portion as of the handle. The teeth of cylinder B
aro adapted to act with a stationary blade or opposing cutter C, secured to the
part a at one side of the opening in the latter which uncovers the cylinder to the
beard. At the other side of the opening, is secured the guard D having comb-like
teeth d spanning the opening and preventing the skin from getting into the ontting
devices, but permitting the entrance and severing of the beard.
For operating the cylinder any suitable motor device or connection may be used,
but I prefer to employ a gear E meshing directly with the cutting cylinder, thereby
obviating the necessity of providing a special driving gear upon the cylinder.
Of course any gear meshing with the cylinder itself must not injure the teeth of
the latter, and theroforo make the teeth of gear E spiral to conform to the spiral
inclination of the teeth upon the cylinder. Said goar E is supported upon a shafte,
which may also carry the arms a, as already stated. The gear E is considerably
larger in diameter than the cylinder so that the latter will have a comparatively
rapid rotation. The gear is also located so that its periphery may be pressed upon
by and receive actuating power from the thumb of the same hand which supports
the razor.
The operation of the device is as follows: The user inserts two of his fingers,
preferably the third and fourth, in the eyes a and with his other finger or fingers
resting against and supporting the stein, he presses his thumb against the gear E
and moves it in the direction in which it is desired to rotate the same. The
rotation of the gear thus imparted is continued as long as necessary by repeating
the operations described with the thumb, and gives the necessary movement to the
cylinder. While thus holding and operating the cylinder the razor is moved over
the face preferably in a direction to bring the hairs of the beard directly against
the sharp or acting edge of the plate C, and thus ensure their being acted upon
by the cylinder and said plate.
.
My device is well adapted to use without any preliminary softening of the beard
in the customary way, removes only the beard instead of cutting away a layer of
the skin with the beard after the manner of the ordinary razor, does not irritate or
injure the skin in any way, is not dangerous to handle, can be used with safety on.
shipboard or a railway car, and does not quickly or easily become dull. It is also
light, compact and inexpensive to manufacture.
While the spiral character of.cutting teeth upon the cylinder is more desirable:
than straight teeth would be, my invention ought not to be limited to the spiral,
feature. And it is obvious that instead of making the teeth themselves spiral,
they may be straight and the opposing stationary jaw or blade can be made spiral
instead. Either the teeth or the blade are however preferably spiral because
when thus constructed they are adapted to sever only a few of the whiskers at
the same instant, whereas if both were straight they might act upon so many
at once as to require more power than could be well supplied in an instrument
of this character. The teeth are also, preferably, underout upon their forward
side, as shown in Figure 8, as thereby they are adapted to cut more easily.
The undercut does not however extend to the root of the tooth, but preferably
ceases at m. This leaves the base of the tooth to receive the impact of the
teeth of the operating gear and preserves the cutting edge from dulling by such
contact. The teeth of the gear are preferably formed so that they will operate
upon the part m instead of the cutting jaw.
It will be noticed that the cutting cylinder is entirely enclosed in my razor
except at the operating point, thus avoiding catching and winding up of the hair
or whiskers growing upon adjacent parts of the face which are not shaved, and
also avoiding any accidental interference with or retarding of the cylinder by
extraneous means other than such as is expected to be met with at the cutting
point; also that the cutting devices are located in a projecting part and pre-
ferably upon the end of the implement, and as near the extremity as may be, the
cylinder being placed just inside the angle formed by the convergence of the

page_text: sides of the triangular housing a. By the latter features, the operating point is
permitted to be prossed well against the skin without unnecessary resistance by
Aurrounding parts. It will also be seen that the guard does not extend over but
stops at the edge of the blade C so that the cutting may take place at the surface
of the skin instead of at a remove therefrom.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1st. The improved razor, consisting of a handle, a rotary toothed cutting cylinder,
an enclosing support for said cylinder, an opposing stationary blade, a guard D, and
means for actuating said cylinder, substantially as specified."
2nd. The improved razor, consisting of a handle, a rotary toothed cutting
cylinder, an opposing stationary blade, and a gear adapted to be rotated by a
thumb or finger pressing upon its periphery and meshing with the cylinder,
aubstantially as specified.
3rd. The combination in a razor, of a rotating toothed cutting cylinder, aud a
gear for actuating the same meshing directly with the cutting teeth of the
cylinder, substantially as specified.
4th. The combination in a razor of cutting devices of the kind described, a
suitable housing for the same, and a handle adjustably secured to the housing,
substantially as specified.
5th. The razor having a rotary cutting cylinder, means adapted to be actuated
by the thumb for rotating said cylinder, and a handle having eyes for the fingers,
whereby the thumb is left at full liberty to actuate the cylindor, substantially as
specified.
6th. The razor consisting of a handle A having eyes a a, gear E adapted to be
rotated by the thumb, a rotary cutting cylinder B, stationary blade C and guard D,
substantially as specified.
7th. The combination in a razor, of a handle having oyes to receive the fingers,
a gear supported in the handle and adapted to be rotated by the thumb, and a
rotary cutting cylinder receiving motion from said gear, substantially as specified.
8th. The razor the cutting devices whereof consist of the enclosed rotary cutting
cylinder and an opposing stationary blade or odge, substantially as specifled.
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A., January 14th A.D. 1893. .
JOHN ANDREW STENBERG.
Witnesses:
H. M. MUNDAY.
EDWARD S. EvARTS.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.