Improvements in Hair Clippers.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Aug., 1892-Accepted, 24th Sept., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Hair Clippers.
I JAMES YATE JOHNSON of 47 Lincoln's Inn Fields in the County of
Middlesex Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of this invention which has
been communicated to me from abroad by Brown and Sharpe Manufacturing
Company of Providence, State of Rhode Island, United States of America Manu-
facturers and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention has more especial reference to that class of hair clippers in which
a spring is combined with a handle or lever for operating the reciprocating cutter
the said spring moving the cutter in a direction opposite to that in which it is
moved by the hand of the operator. One of the main objects of this invention is to
so construct the spring and combine it with the other parts of the clipper as to
lessen the liability of the spring to get out of order, to equalize its action and
the power needed to compress it, to reduce the friction to a minimum, to protect
the spring from becoming clogged with hair and other impurities, and to permit the
clipper to be taken apart for grinding or cleaning without the necessity of
removing the spring. This invention also comprises certain other features of
improvement in the construction of the clipper as more particularly hereinafter
set forth.
And in order that the said invention may be fully understood I shall now proceed
more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to the several.
figures on the annexed sheets of drawings the same letters of reference indicating
corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved clipper.
Figure 2 is a plan of the same.
Figure 3 is a front view with the handles broken off.
Figure 4 is a rear view, also with the handles broken off and the thumb nut
removed.
Figure 5 is a vertical section on the line 1-2, Figure 2.
Figure is an inverted plan view of the spring washer and thumb nut preferred
to be used.
Figure 6 is a sectional plan view.
Figure 7 is a plan of a inodification.
Figure 8 is a vertical section on the line 3-4, Figure 7.
Figures 9, 10, 11 are sectional and detached views of the pocket and the contained
spring.
Figures 12 and 13 are views of a modified form of spring-containing pocket
shewing the operating lever in its two different positions.
Figures 14 and 15 are corresponding views of another modification, and
Figure 16 is a sectional view of another modification.
In the several figures in which the movable cutter is shewn it is represented as
being about midway of its stroke.
In many of its features the present clipper is not unlike that illustrated in
Letters Patent of the United States of America granted to Cyrus Carleton
July 1st 1879 No. 216,998 and like the clipper described in that Patent, it has a
comb plate A, a reciprocating cutter plate B, a moveable handle or lever C for
operating the moveable cutter plate and mounted to turn upon the central pivot E
the upper end of which is provided with a thumb nut and washer for holding in
place the cap or cover D. The fixed handle or lever C¹ may be made in one with,.
or affixed to a frame F to the underside of which is secured by means of suitable
screws or bolts a the comb plate A. (Figures 4 and 8).

page_text: The central bolt or pivot E upon which the hub h of the moveable operating
lever C turns, is preferably threaded into the lower part of the frame F (Figures 1,
4 and 5) and the upper side of the comb plate A may have a countersink for the
reception of the head of the bolt E as shewn in Figures 1, 4 and 5. The upper end
of this bolt E passes freely through the cover D and is threaded at its outer end for
the reception of a thumb nut G, which thus makes the pivot E at the same time, a
securing bolt to hold the cover D in place. It is preferred to combine with this
thumb nut a spring washer g of the curved form shewn in the drawings, which
washer fits loosely on a reduced tubular extension or neck on the nut, and is held
thereon by lips or projections g' forced up from the tubular extension or neck as
shown in Figures 5 and 5^.
The operating lever C has the usual short bent arm e Figure 6 entering a notch
in the reciprocating cutter plate B to impart motion to the latter. This cutter
plate is guided in its lateral reciprocating motions by two pins p p¹ or p², p³ carried
either by the comb plate A or by the cover D. If these guide pins for the cutter
are carried by the cover as illustrated in the construction shewn in Figures 1 to 6
they pass through the guide slots in the cutter plate and enter openings or sockets
in the comb plate below. One of the pins for instance p is made to fit accurately
the corresponding opening in the comb plate, while a little play is allowed
in the opening in the comb plate for the other pin p². When the guide pins
are carried by the comb plate A instead of the cover, as in the construction
shewn in Figures 7 and 8 they pass up through the guide slots b in the reciprocating
cutter plate and enter notches or openings provided for them in the underside of
the cover D one pin p² for instance, fitting accurately in its opening, while the
other one, p³ fits its opening in the cover with a slight play. The reason for
providing for a little play in the fitting of one of these guide pins in its opening in
the opposite plate is because the pivot E forms a third pin for fixing the position of
the cover D and the slight play is required for one of the three pins to allow for
unavoidable variations in the making and fitting of the different parts.
The reciprocating cutter plate B is held down to its work by the front edge of
the cover D bearing upon the upper surface of the said cutter plate and in order to
exert the pressure upon the most favourable part of the reciprocating cutter, this
front edge of the cover is made with two short bearing surfaces y y as shewn in
Figure 3. The extreme rear edge of the cover D has a bearing point at on the
upper side of the frame F as shewn in Figure 5 and the thumb nut G with its
spring washer being situated between the front and rear bearing points, any
desired friction or pressure may be brought to bear upon the reciprocating plate.
As shewn in Figures 5 and 8, it is preferred to leave a space between the top of
the hub h of the lever C and the cover D to allow the latter to be set up, but in
order to prevent the lever rising on the pivot E a shoulder ¹ is formed on the hub
to take under the overhanging part of the frame F.
The form of spring most commonly employed in these hair clippers is the torsion
spring such as illustrated for instance in American Patent No. 216,998 hereinbefore
referred to and so long as such a spring remains in good order it works well.
Such a spring however very apt to break when in use, thus causing expense
trouble and delay to remove and replace it. Spiral push springs have in some
cases been used but placed between the handles at some distance back from the
frame and held in place by guide-pins on the handles. Such an arrangement is
objectionable for several reasons for instance, the spring is long and has a long
movement in compression and expansion and consequently there is uneven action,
the coils of the spring rub more or less upon the guide pins; there is a tendency
for the spring which is thus located at some distance from the axis of the bent
operating lever, to cant the latter unfavourably upon its axis; and the spring being
exposed is liable to become clogged by hair and dirt.
According to this invention a spiral push spring is employed which while retain-
ing all its advantages overcomes the objections enumerated in the arrangement
referred to. A comparatively short spiral push spring S is employed which is

page_text: arranged within the frame F or cover quite close to the axis of the moveable
operating lever C the spring being interposed between the said moveable handle
and the frame.
In practice it is preferred to form the frame F with a hollow pocket T for the
reception of the spring S, one end of which bears against the bottom of the pocket
while the other end bears against the moveable lever or by preference against an
interposed cap. pieces against which a pin or projection upon the elbow c' of the
moveable handle or lever C bears.
The pocket for the spring may have a solid bottom as illustrated in Figures
12, 13, 14 and 15 in which case the spring and the bearing or cap piece s will have
to be placed in the receiving pocket before the operating handle is fitted in position.
It is preferred however to provide for the introduction of the spring from the outer
end of the pocket for which purpose a threaded cover or thimble t is provided
which is adapted to be screwed into the pocket T from the outside, as shewn in
Figures 6 and 9 and at the inner end of the pocket shoulders, as shewn in
Figure 9, may be provided of such a character that while not interfering with the
free movement of the elbow of the operating lever C will retain the bearing piece
and spring S in place when the operating lever is detached. In practical use this
is an important feature as the device can be taken apart even to the operating
handle, without freeing the spring. But whether this arrangement be provided or
not, it will be seen that the comb plate and also the cutter plate can be detached
for grinding or cleaning without removing the securing bolt or pivot E and without
disturbing the operating handle, and in that case the spring would not be disturbed
either.
The axis of the spiral spring S is by the construction described brought into a
plane at right angles to the axis of the bolt and about midway between the top and
bottcm of the hub of the operating lever, whereby any tendency to cant the
operating lever upon its axis is prevented. In order to arrange the spring as close
as possible to the axis of the operating lever, the handles C C are bent as shewn in
Figure 1 and the hub h of the operating lever C is cut away as shewn in Figure 5-
so that the spring may be arranged close to the axis of the operating lever whereby
its extent of movement is very short and consequently its action is practically
uniform.
It is preferred to round or bevel the bottom of the pocket T or the threaded
thimble for the spring S to bear against so that the latter will be self-centering,
and the coils of the spring will be kept from rubbing against the walls of the pocket.
Instead of having a recessed cap pieces for the spring in combination with a
bearing pin or projection on the elbow of the lever C, as shewn in Figures 6, 9, 10
and 11 the cap pieces may have the bearing pin and the elbow of the lever be
provided with a recess for the reception of the pin on the cap piece, as shewn in
Figures 12 and 13. In Figure 16 is shewn a modified form of lever elbow which
will be understood without further explanation.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what 1
claim is―
1st. A hair clipper having a moveable cutter and a pivotted operating lever
therefor with a push spiral spring within the cover or frame close to the pivot, to
act on the said lever substantially as hereinbefore described.
2nd. A hair clipper having a frame, moveable cutter and operating lever with a
pocket in the frame containing a push spiral spring to act upon the operating lever
substantially as hereinbefore described.
3rd. A hair clipper having a moveable cutter and an operating lever therefor, a
push spiral spring within the frame or cover close to the pivot and means for
retaining the spring in place when the clipper is taken apart and the operating lever
is removed substantially as herein before described.
4th. A hair clipper having a frame, a moveable cutter, and an operating lever

page_text: therefor, in combination with a push spiral spring, the frame having a pocket with
a removeable cover or thimble to retain the spring, the inner end of the pocket being
provided with shoulders whereby the clipper may be taken apart without removing
the spring substantially as herein before described.
5th. A hair clipper having a frame, a moveable cutter and an operating lever
with a push spiral spring to act on the lever, and a pocket with a bevelled bottom
for the reception of the spring substantially as herein before described.
6th. A hair clipper having a securing nut with a tubular extension carrying a
spring washer secured thereto by forced-up lips or projections on the extension
substantially as hereinbefore described.
7th. A hair clipper having a frame, a moveable cutter and cover therefor a
pivotted lever for operating the moveable cutter and a securing bolt and retaining
nut for the cover, the hub of the operating lever being out of contact with the cap
and having a shoulder to take under an overhanging part of the frame substantially
as and for the purpose hereinbefore described.
Dated this 23rd day of August 1892
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
Agents.