Improvement in Hair Clippers.
Year: 1897

page_text: Improvement in Hair Clippers.
I, GEORGE HENRY COATES, of 237 Chandler Street, Worcester, in the County of
Worcester and State of Massachusetts, United States of America, Manufacturer,
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:-
My invention relates to that class of hair clippers comprising stationary and
movable cutting plates and fixed and movable handles and an actuating spring by
which the handles are separated and the movable cutting plate moved in one
direction thereby adapting the clipper to be operated with one hand.
In the following description of my invention and the manner in which the same
is to be performed reference is made to the figures and reference letters in the
accompanying drawings which represent a hair clipper embodying my invention
and showing in detail the construction and arrangement of the several parts.
Figure 1 represents a side view of one of my improved hair clippers.
Figure 2 is a bottom view of the same.
Figure 3 represents a bottom view of the head A of the hair clipper with the
lower clamping plate and movable handle removed, showing the head and the
stationary cutting plate in their relative positions.
Figure 4 represents a bottom view of the head A of the hair clipper with the
lower clamping plate and the stationary and movable cutting plates removed; a
portion of the head being also shown in sectional view in order to disclose the
interior of the chamber K which contains the actuating spring and the means
for adjusting its tension.
Figure 5 represents a central sectional view on line 5, 5, Figure 2.
Figure 6 is a sectional view of the lower clamping plate shown on line 6, 6,
Figure 2.
Figure 7 is a detached view of the lever for actuating the movable cutting plate,
showing the actuating spring by which the lever is moved in one direction and
the means for varying the tension of the actuating spring, the lever being shown
in sectional view.
Like parts are indicated in the accompanying drawings by like letters of
reference.
My invention relates particularly to the construction and application of the
actuating spring to the movable handle; to the improved method of retaining the
stationary cutting plate in position; to the means for applying a pressure to the
stationary and movable cutting plates in order to hold the opposing surfaces of
the cutting teeth in contact during the operation of the hair clipper; and also to
the method by which the movable handle is journalled in the head of the machine.
The several features of construction and arrangement of parts which embody my
invention are fully described in the following Specification and pointed out in the
annexed Claims.
The hair clipper embodying my invention and represented in the accompanying
drawings comprises a head A having a fixed handle A' preferably integral there-

page_text: with; a stationary cutting plate B held in a fixed position on the head A; a
movable cutting plate B₁ capable of a short reciprocating motion as actuated by
the movable handle C which is journalled within the head A. and provided with a
short actuating lever C¹ which extends over the edge of the movable cutting plate
and has a downwardly projecting prong C2 entering a mortise in the movable
cutting plate in the usual manner in machines of this class.
The stationary cutting plate B is held from longitudinal movement by short
studs a¹ which project from the surfaces a, a of the head A and enter holes in the
stationary cutting plate.
The forward, or toothed edge, of the stationary cutting plate bears against the
lower side of the movable cutting plate B¹ and its rear edge overlaps a boss G²
formed on the under side of the movable handle, so that the rear edge of the
stationary cutting plate is supported at its centre only, in order to secure an equal
pressure along the entire length of its cutting edge without requiring an accurate
alignment of the surface supporting the rear edge, as would be the case if the rear
supporting surface extended the entire length of the stationary cutting plate.
The movable cutting plate B is placed between the stationary cutting plate
and the head A and is provided with a groove D₁ to receive a lip D formed upon
the head A, which serves as a guide to control the reciprocating motion of the
movable cutting plate. The stationary and movable cutting plates are clamped
between the head A and the lower clamping plate E, which is preferably formed
from sheet metal and has its sides and rear edge turned upwardly with its front
edge E¹ bearing against the under side of the stationary cutting plate upon a line as
near as may be opposite the lip D. The upturned sides E2 of the clamping plate E
extend over and inclose the end of the stationary cutting plate and the rear and
upturned edge E3 rests against the under side of the head, as shown at E+ Fig. 5.
The central section of the clamping plate E is provided with a hole E5 to receive
a clamping bolt F which passes up and through the movable handle C and head A.
and receives upon its upper end a nut F by which the clamping plate E and head A
are drawn together causing a pressure to be applied at the front edge E¹ of the
clamping plate against the lower or stationary cutting plate B approximately
opposite the lip D, thereby pinching the cutting plates between the lip D and the
edge E of the clamping plate and holding the opposing surfaces of the cutting
teeth in close contact. The head A is provided with a central, interior, tubular
boss G to provide a bearing for the boss G projecting from the upper side of the
movable handle. Upon the under side of the movable handle is a short boss G2
which supports the rear edge of the stationary cutting plate B. The movable
handle C which is journalled within the hollow boss G is provided with an arm H
which is pivotally connected with a screw threaded bolt H¹ carrying a nut H² to
which is attached the inner end of a closely wound spiral spring I. The outer end
of the spiral spring I is attached to a disk J having a flange and a diametrical
slot J2 adapted to receive a screw driver in order to rotate the disk and its connected
spring and nut. The disk J and connected spring and nut are contained in a
chamber K inclosed in a tubular shell or case K¹ projecting from the rear side of
the head A.
The flange bears against the end of the shell K₁ in order to hold the disk
from longitudinal, movement. The movement of the movable handle C, in the
direction of the arrow Figure 4, expands the coils of the spiral spring so that
the tension of the spring when the. handle is released will reverse its motion and
the tension of the spring is varied by rotating the disk J and its connected spring
and nut thereby varying the position of the nut H2 on the screw threaded bolt Hi
It has been common to reverse the motion of the movable handle by means of a
spring and my invention so far as it relates to the handle actuating spring has
for one of its objects to allow a closely wound spiral pull-spring to be used in
place of an openly wound spiral. push-spring or a flat blade spring, as heretofore
used. The closely wound spiral spring in addition to being more compact permits
a greater variation in its tension for the reason that the amount of variation
"

page_text: possible in a push spring is limited by the space between the coils and it also allows
the spring chamber K to be located at the rear of the head and directly beneath
the fixed handle A so as to be hidden from view from above improving the
appearance of the hair clipper and the variation in the tension of the spring is
accomplished without changing the position of the disk J.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
1 claim is:-
1. The combination with the movable cutting plate of a hair clipper and the
movable handle operatively connected therewith and having a projecting arm,
of a screw threaded bolt pivotally connected with said arm, a nut carried on said
bolt, a rotating disk held from longitudinal movement and a closely wound spiral
spring having one end attached to said nut and its opposite end attached to said
rotating disk whereby the rotation of said disk will change the position of the nut
on said screw threaded bolt and vary the tension of the spiral spring, as and for
the purpose set forth.
2. The combination of a head A provided with a lip D, a movable cutting plate
resting against said lip, a stationary cutting plate bearing against said movable
cutting plate, a clamping plate having its edge bearing against said stationary
cutting plate and in the plane of said lip and means for applying pressure to said
clamping plate whereby said movable and stationary cutting plates are clamped
between the forward edge of the clamping plate and the lip D, as and for the
purpose set forth.
3. The combination with the head A. and the stationary and movable cutting
plates, of a clamping plate with its forward edge arranged to bear against said
stationary cutting plate and with its rear edge resting against said head and means
for applying pressure to said clamping plate, as and for the purpose set forth.
4. The combination with the head A, the movable and stationary cutting plates,
the clamping plate with its forward edge bearing against said stationary cutting
plate and with its rear edge bearing against said head, of a clamping bolt and nut
by which pressure is applied to said stationary cutting plate in the plane of the
forward edge of said clamping plate, as and for the purpose set forth.
5. The combination of the head A, the movable cutting plate, the stationary
cutting plate with its front edge bearing against said movable cutting plate and
with its rear edge supported at its central section only and means for applying
pressure to said stationary cutting plate, whereby an equal pressure is applied
along the entire length of its forward edge, as and for the purpose set forth.
6. The combination of the head A having a tubular boss depending therefrom,
a movable handle provided with a boss upon its upper side journalled in said
depending tubular boss and having a boss G2 projecting from its under side, a
stationary cutting plate having its rear edge bearing at its central section on said
boss G, a movable cutting plate held between said stationary cutting plate and
said head and means for applying pressure to said stationary cutting plate, as and
for the purpose set forth.
7. In a hair clipper comprising a head and a stationary cutting plate, the clamping
plate with its forward edge bearing against said stationary cutting plate and
having its rear edge bearing against said head with the side edges of said clamping
plate upturned to inclose the ends of said stationary cutting plate, as and for the
purpose set forth.