This invention relates to improvements in razor blades of the type commonly known as safety razor blades and more particularly to blades adapted for use in a holder or razor of the type disclosed in the patent to Bigoney No. 1,791,553, granted February 10, 1931. The invention further involves certain improvements in the holder made possible by the improved blade construction.

An object of the invention has been to increase the flexibility of certain portions of the blade in a transverse direction without substantially reducing the rigidity of the cutting edge in a longitudinal direction. This has been accomplished by a suitable formation of the blade, without reducing its thickness or changing the character of the material used.

In providing the blade with increased flexibility, certain distinct advantages have been derived. It has been possible, for example, to increase the pressure with which the forward portion of the blade, adjacent the cutting edge, may be forced against the edge of the guard, thereby insuring better contact between the blade and guard throughout the length of the blade and insuring a more uniform shaving action. The tendency of prior blades to gap away from the edge of the guard adjacent the center of the blade has been overcome. Moreover, the increased flexibility of the blade permits a positive lock to be provided between the blade and holder, thereby guarding against accidental displacement of the blade in the course of shaving.

Heretofore, blades of the character to which the present invention relates have relied entirely upon certain relatively slender tongues to produce the desired pressure of the blades against the guard. These tongues have created weakened sections which have prevented hardening of the blades to a desired degree due to the risk of breaking the tongues. Blades embodying the present improvement, however, utilize a portion of the blade body to assist in creating the desired pressure and, therefore, the danger of breaking the tongues is greatly reduced. This makes it possible to harden the blade to a greater extent without substantial risk of breakage.

A further advantage of the new blade is that its form is such that it may be readily cleaned and may be thoroughly dried without danger of having the towel caught at any point and damaged.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from a detailed description of an illustrative embodiment of the same, which will now be given in conjunction, with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a front view of a holder having the improved blade mounted therein.

Figure 2 is an enlarged side view of the holder and blade.

Figure 3 is an enlarged, vertical section taken along the line 3—3 of Figure 1, and

Figure 4 is a plan view of the improved blade.

Referring now to the drawing, the preferred form of holder, which is of the type disclosed in the before-mentioned Bigoney Patent No. 1,791,553, comprises a handle 10 carrying a blade-receiving head at its upper end. This head preferably has a cap portion 11 arranged to fit over the end of the handle and secured to the latter in any convenient way, as by means of a rivet. A horizontally extending shelf portion 12 is provided in the plane of and integral with the top of the cap 11 and serves as a lower guard. The forward edge 13 of this shelf is of comb-tooth formation, the teeth terminating just in rear of the plane of the blade. At each end of the shelf 12 is a vertically extending side wall 14, these walls being integrally connected with a guard plate 15 extending across the front of the holder. The outer face of each wall 14 is grooved or cut away over a limited area, as indicated at 16 in Figure 2, and presents a cam surface 17 facing upwardly and toward the front of the holder. At the center of the top of the guard plate 15 a deep, arcuate notch, defined by the arcuate edge 18, is formed. This allows for the gripping of the blade between the thumb and finger in applying and removing the blade. At each side of the arcuate notch, the upper edge of the plate 15 is formed with a slight rearward projection 19 providing a stop shoulder to retain the blade in position in the holder, as will be explained more fully hereinafter.

In Figure 4 there is shown the preferred form of blade embodying the features of the present invention. This blade consists of a main body portion 20 provided with a tongue 21 extending downwardly from the upper edge at each end of the body. In line with or opposite the tongues 21, each side of the body of the blade is formed with a V-notch defined by an upper edge 22 and a lower edge 23. These edges together with the tongues 21 define a pair of substantially closed triangular openings 24 through the blade. The corners 25 and 26 of the triangles are preferably rounded or otherwise formed to eliminate sharp angles or notches in which hair might become caught or in which a portion of the towel might be caught in the course of drying the blade. Below the openings 24 the side edges 27 of the blade are preferably flared outwardly at a slight angle toward the cutting edge 28. This provides a cutting edge of maximum length and, at the same time, provides a relatively large passage between the corner 29 of the tongue and the corner 30 on the main body so that the danger of catching and cutting a towel in the course of drying the blade is reduced to a minimum.

Now, in applying the blade to the holder, the blade is slid downwardly along the rear surface of the guard plate 15, the main body portion of the blade, between the edges 27, fitting between the side walls 14 of the holder while the tongues 21 pass along the outer faces of the grooved portions 16. These grooved portions of the walls 14, therefore, enter the notches 24 adjacent the inner edges of the tongues 21. As the blade is inserted in this manner, the tongues 21 are cammed forwardly to a slight extent by the camming surfaces 17 and thus a tension is applied to the blade, forcing its lower edge against the lower edge 31 of the guard plate 15.

It will be apparent that the camming action of the surfaces 17 will not simply serve to bend the tongues 21 relative to the rest of the blade but the bending force will be transmitted through the narrow portion 32, formed between the upper edge of the blade and the edge 22, toward the center or to the unweakened portion of the main body of the blade. This relieves to a considerable extent the strain which would otherwise be imparted to the tongues 21 at their point of connection with the main body. In view of this distribution of the strain over a greater area, the camming surfaces 17 may be enlarged or made steeper and the blade may be forced with a correspondingly greater pressure against the lower edge 31 of the guard. This greater force acting on the blade, coupled with the transmission of the force through the narrow neck portions 32 to a point nearer the center of the blade, insures a substantially uniform engagement of the entire length of the blade with the guard plate. Furthermore, it will be apparent that since the strain is partially absorbed by the body of the blade itself, it is possible to flex the blade outwardly away from the projection 19, to a greater extent than can be safely done with the older styles of blades, in removing the blade from the holder. Accordingly, the projections 19 may be made to provide relatively deep shoulders, serving to positively lock the blade in position. So, also, the distribution of the strain over a larger area makes it possible to harden the blade to a greater extent than the older types and to use a thicker or heavier steel than heretofore without danger of breakage at any point in applying it to and removing it from the holder. By increasing the thickness of the blade several thousandths of an inch, the rigidity of the cutting edge may be increased and the blade as a whole may be held more firmly in place.

While an illustrative form of the invention has been disclosed in considerable detail, it will be understood that various changes may be made without departing from the general principles and scope of the invention. The blade disclosed herein is particularly adapted for use in connection with the holder illustrated but it may also be used to advantage with other holders. While the substantially triangular form of the notch 24 is preferred, the benefits of the invention may be derived, to a greater or less extent, by the provision of notches of other forms. For example, the edges 22 and 23 in lieu of being straight maybe curved slightly. So also, the notches may be made longer and narrower, if desired. Other changes will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. The terms and expressions used herein have been employed as terms of description and not of limitation.

What I claim is:

1. A razor blade comprising a main body portion, and a flexible tongue at each end thereof having one end free and the other end integrally connected with said body portion, said tongues extending at substantially a right angle to the length of the blade, and the ends of said body portion being notched opposite said tongues to provide a narrow neck joining each of said tongues with said body portion.

2. A razor blade comprising a main body portion, and a flexible tongue integrally connected with said body portion at each end thereof, said tongues extending at substantially a right angle to the length of the blade, and the ends of said body portion being provided with substantially triangular notches opposite said tongues to provide a narrow neck joining each of said tongues with said body portion.

3. A razor blade comprising a main body portion, and a cam engaging tongue at each end of said body portion extending at substantially a right angle to the length of the blade, each of said tongues having one of its ends free and the other end connected with said body portion by a section of gradually increasing width disposed at an angle to the length of said tongue.

4. A razor blade comprising a main body portion, and a flexible tongue at each end thereof having one end free and the other end integrally connected with said body portion, said tongues extending at substantially a right angle to the length of the blade, and the ends of said body portion being provided with substantially triangular notches opposite said tongues, substantially the full lengths of the tongues forming the bases of the triangular notches.

5. A razor blade comprising a main body portion having a V-notch in each end thereof, and a tongue integral with each end of said body portion extending across the open end of said notch, the length of said tongue being substantially coextensive with the open end of the notch.

6. A razor blade comprising a main body portion having a V-notch in each end thereof, and a tongue integral with each end of said body portion extending across the open end of said notch, each of said tongues having one end free and the other end connected with said body portion adjacent one edge of the associated notch, the free ends of said tongues being spaced substantially from the ends of said body portion.

7. A razor blade comprising a main body portion, and a flexible tongue integrally connected with said body portion at each end thereof, said tongues extending at substantially a right angle to the length of the blade and having one of their ends free, and the ends of said body portion being provided with substantially triangular notches opposite said tongues, a passage into each of said notches being provided adjacent the end of the associated tongue, the corners of said notches being well rounded.

8. In a device of the class described a holder having a pair of end walls and a guard plate connecting said walls, cam surfaces disposed on said walls, and a blade having a body portion disposed along said guard plate and a tongue at each end of said body portion arranged to engage one of said cam surfaces and be tensioned thereby, said body portion having substantially triangular notches formed in the ends thereof opposite said tongues and adjacent the points of connection of said tongues with said body portion to render the latter more flexible at said points.

9. In a device of the class described a holder having a pair of end walls and a guard plate connecting said walls, cam surfaces disposed on said walls, and a blade having a body portion disposed along said guard plate and a tongue at each end of said body portion arranged to engage one of said cam surfaces and be tensioned thereby, said body portion being weakened adjacent the points of connection of said tongues therewith to a progressively decreasing extent toward the transverse center line of the blade to cause said body portion to relieve the strain imparted to said tongues and transmit the same toward the center of said body portion.

10. In a device of the class described a holder having a pair of end walls and a guard plate connecting said walls, a blade having a body portion disposed along said guard plate and tongues integrally connected with the ends of said body portion, and means on said holder engaging said tongues to tension the same and urge said body portion against said plate, said body portion having V-shaped notches in the ends thereof adjacent said tongues to relieve the strain at the point of connection of said tongues and transmit the same toward the center of said body portion.

11. In a device of the class described a holder having a pair of end walls and a guard plate connecting said walls, a blade having a body portion disposed along said guard plate and tongues integrally connected with the ends of said body portion, and means on said holder engaging said tongues to tension the same and urge said body portion against said plate, said body portion having substantially triangular notches in the ends thereof adjacent said tongues to relieve the strain at the point of connection of said tongues and transmit the same toward the center of said body portion, said blade and holder having coacting surfaces rendered effective by the tensioning of said tongues for locking said blade in place.

John E. Drew.