To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Charles L. Girard, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Little Valley, in the county of Cattaraugus and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Razors, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to that class of razors known as “safety-razors,” and the purpose of the invention is to provide a razor of the usual form or type in which instead of the blade being an integral portion of the shank a shell is directly connected with the shank, having the customary cross-sectional and longitudinal shape of an ordinary razor-blade, while the blade is made very thin, with straight side faces, and is mounted for movement in said shell to and from its back and open front edge.

Another purpose of the invention is to provide means for conveniently and expeditiously moving the blade in the directions mentioned, to bring more or less of its cutting edge beyond the open longitudinal edge portion of the shell, so as to accommodate the instrument to light or to strong beards, and so that as the blade becomes worn it may be moved outward to present the requisite cutting edge for operation and stropping, it not being required to grind the blade after it is finished for introduction into the shell.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of the razor, the section being taken longitudinally through the shell. Fig. 2 is an enlarged transverse section through the blade and shell of the razor, the section being taken practically on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan view of a portion of the shell and the blade contained therein.

A represents the ordinary handle for a razor, and B the shank pivoted to the handle and which ordinarily constitutes an integral portion of the blade; but in my improved razor the shank B is attached to or is made integral with the inner end of the shell C. This shell C is given the cross-sectional shape of an ordinary razor-blade and comprises, as is shown in Fig. 2, a back 10 more or less broad, sides 11, which taper in direction of each other from the back, their outer faces being more or less concaved, an outer end member 12, and an inner end member 13. The sides of the shell C, at the longitudinal front contracted or working section thereof, are brought into more or less close proximity, forming a longitudinal opening 14 between the ends of the shell in direct communication with its interior, and the inner faces 15 of the shell at the opening 14 are straight and parallel, as is also shown in Fig. 2, in order to form guide-faces for a straight thin blade D, located within the shell, but whose cutting edge 16 extends out beyond the opening 14 in the front edge of the shell, and at such opening the sides of the shell quite closely approach the sides of the blade and may be exteriorly beveled to meet the blade with a knife-edge.

A longitudinal slot 17 is produced in the central portion of the back 10 of the shell, and about centrally of the said slot recesses 18 are made in one side edge thereof, as is particularly shown in Fig. 3.

The blade D is adapted for movement in the shell to and from the opening 14, and this movement is accomplished to any desired degree, preferably by producing diagonal slots 19 in the blade adjacent to its back, the said slots 19 being parallel, as is shown in Fig. 1, and said slots are given an upward and rearward inclination from the cutting edge.

In connection with the slots 19 a slide E is employed, which slide consists of a back member 20 and two downwardly-extending arms 21 and 22. Said arms extend, as is shown in Fig. 2, straight from the central portion of the back 20 a sufficient distance to enable them to just pass through the slot 17 of the shell into the interior, and the arms 21 and 22 are then carried horizontally within the shell a short distance and then vertically downward until each arm 21 and 22 can be brought in range of or in alinement with the slot 19. Each arm 21 and 22 is provided with a horizontal foot 23, and the foot members of the said arms are adapted to enter the slots 19 and to slide therein as the slide itself is moved longitudinally along the back of the shell, and when the slide is moved toward the end 12 the blade D will be evenly carried outward, so as to expose more or less of the surface at its cutting edge, and when the slide is moved toward the inner end 13 of the shell the blade D is carried within the shell. The recesses 18 above referred to are made in order that the arms 21 and 22 of the slide E may be introduced into the shell, so that the foot members 23 of the arms 21 and 22 of the slide may be properly introduced into the said slots 19, occupying the position shown in Fig. 1.

This razor is a safety-razor, and at the same time the appearance of the razor is that of an ordinary razor, and the blade is as lengthy, practically speaking, as that of the usual type of razor.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent—

1. A razor, comprising a shell, a handle for the shell, the said shell having an opening at its front edge, a blade loosely mounted in the shell, and slidable means for moving the blade to and from the said front opening of the shell.

2. A razor, comprising a shell, a handle for the same, a blade having transverse movement in the said shell to and from the front opening in the shell, a slide exteriorly mounted on the shell, and an operative connection between the said slide and the blade, whereby to impart the said transverse movement to the blade.

3. In a razor, a shell having a longitudinal opening at its forward edge and a slot in its back, the inner faces of the shell at the said forward opening being straight and forming a stiffening wall or ridge on each side of the cutting edge of a very thin blade, a blade having flat sides located within the shell, being capable of movement to and from the back and the front openings in the shell, a slide located at the back of the shell, and members carried by the slide, which extend through the opening in the back to operative connection with the blade.

4. In razors, a shell, a handle for the same, the shell being provided with a longitudinal front opening and a longitudinal slot in its back, a blade loosely placed in the shell, extending the length thereof, the said blade being provided with diagonal parallel slots, a slide consisting of a back-piece located above the back of the shell, and arms which extend from the back-piece through the slot in the shell, each arm being provided with a member which enters and slides-in one of the slots in the blade.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

Charles L. Girard.

Witnesses:

Jacob Miller,

John H. McCoy.