Cap for razor blade assembly adapted to receive an extra element

6~ ~QP~ R~ZC)~ I?E A~SlF~ Y FlELD OF THE INVENT~ON This invention relates to a razor blade assembly and to a cap for 5 a blade assembly which carries a shaving aid such as a lubncating strip.

BA~KS3ROUND OF THE INVENTION U.S.

Pat.

No. 4,170,821 issued to Booth on Oct. 16, 1979 tliscloses a solid water soluble shaving aid incorporated as a strip attached to a disposable razor blade car~idge. (: ar~idges having such shaving aids attached 10 to the cap are currently marketed with the aid being mixed in polystyrene.

Currently, polyethylene oxide is the shaving aid preferred.

Examples of cartridges with these soluble shaving aids sold by as Atra PlusTM by Gillette Company, Boston, Mass. and Ultrex Plus~M sold by Warner-Lambert Company, Morris Plains, N.J. "Cartridges" as used herein are blade 1~ assemblies sold as individual items for attachment to a separate handle. "Blade assembly" is used generically to include both the cartridge and that part of a unitary disposable razor other that the handle.

The cartridge and blade assemblyinclude at least one blade, a seat for the blade, a guard bar extending from theseat, and a cap and means for separating the blades, if more than one blade is 20 used, and means for maintaining blade position.

While location of the lubricating strip on the cap has proven to be desirable because of the liberation of lubricant with each razor stroke, the attachment of the plastic str~p in which the polye~ylene oxide lubricant has been impregnated, has proven to be dif~lcult.

Both the Atra PluslM and the Ultrex 2S PlusTM cartridge have the lubricating strip adhesively secured to the cap of the blade assembly.

Adhesive securement requires the separate steps dur~ng the ~3~6~0;Z manufacturing process of contacting the cap with adhesive, precisely locating the lubricating strip to be in registry with the adhesive and, fimally, clamping the strip to insure proper adhesive bonding.

Not only do these additional steps dramatically slow the process but the coat of the adhesive and the problems associated with working with a necessarily quick~rying plastic bonding adhesive with a volatile organic solvent add unnecessary time and complexity to what is otherwise a ultra high speed manufacturing process.

~ARY OF THE INV~NTION This invention provides a ra7or blade assembly and particularly a razor cap adapted to receive and clamp a strip-like shaving aid, such as a lubricating strip, without the use of an adhesive.

The cap, according to this invention, utilizes projections to define at least part of a pocket which receives the strip.

After the strip has been positioned, the projections, which are deformable, are bent over the strip to retain it.

Bosses are preferably present at each end of the strip to prevent lateral displacement and may together with the projections define the strip-receiving pocket.

For purposes of the disclosure and appended claims, the term "strip-like shaving aid" should be understood as any substance to be applied to the skin in connection with shaving and formed as a solid strip.

More specifically, in one aspect, the invention provides a razor cap comprising a top surface having at least one unit~ry deformable rear projection and at least one ur~itary de~ormable iorward projection. A strip-lLtce shaving aid is located between and retained by ~e forward and rear projections.

In preferred form, there are a plurality of forward projections engaging the shaving aid and spaced-apart to expose a forward face~ontacting surface portion of the shaving aid.

In another aspect, ~he invention provides a razor blade assembly - 2 , comprising at least one shaving blade, a blade seat supporting the shaving blade, a guard bar extending forwardly from the blade seat beyond the shaving blade, and a cap connected to the blade seat and overlying the blade.

The cap comprises a strip-like shaving aid and a top surface having means defining a 5 pocket that xetains the shaving aid.

The pocket-defining means include at least one unitary deformable rear projection overlaying one leng~wise side portion of the shaving aid and at least one unitary deformable forward projection overlaying an opposing lengthwise side portion of the shaving aid.

Other aspects of the invention will be apparent ~rom a 10 description below of preferred embodiments and will be more specifically defined in the appended claims.

DESCRIPTION OF T~ DRAWINGS The invention will be more readily understood with reference to the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a cap used in conjunction with a razor blade assembly according to this ilNention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines 2-2 of FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of this invention; and FIG. 4 is a cross-section taken along the lines 4 4 of FIG. 3.

DESCRI~ION OF PREF:ERRED 1~MBODIMENTS As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the razor cap 10 of blade assembly :B has a back surface 11 and a front surface 13 and sides 15a and 15b.

As shown in FIG. 1, the lubricating strip 20 is partially overlaid by projection 16which extends along the entire length of the rear portion of ~e strip 20.

The lubricating sbip 20 is also held in place at the front portion of the razor cap by A ~3~ O~ tabs 12a and 12c positioned as shown in FIG. 1. l~osses 14a and 14b positioned inward along the sides l5a and l5b respectively prevent the lubricating strip 20 from shifting laterally either during insertion or use.

Tapering downward from the front of the cap 13 and extending from sides l5a 5 and l5b respectively are legs 15c and l5d.

Positioned between the legs l5c and15d adjacent and partially underlying the front portion of the cap 13 is a top blade 19 and a bottom blade 18 with the bottom blade 18 extending outward farther that the top or cap blade 19.

Ribs 21 extend toward guard bar 22 extend outwardly beneath the blades 18 and 19 as projections below and at part of, a 10 blade æeat (not otherwise shown).

These ribs 21 extend parallel to the legs 15c and join guard bar Z2 which is designed to protect the face of the shaver duringthe shaving operation itself.

The configuration of the front projections, that is, the three tabs illustrated in E;IG. 1 is a currently preferred clamping configuration for 15 providing secure multi-position clamping along the front portion of the cap with ` maximum exposure of the lubricating strip.

It is also possible to use this multi-tab configuration for the rear projection but, due to the nature of the forces exerted during shavings multiple tabs are not as important in the rear portion of the cap.

The blade assembly depicted in FIG. 1 as apparent in FIG.

20 2 is held in place by staking means 17, the spacing of which can be seen by reference to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3.

The particular method of maintairling the assembly configuration is not part of this invention and any of the well known means can be utilized including staking with positioning as shown in PIG. 3 with stakes extending 25 either downward from the cap or upward from the seat or combinations ~ereof.

Staking can occur upwardly from the seat, engaging the bottom o~ seat blade and downwardly from ~he cap engaging the cap blade with the stakes terminating at the opposite blade maintaining the position of the components by upward and downward pressure against these blades.

Other common assembly means can also be used.

For ex-unple, the cap and seat may be formed of 5 resilient fingers acting as leaf springs and this method may be used alone or in conjunction with assorted stakes and detents to maintain relative positioning ofthe components of the blade assembly, the particular choice of assembly maintenance means is well known by those skilled in the art.

FIG. 2 is illustrative of the relationship between the staking tab 10 and lubricating strip and their position and indicates that, at the place where tab 12c is positioned, in cross-section, the tabs 12c and 16 overlay the lubricatingstrip 20 as shown therein and positioned directly above staking means 17.

According to this invention it is preferred that the projection 16 on the back 11 of cap 10 be essentially a solid continuous strip.

Shaving itself15 exerts a backward pressure on the projection area 16 and the continuous stripoffers better resistance than a single tab or a plurality of tabs although otherconfigurations can of course be used as long as they extend essentially along the entire length of the back 11 of cap 10.

Reference is now made to ~IG. 3 in which a second 20 embodiment of the cap is shown.

This drawing does not show the presence of the lubricating strip 20 which is inserted in the central part of the cap 25 butdoes illustrate the receiving pocket formed by the bosses and the projections.

FIG. 3 shows a continuous projection 12 positioned along the front portion 13 of the cap 10 and also shows ~e positioning of the cap face at an angle relative25 to ~e plane formed by the bottom of cap sides 15a and 15b.

It is currently prefened that the lubricating strip be angled with respect to the cap bottom surface at an angle up to about 30 degrees (see angle 0 in PIG.2) so that it 13~6~ Z correlates with the contact shaving angle of the blades and the blade assembly.

The shaving angle can vary depending upon whether there is a single or multiple blade or whether the ræor is designed for maximum or minimum exposure.

These matters are well known within the art and are not part of this 5 invention.

The lubricating strip is added to the cap illustrated in PIG. 3 by positioning the cap over the pocket fc~med by bosses 14a, 14b, projections 12, 16 and the central portion OI the cap 25 defined by these projections. (~nce thestrip 20 is in place, as illustrated in FIG. l, the projections 16 and 12 regardless 10 of their shape are bent inward toward each other and overlay a portion of thecap thereby serving to retain it along with the bosses which could be extended and bent over at the ends, however, because the forces exerted during shaving are not directed along the length of the blade, the bosses need not be bent but need merely serve as abuttments.

1~ It will be appreciated th~t particular embodiments of theinvention have been illustrated and deseribed and that modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or necessarily departing from the scope of the appended claims.

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