Shaver cleaning station assembly

Abstract

Provided is a shaver cleaning station assembly comprising a shaver cleaning station and a cartridge for inserting into a slot defined in the shaver cleaning station. The cartridge is suitable for containing cleaning liquid for cleaning a shaver docked in the shaver cleaning station.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A shaver cleaning station assembly comprising a shaver cleaning station and a cartridge for containing cleaning liquid suitable for cleaning a shaver docked in the shaver cleaning station, wherein the shaver cleaning station comprises:
 a front side and a rear side, the front side facing forward and the rear side facing backward, the rear side comprising a connection point for connecting the shaver cleaning station to a supply of electricity;   a pair of slot-defining members, a slot for the cartridge being at least partly delimited by the pair of slot-defining members; and   a locating part at an end of the slot, the slot being arranged so that the cartridge is moveable from the front side into the slot, via a slot entrance, in a backward direction towards the locating part at the end of the slot and towards the rear side;   
       wherein the cartridge comprises:
 a first end wall portion; and 
 a second end wall portion, a main body of the cartridge extending between the first end wall portion and the second end wall portion, the first end wall portion being distinguished from the second end wall portion at least in that the first end wall portion comprises a mounting feature for engaging with the locating part during securing of the cartridge in the slot, 
 
       wherein the cartridge is shaped so as to be moveable into the slot in the backward direction until the mounting feature engages the locating part when the cartridge is in a first orientation, and wherein the cartridge is shaped so as to be also moveable into the slot in the backward direction to insert a largest width dimension of the cartridge between the slot-defining members when the cartridge is in a second orientation, in which second orientation the cartridge is rotated 180° with respect to the first orientation such that the second end wall portion faces the locating part. 
     
     
         2 . The shaver cleaning station assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein, when the cartridge is in the second orientation, the cartridge is moveable into the slot until the second end wall portion contacts the locating part. 
     
     
         3 . The shaver cleaning station assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the cartridge comprises a first side wall portion and a second side wall portion that axially extends parallel to the first side wall portion, and wherein the pair of slot-defining members axially extend parallel to each other. 
     
     
         4 . The shaver cleaning station assembly according to  claim 3 , wherein the cartridge and the slot are arranged so that the first side wall portion slides against one of the pair of slot-defining members while the second side wall portion slides against the other of the pair of slot-defining members when the cartridge is being moved into the slot when the cartridge is in the first orientation and when the cartridge is in the second orientation. 
     
     
         5 . The shaver cleaning station assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the shaver cleaning station comprises a housing, at least part of the housing being moveable to allow the cartridge to be moved into the slot; optionally wherein the housing is arranged such that, following movement of the housing to allow the user to access the slot, the housing is moveable to at least partially cover the cartridge that has been moved into the slot, at least when the cartridge in the slot is in the first orientation. 
     
     
         6 . The shaver cleaning station assembly according to  claim 5 , wherein the shaver cleaning station comprises a user-actuatable element actuatable by a user to cause the movement of the housing that allows the cartridge to be moved into the slot, the user-actuatable element being arranged at the rear side. 
     
     
         7 . The shaver cleaning station assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the shaver cleaning station comprises electrical contacts for contacting electrical contact points on the shaver when the shaver is docked in the shaver cleaning station, wherein the electrical contacts are arranged closer to the rear side than to the front side of the shaver cleaning station. 
     
     
         8 . The shaver cleaning station assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the shaver cleaning station comprises a cleaning cradle for receiving at least part of the shaver, the cleaning cradle being arranged to receive the cleaning liquid from the cartridge when the cartridge is received in the slot with the mounting feature engaging the locating part, and wherein the cartridge comprises an inlet for receiving the cleaning liquid returned from the shaver cleaning station when the cartridge is received in the slot with the mounting feature engaging the locating part. 
     
     
         9 . The shaver cleaning station assembly according to  claim 8 , wherein the shaver cleaning station comprises a liquid discharge conduit, the liquid discharge conduit being arranged to carry the cleaning liquid from the cleaning cradle to the inlet, wherein a base surface of the cleaning cradle downwardly slopes towards the liquid discharge conduit and towards the inlet when the cartridge is received in the slot with the mounting feature engaging the locating part. 
     
     
         10 . The shaver cleaning station assembly according to  claim 9 , wherein the downwardly sloping base surface comprises a planar region, and wherein an angle between a plane of the planar region and a horizontal plane, when the shaver cleaning station is orientated for use, is at least about 2°, preferably at least about 5°. 
     
     
         11 . The shaver cleaning station assembly according to  claim 10 , wherein the shaver cleaning station is configured to mount the shaver at an angled orientation that causes residual cleaning liquid to run off the shaver towards an upper portion of the downwardly sloping base surface. 
     
     
         12 . The shaver cleaning station assembly according to  claim 11 , comprising the shaver, the shaver comprising a shaving head, wherein the shaver cleaning station is configured to mount the shaver so that a skin-contacting plane of a central area of the shaving head extends at a further angle of about 18° to about 25° relative to the plane of the planar region of the downwardly sloping base surface. 
     
     
         13 . The shaver cleaning station assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the mounting feature comprises an indentation defined in the first end wall portion, in which indentation at least a portion of the locating part is receivable during engagement of the mounting feature with the locating part; optionally wherein an interior space of the cartridge, in which the cleaning liquid is receivable, partially wraps around the indentation. 
     
     
         14 . The shaver cleaning station assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the cartridge contains cleaning liquid comprising ethanol and/or propanol. 
     
     
         15 . The shaver cleaning station assembly according to  claim 1 , comprising a further shaver cleaning station provided in addition to the shaver cleaning station, wherein the further shaver cleaning station comprises: 
       a front elevation and a rear elevation, the front elevation facing forward and the rear elevation facing backward, the rear elevation comprising a connection site for connecting the further shaver cleaning station to a supply of electricity; 
       a pair of channel-defining members, a channel for the cartridge being at least partly delimited by the pair of channel-defining members; and 
       a locating element at an end of the channel, the channel being arranged and the cartridge being shaped so that the cartridge is moveable into the channel from the rear elevation, via a channel entrance, in a forward direction towards the locating element at the end of the channel and towards the front elevation, the mounting feature being for engaging with the locating element during securing of the cartridge in the channel.