Rotary dry shaver with tiltable shear plates

Abstract

A rotary dry shaver comprising a component housing, a pair of tiltable cutting elements with exposed apertured shear plates, a bladed rotary cutting member cooperative with the inner surface of the shear plates and coactively tiltable therewith, a driving shaft for the cutting members, the shear plates and cutting members normally disposed at a right angle to the shaft axes, the cutting elements independently supported axially on a spherically radiused surface whereon they are freely tiltable at diverse angles relative to the shaft axes, a removable cutting element retaining frame with apertures through which a portion of each of the cutting elements projects, the outer surface of the projecting portion correspondingly spherically radiused and fittingly and tiltably retained by and in the frame apertures, a chamber in the housing beneath said frame to receive hair clippings, apertures through the housing sidewalls communicating with the chamber, hinged side plates to open and close the wall apertures, the side plates and said frame comprising cooperative engaging portions by which the frame is positively secured in place when the side plates are closed, the shear plate apertures and the blades of the cutting member opposedly two-edged for cutting in either rotational direction, a driving motor, means for reversing the rotation of the cutting member at desired intervals, a toothed edge reciprocal hair trimming clipper embodied in the housing, the toothed edge of which may be projected from or retracted into the housing, the clipper being operably connected to a driving element when it is projected and disconnected when it is retracted. .Iadd.

What I claim is: 
     
       1. In a rotary dry shaver, a component housing, a .Iadd.universally .Iaddend.tiltable .Iadd.nonrotating .Iaddend.cutting element comprising .[.a flanged apertured shear plate exposedly retained in the housing by said flange positioned under an apertured frame,.]. .Iadd.an apertured shear plate provided with a radially extended flange, the flange positioned under an apertured frame affixed to the housing, the cutting element exposedly retained by and in said frame by said flange, .Iaddend.a rotary cutting member cooperative with the shear plate and coactively tiltable therewith, a driving shaft for the cutting member, means to bias the cutting member into contact with the shear plate, and the said cutting element .[.tiltably supported axially by means separate from the cutting member and its biasing means.]. .Iadd.supported in the axial direction and universally tiltable on a single supporting element separate from the cutting member and its biasing means and the means tiltably connecting the driving shaft to the cutting member.Iaddend.. 
     
     
       2. The structure defined in claim 1, wherein the said means by which the cutting element is tiltably supported comprises a spherically radiused supporting surface. 
     
     
       3. The structure defined in claim 1, wherein the said cutting element is substantially cup-shaped, and a portion of the inner surface thereof spherically radiused and tiltably seated on the supporting means. 
     
     
       4. The structure defined in claim 1, including a cutting element retaining frame provided with an aperture through which a portion of the said element projects, the element having an outer surface a portion of which is spherically radiused and fittingly and tiltably retained by and in the frame aperture. 
     
     
       5. The structure as defined in claim 3 wherein the driving shaft is connected at one end to the cutting member at a point concentric with the spherical center of the said spherically radiused surface on which the cutting element is supported, the cutting member being universally tiltable on the shaft. 
     
     
       6. The structure define in claim 1 including means by which the rotation of the cutting member may be reversed at desired intervals to cut in an opposite direction. .Iadd. 7. In a dry shaver including a housing, at least one cutter guard and a cooperating cutter that is rotatable about its axis, a holder in which said guard is movably mounted, the first spring means for resiliently urging said cutter axially upward (when said shaver is upright) into engagement with said guard which is thereby urged upward in engagement with said mount, the improvement in combination therewith wherein said holder includes a circular aperture defined by a rim having first diameter, said guard has an outer surface which is spherically curved, has diameter corresponding to said first diameter, and is situated within and engaging said rim, said spherical surface having its center situated substantially on said cutter axis, said guard and cutter together being both pivotable in said rim and depressible axially downward against said first spring means. .Iaddend..Iadd. 8. A shaver according to claim 7, wherein said cutter guard has a hat shape with an upper part perforated at the top thereof, and a lower part with an open bottom which faces said cutter, and wherein said center B of said spherical surface is situated in said mount below said lower part of the guard. .Iaddend..Iadd. 9. Apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising holding means carried by said guard for preventing said guard from moving axially upward and out of engagement with said mount. .Iaddend..Iadd. 10. Apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising first bearing member spring-mounted on said housing and supporting said guard. .Iaddend..Iadd. 11. Apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said holder is axially movable relative to said housing, said holder being urged resiliently upward by force from contact with said guard, said apparatus further comprising spring means mounted on said housing and resiliently urging said holder downward. .Iaddend..Iadd. 12. Apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said holder is an annular ring the bore of which defines said rim engaging said spherical surface of said guard. .Iaddend.