Beard trimmer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10906195-B2
Application number	US-201715717255-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 27, 2017
Priority date	Sep 28, 2016
Publication date	Feb 2, 2021
Grant date	Feb 2, 2021

Abstract

A beard trimmer having a handle, a motor and a head portion. The head portion comprises at least a first long hair cutter unit for trimming hair that is provided with a first outer cutter and a first inner cutter.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A beard trimmer having a handle, a motor and a head portion, wherein
the head portion comprises at least a first long hair cutter unit for trimming hair that is provided with a first outer cutter and a first inner cutter,
the first outer cutter is provided with a cutter skin contact surface and a cutting side which is opposite to the skin contact surface,
the motor drives one or both of the first inner cutter and the first outer cutter in order to move relative to the other and suitable to cut hair between the first inner cutter and the first outer cutter,
a first comb unit comprising an elongate side wall defining a cavity configured to receive the first long hair cutter unit, wherein the first comb unit is releasably attached to the first long hair cutter unit,
the first comb unit comprises comb teeth each having a tooth skin contact surface, the comb teeth are integral with and extend from the elongate side wall and comprise one or more first teeth each comprising a first end and one or more second teeth each comprising a second end, wherein a hair cutting gap is defined between the first and second ends, and the tooth skin contact surface of each of the one or more first teeth and each of the one or more second teeth is indented towards the hair cutting gap such that the tooth skin contact surface at the first and second ends is positioned nearer to the cutter skin contact surface than the tooth skin contact surface at an intermediate section of each of the first and second teeth,
adjacent ones of the comb teeth being separated by comb slots, the comb slots extending to the ends of the adjacent comb teeth to define open ended slots,
the tooth skin contact surface is at an elevated level relative to the cutter skin contact surface so that the tooth skin contact surface is suitable to be brought in a skin contact and prevents the cutter skin contact surface to be brought in skin contact,
a height difference of the tooth skin contact surface relative to the cutting side of the outer cutter defines a comb hair trimming length,
wherein the ends of at least some of the comb teeth partly overlap the cutter skin contact surface when the first comb unit is attached to the first long hair cutter unit and wherein the first comb unit is a separate element from the first outer cutter.

2. The beard trimmer of claim 1 , wherein the comb teeth of the first comb unit are flexible in a comb teeth zone which is located closest to the first outer cutter wherein flexing of the comb teeth in the comb teeth zone is less than 0.6 mm.

3. The beard trimmer of claim 2 , wherein the first comb unit is provided with an inner surface which faces the cutter skin contact surface and which is opposite to the tooth skin contact surface and wherein a distance between the cutter skin contact surface and the inner surface is below 0.6 mm.

4. The beard trimmer of claim 1 , wherein the comb teeth of the first comb unit are flexible in a comb teeth zone which is located closest to the first outer cutter.

5. The beard trimmer according to claim 1 , wherein the comb teeth are integrally connected with each other by the side wall and wherein the side wall is surrounding the sides of the first long hair cutter unit.

6. The beard trimmer according to claim 1 , wherein the head portion is releasably attached to the handle.

7. The beard trimmer according to claim 6 , wherein the first inner cutter and/or the first outer cutter are driven by the motor to move linearly relative to each other.

8. The hair trimmer of claim 7 , wherein the first comb unit is made of a material having an Elastic Modulus ranging between about 2350 MPa and about 3350 MPa.

9. The beard trimmer according to claim 1 , wherein the first comb unit is made from Polyoxymethylene.

10. The beard trimmer according to claim 1 , wherein the first comb unit is made of a material having an Elastic Modulus ranging between about 2350 MPa and about 3350 MPa.

11. The beard trimmer of claim 1 , wherein the comb teeth extend from one side of the cutter skin contact surface when the first comb unit is attached to the first long hair cutter unit.

12. The beard trimmer of claim 1 , further comprising a second long hair comb unit comprising teeth, wherein one or more of the comb teeth on the first comb unit are supported by one or more teeth on the second long hair comb unit.

13. The beard trimmer of claim 1 , further comprising opposing rows of comb teeth extending toward each other from opposing sides of the first comb unit, wherein one of the rows comprises the one or more first teeth and another of the rows comprises the one or more second teeth.

14. The beard trimmer of claim 1 , wherein the cutter skin contact surface extends between the first and second ends of the first and second teeth.

15. A method of using a beard trimmer, the beard trimmer having a handle, a motor and a head portion, the head portion comprises at least a first long hair cutter unit and a first comb unit suitable for trimming hair with a specific comb hair trimming length, the first comb unit is provided with adjacent comb teeth, the adjacent comb teeth being separated by comb slots, the comb slots extending to ends of adjacent comb teeth to define open ended slots, wherein each of the comb teeth are provided with a tooth skin contact surface, and wherein the first long hair cutter unit is provided with a first outer cutter and a first inner cutter, and the first outer cutter is a non-foil type cutter, wherein the comb teeth comprise one or more first teeth each comprising a first end and one or more second teeth each comprising a second end, a hair cutting gap is defined between the ends of the first and second comb teeth and the tooth skin contact surface of the first and second comb teeth is indented towards the hair cutting gap such that the tooth skin contact surface at each end is positioned nearer to the first outer cutter than the tooth skin contact surface at an intermediate section of each of the first and second teeth, wherein the ends of at least some of the comb teeth partly overlap the cutter skin contact surface when the first comb unit is attached to the first long hair cutter unit and wherein the first comb unit is a separate element from the first outer cutter, the method comprising the following use steps:
a) moving the beard trimmer over a beard in direction a and cut and trim hair during that movement with a comb hair trimming length c,
b) moving the beard trimmer over the beard in direction b, which is opposite to direction a, and cut and trim hair during that movement with a comb hair trimming length d,
c) substantially maintaining the angle of inclination of the tooth skin contact surface relative to the skin during movement in direction a and b, and wherein the comb hair trimming length c is substantially the same as comb hair trimming length d with a tolerance of about +/−0.4 mm.

16. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the angle of inclination of the tooth skin contact surface relative to the skin during movement in direction a and b is maintained with a tolerance of about +/−10 degrees.

17. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the handle is oriented the same way relative to the user's skin during movement in direction a and b.

18. The method according to claim 17 , wherein the beard trimmer is further defined by:
the first outer cutter is provided with a cutter skin contact surface and a cutting side which is opposite to the skin contact surface,
the motor drives one or both of the first inner cutter and the

Assignees

• Braun Gmbh

Inventors

• Bady Udo
• Sikora Bernhard
• Stegmann Wolfgang
• Wetzel Matthias
• Behrendt Juergen

Classifications

• B26B19/20

  with provision for shearing hair of preselected or variable length · CPC title

• B26B19/384

  Dry-shaver foils; Manufacture thereof · CPC title

• B26B19/28

  Drive layout for hair clippers or dry shavers, e.g. providing for electromotive drive (electric motors per se H02) · CPC title

• B26B19/145

  Cutters being movable in the cutting head · CPC title

• B26B19/205 Primary

  by adjustment of the cutting members · CPC title