Personal care product docking system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11648693-B2
Application number	US-202117523256-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 10, 2021
Priority date	Jan 20, 2017
Publication date	May 16, 2023
Grant date	May 16, 2023

Abstract

A personal care product system having a stand and a handle is provided. The handle can be docked with the stand when not in use. The position of the handle relative to the stand is maintained by a docking magnet in the handle and a docking magnet in the stand. The stand includes a base having a stand resting plane and an opposing top surface. The handle extends upward from the opposing top surface of the stand and is tilted with respect to a vertical axis with a majority of the handle being unsupported. A handle resting plane intersects the stand resting plane at an included angle of less than 90 degrees, and an axis of polarity of the docking magnet in the handle intersects the handle resting plane at an included angle between 15 and 35 degrees to facilitate the tilted position of the handle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A personal care product system, comprising:
a handle having a handle resting plane and a stand contact area at a first end portion, the first end portion having an alignment member;
a stand including a base having a stand resting plane and an opposing top surface defining a handle receiving portion configured to removably receive the first end portion of the handle such that the handle extends upward from the opposing top surface of the stand, the handle receiving portion defines a recess having a handle mounting surface that includes a bottom surface;
at least one permanent docking magnet within the stand;
at least one permanent docking magnet positioned within the handle and magnetically engaged with the corresponding permanent docking magnet within the stand,
wherein the permanent docking magnets are configured to maintain a tilted position of the handle relative to the stand such that the handle resting plane intersects the stand resting plane at an included angle of less than 90 degrees and the handle has an unsupported length that is not engaged with the stand that is 92% to 96% of an overall length of the handle, wherein an axis of polarity of the at least one permanent docking magnet positioned within the handle intersects the handle resting plane at an included angle between 15 degrees and 35 degrees to facilitate the tilted position of the handle, wherein the alignment member of the first end portion of the handle engages a ridge on the stand that extends outward from the bottom surface and extends along a portion of a perimeter of the bottom surface in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the handle resting plane to facilitate proper orientation and angular alignment of the handle.

2. The personal care product system of claim 1 , wherein the alignment member of the handle includes a groove that is sized to receive the ridge.

3. The personal care product system of claim 1 , wherein the bottom surface is planar and non-parallel to the stand resting plane.

4. The personal care product system of claim 1 , wherein the ridge is arc shaped and the alignment member of the handle comprises an arc shaped groove.

5. The personal care product system of claim 1 , wherein the handle receiving portion defines a recess having a handle mounting surface that includes a bottom surface that is not parallel to the stand resting plane.

6. The personal care product system of claim 5 , wherein the handle receiving portion of the stand defines a first pocket and the at least one permanent docking magnet within the stand is positioned within the first pocket such that the at least one permanent docking magnet is positioned beneath the bottom surface.

7. The personal care product system of claim 6 , wherein the stand defines an internal cavity.

8. The personal care product system of claim 7 , wherein the handle receiving portion comprises a gasket to seal the internal cavity.

9. The personal care product system of claim 1 , wherein the handle comprises a second permanent docking magnet having an opposite polarity as a polarity of the first permanent docking magnet.

10. The personal care product system of claim 9 , further comprising a yoke connecting the first docking magnet and second docking magnet.

11. The personal care product system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one permanent docking magnet of the stand is maintained in a position against an inner surface of the stand directly below the handle receiving portion.

12. The personal care product system of claim 1 , wherein the included angle in which the handle resting plane intersects the stand resting plane is 60 to 80 degrees.

13. The personal care product system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one permanent docking magnet of the stand has a slanted end face directly below the handle receiving portion.

Assignees

• Gillette Co Llc

Inventors

• Schaefer Robert
• Zegula Christoph
• Paschold Matthias
• Litterst Christian
• Von Dahlen Judith

Classifications

• B26B19/3873

  Electric features; Charging; Computing devices · CPC title

• B26B19/3853 Primary

  Housing or handle · CPC title

• A45D27/29 Primary

  Stands for shavers or razors (A45D27/46 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01F7/0242

  Magnetic drives, magnetic coupling devices · CPC title