Electric shaver

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9399302-B2
Application number	US-201314103017-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 11, 2013
Priority date	Jan 15, 2009
Publication date	Jul 26, 2016
Grant date	Jul 26, 2016

Abstract

An electric shaver includes a rod-shaped body part, a head part, and an interposer. The head part projects from one end portion, in a longitudinal direction, of the body part and swingably attached to the body part. The head part includes a shaving portion and a drive mechanism. The interposer is configured to support the head part swingably about a first swing axis parallel with a longitudinal direction of the shaving portion, and to be supported on the body part swingably about a second swing axis orthogonal to the projecting direction of the head part and orthogonal to the first swing axis.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electric shaver comprising:
a body;
a head swingably attached to one end portion, of the body along a longitudinal axis, of the body of the electric shaver, the head including a shaving mechanism and a drive mechanism, the shaving mechanism being elongated along a transverse axis orthogonal to the longitudinal axis in which the head projects and having a plurality of pairs of an inner blade and an outer blade arranged in rows along a lateral axis orthogonal to the longitudinal and transverse axes, the drive mechanism being configured and drivingly coupled to cause a relative movement between the inner blade and the outer blade of each of the plurality of pairs; and
an interposer configured to support the head swingably about a first swing axis parallel with the transverse axis, and to be supported on the body swingably about a second swing axis orthogonal to the longitudinal axis and orthogonal to the first swing axis,
wherein the first swing axis is located, along the lateral axis, between tip portions, along the longitudinal axis, of the outer blades of the plurality of pairs in rows at one end and the other end of the rows along the lateral axis, and
wherein the second swing axis is located farther away from the tip portions, along the longitudinal axis than the first swing axis is.

2. The electric shaver according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a first link mechanism including two first link arms each connected to the interposer and the head respectively at first connecting axes parallel with the transverse axis, the first link mechanism configured to support the head on the interposer swingably about the first swing axis; and
a second link mechanism including two second link arms each connected to the body and the interposer respectively at second connecting axes orthogonal to the longitudinal axis and orthogonal to the first swing axis, the second link mechanism configured to support the interposer on the body swingably about the second swing axis, wherein
a distance between the first connecting axes for connection of the two first link arms to the interposer is shorter than a distance between the first connecting axes for connection of the two first link arms to the head,
a distance between the second connecting axes for connection of the two second link arms to the body is shorter than a distance between the second connecting axes for connection of the two second link arms to the interposer, and
an intersection of a first straight line with a second straight line is located closer to an opposite end portion, along the longitudinal axis, of the body, than an intersection of a third straight line with a fourth straight line is, the first straight line joining the second connecting axes for one of the two second link arms, the second straight line joining the second connecting axes for the other second link arm, the third straight line joining the first connecting axes for one of the two first link arms, the fourth straight line joining the first connecting axes for the other first link arm.

3. The electric shaver according to claim 2 , wherein
two of the first link mechanisms are provided and separated from each other along the transverse axis,
a shaft configured to rotatably support the head part is bridged between a first link arm of one of the two first link mechanisms and a first link arm of the other first link mechanism,
two longitudinal end portions of the shaft are fixed to corresponding first link arms of respective two of the first link mechanisms, and
a longitudinal center portion of the shaft is fixed to the head.

4. The electric shaver according to claim 2 , wherein
two of first link mechanisms are provided and separated from each other along the transverse axis,
the two first link mechanisms are provided independently of each other, and
each pair of the first connecting axes corresponding between the two first link mechanisms is concentrically arranged.

5. The electric shaver according to claim 2 , wherein
the first link mechanism includes a first support arm configured to rotatably support the two first link arms,
the first support arm includes an attachment having a flat portion intersecting with an imaginary plane orthogonal to the first swing axis, and
the attachment is fixed to the interposer with the flat portion positioned against the interposer.

6. The electric shaver according to claim 2 , wherein
the second link mechanism includes
a base and
paired second support arms projecting respectively from two sides, in a direction of the second swing axis, of the base, and

each of the two second link arms is bridged rotatably between the paired second support arms.

7. The electric shaver according to claim 6 , wherein
each of the two second link arms is bridged in a U shape between the paired second support arms, and
the interposer is attached to a bottom portion of the U shape of each of the two second link arms.

8. The electric shaver according to claim 6 , further comprising an elastic member configured to apply a reactive force against a swinging of the interposer with respect to the body,
wherein the elastic member is bridged between the body and the interposer from one side to another side in the direction of the second swing axis.

9. The electric shaver according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a first biasing mechanism configured to apply a reactive force against swinging of the head with respect to the interposer; and
a second biasing mechanism configured to apply a reactive force against swinging of the interposer with respect to the body,

wherein a torque obtained by the reactive force of the second biasing mechanism is larger than a torque obtained by the reactive force of the first biasing mechanism.

Assignees

• Panasonic Corp
• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Shimizu Hiroaki
• Shigeta Hiroshi
• Hosokawa Shin
• Iwasaki Jyuzaemon

Classifications

• B26B19/048 Primary

  Complete cutting head being movable · CPC title