Pivoting arrangement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9676108-B2
Application number	US-201013320922-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 21, 2010
Priority date	May 28, 2009
Publication date	Jun 13, 2017
Grant date	Jun 13, 2017

Abstract

A pivoting arrangement for a shaving device, comprising a pivoting member ( 10 ), adapted to support a shaving head, a cradle ( 11 ), pivotally supporting the pivoting member, and a spring loading arrangement ( 13 ) arranged to bias the pivoting member in a resting position. The spring loading arrangement has a limited active range, so that, when the pivoting member is brought out of the resting position in a first pivoting direction, the spring loading arrangement is prevented from interacting with the pivoting member in a first point of action ( 14 a ), and when the pivoting member is brought out of the resting position in a second pivoting direction, the spring loading arrangement is prevented from interacting with the pivoting member in a second point of action ( 14 b ). As a result, the resting position will not be dependent on e.g. the spring constants of different springs in the spring loading arrangement. The resting position will thus be more exactly defined, and exhibit less variation than conventional solutions. Also, the total force acting on the pivoting member will be reduced, thus causing less friction, also serving to improve the predictability of the arrangement.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A pivoting arrangement for a shaving device or grooving device having a contour following function, comprising:
a pivoting member, adapted to follow a contour following element, the pivoting member comprising a first and a second axle stub arranged at and exclusively mounted to respective first and second distal ends of the pivoting member, the pivoting member and the first and second axle stubs defining a first longitudinal axis (A 1 ),
a singular inner supporting member, the singular inner supporting member including a pair of end panels and a pair of side panels, the end and side panels being interconnected at peripheral portions thereof so as to define a cavity for partially receiving the pivoting member, the inner supporting member further including a first and a second recessed portion for receiving the respective first and second axle stubs of the pivoting member, so as to be pivotable about the first axis, (A 1 ), and wherein each of said first and second axle stubs of the pivoting member are located along the first axis (A 1 ),
an outer supporting member supporting said inner supporting member so as to be pivotable about a second axis, perpendicular to said first axis and in the same plane,
a spring loading arrangement comprising at least one deformable leaf spring fixedly connected to an underside of the inner supporting member by a first clamp at a first point of connection and by a second clamp at a second point of connection, thereby preloading the at least one deformable leaf spring against the inner supporting member, said leaf spring comprising an oval shaped metal element fixed to the outer supporting member by a metal plate, whereby outer ends of the metal plate are formed to grip respective ends of the leaf spring thereby acting as abutments that pretension the leaf spring, the underside of the inner supporting element being arranged to rest on the oval leaf spring at points of action on either end of the leaf spring, the leaf spring oriented in a substantially horizontal plane,
said spring loading arrangement being arranged to be located immediately adjacent to an upper surface of the outer supporting member,
said spring loading arrangement being arranged to interact with the outer supporting member in a first point of action to exert a force acting to move the pivoting member in a first pivoting direction, and in a second point of action to exert a force acting to move the pivoting member in a second pivoting direction,
said spring loading arrangement located and arranged to exert a simultaneous force on both said inner supporting member and said outer supporting member,
said spring loading arrangement arranged to bias said pivoting member in a resting position,
wherein said spring loading arrangement has a limited active range, so that, when the pivoting member is not in said resting position in said first pivoting direction, said spring loading arrangement is prevented from interacting with said outer supporting member in said first point of action, and when the pivoting member is brought out of said resting position in said second pivoting direction, said spring loading arrangement is prevented from interacting with said outer supporting member in said second point of action, and
a torsion spring arranged around one of the first or second axle stubs of the pivoting member, said torsion spring being preloaded in one rotational directional about a first and second abutment provided on a respective first and second side of an inner wall of said pivoting member, said first and second abutments being arranged to cooperate with the torsion spring when said pivoting member is rotated.

2. The pivoting arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the contour following element is a shaving head.

3. The pivoting arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the inner supporting member is a cradle.

4. The pivoting arrangement of claim 1 , wherein all of the at least one deformable spring elements of said spring loading arrangement is arranged to exert, when the pivoting member is brought out of said resting position, a force which equal or larger than the force exerted by said deformable spring elements when the pivoting member is in its resting position, such that, when the pivoting member is brought out of said resting position, the potential energy stored in all of the at least one deformable spring elements is equal to or larger than the potential energy stored in all of the at least one deformable spring elements when the pivoting member is in its resting position.

5. A shaving or grooming device, comprising the arrangement of claim 1 , wherein said pivoting member is adapted to support a shaving head.

6. A device having a contour following function, comprising an arrangement of claim 1 , wherein said pivoting member is adapted to support a contour following element.

Assignees

• Beugels Johannes
• Knoph Ray
• Koninklijke Philips Nv

Inventors

• Beugels Johannes
• Knoph Ray

Classifications

• B26B19/048 Primary

  Complete cutting head being movable · CPC title

• B26B19/3806

  Accessories · CPC title

• B26B19/044

  Manufacture and assembly of cutter blocks · CPC title

• B26B19/04 Primary

  Cutting heads therefor; Cutters therefor; Securing equipment thereof · CPC title