Razor

Abstract

A razor 100 having a body 1 with a blade portion 2 and a handle portion 3, and a blade holder 5 configured to hold a blade 4 in use and defining a flexible guard 6 which surrounds a cutting edge of the blade The blade holder is removably inserted into the blade portion so that the guard is exposed. The body allows the guard to deflect when the razor contacts skin to expose the cutting edge of the blade at an effective cutting angle. There is a kit that has the razor and at least one blade. The guard may have a window 8 through which a portion of the blade is exposed in use. The guard may comprise a protrusion 9 which contacts the skin, the protrusion ideally extending along the length of the guard. The body may have a slot 11 with a shape corresponding to the blade holder to hold the blade holder in use. The handle and blade portions may be integrally formed. The guard may be made from flexible plastic.

Description

Field of invention This invention relates to a razor, in particular a razor for use in shaving hair. Background of the invention Razors are often used to shave unwanted hair from the body. Often a handheld razor is used to shave hair from the body for instance from the face. The razor may be in the form of a single blade that is run across the surface of the skin. In some instances the blade is replaceable. The razor may need to be positioned so that the blade is at a particular angle to the skin so that the hair is cut close to the skin and the skin is undamaged. Current razors may require the user to determine and use their own judgement regarding the angle to hold the razor and therefore the blade at. This may be difficult to achieve. It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved razor which addresses some of the above mentioned problems of the prior art or at least to provide the public with a useful choice. Summary of the invention According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a razor for removing unwanted hair from the body. According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a razor with a replaceable blade. According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a razor for use in contacting skin to remove hair. The razor comprising a body comprising a blade portion and a handle portion, and a blade holder configured to hold a blade in use and defining a flexible guard surrounding a cutting edge of the blade. The blade holder can be removably inserted into the blade portion such that the guard is exposed. The body is configured to allow the guard to deflect on contact with the skin to expose the cutting edge at an effective cutting angle. Preferably, the guard is configured to deflect between 25° and 35° from an undeflected position to expose the blade at the effective cutting angle. Preferably, the guard is configured to deflect substantially 30° from the undeflected position to expose the blade at the effective cutting angle. Preferably, the guard comprises a window through which a portion of the blade is exposed in use. Preferably, the guard comprises a protrusion which contacts the skin. Preferably, the protrusion extends along the length of the guard. Preferably, the blade portion comprises at least one angled face adjacent to the guard. Preferably, the angled face extends at an approximately 30° angle to a plane of the undeflected blade. Preferably, the blade portion comprises two angled faces adjacent to corresponding faces of the guard such that the razor blade can be deflected in two opposite directions. Preferably, the two angled faces are substantially symmetrical about a transverse section. Preferably, the guard is substantially symmetrical about a transverse section. Preferably, the guard has a diamond-shaped cross-section. Preferably, the blade holder comprises a flap which opens such that the blade can be inserted and removed from the blade holder. Preferably, the flap rotates about a longitudinal edge of the blade holder. Preferably, the flap substantially covers the blade in use. Preferably, the blade holder comprises raised projections to engage the blade. Preferably, the raised projections engage corresponding apertures in the blade. Preferably, the blade has two cutting edges and can be rotated when a first cutting edge becomes dull. Preferably, the body comprises a slot with a shape corresponding to that of the blade holder such that the slot holds the blade holder in use. Preferably, the handle portion is elongate. Preferably, the handle portion and blade portion are integrally formed. Preferably, the guard comprises a flexible plastic. Preferably, the blade is configured to be replaceable. According to a fourth aspect of the invention there is provided a kit comprising a razor according to any one of the previous aspects of the invention and at least one blade for use with the razor. Preferably, the kit comprises at least two blades, one or more of the blades being a spare replacement blade. Brief description of the invention The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 illustrates a front perspective view of a portion of a razor according to an embodiment of the invention with the blade holder removed and a blade inserted; Figure 2 illustrates an end view of the razor of Figure 1 with the blade holder inserted; Figure 3a illustrates a front perspective view of the razor of Figure 1 with the blade holder inserted but no blade and with the guard in an undeflected position; Figure 3b illustrates the razor of Figure 3a with the guard deflected in a first direction; and Figure 3c illustrates the razor of Figure 3a with the guard deflected in a second direction. Detailed description of the invention Referring now to Figures 1 to 3c of the accompanying drawings there is illustrated a razor, generally indicated by arrow 100. The razor 100 is configured for use in contacting skin to remove hair, e.g. for shaving unwanted hair from a person’s body. The razor 100 may be used in particular for removing facial hair. The razor 100 may comprise a body 1 comprising a blade portion 2 and a handle portion 3. The blade portion 2 being where a blade 4 is located in use. The handle portion 3 being the part of the razor 100 that the user holds when using the razor 100. The handle portion 3 may be elongate. The handle portion 3 may also have a wider end where it connects to the blade portion 2 and a narrower free end. The taper of the handle portion 3 may make it easier for the user to hold. The handle portion 3 and the blade portion 2 may be connected. In some examples the blade portion 2 and handle portion 3 may be integrally formed. In other examples, the blade portion 2 and the handle portion 3 may be clipped together. The razor 100 may further comprise a blade holder 5 configured to hold the blade 4 in use. The body 1 may comprise a slot 11 with a shape corresponding to that of the blade holder 5 such that the slot 11 holds the blade holder 5 in use. The blade holder 5 and the slot 11 may be connected via an interference fit. The slot 11 may be located in the blade portion 2 of the body 1. In other examples, the body 1 may be hinged such that it can be wrapped around the blade holder 5. The blade holder 5 may define a flexible guard 6 surrounding a cutting edge of the blade 4. The guard 6 may be formed from a flexible material, for instance a flexible plastic. The blade holder 5 may be removably inserted into the blade portion 2 such that the guard 6 is exposed. The guard 6 may be located along one of the longitudinal edges of the blade holder 5. The blade holder 5 may comprise a flap which opens such that the blade 4 can be inserted and removed from the blade holder 5. The flap may rotate about a longitudinal edge of the blade holder 5. The flap may substantially cover the blade 4 in use, leaving only the cutting edge of the blade 4 exposed along one of the longitudinal edges. The guard 6 and the cutting edge ofthe blade 4 may be located at an opposite longitudinal edge to that which the flap rotates about. The blade holder 5 may comprise a plurality of raised projections to engage the blade 4. The raised projections may engage corresponding apertures 7 in the blade 4. Standard or commonly used blades 4 for razors 100 may have a standard shape and design that include apertures 7. The raised projections ofthe blade holder 5 may be located such that they engage with the apertures 7 of standard blades 4. Standard blades 4 also commonly have two cutting edges along opposite longitudinal edges ofthe blade 4. The blade 4 may have two cutting edges and may be taken out, rotated, and replaced in the blade holder 5 when the first cutting edge used becomes dull. The blade 4 may also be replaced with a new blade 4 when the cutting edges become dull. In other examples, instead of having a flap the blade 4 may be slid into a slot of the blade holder 5 or may be fitted to one side of the blade holder 5. The body 1 may be configured to allow the guard 6 to deflect on contact with the skin to expose the cutting edge at an effective cutting angle. Typically, the blade 4 needs to be at a certain cutting angle to the skin in order to effectively remove the hair close to the skin and also to ensure the skin is not damaged. The body 1 and the guard 6 may be configured to allow the cutting edge of the blade 4 to be exposed when it is held by a user at an effective cutting angle. The guard 6 may be configured to deflect between 25° and 35°, and in some examples approximately 30°. As shown in Figure 3, the guard 6 comprises a window 8 through which a portion ofthe blade 4 is exposed in use. In use the cutting edge is exposed through the window 8 when the blade 4 is at the effective cutting angle. The window 8 may comprise an aperture in the guard 6. The window 8 may be substantially rectangular in shape. The length of the window 8 may be slightly longer than the length of the blade 4. The guard 6 may further comprise a protrusion 9. The protrusion 9 may contact the skin in use. The shape ofthe protrusion 9 may allow the guard to deflect on contact with the skin to expose the cutting edge at the effective cutting angle. The protrusion 9 may extend along the length ofthe guard 6. In other examples, there may be multiple smaller protrusions 9 spread along the length ofthe guard 6. The protrusion 9 may be in the form of a ridge along the guard 6. The protrusion 9 may have a substantially triangular cross-sectional shape. As shown in Figure 2, the guard 6 may be substantially symmetrical about a transverse section when undeflected. The transverse section may be aligned with the blade 4. The guard 6 may therefore have a protrusion 9 on each side of the guard 6. The symmetrical nature of the guard 6 may allow either side of the cutting edge of the blade 4 to be used. The cross-sectional shape of the guard 6 may narrow in a direction away from the blade portion 2 towards a free edge. The guard 6 may have a substantially diamond shaped cross-sectional shape. The portion of the guard 6 adjacent the blade portion 2 may have an arc shaped cross-section. The blade portion 2 may comprise at least one angled face 10 adjacent the guard 6. The angled face 10 may extend at between 25° and 35°, and in some examples at an approximately 30°, angle to a plane of the undeflected blade. The angled face 10 may be a substantially flat surface that is configured to engage with the guard 6 when the guard 6 is deflected. The angled face 10 may act as a stop to prevent further deflection of the guard 6. As shown in Figure 2, the blade portion 2 may comprise two angled faces 10 adjacent to corresponding faces of the guard 6 such that the blade 4 can be deflected in two opposite directions. The two angled faces 10 may be symmetrical about a transverse section. The two angled faces 10 may be symmetrical about the same transverse section that the guard 6 is symmetrical about. Another aspect of the invention relates to a kit comprising a razor 100 and at least one blade 4 for use with the razor 100. The kit may comprise at least two blades 4 where one or more of the blades 4 are spare replacement blades. The invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein but can be amended or modified without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A razor for use in contacting skin to remove hair, the razor comprising: a body comprising a blade portion and a handle portion;a blade holder configured to hold a blade in use and defining a flexible guard configured to surround a cutting edge of the blade in use;wherein the blade holder can be removably inserted into the blade portion such that the guard is exposed;wherein the body is configured to allow the guard to deflect on contact with the skin to expose the cutting edge at an effective cutting angle.

2. The razor of claim 1, wherein the guard is configured to deflect between 25° and 35° from an undeflected position to expose the blade at the effective cutting angle.

3. The razor of any one of claims 1 or 2, wherein the guard is configured to deflect substantially 30° from the undeflected position to expose the blade at the effective cutting angle.

4. The razor of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the guard comprises a window through which a portion of the blade is exposed in use.

5. The razor of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the guard comprises a protrusion which contacts the skin.

6. The razor of claim 5, wherein the protrusion extends along the length of the guard.

7. The razor of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the blade portion comprises at least one angled face adjacent to the guard.

8. The razor of claim 7, wherein the angled face extends at an approximately 30° angle to a plane of the blade when undeflected.

9. The razor of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the blade portion comprises two angled faces adjacent to corresponding faces of the guard.

10. The razor of claim 9, wherein the two angled faces are substantially symmetrical about a transverse section.

11. The razor of any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the guard is substantially symmetrical about a transverse section.

12. The razor of any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the guard has a diamond-shaped crosssection.

13. The razor of any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the blade holder comprises a flap which opens such that the blade can be inserted and removed from the blade holder.

14. The razor of claim 13, wherein the flap rotates about a longitudinal edge of the blade holder.

15. The razor of any one of claims 13 or 14, wherein the flap substantially covers the blade in use.

16. The razor of any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the blade holder comprises raised projections to engage the blade.

17. The razor of any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the body comprises a slot with a shapecorresponding to that of the blade holder such that the slot holds the blade holder in use.

18. The razor of any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein the handle portion is elongate.

19. The razor of any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein the handle portion and blade portion areintegrally formed.

20. The razor of any one of claims 1 to 19, wherein the guard comprises a flexible plastic.

21. A kit comprising:the razor of any one of claims 1 to 20; and at least one blade for use with the razor.

22. The kit of claim 21, wherein the blade has two cutting edges and the blade is configured to be rotated when a first cutting edge becomes dull.

23. The kit of any one of claims 21 to 22, when dependent on claim 16, wherein the raised projections engage corresponding apertures in the blade.

24. The kit of any one of claims 21 to 23, wherein the blade is configured to be replaceable.

25. The kit of claim 24, wherein the kit comprises at least two blades, one or more of the blades being a spare replacement blade.

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