Personal Care Appliances

Abstract

The subject matter of the present disclosure relates to a personal care appliance having a handle, a functional device at a head of the handle, a drive bridge for driving the functional device, the drive bridge including a slot, a motor in the handle, and a lever connected between the motor and the drive bridge for reciprocatingly driving the drive bridge, the lever including a cylinder at a tip inserted into the slot of the drive bridge, the cylinder being inclined relative to the drive bridge.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The subject matter of this disclosure relates to a personal care appliance having a drive bridge driven by a motor. [Background technology]

[0002] A personal care appliance, such as a razor, includes a functional device (e.g., a cutter), a drive bridge coupled to the cutter, a motor, and a linkage extending between the motor and the drive bridge. The selection of the linkage depends on the location of the motor relative to the drive bridge. The motor adjacent to the drive bridge can employ an eccentric. The eccentric can fit into a slot in the drive bridge, which slot forms an opposing drive surface against which the eccentric presses. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] However, if the motor is moved away from the drive bridge, the load on the eccentric may make the eccentric unsuitable.

[0004] Therefore, a lever can be employed as the linkage. However, a drive bridge designed for use with a motor eccentric may not be suitable for a lever. This is primarily because the drive surface used with an eccentric is typically small, e.g., the drive bridge is relatively thin. In this way, friction can be reduced. However, when a thin drive bridge is used with a lever, it can be difficult to align the lever with the slot in the drive bridge due to stacking tolerances along the length of the personal care appliance.

[0005] The purpose of the subject matter of this disclosure is to improve upon the prior art. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a personal care appliance comprising a handle, a functional device at a head of the handle, a drive bridge for driving the functional device, the drive bridge including a slot, a motor in the handle, and a lever connected between the motor and the drive bridge for driving the drive bridge in a reciprocating manner, the lever including a cylinder at a tip inserted into the slot of the drive bridge, the slot being provided between opposing drive surfaces, the cylinder being inclined relative to the drive bridge, and a ratio D / H of a diameter D of the cylinder to a height H of each drive surface being greater than 1.

[0007] The inclination of the cylinder relative to the drive bridge means that a drive bridge designed to engage the motor eccentric can be used with a lever, so that the motor can be moved away from the drive bridge.

[0008] In one embodiment, the angle of inclination of the cylinder relative to the drive bridge is between 10 and 30 degrees.

[0009] In one embodiment, the angle of inclination is about 20 degrees.

[0010] In one embodiment, the ratio D / H is about 2.2.

[0011] In one embodiment, the length of the cylinder is between about 4 mm and 8 mm.

[0012] In one embodiment, the length of the cylinder is governed by L=e / tan(α)+L_start, where L is the length of the cylinder measured in mm, e is the error margin between the highest and lowest positions of the cylinder in the slot measured in mm, α is the tilt angle of the cylinder relative to the slot, and L_start is the starting value of the cylinder length measured in mm if e is assumed to be zero.

[0013] In one embodiment, the error e is about 1 mm.

[0014] In one embodiment, the cylinder axis is substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the lever.

[0015] In one embodiment, the lever has a motor end opposite the tip, the motor end having a slot, the motor having an eccentric drive mechanism extending in the direction of the axis along which the handle extends, the eccentric drive mechanism being housed within the slot in the motor end of the lever.

[0016] In one embodiment, the eccentric drive mechanism has a substantially spherical tip that is contained within a slot in the motor end of the lever, thus reducing the likelihood of the tip of the eccentric drive mechanism becoming stuck within the slot.

[0017] In one embodiment, the motor end of the lever has a guide to guide the eccentric drive mechanism thereto during assembly, thus making assembly easier and faster.

[0018] In one embodiment, the guide on the motor end of the lever has opposing ramps.

[0019] In one embodiment, the drive bridge has guides to guide the tips of the levers into slots in the drive bridge during assembly, making assembly quick and easy.

[0020] In one embodiment, the guide of the drive bridge has opposing angled surfaces.

[0021] In one embodiment, the lever extends in a direction substantially parallel to the axis along which the handle extends, and optionally the motor is located at a distal end of the handle relative to the head.

[0022] In one embodiment, the personal care appliance is a shaver and the functional device comprises a cutter.

[0023] According to one example, a personal care appliance is provided that has a handle, a functional device at the head of the handle, a drive bridge for driving the functional device, the drive bridge including a slot, a motor in the handle, and a lever coupled between the motor and the drive bridge for reciprocatingly driving the drive bridge, the lever including a cylinder at its tip inserted into the slot of the drive bridge, the cylinder being inclined relative to the drive bridge.

[0024] These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a head portion of a personal care appliance including a drive bridge and a motor eccentric in its slot. [Figure 2] 2 shows a perspective view of a cross section of the head portion of the personal care appliance of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a head portion of a personal care appliance including a drive bridge and a lever within its slot. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the head portion of FIG. 3. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a head portion of a personal care appliance including a drive bridge and a lever with a tip that includes a cylinder in a slot in the drive bridge, according to one or more embodiments. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the head portion of FIG. 5. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 shows an enlarged portion of the cross-sectional view of FIG. 6. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] Embodiments of the present invention can be best understood with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0027] Although exemplary embodiments are described with reference to elements, modules, and units discussed herein, such functional elements may be combined into fewer elements or separated into additional elements. Although various combinations of optional features are described herein, it should be understood that the described features may be combined in any suitable combination. In particular, features of any one exemplary embodiment may be combined with features of any other embodiment, as appropriate, except where such combinations are mutually exclusive. Throughout this document, the terms "having" or "including" mean including the specified elements but do not exclude the presence of other elements.

[0028] A personal care device can be, for example, a handheld device used for personal care or grooming. Personal care devices include cleaning devices, skin treatment devices, hair removal devices, massage devices, etc. Generally, personal care devices are devices that perform treatments or actions on the human or animal body.

[0029] Hair-cutting and hair-grooming appliances are well known in the art and may include, for example, shavers, razors, trimmers, epilators, hair-styling appliances, and combinations thereof. Typically, hair-grooming appliances have an electric motor configured to drive a cutting unit (or cutter), e.g., a blade set, to perform a hair-cutting and / or grooming action. More generally, hair-cutting appliances are also referred to as grooming appliances.

[0030] 1 and 2, a personal care appliance in the form of a hair cutting appliance or shaver is provided. The personal care appliance includes a guard 102, a functional device (in this case a cutter) 104, a drive bridge 106, and a linkage 108. Both the cutter 104 and the guard 102 have a plurality of teeth. The cutter 104 cooperates with the guard 102 by moving back and forth in a reciprocating manner to cut hair between the individual teeth. The cutter 104 is connected to the drive bridge 106. The drive bridge includes a slot 110. The slot is oriented perpendicular to the direction of movement of the drive bridge 106.

[0031] Linkage 108 in Figures 1 and 2 is an eccentric drive mechanism because a motor (not shown) is located adjacent to drive bridge 106. The eccentric drive mechanism has an elongated stem that extends parallel to the motor's axis of rotation. However, the elongated stem is offset from the motor's axis of rotation rather than in line with it. Thus, the stem provides an eccentric drive mechanism.

[0032] A slot 110 is provided between the opposing drive surfaces. In operation, the eccentric drive mechanism pushes against the drive surfaces, causing the drive bridge 106 to reciprocate as the motor rotates. To reduce friction between the eccentric drive mechanism and the drive surfaces, the drive surfaces can be made relatively thin. Thus, the drive surfaces have a reduced contact surface with the motor eccentric. The drive bridge has opposing ramps 112 that help guide the eccentric drive mechanism into the drive bridge 106 during assembly.

[0033] 3 and 4, a personal care appliance is provided in which the motor is located away from the drive bridge, as compared to the personal care appliance of FIGS. 1 and 2. In other words, the motor is distal from the drive bridge. To accommodate the distally located motor, the linkage is a lever. The lever includes a tip 114, a hub 116, and a motor end. The tip includes a substantially spherical ball for reducing friction with the drive surface. The hub 116 includes a hole for attachment to a shaft (not shown) fixed to the handle of the personal care appliance. The center of the hub provides the axis of rotation for the lever.

[0034] The motor end 118 includes a fork 120 that provides a slot 121 therein for receiving a motor eccentric 122 .

[0035] It should be appreciated that stacking tolerances along the personal care implement may cause alignment issues between the tip 114 and the slot 110 .

[0036] This problem is solved by the personal care appliance in the form of a shaver of Figures 5 to 7. Features not depicted in Figures 5 to 7 but common to the personal care appliances described in relation to Figures 1 to 4 can be considered to have the same reference numerals increased by 100.

[0037] 5 to 7, the personal care device has a handle (not shown), a functional device 203 provided at the head of the handle, a drive bridge 206 for driving the functional device, a motor (not shown) provided in the handle, and a lever 208 provided between the motor and the drive bridge 206 for driving the drive bridge back and forth. The motor is located at the distal end of the handle relative to the head.

[0038] The functional device in this case comprises a cutter 204 because the personal care appliance is a shaver. The functional device also includes a guard 202, similar to the personal care appliance of Figures 1 to 4.

[0039] Similar to above, drive bridge 206 has a slot 210. Slot 210 is formed between two opposing faces of the drive bridge, which may be referred to as drive faces. The drive faces have a height H. The drive bridge has a guide 230 for guiding tip 214 of lever 208 into slot 210 during assembly. Guide 230 includes opposing angled faces.

[0040] The lever 208 extends in substantially the same direction as the rotational axis of the motor, which is substantially the same as the axis along which the handle extends.

[0041] The lever 208 has a cylinder 232 at its tip 214. The cylinder 232 has a diameter D. The cylinder 232 is inserted into a slot 210 in the drive bridge 206. The drive bridge 206 is inclined with respect to the cylinder. In other words, the cylinder 232 is inclined with respect to or relative to the slot 210. In other words, the extension direction of the slot is inclined with respect to the central axis of the cylinder. This makes it easier to align the cylinder 232 with the drive face of the drive bridge 206 compared to a configuration in which the slot 210 extends in a direction parallel to or along the central axis of the cylinder 232. The central axis of the cylinder 232 may be parallel to the rotation axis of the lever. Furthermore, the diameter D of the cylinder 232 is greater than the height H of the drive face. Therefore, the ratio of the diameter D of the cylinder 232 to the height H of the drive face is greater than 1. The ratio D / H is, for example, in the range of 1.2 to 5. The ratio D / H can be, for example, 1.2, 1.26, 1.5, 2, 2.2, 2.5, 3, 3.4, 4, 4.5, 5, etc. An optimal D / H ratio value for controlling manufacturing tolerances would be approximately 2.2. FIG. 7 shows a D / H ratio of approximately 2.2. By increasing the D / H ratio to greater than 1, the drive bridge 206 used to drive the functional device remains compatible, i.e., suitable for an eccentric drive mechanism having an elongated stem with a diameter D. Thus, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the angled drive bridge 206 for driving the functional device may be compatible with personal care appliances incorporating either an eccentric drive mechanism or a lever 208, as described in the context of the present invention.

[0042] In some embodiments, the tilt angle of the cylinder relative to the drive bridge is between 10 and 30 degrees. The tilt angle can be approximately 20 degrees. With this in mind, the length of the cylinder can be between 4 and 8 mm. The length of the cylinder can be governed using the following equation (1): TIFF2026504209000002.tif1353

[0043] In equation (1), L is the length of the cylinder measured in mm, e is the error between the highest and lowest positions of the cylinder in the slot measured in mm, α is the inclination angle of the cylinder relative to the slot, and L_start is the starting value of the cylinder length measured in mm assuming e is zero. The error e can be approximately 1 mm.

[0044] The lever 208 can have a motor end opposite the tip 214. The motor end can include a slot 234. The motor can have an eccentric drive mechanism 236 that extends along the axis of the handle. The eccentric drive mechanism 236 can be received within the slot 234 in the motor end of the lever 208.

[0045] The eccentric drive mechanism 236 may have a substantially spherical tip 240 that is contained within the slot 234 in the motor end of the lever 208. The motor end of the lever has a guide 238 that guides the eccentric drive mechanism during assembly. The guide 238 on the motor end of the lever has opposing ramps.

[0046] While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and description, such illustration and description are for illustrative or exemplary purposes only and are not restrictive. The invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments.

[0047] Other variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed invention, from a study of the figures, the description, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprises" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite articles "a" or "an" do not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit may fulfill the functions of several items recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage. Any reference signs in the claims should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. 1. A personal care appliance comprising: The handle and a functional device at the head of the handle; a drive bridge for driving the functional device, the drive bridge including a slot; a motor in the handle; a lever coupled between the motor and the drive bridge for reciprocatingly driving the drive bridge, the lever including a cylinder at a tip inserted into a slot of the drive bridge, the slot being disposed between opposing drive surfaces; the cylinder is inclined relative to the drive bridge; A personal care appliance wherein the ratio D / H of the diameter D of the cylinder to the height H of the individual drive surfaces is greater than 1.

2. 10. The personal care appliance of claim 1, wherein the angle of inclination of the cylinder relative to the drive bridge is between 10 and 30 degrees, preferably the angle of inclination is about 20 degrees.

3. 3. A personal care appliance according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the ratio D / H is about 2.

2.

4. 4. A personal care appliance according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the length of the cylinder is between about 4 mm and 8 mm.

5. The length of the cylinder is L=e / tan(α)+L_start is governed by 5. A personal care appliance according to claim 4, wherein L is the length of the cylinder measured in mm, e is the error range between the highest and lowest positions of the cylinder in the slot measured in mm, α is the tilt angle of the cylinder relative to the drive bridge, and L_start is the starting value of the cylinder length measured in mm assuming e is zero.

6. 6. The personal care appliance of claim 5, wherein the error e is about 1 mm.

7. 7. A personal care appliance according to any preceding claim, wherein the axis of the cylinder is substantially parallel to the angle of rotation of the lever.

8. 8. A personal care appliance according to any preceding claim, wherein the lever has a motor end opposite the tip, the motor end having a slot, the motor having an eccentric drive mechanism extending in the direction of the axis along which the handle extends, the eccentric drive mechanism being received in the slot in the motor end of the lever.

9. 9. The personal care appliance of claim 8, wherein the eccentric drive mechanism has a substantially spherical tip contained within a slot in the motor end of the lever.

10. 10. The personal care appliance of claim 9, wherein the motor end of the lever has a guide that guides the eccentric drive mechanism during assembly.

11. 11. The personal care appliance of claim 10, wherein the guide on the motor end of the lever has opposing ramps.

12. 12. A personal care appliance according to any preceding claim, wherein the drive bridge has a guide that guides the tip of the lever into a slot in the drive bridge during assembly.

13. 13. The personal care appliance of claim 12, wherein the drive bridge guide has opposing angled surfaces.

14. The lever extends in a direction substantially parallel to an axis along which the handle extends, and optionally the motor is located at a distal end of the handle relative to the head.

14. A personal care appliance according to any preceding claim.

15. 15. The personal care appliance of any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the personal care appliance is a shaver and the functional device comprises a cutter.

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