Cutting unit

Abstract

The present invention relates to a cutting unit for a hair-cutting device. A cutting unit 14 is provided, which has a tapered fixed guard blade 18 and a reciprocating cutter blade 16, where the fixed guard blade is configured to move perpendicular to the reciprocating motion of the cutter blade to allow selection of different length settings. The guard blade may be biased to a minimum length setting. The fixed guard blade may be configured to be actuated by a user to allow stepless change of cutting length when the fixed guard blade is pushed from a biased start position to an opposite end position.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a cutting unit for a hair cutting device and a hair cutting device.

Background Art

[0002] A clipper capable of cutting hair with a set of predetermined hair lengths is well known, for example, from US1,861,616.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0003] When using the device, the user can select one of these predetermined lengths. Since a set of discrete settings is available, the user cannot create a continuous fade except by using advanced hair cutting techniques. US1,774,046 discloses a structure of a clipper blade in which a fixed blade is adjustable to provide various length settings. US1,774,046 proposes having an adjustment mechanism by a screw, and the screw is arranged on the back side (i.e., the side opposite to the toothed side of the fixed blade). US1,745,997 discloses a clipper in which the user can adjust the cutting length by pressing a flexible connector where the fixed blade is connected to the rear end of a composite cutter and a comb member on one side and the handle portion on the side opposite to the portion where the cutter and the comb member are connected on the other side.

[0004] Typically, a clipper has a fixed guard blade and a reciprocating cutter blade, and when used without a comb, it achieves the length of the remaining hair set at the time of factory shipment. In a more advanced clipper, in order to enable selection of different length settings, a tapered fixed guard blade can be moved perpendicular to the reciprocating movement of the cutter blade. This is also called a so-called Tip to Tip adjustment system. In these advanced clippers, the length setting from tip to tip is predetermined and discrete, and a user without advanced skills still cannot create a continuous fade.

[0005] There is a need to facilitate the user to create a continuous fade during cutting.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0006] The object of the present invention is solved by the subject matter of the independent claims, and further embodiments are incorporated in the dependent claims. It should be noted that the aspects described below of the present invention are also applicable to the cutting unit and the hair cutting device.

[0007] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a cutting unit for a hair cutting device is provided. The cutting unit has a cutter blade and a guard blade with a first toothed leading edge. The guard blade has a blade-facing surface that engages with the cutter blade at least at the cutting position, and a guard contact surface that contacts the user's skin. The guard blade terminates at the guard contact surface and further includes a substantially planar lower surface parallel to the blade-facing surface of the guard blade. The guard contact surface and the blade-facing surface have an angle with respect to each other and converge towards a second toothed leading edge with a plurality of hair receiving slots. At least one of the cutter blade and the guard blade is configured to reciprocate in a reciprocating direction, and as a result, the first toothed leading edge of the cutter blade is in a hair shearing relationship with the second toothed leading edge of the guard blade. The guard blade is a longitudinally movable blade attached so as to move in a direction orthogonal to the reciprocating direction in order to adjust the length of the hair sheared between the guard blade and the cutter blade. The guard blade is accessible by the user's finger to move the guard blade in a direction orthogonal to the reciprocating direction and has a structure that enables continuous adjustment of the length of the hair sheared between the guard blade and the cutter blade. This structure is located on the planar lower surface of the guard blade.

[0008] In other words, a cutting unit is provided that has a tapered guard blade and a reciprocating cutter blade, where the guard blade is configured to move perpendicularly with respect to the reciprocating motion of the cutter blade to allow for the selection of different length settings. The guard blade may be biased to be set to a minimum length. When the guard blade is pushed from its biased starting position to the other end position, the guard blade may be configured to be actuated by the user to allow for stepless change of the cutting length. As an example, a structure that enables user operation (such as a knob, button, etc.) is added to the guard blade. This will be described below and will be described in particular with respect to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1. In another example, an attachment provided with, for example, a knob, a button, etc. is provided, which can be attached to the guard blade to enable user operation. This will be described below and will be described in particular with respect to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. In a further example, the attachment can be a click-on come, which can be attached to the guard blade to enable user operation. This will be described below and will be described in particular with respect to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B.

[0009] In the proposed cutting unit, the user can manually push the guard forward. This overrules the set length to a larger length. The more the user pushes forward, the longer the length of the hair to be cut. Thus, the cutting length changes dynamically, which allows for the creation of a continuous fade. Further, since the push point is directly present on the guard blade, no additional lever system is required. The number of parts is reduced, so the cost and complexity can be reduced.

[0010] According to an embodiment of the present invention, this structure is integrated with the guard blade.

[0011] For example, this structure is a protruding button or knob on the guard blade. For example, this structure is a recess in the guard blade. To facilitate manual operation by the user's finger, this structure can be a knurling applied to the surface.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the present invention, this structure is an attachment that can be attached to the guard blade. When the attachment is mounted on the guard blade, it is accessible by the user's finger to move the guard blade in a direction perpendicular to the reciprocating direction.

[0013] The attachment may be configured to be attached to the guard blade in a releasable manner. The guard blade can be configured to receive the attachment. For example, an adapter for receiving the attachment can be attached to the guard blade. An example of the adapter is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. After mounting, the user can push the attachment forward to move the guard blade.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the attachment is a comb configuration portion disposed on the guard contact surface of the guard blade and having a front surface portion that creates an inclination angle between the cutting unit and the user's skin.

[0015] This comb configuration portion may also be called a click-on fade comb. In other words, if the user adjusts the angle of the comb teeth, it is also possible to create a larger range of fades. When the angle is large, the change in the length of the cut hair when the user presses a knob, for example, becomes large, and the fade range becomes large. This is described below and is particularly described with respect to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B.

[0016] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the guard blade can be preset to a position selected from a set of predetermined positions to enable selection of different hair cut length settings.

[0017] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the guard blade is configured to move out of the position selected during use when the structure is pushed inward, thus enabling sliding.

[0018] In other words, to adjust the cutting length, the user is required to push the guard blade away from the selected position by pressing on the structure with a finger and then slide the guard blade smoothly with the same finger to create a continuous fade.

[0019] This can prevent unintentional switching to the fade cut mode during the hair cutting operation.

[0020] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the guard blade is configured to return to the selected position when the finger is released from the structure. In other words, when the finger is released from the structure, the guard blade returns to the preset setting of the hair cutting length.

[0021] According to a second aspect of the present invention, a hair cutting device is provided that includes a housing unit and a cutting unit according to any one of the above claims.

[0022] These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the embodiments described below and will be described with reference to the embodiments.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0023]

Figure 1

Figure 2A

Figure 2B

Figure 3A

Figure 3B

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0024] These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent and be further elucidated by referring to the accompanying drawings and by referring to the embodiments described by way of example in the following description.

[0025] Note that the figures are purely schematic and are not drawn to scale. In the figures, elements corresponding to elements already described may have the same reference numerals. For example, features of embodiments or options should not be understood as limiting the invention described in the claims, whether shown as non-limiting or not.

[0026] The following disclosure will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show preferred embodiments of the present invention. However, the present invention can be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Those skilled in the art will understand that the following description of the embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrative and not intended to be limiting in any way. Those skilled in the art having the benefit of this disclosure will readily conceive of other embodiments of the present disclosure. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the figures.

[0027] The following detailed description includes many specific details for the purpose of explanation, but those skilled in the art will understand that many variations and modifications to the following details are within the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the following embodiments of the present invention are described without losing generality with respect to the invention described in the claims and without imposing limitations on the invention described in the claims.

[0028] Those skilled in the art should note that for the convenience of readers referring to the drawings, directional terms such as "above", "below", "upper", "lower", etc. are used in the description. Also, those skilled in the art should be aware that this document may include other terms to convey position, orientation, and direction without departing from the principles of the present disclosure.

[0029] Furthermore, in this detailed description, those skilled in the art should note that quantitative modifiers such as "generally", "substantially", "mostly", etc. are commonly used to mean that the referred object, characteristic, or quality constitutes a majority of the referred object. The meaning of these terms depends on the context in which they are used and may be explicitly modified.

[0030] FIG. 1 schematically shows a hair cutting device 10 having a housing unit 12 and a cutting unit 14. In this example, the housing unit 12 is generally in the form of a handle formed to be held by a user. The housing unit 12 can have a functional system of the cutting device such as a power system (e.g., a battery and a charging unit), and a drive unit that drives the reciprocating movement of the cutter blade of the hair cutting device. In the orientation shown in FIG. 1, the housing unit 12 extends from its rounded upper end to a lower housing base for engaging with the cutting unit 14.

[0031] The cutting unit 14 has a cutter blade 16 and a guard blade 18. The cutter blade 16 and the guard blade 18 may be coupled to a blade carrier 20. In this example, the blade carrier 20 is statically attached to the housing unit 12 so as to be provided with respect to the lower housing base of the housing unit 12. The blade carrier 20 may have an outer profile that substantially corresponds to the outer profile of the housing unit 12 at the lower housing base. The profile can be, for example, a substantially rectangular shape with rounded corners.

[0032] The cutter blade 16 may be held by the blade carrier 20, extends from the front end of the blade carrier 20 (the right end of the blade carrier as shown in FIG. 1), and terminates at the first toothed leading edge 22 in the tip region of the cutting unit 14. In this example, the blade carrier 20 holds the cutter blade 16 so as to reciprocate along a horizontal axis parallel to the cutting edge.

[0033] The guard blade 18 may be coupled to the blade carrier 20 so as to be disposed at the lower end of the hair cutting device 10 as shown in the orientation of FIG. 1. In this example, the guard blade 18 has a flat generally cubic body with a tip defined by a chamfer on the lower side of the guard at the front end of the guard (i.e., the tip region of the cutting unit 14). The guard blade 18 has a blade facing surface 26 that engages at least the cutter blade 16 at a cutting position 24 defined by the position where the first toothed leading edge 22 of the cutter blade contacts the blade facing surface 26 of the guard blade. In this example, the blade facing surface 26 is a substantially planar upper surface 26, which extends beyond the tip. The guard blade 18 also has a parallel substantially planar lower surface 28 that terminates at the proximal end of the chamfered tip, and a guard contact surface 30 that defines the lower surface of the tip portion for contacting the user's skin.

[0034] In this example, the guard contact surface 30 is inclined with respect to the blade facing surface 26. They converge towards the second toothed leading edge 32, which has a plurality of hair receiving slots for receiving the hair to be cut and guiding the hair to the cutting position 24.

[0035] At least one of the cutter blade 16 and the guard blade 18 is configured to reciprocate in a reciprocating direction such that the leading edge 22 of the cutter blade is in a hair shearing relationship with the second toothed leading edge 32 of the guard blade. For example, the blade carrier 20 may hold the cutter blade 16 so as to reciprocate along a horizontal axis parallel to the cutting edge (i.e., perpendicular to the cross section as shown in FIG. 1). For example, such a reciprocating motion may be performed by driving the housing unit 12.

[0036] The guard blade 18 is a longitudinally movable blade mounted to move in a direction orthogonal to the reciprocating direction in order to adjust the length of the hair sheared between the guard blade and the cutter blade 16. In other words, the guard blade 18 is movable back and forth along an extension axis A parallel to the blade facing surface 26 of the guard blade 18. Such movement can change the cutting length of the cutting unit 14. Figures 2A, 2B, 3A, and 3B show cutting units in short cut and long cut configurations.

[0037] When the guard contact surface 30 is held against the user's skin, the cutting length of the cutting unit 14 is equal to the distance from the guard contact surface 30 to the cutting position 24. As will be appreciated, movement of the guard blade 18 along the extension axis A changes the cutting length.

[0038] The guard blade 18 may be preset to a position selected from a set of predetermined positions to enable selection of different hair cutting length settings, for example, 3.0 mm, 6.0 mm, 9.0 mm, etc. The predetermined and discrete hair cutting length settings do not give much freedom to change the hair length steplessly or rampantly.

[0039] The guard blade 18 may have a structure 34 accessible by the user's finger to move the guard blade in a direction orthogonal to the reciprocating direction in order to enable continuous adjustment of the length of the hair sheared between the guard blade 18 and the cutter blade 16. In this example, the structure 34 is in the form of a knob protruding from the rear end of the guard blade 18 (the left end of the guard blade as shown in FIG. 1). The knob may be, for example, a click-on knob or a foldable knob. In other examples (not shown), the structure 34 may be a button or a recess. The surface of the structure 34 (e.g., button, knob, recess, etc.) may be knurled to facilitate manual operation by the user's finger.

[0040] In operation, the user pushes the structure 34 forward towards the cutting position 24. This moves the guard blade 18 forward, increasing the length of the hair that is sheared between the guard blade 18 and the cutter blade 16. Optionally, the guard blade 18 is configured to move out of the selected position during use when the structure is pushed inward, thus enabling its slidable movement. In other words, to adjust the cutting length, the user may be required to push the structure 34 with a finger to move the guard blade out of the selected position and then slide the guard blade smoothly with the same finger to create a continuous fade. The guard blade 18 may be configured to return to the selected position again when the finger is removed from the structure. This can be achieved by using a bias spring (not shown). The bias spring may be coupled to the guard blade to force the guard blade back to the selected position when the structure is released. Since the user is required to push the structure inward to override the currently used cutting length setting, accidental changes to the length setting during trimming can be prevented.

[0041] Figures 2A and 2B show enlarged views illustrating a further example of the cutting unit 14. In particular, Figure 2A shows an enlarged view of the tip region of the cutting unit 14 in a state where the guard blade is in a first guard position corresponding to a short cutting length between the guard contact surface and the cutting position. In contrast, Figure 2B shows an enlarged view of the tip region of the cutting unit 14 in a second guard position corresponding to a long cutting length between the guard contact surface and the cutting position.

[0042] The cutting unit 14 has a cutter blade 16 and a guard blade 18 that are substantially the same as those described above with respect to Figure 1.

[0043] In this example, the structure 34 is the attachment 36a, which may be made of plastic. The attachment 36 can be attached to the guard blade 18, for example, via an adapter. The exemplary adapter 38 shown in FIG. 2 is attached to the guard blade 18. The exemplary adapter 38 has a first flat piece 40a facing the guard blade 18 and a second flat piece 40b provided for contacting the user's skin. The first flat piece 40a and the second flat piece 40b converge toward the tip, thereby forming a recess 42 for holding the attachment 36a.

[0044] In operation, the user inserts the attachment 36a into the recess 42 and pushes the attachment 36a forward toward the cutting position. This moves the guard blade 18 in the forward direction, increasing the length of the hair that is sheared between the guard blade 18 and the cutter blade 16 to produce a continuous fade. The change in the fade length can be in the range of 2 mm to 10 mm, for example, about 4.5 mm, based on the configuration of the hair cutting device. Optionally, to adjust the cutting length, the user may be required to push the attachment 36a with a finger to disengage the guard blade from the selected position and then slide the guard blade continuously and steplessly with the same finger to produce a continuous fade. The guard blade 18 may be configured to return to the selected position when the finger is released from the structure. After use, the user can remove the attachment 36a from the recess 42.

[0045] FIGS. 3A and 3B show enlarged views of a further embodiment of the cutting unit 14. In particular, FIG. 3A shows an enlarged view of the tip region of the cutting unit 14 with the guard blade in a first guard position corresponding to a short cutting length between the guard contact surface and the cutting position. In contrast, FIG. 3B shows an enlarged view of the tip region of the cutting unit 14 in a second guard position corresponding to a long cutting length between the guard contact surface and the cutting position.

[0046] The cutting unit 14 has a cutter blade 16 and a guard blade 18 that are substantially the same as those described above with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0047] In this example, the attachment is a comb component 36b that is disposed on the guard contact surface of the guard blade and includes a front surface portion 44 that forms an inclination angle α between the cutting unit and the user's skin. The comb component 36b has a dorsal portion 38b, which is a structure that can be coupled to the exemplary adapter 26.

[0048] In operation, the user attaches the comb component 36b to the cutting unit and pushes the structure 34 forward toward the cutting position. This moves the guard blade 18 in the forward direction, increasing the length of the hair that is sheared between the guard blade 18 and the cutter blade 16 to produce a continuous fade. At the inclination angle α, the change in fade length can be, for example, in the range of 2 mm to 15 mm, for example, about 9 mm. Therefore, the fade length difference can increase from 4.5 mm (when not using a comb) to 9 mm (when using a fade comb).

[0049] Optionally, to adjust the cutting length, the user may be required to push the structure 34 with a finger to disengage the guard blade from the selected position and then slide the guard blade continuously with the same finger to produce a continuous fade. The guard blade 18 may be configured to return to the selected position again when the finger is removed from the structure. After use, the user may remove the comb component 36b from the cutting unit 14.

[0050] It is to be understood that all definitions defined and used in this document shall apply in preference to dictionary definitions, definitions in incorporated by reference documents, and / or ordinary meanings of defined terms.

[0051] The indefinite articles "a" and "an" used in the specification and claims shall be understood to mean "at least one" unless clearly indicated to the contrary.

[0052] The expression "and / or" used in the specification and claims is to be understood as meaning "either or both" of the elements so combined. That is, it means elements that may be present conjunctively in some cases and disjunctively in others. Multiple elements recited in "and / or" are to be construed in like manner, i.e., "one or more" of the elements so combined. Other elements may optionally be present in addition to the elements specified in the "and / or" clause, whether or not they are related to the particular elements identified.

[0053] The "or" used in the specification and claims is to be understood to have the same meaning as "and / or" as defined above. For example, when separating items in a list, "or" or "and / or" is to be construed as inclusive, i.e., including at least one of, but also one or more of, the items in the list, and further optionally including additional items not in the list. Only terms that clearly indicate a contrary meaning, such as "only" or "exactly one", or "consisting of" as used in the claims, mean that exactly one of the multiple or list elements is included. In general, the term "or" as used herein is to be construed to indicate an exclusive alternative (i.e., "either one or the other but not both") when preceded by an exclusive term such as "any", "one", "only", or "exactly one".

[0054] The expression "at least one" used in connection with a list of one or more elements in this document and the claims is to be understood to mean at least one element selected from any one or more of the elements in the list of elements, but not necessarily including at least one of each and every element specifically recited in the list of elements, and not excluding any combinations of elements in the list of elements. This definition allows for the possibility that elements other than those specifically identified may optionally be present in the list of elements to which the phrase "at least one" refers, whether or not they are related to the specifically identified elements.

[0055] In the claims and the specification, all transitional terms such as "having", "including", "conveying", "possessing", "comprising", "involving", "holding", "being made", etc. should be understood as open-ended, that is, they mean inclusion and not limitation. The transitional terms "consisting of" and "consisting essentially of" are closed or semi-closed transitional terms, respectively.

[0056] It should be noted that the embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to different subjects. However, those skilled in the art will understand from the above and the following descriptions that, unless otherwise stated, in addition to the combinations of features belonging to one type of subject, the combinations between features related to different subjects are also considered to be disclosed in this application. However, not all functions can be combined, and this provides a synergistic effect beyond the simple sum of functions.

[0057] Although the present invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and the description, such illustrations and descriptions are merely exemplary or explanatory and not restrictive. The present invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Other modifications to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and implemented by those skilled in the art who practice the invention described in the claims from the consideration of the drawings, the description, and the appended claims.

Claims

1. A cutting unit for a hair cutting device, comprising a cutter blade having a first toothed leading edge, a guard blade, wherein the guard blade has a blade facing surface that engages the cutter blade at least at a cutting position, a guard contact surface for contacting the user's skin, and a substantially planar lower surface that terminates at the guard contact surface and is parallel to the blade facing surface, the guard blade including a planar lower surface, wherein the guard contact surface and the blade facing surface are angled with respect to each other and converge toward a second toothed leading edge having a plurality of hair receiving slots, the cutter blade being configured to reciprocate in a reciprocating direction such that a first toothed leading edge of the cutter blade is in a hair shearing relationship with the second toothed leading edge of the guard blade, the guard blade being a longitudinally movable blade mounted to move in a direction orthogonal to the reciprocating direction to adjust the length of hair sheared between the guard blade and the cutter blade, the guard blade including a structure accessible by the user's finger to move the guard blade in a direction orthogonal to the reciprocating direction to enable continuous adjustment of the length of hair sheared between the guard blade and the cutter blade, the structure being located on the planar lower surface of the guard blade, the guard blade being presettable to a position selected from a set of predetermined positions to enable selection of different hair cutting length settings, the guard blade being configured to return to the selected position when the finger is released from the structure, the cutting unit.

2. The cutting unit according to claim 1, wherein the structure is an integral part of the guard blade.

3. The cutting unit according to claim 1, wherein the structure is an attachment attachable to the guard blade, and when attached to the guard blade, the attachment is accessible by a finger of the user to move the guard blade in a direction orthogonal to the reciprocating direction.

4. The cutting unit according to claim 3, wherein the attachment is a comb configuration provided with a front surface portion that is disposed on a guard contact surface of the guard blade and creates an inclination angle between the cutting unit and the skin of the user.

5. The cutting unit according to claim 1, further comprising a bias spring coupled to the guard blade to return the guard blade to the selected position when the finger is released from the structure.

6. A hair cutting device having a housing unit and the cutting unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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