Hair Trimmer Protective Support with Interlocking Teeth

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing hair trimmers often cause painful skin injuries due to the distance between teeth being too great or too small, leading to skin irritation and hair getting caught in capillary ducts, and existing skin-protection elements can be uncomfortable and cause pinching.

Innovation Solution

A hair trimmer with a protective support made of a pleasant-to-the-skin material, such as plastic, that has teeth extending slightly over the fixed cutting element's teeth to prevent skin contact and has a design that prevents the teeth from getting caught in capillary ducts, allowing for close hair cutting without pinching.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If the distance between the teeth of the cutting element is increased, then hair cutting effectiveness is improved, but the skin can get caught between the teeth and be cut

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehair cutting effectivenessVSAvoidskin cutting risk

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

A protective support element is introduced as an intermediary between the cutting teeth and the skin. This protective element has a smooth front surface that prevents skin contact with the cutting teeth while allowing the teeth to remain spaced for effective hair cutting. The protective support acts as a mediator that enables the beneficial tooth spacing while eliminating the harmful skin cutting risk.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Manufacturing precision

If the teeth of the cutting element are made narrow to fit close to the skin, then close hair cutting is achieved, but the teeth can get caught in capillary ducts and cause painful cuts

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveclose hair cutting precisionVSAvoidcapillary duct damage

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The protective support serves as an intermediary that allows the cutting teeth to maintain their narrow, close-fitting design for precision hair cutting while preventing the teeth from directly contacting the skin and getting caught in capillary ducts. The protective element's smooth front surface intervenes between the narrow teeth and the sensitive skin structures.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The protective support is positioned in advance before the cutting teeth contact the skin, creating a preliminary barrier that prevents the teeth from ever making direct contact with the skin or capillary ducts during the cutting operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Productivity

If a metallic fixed cutting element is used, then cutting effectiveness is improved, but the cold contact with skin is unpleasant

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecutting effectivenessVSAvoidskin discomfort

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The protective support acts as an intermediary layer between the metallic cutting element and the skin, blocking the direct thermal contact that causes unpleasant cold sensations. The protective element, being non-metallic and potentially insulated, mediates the thermal interaction while allowing the metallic cutting element to maintain its cutting effectiveness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

4Object-affected harmful factors

If a skin-protection element with movable fingers is used, then skin protection is improved, but the fingers can cause skin folds to be pinched and cut

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveskin protectionVSAvoidskin pinching and folding

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts and eliminates the problematic movable finger structure from the protective element. Instead of using fingers that can fold and pinch skin, the protective support uses a continuous smooth front surface that provides skin protection without creating pinching hazards. The harmful finger mechanism is removed while retaining the protective function.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The protective support employs a smooth, continuous surface structure similar to a flexible shell or film that conforms to the skin without creating sharp edges or movable parts that could pinch or fold the skin. This continuous surface provides protection while eliminating the pinching mechanism inherent in finger-based designs.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

Data Source

PatentUS8850707B2Hair trimmer

Publication Date: 2014.10.07 PROCTER & GAMBLE CO

AI summary

A hair trimmer is disclosed, comprising a fixed cutting element having teeth on the front side thereof, and a mobile cutting element which has teeth on the front side thereof and is oscillable in relation to the fixed cutting element, so that, when the hair trimmer is used, hairs reaching between the teeth of the fixed cutting element and the mobile cutting element are cut off. The hair trimmer also has a protective support which has teeth on its front side, is arranged on the fixed cutting element, and used to place the hair trimmer on the skin of the user. The teeth of the protective support lock with the teeth of the fixed cutting element on the front side or slightly extend over the teeth, and the teeth of the protective support lie on the fixed cutting element, essentially without gaps.