Pivotable Shaving Manifold with Flexible Conduit
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shaving devices with continuous liquid flow are limited by inconsistent liquid orientation with pivoting blade cartridges, leading to inefficient hydration, skin softening, and blade cleaning, and often require specific cartridges that restrict compatibility with common brands.
Innovation Solution
A shaving device design featuring a handle, liquid dispensing manifold, and intermediate liquid conduit that maintains consistent liquid flow orientation with pivoting blade cartridges, using flexible or telescoping conduits to ensure liquid delivery across blades regardless of cartridge orientation, allowing compatibility with various brands.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a rigid liquid conduit is used to connect the handle to the blade cartridge, then the liquid flow orientation remains consistent, but the blade cartridge cannot pivot
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a flexible liquid conduit (tube) to connect the handle to the blade cartridge. This flexible tube allows the blade cartridge to pivot during shaving while maintaining a consistent liquid flow orientation through the conduit's ability to bend and flex without compromising the liquid delivery path. The flexibility of the tube resolves the contradiction by enabling both pivoting motion and consistent liquid orientation simultaneously.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a fixed liquid flow manifold is used, then the liquid flow orientation is consistent with the handle, but it cannot adapt to pivoting blade cartridges of different orientations
Solution Approach 1:
The liquid flow manifold is designed to be movable relative to the blade cartridge, allowing it to dynamically adjust its position and orientation as the cartridge pivots. This dynamic configuration ensures that the liquid flow outlets on the manifold remain properly aligned with the blade cutting edges regardless of the cartridge's angular position, thereby maintaining consistent liquid flow orientation while adapting to different orientations.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible liquid conduit connecting the fixed manifold in the handle to the movable manifold on the cartridge allows the system to adapt to pivoting motions while maintaining liquid flow consistency. The flexibility of the conduit enables the movable manifold to follow the cartridge's pivoting motion while the liquid flow orientation remains stable.
3Reliability
If a custom blade cartridge is designed for the shaving device, then the liquid flow can be optimized for the device, but the device cannot use commonly available brand name cartridges
Solution Approach 1:
The shaving device is designed with a universal interface that accepts commonly available brand name blade cartridges while incorporating a movable liquid flow manifold that can adapt to these standard cartridges. The movable manifold configuration allows the device to maintain optimized liquid flow delivery across the blades of various cartridge types, achieving both reliability through optimized liquid flow and versatility through compatibility with multiple cartridge brands.
Data Source
AI summary
A handle for a shaving device including a main portion; a nozzle for introducing a liquid into a cavity within the main portion; and at least one liquid conduit portion that is in fluid communication with the cavity. Additionally, the handle also includes a liquid dispensing manifold with at least one liquid inlet that is in fluid communication with the liquid conduit portion, wherein the liquid dispensing manifold includes at least one liquid outlet, and further wherein the at least one liquid outlet is in fluid communication with the at least one liquid inlet. Finally, the handle also preferably includes: a first cartridge connecting mechanism that is configured and arranged to be connected with a handle receiving portion provided on a blade cartridge; and a second cartridge connecting mechanism that is configured and arranged to be connected with a manifold receiving portion provided on a blade cartridge.