Personal Care Device Slider for Head Locking and Trimmer Deployment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing personal care devices, such as electric shavers and hair cutters, suffer from unintentional switching between configurations and lack a robust mechanism for holding the working head in a desired angular position without compromising ease of use.
Innovation Solution
A slider supporting a supplementary tool, like a long hair trimmer, is designed with a dual function to activate and deactivate the holding brake for the working head, allowing it to be locked in a desired angular position while sliding along the handle, using a cam surface and actuating contour to control the brake's status.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a separate slider for the holding brake is provided on the front side of the handle, then the working head can be easily locked in a desired angular position, but unintentional switching between configurations occurs when gripping the handle with thumb and fingers on opposite sliders
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the holding brake slider and the supplementary tool slider into a single integrated slider. This single slider performs dual functions: it controls the holding brake mechanism to lock the working head in a desired angular position, and it simultaneously positions the supplementary tool (such as a long hair trimmer) between an inactive parking position and an active working position. By merging these two previously separate control mechanisms into one, the patent eliminates the problem of unintentional switching that occurred when users gripped the handle with thumb and fingers on opposite sliders, while maintaining ease of operation for both locking the working head and deploying the supplementary tool.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the working head is freely pivotable relative to the handle, then contour adaption is improved, but the working head cannot be held in a specific orientation relative to the handle
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic control system for the working head's pivotability. The single integrated slider can be positioned at different locations along its sliding path, and each position corresponds to a specific state of the holding brake mechanism. When the slider is positioned in certain regions, the holding brake is activated to lock the working head in specific angular positions relative to the handle, providing stable orientation control. When the slider is positioned in other regions, the holding brake is deactivated, allowing the working head to be freely pivotable for contour adaption. This dynamic switching between locked and free states, controlled by the slider's position, resolves the contradiction between maintaining adaptability and enabling stable orientation holding.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design improves handling by preventing unintentional configuration switches and provides a secure grip, ensuring the working head remains in a desired orientation without obstruction from the supplementary tool, enhancing user experience.
Implementation Method 1
a cam surface and actuating contour to control the brake's status
Data Source
Figure 1a~1c
Figure 2a~2c
Figure 3a~3b
AI summary
The invention relates to a personal care device such as a hair cutter or electric shaver, comprising a handle, a working head pivotably attached to said handle, a holding brake for holding said working head in a desired pivot position relative to the handle, and a slider which is provided with a supplementary working tool such as a longhair trimmer and slidably attached to said handle to slide between an inactive parking position and an active working position for working with the supplementary working tool, wherein the slider is provided with an actuating contour for actuating the holding brake when the slider is in an intermediate position between the parking position and the working position and for releasing said holding brake when the slider is in said parking position