Blade Dispenser

Abstract

A blade dispenser for razor blades comprising a housing having a partition dividing the housing into a blade dispensing compartment and a used blade receptacle. Double volute springs are disposed on truncated conical studs on the partition and a movable platen for feeding new blades to a position where they may be automatically seated in a razor. The housing has a slot therein and is provided with a baffle for receiving and retaining used blades.

Description

This invention relates to a package dispenser for razor blades.

In the past, various types of packages for razor blades including dispensers have been devised. These prior dispensers have been provided with mechanical arrangements for facilitating the manual or automatic dispensing of razor blades from the dispenser with the automatic mechanisms being used to set the blades in the razor. At least some of the dispensers had provision for receiving used blades therein.

With the introduction of the razor blades such as disclosed in the U.S. Pat. to Fishbein, No. 3,071,856, issued Jan. 8, 1963, entitled "Razor Blade and Method of Making Same" and the U.S. Pat. to Hansom, No. 3,388,831, issued June 18, 1968, for "Shaving Units and Dispensers Therefor," the dimensions of this type individual blade became much larger. More particularly, blades are of a substantial thickness as compared with, for example, a conventional double edge safety razor and employ only a thin strip of metal such as stainless steel, chromium alloy, or the like, which may have a coating such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,071,856. These blades are mounted in a magazine-type dispenser for sequential dispensing and, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,388,831, they are automatically seated in the razor after the previous blade has been released therefrom. The magazine-type dispenser is provided with a very strong spring due to the bulkiness of the blades to provide for effective biasing action while taking into account the thickness of the blades as they are successively dispensed. This spring is of itself of considerable size and heretofore it has been necessary to utilize a comparatively large size dispenser for housing the spring and blades which did not have any means for receiving therein used blades. Further, the razors of this specific type employ a relatively powerful spring for automatically ejecting the used blade and, when ejected, the blades may strike a surface such as a wash basin or stand and bounce into an awkward location for retrieving thereof or may rebound against the person of the user so as to subject the user to a possible injury.

The present invention overcomes the disadvantages of the lack of storage space for used blades by providing for an arrangement whereby relatively strong springs having a wide range of expansion and contraction can be employed, yet which requires only a minimum amount of space as compared to the prior art springs thereby permitting the used blade to be ejected automatically and directly into a used blade compartment of the dispenser without requiring any increase whatsoever in the overall size of the dispenser.

The concept of this invention features the use of double volute springs arranged in pairs and mounted on suitable truncated conical studs so as to eliminate the possibility of bending or twisting of the springs, yet allowing for considerable expansion of the springs during the dispensing thereby accounting for the considerable total thickness of the blades that are stored in the dispenser.

A further object of the present invention is to provide for a dispenser including a minimum number of easily assembled parts which are so arranged to cooperate with each other to rigidify and strengthen the package thereby allowing for the provision of a used blade storage compartment without deleteriously affecting the strength of the dispenser or increasing the size thereof.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a storage receptacle for used blades thereby eliminating the need for wrapping the blades for safe disposal. The storage receptacle is adapted to permit automatic ejection and reception of the used blades.

These, together with the various ancillary objects and features of the present invention, which will become apparent as the following description proceeds, are attained by this razor blade dispenser, a preferred embodiment of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, by way of example only, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a blade dispenser constructed in accordance with the concepts of the present invention, with portions thereof being broken away to show the interior construction, and illustrating the manner in which a blade is automatically dispensed to a razor;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the invention with the top thereof being broken away to show the interior construction of this blade dispenser;

FIG. 3 is a partial bottom plan view of the invention showing the slot for receiving used blades; and,

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional detail view taken along the plane of line 4--4 in FIG. 3 illustrating the manner in which a used blade is automatically ejected into the used blade receptacle.

With continuing reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein like reference numerals designate similar parts throughout the various views, reference numeral 10 generally designates a blade dispenser having blades 12 therein having a body of suitable plastic material, having a strip of metal 14 having a cutting edge bonded therein. The razor, generally indicated at 16, is designed to automatically retract the blade 12 from the dispenser 10 and may be of a type similar to that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,388,831. The blade 12 is held in place by the articular construction of the razor 16 and is automatically ejected after sufficient use from the razor 16 upon actuating of a finger actuating button 18 or the like which ejects the blade 12 by spring action with considerable force.

The dispenser 10 includes a housing 20 formed of two major parts including a body 22 and a base 24. The base 24 is provided with a peripheral flange 26 and includes a bottom 28 provided with a slot 30 therein into which used blades may be ejected from the razor in the manner as shown in FIG. 4.

The body 22 includes a top 32, side walls 34 and 36, a rear end wall 38, and a front end wall 40 which has an enlarged opening 42 therein in alignment with an opening 44 in the top 32.

A rib 46 is integrally formed with the base 24 and is in alignment with a rib 48 on the top 32. The side walls 34 and 36 include pairs of ribs 50, 52 and 54, 56 respectively, the ribs 50 and 54 being in alignment with the ribs 46 and 48. A partition 58 is inserted between the ribs 50, 52 and 54, 56 and is bonded thereto and is bonded to the side walls 34, 36 as well as to the ribs 46 and 48 of the respective base 24 and top 32. The partition bears against the ribs 46 and 48.

The side walls 34 and 36 are provided with racks 59 and 60. A platen 62 is provided which extends between the side walls 34 and 36 and includes rearwardly extending arms 64 and 66 carrying detents 68 and 70 adapted to seat in the grooves of the racks 59 and 60. Integrally formed with the partition 58 are a pair of truncated conical studs 72 and 74 which are arranged in opposed relationship to studs 76 and 78 integrally formed with the platen 62. A pair of double volute springs 80 and 82 are received over the studs 72, 76, and 74, 78 respectively and bias the platen 62 toward the openings 42, 44 pressing upon blades 12 and directing them into abutting engagement with the front wall 40. The use of the double volute springs 80 permits for the use of springs having considerable strength and a considerable range of expansion and compression.

The rear wall 38 has a baffle 90 integrally formed therewith so that when a blade 12 after use is ejected by pressing down on the button 18, the used blade 12 will be directed into the used blade receptacle 92 through slot 30 and kept by partition 58 from entering into the magazine or blade delivery compartment 94 of the dispenser. The baffle 90 will thereafter prevent alignment with slot 30 and thus the used blades cannot fall out of the used blade receptacle 92.

In use, successive withdrawal of the blades 12 in the manner shown in FIG. 1 through use of the razor 16 is accomplished. Thereafter, the used blades 12 may be discharged into the used blade receptacle 18 providing a convenient repository for the used blades since such blades are of a size where they cannot fit in the conventional used-blade receptacles heretofore provided in medicine cabinets and the like in the home, hotels, motels, and the like.

Further, by providing a repository for the used blades in which the blades can be automatically ejected, accidental injury to the user because of bouncing or rebounding of the used blades 12 is eliminated.

A latitude of modification, substitution and change is intended in the foregoing disclosure, and in some instances, some features of the present invention may be employed without a corresponding use of other features.

Claims

I claim:

1. A blade dispenser comprising a housing having a partition therein dividing said housing into a front blade-dispensing compartment having an opening therein for delivery of blades and a rear used-blade receptacle, having a slot therein for receiving blades, a movable platen in said compartment, opposed pairs of studs on said platen and said partition, and a pair of double volute springs disposed on said studs biasing said platen away from said partition, rack means in said compartment, and detent means on said platen for resilient engagement with said rack means.

2. A blade dispenser according to claim 1, including baffle means integral with said housing for preventing used blades from falling out of said slot, said studs being of truncated conical shape.

3. A blade dispenser comprising a housing having a body and a base, said body including a top provided with a pair of integral sides and a rear end wall, said body further having a front end having a blade delivery opening therein, said base being secured to said side walls and said rear and front end walls, a partition secured to said housing and said base dividing said housing into a blade delivery compartment, and a used-blade receptacle, a movable platen disposed in said blade delivery compartment, blades disposed between said platen and said front end wall, opposed pairs of truncated conical studs on said platen and said partition, a pair of double volute springs disposed on said studs and biasing said platen away from said partition for urging said blades against said front wall and into alignment with said opening, said base having a slot therein adjacent said rear end wall and spaced therefrom opening into said receptacle, rack means on said side walls, and detent means on said platen for resilient engagement with said rack means.

4. A blade dispenser according to claim 3, including baffle means in said receptacle for retaining used blades in said receptacle.

5. A blade dispenser according to claim 3 including cooperating means on said side walls and said platen for seating said platen, and baffle means integral with said rear end wall for retaining used blades in said receptacle.