Holder For Appliance And Associated Articles

Abstract

Holder for electrical appliance and associated articles, the holder including a base portion housing a battery-charging means and having a recess for receiving an appliance, and a hollowback portion extending from the base position and having runner means for slidingly receiving articles associated with the appliance.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to storage devices and is directed more particularly to a holder for retaining and recharging an electrical appliance and for retaining articles associated with the appliance.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Electric toothbrushes, electric razors for dry shaving, and the like, are common items on the market. Frequently such apparatus is powered by battery means which must be recharged between uses. Accordingly, there have been developed storage devices, or holders, which serve as a repository for the appliances between uses and also have means therein for recharging the battery means of the appliances.

More recently, there have been developed wet shavers which utilize razor blades or razor blade cartridges, as in the past, but which also utilize an electrically induced motion to obtain a desired slicing effect. See, for example, U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 851,665, filed Aug. 20, 1969, in the names of Ben H. Alexander, Joseph E. Koehler, and Roger L. Perry.

In view of such developments there has arisen a need for providing holder means for such razors, adapted to retain and recharge the razor, and also adapted to retain the blades or blade cartridges used in conjunction with the razor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an appliance holder having means for receiving and recharging an appliance.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a holder having means also for receiving and retaining articles associated with the appliance.

With the above and other objects in view, as will hereinafter appear, a feature of the present invention is the provision of an appliance holder having a base portion housing a battery-charging means, means for connecting the battery-charging means to an electric source, the base having a recess for receiving the appliance, a generally hollow back portion extending from the base, and runner means disposed in said back portion and comprising guide rails for cooperatively slidingly receiving articles associated with the appliance.

The invention is herein illustrated in its application to wet-shave razors and blades, of the type disclosed in the aforesaid U.S. Pat. application. While the invention is particularly applicable to such devices, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in scope to devices of this type, but is applicable to electrical appliances generally.

The above and other features of the invention, including various novel details of construction and combinations of parts, will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims. It will be understood that the particular device embodying the invention is shown by way of illustration only and not as a limitation of the invention. The principles and features of this invention may be employed in various and numerous embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference is made to the accompanying drawings in which there is shown an illustrative embodiment of the invention from which its novel features and advantages will be apparent.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view, partially broken away, of one form of holder illustrative of an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevational sectional view of the holder; and

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic view of the electrical circuit of the holder.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIG. 1, it will be seen that the illustrative device includes a base portion 2 and a hollow back portion 4 extending from the base portion. The base portion 2 houses a battery-charging means 6, which is connectable by a lead 8 to an outside source of electrical power (not shown). The base portion 2 and back portion 4 serve as storage areas for the lead 8 when the device is not in use.

The base portion 2 has a recess 10 for receiving an electrical appliance, as for example, a safety razor R, as shown in phantom in FIGS. 1 and 2. The back portion 4 comprises a curved sidewall 11 and a flat sidewall 13 and includes guide members 12, 14 which extend inwardly from the curved sidewall 11 and cooperate to slidingly receive an article associated with the appliance, as for example a razor blade cartridge B, shown in phantom in FIGS. 1 and 2. The guide members 12, 14 are provided with abutment members 15 which stop the movement of the blade cartridge B in the guide members.

Still referring to FIG. 1, the holder includes a top member 16 having a circular sidewall 19 and a closed end 18 from which extend a plurality of projections 20. The projections 20 are spaced inwardly from the sidewall 19 of the top member 16 a distance sufficient to permit passage of the curved sidewall 11 of the back portion 4 between the projections 20 and the sidewall 19 of the top member. Further, the projections 20 are spaced from each other such as not to interfere with the flat sidewall 13 of the back portion.

The bottom of the holder is closed by a bottom end wall 22 on which may be mounted the battery-charging means 6.

Referring to FIG. 2, it will be seen that the battery-charging means 6 is disposed in line with the recess 10 whereby to be proximate to an end of the razor R when the razor R is disposed in the recess 10. The charging means 6 is provided with a primary coil 24 (FIG. 3) and a core member 26 which includes a centrally disposed post 28 (FIG. 2) and a pair of upstanding fins 30, the post 28 extending from the battery-charging means 6 well into the recess 10, and the fins 30 being parallel thereto. The post portion 28 of the core member 26 is received in the razor R when the razor R is disposed in the recess 10.

The holder is normally assembled for sale with the razor R disposed in the recess 10, the blade cartridge B disposed in the guide members 12, 14, the electrical lead 8 disposed inside the base and back portions of the holder, and the upper end of the holder, as viewed in the drawings, closed by the top member 16.

When it is desired to use the razor, the top member 16 is removed from the top of the holder, inverted, and placed on the bottom of the holder, the projections 20 engaging the bottom end wall 22, the circular sidewall 19 of the top member concentrically engaging the sidewall 11 of the base portion 2 of the holder. The lead 8 is removed from the holder and connected to a convenient source of electricity, as for example, a common household electrical outlet (not shown). To facilitate extension of the lead 8 from the holder, the holder may be provided with an open-ended slot 32 (FIG. 1). Connection of the lead 8 to an electrical source energizes the primary coil 24 and core member 26, which in the illustrated example comprises a portion of an E-core transformer. Disposed in the razor R is a secondary coil C, shown in phantom in FIG. 3, which cooperates with the primary coil 24 and the core 26 to form a transformer for conducting electrical energy to a battery-charging circuit E located in the razor R when the razor R is disposed in the recess 10.

The razor is lifted from the recess, thereby separating the components of the transformer and interrupting the battery-charging flow of electricity. When it is desired to change razor cartridges, the cartridge B is merely lifted from the guide members 12, 14 and inserted in the razor. After use of the razor, the razor is returned to the recess 10, a hole in the handle of the razor receiving the post portion 28 of the core member 26, whereby to reinstitute charging of the battery means of the razor.

Ordinarily, the holder would remain with the top member 16 on the bottom end of the holder and the electrical lead 8 connected to the aforementioned electrical source. However, for travelling or the like, the lead 8 need only be removed from the electrical source and repacked in the hollow base and back portions, and the top member 16 be removed from the bottom end of the holder and replaced on the top end of the holder. The projections 20 are pointedly shaped so as to assist in alignment of the upper end of the back portion 4 and the top member 16.

It is intended that the phrase "battery-charging means" as used herein indicate means facilitating battery charging, though not necessarily comprising all that is required to charge a battery. For example, the base portion referred to herein houses means facilitating battery charging and is referred to as "battery-charging means," although it is recognized that such means in the housing comprises only part of the total means required to charge a battery, the remaining part being disposed in the razor handle.

It is to be understood that the present invention is by no means limited to the particular construction herein disclosed and/or shown in the drawings, but also comprises any modifications or equivalents within the scope of the disclosure.

Claims

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. Appliance holder comprising a base portion, a battery-charging means disposed in said base portion, means for connecting said battery-charging means to an electrical energy source, said base portion having a recess for receiving an electrical appliance, a generally hollow back portion extending from said base portion and adapted to house said connecting means, and a top member engageable with a top end of said holder to close said top end and engageable with a bottom end of said holder to retain said holder therein.

2. The invention according to claim 1 including projections extending from a closed end of said top member inwardly toward an open end of said top member.

3. The invention according to claim 2 in which said projections are pointed.

4. Holder for safety razor comprising a generally cylindrically shaped base portion, a battery-charging means disposed in said base portion, means for connecting said battery-charging means to an electrical energy source, said base portion having a recess for receiving the handle of said safety razor, said battery-charging means being proximate to said recess and engageable with said razor handle when said razor is disposed in said recess, a hollow generally hemicylindrical back portion extending from said base portion and adapted to house said connecting means, and razor blade holder means disposed in said back portion.

5. The invention according to claim 4 in which said razor blade holder means comprises guide rails extending generally inwardly from the interior walls of said back portion for cooperatively and slidingly receiving razor blade means.

6. The invention according to claim 4 in which said back portion is provided with an open-ended slot to facilitate extension of said connecting means from said holder.

7. The invention according to claim 5 in which each of said rails is provided with an inwardly extending abutment member engageable by said razor blade means.

8. The invention according to claim 7 in which one of said rails comprises three elongated members joined lengthwise on one edge, a second edge of one of said elongated members being joined to the interior wall of said back portion.

9. The invention according to claim 4 in which said battery-charging means comprises a primary coil and a core member, said core member including a post portion which extends into said recess and is receivable by a hole in said razor, other portions of said core member being disposed outside of said recess but proximate thereto.