U.S. patent number 3,827,144 [Application Number 05/363,475] was granted by the patent office on 1974-08-06 for shaver cutter head.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Sperry Rand Corporation. Invention is credited to Ronald G. Arpino.
United States Patent |
3,827,144 |
Arpino |
August 6, 1974 |
SHAVER CUTTER HEAD
Abstract
An improved shaver cutter head, including an outer cutter, an
inner cutter mounted within the outer cutter, and means for moving
the inner cutter within the outer cutter in a predetermined path of
travel. Each of the cutters has a hair-shearing first wall portion,
the first wall portion of the mounted inner cutter being urged into
engagement with the first wall portion of the outer cutter for
shearing hair as the inner cutter is moved in said predetermined
path of travel within the outer cutter. The outer cutter also has
opposed, non-hair-shearing, second and third wall portions,
respectively depending from the first wall portion of the outer
cutter. The second wall portion is provided with an aperture, and
the third wall portion is oriented to extend in the direction of
movement of the inner cutter within the outer cutter. A resilient
member disposed adjacent to the outer cutter's second wall portion,
extends through the aperture therein and urges the moving inner
cutter into sliding engagement with the third wall portion of the
outer cutter. As a result, the moving inner cutter is directly
guided by the third wall portion in the aforesaid predetermined
path of travel.
Inventors: |
Arpino; Ronald G. (Branford,
CT) |
Assignee: |
Sperry Rand Corporation
(Bridgeport, CT)
|
Family
ID: |
23430377 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/363,475 |
Filed: |
May 24, 1973 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
30/43.92;
30/34.2 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B26B
19/042 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B26B
19/04 (20060101); B26b 019/02 (); B26b
019/04 () |
Field of
Search: |
;30/43.91,43.92,43.2 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Smith; Al Lawrence
Assistant Examiner: Joyce; M.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Miranda; Charles R. Walker; Donald
P.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A shaver cutter head comprising:
a. an outer cutter and an inner cutter, each of the cutters
including a hair-shearing first wall portion, the inner cutter
adapted to be mounted within the outer cutter and moved therewithin
in a predetermined path of travel, the first wall portion of the
mounted inner cutter being disposed to cooperate with the first
wall portion of the outer cutter for shearing hair as the inner
cutter is moved within the outer cutter;
b. the outer cutter including non-hair-shearing second and third
wall portions, the second wall portion having an aperture formed
therein and the third wall portion extending in the direction of
said predetermined path of travel of the inner cutter; and
c. a member disposed adjacent to the second wall portion of the
outer cutter, the member including resilient means extending
through said aperture in the second wall portion of the outer
cutter and being adapted to urge the moving inner cutter into
sliding engagement with the third wall portion of the outer cutter,
whereby said third wall portion directly guides the moving inner
cutter in said predetermined path of travel.
2. The cutter head according to claim 1 including spring means
connected to the inner cutter and adapted to resiliently urge the
inner cutter in a first direction transverse to the direction of
said predetermined path of travel of the moving inner cutter, and
said resilient means being adapted to resiliently urge the moving
inner cutter in a second direction which is transverse to both said
first direction and the direction of said predetermined path of
travel.
3. The cutter head according to claim 1 wherein said aperture in
the second wall portion of the outer cutter includes two apertures
spaced apart from one another, and said resilient means includes a
pair of spaced resilient arms, one of said arms partially extending
through one of said two apertures and the other arm extending
partially through the other of said two apertures, said arms
slidably contacting spaced areas of the moving inner cutter and
being adapted to urge the moving inner cutter in a direction
transverse to the direction of said predetermined path of travel
thereof.
4. The cutter head according to claim 1, wherein said inner and
outer cutter respectively include an upper wall portion and said
outer cutter includes a pair of oppositely disposed side wall
portions, said first wall portions of the inner and outer cutters
respectively being the upper wall portions thereof, said second
wall portion of the outer cutter being one of the side wall
portions thereof, and said third wall portion of the outer cutter
being the other side wall portion thereof.
5. The cutter head according to claim 1, wherein said outer cutter
includes a pair of oppositely disposed side wall portions, said
second wall portion of the outer cutter being one of said side wall
portions thereof, the first wall portion of the outer cutter
including a channel formed inwardly of the outer cutter, said
channel having a depending non-hair-shearing wall portion disposed
between the side wall portions of the outer cutter, and said third
wall portion of the outer cutter being the depending wall portion
of said channel.
6. The cutter head according to claim 1 including a frame upon
which a pair of outer cutters are mounted so as to position the
first wall portions thereof in hair-shearing relationship with a
shaver user's skin and to position the apertured second wall
portions thereof opposite one another, said member being an outer
cutter spacer member mounted on the frame between said apertured
second wall portions, said resilient means including spaced
resilient arms, one of said arms extending into the aperture in one
of said second wall portions, and the other arm extending into the
aperture in the other second wall portion.
7. The cutter head according to claim 1 wherein said cutter head
includes two of said outer cutters each including a side wall
portion, the cutters being spaced apart from one another by said
member such that the side wall portions thereof are disposed
opposite one another, at least one of said side wall portions being
an outer cutter second wall portion, said member including opposed
side walls one of which abuts with one of said opposite outer
cutter side wall portions and the other of which abuts with the
other of said opposite side wall portions, said member having
spaced apertures formed therein, said resilient means including
spaced resilient arms, one of said arms extending outwardly from
within each of said member apertures, said member's arms and
apertures being respectively relatively dimensioned to allow the
arms extending therefrom to be urged inwardly thereof to dispose
said arms within said member, and at least one of said arms
extending through the aperture in said at least one side wall.
8. The cutter head according to claim 1, wherein said outer cutter
is one of a plurality thereof, said inner cutter is one of a
plurality thereof, each of said inner and outer cutters including
one of said first wall portions, each of said outer cutters
including one of each of said second and third wall portions, one
of said apertures being formed in each of said second wall
portions, each of said inner cutters being adapted to be mounted
within each of the outer cutters and moved therewithin in a
predetermined path of travel relative thereto, one of said members
being disposed adjacent to the second wall portion of each of said
outer cutters, and each of said members including resilient means
extending therefrom and through at least one of said second wall
portion apertures.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention is concerned with means for guiding a moving inner
cutter in a predetermined path of travel within an outer cutter of
an electric dry shaver cutter head. More particularly, the
invention is concerned with providing resilient means adapted to
urge the moving inner cutter into sliding engagement with an outer
cutter wall portion which extends in the direction of said
predetermined path of travel, whereby the wall portion directly
guides the moving inner cutter in said predetermined path of
travel.
Although the invention is generally adaptable to shaver cutter
heads which include either rotating or reciprocating inner cutters,
for exemplary purposes this disclosure describes the invention in
connection with a cutter head of the type which includes a
reciprocating inner cutter.
A typical cutter head of the exemplary type includes one or more
hollow, elongated, outer cutters, which are rectangular in
transverse cross-section, and a corresponding number of elongated
inner cutters mounted for reciprocation within the outer cutters.
Each of the cutters includes a hair-shearing upper wall portion,
spaced, non-hair-shearing side wall portions, and a lower wall
portion. For hair-shearing purposes, the upper wall portions of the
cutters are slotted to provide a plurality of parallel
hair-shearing teeth with hair shearing edges. The hair-shearing
wall portion of a given inner cutter, and particularly the
hair-shearing edges thereof, are urged, by means of a spring
connected to the inner cutter, to cooperate with the hair-shearing
wall portion of the outer cutter, for shearing hair as the inner
cutter is reciprocated within the outer cutter. The inner cutter is
normally reciprocated by means of the spring, which has a
mid-portion driven by a motor mounted within the shaver, and
opposite end portions connected to the lower wall portion of the
inner cutter. The motor is provided with a plurality of motor arms,
each of which urges a spring and thus one of the inner cutter
hair-shearing wall portions into engagement with an outer cutter
hair-shearing wall portion, and reciprocates the inner cutter
several hundred times per minute.
To promote rapid assembly of inner and outer cutters, the cutters
are relatively dimensioned to allow for fitting the inner cutters
and connected springs loosely into randomly chosen outer cutters.
On the other hand, a loose fitting relationship between a given
inner and outter cutter allows for unwanted transverse movement of
the reciprocating inner cutter toward the side wall portions of the
outer cutter. Such transverse movement results in the inner cutter
intermittently contacting the outer cutter side wall portions,
causing noise to be emitted by the cutter head, and causing
excessive wear of inner cutters, springs and other parts of the
cutter head. To cure this problem the moving inner cutter should be
guided to ensure travel thereof in a predetermined, substantially
linear path of travel.
Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide an improved
cutter head for an electric dry shaver, including novel means for
directly guiding a moving inner cutter in a predetermined path of
travel within an outer cutter; and
Another object is to provide, in combination, a shaver cutter head
of the type which includes an outer and inner cutter wherein the
inner cutter is mounted within the outer cutter and adapted to be
moved in a predetermined path of travel therewithin, and resilient
means disposed adjacent to the outer cutter and adapted to urge the
moving inner cutter into sliding engagement with a
non-hair-shearing wall portion of the outer cutter which is
oriented in the direction of said path of travel of the inner
cutter.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention resides in providing a shaver cutter head including
an outer and inner cutter and improved means for directly guiding
the inner cutter in a predetermined path of travel within the outer
cutter. Each of the cutters includes a first wall portion having
means for shearing hair. The inner cutter is adapted to be mounted
and moved within the outer cutter, such that the first wall portion
of the moving inner cutter is disposed to cooperate with the first
wall portion of the outer cutter for shearing hair. The outer
cutter also has oppositely disposed, non-hair-shearing, second and
third wall portions. The second wall portion has an aperture formed
therein, and the third wall portion is oriented to extend in the
direction of said predetermined path of travel of the moving inner
cutter. In addition, the cutter head includes a member disposed
adjacent to the outer cutter's second wall portion. The member
includes resilient means extending through the aperture in the
outer cutter's second wall portion for urging the moving inner
cutter into sliding engagement with the outer cutter's third wall
portion. Since the outer cutter's third wall portion is oriented in
the direction of the aforesaid predetermined path of travel of the
moving inner cutter, the second wall portion directly guides the
moving inner cutter within the outer cutter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the upper portion of an electric
dry shaver, including an improved cutter head in accordance with
the invention;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view, in
elevation, of the upper end portion of the shaver of FIG. 1, taken
substantially along the line 2--2 of FIG. 1, showing an embodiment
of the improved cutter head, including a plurality of outer cutters
and spacer members respectively mounted on a cutter head frame, the
cutters and spacer members being constructed in accordance with
invention;
FIG. 3 is a partial exploded perspective view of the cutter head of
FIG. 2, which shows details of one of the outer cutters and spacer
members according to the invention, details of one of the inner
cutters with a connected spring, and the cutter head frame.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged top plan view, partially in section, of the
spacer member shown in FIG. 3, the section being taken
substantially along the line 4--4 of FIG. 5;
FIG. 5 is a side view of the spacer member shown in FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view, in elevation, of the spacer
member shown in FIG. 5, taken substantially along the line 6--6 of
FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view, in elevation, of the
improved cutter head; and
FIG. 8 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view, in elevation, of
another embodiment of the improved cutter head.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
As shown in the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate
like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, an upper
portion of an electric dry shaver 10 (FIGS. 1 and 2), of the type
in which the invention may be included, generally includes an upper
portion of a casing 11. The casing 11 includes spaced front and
rear walls, respectively numbered 12 and 13, and spaced side walls
14. The walls 12, 13 and 14 define a rectangularly-shaped
receptacle 15 within which a cutter head 16 is located.
The cutter head 16 includes a plurality of hollow, elongated,
stationary, skin-contacting, outer cutters 17, which are
rectangular in transverse cross-section. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3,
each of the outer cutters 17 has a hair-shearing upper wall portion
18, including oppositely disposed, parallel, marginal edges 19. In
addition, each of the outer cutters 17 includes oppositely
disposed, non-hair-shearing, side walls portions 20, respectively
depending from the opposite marginal edges 19 of the upper wall
portion 18. Each of the outer cutters 17 also includes an elongated
base spacer 21.
The upper walls 18 (FIG. 3) of the outer cutters 17 each include
two rows of a plurality of spaced, parallel, transversely
extending, hair-shearing teeth 22. The teeth 22 are formed by two
rows of hair reception slots 23, spaced from one another by a
substantially U-shaped channel 24 protruding inwardly of the outer
cutter 17. Each of the channels 24 includes a pair of oppositely
disposed, depending, non-hair-shearing wall portions 25,
respectively located intermediate the side wall portions 20 of the
outer cutter 17, and a base wall portion 26.
The opposed side wall portions 20 (FIG. 3) of the outer cutters 17
respectively include an aperture 27, one of which is shown in FIG.
3. Each of the apertures 27 is located approximately midway of the
side wall portion 20 in which it is formed, but closer to the base
spacer 21 than to the upper wall portion 18 of the outer cutter 17.
In addition, at least one of the side wall portions 20 includes a
downwardly protruding tab 28 located adjacent to one of the ends of
the base spacer 21.
The outer cutter base spacers 21 (FIGS. 2 and 3) are respectively
U-shaped in transverse cross-section and have a
rectangularly-shaped aperture 29 formed therein. The apertures 29
are located approximately midway between the ends of the respective
base spacers 21. The base spacers 21 are positioned between the
lower ends of the side wall portions 20 of the respective outer
cutters 17, and fixedly connected thereto by known means, for
example, as by welding, to provide each of the outer cutters 17
with a rigid, apertured, lower wall portion.
The cutter head 16 (FIGS. 2 and 3) also includes a plurality of
elongated, stationary, skin contacting non-hair-shearing spacer
members 30 (FIGS. 2 and 6). Each of the spacer members 30 has a
narrow, upright, generally rectangularly-shaped, transverse
cross-section; and includes a curved upper edge 31, opposed side
surfaces 32 and a lower edge 33. At least one of the side surfaces
32 includes an outwardly extending lug 34, and the lower edge 33
includes a plurality of equidistantly spaced, downwardly extending,
protrusions 35 (FIG. 3).
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the outer cutters 17 are arranged
parallel to one another and respectively spaced from the next
adjacent of their number by means of one of the spacer members 30.
As shown in FIG. 2, the outer cutter side wall portions 20 abut
with the spacer member side surfaces 32 next adjacent thereto, and
the spacer member lugs 34 extend into the outer cutter apertures 27
located next adjacent thereto. As thus arranged, the outer cutters
17 and spacer members 30 are mounted on a cutter head mounting
frame 40 (FIG. 3).
As shown in FIG. 3, the cutter head mounting frame 40 includes an
elongated, rectangularly-shaped, base plate 41 having a plurality
of legs 42, each provided with an aperture 43. The base plate 41
also includes a plurality of spaced, parallel, rectangularly-shaped
apertures 44 and 45 formed therein, the apertures 44 being larger
than the apertures 45. A plurality of generally U-shaped apertures
46 are also formed in the base plate 41. The U-shaped apertures 46
are disposed in the form of a rectangular array (not numbered) in
the base plate 41 and dimensioned to receive the outer cutter
protrusions 28 for aligning each of the outer cutter apertures 29
in registry with one of the frame apertures 44. In addition, each
of the spacer member protrusions 35 is dimensioned to be inserted
into one of the base plate apertures 44 or 45. Upon thus assembling
the outer cutters 17, spacer members 30 and frame 40, the outer
cutters 17 are connected to the frame 40 by means well-known in the
art, for example, as by means of clips 49 adapted to tightly hold
the ends of each of the outer cutter base spacers 21 in contact
with the frame 40 (FIGS. 2 and 3).
As shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 7, the shaver cutter head 16 also
includes a plurality of hollow, elongated movable, inner cutters
50, which are rectangular in transverse cross-section. Each of the
inner cutters 50 has a hair-shearing upper wall portion 51,
oppositely disposed, depending, side wall portions 52, and a lower
wall portion 53. The upper wall portions 51 of the inner cutters 50
(FIGS. 2 and 3) each include two rows of a plurality of spaced,
parallel, transversely extending, hair-shearing teeth 54. The teeth
54 are formed by two rows of hair reception slots 55, spaced from
one another by a substantially U-shaped, inwardly protruding,
channel 56. Each of the channels 56 includes a pair of oppositely
disposed, depending, non-hair-shearing wall portions 57,
respectively located intermediate the side wall portions 52 of the
inner cutter 50, and a lower wall portion 59.
Another form of inner cutter 50 is shown in FIG. 8. The inner
cutter 50 of FIG. 8 differs from the inner cutter 50 of FIG. 7 in
that it has an inverted W-shaped transverse cross-section; the
inner cutter channel 56 (FIG. 8), and thus each of the opposed,
depending, channel wall portions 57 (FIG. 8), extends further
inwardly of the inner cutter 50 than the corresponding wall
portions 57 of the inner cutter 50 of FIG. 7; and the channel's
lower wall portion 59 (FIG. 8) is the inner cutter's lower wall
portion 53. Thus the inner cutter 50 of FIG. 8 has a lower
(channel) wall portion 53 (59).
The lower wall portions 53 of the inner cutters 50 (FIGS. 3, 7 and
8) respectively include a rectangularly-shaped aperture 60 formed
therein. The apertures 60 are located approximately midway between
the ends of the respective lower wall portions 53. In addition,
each of the lower wall portions 53 includes spaced apertures 61,
located on either side of aperture 60, each near one of the
opposite ends of the lower wall portion 53. The apertures 61 of the
respective inner cutters 50 are adapted to have seated therein the
end portions an elongated spring 63.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, each of the springs 63, is
rectangularly-shaped in transverse cross-section, and has a body
portion 64 and spaced end portions 65. Each of the body portions 64
is provided with a partial loop 66, formed therein approximately
midway between the spring end portions 65. The spring end portions
65 are dimensioned to be seated within the inner cutter apertures
61 and adapted by means well-known in the art to be removably
connected to the inner cutter lower wall portions 53. The connected
springs 63 are thus adapted to be carried by the inner cutters 50
beneath the lower wall portions 53 thereof.
As shown in FIG. 2 an inner cutter 50 and connected spring 63 is
removably inserted, by means well-known in the art, into each of
the outer cutters 17. In addition, the cutter head 16 is mounted
within the cutter head receptacle 15 and detachably connected in
place. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the shaver 10 includes a
shaver motor housing 70 within which a shaver motor (not shown) is
disposed. The motor includes a plurality of motor arms 72, adapted
by known means (not shown) to be reciprocated by the motor (not
shown). The motor arms 72 respectively extend upwardly from the
housing 70, and the housing 70 includes a plurality of lugs 73
extending laterally therefrom. The lugs 73 are dimensioned to
detachably engage the apertures 43 in the legs 42 of the cutter
head frame 40, thereby mounting the cutter head 16 within the
shaver casing 11.
Each of the motor arms 72 (FIG. 2) extends through the next
adjacent cutter head frame aperture 44 and into one of the outer
cutter base plate apertures 29, to engage the next adjacent inner
cutter spring loop 66. As the motor arms 72 engage the springs 63,
each of the springs 63 is urged from a relaxed state to a
compressed state and towards the associated inner cutter lower wall
portion 53. When the shaver motor (not shown) is operated,
reciprocating motion of the motor arms 72 is transmitted to the
inner cutters 50 via their connected springs 63. Concurrently, the
springs 63 urge the upper hair-shearing wall portions 51 of the
inner cutters 50 into sliding engagement with the upper
hair-shearing wall portions 18 of the outer cutters 17 for shearing
hair.
When the shaver 10 (FIGS. 1 and 2) is in use, the uppermost
surfaces of the cutter head 16, and thus the upper wall portions 18
of the outer cutters 17 and the curved upper edges 31 of the spacer
members 30, are placed in contact with the user's skin (not shown)
and moved thereacross for shearing hairs (not shown). Normally the
shaver 10 is moved in a hair-shearing path wherein both the outer
cutter upper wall portions 18 and spacer member upper edges 31
extend transversely of the path of movement, for example, in path
directions shown by the arrows A or B (FIG. 2). As the cutter head
16 is moved across the user's skin, hairs which enter the outer
cutter slots 23 are shorn by the inner cutter teeth 54 in
cooperation with the outer cutter teeth 22. Concurrently, the
spacer member upper edges 31 exert sufficient pressure on the
user's skin to stretch the skin in the area thereof immediately in
advance of the path of movement of the outer cutter marginal edges
19, thereby preventing the user's skin from entering the outer
cutter slots 23. In addition, the spacer member upper edges 30
contact the hairs extending from the user's skin in advance of the
path of movement of the outer cutter marginal edges 19, and lift
the hairs, by means well-known in the art, from the surface of the
skin, to facilitate their entry into the outer cutter slots 23.
The inner and outer cutters, 50 and 17, as hereinbefore described,
are respectively dimensioned to have a loose fitting relationship
with one another to allow consumer's to periodically replace the
inner cutters 50. As a consequence, although the inner cutters 50
are urged into sliding engagement with the upper wall portions 18
of the outer cutters 17, the inner cutters 50 are able to move
toward the outer cutter wall portions 20 and 25. The inner cutters
50 thus move both transverse to the direction of travel of the
inner cutters 50 within the outer cutters 17, and transverse to the
direction the springs 63 urge the inner cutters 50 into sliding
contact with the upper wall portions 18 of the outer cutters 17.
Such transverse movement causes the reciprocating inner cutters 50
to intermittently contact the outer cutter side wall portions 20,
or the channel wall portions 25, depending on the relative
dimensions of the inner and outer cutters 50 and 17. As a result,
the cutter head 16 tends to emit noise, and the outer cutters 17,
inner cutters 50, springs 63 and other parts of the cutter head 16,
tend to become excessively worn. Accordingly, this invention is
directed to providing means for preventing the aforesaid transverse
movement of the reciprocating inner cutters 50 within outer cutters
17.
To that end, as shown in FIG. 3, 7 and 8, one of the side wall
portions 20 of each of the outer cutters 17 is provided with at
least one, and preferably two, rectangularly-shaped, apertures 80.
The apertures 80 (FIG. 2) are spaced apart from one another and
located on opposite sides of, and above, the side wall apertures
27. As shown in FIG. 2, the apertures 80 are located adjacent one
of the side wall portions 52 of the inner cutter 50, when the inner
cutter hair-shearing wall portion 51 is disposed in sliding
engagement with the outer cutter hair-shearing wall portion 18.
In addition, according to the invention each of the spacer members
30 (FIG. 3) is provided with at least one, and preferably two
apertures 81, from which resilient means 82 extend. As shown in
FIGS. 4-6, the apertures 81 are spaced from one another and have a
substantially rectangularly-shaped configuration. The resilient
means 82 includes at least one, and preferably four, elongated,
resilient arms 83, respectively designated 83A or 83B for
discussion purposes to distinguish between the side surfaces 32 of
the spacer member 30 from which the arms 83 outwardly extend.
Preferably, one of the arms 83 of each pair of arms 83A and 83B
extends from each of the apertures 81. Each arm 83A or 83B (FIG. 3)
includes a free end 84 having a protrusion 85 thereon. The
protrusions 85 on arms 83A and 83B are disposed in the same spatial
relationship relative to one another and to the outer cutter lug
34, as the outer cutter apertures 80 are disposed relative to one
another and to the outer cutter aperture 27. As a result, when the
outer cutters 17 and spacer members 30 are recpectively connected
to the cutter head frame 40, with the spacer member lugs 34
extending into the next adjacent outer cutter apertures 27, the
protrusions 85 on arms 83A and 83B are disposed in registry with,
and extend into, the next adjacent outer cutter apertures 80.
As shown in FIGS. 2, 7 and 8 each of the outer cutter wall portions
20 and 25, longitudinally extends in the direction of the desired
path of travel of the reciprocating inner cutter 50 associated
therewith. In addition, the protrusions 85 extend from the
resilient arms 83A and 83B and respectively contact spaced areas of
the moving inner cutter side wall portions 52. The arms 82A and
83B, via their respective protrusions 85, urge the moving inner
cutters 50 toward the outer cutter wall portions 20 and 25. The
inner cutters 50 are thus respectively urged in a direction which
is transverse to the direction of movement of the inner cutters 50
within the outer cutters 17, and transverse to the direction in
which the springs 63 urge the inner cutters 50 to ensure sliding
engagement between the cutter wall portions 51 and 18. The arms 83A
and 83B associated with each of the outer cutters 17 thereby
resiliently urge one of the moving inner cutters 17 into sliding
engagement with either an outer cutter side wall portion 20, as
shown in FIG. 7, or an outer cutter channel wall portion 25, as
shown in FIG. 8. Since both of the aforesaid wall portions, 20 and
25, extend in the desired direction of movement of the inner cutter
50 associated therewith, both wall portions, 20 and 25, are adapted
to directly guide the associated moving inner cutter 50 in its
predetermined path of travel. In accordance with the invention the
resilient means 82 thus cooperates with the inner cutter 50 and
either of two non-hair shearing, depending, outer cutter wall
portions, 20 or 25, i.e., either a channel wall portion 25 or the
side wall portion 20 opposite the outer cutter aperture 80, to
substantially prevent side to side transverse movement of a given
moving inner cutter 50 within the outer cutter 17 associated
therewith.
As shown in FIG. 2, only one of the side wall portions 20 of each
of the outer cutters 17 is provided with apertures 80. On the other
hand, both of the spacer members 30 are provided with resilient
arms 83A and 83B. As a result, the arms 83B of both spacer members
30, and the arms 83A of the right hand spacer member 30, extend
into apertures 80 in the adjacent cutter wall portions 20, whereas
the arms 83A of the left hand spacer member 30 cannot extend into
the centrally disposed outer cutter's left side wall portion 20.
Nor is it desirable that they do so, since both side wall portions
52 of the centrally disposed inner cutter 50 would then be
resiliently supported, and reciprocating movement of the centrally
disposed inner cutter 50 would not be stabilized in accordance with
the invention. Further, as shown in FIGS. 4-6, the spacer member
apertures 81, from which arms 83A and 83B extend, are dimensioned
such that the arms 83A and 83B, including the protrusions 85
thereof, can be respectively urged toward and completely within the
aperture 81 associated therewith. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 2,
the resilient arms 82A of the left hand spacer member 30 are
disposed within the apertures 81 thereof, and do not prevent
abutment of that spacer member's right side wall surface 32 with
the centrally disposed outer cutter's left side wall portion
20.
In accordance with the objects of the invention there has been
described an improved cutter head including an outer cutter and an
inner cutter adapted to be reciprocated within the outer cutter by
means of a spring, wherein resilient means are provided for urging
the inner cutter into sliding engagement with a wall portion of the
outer cutter which extends in the direction of movement of the
inner cutter within the outer cutter, to prevent side to side
movement of the inner cutter within the outer cutter.
Inasmuch as certain changes may be made in the above described
invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it
is intended that all matter contained in the above description or
shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted in an
illustrative rather than limiting sense. And, it is intended that
the following claims be interpreted to cover all the generic and
specific features of the invention herein described.
* * * * *