BACKGROUND

[0001] A number of shaving systems consist of a handle and a

replaceable blade cartridge, said cartridge consisting of a housing and a connecting member which is used for removably connecting the cartridge to the handle. One or more blades are mounted in the housing and the connecting member pivotally supports said housing. The connecting member has a base structure adapted to be removably and fixedly attached to said handle. After said blades have become dull from use, the entire cartridge consisting of both the housing and the connecting member is discarded, although the connecting member is typically still in good condition, because the user cannot easily detach said blade housing from said connecting member.

[0002] In all cases the housing that contains blades is rigid including the parts needed to attach it to a connecting member or directly to a handle.

[0003] An example is a shaving system shown in Fig. 2 of U.S. Patent No. 4,026,016. At the top end of the handle there are arms 62 with small cylinders at the tip that fit into the holes inside the housing and in their centre containing an axis 61 shown in Fig. 3 around which the housing swivels. The handle has a mechanism to push the arms apart and pull the cylinders out of those holes.

[0004] Then came the system shown in U.S. Patent No. 5,027,51 1 . The housing swivels along arcuate guide rail surfaces 46. In this case the claws at the end of the handle can be pulled closer together by pressing 22 and 24 (Fig. 3) and so the housing falls off the handle.

[0005] Then came cartridges with connecting members. Instead of the cylinders of U.S. 4,026,016, the cross-sections of the ends are triangular in shape (reference numeral 138 in Figs. 16-17 of U.S. 5,918,369 and reference numeral 154 in Fig. 40 of U.S. Pat. No. 8,104,184), which means the axis is even further towards the tip of the connecting members and closer to the shaving surface. In U.S. 5,918,369 one cannot take the housing and the connecting members apart. Shaving systems of this sort are sold worldwide and have a very good market share.

[0006] Other recent systems use a different method as shown on U.S.

Design Patent D535,784 or D588,309Again, every part of the housing is designed to be rigid. The connecting member can be attached to it because its arms bend.

[0007] In another system, shown in Fig. 1 b of U.S. Pat. No. 6,434,839, there are no arms with tips and corresponding recesses. The cartridge holder 10 pivots around opposite hinge shafts 10a where the axis is outside the housing. Locking pieces of the cartridge holder are inserted into two openings of the housing after passing a pair of inclined gliders. Locking projections of the inclined gliders are caught by locking edges of two locking holes in the holder, thus accomplishing a desired attachment of the blade cartridge to the cartridge holder. There is a button on the handle that when operated by the user forces two pushers out to release the housing. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] The inventor hereof has discovered an unintended feature of

products made in a way similar to that shown by U.S. 8,104,184, i.e., that a user can actually take the housing and the connecting member apart even though intended to be discarded and repurchased together as a unit. This is possible in an awkward way, because the tips of the arms (154, Fig. 37) can bend slightly. It's alright to do this, without causing damage to the arms if you need to do it only once. The systems covered by U.S. 5,918,369 and U.S. 8,104,184 include a plunger at the end of the handle that pushes the cartridge against the skin in a spring-like manner (see e.g. reference numeral 44 in Fig. 16 of U.S. 5,918,369).

[0009] According to a first aspect of the present invention, an improved shaving cartridge or apparatus is provided comprising a housing having a front edge and a rear edge; one or more shaving blades between the front edge and the rear edge; and at least two protrusions with recesses formed to engage terminal portions of arms of a connecting member of a shaving system, wherein the at least two protrusions are opposite one another and at least one of the at least two protrusions is a flexible protrusion.

[00010] In accordance with the first aspect of the present invention, the at least one flexible protrusion may be formed with a pushable surface to enable a user to push the at least one flexible protrusion away from the opposite protrusion to receive or release the terminal portions of the arms of the connecting member. The pushable surface may comprise a surface of a protrusion extension that extends from the at least one flexible protrusion and that is pushable with a finger of a user of the shaving system. The protrusions may connected by a bridge having a selected shape such as a curved shape having an arc longer than a distance between the protrusions, formed so that pushing or pressing on a surface of the bridge with a finger pushes the at least one flexible protrusion away from the opposite protrusion.

[00011] In further accord with the first aspect of the invention, the

recesses may be cylindrical in shape.

[00012] In still further accord with the present invention, the recesses may have a shape of a triangular section of a cylinder.

[00013] Further still, according to the first aspect of the present invention, each recess may have a notch on an outside rim/edge of the recess to ease reception or release of the connecting member.

[00014] According to a second aspect of the present invention, a

detachable, improved shaving cartridge consists of a housing carrying multiple blades, and one or more attachment members configured for attachment to various handle connecting members. In one embodiment for example, a camming surface and two recesses are configured to receive the terminal portions of a pair of arms located on the end of a cartridge connecting member attached to an end of the handle having a spring-loaded plunger that engages the camming surface. Said housing has a front edge and a rear edge, with one or more shaving blades positioned between said front and rear edges of the housing. Said blades define a main cutting region. In one common embodiment, the recesses are positioned in protrusions, the recesses being parallel to said front edge.

[00015] In a preferred embodiment according to the second aspect of the present invention, at least one of said protrusions has one or more manipulator elements that can be engaged with fingers to move said protrusions in a generally opposite direction from one another to engage or release said pair of arms. Said manipulator elements can take a number of shapes and sizes so as to be adaptable to various handles but, in general, should have push surfaces that are large enough to be engaged with fingertips and protrude far enough to provide sufficient leverage so that the user can bend said protrusions with his fingers to engage or release said pair of arms. The size and position of said manipulator elements can vary greatly, and generally will depend on the shape of said protrusions, the position of said protrusions relative to said housing, the shape of said terminal portions of said pair of arms and the material of which said protrusions are made.

[00016] In embodiments according to the first or the second aspects of the present invention, the terminal portions of said protrusions may be connected with a curved bridge longer than the distance between said terminal portions of said protrusions, said bridge having a central section that can be engaged with a finger to push the protrusions in a generally opposite direction from one another to engage or release said pair of arms. The size and position of said bridge depend on the shape of said protrusions, the position of said protrusions relative to said housing, the shape of said terminal portions of said pair of arms and the material of which said protrusions are made.

[00017] In another embodiment according to the first aspect or the second aspect of the present invention, outer edges of said recesses may have one or more notches corresponding in width with said terminal portions of said pair of arms. When the user jerks the handle in the generally opposite direction from said housing and said notches are in line with the direction of said jerk, said notches allow said terminal portions of said pair of arms to snap out of said recesses. [00018] Certain embodiments according to the first aspect or the second aspect of the present invention may include one or more of the following features, among others, and the following listing is not meant to be limiting in any way to the invention, and is merely included so as to clarify some of the more commonly encountered forms of the invention. For example, in some embodiments, said protrusions are positioned on the opposite side of the housing from the main cutting region. In some embodiments, said protrusions are positioned in front of said front edge of said housing. In certain embodiments the recesses are cylindrical in shape with circular cross-sections. In certain embodiments the cross- sections of the recesses are circular sectors. In some embodiments said push surfaces are positioned horizontally in relation to said main cutting region. In some embodiments said push surfaces are positioned vertically in relation to said main cutting region. In some embodiments said push surfaces are positioned parallel to said front edge. In some embodiments said push surfaces are positioned perpendicular to said front edge. In some embodiments no protrusion has a push surface. In some embodiments only one protrusion has a push surface that can be engaged with fingers. In some embodiments said protrusions have more than one said push surface. Some embodiments feature a trimming blade connected to the housing near the rear edge and defining a second cutting region spaced from the first cutting region. All these various embodiments, among others, fall within the scope of the present invention

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[00019] Figure 1 is a front view of an improved cartridge, according to an embodiment of the invention, showing the main cutting region. [00020] Figure 2 is a perspective view of an improved cartridge, according to an embodiment, where protrusions are positioned on the opposite side of the housing from the main cutting region and push surfaces are vertical in relation to the main cutting region and parallel to the front edge.

[00021] Figure 3 is a perspective view of an improved cartridge, according to an embodiment, where protrusions are positioned on the opposite side of the housing from the main cutting region and push surfaces are horizontal in relation to the main cutting region.

[00022] Figure 4 is a perspective view of an improved cartridge, according to an embodiment, where protrusions are positioned on the opposite side of the housing from the main cutting region and the push surfaces are vertical in relation to the main cutting region and perpendicular to the front edge.

[00023] Figure 5 is a perspective view of an improved cartridge, according to an embodiment, where protrusions are positioned in front of the front edge and the push surfaces are vertical in relation to the main cutting region and parallel to the front edge.

[00024] Figure 6 is a perspective view of a, improved cartridge, according to an embodiment where protrusions are positioned in front of the front edge and the push surfaces are vertical in relation to the main cutting region and perpendicular to the front edge.

[00025] Figure 7 is a perspective view of a cartridge, according to an

embodiment, where protrusions are positioned in front of the front edge and the push surfaces are horizontal in relation to the main cutting region.

[00026] Figure 8 is a perspective view of an improved cartridge, according to an embodiment, where protrusions are positioned on the opposite side of the housing from the main cutting region and the terminal portions of protrusions are connected with a bridge and the bridge is curved in a direction facing away from the main cutting region.

[00027] Figure 9 is a perspective view of an improved cartridge, according to an embodiment, where protrusions are positioned in front of the front edge and the terminal portions of protrusions are connected with a bridge and the bridge has an extending portion which is directed away from the housing parallel to the main cutting region.

[00028] Figure 10 is a perspective view of an improved cartridge,

according to an embodiment, where protrusions are positioned on the opposite side of the housing from the main cutting region and the terminal portions of protrusions are connected with a bridge and the bridge has an extension portion extending towards the rear edge of the housing and parallel to the main cutting region.

[00029] Figure 11 is a perspective view of an improved cartridge,

according to an embodiment, where the cross sections of the recesses are circular sectors.

[00030] Figure 12 is a perspective view of an improved cartridge,

according to an embodiment, where only one protrusion has a push surface that can be engaged with fingers.

[00031] Figure 13 is a perspective view of an improved cartridge,

according to an embodiment, where protrusion have more than one push surface.

[00032] Figure 14 is a perspective view of an improved cartridge,

according to an embodiment, where the cross sections of the recesses are circular with notches provided on the outer edges of recesses, the notches positioned perpendicular relative to the main cutting region.

[00033] Figure 15 is a perspective view of an improved cartridge,

according to an embodiment, where the cross sections of the recesses are circular sectors with notches on the outer edges of recesses, the notches positioned perpendicular relative to the main cutting region.

[00034] Figure 16 is a perspective view of an improved cartridge,

according to an embodiment, where protrusions are positioned on the opposite side of the housing from the main cutting region and push surfaces are at an angle in relation to the main cutting region and the front edge.

[00035] Figure 17 is a perspective view of an improved cartridge,

according to an embodiment, where protrusions are positioned on the opposite side of the housing from the main cutting region and each protrusion has more than one push surface, each protrusion and each horizontal push surface being adapted to cause a release in response to a swivel or twisting motion thereof.

[00036] Figure 18 shows a perspective view of a shaving system

including an embodiment of an improved shaving cartridge according to the invention, a handle, and a connecting member attached to the handle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[00037] Referring to FIGS. 1 , 2 and 5, embodiments of an improved

shaving cartridge 1 are shown, according to the invention. Each includes a plastic housing 2, a front edge 3, a guard 4 at the front of housing 2, a rear edge 5, a cap 6 with lubricating strip 7 at the rear of housing 2, one or more blades 8 between the front edge 3 and rear edge 5, and a camming surface 10. The camming surface is adapted to engage a connecting member located on a handle (not shown) which typically comprises a spring-biased plunger or a flexible plastic hinge portion attached to the handle of a shaving system, though other configurations are possible. The blades 8 form a main cutting region 9. The housing has side edges that are shorter in length than the front and rear edges 3, 5. Cutting edges of the blades run parallel to a long axis of the housing in between and generally also parallel to the front and rear edges. The long axis is thus transverse to the side edges of the housing. 038] Referring to FIGS. 2-17, the plastic housing 2 of the improved cartridge 1 of the invention an attachment member includes

manipulatable elements that permit attachment to and detachment from a handle in response to manual action, such as pushing, pulling, twisting or other manipulations. As shown in Figures 2-17, these manipulatable elements can take various forms, such as the protrusions 1 1 having recesses 12, which are configured to receive the terminal portions of the pair of arms on the end of a connecting member attached to a handle (see Fig. 18). Protrusions 1 1 can be moulded as part of the housing 2. To receive and release the said pair of arms, said protrusions 1 1 need to be manipulated, such as pushed on an accessible and pushable surface thereof in a generally opposite direction from one another to release said pair of arms. In other words, with respect to the housing, the protrusions are manually manipulated either directly or indirectly to move apart in opposite directions along a line parallel to the long axis of the housing. By manually is meant either manipulating by finger, or simply by pushing, pulling, or twisting the handle, or manipulating a pushing bridge between the protrusions. In at least the embodiments of Figs. 2-7 and 1 1 -17, the longer the protrusions are, the better the manual access to the pushable surface and the easier it is for the user to release said pair of arms. In all embodiments shown below, longer rather than shorter protrusions provides flexibility or bendability when the user directly or indirectly manipulates at least one of the protrusions so as to cause the distance between the protrusions to increase along a line parallel to the long axis of the housing. When the at least one protrusion is directly or indirectly manipulated by the user, this means the distance between the top ends of the protrusions (terminal portions) will increase the most while the distance between the bases of the protrusions, where the protrusions are molded to join to the rest of the housing, won't move at all.

[00039] Referring to FIGS 2-17, protrusions 1 1 can be positioned on the opposite side of the housing 2 from the main cutting region 9 or in front of the front edge 3, depending on the particular handle design or the type of connecting member attached to the handle. The position of the camming surface 10 would be adapted to the position of protrusions 1 1 . The protrusions are positioned on the housing so that a pivot or swivel axis formed between the recesses and parallel to the long axis of the housing is provided by the housing itself, not by any other separate connectable part or device that would be located between the housing and the pivot axis. In some embodiments the housing may be static and not able to swivel and so the axis is merely an axis of engagement.

[00040] Referring to FIGS 2-7, 1 1 -13 and 16-17, protrusions 1 1 are shown which include push surfaces 14 that can be engaged with fingers to push said protrusions in a generally opposite direction from one another to release said pair of arms. Said push surfaces 14 are large enough to be engaged with fingertips and extend from said protrusions 1 1 as extensions far enough to provide enough leverage so that the user can bend said protrusions 1 1 with his fingers to release said pair of arms. The size and position of said push surfaces 14 depend on the shape and position of protrusions 1 1 relative to said housing 2, the shape of said terminal portions of said pair of arms and the material of which said protrusions 1 1 are made. Push surfaces 14 can be either horizontal (FIGS 3 and 7) or vertical (FIGS 2 and 4-6) or at any angle in between (FIG 16) in relation to main cutting region 9. Push surfaces 14 can be positioned either parallel (FIGS 2 and 5) or perpendicular (FIGS 4 and 6) or at any angle in between to front edge 5. Push surfaces 14 can be molded as part of housing 2. Needless to say, the push surfaces need not be planar surfaces but could be any other sort of surface such as but not limited to an edge, corner, or curved surface.

[00041] In some embodiments the manipulatable elements are

protrusions which can be pushed or otherwise moved in a generally opposite direction from one another to release said pair of arms. Even if only one protrusion is manipulated, and the user simply holds the handle while pressing on a single push surface 14 (FIG 12), the cartridge can still be released when at least one side comes free. On the other hand, each protrusion may have more than one push surface (FIG 13), to improve the effectiveness of the manipulation to cause release.

[00042] Referring to FIGS 8-10 in an alternative embodiment of the

manipulator elements of the invention, end portions 13 of protrusions 1 1 are connected with a curved bridge 16 having an arc longer than the distance between the terminal portions 13 of protrusions 1 1 . The bridge 16 may have a central section 18 that can be engaged with a finger to cause the protrusions 1 1 to be displaced in a generally opposite direction from one another to engage or release said pair of arms. Bridge 16 can be moulded as part of housing 2.

[00043] Referring to FIGS 14 and 15 in another alternative embodiment, protrusions 1 1 have no push surfaces (see FIGS 14 and 15). Instead, recesses 12 have notches 20 perpendicular to the main cutting region 9. When shaving, in this position the pressure on the camming surface 10 engaged by a said plunger or a said flexible plastic hinge portion is the greatest, thus making it very difficult for the arms to snap out of recesses 12. Notches 20 correspond in width with the said terminal portions of said pair of arms. In order to disengage the cartridge, the user

manipulates the handle in the generally opposite direction from said housing and parallel with the notches 20, while holding the housing such that the terminal portions of said pair of arms snap out of the recesses 12, following the direction of the notches.

[00044] Referring to FIG 17, in an alternative embodiment, the

manipulator elements can be adapted to cause release by a twisting or swivel action. In this embodiment, the protrusions 1 1 and push surfaces 14 can be positioned in a swing 22 position, so that the push on a horizontal push surface 14 twists the recesses 12 further away from the housing 2, to permit disengagement from the arms or, if need be, engagement.

[00045] FIG. 18 is a perspective view that shows a shaving system

including an embodiment of an improved shaving cartridge 1 , according to the invention, a handle 40 with a connecting member 32 attached. The improved shaving cartridge 1 includes a housing 2 having a front edge 3 and a rear edge 5. The long axis of the housing is shown positioned transverse to a length axis of the handle 40. As in Fig. 1 , the improved cartridge 1 includes one or more shaving blades parallel to the long axis between the front edge and the rear edge. Flexible protrusions 1 1 with recesses 12 are provided to flex and receive terminal portions 30 of a pair of arms of the connecting member 32 of the shaving system. The flexible protrusions may be flexed in a direction generally along a line between the recesses parallel to the long axis of the housing i.e. parallel to the cutting edges of the blades. It should be realized that it may be that only one of the protrusions is flexible in some embodiments (they may for instance be made of different thickness or material). The protrusions are manipulated by the user so as to be flexed away from each other, the terminal portions 30 are inserted into the recesses and engaged therein by releasing the manipulative flex force exerted by the user on the protrusions so that an axis 42 between the terminal portions 30 is made coincident with a pivot or engagement axis 44 formed along a line between the recesses parallel to the long axis of the housing. To disengage the improved cartridge 1 , the push surfaces 14 on the protrusions 1 1 may be engaged by one or more fingers of the user to push apart and increase the spacing in a direction parallel to the long axis of the housing to facilitate disengagement and release of the improved cartridge 1 . Thus a user may use the same action repeatedly to ease the attachment of fresh improved cartridges 1 after improved cartridges are detached and discarded after they become spent. A user wishing to change to an improved cartridge made according to the invention uses the same connecting member 32 from the original cartridge still in place. Rather than detaching and discarding both the used blades and the connecting member in one piece, as intended by the manufacturer, and purchasing both together as a new unit, the user can detach the housing with used blades from the original connecting member 32 and retain the original connecting member. The user is then able to replace the blades using an improved cartridge made according to the present invention by another manufacturer, or even by the original manufacturer, at lower cost to the user.