Combined Hair Removal Device
The present invention is concerned with a combined hair removal device that comprises a electrical hair removal device having at least a first coupling structure, a wet shaving device having at least a second coupling structure, the first and second coupling structures being configured to mate with each other to detachably couple the electrical hair removal device and the wet shaving device in at least a first coupling position, the electrical hair removal device having an elongated handle provided for individual operation of the electrical hair removal device in a detached state, and the wet shaving device having an elongated handle provided for individual operation of the wet shaving device in a detached state, wherein the wet shaving device comprises a wet shaving head that has at least a blade having a sharp, elongated edge arranged for contacting the skin during a shaving operation so as to cut off hairs growing on the skin.
This application is a continuation of prior co-pending International Application No. PCT/EP2009/004822 filed Jul. 3, 2009, designating the United States.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention is concerned with combined hair removal devices that comprise an electrical hair removal device and a wet shaving device.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONInternational patent application WO 2007/130680 A1 discloses a modular grooming tool that comprises a razor assembly coupled to a first end of a hand-piece for holding the tool such that the razor assembly is removable, and a nose/ear hair trimmer coupled to the first end of the hand-piece. The nose/ear hair trimmer is configured to couple with the razor assembly to nest within the razor assembly while the razor assembly is coupled to the first end of the hand-piece.
It is a disadvantage of this modular grooming tool that the nose/ear hair trimmer is covered by the razor assembly when the razor assembly is coupled to the first end of the hand-piece.
International patent application WO 2005/102623 A2 discloses a wet razor and electric trimmer assembly. The razor blade is disposed at or adjacent a first end of the handle. The trimmer mounts on the handle and includes a moving blade. The motor drives the moving blade.
It is a disadvantage of such an assembly that a heavy motor needs always to be present in the assembly to drive the electric trimmer when it shall be used.
International patent application WO 2007/081850 A2 discloses a multi-use shaving implement that includes an elongated handle and swappable razor cartridge and trimmer head. The elongated handle has a powered motor that is at least partially located therein. A user is enabled to removably attach the razor cartridge to the handle and the user is also enabled to removably attach the trimmer head to the handle when the razor cartridge is not attached to the handle.
It is a disadvantage of such a shaving implement that the motor is at least partially present in the elongated handle also when the shaving implement is used with the razor cartridge attached to the handle. It is a further disadvantage that one of the heads is always detached from the handle and may get lost in the bathroom due to its small size.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIt would therefore be desirable to provide a combined hair removal device that is improved over the known devices.
A combined hair removal device as proposed comprises an electrical hair removal device that has at least a first coupling structure and a wet shaving device that has at least a second coupling structure, the first and second coupling structures being configured to mate which each other to detachably couple the electrical hair removal device and the wet shaving device together. The electrical hair removal device has an elongated handle provide for individual use of the electrical hair removal device in a detached state. The wet shaving device has an elongated handle provided for individual use of the wet shaving device in a detached state. As the elongated handles are long enough for conveniently holding each of the devices in a user's hand, the combined hair removal device can be used in its combined state and the electrical hair removal device and the wet shaving device can also be used individually, which is not possible for the devices as known from prior art. This increases the versatility of such a combined device.
In the combined hair removal device as proposed, the electrical hair removal device may be realized as an electrical shaving device or an epilator device, and the wet shaving device comprises a wet shaving head that has at least a blade having a sharp elongated edge arranged for contacting the skin during a shaving operation so as to cut off hairs growing on the skin.
The electrical hair removal device realized as an electrical shaving device may e.g. comprise a trimmer head having a first and a second toothed blade, where at least one of the first and second blades is arranged to be driven in an operation mode so that the trimmer head cuts off (i.e. sheers off) hairs that feed in between the teeth of the first and second toothed blades. In another embodiment, the electrical shaving device may comprise a shaver head having a sheer foil structure arranged to contact the skin and a blade structure that is arranged to be movable relative to the sheer foil in an operation mode so that hairs that feed in between holes of the sheer foil structure are cut off or sheered off. In particular, the electrical shaving device may be realized as an electrical trimmer comprising the electrical trimmer head or as an electrical sheer-foil shaver comprising the sheer foil structure and the blade structure. The electrical shaving device may be arranged for hair removal in a dry and/or a wet environment as is generally known in the art.
The electrical hair removal device may also be realized as an epilator device that may comprise a plurality of pairs of clamping elements that are each arranged for actuation during an operation mode between an open position in which hairs can feed into a gap present between the pair of clamping elements and an closed position in which hairs are clamped by the pair of clamping elements.
In an embodiment, the elongated handles of the electrical hair removal device and the wet shaving device extend longitudinally (in the direction of their elongated extension) side by side over a substantial part of their length, where this should include that one elongated handle is partially embraced by the other elongated handle. In a refinement of this embodiment, one of the elongated handles has a longitudinally extending recess in which at least part of the other elongated handle is located. The side-by-side extending or partially embraced or nested elongated handles thus form a combined handle of the combined hair removal device
In another embodiment, at least one of the coupling structures has at least two or more coupling elements allowing for coupling the electrical hair removal device and the wet shaving device in at least two or more coupling positions. In another embodiment, at least one of the first and second coupling structures comprises a movable element for selectively moving the electrical hair removal device and the wet shaving device relatively to each other, which also allows for having several coupling positions.
In yet another embodiment, at least one of the first or second coupling structures has at least a release element for releasing the mated first and second coupling structures.
In a further embodiment, the combined hair removal device has a contact arrangement enabling the transfer of electrical energy between the electrical hair removal device and the wet shaving device in the coupled state. This allows discarding a battery in one of the devices and allows energizing both devices in a coupled state.
In an even further embodiment, the electrical hair removal device is provided with a vibration motor and the combined shaving device has a mechanical coupling to transmit vibrations generated by the vibration motor to the wet shaving head of the wet shaving device.
The invention will be further elucidated by detailed explanation of several exemplary embodiments and by reference to figures. In the figures
The electrical hair removal device 100 has an elongated handle 110 and the wet shaving device 200 has an elongated handle 210. The elongated handle 110 of the electrical hair removal device 100 and the elongated handle 210 of the wet shaving device 200 form together an integrated elongated handle 101 of the combined hair removal device 1. The integrated elongated handle 101 of the combined hair removal device 1 is designed for holding the combined hair removal device 1 in a hand of a user during operation of the combined hair removal device 1. In particular, the elongated handle 110 of the electrical hair removal device 100 and the elongated handle 210 of the wet shaving device 200 are individually shaped in such a way that the combined handle 101 of the combined hair removal device 1 allows for easy and safe handling of the combined hair removal device 1. The integrated elongated handle 101 can be designed to allow for a convenient use of the combined hair removal device 1, i.e. the outer surface of the combined elongated handle 101 can be designed to be smooth and/or conveniently lying in a user's hand. Such convenient use is, e.g., affected through an integrated elongated handle 101 that is essentially seamless at the edges where the elongated handle 110 of the electrical hair removal device 100 and the elongated handle 210 of the wet shaving device 200 abut each other. In such a realization, it is sufficient that the seamlessness is achieved only in those outer surface areas of the combined elongated handle 101 that are intended for being held in a user's hand. The convenient use can, e.g., be achieved by a design of the combined elongated handle 101 that anatomically fits into a user's hand. The elongated handles 110 and 210 of the electrical hair removal device 100 and the wet shaving device 200, respectively, are provided so that they can be held in a user hand during individual operation of the electrical hair removal device 100 or the wet shaving device 200 in a detached state. A typical length for an elongated handle that is provided for individual use is about 8 cm or longer, in particular 10 cm or longer or even more particularly 12 cm or longer, where specifically the elongated handle 210 of the wet shaving device 200 is longer than the elongated handle 110 of the electrical shaving device 100.
The electrical hair removal device 100 has an electrical hair removal head 120 in the form of an electric trimmer head and the wet shaving device 200 has a wet shaving head 220 realized as a safety razor cartridge in which a plurality of sharp, elongated razor blades are mounted (obviously, it is not affecting the present invention whether the wet shaving head 220 comprises only a single sharp, elongated razor blade or two of such blades or any other number of blades). Each of the heads is intended to cut-off or sheer-off hairs that grow on the skin during shaving operation. Instead of being realized as an electrical trimmer, the electrical hair removal device 100 may also be realized as an electrical sheer-foil shaver having an electrical hair removal head realized as an electrical shaving head having a sheer foil structure intended for contacting the skin during regular operation and a blade structure (i.e. an undercutter blade) arranged to be movable relative to the sheer foil. In an even further embodiment, the electrical hair removal device 100 may be realized as an epilator device, which will be discussed in more detail with reference to
In the shown embodiment, the wet shaving device 200 is detachably coupled to the back of the electrical hair removal device 100. In another embodiment, a combined hair removal device comprises a wet shaving device that is detachably coupled to the front of an electrical hair removal device. In an even other embodiment, the electrical hair removal device and the wet shaving device are coupled back-to-back.
The electrical hair removal device 100 comprises an elongated handle 110 and an electrical hair removal head 120 realized as an electric trimmer head. A motor 150 is located inside the elongated handle 110 of the electrical hair removal device 100, which motor 150 can be selectively powered via a battery 160 provided in a battery compartment 161. The electrical hair removal device 100 is equipped with a selector 170 realized as a capacitive switch for selectively activating the electrical trimmer head. Instead of a capacitive switch any other kind of switch, e.g. a rotatable knob having various lock positions for switching the electrical trimmer on or off and/or for e.g. setting various speeds of the movable trimmer blade is also possible. As is known in the art, the motor 150 drives a motor shaft 151 having an eccentric tappet, which tappet mates with a slot of a carrier to translate the rotational movement of the eccentric tappet into a linear oscillating movement of the carrier during operation. A moveable (first) toothed trimmer blade 121 is mounted to the carrier and interacts with a fixedly mounted (second) toothed trimmer blade so that hairs that feed in between the teeth of the trimmer blades are cut-off or shorn-off, respectively, depending on the concrete realization of the blade edges.
The wet shaving device 200 comprises an elongated handle 210 and a wet shaving head 220 realized as a detachably mounted razor cartridge that carries a plurality of sharp, elongated razor blades 221.
As is schematically shown in
Obviously, it is irrelevant whether the electrical hair removal device 100 has e.g. a positive coupling partner and the wet shaving device 200 has a negative coupling partner etc., but such coupling structures could also be provided the other way around (negative coupling partner realized at electrical hair removal device 100 and positive coupling partner realized at the wet shaving device 200) as long as the first coupling structure 140 and the second coupling structure 240 detachably connect the electrical hair removal device 100 and the wet shaving device 200. The first and second coupling structures 140 and 240 are usually located at a circumferential position on the elongated handles so that the electrical hair removal device 100 and the wet shaving device 200 are coupled side by side.
In one embodiment, the electrical hair removal device has a recess that extends along the longitudinal axis of the electrical hair removal device, which recess is designed to receive at least a part of the elongated handle of the wet shaving device. The recess could be realized with an undercut so that at least a part of the elongated handle of the wet shaving device can snap-fit into the recess. Obviously, such a longitudinally extending recess can also be provided in the elongated handle of the wet shaving device (as will be discussed with reference to
In the embodiment shown in
The first coupling structure 140 also comprises a movable element 145 that is provided for selective motion on the back of the electrical hair removal device 100. In one embodiment, the first coupling structure 140 comprises only one coupling element 141 that is arranged on the movable element 145, but several coupling positions of the combined shaving device are achieved by a selective movement of the movable element 145 relative to the electrical hair removal device. The movable element 145 may be provided with several lock-in positions that are achieved e.g. via a spring-loaded ball detent having a registration feature.
It is to be noted that all the various features as described with reference to
In the following, a further exemplary embodiment is discussed, in which the electrical hair removal device is realized as an epilator device and the wet shaving device is again realized as a safety razor. In this exemplary embodiment, the wet shaving device has an elongated handle that envelopes the elongated handle of the epilator device.
The elongated handle 11 is preformed so as to tightly fit around the elongated handle (i.e. the body) of the electrical hair removal device for which it is intended. The elongated handle 11 has an inner side 12 that is shaped to accommodate the elongated handle of the electrical hair removal device. The elongated handle structure 11 has flexed parts 11a, 11b, and 11c that will be clamped around the body of the electrical hair removal device. In the shown example, the flexed parts 11a, 11b, and 11c extend on three sides of the handle structure 11 (namely left side, right side and bottom side with reference to the paper direction). The flexed parts 11a, 11b, and 11c are bent inwards so as to partially embrace the hollow space formed by the concave inner side 12 of the elongated handle 11 so that the elongated handle 11 can be clamped around three sides of the elongated handle of the electrical hair removal device (as is shown in
The elongated handle 11 further has an opening 18 that is shaped so as to form-fit around a projecting part of the elongated handle of the electrical hair removal device. Such a form-fit connector element enhances the fixed connection between the elongated handle 11 and the elongated handle of the electrical hair removal device. In general, the elongated handle 11 could comprise a connector structure that mates with a connector structure realized at the elongated handle of the electrical hair removal device, e.g. the elongated handle 11 could comprise elastic, mush-room-like projections and the elongated handle of the electrical hair removal device could comprise undercut cavities that receive the mush-room-like projections in a releasable snap-fit manner. The connector structure realized at the elongated handle of the wet shaving device (e.g. opening 18) would then form part of the second coupling structure and the connector structure realized at the elongated handle of the electrical hair removal device (e.g. the mentioned projecting part of the elongated handle of the electrical hair removal device) would then form part of the first coupling structure.
The dimensions and values disclosed herein are not to be understood as being strictly limited to the exact numerical values recited. Instead, unless otherwise specified, each such dimension is intended to mean both the recited value and a functionally equivalent range surrounding that value. For example, a dimension disclosed as “40 mm” is intended to mean “about 40 mm.”
Claims
1. Combined hair removal device comprising:
- an electrical hair removal device having at least a first coupling structure:
- a wet shaving device having at least a second coupling structure, the first and second coupling structures being configured to mate with each other to detachably couple the electrical hair removal device and the wet shaving device in at least a first coupling position;
- the electrical hair removal device having an elongated handle provided for individual operation of the electrical hair removal device in a detached state; and
- the wet shaving device having an elongated handle provided for individual operation of the wet shaving device in a detached state;
- and
- the wet shaving device comprises wet shaving head that has at least a blade having a sharp, elongated edge arranged for contacting the skin during a shaving operation so as to cut off hairs growing on the skin.
2. Combined hair removal device according to claim 1, wherein the electrical hair removal device is realized as an electrical shaving device that comprises a trimmer head having a first toothed blade and a second toothed blade, at least one of the first and second toothed blades being arranged to be driven in an operation mode so as to cut off hairs that feed in between the teeth of the first and second toothed blades.
3. Combined hair removal device according to claim 1, wherein the electrical hair removal device is realized as an electrical shaving device that comprises a shaver head having a sheer foil structure arranged to contact the skin and a blade structure that is arranged to be movable relative to the sheer foil in an operation mode so that hairs that feed in between holes of the sheer foil are cut off or shorn off.
4. Combined hair removal device according to claim 1, wherein the electrical hair removal device is realized as an epilator device that comprises an epilator head having a plurality of pairs of clamping elements that are each arranged so that they can be actuated between an open position in which hairs can feed into a gap between the clamping elements and a closed position in which hairs are clamped between the clamping elements.
5. Combined hair removal device according to claim 1, wherein the electrical hair removal device and the wet shaving device are detachably coupled together so that the elongated handles extend longitudinally side by side over a substantial part of their length.
6. Combined hair removal device according to claim 1, wherein the elongated handle of one of the electrical hair removal device and the wet shaving device has a longitudinally extending recess in which at least a part of the elongated handle of the other of the electrical hair removal device and the wet shaving device is located.
7. Combined hair removal device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second coupling structures has two or more coupling elements to allow coupling the electrical hair removal device and the wet shaving device in at least the first coupling position and a second coupling position.
8. Combined hair removal device according to claim 1, wherein one of the first or second coupling structures comprises a movable element for selectively moving the electrical hair removal device and the wet shaving device relatively to each other.
9. Combined hair removal device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first or second coupling structures comprises a release element provided for releasing the mated first and second coupling structures.
10. Combined hair removal device according to claim 1 having a contact arrangement for transferring electrical enemy between the electrical hair removal device and the wet shaving device.
11. Combined shaving device according to claim 1, wherein the electrical hair removal device has a powered vibration motor and a mechanical coupling arranged to transmit vibrations generated by the vibration motor to the wet shaving head of the wet shaving device.
12. Combined hair removal device according to claim 1, wherein the electrical hair removal device comprises an exchangeable electrical hair removal head.
13. Electrical hair removal device comprising:
- an elongated handle provided for individual operation of the electrical hair removal device and
- at least a first coupling structure arranged to detachably couple the electrical hair removal device to at least a second coupling structure of a wet shaving device that has an elongated handle provided for individual operation of the wet shaving device.
14. Wet shaving device comprising:
- an elongated handle provided for individual operation of the wet shaving device and
- at least a second coupling structure arranged for detachably coupling the wet shaving device to at least a first coupling structure of an electrical hair removal device that has an elongated handle provided for individual operation of the electrical shaving device.
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 14, 2011
Publication Date: Jul 7, 2011
Inventors: Michael Maichel (Frankfurt), Markus Schuessler (Koenigstein), Ralf Klug (Eschborn), Xavier Perez-Lopez (Eschborn), Andreas Larscheid (Sulzbach), Bjoern Kling (Glashuetten), Bernhard Sikora (Kelkheim), Bernd Pfeiffer (Schwalbach)
Application Number: 13/006,735
International Classification: B26B 19/38 (20060101);