Monthly Archives: December 2015

An 00’s folding matchbook razor

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On Tuesday I shared with you a folding razor from 1931; today I have found the updated version of the naughties… at least I think that is what the first decade of this millennium is called.

Back in February of 2000 James Luke Bickers and Cecil Boyce McCary patented what they described in the patent claim as:

A folding disposable razor is disclosed having a razor head and a flexible razor body attached to the razor head. The razor body preferably includes a first cover panel and second cover panel, each panel hingedly attached to an opposite end of a first hinge portion. In a storage configuration, the first cover panel and second cover panel fold relative to the first hinge portion such that the first and second cover panels are substantially parallel to each other and define a storage area there between.

Interestingly the patent makes no reference to the one I posted about on Tuesday, despite the basic idea being very similar. I guess the examiner either didn’t find the other patent, or though them dissimilar enough not to cite it.

Something that wasn’t addressed in the ’31 patent was the need for lather, but this newer patent has that covered as well:

It would be desirable to provide a razor that includes a storage area for carrying a single use packet of shaving cream therein.

Judging by the drawings, this space is within the folded up handle.

It is envisioned that this product would be especially useful for preparing patients for surgery. The shaving cream and razor can be provided as a unit. The handle provides sufficient stability to ensure a safe shave and the entire unit can be disposed after a single use. In addition to the medical field, the present invention can be used as an amenity provided by the hotel industry. Its compact design is desirable for travellers and for military personnel who are not afforded much room for packing personal items. The list of uses for the present invention is not exhaustive and there are numerous other applications for which the disposable folding razor could be used.

Shave of the day 16th December

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Pre-shave: Dr Bronners TeatreeSoap
Lather: Prairie Creations KISS cream w/ tea tree oil
Brush: Vie-Long #13051M unbleached pure horse
Razor: Merkur 45C Bakelite with a Feather Hi-Stainless
Post-shave: Cool water rinse, alum, and BodyShop Maca Root Energetic Face Protection
Beard care: Big Red Beard Balm and Big Red No7 Beard Comb

A “matchbox” folding razor

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Bouncing around on Google Patents is fun… sometimes I find brilliant ideas, sometimes I find goofy ones. I’m not sure if Burton Christmas’ idea is one of the later or former… it definitely have elements of both.

This invention relates to safety razors and is herein disclosed as embodied in a razor adapted to be cheaply manufactured and also adapted to carry advertisements, so that it may be sold at a nominal price or may be given away.
As herein illustrated the razor blade lies in a pocket or enclosure formed by folding a sheet, and the other end of the sheet forms a cover or flap which may serve as a handle adapted to be folded into about the same space as an ordinary card of cardboard matches.

A pretty neat idea, and while waste is an issue in this day and age it would make for a neat razor that a hotel or motel could leave in the bathroom along with the ridiculously tiny soaps they place in there…

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the razor folded.
Figure 2 shows the razor opened.
Figure 3 is an enlarged side view of the folded razor.
Figure 4 is a side view of the razor showing the parts in the position they assume when grasped by the hand.
Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the razor grasped by the hand for use.

Shave of the day 14th December

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Pre-shave: Dr Bronners Orange Soap
Lather: Mike’s Natural Lemongrass & Eucalyptus  Soap
Brush: Turkish No7 ‘horse hair’
Razor: Merkur 45C Bakelite with a fresh Feather Hi-Stainless
Post-shave: Cool water rinse, alum, and Myrsol Agua De Limón
Beard care: Big Red Beard Balm and Big Red No7 Beard Comb

Compact cassette sanitary kit – an 80’s patent

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Remember compact cassettes? Those little plastic rectangles that ended up as spaghetti in your car stereo? To me at least they are sooo 80’s… as are the little fold up boxes they came in (and which for the most part promptly got lost and were never seen again).

Very much a part of the 80’s were also the idea to pack other stuff in cassette tape boxes – personally I recall having a stationary set in one of those.

Someone came up with the idea of packing a whole toiletry bag into one, to quote the patent abstract:

A cassette sanitary kit is described. The kit includes a cassette comprising a base with locations for the placement of a toothbrush and a handle between stop plates on the base, and locations for a soapsuds container and a shaving cream container between a stop and a division plate on the base, for attachment of a razor holder to a protruding block on the base, for the placement of nail clippers in a trough, for the arrangement of a cologne water container in a round hole on the base, for receiving a set of razor connecting elements in a track, and for the insertion of a comb in a cavity on the underside of the base.

The gear look rather flimsy in the patent drawings – in particularity the razor which is made up of four separate parts. Still, for a back up piece of kit to keep in the car or for handing out as swag it would probably been good enough.

The patent goes into a lot of details, and it’s amazing how much the inventor managed to pack into a tiny package.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the present invention is composed of a base 1 mounting a handle bar 2, a tooth brush 3, a razor holder 4, two razor connecting elements 5, a cologne water container 6, soap-suds container 7, a shaving cream container 8, nail clippers 9, a comb 20 in a cassette 30. Said base 1 comprises a plurality of stop plates 11, 12, 13. Said stop plate 11 has a nose 111 and stop plates 12 and 13 each have a curved face 121 and 131, respectively, on the inner side thereof. Stop plates 11 and 12 receive tooth brush 3, and stop plates 12 and 13 receive handle bar 2. Said base 1 further comprises a receiving trough 15 for receiving nail clippers 9. Said receiving trough 15 has a curved face 151 at one side from which a round hole 17 extends and receives said cologne water container 6. Division plate 152 also extends from said receiving trough 15. Said base 1 has a stop 14 for soap-suds container 7 and shaving cream container 8 which are placed between the stop 14 and plate 152 and between stop block 13 and the razor 4. Said base 1 has two protruding plates 16 to form a locating track 161 for the razor connection elements 5 by means of the vertical ends 51 fit in locating track 161. Said base 1 has a cavity 18 at the bottom for mounting comb 18 by means of depending axles 181 matching with the notches 201 of the comb 20.
Said handle bar 2 has a plurality of notches 21 at one side to reduce the contact face and an indentation 22 to receive the tooth brush 3 or razor connecting elements 5. Indentation 22 in the handle bar 2 is for connection with the connecting plate 31 of the tooth brush 3 or the vertical ends 51 of the two razor connecting elements 5. The mounting of tooth brush 3 by plate 31 in indentation 22 of the handle bar 2, is shown in FIG. 3. The razor holder 4 has tracks 41 for receiving tabs 52 of the connecting elements 5. Said two razor connecting elements 5 are symmetrically identical and can be respectively connected with razor holder 4 and handle bar 2, tabs 52 mounting the razor holder 4 and the vertical ends 51 of each connecting elements 5 received in indentation 22 of the handle bar 2 as shown in FIG. 4.
The cologne water container 6, soap-suds container 7 and shaving cream container 8 can be refilled whenever required, and can be interchangeable. Said nail clippers 9 are directly placed in the receiving trough 15 and can be picked up for ready use when required. Said comb 20 is placed at the bottom of the base 1, and can be easily picked up by simply pulling the notches 201 away from the protruding axles 181. Said cassette case 30 is composed of an upper cover 301 and a lower cover 302 connected by a hinge and receives said base 1 and all the accessories contained in the base 1 to complete an assembly of the present cassette sanitary kit.
The tooth brush 3 when located between stop plates 11, 12 is firmly retained therebetween by means of a nose 111 to keep it from breaking away. The handle bar 2 when placed between the stop plates 12, 13 is firmly retained by means of the respective curved face 121, 131 therebetween. Division plate 152 has a protruding block 10 with a trough 19 for the attachment of the razor holder 4 by means of its track 41 as shown in FIG. 2.
As the assembly is completed and all the accessories are well allocated, they are orderly arranged and firmly secured to provide a compact and complete cassette sanitary kit.

Disposable shaving brush made from paper

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A while back I wrote about a disposable sanitary shaving brush made from fibrous material (horsehair or suchlike seems reasonable given the design of the brush) with a patent filed in 1917.

Mr  Edward L Corbett decided to go one better a few years later, and filed a patent for a disposable brush made out of paper… in the inventors own words:

… nor will it be possible to subsequently use the brush, even if a barber were inclined so to do.

The actual invention is simple enough according to the patent description:

… a small individual sanitary shaving brush which comprises a plurality of paper strips that are first slotted, or cut, so that a plurality of narrow strips of paper are formed to simulate bristles, the strips of paper being so arranged that the paper like bristles are bunched in brush like form, after which these bristles are placed in a soap solution and dried in an oven about 100° Fahrenheit.

After these paper brushes are so dipped and impregnated with the soap, they may be packed in small sanitary cartons and sold to the trade. To use one of these brushes, it is simply necessary to place the same ‘for a second or two in hot water, or under a hot water faucet, the water dissolving the soap and softening the paper bristles, after which the brush may be rubbed on the face to form a fine lather. ‘There will be enough soap on each brush to `furnish a sufficient lather for the heaviest beard’, and after the brush has been so used, Inasmuch as the brush is made of paper, the water will not only soften the soap, but will soften the paper, so that there will `be no scratching of the face… 

It’s hard to imagine a brush made out of paper being as good as a modern brush, but it sure makes it disposable.

Fig, 1 is a view in elevation of two strips of paper pasted together at their one end, and showing a means of slotting the paper to form the paper like bristles.
Fig, 2 is a similar View with the upper edges being turned showing the development of the brush.
Fig. 3 shows the start of the curling of the paper and the still further development of the brush.
Fig. 4 shows a completed brush and a portion of a finger inserted in the same.
Fig. 5 is a similar view, but showing a small wooden handle inserted in the brush.
Fig. 6 is a slightly modified form showing a plurality of strips of paper having their upper edges slotted to form bristles, the paper strips being in their fiat state before being curled and Fig. 7 is a completed brush showing the development of the brush started in Fig; 6.

Shave of the day 5th December

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Pre-shave: Dr Bronners Eucalyptus Soap
Lather: Mike’s Mixed
Brush: Omega #10048 Boar Bristle
Razor: Phillips Philite with a Shark
Post-shave: Cool water rinse, alum, and Krampert’s Finest Bay Rum
Beard care: Big Red Beard Balm and Big Red No7 Beard Comb