# US 5,699,616 A · Electric hair trimmer > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 5,699,616 A - Document ID: US5699616A - Status: Granted - Kind: A - Application number: 08/583,299 - Filed: 1996-01-05 - Granted: 1997-12-23 - Earliest claimed: 1995-01-09 - Assignees: Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd. - Inventors: Hitoshi Ogawa - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5699616A ## CPC - B26B 19/20: with provision for shearing hair of preselected or variable length - B26B: HAND-HELD CUTTING TOOLS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR (for harvesting A01D; for horticulture, for forestry A01G; for butchering or meat treatment A22; for manufactering or repairing footwear A43D; nail clippers or cutters A45D29/02; kitchen equipment A47J; {vegetable slicers, julienne cutters and similar devices and holders therefor, B26D3/28}; for surgical purposes A61B; for metal B23D; cutting by abrasive fluid jets B24C5/02; plier-like tools with cutting edges B25B7/22; pincers B25C11/02; handles for hand implements, in general B25G; guillotine-type cutters B26D; {perforating by non-mechanical means, e.g. by fluid jet, B26F1/26}; for erasing B43L19/00; for textile materials D06H) ## Abstract A hair trimmer for trimming hairs including a casing having an actuating device; a cutter head disposed at one end of the casing and including a generally elongated fixed blade and a movable blade adapted to be driven by the actuating device so as to reciprocate relative to the fixed blade in a cutting plane to trim the hairs; and a hair restraint edge for regulating a distance between the cutter head and the scalp to permit the hairs to extend across a space between the cutter head and the hair restraint edge in a substantially layer form of a thickness equal to the distance to the cutter head. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A hair trimmer comprising: a casing having a longitudinal axis and also having an actuating device; a cutter head disposed at one end of the casing and including a generally elongated fixed blade and a movable blade adapted to be driven by the actuating device so as to reciprocate relative to the fixed blade in a direction parallel to a lengthwise direction of the fixed blade to trim the hairs; a hair restraint means for regulating the distance between the cutter head and the scalp, configured to permit the hairs to extend across a space between the cutter head and the hair restraint means in a substantially bundled form of a thickness equal to the distance between the scalp and the cutter head, said hair restraint means having a contact portion adapted to be held in contact with a scalp with a plane of relative sliding movement of the fixed and movable blades held generally perpendicular to the scalp, said contact portion being, relative to an imaginary plane extending orthogonal to the cutter head and touching tips of cutting teeth of the movable blade, spaced from the scalp a first distance which is relevant for the thickness of the hairs to be trimmed; and a retainer edge arranged at a rearward position relative to the imaginary plane so as to regulate the quantity of the hairs to be trimmed during one working step to an amount corresponding to a second distance between the imaginary plane and the retainer edge. ### Claim 2 A hair trimmer comprising: a casing having a longitudinal axis and also having an actuating device; a cutter head disposed at one end of the casing and including a generally elongated fixed blade and a movable blade adapted to be driven by the actuating device so as to reciprocate relative to the fixed blade in a direction parallel to a lengthwise direction of the fixed blade to trim the hairs; a hair restraint means for regulating the distance between the cutter head and the scalp, configured to permit the hairs to extend across a space between the cutter head and the hair restraint means in a substantially bundled form of a thickness equal to the distance between the scalp and the cutter head, said hair restraint means having a contact portion adapted to be held in contact with a scalp with a plane of relative sliding movement of the fixed and movable blades held generally perpendicular to the scalp, said contact portion being, relative to an imaginary plane extending orthogonal to the cutter head and touching tips of cutting teeth of the movable blade, spaced from the scalp a first distance which is relevant for the thickness of the hairs to be trimmed; a retainer edge arranged at a rearward position relative to the imaginary plane so as to regulate the quantity of the hairs to be trimmed during one working step to an amount corresponding to a second distance between the imaginary plane and the retainer edge; and an attachment having the contacting portion and adapted to be removably mounted on the casing, wherein the attachment has a knob moving in a direction parallel to a lengthwise direction of the cutter head and a direction changing portion operable to make the contacting portion move in a direction perpendicular to the lengthwise direction of the cutter head in response to a movement of the knob. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The hair trimmer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the contacting portion is formed by a plurality of comb plates lying generally perpendicular to the cutter head and protruding in a direction of a leading edge thereof. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The hair trimmer as claimed in claim 3, wherein the plurality of comb plates are disposed so as to cover the cutter head. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The hair trimmer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the contacting portion is movable relative to the casing so as to control the distance between the cutter head and the scalp. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The hair trimmer as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an attachment having the contacting portion and adapted to be removably mounted on the casing. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The hair trimmer as claimed in claim 6, wherein the attachment has a knob moving in a direction parallel to a lengthwise direction of the cutter head and a direction changing portion operable to make the contacting portion move in a direction perpendicular to the lengthwise direction of the cutter head in response to a movement of the knob. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The hair trimmer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the contacting portion has a generally concave configuration at a leading edge thereof so as to make contact with the scalp at both side of the contacting portion in a direction perpendicular to the cutting head. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The hair trimmer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the restraint means has a retainer edge operable to restrain the hairs so as to have a predetermined thickness and disposed parallel to the cutter head. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The hair trimmer as claimed in claim 9, wherein the retainer edge is deposited inwardly of the cutting point in a direction of a lengthwise direction of the casing. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The hair trimmer as claimed in claim 9, wherein the retainer edge is movable with respect to the casing so as to control the thickness of the hairs to be trimmed. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The hair trimmer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the restraint means has a retainer edge for restraining the hairs so as to have a predetermined thickness and disposed parallel to the cutter head, at least one of the contacting portion and the retainer edge being pivotable in a direction generally perpendicular to the cutter head. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The hair trimmer as claimed in claim 12, further comprising a spring forcing at least one of the contacting portion and the retainer edge to return to a predetermined position.