In-line shaving razors with twin pivoting heads

A single-head bi-directional razor blade device having an in-line handle and being arranged for rapidly shaving large skin areas of the body including the legs and arms, the razor blade device comprising:

• a single elongated razor head having a central longitudinal axis at least first and second cutting zone structures respectively including substantially flat first and second cutting zones respectively provided with first and second working planes arranged at a distinct included angle of at least about ten degrees to one another and intersecting one another along an imaginary line spaced from and generally parallel to the central longitudinal axis, the imaginary line and longitudinal axis defining an overall plane of symmetry for the device,
• an elongated in-line handle structure connected to the razor head and supporting the head for manual shaving movement by a user of the razor blade device in each of first and second opposite directions, the handle structure having a handgrip portion with a principal axis located generally in the plane of symmetry, the handgrip portion extending generally away from and being spaced from the razor head, whereby a user grasping the handgrip portion need not contact the razor head,
• the razor head and the handle structure each being arranged and configured to be generally symmetrically disposed about the plane of symmetry,
• the first cutting zone structure of the razor head being at least substantially on a first side of the plane of symmetry and including first blade-supporting means and front and rear elongated straight guard portions spaced from one another that in major part define the first working plane, and including at least a first razor blade strip provided with an inner portion supported by the first blade supporting means and an outer edge portion provided with a straight elongated razor-sharp edge generally disposed in the first working plane and spaced between and from the first front and rear guard portions, the outer edge portion extending outwardly at an acute angle relative to the first working plane and projecting generally toward the first front guard portion and away from the longitudinal axis, and
• the second cutting zone structure of the razor head being at least substantially on a second side of the plane of symmetry opposite the first side and including second blade-supporting means and front and rear elongated straight guard portions spaced from one another that in major part define the second working plane, and including at least a second razor blade strip provided with an inner portion supported by the second blade supporting means and an outer portion provided with a straight elongated razor-sharp edge generally disposed in the second working plane and spaced between and from the second front and rear guard portions, the outer edge portion extending outwardly at an acute angle relative to the second working plane and projecting generally toward the second front guard portion and away from the longitudinal axis,
• the handgrip portion of the razor handle structure being arranged and adapted for manually grasping and moving the handle structure back and forth in repetitive strokes and for partially rotating the handle structure at the ends of the strokes,
• thereby enabling a user to safely move razor head in a first direction along a user's skin that is generally perpendicular to the principal axis of the handgrip portion in order to shave hair extending from the skin using any available razor-sharp edge in the first cutting zone while the first front and rear guard portions are in contact with the skin, and then at the end of a stroke in the first direction, slightly rotating the handle structure and reversing the direction of movement of the handle structure, so that the razor head moves in a second direction along a user's skin that is opposite the first direction, in order to shave hair extending therefrom using any available razor-sharp edge in the second cutting zone while the second front and rear guard portions are in contact with the skin, without need for the user to change or alter the user's grasp of the handgrip portion of the handle structure during movements in the opposite directions along the user's skin, but with the need to rotate the handgrip portion of the handle structure slightly back and forth by an angle of rotation corresponding to the distinct included angle of inclination between the first and second working planes, in order to respectively and sequentially place the first and second cutting zones into contact with the user's skin to be shaved while cutting hair in the first and second opposite directions,
• whereby the user of the razor may move the razor head to and fro along the skin to be shaved in a rapid manner, and accomplish shaving of the skin in two opposite directions.

A method for rapidly shaving hair stubble from large areas of skin on a body, such as a leg or an arm, with a manual razor blade device having an in-line handle and a bi-directional razor head with two opposed shaving zones, by cutting hair in two opposite directions without changing one's handgrip and while maintaining substantially continuous contact between the razor head and the skin as the razor head is stroked along the skin in opposite directions, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a manual bi-directional razor blade device having an in-line handle including a handgrip portion with a principal axis and a single elongated bi-directional razor head having a central longitudinal axis that is in a common plane of symmetry with the principal axis of the handgrip portion, the razor head provided with first and second front guard portions, at least first and second blade strips, and first and second working planes respectively formed in part by the first and second guard portions, the first and second working planes arranged at a distinct included angle of at least about ten degrees to one another and intersecting one another along an imaginary line, substantially within the plane of symmetry, spaced from and generally parallel to the central longitudinal axis, each blade strip being associated with one of the working planes and having a single substantially straight razor-sharp edge arranged to be substantially within its respective working plane, the first blade having a sharpened edge that faces away from the sharpened blade edge of the second blade, the sharpened edges of the blade strips facing toward their respective front guard portions;
• and
• (b) moving the handle and razor head of the razor in a first direction perpendicular to the central longitudinal axis of the razor head along a user's skin in order to shave hair extending from the skin using the razor-sharp edge of the first razor blade, while the first front guard portion and the working plane are substantially in contact with the skin, and
• (c) then, at the end of a stroke in the first direction, turning the handle structure in a first rotary direction required to place the second front guard portion and second working plane in contact with the skin;
• and
• (d) reversing the direction of movement of the handle structure, so that the razor head moves in a second direction along a user's skin that is opposite the first direction, in order to shave hair extending therefrom using the razor-sharp edge of the second razor blade while the second front guard portion and working plane are in contact with the skin, and
• (e) then, at the end of a stroke in the second direction, turning the handle structure about the principal axis of the handgrip portion in a second direction required to place the first front guard portion and first working plane in contact with the skin, in preparation for shaving in the first direction;
• and
• (f) successively performing steps (b) through (e) during repetitive shaving of a large body area of the user,
• whereby the in-line razor blade device is used by quickly moving the handle structure back and forth in repetitive strokes and by partially turning the handle structure at the ends of those strokes, thereby enabling the user of the in-line bi-directional razor blade device to move the bi-directional razor head to and fro along the skin to be shaved in a rapid manner, and thus shave the same skin from the two opposite directions.

A method of a user rapidly shaving large areas of the user's own body such as a leg or an arm with a manual razor blade device having an in-line handle and a bi-directional razor head with two opposed shaving zones by moving the razor head against the skin so as to cut hair in two opposite directions while maintaining substantially continuous contact between the razor head and the skin as the razor head successively shaves while moving in opposite directions, without any need to partially rotate the handle in opposed first and second rotary directions at the ends of shaving strokes, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a manual razor blade device having an in-line handle including a handgrip portion with a principal axis and a single elongated bi-directional razor head having a central longitudinal axis that is in a common plane of symmetry with the principal axis of the handgrip portion, the razor head provided with first and second front guard portions, at least first and second razor blade strips, and first and second working planes respectively formed in part by the first and second guard portions, the first and second working planes arranged at an included angle of less than 10 degrees to one another and intersecting one another along an imaginary line, substantially within the plane of symmetry, spaced from and generally parallel to the central longitudinal axis, each blade strip being associated with one of the working planes and having a single substantially straight razor-sharp edge arranged to be substantially within its respective working plane, the first blade strip having its razor-sharp edge facing away from the razor-sharp blade edge of the second blade strip, the razor-sharp edges of the blade strips each facing toward its respective front guard portion;
• and
• (b) moving the handle and razor head of the shaving device in a first direction perpendicular to the central longitudinal axis of the razor head along a user's skin in order to shave hair extending from the skin using the razor-sharp edge of the first razor blade strip, while the first front guard portion and the working plane are substantially in contact with the skin;
• and
• (c) then, at the end of a stroke in the first direction, without turning the handle structure, reversing the direction of movement of the handle structure, so that the razor head moves in a second direction along a user's skin that is opposite the first direction, in order to shave hair extending therefrom using the razor-sharp edge of the second razor blade strip while the second front guard portion and working plane are in contact with the skin;
• and
• (d) then, at the end of a stroke in the second direction, then, without turning the handle structure, reversing the direction of movement of the handle structure, and thereafter repeating step (b) and then step (c),
• whereby steps (b) through (d) repetitively perform the shaving of a large body area of the user from first and second opposite directions, without the need to lift the razor head from the skin.