The invention relates to a shaving apparatus comprising a shaving head having a foil-like upper cutter and a lower cutter engaging therewith, which cutters both have a shaving area which is arched relative to an axis, a drive means for the lower cutter, which drive means is drivable by a motor and comprises a block-shaped drive member adapted to impart to the lower cutter at least a movement parallel to the direction of the axis, and a dust seal formed of an elastic material, which dust seal has a hood-like and trough-like shape, is arranged around the block-shaped drive member and comprises four side walls and an end portion connecting the dust seal to the drive member, which end portion bounds the four side walls at their ends facing the lower cutter and has an opening for the passage of a driving portion of the drive member, and a peripheral portion with which the dust seal engages against a stationary zone of the housing, which peripheral portion bounds the four side walls at their ends which are remote from the lower cutter.
A shaving apparatus of the type defined in the opening paragraph is known, for example, from EP 0,480,499 A1. In this known shaving apparatus the hood-like and trough-like dust seal has side walls of substantially continuous and substantially flat shape. It has been found that when the lower cutter is driven the dust seal of this construction, which is then moved along, performs movements of comparatively large amplitude at the location of and directed transversely to its large side walls, which extend parallel to the axis, and consequently acts substantially as a loudspeaker diaphragm, so that the dust seal produces a comparatively loud noise. This is annoying and for this reason such a construction of a dust seal is found to be unsatisfactory in practice.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds