reference will now made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the present invention , examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings , wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout . fig1 a and 1b are perspective views of a dual ended hair remover in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention . the dual ended hair remover 10 has a casing 12 , an epilating head attached to one ( a first ) end of the casing and a depilating head ( shaving unit ) attached to the other ( second ) end of the casing 12 . a pair of contacts 18 are exposed at respective opposite sides of the casing 12 , in between the epilating head 14 and the depilating head 16 . an on / off switch 17 extends from a middle of one of the surfaces of the casing 12 to control power to the epilating head 14 and the depilating head 16 . a handle 20 fits over either of the ends of the casing 12 , selectively covering the epilating head 14 and the depilating head 16 . a pair of terminals 22 are thin strips of metal extending in opposite directions from a power receptacle 24 . the terminals 22 run along opposite sides of inner walls of the handle 20 . fig1 a shows the handle 20 about to be placed over ( attached to ) the first end of the casing 12 so as to cover the epilating head 14 , and fig1 b shows the handle 20 about to be placed over ( attached to ) the other end of the casing 20 so as to cover the depilating head 16 . regardless of whether the handle is placed over the first end or the second end of the casing 12 , the terminals 22 respectively come into contact with the contacts 18 to provide electrical power to the contacts 18 . fig2 a and 2b respectively show a plan view and a perspective view of the interior mechanical configuration region of the casing 12 . a motor 26 is positioned near a center of the interior of the casing 12 . first and second axles 30 , 32 extend from opposite sides of the motor 26 , the first axle 30 having an axis pointing toward the epilating head 14 and the second axle 32 having an axis of rotation directed toward the depilating head 16 . when the handle 20 is placed over the epilating head 14 or the depilating head 16 , the terminals 22 respectively come into contact with the contacts 18 , thereby providing power to the contacts 18 . the contacts 18 provide power to the motor 26 ( see description of the electrical circuitry below ), thereby causing the first and second axles 30 , 32 to rotate . a rotary gear 34 is affixed to the end of the axle 30 and is concentric thereto . a rotary gear 36 is permanently engaged with the rotary gear 34 , has an axis of rotation parallel to that of the rotary gear 34 , and has teeth 38 extending from the surface of the rotary gear 36 facing away from the motor 26 . a rotary gear 40 is positioned at a right angle to the rotary gears 34 and 36 , and permanently engages the teeth 38 of the rotary gear 36 . a rotary gear 42 is affixed to an end of an axle 44 of the epilating head 14 . grippers 46 are formed at the periphery of an epilating cylinder 48 of the epilating head 14 . when the first axle 30 is driven by the motor 26 , the rotary gear 34 is rotated , thereby rotating the rotary gear 36 and the teeth 38 . the rotation of the teeth 38 causes the rotary gear 40 to rotate at a 90 ° angle relative to the rotary gear 36 , thereby causing the rotary gear 42 to rotate . the rotation of the rotary gear 42 causes the axle 44 of the epilating cylinder 48 to rotate , thereby causing the grippers 46 to open and close , so as to pluck hairs from the skin of a user . the motor 26 simultaneously drives the second axle 32 , thereby causing a shaving element 50 to reciprocate back and forth relative to a fixed element 52 . the reciprocation of the shaving element 50 relative to the fixed element 52 causes hair extending from the surface of the skin of the user between the shaving element 50 and the fixed element 52 to be cut . fig3 a and 3b show a first situation wherein the handle 20 covers the epilating head 14 , and a second situation wherein the handle 20 covers the depilating head 16 , respectively . the contacts 18 are connected to two opposite points of a regulator ( a wheatstone bridge ) 54 and positive and negative poles 56 , 58 of the motor 26 are connected to other opposite points of the regulator 54 . a transformer 60 which is part of an external adapter ( not shown ) converts a 230v - 110vac from a wall socket 62 to 3v - 18vac which is transmitted through the power receptacle 24 to the terminals 22 . when the handle 20 is placed over the first end to cover the epilating head 14 or the second end to cover the depilating head 16 , power is supplied through the terminals 22 to the contacts 18 , and subsequently to the motor 26 through the regulator 54 and the positive and negative poles 56 , 58 of the motor 26 . as a result of this two - contact ac system , the electrical system forms an adapter which converts ac current to dc current inside the casing 12 , so that there is no importance placed on the polarity of the contacts 18 . fig4 a and 4b show a perspective view and a plan view of the dual ended hair remover 10 having the two - contact ac system , respectively , shown in fig1 a through 3b . fig4 c shows the electrical contacts 22 respectively in contact with the contacts 18 when the handle 20 ( the external portion of the handle 20 not being shown herein ) is placed over the first end of the casing 12 to cover the epilating head 14 . fig4 d shows the terminals 22 in contact with the contacts 18 , respectively , when the handle 20 ( the external portion of the handle 20 not being shown herein ) is attached over the second end of the casing 12 to cover the depilating head 16 . fig5 a through 5d show various views of the internal electrical circuitry for the two contact ac power system shown in fig3 a through 4d . fig5 a shows a front perspective view of the electrical circuitry , fig5 b shows a back perspective view of the electrical circuitry , fig5 c shows the terminals 22 of the handle 20 ( not shown in this drawing ) contacting the respective contacts 18 when the handle 20 is mounted at one end of the casing 12 to cover the epilating head 14 , and fig5 d shows the terminals 22 in contact with the respective contacts 18 when the handle 20 ( not shown in this drawing ) is mounted on the other end of the casing 12 to cover the depilating head 16 . a printed circuit board ( pcb ) 21 has two diodes 23 and a switch 25 mounted thereon . the pcb 21 receives ac current from the contacts 18 which are supplied from the terminals 22 ( see fig5 c and 5 d ). fig5 b shows wires 27 that conduct the ac current from the contacts 18 from both sides to the rectifier 54 shown in fig3 a and 3b , and then the dc direct current is supplied to the positive and negative leads ( motor poles ) 56 , 58 of the motor 26 . a variety of other mechanical configurations and electrical circuitries may be adapted for use in the present invention , some of which are explained below . fig6 a and 6b show a plan view and a perspective view of the internal mechanical configuration of the casing 12 according to a second embodiment of the present invention . the mechanical elements and operation of the mechanical elements are substantially the same as the internal mechanical elements shown in fig2 a and 2b with the following exceptions . instead of the second axle 32 extending from the opposite side of the motor 26 to that of the first axle 30 to reciprocatingly drive the shaving element 50 , a second axle 66 is attached to the rotary gear 36 so as to extend parallel to the first axle 30 alongside the motor 26 and past the motor 26 . the end of the second axle 66 opposite the rotary gear 36 is attached to the shaving element 50 . when the motor 26 is driven , the first axle 30 rotates , thereby rotating the rotary gear 36 . as a result of rotation of the rotary gear 34 , the rotary gear 36 rotates , thereby rotating the second axle 66 , to cause the reciprocating movement of the shaving element 50 relative to the fixed element 16 . as a result , hair positioned between the shaving element 50 and the fixed element 52 is cut , as in the first embodiment . the epilating cylinder 48 is driven simultaneously with the shaving element 50 , with either the epilating head 14 or the depilating head 16 being covered by the handle 20 . fig7 a and 7b show a plan view and a perspective view of the internal mechanical portion of the casing 12 for driving the epilating head 14 and the depilating head 16 according to a third embodiment of the present invention . in this third embodiment , instead of the motor extending in a lengthwise direction of the casing 12 in a direction from the epilating head 14 to the depilating head 16 , the motor is rotated 90 ° from that of the first and second embodiments shown in fig1 a through 5b . in this third embodiment , the motor 26 extends in a direction from one side of the casing 12 to the other side , and not in a direction from one end to the other . a bracket 78 is fixed within the casing 12 . the motor 26 is mounted in the bracket 78 and is movable between a position a and a position b . the mounting of the handle 20 on the epilating head 14 or the depilating head 16 or a switch in the interior of the handle 12 based upon the mounting of the handle 12 on the epilating head 14 or the depilating head 16 may be used to move the motor between the positions a and b . the first axle 30 extends from one side of the motor 26 and is rotated in conjunction with the driving of the motor 26 . the rotary gear 34 is coaxial with and placed at the end of the first axle 30 . a rotary gear 38 has an axis of rotation parallel to the axis of rotation of the rotary gear 34 and is positioned at a right angle relative to a rotary gear 70 . a rotary gear 70 has teeth 72 extending from a surface thereof to permanently engage with the rotary gear 68 . the rotary gear 70 is connected to the shaving element 50 . a rotary gear 74 has an axis of rotation parallel to the axis of rotation of rotary gear 34 , and is permanently engaged with a rotary gear 76 . the rotary gear 76 is permanently engaged with the rotary gear 40 . in the position a ( when the handle 20 is mounted over the epilating head 14 ), the rotary gear 34 attached to the first axle 30 engages with the rotary gear 68 , and is disengaged from the rotary gear 74 . the rotation of the rotary gear 34 causes the rotary gears 68 to rotate , thereby causing the rotary gear 70 to rotate through the interaction of the teeth 72 with the rotary gear 68 . the rotation of the rotary gear 70 causes the shaving element 50 to move in a reciprocating motion relative to the fixed element 52 of the depilation head 16 . when the motor 26 is in the position b ( when the handle 20 is mounted over the depilating head 16 ), the rotary gear 36 engages the rotary gear 74 , and is disengaged from the rotary gear 68 . the rotation of the rotary gear 34 causes the rotation of the rotary gears 74 , 76 , 40 , and 42 , thereby causing rotation of the epilating cylinder 48 . as a result , the grippers 46 open and close to pull the hair , positioned between the grippers , from the skin of the user . the two contact system shown in fig1 a , 1 b and 3 a through 4 b may be used to power the motor 26 . in the third embodiment , because the motor 26 is movable between the positions a and b , it is possible to selectively drive the epilating head 14 and the depilating head 16 , only when necessary . therefore , if the epilating head 14 is covered by the handle 20 , only the depilating head 16 need be driven . if the depilating head 16 is covered by the handle 20 , only the epilating head 14 need be driven . such a configuration saves power by not simultaneously driving both the epilating head 14 and the depilating head 16 while only one head is being used while the other one is covered . fig8 a and 8b show a plan view and a perspective view of the internal mechanical configuration and operation of the casing 12 , respectively , according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention . many of the mechanical parts are very similar to those shown in fig6 a and 6b , except there are distinctions to enable selective driving of the epilation head 14 and the depilation head 16 as in the third embodiment shown in fig7 a and 7b . like the second embodiment shown in fig6 a and 6b , the rotary gear 34 is currently engaged with the rotary gear 36 . however , instead of the rotary gear 36 having teeth extending from a surface thereof , another rotary gear 80 is adjacent to the rotary gear 36 , but may or may not rotate based upon the rotation of the rotary gear 36 . the rotary gear 80 has teeth extending from a surface thereof in a direction toward the epilating head 14 . further , the rotary gear 80 has a hole in the middle and protrusions 84 at a periphery of the hole and extending from the same surface as the teeth at 90 ° intervals . the second axle 66 , unlike in the second embodiment shown in fig6 a and 6b , extends beyond the rotary gear 36 and through the hole of the rotary gear 80 . a spline 90 is fixedly formed at the end of the axle 66 and has slots 92 formed at 90 ° intervals . a coupler 86 having protrusions 88 is selectively moved linearly to either engage the protrusions 84 or the slots 92 of the spline 90 . fig9 a and 9b show a more detailed perspective view of the coupler 86 engaging the protrusions 84 of the rotary gear 80 and the slots 92 of the spline 90 , respectively . fig1 shows a plan view of the rotary gear 34 engaged with the rotary gear 36 , and the rotary gear 80 and the coupler 86 positioned above the rotary gear 36 . fig1 a and 11b are cross - sectional views of the coupling unit shown in fig9 a and 9b , respectively . fig1 shows an exploded view of the coupling unit shown in fig9 a through 11b . in fig9 a and 11a , the coupler has been moved into a first position so that recesses 94 formed therein to correspond with the protrusions 84 of the rotary gear 80 are engaged by the protrusions 84 . a description of the how the coupling moves between the first and second positions will be described later in the specification . as shown in fig1 , the rotary gear 36 has a thickened region 96 extending therefrom and through the hole of the rotary gear 80 . the thickened region 96 is coaxial with the second axle 66 , and has slots 98 formed at 90 ° relative to each other and extending along the lengthwise direction of the second axle 66 . the protrusions 88 of the coupler 86 are slidable within the slots 98 of the thickened region 96 , and as the rotary gear 36 and the thickened region 96 rotate , the coupler 86 is rotated through the interaction of the protrusions 88 and the slots 98 . a description of the mechanical operation according to the fourth embodiment when the coupler 86 is in the first position will now be described . as the motor 26 is driven , the axle 30 rotates the rotary gear 34 so that the rotary gear 36 is rotated . the rotation of the rotary gear 36 causes the thickened region 96 to rotate so that the coupler 86 rotates through the interaction between the slots 98 and the protrusions 88 . the interaction between the engagement of the protrusions 84 of the rotary gear 80 and the recesses 94 of the coupler 86 cause the rotary gear 80 to rotate . because the teeth 82 of the rotary gear 80 are permanently engaged with the rotary gear 40 , the rotary gear 40 is rotated , thereby rotating the rotary gear 42 . as a result , the axle 44 is rotated , to thereby rotate the epilating cylinder 48 , which in turn causes the grippers 46 to rotate and open and close . based upon the rotation and opening and closing of the grippers 46 , the hairs from the skin of the user are plucked , to accomplish the epilation function . fig9 b and 11b show when the coupler 86 is in the second position . at this time , the recesses 94 disengage from the protrusions 84 of the rotary gear 80 , and the protrusions 88 engage with the slots 92 of the spline 90 . when the coupler 86 is in this second position , the protrusions 88 , which extend through the height of the coupler 86 are within both the corresponding slots 98 and the corresponding slots 92 . when the motor 26 is driven , the first axle 30 rotates the rotary gear 34 , thereby rotating the rotary gear 36 . the thickened region 96 rotates in conjunction with the rotary gear 36 , thereby causing the rotation of the coupler 86 through the interaction of the engagement of the protrusions 88 within the corresponding slots 98 . simultaneously , the protrusions 88 are at least partially engaged in the corresponding slots 92 of the spline 90 , thereby rotating the second axle 66 . the rotation of the second axle 66 causes the shaving element 50 to move in the reciprocating motion relative to the fixed element 52 , thereby cutting the hairs from the skin of the user which are positioned between the sharing element 50 and the fixed element 52 . fig1 through 15 show a coupling mechanism for moving the coupler 86 between the first and second positions . fig1 shows a fork 100 which is connected at one end to the coupler 86 so that a portion of the fork 100 goes around part of the periphery of the coupler 86 . the other end of the fork 100 is fixed to a lever mechanism 102 which extends perpendicularly from the bottom surface ( see fig1 ) of the fork 100 . the lever mechanism 102 includes an h - shaped bracket having a protrusion 107 fixed to an interior portion of the casing 12 so that the h - shaped bracket 109 is rotatable about an axis of the cylindrical protrusion 107 . a cylindrical piece 103 is fixed in between one of the gaps of the h - shaped bracket 109 at one end and to the fork 100 at the other end thereof . a t - shaped arm 105 has one end fixed to the other gap in the h - shaped bracket 109 . fig1 shows the coupler 86 , the fork 100 and the lever mechanism 102 ( which are in the interior part of the casing 12 ) which are pushed in one direction by the handle 20 when the handle 20 is mounted on the casing 12 . when the handle 20 is inserted over one end of the casing 12 to cover the epilating head 14 , the t - shaped arm 105 is moved downward ( in fig1 through 15 ), the h - shaped bracket 109 is rotated clockwise about the cylindrical protrusion 107 and the cylindrical piece 103 is pushed upward , thereby pushing the fork and coupler upward to the first position to engine the spline 90 . when the handle 20 is removed from the casing 12 and inserted over the other end of the casing 12 to cover the depilation 16 , the t - shaped arm 105 is moved upward , thereby causing the h - shaped bracket 109 to rotate counterclockwise about the cylindrical protrusion 107 . as a result , the cylindrical piece 103 is pulled downward , thereby moving the fork 100 and the coupler 86 downward to the first position . then , the protrusions 84 of the rotary gear 80 engage the recesses 94 of the coupler 86 . a more detailed view of the interaction between the lever mechanism 102 and the fork 100 is shown in fig1 . the handle 20 contacts the lever mechanism 102 through a track in the casing 12 . when the handle 20 is inserted over one end of the casing 12 to cover the epilating head 14 , the lever mechanism 102 pushes against the fork 100 to move the coupler 86 to the second position . when the handle 20 is removed from the casing 12 and inserted over the other end of the casing 12 to cover the depilation head 16 , the lever mechanism 102 pushes on the opposite side of the fork 100 to move the coupler 86 . a more detailed view of the interaction between the lever mechanism 102 and the fork 100 is shown in fig1 . based upon the positioning of the handle 20 , the lever mechanism 102 pushes or pulls the fork 100 to selectively move the coupler 86 to the first and second positions , thereby selectively driving the one of the epilating head 14 and the depilating head 16 which is positioned at the opposite end of the casing 12 from which the handle 20 is mounted . therefore , when the handle 20 covers the epilating head 14 , the depilating head 16 is driven by the coupler 86 being positioned at the second position , whereas when the handle 20 covers the depilating head 16 , the epilating head 14 is driven by the movement by the coupler 86 to the first position . another possible coupling mechanism for moving the coupler 86 between the first and second positions to alternately engage the epilating head 14 and the depilating head 16 is shown in fig1 according to another aspect of the fourth embodiment of the present invention . a spring 104 biases the lever mechanism 102 so that the fork 100 is in either the first or second position , and as shown in the drawing , biases the lever mechanism 102 so that the fork 100 is in the second position so that the protrusions 88 engage the slots 92 of the spline 90 . when the handle 20 is mounted on the depilating head 16 , the handle 20 moves the lever mechanism 102 to push down on the fork 100 , thereby moving the coupler 86 to the first position against the bias of the spring 104 . as a result , the coupler 86 disengages from the spline 90 and the recesses 94 of the coupler 86 are engaged by the protrusions 84 of the rotary gear 80 . when the handle 20 is removed from the depilating head 16 , the coupler 86 is moved back to the second position through the bias of the spring 104 . based upon the two aspects described above regarding the movement of the coupler 86 between the first and second positions , it is possible to alternately engage the epilating head 14 and the depilating head 16 , so that only one head is operating at a given time . as are result , power is conserved , and wear and tear on the epilating and depilating heads 14 , 16 are minimized . of course , one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that there are any number of different ways to move the coupler 86 between the first and second positions to selectively engage the splines 90 and the protrusions 84 of the rotary gear 80 . fig1 a through 19c show another electrical system for supplying power to the motor 26 using a three - contact ac system according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention . in the three - contact ac system , the transfer of current is performed by an adapter within a casing 112 , wherein there are three contacts instead of two . fig1 a and 17b show the internal schematic drawings of the power electrical system of the dual ended hair remover when the handle 20 is attached to one end of the casing 112 which covers the epilating head 14 and when the handle is connected to the other end of the casing 112 to cover the depilating head 16 . as shown in fig1 a through 18c , the casing 112 differs from the casing 12 in that there are three contacts 114 , 116 and 118 which are exposed externally from the casing 112 . the handle 20 , instead of having terminals 22 extending along the inner peripheries of opposite sides of the handle 20 , has terminals 122 , 124 extending along an inner surface of the back of the handle 20 . the central contact 116 has a positive polarity , while the outside contacts 114 , 118 have a negative polarity and are connected together . the central contact 116 is connected to one end of the rectifier 54 , whereas the outside contacts 114 and 118 are connected to the other end of the rectifier 54 . as shown in fig1 a and 18b , when the handle 20 is attached at one end of the casing 112 to cover the epilating head 14 , the terminal 124 contacts the center contact 116 and the terminal 122 contacts the outer contact 114 . as shown in fig1 b , 18 c and 19 b , when the handle 20 is attached to the other end of the casing 112 so as to cover the depilating head 16 , the terminal 124 contacts the center contact 116 and the terminal 122 contacts the outer lead 118 . fig1 c shows a closeup of fig1 b , and shows a conductor 126 of the motor 26 having a minus polarity , a conductor 128 having a positive polarity , and a conductor 130 of the motor 26 having a negative polarity . a wire 132 connects the conductors 126 , 130 to the negative terminal 58 of the motor 26 . a wire 134 connects the conductor 128 with a switch 136 . a wire 138 connects the switch 136 to the positive lead 56 of the motor . regardless of at which end of the casing 12 the handle 20 attaches , the terminal 124 contacts the positive conductor 128 , and the terminal 122 contacts either of the negative conductors 126 , 130 . although fig1 a through 19c show a mechanical configuration similar to that shown in fig7 a and 7b , other mechanical configurations such as those shown in fig2 a and 2b , and 6 a and 6 b may be used with the three - contact ac power systems . fig2 a through 21c show a four - contact ac power electrical system according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention . the casing 212 as shown in fig2 a through 21c differs from casings 12 , 112 in that there are four contacts 214 , 216 , 218 , 220 which are externally exposed from the casing 212 . the terminals 122 , 124 of the handle 20 contact either the contacts 214 , 216 or contacts 218 , 220 , depending upon which end of the casing 212 at which the handle 20 attaches . fig2 a and 20b show that there are two separate contact systems which are combined within the casing 212 . the rectifier 54 provides dc power from the terminals 122 , 124 to the contacts 214 , 216 or the contacts 218 , 220 . the rectifier 54 is in an outside adapter ( not shown ) external to the dual ended hair remover 10 . as one can see , there are numerous power electrical circuits which may drive the motor to operate the epilating head 14 and the depilating head 16 . the three - contact or four - contact ac system according to the fifth and sixth embodiments may be used in any of the first through fourth embodiments . one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that there may be other power electrical systems which would properly operate the motor 26 . fig2 a and 22b show a plan view and a perspective view of internal mechanical configuration for the casing 12 according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention . in the seventh embodiment , there is a second motor 226 in addition to the first motor 26 . the configuration of the rotary gears 34 , 74 , 76 , 40 and 42 in relation to powering the epilating head 14 is the same as that shown in fig6 a and 6b , with the exception that the motor 26 is not movable within the casing 12 . thus , the motor 26 is used only to drive the epilating head 14 , and not the depilating head 16 . the second motor 226 is positioned perpendicular to the motor 26 , and has an axle 228 which is connected to the moving element 50 of the depilating head 16 so as to move the moving element 50 in a reciprocating motion relative to the fixed element 52 , as in the other embodiments of the invention . fig2 a and 23b are schematic electrical diagrams of the power electrical circuitry for driving the motors 26 , 226 . fig2 shows the internal mechanical configuration of the casing 212 which has the contacts 214 , 216 , 218 , 220 as in the sixth embodiment . the difference is that the contact 214 is connected to the negative pole 56 of the motor 26 and the contact 216 is connected to the switch 136 . the contact 218 is connected to the negative pole 56 of the motor 226 and the contact 220 is connected to the switch 136 . the positive and negative poles of the second motor 226 are 256 , 258 , respectively . the rectifier 54 is part of an outside adapter external to the dual ended hair remover 10 . although a few preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described , it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in this embodiment without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention , the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents .
a dual ended hair remover which includes a casing having a motor , an epilating head for plucking hairs from the skin of a user attached to one end of the casing , a depilating head for cutting the hairs from the skin of the user attached to the other end of the casing , and a handle which covers one of the epilating and depilating heads while providing power to the other one of the epilating and depilating heads . the handle fits over one or the other end of the casing and provides power to the head which is not covered . the handle may also simultaneously provide power to the head which is covered . the handle protects the user and the unused head by covering the unused head and provides power to at least the head which is in use . further , by incorporating the epilating and depilating heads on the casing at the same time and at opposite ends , ease of use is obtained . still further , in the instances that only the head which is in use is being driven , power conservation is achieved .