Hair clipper

Abstract

 A hair clipper (1) includes a comb-shaped blade unit (5) arranged in a front longitudinal end portion (4) of a main body portion (2). A movable portion (8) is mounted to the main body portion for sliding along a longitudinal direction (L) of the main body portion and for rotation about a rotational axis (Ax) substantially parallel to a reciprocating direction of the blades. The movable portion includes a first comb portion (9A) having a plurality of hair strand passages through which to pass hair strands to be clipped. The first comb portion is arranged to cover a front longitudinal side of the main body portion when the first comb portion is in an in-use position. The main body portion is configured to hold the first comb portion in a rest position spaced apart from the in-use position toward the other longitudinal end portion of the main body portion.

Description

Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a hair clipper.

Background of the Invention

[0002] An electric hair clipper disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-open Publication No. 61-26470 is known as one example of conventional hair clippers provided with a removable attachment having a comb portion. The attachment may be removed when using the electric hair clipper disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-open Publication No. 61-26470.

[0003] With such configuration that permits removal of the attachment, there is a need to secure a place in which to store the removed attachment. In the event that the attachment is lost inadvertently, it becomes impossible to perform any treatment using the attachment.

Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the above, the present invention provides a hair clipper capable of enhancing the convenience in using an attachment.

[0005] In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a hair clipper including: a main body portion; a comb-shaped blade unit arranged in a front longitudinal end portion of the main body portion, the blade unit having a pair of blades reciprocating relative to each other; and a movable portion mounted to the main body portion for sliding movement along a longitudinal direction of the main body portion and for rotation about a rotational axis substantially parallel to a reciprocating direction of the blades, the movable portion including a first comb portion having a plurality of hair strand passages through which to pass hair strands to be clipped by the comb-shaped blade unit, the first comb portion being arranged to cover the front longitudinal side of the main body portion when the first comb portion is in an in-use position, the main body portion being configured to hold the first comb portion in a rest position spaced apart from the in-use position toward a rear longitudinal end portion of the main body portion.

[0006] It is preferable that the main body portion includes a pressing portion for relatively pressing the movable portion in an outwardly opening direction about the rotational axis as the movable portion is slid to move the first comb portion from the in-use position toward the rest position.

[0007] Preferably, the hair clipper further including a biasing mechanism for biasing the movable portion to rotate about the rotational axis in a direction opposite to the direction in which the movable portion is pressed by the pressing portion.

[0008] Preferably, the hair clipper further including a slider supported on the main body portion for sliding movement along the longitudinal direction, the movable portion being supported on the slider for rotation about the rotational axis.

[0009] Preferably, the slider includes a guided portion, the main body portion including a rail for guiding the guided portion in a reciprocatingly slidable manner, and further including a position adjusting mechanism provided in the guided portion and the rail, the position adjusting mechanism having a female-male engagement structure for variably setting the longitudinal position of the first comb portion relative to the comb-shaped blade unit when the first comb portion is in the in-use position.

[0010] Preferably, the slider includes a second comb portion provided in one longitudinal end portion thereof, the second comb portion having a plurality of hair strand passages through which to pass hair strands to be clipped by the comb-shaped blade unit, the first comb portion being provided in the front longitudinal end portion of the movable portion, the first comb portion and the second comb portion being configured to surround the comb-shaped blade unit when in the in-use position.

[0011] Preferably, the slider is attached to the main body portion to surround an outer surface of the main body portion.

[0012] In accordance with a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a hair clipper including: a main body portion; a blade unit arranged in a front longitudinal end portion of the main body portion, the blade unit having a pair of blades sliding relative to each other; and a movable portion mounted to the main body portion for sliding movement along a longitudinal direction of the main body portion and for rotation about a rotational axis extending along a plane substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, the movable portion including a comb portion having a plurality of hair strand passages through which to pass hair strands to be clipped by the blade unit, the comb portion being arranged to cover one longitudinal side of the main body portion when the comb portion is in an in-use position, the main body portion being configured to hold the comb portion in a rest position spaced apart from the in-use position toward the other longitudinal end portion of the main body portion.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0013] The objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments, given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a hair clipper in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, with a first comb portion kept in an in-use position;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the hair clipper in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention, with the first comb portion moved into a rest position;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing a main body portion employed in the hair clipper in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a movable portion and a slider employed in the hair clipper in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the movable portion and the slider employed in the hair clipper in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention, with the movable portion kept in an inner position;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing the movable portion and the slider employed in the hair clipper in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention, with the movable portion moved into an outer position;

Fig. 7 is a side section view taken along line VII-VII in Fig. 1, schematically showing the manner in which the movable portion is relatively pressed by the pressing portion upon sliding movement of a movable body employed in the hair clipper in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention, which view shows a pre-pressing state; and

Fig. 8 is a side section view taken along line VIII-VIII in Fig. 2, schematically showing the manner in which the movable portion is relatively pressed by the pressing portion upon sliding movement of a movable body employed in the hair clipper in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention, which view shows a post-pressing state.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments

[0014] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a hair clipper in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, with a first comb portion kept in an in-use position. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the hair clipper in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention, with the first comb portion moved into a rest position. Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing a main body portion of the hair clipper. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a movable portion and a slider of the hair clipper. Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the movable portion and the slider, with the movable portion kept in an inner position. Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing the movable portion and the slider, with the movable portion moved into an outer position. In the respective views, the longitudinal direction of a main body portion is indicated by an arrow L and the reciprocating direction of a blade of the hair clipper is indicated by an arrow E. For the purpose of convenience in description, the side at which the blades are arranged along the longitudinal direction L of the main body portion will be defined as a front longitudinal side.

[0015] As shown in Figs. 1 through 3, the hair clipper 1 according to the present embodiment includes a main body portion 2 extended in the longitudinal direction L. A grip portion 3 that can be held by one hand of a user extends from the longitudinal center of the main body portion 2 toward a rear longitudinal side thereof (the right upper side in Figs. 1 through 3).

[0016] A pair of mutually sliding blades (a fixed blade 5a and a movable blade 5b of a comb-shaped blade unit 5) is installed at the edge 4b of a tip end portion 4, i.e., an end portion of the front longitudinal side (the left lower side in Figs. 1 through 3) of the main body portion 2. In the present embodiment, the mutually overlapping teeth of the fixed blade 5a and the movable blade 5b are arranged along the direction (i.e., the reciprocating direction E) parallel to a plane (or an imaginary plane) perpendicular to the longitudinal direction L. The movable blade 5b is reciprocated in the reciprocating direction E by a driving device (not shown). The teeth of the fixed blades 5a and the movable blade 5b are arranged in the reciprocating direction E. With this configuration, hair strands are placed between and clipped by the teeth of the fixed blade 5a and the teeth of the movable blade 5b.

[0017] In the present embodiment, the comb-shaped blade unit 5 is covered by a comb unit 9 (9A and 9B) arranged at the front side of the longitudinal direction L as can be seen in Fig. 1. The comb unit 9 includes first and second comb portions 9A and 9B having a plurality of slits 9a and 9b as hair strand passages formed at a generally uniform pitch along the direction E. The slits 9a and 9b extend along the longitudinal direction L. When the comb unit 9 is in use, the hair strands reached the comb-shaped blade unit 5 through the slits 9a and 9b are clipped by the comb-shaped blade unit 5. Thus the comb unit 9 provides a function of controlling the length of the hair strands, namely a function of adjusting the clipping height. The first and second comb portions 9A and 9B are arranged in a non-contact relationship with at least the movable blade 5b.

[0018] In the present embodiment, a movable body 6 is mounted to and supported by the main body portion 2 so that it can move along the longitudinal direction of the main body portion 2. The movable body 6 is provided with the comb unit 9. When the hair strands are to be directly clipped by the comb-shaped blade unit 5 with no intervention of the comb unit 9, the comb-shaped blade unit 5 is exposed by moving the movable body 6 including the comb unit 9 toward the rear side in the longitudinal direction L without having to remove the movable body 6 from the main body portion 2.

[0019] The movable body 6 includes a slider 7 supported on the main body portion 2 so as to make reciprocating sliding movement along the longitudinal direction L and a movable portion 8 rotatably supported on the slider 7.

[0020] The slider 7 includes a pair of generally trapezoidal side plates 7a and a bottom plate 7b provided between the lower edges of the side plates 7a. Thus the slider 7 has a generally U-shaped cross section and surrounds the outer peripheral surfaces (side surfaces 3a and 4a) of the main body portion 2. The bottom plate 7b has the slits 9b extending from the front longitudinal edge portion of the bottom plate 7b toward the rear longitudinal edge. In the present embodiment, the slits 9b are equivalent to the hair strand passages of the present invention. The edge portion of the bottom plate 7b, at which the slits 9b are formed in plural number, is equivalent to the second comb portion 9B of the present invention.

[0021] On the inner surfaces (the mutually facing surfaces) of the side plates 7a, there is formed a pair of projection portions 10b extending along the longitudinal direction L.

[0022] On the side surfaces 3a and 4a of the grip portion 3 and the tip end portion 4 of the main body portion 2, there is formed a pair of elongated grooves 10a extending along the longitudinal direction L in a corresponding relationship with the projection portions 10b. Each of the projection portions 10b is inserted into the corresponding one of the grooves 10a and is slidingly guided along the extension direction of the grooves 10a, i.e., along the longitudinal direction L. In the present embodiment, the grooves 10a and the projection portions 10b constitute a slide support mechanism 10 that supports the movable body 6 including the slider 7 and the movable portion 8 so as to make sliding movement relative to the main body portion 2 along the longitudinal direction L. The grooves 10a are equivalent to a rail of the slide support mechanism 10, and the projection portions 10b are equivalent to a guided portion of the slide support mechanism 10.

[0023] The movable portion 8 is installed between the side plates 7a so that it can rotate about a rotational axis Ax substantially parallel to the reciprocating direction E. As a specific example, the movable portion 8 includes a top plate portion 8b and a pair of shaft portions (not shown) protruding from a rear longitudinal edge portion 8a of the top plate portion 8b in a coaxial relationship with the rotational axis Ax. The side plates 7a have shaft-receiving holes (not shown) into which the shaft portions are loosely inserted. The shaft-receiving holes can be used as bearings of the shaft portions.

[0024] The movable portion 8 includes not only the top plate portion 8b but also a slanting plate portion 8c obliquely extending from a front longitudinal edge of the top plate portion 8b toward the that side. The slanting plate portion 8c has the slits 9a extending from the tip end side edge portion (the front longitudinal edge portion) thereof, which is spaced apart from the rotational axis Ax, toward the rear longitudinal side thereof (toward the rotational axis Ax). The slits 9a are formed substantially at the same pitch as that of the slits 9b in an opposing relationship with the slits 9b. In the present embodiment, the slits 9a are equivalent to the hair strand passages of the present invention. The edge portion of the slanting plate portion 8c, at which the slits 9a are formed in plural number, is equivalent to the first comb portion 9A of the present invention.

[0025] As shown in Figs. 1 and 5, when the comb unit 9 is in use, the first and second comb portions 9A and 9B formed in the movable portion 8 and the slider 7 are positioned at the tip end side (the front side in the longitudinal direction L) of comb-shaped blade unit 5 in a spaced-apart relationship with at least the movable blade 5b (both the fixed blade 5a and the movable blade 5b in the present embodiment). Thus the first and second comb portions 9A and 9B surround the comb-shaped blade unit 5.

[0026] In the in-use state, the movable portion 8 including the first comb portion 9A is positioned at the front side in the longitudinal direction L of the tip end portion 4 of the main body portion 2 as shown in Fig. 1. Therefore, in a hypothetical case that the movable portion 8 is fixedly secured to the movable body 6, the movable portion 8 would be held against movement by the tip end portion 4 even if a user attempts to move the movable body 6 including the movable portion 8 toward the rear longitudinal side along the main body portion 2. In the present embodiment, however, the movable portion 8 is designed to rotate about the rotational axis Ax. Therefore, the movable portion 8 can be rotated in the outwardly opening direction (namely, in the direction in which the first comb portion 9A is moved away from the comb-shaped blade unit 5 or in the direction indicated by an arrow OP in Figs. 6 and 8). This prevents the movable portion 8 from being held against movement by the tip end portion 4 (the main body portion 2).

[0027] In the present embodiment, the main body portion 2 includes a pressing portion 12 that relatively presses the movable portion 8 in an outwardly opening direction about the rotational axis Ax as the movable body 6 is slid toward the rear side in the longitudinal direction L of the main body portion 2. Thus the movable portion 8 can be rotated by merely sliding the movable body 6.

[0028] More specifically, as shown in Fig. 4, the top plate portion 8b of the movable portion 8 is provided with a protrusion 12d protruding toward the upper surface 4c, one of the side surfaces, of the main body portion 2 (the tip end portion 4). Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 3, the tip end portion 4 is provided with step-shaped sliding contact surfaces 12a, 12b and 12c that make sliding contact with the edge 12e of the protrusion 12d. The movable portion 8 is lifted up in the outwardly opening direction as the edge 12e is guided along the sliding contact surfaces 12a, 12b and 12c.

[0029] Figs. 7 and 8 are side views schematically showing the manner in which the movable portion 8 is relatively pressed by the pressing portion 12 upon sliding movement of the movable body 6.

[0030] When the first comb portion 9A is in the in-use position P (see Fig. 1), the edge 12e of the protrusion 12d remains in contact with the sliding contact surface 12a as illustrated in Fig. 7. If the movable body 6 is caused to slide from the state illustrated in Fig. 7 toward the rear side in the longitudinal direction L of the main body portion 2, the protrusion 12d is moved upwards along the sliding contact surface 12b inclined with respect to the sliding direction (the longitudinal direction L). Thus the first comb portion 9A formed in the movable portion 8 is rotated away from the comb-shaped blade unit 5 (see, e.g., Fig. 1) clockwise in Figs. 7 and 8 as indicated by an arrow OP in Fig. 8. If the movable body 6 is caused to further slide toward the rear side in the longitudinal direction L of the main body portion 2 as illustrated in Fig. 8, the protrusion 12d comes into contact with the sliding contact surface 12c. The movable portion 8 is horizontally moved to the rest position P2 shown in Fig. 2 while maintaining the rotated posture illustrated in Fig. 8.

[0031] In the present embodiment, there is provided a biasing mechanism for biasing the movable portion 8 to rotate about the rotational axis Ax in the direction (indicated by an arrow CL in Fig. 8) opposite to the direction (indicated by the arrow OP in Fig. 8) in which the movable portion 8 is pressed by the pressing portion 12. More specifically, as shown in Figs. 4, 7 and 8, a biasing mechanism 13, e.g., a leaf spring, is retained between the protrusion 12d formed in the movable portion 8 and the protrusion 13a formed in the side plate 7a of the slider 7. The biasing mechanism 13 biases the movable portion 8 in the rotating direction CL opposite to the pressing direction OP. Thanks to the provision of the biasing mechanism 13, the tip end side of the movable portion 8 is biased toward and brought into contact with the tip end portion 4 when the first comb portion 9A is in the rest position P2 (see Fig. 2). When the first comb portion 9A is in the in-use position P1 (see Fig. 1), the biasing mechanism 13 prevents the movable portion 8 from being inadvertently lifted up and exposing the comb-shaped blade unit 5 to the outside.

[0032] In the present embodiment, as shown in Fig. 4, a claw-shaped lug 11b protruding into the groove 10a is provided in the projection portion 10b serving as the guided portion. As can be seen in Fig. 3, a plurality of indentations 11a with which the lug 11b engages (in a female-male relationship) is formed along the longitudinal direction L within the groove 10a serving as the rail. When the first comb portion 9A is in the in-use position P1 (see Fig. 1), the lug 11b engages with one of the indentations 11a arranged along the longitudinal direction L. This makes it possible to variably set the position of the first comb portion 9A relative to the comb-shaped blade unit 5 in the longitudinal direction L. The lug 11b and the indentations 11a constitute a position adjusting mechanism 11 in the present embodiment.

[0033] According to the present embodiment described above, the movable portion 8 with the first comb portion 9A is supported on the main body portion 2 so that it can slide along the longitudinal direction L and can rotate about the rotational axis Ax. The main body portion 2 can hold the first comb portion 9A in the rest position P2 (see Fig. 2) spaced apart from the in-use position P1 (see Fig. 1) toward the rear side in the longitudinal direction of the main body portion 2. Thanks to these features, the first comb portion 9A can be kept attached to the main body portion 2 without having to remove the first comb portion 9A from the main body portion 2, even when not in use. Therefore, unlike the conventional configuration in which an attachment is removed from a main body portion, there is no need to secure an attachment storage place. Furthermore, there is no fear of losing the attachment. This makes it possible to enhance the convenience in using the hair clipper.

[0034] According to the present embodiment, the main body portion 2 includes the pressing portion 12 formed in the tip end portion 4 thereof. As the movable portion 8 (the movable body 6) is slid to bring the first comb portion 9A from the in-use position P1 (see Fig. 1) into the rest position P2 (see Fig. 2), the pressing portion 12 relatively presses the movable portion 8 to rotate about the rotational axis Ax in the outwardly opening direction OP. With this configuration, the movable portion 8 is pressed by the sliding contact surface 12b and is automatically rotated as the movable portion 8 is slid relative to the main body portion 2. Therefore, the first comb portion 9A can be moved from the in-use position P1 to the rest position P2 by merely performing a sliding operation.

[0035] According to the present embodiment, there is provided the biasing mechanism 13 for biasing the movable portion 8 to rotate about the rotational axis Ax in the direction (indicated by the arrow CL in Fig. 8) opposite to the direction (indicated by the arrow OP in Fig. 8) in which the movable portion 8 is pressed by the sliding contact surface 12b. Therefore, the first comb portion 9A can be automatically returned to the in-use posture by the biasing mechanism 13 as the movable portion 8 is slid from the rest position P2 (see Fig. 2) to the in-use position P1 (see Fig. 1). Since the movable portion 8 is rotationally biased by the biasing mechanism 13 in such a direction as to bring the first comb portion 9A into the in-use position P1, it is possible to move the first comb portion 9A from the rest position P2 to the in-use position P1 by merely sliding the movable portion 8. Owing to the fact that the movable portion 8 is normally biased in such a direction as to move the first comb portion 9A toward the main body portion 2 and is brought into close contact with the main body portion 2, it is possible to prevent the movable portion 8 from moving inadvertently and becoming hard-to-handle.

[0036] According to the present embodiment, the slider 7 is supported on the main body portion 2 so that it can reciprocatingly slide along the longitudinal direction L. The movable portion 8 is supported on the slider 7 so that it can rotate about the rotational axis Ax. By interposing the slider 7 between the main body portion 2 and the movable portion 8 in this manner, it is possible to independently configure a support portion by which to rotatably support the movable portion 8 relative to the main body portion 2 and a support portion by which to slidably support the movable portion 8 relative to the main body portion 2. This makes it easy to obtain the respective support portions with a reliable configuration.

[0037] According to the present embodiment, the main body portion 2 includes the groove 10a as a rail for reciprocatably guide the projection portion 10b as a guided portion formed in the slider 7. The projection portion 10b and the groove 10a are respectively provided with the lug 11b and the indentations 11a that engage with each other in a female-male relationship and serve as the position adjusting mechanism 11 for variably setting the position of the first comb portion 9A relative to the comb-shaped blade unit 5 along the longitudinal direction L when the first comb portion 9A is in the in-use position P1. With this configuration, the clipped state of hair strands can be precisely adjusted by the position adjusting mechanism 11. Furthermore, the female-male engaging portions can be hidden by the slider 7 and the groove-side member (the main body portion 2), thereby improving the appearance of the hair clipper.

[0038] According to the present embodiment, the second comb portion 9B having the slits 9b as hair strand passages is provided in the front longitudinal end portion of the slider 7. The first comb portion 9A is provided in the tip end portion of the movable portion 8 at the front side in the longitudinal direction L. When the movable portion 8 is in the in-use position P1, the first comb portion 9A and the second comb portion 9B surround the comb-shaped blade unit 5. This reduces the restriction imposed on the posture and moving direction of the main body portion 2 relative to the skin during clipping. Therefore, it becomes convenient to use the hair clipper.

[0039] According to the present embodiment, the slider 7 is provided to surround the side surfaces 3a and 4a as the outer peripheral surfaces of the main body portion 2. Therefore, it is easy to prevent the slider 7 and the movable portion 8 from being rattled relative to the main body portion 2.

[0040] While the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described hereinabove, the present invention is not limited thereto and may be modified in many different forms.

[0041] For example, the hair clipper according to the embodiment described above may be embodied as an electric hair clipper, a mustache or beard trimmer, a shaver and many other devices. The comb unit may be configured and used to thin hair strands.

[0042] Although the foregoing embodiment illustrates the hair clipper including the main body portion with a generally rectangular cross section, the present invention is equally applicable to a hair clipper including a main body portion having other cross-sectional shapes such as an elliptical cross section or an oval cross section.

[0043] The slider and the movable portion may be configured differently. For example, the shafts of the movable portion may be rotatably and slidably inserted into the grooves formed in the main body portion. In this case, the movable portion would be rotatably and slidably supported on the main body portion with no intervention of the slider.

[0044] The extension direction of the rotational axis is not limited to the same direction as the reciprocating direction of the comb-shaped blade unit or the arrangement direction of the teeth.

[0045] The pressing portion is not limited to the combination of the protrusion formed in the movable portion and the step surface (the slanting surface) formed in the main body portion but may have other configurations insofar as the main body portion can relatively press the movable portion when the latter makes sliding movement relative to the former.

[0046] The slide support mechanism for supporting the movable portion or the slider on the main body portion so as to move along the longitudinal direction may be configured as follows. A projection portion as a rail is formed in the main body portion. A groove as a guided portion, into which the projection portion is inserted, is formed in the movable portion or the slider. The movable portion or the slider is moved relative to the main body portion while keeping the projection portion inserted into the groove.

[0047] The position adjusting mechanism may include a lug formed within the groove and a plurality of indentations formed in the projection portion to engage with the lug in a female-male relationship.

[0048] While the invention has been shown and described with respect to the embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modification may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

Claims

1. A hair clipper comprising:

a main body portion;

a comb-shaped blade unit arranged in a front longitudinal end portion of the main body portion, the blade unit having a pair of blades reciprocating relative to each other; and

a movable portion mounted to the main body portion for sliding movement along a longitudinal direction of the main body portion and for rotation about a rotational axis substantially parallel to a reciprocating direction of the blades, the movable portion including a first comb portion having a plurality of hair strand passages through which to pass hair strands to be clipped by the comb-shaped blade unit, the first comb portion being arranged to cover the front longitudinal side of the main body portion when the first comb portion is in an in-use position, the main body portion being configured to hold the first comb portion in a rest position spaced apart from the in-use position toward a rear longitudinal end portion of the main body portion.

2. The hair clipper of claim 1, wherein the main body portion includes a pressing portion for relatively pressing the movable portion in an outwardly opening direction about the rotational axis as the movable portion is slid to move the first comb portion from the in-use position toward the rest position.

3. The hair clipper of claim 2, further comprising a biasing mechanism for biasing the movable portion to rotate about the rotational axis in a direction opposite to the direction in which the movable portion is pressed by the pressing portion.

4. The hair clipper of any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a slider supported on the main body portion for sliding movement along the longitudinal direction, the movable portion being supported on the slider for rotation about the rotational axis.

5. The hair clipper of claim 4, wherein the slider includes a guided portion, the main body portion including a rail for guiding the guided portion in a reciprocatingly slidable manner, and
the hair clipper further comprises a position adjusting mechanism provided in the guided portion and the rail, the position adjusting mechanism having a female-male engagement structure for variably setting the longitudinal position of the first comb portion relative to the comb-shaped blade unit when the first comb portion is in the in-use position.

6. The hair clipper of claim 4, wherein the slider includes a second comb portion provided in a front longitudinal end portion thereof, the second comb portion having a plurality of hair strand passages through which to pass hair strands to be clipped by the comb-shaped blade unit, the first comb portion being provided in a front longitudinal end portion of the movable portion, the first comb portion and the second comb portion being configured to surround the comb-shaped blade unit when in the in-use position.

7. The hair clipper of claim 4, wherein the slider is attached to the main body portion to surround an outer surface of the main body portion.

8. A hair clipper comprising:

a main body portion;

a blade unit arranged in a front longitudinal end portion of the main body portion, the blade unit having a pair of blades sliding relative to each other; and

a movable portion mounted to the main body portion for sliding movement along a longitudinal direction of the main body portion and for rotation about a rotational axis extending along a plane substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, the movable portion including a comb portion having a plurality of hair strand passages through which to pass hair strands to be clipped by the blade unit, the comb portion being arranged to cover a front longitudinal side of the main body portion when the comb portion is in an in-use position, the main body portion being configured to hold the comb portion in a rest position spaced apart from the in-use position toward a rear longitudinal end portion of the main body portion.

Drawing