Republic of Korea

The translation does not have any legal effect and the Judiciary of the Republic of Korea does not guarantee the accuracy of the translated text. Please refer to the original decision in Korean for an accurate statement of law.

 

 

PATENT COURT OF KOREA

FOURTH DIVISION

DECISION

 

Case No.:  2015Heo666 Invalidation of Registration (Utility Moden( �/span>

 

Plaintiff:  A

 

Defendant:  B

 

Closure of Hearing:  April 25, 2016

 

Date of Decision:  May 27, 2016

 

ORDER

 

1. The plaintiff’s claim is dismissed.

 

2. The trial costs shall be borne by the plaintiff.

 

PLAINTIFF’S DEMAND

 

The decision rendered on December 29, 2014 by the Intellectual Property Trial and Appeal Board with respect to Case No. 2013Dang1774 shall be cancelled.

 

OPINION

 

1. Background Facts

 

A. Defendant’s Device Registered as Utility Model (Plaintiff's Exhibit No. 2, Defendant's Exhibit No. 7, hereinafter “registered device”)

 

1) Title of the Device: MULTIPLE-BLADE HAIR SCISSOR HAVING BALANCED GRIP

 

2) Filing Date/Priority Date/Registration Date/Registration No.: October 26, 2010/ October 14, 2010/ November 25, 2011/457026

 

3) The claims (amended on November 26, 2015)

 

[Claim 1] A multiple-blade scissor having a balanced grip, comprising: a rotating shaft (10) (hereinafter, referred to as "Feature 1"); a two blade sets (20) hinged by the rotating shaft (10), wherein each of the two blade sets consists of two blades crossing each other (hereinafter, referred to as "Feature 2"); an interlocking means for the blade sets (hereinafter, referred to as "Feature 3" and a grip (40) having first and second handles (41A) (41B) connected to the interlocking means (hereinafter, referred to as "Feature 4"), wherein the first handle (41A) of the grip (40) alone is connected to one most-outer blade (B1) of a blade set, which includes one most-outer blade of the two blade sets (20), and the second handle (41B) alone is connected to the other most-outer blade (B2) of a blade set, which includes the other most-outer blade of the two blade sets (20) (hereinafter, referred to as "Feature 5"), wherein the scissor has a connector (43) connecting the first handle (41A) and the second handles (41B) to the blade (B1) and the blade (B2), respectively, and the connector (43) has a curved part (43A) for contact between the first handle (41A) and the second handle (41B) (hereinafter, referred to as "Feature 6"), and wherein each of the two blade sets (20) has interlocking parts (P1) (P2) on a rear side of the rotating shaft 10, and the interlocking means is a fastening pin inserted into an interlocking hole (Pb) formed in the interlocking parts (P1) (P2) (hereinafter, referred to as "Feature 7").

 

[Claims 2~4] Descriptions omitted

 

4) Main Contents and Main Drawings: [Annex]

 

B. Prior Arts

 

1) Prior Art 1 (Plaintiff's Exhibit No. 6, Defendant's Exhibit No. 1)

 

The following relates to "Hair Scissor" disclosed in Korean Utility Model Registration No. 240224 which was published on October 12, 2001, and the main contents and drawings thereof are as below.

 

Hair scissors can be divided into a cutting scissor used for cutting hair and a thinning scissor used for trimming or shaving hair.   However, the conventional hair scissors are separated into hair cutting scissors and thinning scissors, so that hair-cutting and hair-trimming hair should be done separately, leading to inconvenience and long work time. In addition, it causes economic burden to a practitioner because he or she has to have both of the cutting scissor and the thinning scissor.   To solve these problems, the present device aims to provide a hair cutting scissor which enables cutting and trimming hair at the same time.   For the above purpose, Reference 1 has the configuration characterized of: a rotating pin; a cutting scissor part (10) having a pair of cutting blades (11, 13) coupled to each other at the rotating pin rotatably while crossing each other a thinning scissor part (20) having a pair of thinning blades (21, 23), which include cutting plates spaced apart from the cutting blades and coupled to each other at the rotating pin rotatably while crossing each other a pair of handle rings (30); and a connector (50) connecting each handle ring to a corresponding cutting blade and a corresponding thinning blade.   As such, the hair scissor, in which the cutting scissor part and the thinning scissor part are coupled to each other in parallel and a pair of handle rings are provided to interlock the cutting scissor part and the thinning scissor part with each other, make it possible to cut hair for a desired hair style and trim the hair at the same time. In addition, the cutting scissor part and the thinning scissor part are integrally formed as one body, so it removes the need of buying the two different scissors, thereby reducing economic burden.   [FIG. 1] Perspective view            [FIG. 3] Diagram showing a use state

 

2) Prior Art 2 (Plaintiff's Exhibit No. 7)

 

The following relates to "Hair Scissor" disclosed in Korean Utility Model Registration No. 195231 which was published on September 1, 2000. The main contents and drawings thereof are as below.

 

Recently, for fast hair cutting and more natural hair style, a hair scissor having auxiliary scissors coupled to the both sides thereof is widely used, as shown in the drawing. With this kind of hair scissor, it is possible to cut hair more quickly and make a much natural hair style. However, it is hard for an unskilled person to handle this scissor, and even a skilled person needs continuous training.                    That is, as two auxiliary scissors are coupled to the main scissor, a three pairs of ring-type handle portion are formed, so a practitioner has to put his or her thumb and ring finger there into to perform hair-cutting (see [FIG. 1]). If the practitioner cannot apply the same force to the fingers, the hair cannot be cut evenly and, even worse, it might be damaged or get caught.                To solve the problem, the present device provides a hair scissor which fixes a scissor (2), which has a handle and a connector (220), and auxiliary scissors (3, 4), which is formed solely by connecting parts (31, 41), by use of a fixing means, so that the auxiliary scissors can be operated upon movement of the handle formed in the scissor (20) (see [FIG. 2]), therefore enables a practitioner to perform hair-cutting as easily as when using a general hair scissor which consists of a pair of upper and lower blades. [FIG. 2] Perspective View            [FIG. 3] Plane view

            

C. Background for IPTAB Decision

 

1) On July 3, 2013, the plaintiff filed a request for an invalidation trial of registration of this registered device with the he Intellectual Property Trial and Appeal Board (IPTAB) against the defendant, who is the owner of the utility model right of the registered device, by arguing that 「Claim 1 of the registered device could be strikingly easily achieved by a person of ordinary skill in the art (hereinafter, referred to as "PHOSITA") from comparable devices, and thus, it is rejected over for lack of an inventive step.

 

2) Meanwhile, while it was pending in the IPTAB as Case No. 2013Dang1774, the registered device on September 4, 2013, the defendant filed a request for correction (Plaintiff's Exhibit No. 5) by further clarifying some descriptions of Claim 1 and incorporating "positions of an interlocking part and a fastening pin", one of features of Claim 3, into Claim 1.

 

3) On December 29, 2014, the IPTAB made an administrative decision (Plaintiff's Exhibit No. 1) to dismiss the plaintiff’s appeal on the grounds that 「The plaintiff’s request for correction filed on September 4, 2013, is legal and Claim 1 of the registered device could not have been strikingly easily achieved by PHOSITA from comparable devices.」

 

4) On January 28, 2015, the plaintiff filed a suit of this case for revocation of the administrative decision with the Patent Court. In response, the defendant filed a request for correction on November 26, 2015, by limiting the number of blade sets in Claim 1 to "two", clarifying the connected relationship between the first and second handle portion and the blades, and incorporating some of features of Claim 3 into Claim 1. On March 18, 2016, the IPTAB accepted the request for correction on the ground that the correction satisfies requirements of a request for correction, and accordingly made correction of the administrative decision (Defendant's Exhibit No. 7).

 

2. Plaintiff’s Argument

 

Features 1 to 4 and 7 of Claim 1 of the registered device are substantially identical to corresponding features of Prior Arts 1 and 2, and Features 5 and 6 could have been easily conceived from corresponding features of Prior Arts 1 and 2 or common general knowledge, and thus, Claim 1 should be rejected due to lack of an inventive step because it could have been easily conceived from Prior Arts 1 and 2 and common general knowledge. However, the administrative decision of this case is contrary to the mentioned above, and thus, it is illegal.

 

3. Whether Inventive Step of Claim 1 of Registered Device Is Acknowledged

 

A. Corresponding Relationship to Features of Prior Art 1

 

Feature	Claim 1 (Plaintiff's Exhibit No. 2, Defendant's Exhibit No. 7)	Prior Art 1 (Plaintiff's Exhibit No. 6)
1	a rotating shaft (10)	-a rotating pin (40) (see [FIG. 1])
2	a two blade sets (20) hinged by the rotating shaft (10), wherein each of the two blade sets consists of two blades crossing each other	-a cutting scissor part (10) having a pair of cutting blades (11, 13) coupled to each other at the rotating pin rotatably while crossing each other; and a thinning scissor part (10) having a pair of thinning blades (21, 23), which include cutting plates spaced apart from the cutting blades and coupled to each other at the rotating pin rotatably while crossing each other (see lines 5-6, page 2, and [FIG. 1))
3	an interlocking means for the blade sets	-a connector integrally formed with a rear end of a first handle connecting portion (15) of the cutting scissor part (10) and a rear end of a second handle connecting portion (25) of the thinning scissor part (20) (see line 22-23, page 2)
4	a grip (40) having first and second handles (41A) (41B) connected to the interlocking means	-handle rings (30) respectively connected to the both sides of the connector (50) connecting the cutting scissor part (10) and the thinning scissor part (20) (see line 29, page 2)
5	the first handle (41A) of the grip (40) alone is solely connected to one most-outer blade (B1) of a blade set, which includes one most-outer blade of the two blade sets (20), and the second handle (41B) alone is solely connected to the other most-outer blade (B2) of a blade set, which includes the other most-outer blade of the two blade sets (20)	-One handle ring (30) is connected to the connector (50) which is connected to one side of the second handle connecting portion (25) of the thinning scissor part (20), which is disposed in parallel with one side of the first handle connecting part (15) of the cutting scissor part (10), whereas the other handle ring (50) is connected to the connector (50) which is connected to the other side of the second handle connecting portion (25) of the thinning scissor part (20, which is disposed in parallel with the other side of the first handle connecting portion (15) of the cutting scissor part (10) (see lines 20-23 and 29, page 2, and [FIG. 1])
6	the scissor has a connector (43) connecting the first handle (41A) and the second handles (41B) to the blade (B1) and the blade (B2), respectively, and the connector (43) has a curved part (43A) for contact between the first handle (41A) and the second handle (41B)	-The pair of handle rings (30) is connected to the connector (50) having one side and the other side thereof, which are integrally formed with rear ends of the first and second handle connecting portions (15, 25), respectively, wherein the connector (50) and the handle rings have curved portion (not shown in drawings) for contact between the handle rings (30) (see lines 20-23, page 2, and [FIG. 1])
7	each of the two blade sets (20) has interlocking pars (P1) (P2) on a rear side of the rotating shaft 10, and the interlocking means is a fastening pin inserted into an interlocking hole (Pb) formed in the interlocking parts (P1) (P2)	- Each blade of the cutting scissor part 10 and the thinning scissor part (20) has the first and second handle connecting portions (15, 25) formed on the rear side of the rotating pin (40), wherein the first and second handle connecting portions are connected using the connector (50) which is connected using a connection volt (see lines 22-24, page 2, and [FIG. 1])
Main Drawing	[FIG. 1]	[FIG. 1]

            

B. Analysis on Commons and Differences

 

1) Commons

 

a) Feature 1 of Claim 1 and the corresponding feature of Prior Art 1 are identical in that the both relate to a rotating shaft (rotating pin) to rotatably fix blades (cutting blades and thinning blades)

 

b) Feature 2 relates to two blade sets, each of the two blade sets which consists of two blades crossing each other, and it corresponds to a blade set of Prior Art which consists of the cutting scissor part (10) and the thinning scissor par (20). In addition, decision as to whether to configure each blade as a cutting scissor part, a thinning scissor part, or a combination thereof can be made by PHOSITA, when necessary, and thus, it is considered that these features are substantially identical.

 

c) The interlocking means (30) in Feature 3 is not different from the connector (50) of Prior Art 1 in that the both enables upper and lower blades (the cutting scissor part) on the one side to be interlocked with upper and lower blades (the thinning scissor part) on the other side so that these blade sets can be connected to each other and move like a single scissor.

 

d) The grip in Feature 4 and the pair of handle rings of Prior Art 1 are identical in that each of them includes first and second handle (a pair of handle rings) connected to an interlocking means (a connector).

 

e) Feature 7 is interlocking blades of a blade set with each other by fitting the fastening pin 30 into them, and Prior Art 1 also discloses "the connector may be in various forms, such as a connection volt and a connection shaft" in the specification thereof (Plaintiff's Exhibit No. 6). Thus, the both of them are considered substantially identical as long as the method of connecting a rear end of the handle connector by a fastening pin is not ruled out.

 

2) Differences

 

a) Feature of Claim 1 and its corresponding feature of Prior Art 1 are similar in that the first and second handles (the pair of handle rings) are connected to blades so that the blades are caused to perform cutting when the first and second handles (the pair of handle rings) are moved.

 

However, Feature 5 shows that the first and second handles are connected to one most-outer blade (B1) and the other most-outer blade (B2), whereas one of handle rings (30) of Prior Art 1 is connected to one most-outer cutting blade (13) and the first thinning blade (21) and the other one of the handle rings (30) is connected to the other most-outer second thinning blade (23). That is, the two features show different connection relationship between handles (handle rings) and blades.

 

b) Feature 6 of Claim 1 and it corresponding feature of Prior Art 1 are similar in that a connecting entity (a connector) which connects the first and second handles (a pair of handle rings) and blades is curved so as to enable the first and second handles (the pair of handle rings) to contact each other.

 

The Registered device	Prior Art 1

            

However, as shown in the above drawings, Prior Art 1 discloses that a curved portion is formed between the connector (50), at which two interlocking blades are combined, and the handle ring (30), whereas Feature 6 is that the curved part (43A) is not related to the connector and it is formed on the connector (43) which is extended from one or the other most-outer blade (B1, B2). Thus, two features show different positions and shapes of a curved portion.

 

C. Evaluation of Differences

 

However, for the following reasons, it is not considered that the above differences between Features 5 and 6 of Claim 1 and Prior Art 1 could have easily achieved even by PHOSITA based on Prior Art 1 or the combination of Prior Art 2 or general common knowledge to Features 5 and 6 of Claim 1.

 

1) Whether it could have been easily achieved from Prior Art 1

 

a) According to the following disclosure in the specification (Plaintiff's Exhibit No. 6) of Prior Art 1, a connector and a handle ring of Prior Art 1 could have the following four types of connection.

 

As shown in [FIG. 1], the first handle connecting part (15) and the second handle connecting part (25) are connected by the connector (50) which is integrally formed with them at the rear side of the first and second handle connecting parts (15, 25). In this case, the connector may be in various forms, such as a connection volt and a connection shaft (see line 22-24, page 2).   An insertion protrusion is formed on one of the connector (50) and the handle ring (30), and a groove is formed on the other one thereof, so that a pair of handle rings are detachably coupled to the connector (lines 32-33, page 2).
First-type Connection	Second-type Connection	Third-type Connection	Fourth-type Connection

 

Therefore, Prior Art 1 is considered to suggest the following connection relationship similar to Feature 5: a connector is in various forms, such as a connection volt and a connection shaft, a handle ring is detachably coupled to the connector, and the handle ring is solely connected to one most-outer cutting blade or the other most-outer thinning blade.

 

b) Regarding this, the handle ring of Prior Art 1 is not limited to be disposed in the middle of the connector. Apart from the above four connection types, the handle ring may be coupled to the connector in a way that is shown in the right drawing. There is a disputable issue that this type of connection is not different from the connection relationship between the handle and the blade in Feature 5.

 

However, as described above, Prior Art 1 discloses in its specification that the connection with the connector can be made using a connection volt or a connection shaft or the handle ring is detachably coupled to the connector, and basically the four types of connection can be achieved by combining these features. To achieve the connection relationship shown in the above reference drawing from Prior Art 1, the following steps need to be performed: removing a handle ring from the fourth type of connection in which a connector and the handle ring is connected using a volt, and removing one blade from the first type of connection in which a connector and a handle ring is formed integrally (Step 1); combining these modified connection structures, the integrated structure and the connected structure, to make a hybrid-type structure (Step 2); and adjusting a position of the handle ring (Step 3). As such, after performing multiple complicated procedures, it is possible to achieve a connection relationship which is somewhat similar to the connection relationship between the handle and the blade in Feature 5 of Claim 1.

 

[Reference Drawing]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

However, the "modified integrated structure"in Step 1 is not suggested by Prior Art 1 at all, and the hybrid-type structure, which is a combination of the integrated structure and the volt connection structure, is also not suggested by Prior Art 1. In addition, even though the above three modifying steps are performed, it is necessary to perform one more step of connecting the hybrid-type handle ring to a most-outer blade, not an inner blade, in order to achieve the hair scissor of clam 1. Therefore, as the plaintiff argued, it is hard to agree that Features 5 and 6 of Claim 1 is disclosed in Prior Art 1 or could have been easily achieved by PHOSITA from Prior Art 1.

 

c) The registered device and Prior Art 1 have different objects. As described above, Prior Art 1 aims to provide a single scissor having both of a cutting scissor part and a thinning scissor part, thereby improving operation efficiency and reducing costs. On the other hand, the registered device aims to provide a balanced grip structure which enables a user to handle a scissor having two blade sets as easily as when using a single scissor.

 

d) The following diagram shows the trend of development of multiple-blade hair scissor, and it shows that, for ten years after publication of the prior arts, there has been no multiple-blade hair scissor having a structure in which a handle and a most-outer blade are connected directly. Such trend of development proves that PHOSITA could have easily conceived the connection structure of Features 5 and 6 of Claim 1 from Prior Art 1.

 

 

 

e) Meanwhile, regarding the effects, Prior Art 1 suggests in its specification (Plaintiff's Exhibit No. 6) simply that cutting and trimming hair can be performed at the same time. However, the specification (Plaintiff's Exhibit No. 2) of the registered device emphasizes that two most-outer blades are respectively connected to the first and second handles and the connected portion is curved so that the weight of the scissor is distributed in a balanced way and a user is able to perform hair-cutting as conveniently as when using a single scissor.

 

The main concept of this device is that a first handle of a grip is connected to one most-outer blade (B1) of a blade set, and a second handle thereof is connected to the other most-outer blade (B2) of the blade set. The common multiple-blade scissor available in the market is a single scissor coupled to multiple blades without a grip. Accordingly, if a practitioner cuts hair by changing the position of the scissor depending on a head shape and a desired hair style, the practitioner may feel tired easily and may be hard to perform hair-cutting. However, a hair scissor according to this device has a balanced grip, so the weight of the scissor is distributed in a balanced way so that the practitioner may not feel any difference from using a single scissor and may be able to perfectly trim, thin out, and layer the hair by one scissoring. Therefore, both of the practitioner and the customer can obtain the desired hair style and the operation can be done accurately and quickly (see paragraphs [0056]-[0061]).

 

f) Regarding this, according to the following disclosure the specification (Plaintiff's Exhibit No. 2) of the registered device, the plaintiff argues that the balanced grip of Claim 1 is obtained, not by the feature of connecting the first second handles to the two most-outer blades, respectively, but by configuring a thick handle, so if the modification of adjusting the thickness of a handle ring is made to Prior Art 1, the same effects can be achieved. Therefore, it is not considered that Claim 1 bring about effects significant from the effects of Prior Art 1.

 

The first and second handles (41A) (41B) of the shown hair scissor (H) are handles thicker than those of a general scissor having a pair of blades in order to be suitable for a heavy multiple-blade scissor. However, they are not extraordinarily thick (or high) handles, so it is not hard to handle or heavy, compared to Korean Patent No. 869874 in which scissors coupled to grips are layered. Instead, it provides a stable and balanced grip (paragraph [0067]).

 

However, the above disclosure of the specification means that if a thick handle is used in a multiple-blade scissor heavier than a general scissor, it is helpful to form a balanced grip. It cannot stretch the meaning such that a balanced grip is formed simply because the handle of Claim 1 is configured to be thick. In addition, as shown in Features 5 and 6 of claim 1, it is obvious that the structure in which the first and second handles are directly connected to the two most-outer blades provides greater unity between the handles and the blades. Even in the assumption that Prior Art 1 has effects somewhat similar to the weight distributing effect of claim 1, if the connection structure adapted by Features 5 and 6 of Claim 1 cannot be easily achieved from Prior Art 1, Claim 1 has a technical significance considering that it helps diversify the methods of distributing, in a balanced way, the weight of a hair scissor having at least two blade sets. Thus, as the plaintiff argues, it is not considered that the effects of Claim 1 can be expected from Prior Art 1 in general common sense.

 

2) Whether it could have been easily achieved from the combination of Prior Art 1, Prior Art 2, and common general knowledge

 

a) As described above, Prior Art 2 aims to solve the problem that, if two auxiliary scissors are coupled to the both sides of a main scissor and there are provided three handle parts, each for one scissor set, the same force cannot be applied to fingers. To solve this problem, Prior Art 2 discloses a main scissor and an auxiliary scissor, which are coupled to each other using the connector (22), wherein the auxiliary scissor does not have a handle part and only the main scissor has a handle part so that a practitioner performs hair cutting by using the handle part of the main scissor.

 

That is, the structure of Prior Art 2 does not have two blade sets, as disclosed in the registered device, and thus, Prior Art 2 is not considered to be based on the technical understanding that the weight of the two scissors is distributed in a balanced way. In addition, Prior Art 1 simply discloses that auxiliary scissors are coupled to the both sides of the main scissor and that a handle part is provided only for the main scissor, as shown in the following drawing. Thus, it is hard to expect the connection structure between a single handle to a most-outer blade in Feature 5, or the shape of the curved portion recited in Feature 6.

 

                          

Therefore, it is considered that combining Prior Art 2 with Prior Art 1 could have achieved the same features of Features 5 and 6 of Claim 1 or is not expected to have the same effect as that of Features 5 and 6 of claim 1.

 

b) Next, the plaintiff argued that connecting a handle directly to a most-outer blade, as in Feature 5 of claim 1, is merely general common knowledge which was widely used in the technical field at the time of filing of the registered device, as indicated in Plaintiff's Exhibit Nos. 11 to 14, and that if the general common knowledge is combined with Prior Art 1, differences from Features 5 and 6 of Claim 6 can be overcome.

 

Plaintiff's Exhibit No. 11	Plaintiff's Exhibit No. 12
Plaintiff's Exhibit 13	Plaintiff's Exhibit No. 14

 

However, Plaintiff's Exhibit Nos. 11, 12, and 14 relate to a single scissor, not a scissor having two blade sets as disclosed in the registered device, and thus, any of them has the structure in which a handle is coupled to a most-outer blade. In addition, Plaintiff's Exhibit No. 13 relates to a scissor having a grip means, which consists of an arm (6) and a ring (8), wherein a first blade (4) connected to the grip means crosses a main blade (1) and a second blade (2), and Plaintiff's Exhibit No. 13 does not suggest the structure in which handles and a most-outer blades are coupled to each other.

 

Thus, the structure in which handles are coupled to most-outer blades in a scissor having two blade sets is not considered common general knowledge based on Plaintiff's Exhibit Nos. 11 to 14, and there is no reference material to support this argument, and therefore, the plaintiff’s argument is not acceptable.

 

D. Summarized Result of Review: Acknowledge of Inventive Step of Claim 1

 

To sum the above explanations, Claim 1 of the registered device has a clear difference from Prior Art 1 in terms of part of the structure, and PHOSITA cannot easily overcome the difference with Prior Arts 1, 2, or common general knowledge, and Claim 1 has a significant effect. Thus, it is considered that its inventive step is not rejected.

 

4. Conclusion

 

Therefore, the administrative decision to acknowledge the inventive step of Claim 1 of the registered device is legal, and the plaintiff’s request for cancellation of the administrative decision is unreasonable.

 

Presiding Judge:  Chungsuk LEE

Judge:  Hosan LEE

Judge:  Kisu KIM

 

 

[Annex]

 

Registered Device (Plaintiff's Exhibit No. 2)

 

1. Main Contents

 

A. Technical Field

 

This device relates to a multiple-blade hair scissor, and, more particularly, to a multiple-blade hair scissor having a balanced grip structure in which two or more blade sets are connected to one grip so that trimming, thinning out, and layering hair can be performed by one scissoring and a practitioner can find the scissor as light as a general scissor (see paragraphs [0001]-[0003]).

 

B. Technical Problems

 

The present device aims to provide a multiple-blade scissor having a balanced grip structure so that a practitioner may find the scissor as light as a general scissor (see paragraph [0051]).

 

In addition, the present device aims to provide a multiple-blade hair scissor having an improved structure between a rotating shaft and an interlocking means, the structure which guarantees smooth cutting operation of each blade set, improves interlocking capabilities of each blade set, enables blades to cross accurately, and improve assemblability for production and maintenance (see paragraph [0016]).

 

C. Effects of the Device

 

The multiple-blade hair scissor according to this device provides a balanced grip structure which enables a practitioner to find the scissor as light as a single scissor, guarantees smooth cutting operation of each blade set, improves interlocking capabilities of each blade set, enables the blades to cross accurately, improve assemblability for production and maintenance, thereby providing a perfect multiple-blade hair scissor by which trimming, thinning out, and layering hair can be done with one scissoring and both of a practitioner and a customer can obtain a desired hair style more accurately and quickly (see paragraph [0029]).

 

D. Detailed Description for Implementation of the Device

 

As shown in [FIG. 1] and [FIG. 2], a multiple-blade hair scissor (H) according to this device includes: a rotating shaft (10); blade sets (20), each set consisting of two blades crossing each other; a grip (40); and an interlocking means (30) which enables the blade sets (20) to move at the same time by the grip (40) (see paragraph [0042]).

 

Thus, each blade set (20) consists of a cutting blade (21) and a thinning blade (23), and the thinning blade (23) includes separate blades (23a), which are spaced apart from each other so that each blade thins out an appropriate amount of hair, and a space (23b) between the separate blades. In addition, the two blade sets may have a different size or length separate blade (23a) of the thinning blade (23) and a different or same gap (that is, a width of the space (23b)) between the separate blades (23a) to make various hair styles (see paragraphs [0048]-[0051]).

 

One of the main ideas of this device is that a first handle of the grip is connected to one most-outer blade (B1) of the blade set and a second handle thereof is connected to the other most-outer blade (B2) of the blade set. A common multiple-blade hair scissor available in the market is coupled to a plurality of blades without a grip, so, when a practitioner changes the position of the scissor depending on a head shape and a desired hair style, the weight of the scissor blades is biased depending on the position of the scissor. As a result, a practitioner may feel tired easily and hard to perform operation easily (see paragraphs [0056]-[0058]).

 

The hair scissor according to this device has a balanced grip so that the weight thereof is distributed in a balanced way and thus a practitioner finds the scissor as light as a single scissor. Accordingly, trimming, thinning out, and layering hair can be done by one scissoring and the practitioner and a customer can obtain a desired hair style accurately and quickly (see paragraphs [0059]-[0061]).

 

The first and second handles (41A)(41B) of the hair scissor (H) are thicker than those of a general scissor consisting of a pair of blades to be suitable for the heavy multiple-blade scissor. However, they are not extraordinarily thick (or high) handles, compared to Korean Patent No. 0869874 in which scissors coupled to grips are layered. Thus, a stable and balanced grip is provided (see paragraph [0067]).

 

Then, the fastening pin (30) included in the interlocking means has an assembly structure and an anti-loosening structure as excellent as those of the rotating shaft (10) (see paragraph [0101]).

 

However, in the drawings, for the fastening pin (30) which is used as an interlocking means to enable each blade set (20) to interlock operation of the handles (41A) (41B) of the grip (40), an band-type (or ring-type) interlocking means, as in Korean Patent No. 0929864, or various other interlocking means may be adapted (see paragraph [0102]).

 

In addition, the fastening pin (30) consists of a relay volt (33) and an exposed volt (31) for the purpose of assembly, disassembly, and anti-loosening (see paragraph [0107]).

 

2. Main Drawings

 

[FIG. 1]

[FIG. 2]

 

<Descriptions of Reference Numerals>

H : scissor, 10 : rotating shaft, 20 : blade set, B1, B2 : outer blade, 21: cutting blade, 23 : thinning blade, P1, P2 : interlocking parts, 30 : interlocking means (fastening pin), 40 : grip, 41A, 41B : handle, 43 : connector , 43A : curved portion, 50 : guide, 51 : hook, 53 : interlocking protrusion (End)