1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to shredder motors and the coupling of the motor housing to the shredder housing. Specifically, this invention discloses shredder motor gears and belts which are coated to reduce noise. Additionally, the invention discloses the placement of vibration absorbers between the motor assembly and the shredder housing, as well as between the rotary cutting assembly and shredder housing, thus further facilitating noise reduction.
2. Background Information
With increased privacy concerns, shredders have become an integral part in both homes and businesses. Though originally used to destroy paper products, shredders are now used to shred other forms of media that hold information, such as compact discs. In addition, credit cards and other plastic products are commonly shredded.
Shredders create a substantial amount of noise because the shredding mechanism is comprised of a motor driven by gears that are made of steel. Since the gears are made of steel, the teeth of the gears cause vibration and noise when they interlock. In addition, both the motor assembly and rotary cutting assembly are directly coupled to the shredder housing leading to a direct transfer of the noise and vibration to the shredder housing.
The present invention employs a coating such as rubber around the gears to reduce noise and vibration. In addition, rather than have the gears directly interlock with other gears, a belt may be used to connect the gears. The belt may also be coated with rubber, or a like substance to provide further noise reduction. Finally, vibration absorbers may be used to couple the motor assembly and rotary cutting assembly to the shredder housing.
From the preceding descriptions, it is apparent that the devices currently being used have significant disadvantages and/or limitations. Thus, important aspects of the technology used in the field of invention remain amenable to useful refinement.
The present invention relates to an apparatus that satisfies the need for a shredder with decreased noise output. In one preferred embodiment, gears typically made of steel are coated with rubber or a like substance. Rather than have the noise and vibration from steel to steel contact reverberate throughout the shredder, the rubber coated gears dampen both the noise and vibration. In addition, rather than have gears directly interlock, a belt coated with rubber, or a like substance, can lead to further noise and vibration dampening. Finally, vibration absorbers may be used to couple the motor assembly and rotary cutting assembly to the shredder housing thus further reducing the vibration and noise emanating from the motor.
All of the foregoing operational principles and advantages of the present invention will be more fully appreciated upon consideration of the following detailed description with reference to the drawings.
The features and advantages of this invention are better understood with regard to the following drawings, description, and claims. The drawings consist of the following:
The essential elements of a shredder are comprised of a base (not shown), a housing 1, and a shredder mechanism 2 which resides in the housing. The housing 1 is comprised of a throat 2 through which materials to be shredded are fed. The materials are shredded in a shredder mechanism 3 which is comprised of a rotary cutting assembly 4 and a motor assembly 5.
Typically the gears 6 of the motor assembly 4 are made of a hardened metal such as steel. As seen in the prior art in
In this preferred embodiment the motor assembly 5 is comprised of at least one coated gear.
To further reduce noise, rather than have gears contact each other directly in the motor assembly, a belt can be used to connect the gears.
Finally, as demonstrated in
Although the present invention has been described in detail with respect to certain preferred versions thereof, other versions are possible. Therefore, the scope of the claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred versions contained herein.