Patent Application
20100032505
1. Field of Invention
The present invention is generally related to an apparatus having cutter elements for destroying documents such as paper sheets. In particular, the apparatus comprises a mechanism for advancing articles from a stack in a tray into the cutter elements for shredding.
2. Background
A common type of shredder has a shredder mechanism contained within a housing that is mounted atop a container. The shredder mechanism typically includes a series of cutter elements that shred articles such as paper that are fed therein and discharge the shredded articles downwardly into the container. An example of such a shredder may be found, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 7,040,559.
Prior art shredders have a predetermined amount of capacity or amount of paper that can be shredded in one pass between the cutter elements. Typically, the sheets of paper are fed into the shredder mechanism manually. Thus, when an operator needs to shred, he or she can only shred a number of sheets of paper by manually inserting one or more sheets one pass at a time. Examples of such shredders are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,192,467, 4,231,530, 4,232,860, 4,821,967, 4,986,481, 5,009,410, 5,188,301, 5,261,614, 5,362,002, 5,662,280, 5,772,129, 5,884,855, and 6,390,397 B1 and U.S. Patent Application Publications 2005/0274836 A1, 2006/0179987 A1, 2006/0179987 A1, 2006/0249609 A1, and 2006/0249609 A1, which are all hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
Other shredders are designed for automatic feeding. The shredder will include a bin in which a stack of documents can be placed. A feeding mechanism can then feed the documents from the stack into the shredding mechanism. This type of shredder is desirable in an office setting for productivity reasons, as the user can leave the stack in the bin and leave the shredder to do its work. With manual feed shredders, the user would have to spend time feeding smaller portions of the stack manually, thus taking away from productivity time.
Furthermore, sensing devices alert a user to safety or issues which may affect the performance of the shredder. For example, the bin being full of shredded paper or an amount of paper queued or inserted for shredding may be determined. However, such sensors tend to be mechanically limited, and fail to dynamically determine performance characteristics. Examples of such devices are shown in U.S. Patent Application Publications 2005/0274836 A1 to Chang and 2006/0249609 A1 to Huang. Rexel, an ACCO Brands Company, also has a bulk autofeed shredder (e.g., Product Code 2101998) for auto-shredding documents. Using sensors to cooperatively determine information related to shredding in an auto-feed shredder would further improve shredding performance.
One aspect of the invention provides a shredder comprising a housing and a shredder mechanism received in the housing and including a motor and cutter elements. The motor rotates the cutter elements in an interleaving relationship for shredding articles fed therein. Also provided in the shredder is a tray for holding a stack of articles to be fed into the cutter elements, a feed mechanism for feeding articles from the tray to the cutter elements of the shredder mechanism, and a feed driver system constructed to drive the feed mechanism to feed articles to the cutter elements. The feed mechanism has an engaging surface for engaging articles. The shredder further has a waste level sensor operable to detect an accumulation of shredded particles discharged by the shredder mechanism and a queue sensor operable to determine an amount of articles provided on the tray. A controller is coupled to the shredder mechanism, feed driver system, waste level sensor, and queue sensor. The controller is configured to compare the accumulation of shredded particles detected by the waste level sensor to the amount of articles provided on the tray detected by the queue sensor, in order to perform a predetermined operation of the shredder.
Another aspect of the invention provides a method for operating a shredder. The method includes: providing a tray for holding a stack of articles; providing a shredder mechanism including a motor and cutter elements; and providing a feed mechanism for feeding articles from the tray to the cutter elements of the shredder mechanism. The feed mechanism has an engaging surface. The method also includes: providing a waste container for receiving shredded particles from the cutter elements; determining an amount of articles provided on the tray using a queue sensor; determining an amount of space available in a container for receiving shredded particles from the cutter elements using a waste level sensor, using a controller to compare the amount of articles provided on the tray to the amount of space available for collecting shredded particles in the waste container, and, based on a comparison of the amount of articles to the amount of space available, performing a predetermined operation of the shredder.
Other aspects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.
a-6e show side views of the rotatable drum and tray of
a shows a side view of a shredder of alternate configuration comprising a detachable paper shredder mechanism in accordance with an embodiment;
b shows a side view of a shredder of alternate configuration comprising a removable waste bin in accordance with an embodiment;
c shows a side view of a shredder of alternate configuration comprising a hinged shredder mechanism and a removable waste bin in accordance with an embodiment;
The shredder 10 of
Alternatively, the shredder 10a of
Some example alternate embodiments of containers 16 which may be used with the shredder 10 or shredder 10a are further shown in
b shows a side view of a shredder device of alternate configuration comprising a removable waste bin 64. In some embodiments, the waste bin 64 may comprise a step or pedal device 66 that allows a user to access the bin and discard waste into the bin 64 without being passed through the shredder mechanism 20. The step or pedal device 66 may also be provided to allow a user to easily access the bin 64 for emptying shredded paper, for example.
c shows a side view of a shredder device of alternate configuration comprising a housing 12 with a hinge 68 and a removable waste bin 70. The shredder device may comprise the ability for a user to access the container 16 or waste bin 70 by pivoting and lifting the housing 12 on hinge 68. The waste bin 70 may also be removed by a user when shredded paper needs to be removed, for example.
Alternatively, such as shown in
Although a waste bin is described as being provided in the container 16 in the above embodiments, it is optional and may omitted entirely. Generally, container 16 may have any suitable construction or configuration. As such, the design and configuration of the shredder and its elements should not be limiting.
The shredders 10 or 10a may or may not be portable or movable. For example, in some embodiments, the shredders 10 and 10a may include rotatable rollers 24 or wheels. Generally speaking, the shredder 10 or 10a may have any suitable construction or configuration and the illustrated embodiments are not intended to be limiting in any way.
Shredder 10, 10a comprises a paper shredder mechanism 20 in the housing 12, and includes a drive system with at least one motor 45, such as an electrically powered motor, and a plurality of cutter elements 21 (e.g., see
The housing 12 of shredder 10 is designed to sit atop a container 16, as noted above. The housing 12 works in cooperation with a cartridge or tray 14, shown as an exploded detail of shredder 10a in
In an embodiment, the tray 14 comprises a curved or sloped feed bed 15 (see, e.g.,
In another embodiment, it is envisioned that the tray 14 may comprise a sectioned or partitioned bin, providing limited access to an upper bin, for example, while documents in lower bin are fed to the shredder mechanism 20.
In an embodiment, the tray 14 is provided with a lid 18. The lid 18 is provided with hinges 19 such that the lid 18 may be pivoted between an open and closed position. The lid 18 may assist in reducing the amount of noise transmitted into the air during operation of the shredder, for example. It may also provide safety features, which are noted below. Pivoting the lid 18 allows a user access to the inside of tray 14, such as for filling the tray 14 with paper to be shredded. The hinges 19 may be provided on an outside (see
In an embodiment, the lid 18 may comprise a safety switch. The safety switch may be used to detect if the lid is pivoted to an open position. The safety switch may be coupled to the shredder mechanism 20 to prevent operation of the cutter elements 21 when the lid 18 is in the open position. Similarly, when the lid 18 is in a closed position, the shredder mechanism 20 may be activated to begin operation of the cutter elements 21 and an advancement (or feed) mechanism, as will be described.
The tray 14 or lid 18 may also comprise a locking mechanism that prevents a user from opening the lid or accessing the tray, which may not be desirable while the shredder is in use. For example, the lid 18 may include a magnetic latch. Alternatively, the tray or lid may include a code lock that prevents a user from opening the lid or having access to the tray. For example, a user may need to input a code into a control panel, such as a control panel A, for access to the documents to be shredded in the tray 14. Further description for an example control panel A is provided with respect to
In an embodiment, lid 18 may comprise an opening or slot 32 for allowing insertion of paper sheets into the tray 14. Thus, the tray 14 may also be filled by inserting paper sheets (e.g., a single sheet or a small stack) through the slot 32 and into the feed bed without having to lift the lid 18. This feature may be advantageous, for example, when the shredder mechanism (including cutter elements 21 and its advancement mechanism) is running and feeding from a large stack and the user simply wants to add a small number of documents to the tray 14 or bed 15. Rather than opening the lid 18 and stopping the shredding process with the safety switch, the user can just slip the small number of documents into the stack 22 on the bed 15 via the slot 32. In another embodiment, an opening may be provided below the lid 18. For example, when the lid 18 is in the closed position, an opening or gap may be formed between the lid and a portion of the tray 14 or feed bed. However, the use of a lid in general is optional and may be omitted entirely. A user may add paper to the tray 14 through an open top, for example.
The tray 14 is designed to hold a stack 22 of paper sheets therein that are to be shredded. The paper sheets may be of any type, size, or construction (e.g., white paper, letter size, legal size, A4, envelopes, etc.).
As previously noted, a control panel A may be provided for use with the shredder 10.
The buttons 56-59 on control panel A are provided to assist the user with the shredder 10 and communicate actions to the controller 47, e.g., to turn on the shredder mechanism or provide power, start the timing mechanism, etc. For example, button 56 may be used to communicate the state of the shredder's particular condition (e.g., ON, OFF). Button 56 may be used to activate or pause the activation or movement of shredder mechanism 20 in the shredder 10. The status of the shredder, e.g., “Shredding” or “Pause” may also appear on the screen 54, for example.
Button 57 may be a timer button, for example. In an embodiment, the timer button 57 is used to set a time delay. The button 57 may be pressed by a user to display or scroll through available delay times for setting the shredder mechanism 20 on a delayed start, for example, such as 30 minutes or 1 hour. Once a user chooses a time delay, the user then confirms the selection by pressing the confirmation button 59, for example. Thus, the timer button 57 used to set a timer (not shown) for controlling at least a time to start movement of an advancement or feed mechanism 23 to advance paper sheets into the shredder mechanism 20, as will be described in the embodiments below.
Button 58 may be a lock/unlock button, for example, that allows a user to lock access to the bin. For example, as noted above, lid 18 may include a magnetic latch for prohibiting access to the tray 14. Thus, lock button 58 may be used to lock the magnetic latch and therefore prevent a user from opening the lid or having access to the tray. To unlock the lid 18 and provide the user access to the tray 14, a user presses lock button 58 and inputs a code into the control panel A (e.g., the screen may prompt a user for an unlock code). Similarly, the lock button 58 may be used to lock the lid 18 with respect to the tray 14, such that when the lid 18 is closed, the user presses button 58 and is prompted to enter a code for activating the lock mechanism (e.g., magnetic latch).
As previously noted, button 59 may be provided as a confirmation button, allowing a user to confirm a selection or entry when completed or when prompted. Thus, when a user wants to complete entry of a code, either for unlocking or locking, the confirmation button 59 may be pressed. Of course, the associated duties of the above buttons should not be limiting. Furthermore, it should be understood that the noted duties may change (i.e., each button may be re-assigned one or more tasks or duties) depending upon the elements on the screen 54 and/or status of shredding, for example.
A separate power switch 28 may also be provided on the shredder 10. The power switch 28 may be provided on tray 14, for example, on the control panel A, or anywhere else on the shredder 10. The power switch 28 may include a manually engageable portion connected to a switch module (not shown). Movement of the manually engageable portion of switch 28 moves the switch module between states. The switch module is communicated to a controller 47 which may include a circuit board. Typically, a power supply (not shown) is connected to the controller by a standard power cord with a plug on its end that plugs into a standard AC outlet. The controller 47 is likewise communicated to the motor 45 of the shredder mechanism 20 (e.g., see
The shredders 10, 10a also comprise a feed mechanism 23 opposed to or adjacent the tray surface for advancing at least a top sheet from a stack of paper in a tray into the cutter elements for shredding. That is, shredder 10 is designed with an advancement mechanism for automatically feeding articles from the tray 14 to a shredder mechanism 20 without requiring a user to manually feed individual or a preset quantity of sheets into the cutting elements 21. As shown, feed mechanism 23 is generally disposed above the tray 14. The feed mechanism may comprise an engaging surface for engaging articles (e.g., temporarily) to feed them into the shredder mechanism 20. Also included in the shredders is a feed driver system 67 (e.g., see
Referring back to the exemplary embodiment, the rotatable drum mechanism 38 comprises a rotatable drum 40, vacuum generator 46 (e.g., see
The rotatable drum 40 comprises a generally round configuration. The drum 40 may be of a circular or oval shape, for example. In an embodiment, the rotation of drum mechanism 38 or drum 40 is activated when the shredder mechanism 20 is activated. In an embodiment, for example, the rotation of drum 40 is activated when the lid 18 of tray 14 is moved to a closed position (i.e., inhibiting access to the bed 15 of the tray 14). In an embodiment, the drum 40 is rotated using a motor(s) and/or drive wheel mechanism(s). In an embodiment, the drum 40 is rotated and activated for rotation using the same motor used to drive the shredder mechanism 20. For example, the rotation of the drum 40 may be linked by belts, axles, or gears, as known in the art, to rotate upon activation of the cutter elements 21 in the shredder mechanism 20. In an embodiment, the drum 40 uses a separate motor for rotation.
In an embodiment, the vacuum generator 46 and/or rotation of drum 40 is activated when the shredder mechanism 20 is activated. In an embodiment, the vacuum generator 46 and/or rotation of drum 40 is activated when the lid 18 of the tray 14 is moved to a closed position.
As shown in detail in
As the drum 40 rotates, a concentrated vacuum (e.g., from fan 46 applied to the interior of inner cylinder) is applied through the openings 42 toward stack 22, so as to lift at least one sheet atop the stack 22 towards the adjacent paper engaging surface 52 of the drum 40. Thus, the top sheet(s) 30 is lifted from the stack 22 using a maximum vacuum force along the paper engaging surface 52. As the openings 42 of the drum 40 rotate around and away, the sheet(s) of paper may be released and pulled into the shredder mechanism 20 by the cutter elements 21 for shredding of the sheet(s), for example.
In one embodiment, the rotating drum 40 comprises an inner cylinder 43 and an outer cylinder 41. For example, with reference to
In an embodiment, both the outer cylinder 41 and the inner cylinder 43 rotate. The opening(s) 42 of the outer cylinder 41 rotate with respect to the inner cylinder 43 (as the inner cylinder 43 also rotates), and with respect to the stack 22 in tray 14. For example, the outer cylinder 41 may rotate in a clockwise direction, while the inner cylinder rotates in a counter-clockwise direction. Alternatively, in another embodiment, the outer cylinder 41 and inner cylinder 43 may be rotated about a horizontal axis at different speeds.
In any case, as the cylinders in such embodiments rotate, the opening(s) 42 in the paper engaging surface 52 of the outer cylinder 41 align at some point during rotation with the at least one opening (not shown) of the inner cylinder 43. In an embodiment, the openings of the cylinders are designed such that during rotation a concentrated vacuum (e.g., from fan 46 applied to the interior of the drum 40/inner cylinder 43) is applied through openings 42 toward or adjacent the stack 22, thus providing a maximum vacuum force along the paper engaging surface 52. Again, the top sheet(s) of paper from the stack 22 may then be lifted and rotated toward the shredder mechanism 20 as previously described.
The rotatable drum 40 works in cooperation with the vacuum generator 46 to advance paper through the cutter elements 21 of the shredder mechanism 20. In one embodiment, the vacuum generator 46 comprises a fan mechanism and a fan exhaust or blower nozzle 48 (see, e.g.,
In an embodiment, the exhaust 48 from the fan 46 is blown into the feed bed 15 to raise at least the top sheet(s) of the paper and separate at least the top sheet(s) from the stack of paper sheets 22. That is, the same fan may be used as the vacuum generator and as the blower or exhaust. In another embodiment, two separate fans or mechanisms may be used as the vacuum and blower/exhaust. An exhaust tube extension 34 may also be provided on the shredder or within the tray 14 so as to direct the exhaust air toward the fan exhaust nozzle 48. For example, as shown in
An exhaust port (not shown) may also be provided on the outside of the shredder or within the tray 14 so as to lift one or more sheets from the top of the stack 22, as described with respect to
Referring back to
a-6e show side views of the rotatable drum mechanism 38 of
The embodiment of
Also, as shown in
In an embodiment, the driver system comprises a timer for controlling at least the start time or activation of vacuum generator or fan mechanism 46. The vacuum or fan 46 is activated to produce a vacuum within the interior of the rotatable drum 40. The vacuum or fan 46 draws air through the exterior paper engaging surface 52 (e.g., through openings 42). As noted above, the fan 46 is used to provide both the vacuum and blower/exhaust 48. Thus, when activated, the blower/exhaust 48 is also activated, blowing air into the tray 14 and bed 15.
As shown in
As shown in
In an embodiment, a filter may be provided in rotatable drum 40 to filter particles that may be drawn in by the vacuum applied to its interior (e.g., paper pieces, dust, etc.).
Also, in an embodiment, the rotation of rotatable drum 40 may be used to advance sheet(s) only partially. Thus, sheets which are torn, folded, of different size (e.g., letter size, legal size, etc.), type (e.g., white paper, envelopes, etc.), or construction are advanced into the shredder mechanism 20. In some cases, the curved or sloped feed 15 may assist in at least partially advancing the sheets therein.
In one embodiment in accordance with the invention, a paper removal device 50 is provided with the shredder 10, 10a.
Further, the shredder 10 may also comprise a stripper device 36 for stripping paper sheets from staples, shown in
The device 36 is used to strip paper sheets that are stapled or bound together in the stack 22 from a staple (or other binding element) as the paper sheets are fed to the cutter elements of the shredder mechanism 20. In an embodiment, the device 36 has an extended surface or lip 36a that extends into the path of which stapled sheets or documents are drawn. The lip 36a may include a plurality of teeth 36b, for example, which may assist in removing the staple or binding element. Thus, as a sheet(s) of a stapled or bound document is grasped by the rotatable drum mechanism 38, the extended surface 36a and its teeth 36b may intercede by holding or providing resistance to at least the top edge (e.g., near the staple) of the stapled documents. Thus, as the rotatable drum 40 feeds the sheet into the shredder mechanism 20, and the cutter elements 21 advance the sheets therethrough, the device 36, 36a, 36b cooperatively provides resistance to at least the top edge of the document allowing for the paper sheet(s) to be stripped from the stapled edge. Optionally, the extended surface or lip 36a of device 36 during operation of the drum mechanism 38 and shredder mechanism 20 provides enough resistance to tear a sheet from the stapled documents, such that as each sheet is grasped and fed toward the shredder mechanism 20 by the rotatable drum 40, the sheet is removed from the stapled document.
The LED sensors 84 and detection sensor(s) 86 of sensing device 83 may be located in a number of locations in the shredder 10. For example, in some embodiments, the detection sensor(s) 86 may be provided adjacent or behind a clear or transparent window or lens 88, so as to prevent dust or particles from affecting the sensor reading. The sensing devices 84 and 86 are positioned to emit and detect radiation, respectively, with respect to the bin or container 16. In some embodiments, a plurality of sensors or a series of LEDs may be arranged in a spaced apart relation. Generally, any number of LED sensing devices may be provided, and mounted in several ways, and therefore should not be limiting.
More specifically, one or more waste level/bin full sensing devices 83 may be provided on the bottom wall or lower side of the shredder housing 12. In some embodiments, the sensing device(s) 83 may be provided near or adjacent the output opening or throat of the shredder. The mounting or housing of waste level sensor(s) 83 on or in the shredder 10 or 10a should not be limited to those embodiments depicted herein.
Waste level or bin full sensor(s) 83 are also operatively connected to the shredder mechanism 20. For example, as articles are shredded by the cutter elements, shredded particles are discharged by the shredder mechanism 20 and into container 16. As the shredded particles build up, the sensing device(s) 83 may detect the accumulation or level of shredded particles in the container 16 and thus warn the user or, alternatively, detect that the container 16 is full and thus communicate with a controller 47 to stop operation of the shredder mechanism 20 until the container 16 is at least partially emptied.
Of course, other types of sensors may also be used for bin full detection. For example, in embodiments, waste level sensing device(s) may utilize sonic detection, wherein ultrasonic waves are reflected and detected to determine an amount of shredded particles in a container 16. Generally, sensors with ratio metric output may be used to determine a waste level in the waste container 16.
In embodiments, one or more queue sensors 77 may be provided in the shredder. A queue sensor 77 is defined as a sensor that is provided to estimate or determine an amount of material or articles that are provided on the bed 15 of the tray 14 which are to be shredded by shredder mechanism 20. The queue sensor 77 may determine a weight, level, or thickness of articles in tray 14, for example. In some cases, the queue sensor 77 may be used to determine a length of time required to shred articles in queue on the bed 15. In other cases, as noted below with respect to
In some embodiments, the queue sensor 77 may be a load sensor. Alternatively, a tilt sensor, strain gauge, optical encoder, or any number of other sensors may be used to determine the amount of articles queued to be shredded in the tray 14. The queue sensor 77 may comprise a hall sensor 82 and a magnet (not shown). The hall sensor 82 may be provided in a location adjacent a bottom of the tray 14, such as in housing 12 or on container 16 (e.g., see
In other embodiments, a sensor may be provided in tray 14 for sensing the presence of articles, paper sheets, or a stack 22. The sensor may be used to communicate with the controller that sheets are ready to be shredded or destroyed, or to communicate with the feed driver system or queue sensor 77. The presence of sheets may also start a timer after being detected by a sensor. For example, a time delay may be activated such that a feed mechanism 23 begins to move or rotate after a set period of time (e.g., 30 minutes, 1 hour). The sensor may be of any type, e.g., optical, electrical, mechanical, etc. and should not be limiting. In some cases, for example, the queue sensor 77 may be the sensor used to sense the presence of articles in the tray 14.
Additionally, audio and/or vibration sensors may be used with tray 14. For example, an audio/vibration sensor may be able to pick-up audio signals or sounds when paper is shredding or as paper is lifted. U.S. Provisional Patent Application 61/226,902, filed Jul. 20, 2009, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, describes one example of a audio/vibration sensor that may be used with the shredders 10 and/or 10a.
The readings from the sensing devices provided in the shredder 10 or 10a may be used cooperatively determine information relating to shredding that may be useful for users. For example, in shredding machines or apparatuses with large paper queues in which the user can place large volumes of paper or articles to be shredded within the bed 15 or tray 14, the shredder 10 or 10a may use one or more of its sensing devices (e.g., sensors 77 and 83) to assist in determining alternative possible errors or problems associated with shredding, in addition to their designated determinations. That is, besides just determining that articles are in queue for shredding, or that a bin or container 16 has a waste level that is or is close to full, sensed conditions may be further used for additional determinations or calculations.
For example,
The controller 47 may be provided to control operation of the shredder, its mechanisms, and its sensors, for example. The controller 47 may include a microcontroller or a timer circuit. The controller 47 may be configured to start a running operation of the motor 45 responsive to the power switch 28 being turned to an “on” position. The controller 47 may be configured to start a running operation of the motor 45 to speed responsive to the queue sensor 77 detecting the presence of articles in or received by the tray 14. The controller 47 may be configured to start one or more motors 45 in order to activate the shredder mechanism 20 and/or the feed driver system 79 of the feed mechanism 23. That is, the controller 47 is capable of controlling operation of the motor 45 that powers the rotation of the cutter elements 21 on their respective shafts of the shredder mechanism 20. In some cases, the same motor 45 may be used to power the feed driver system 79 for the feed mechanism 23. Of course, it is to be understood that a same motor or different motors may be used for activating such parts of the shredder 10. Thus, motor 45 is representative of one or more motors. In any case, the controller 47 may also be used to control the activation of the feed mechanism 23. In some cases, the controller 47 may be used to adjust the speed of the motor 45. For example, the controller may be configured to incrementally increase or incrementally decrease the speed of the motor 13 and/or start or stop the motor responsive to one or more detectors or sensors, such as queue sensor 77 and waste level sensor 83.
In an exemplary embodiment, as noted above, detecting or sensing devices 77 and 83 may be used to assist in determining alternative possible errors or problems associated with shredding. For example, the waste level sensor 83 may be used in conjunction with the queue sensor 77 to determine an amount of space available in the container 16 (e.g., using a detection of an accumulation of shredded particles discharged by the shredder mechanism 20) relative to an amount of material to be shredded in the bed 15 and/or tray 14 (or vice versa, i.e., the amount of material to be shredded may be compared to the amount of space available in the container 16). Such information is useful for determining if all of the articles in queue for shredding can be shredded before the container 16 is determined to be full (and, for example, before the shredding operation is stopped). For example, if the user places one-half (½) the rated capacity of articles into the tray 14 and the shredder detects that there is only enough room in the container 16 for shredded particles of one-third (⅓) of the queue, the shredder can alert the user (e.g., via control panel A or other alarm devices (noise, lights, etc.)) that the stack 22 will not be completely shredded prior to the container becoming full. Such information may be useful to a person shredding confidential or sensitive documents, for example.
As such, the controller 47 may be figured to compare the accumulation/amount of space to the amount of articles provided on the tray in order to perform a predetermined operation of the shredder 10. For example, in embodiments, the operation may be to determine an operation for the shredder mechanism 20 and/or feed driver system 79. In some cases, the controller 47 may determine the operation for the feed driver system 79 which comprises the controller determining a starting operation for driving the feed mechanism 23 (or drum 38). In other cases, the operation for the feed driver system 79 may comprise determining a stopping operation for stopping the driving of the feed mechanism 23. In other cases, the controller 47 may determine the operation for the shredder mechanism 20 which comprises using the controller 47 to prevent the motor from driving the cutter elements. For example, in a case where it is determined that all of the articles in the tray 14 or bed 15 could not be shredded before the container 16 is deemed full, the controller 47 may be configured to prevent the motor 45 from driving the cutter elements/shredder mechanism. In some instances, the controller 47 may provide or activate an alarm to provide an alarm indication to alert a user of such an incident (i.e., that the amount of articles exceeds an amount of available space for collecting the accumulation of shredded particles). The alarm indication may include illuminating a visual indicator and/or sounding an audible alarm indicator, and, in some cases, may be provided on the control panel A, for example. According to an aspect of the present invention, the controller 47 is configured to vary running operation of the motor responsive to the one or more sensing devices. Additionally, the controller 47 may be configured to stop the motor 45 when the sensor 83 determines that the container 16 is full of shredded particles, and/or when it is determined that articles have been added to the tray 14 (e.g., via slot 32) that can not be fully shredded before bin full is detected.
In any case, if the lid is determined to be closed at 104, i.e., “YES,” the shredded particle level in the waste bin or container 16 is sensed or read at 106 using waste level sensor 83, for example. The read particle or waste level in the container 16 may be used to deduce or determine an amount of space remaining in the container 16 for collecting shreds. Thereafter, the paper queue level in the bed 15 of the tray 14 is then sensed or read using queue level sensor 77, for example. The sensor readings or determinations are then compared at 110. That is, it may be determined if the read queue level at 108 is larger than the determined amount of space remaining in the container 16 or waste bin. If the queue level is not determined to be larger, i.e., “NO,” the shredder and its shredder mechanism 20 (and/or feed drive system 79) may operate normally to shred the articles within the tray 14.
However, if the queue level is determined to be larger than the amount of space remaining in the container 16, i.e., “YES,” then a warning may be issued at 114 for the user. As noted above, such a warning may be provided in the form of an alarm indication via sound or visual devices, for example. Thereafter, the user may be given the option to direct the shredder to continue operation or to start an operation for shredding the articles and/or feed the articles into the shredder mechanism anyway. Alternatively, the user may be given the option to empty the container 16 before continuing/starting operation of the feed driver system and/or shredder mechanism.
If, however, the read queue level or amount is determined to be over the threshold after the predetermined amount of time, i.e., “YES,” the user is alerted of the overload at 120, using a warning or alarm indication device as noted above. Thereafter, the shredder may be held not to operate the shredder mechanism 20 until the overload is cleared from the tray 14, for example, or the user initiates an override for allowing a shredding operation anyway.
Of course, alternate sensing devices or alternate situations may be determined. The logic flow diagram of
The advancement mechanism (i.e., rotating drum mechanism 38) for “automatically” feeding one or more sheets as described in
One advantage of the described advancement mechanism in shredder 10 or 10a is the decreased amount of time a user must spend shredding documents. For example, the productivity of a user would be improved since the user is able to perform other tasks while the shredder 10 or 10a is activated. Further, the dynamic relationship between the queue sensor(s) 77 and waste level sensor(s) 83, which determines the space available in the shred bin or container 16 relative to the amount of material to be shredded in the bed 15/tray 14, may be useful in determining if a stack 22 will not be completely shredded, thus allowing a user to prevent the shredder from sitting with a fault condition with confidential documents left in the queue, for example.
Another advantage is that the shredder 10 or 10a is designed to handle paper or documents of different sizes, textures, shapes, and thicknesses, including letter, legal, and A4 size paper, as well as envelopes and stapled sheets, for example. The documents may also be in any order.
Also, the blowing or fluidizing action from the fan 46 (via nozzle 48) causes the sheet(s) from the stack 22 of articles to lift and rise to meet the surface 52 of the rotatable drum 40. The drum 40 need not come into contact with the stack 22 in order to feed or advance the articles to be shredded. Furthermore, the space between the stack 22 of articles and the rotatable drum 38 provides advantages. The space allows multiple sheets to be lifted and fed in a constant, overlapping basis into the shredder mechanism 20, thereby reducing the amount of time required for shredding a stack in the tray 14. The space regulated the feeding of articles into the shredder mechanism 20.
Optionally, the shredder 10 or 10a may be utilized in a system having a centrally located shredder unit for a multitude of users. For example, the shredder 10 or 10a allows for each individual to save what they need to shred at a later time in their own individual tray. An individual can fill his or her own tray until shredding is needed. Each individual may then insert the tray into the shredder 10 or 10a. In an embodiment, each individual tray may comprise a locking mechanism, such that documents may be secured within the tray, as well as to the work area of the individual, for additional security of the documents to be shredded.
The shredder 10 or 10a may also be utilized in a system wherein users use a mobile cart device to pick up items to be shred, for example. The cart device may be used to pick up individual trays or allow users to securely add documents that need to be shredded to a locked tray. Thus, other users or services may be used to shred documents without having access to such documents.
Also, features shown and described herein can be implemented on any type of auto feed shredder device, and need not be limited to the embodiments provided. For example, in embodiments, it is envisioned that the queue sensor 77 and waste level sensor 83 and method of using said sensors may be incorporated into auto feed shredding apparatuses such as those described in U.S. Patent Application Publications 2005/0274836 A1 and/or 2006/0249609 A1, and/or U.S. Pat. No. 5,884,855.
While the principles of the invention have been made clear in the illustrative embodiments set forth above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made to the structure, arrangement, proportion, elements, materials, and components used in the practice of the invention.
For example, in some embodiments, the shredder 10 or 10a may include a stripper device of alternative configuration, as is described in the incorporated patent application, U.S. application Ser. No. 11/777,827. Such a stripper device may comprise a holding portion and a pivoting portion, and may also be used in accordance with or alternatively to the stripper device 36 to strip paper sheets that are stapled together in the stack 22. In an embodiment, when both stripper devices 36 and are used in shredder 10 or 10a, the devices work in cooperation with the auto feed mechanism or advancement mechanism 23 to feed stapled documents or sheets from the tray. The use of both stripper devices may provide an advantage to the user in that the user does not need to place or orient the documents/sheets in the tray 14 or bed 15 in a specific matter. Specifically, the orientation of the sheets may be such that stapled documents/sheets are placed in the tray 14 with the direction of the staples being adjacent the shredder mechanism 20 and/or behind the feed mechanism 23 (e.g., toward the opening of the tray 14). Despite the orientation of the staples, the devices will provide resistance to at least the top sheet(s) 30 being fed into the cutter elements 21 and pull or strip the sheet(s) 30 from the staple or binding device.
Additionally, features such as rotatable raking mechanism for moving shredded materials adjacent the outlet of a shredder mechanism are also envisioned, in accordance with some embodiments, to be used with the shredder 10 or 10a. An example of such a mechanism which may be used is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/314,182, assigned to the same assignee.
It will thus be seen that the objects of this invention have been fully and effectively accomplished. It will be realized, however, that the foregoing preferred specific embodiments have been shown and described for the purpose of illustrating the functional and structural principles of this invention and are subject to change without departure from such principles. Therefore, this invention includes all modifications encompassed within the spirit and scope of the following claims.
This application is continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/777,827, filed Jul. 13, 2007 and currently pending, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 11777827 | Jul 2007 | US |
| Child | 12579887 | US |
