Patent Application
20150090818
1. Field
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 sheets from a stack of paper 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 A, 2006/0179987 A1, 2006/0249609 A1, and 2006/0249609 A1, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
Other shredders are designed for automatic feeding. The shredder will include a bin in which a state 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. U.S. Pat. Nos. and Publication Nos. 7,828,235 B2, 8,123,152 B2, and 8,167,223 B2, assigned to the same assignee of this disclosure and each of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety, show examples of different types of “auto feed” shredders. With manual feed shredders, the user would have to spend time feeding smaller portions of the stack manually, thus taking away from productivity time.
One aspect of this disclosure provides a shredder. The shredder includes: a housing; a paper shredder mechanism received in the housing and including a motor and cutter elements, the motor rotating the cutter elements in an interleaving relationship for shredding paper sheets fed therein; a tray for holding a stack of paper sheets to be fed into the cutter elements; a movable feed mechanism positioned above the tray, the movable feed mechanism having at least one feed member with at least one elastic arm, the at least one feed member adjacent to the tray for engaging and disengaging the stack with the at least one elastic arm; and a feed driver system constructed to drive the at least one feed member to rotate in a feeding direction with the at least one elastic arm thereof elastically deforming to apply pressure and frictionally feed paper sheets atop the stack to the cutter elements.
In another aspect of the disclosure, a method is provided for advancing articles into cutter elements for shredding. The method includes: providing a tray for holding a stack of articles for feeding into the cutter elements; providing a movable feed mechanism above the tray to advance articles into the cutter elements, the movable feed mechanism having at least one feed member with at least one elastic arm, the at least one feed member adjacent to the tray for engaging and disengaging the stack with the at least one elastic arm; rotating cutter elements in an interleaving relationship for shredding articles fed therein; and driving the movable feed mechanism in a feeding direction to feed articles to the cutter elements from atop the stack of paper sheets in the tray into the rotating cutter elements. The driving of the movable feed mechanism includes rotating the at least one feed member in a feeding direction with the elastic arm thereof elastically deforming to apply pressure and frictionally feed paper sheets atop the stack to the rotating cutter elements.
Another aspect of this disclosure provides a shredder. The shredder includes: a housing; a paper shredder mechanism received in the housing and including a motor and cutter elements, the motor rotating the cutter elements in an interleaving relationship for shredding paper sheets fed therein; a tray for holding a stack of paper sheets to be fed into the cutter elements; a drawer configured for sliding movement between an open position away from the shredder mechanism and a closed position adjacent to the shredder mechanism; a paper feed mechanism positioned above the tray, the paper feed mechanism having at least one feed member adjacent to the tray for engaging and disengaging the stack; a feed driver system constructed to drive the at least one feed member to rotate in a feeding direction to feed paper atop the stack to the cutter elements; and a disengagement mechanism provided adjacent to the paper feed mechanism for holding the paper feed mechanism in an inoperable feeding position when the drawer is in the open position.
Yet another aspect of this disclosure provides a method for operating a shredder for shredding. The method includes: providing a shredder mechanism with cutter elements positioned on parallel shafts; providing a tray for holding a stack of articles for feeding into the cutter elements; providing a drawer configured for sliding movement between an open position away from the shredder mechanism and a closed position adjacent to the shredder mechanism; providing a paper feed mechanism above the tray to advance articles into the cutter elements, the paper feed mechanism having at least one feed member adjacent to the tray for engaging and disengaging the stack; providing a disengagement mechanism adjacent to the paper feed mechanism for holding the paper feed mechanism in an inoperable feeding position when the drawer is in the open position; rotating cutter elements in an interleaving relationship on the parallel shafts for shredding articles fed therein; driving the paper feed mechanism to rotate in a feeding direction to feed articles to the cutter elements from atop the stack of articles in the tray into the rotating cutter elements; moving the drawer into its open position away from the shredder mechanism; and holding the paper feed mechanism in an inoperable feeding position using the disengagement mechanism.
Other features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.
Generally speaking, the shredder 10 may have any suitable construction or configuration and the illustrated embodiment is not intended to be limiting in any way.
The shredder 10 comprises a paper shredder mechanism 20 in the housing 12, and includes a drive system with at least one motor 23, such as an electrically powered motor, and a plurality of cutter elements 21. The cutter elements 21 are mounted on a pair of parallel mounting shafts (shown in
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. The tray 14 has a feed bed 15 and is designed to hold a stack 22 of articles (e.g., see
In an embodiment, the shredder 10 includes a drawer 24. The tray 14 is provided within the drawer 24. The drawer 24 may comprise a hole, an opening, or a handle 29, shown in
The tray 14 is mounted such that paper may be fed from bed 15 of the tray 14 and into the cutter elements 21 of the shredder mechanism 20 (e.g., when the drawer 24 is closed). For example, the tray 14 and shredder mechanism 20 may be mounted horizontally such that the paper is fed into or between the interleaving cutter elements 21 of the shredder mechanism 20 at one end thereof and be destroyed. In an embodiment, the tray 14 has a length extending in a longitudinal direction relative to a longitudinal direction of the housing 12 of the shredder 10, or the shredder 10 itself. In an embodiment, the drawer 24 is mounted in a longitudinal direction relative to the shredder 10 and for movement in a horizontal manner relative to the shredder mechanism 20 (towards and away from it). The shafts of the cutter elements 21 can be positioned laterally or perpendicularly relative to the longitudinal direction of the tray 14, drawer 24, and/or of the shredder housing 12.
In an embodiment, the tray 14 comprises a sloped or curved feed bed 15 (see, e.g.,
Accordingly, the curvature of the feed bed 15 assists in positioning paper for feeding. Moreover, as further explained below, the curvature of the feed bed 15 also assist in feeding paper into the shredder mechanism when at least one feed member 36 is rotated in a feeding direction.
In an embodiment, the drawer 24 or tray 14 is provided with a lid 18, as shown in
In an embodiment, the drawer 24 and/or lid 18 may comprise a safety switch. The safety switch may be used to detect if the drawer or lid is provided in an open position. The safety switch may be coupled to the shredder mechanism 20 to prevent operation of the cutter elements 21 when the drawer 24 and/or lid 18 is in the open position. Similarly, when the drawer 24 and/or lid 18 is in a closed position, the shredder mechanism 20 may be activated to begin operation of, or ready to operate upon queue, the cutter elements 21 and an advancement or feed mechanism, as will be described.
The tray 14, lid 18, or drawer 24 may also comprise a locking mechanism that prevents a user from opening or accessing the tray, which may not be desirable while the shredder is in use. For example, the lid 18 or drawer 24 may include a magnetic latch. Alternatively, the tray or lid or drawer may include a code lock that prevents a user from opening the devices or having access to the tray. For example, a user may need to input a code into a control panel for access to the documents to be shredded in the tray 14.
In an embodiment, the lid 18 and/or drawer 24 may comprise an opening (not shown) for allowing insertion of paper sheets into the tray 14. That is, for example, when the lid 18 and/or drawer 24 are in the closed position, an opening or gap may be formed between the lid and bottom of the tray 14 or feed bed 15. Thus, the tray 14 may also be filled by inserting paper sheets (e.g., a single sheet or a small stack) through the gap and into the feed bed 15 without having to lift the lid 18 or pull open the drawer 24. This feature may be advantageous, for example, where the shredder 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 via the gap.
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.
Although not shown, a control panel may be provided for use with the shredder 10 and may be provided on the machine itself or remotely associated therewith. A screen button, lights, LEDs, or other known devices may be provided on control panel. Generally, the use of a control panel is known in the art. The control panel can be provided to assist the user with the shredder 10 and communicate actions to the controller, e.g., to turn on the shredder mechanism (or off), start or set a timing mechanism or timer, activate or pause the shredder mechanism, lock access to the tray, etc.
The shredder 10 also includes a feed mechanism opposed to or adjacent the tray surface for advancing at least a top sheet from a stack of paper in a tray into the interleaved cutter elements 21 for shredding. That is, shredder 10 is designed with an advancement mechanism for automatically feeding one or more sheets to a shredder mechanism 20 without requiring a user to manually feed individual or a preset quantity of sheets into the cutting elements 21.
In an embodiment, the at least one feed member 36 is mounted on the axle 34 for rotation (as indicated in
The body 28 can be formed from a number of connected portions designed with openings therebetween or therein to accommodate bending or movement as the feed member 36 is rotated. For example, the body 28 can have at least two outer portions or ribs for possible contact with the stack 22 during rotation. The portions of the body 28 are not equidistantly spaced (radially) relative to the axle 34 of rotation when mounted thereon. In an embodiment, such as shown in
The body 28 can be formed from one or more elastic materials. The body 28 and/or its parts can bend, deflect or elastically deform during rotation (e.g., outer portions or ribs can at least temporarily bend or deflect into openings or gaps between the connected portions or ribs), and, based on its elastic properties, for example, resume or return to its original shape after its compression.
The at least one elastic arm 38 extends from the body 28 and includes an elongate body portion 46. The body portion 46 of the elastic arm 38 can extend further relative to and/or into the tray 14. In an embodiment, the body portion 46 of the elastic arm 38 extends in a longitudinal direction relative to the length of the tray 14. In an embodiment, the body portion 46 of the elastic arm 38 extends in a lateral direction relative to the width of the tray 14. In an embodiment, the elastic arm 38 extends both longitudinally and laterally from its body 28 and into the tray 14, e.g., such as shown in
A proximal end of the elongate body portion 46 can connect to the connected at least two outer portions of the body 28, for example, and have a distal end extending into the tray 14. The proximal end of the body portion 46 of the elastic arm 38 acts like a bending or pivot point in that the elastic arm 38 can bend or pivot relative to the body 28 based on applied pressure. The elastic arm 38 extends a first distance or length from the body 28 when measured from the body 28 (e.g., from its pivot point at its proximal end) to its distal end.
As shown in
The fingers 48, as shown in
In accordance with an embodiment, each elastic arm 38 is formed such that its body portion 46 extends in the lateral direction like fingers 48 (e.g., see
In an embodiment, the surface of the elastic arm 38 and/or fingers 48 can be altered to improve its grip on at least the top sheet(s) in the stack. For example, the elastic arm 38 and/or fingers 48 can include a raised pattern or design. In an embodiment, a strip of material (e.g., a rubber strip, with or without a pattern or design) (not shown) can be provided on the elastic arm 38, its body portion 46, and/or fingers 48 to aid in the gripping force applied to the stack 22 during rotation of the feed member 36.
The elastic arm 38 works cooperatively with the curved feed bed 15 of tray 14 as the feed member 36 is rotated. As described below with reference to
As the feed member 36 continues to rotate, the elastic arm 38 is guided along the front end (the end positioned at an angle B) and moves or snaps out of contact with the curved feed bed 15 (into its extended position). This releasing movement of the elastic arm 38, or decompression resulting from the resiliency of the arm, releases the pressure and frictional contact or force applied to the gripped sheet(s). Further, the elasticity of the arm enhances the feeding of the gripped sheet(s) into the shredder mechanism 20 because the decompression or movement of the arm 38 results in the arm 38 snapping into its extended position (relative to the body 28), and thus applies a pushing or shoving force to the gripped sheet(s) towards the cutter elements 21. This pushing, snapping, or shoving force is generated by the resiliency and releasing of the elastic arm, and further advances the gripped sheet(s) into the cutter elements. The elastic arm 38 returns to an extended position relative to the body 28 of the feed member 36 and out of contact with gripped sheet(s).
Further, the elastic arm 38, as shown in
In an embodiment, the at least one elastic arm 38 has a protruding tip 40, shown in
During rotation of the feed member 36 (via rotation of axle 34), the at least one elastic arm 38 elastically deforms to apply pressure to and snaps back into its original shape to frictionally feed paper sheet(s) atop the stack 22 to the cutter elements 21. For example, at least the elastic arm 38, and (optionally) part of the body of the feed member 36 itself, is designed for compression against the stack 22, such as shown in
Thus, the body 28 is formed such that pressure against curved feed bed 15 causes compression of at least the elastic arm 38 against and/or into the body 28 of the feed member 36 and further or deeper insertion of the optional protruding tip 40 into the stack 22 as it drives the sheet(s) from the stack 22 up the curved surface of the curved feed bed 15. The body 28 is also formed such that decompression of at least the elastic arm 38 after disengagement from the curved feed bed 15 causes a snap force that aids in feeding sheet(s) (forwardly) into the cutter elements 21 for shredding.
In an embodiment, the protruding tip 40 is provided in the form of a needle. In an embodiment, the protruding tip 40 is provided in the form of a pin.
In an embodiment, each feed member 36 is integrally molded as a single part (e.g., body 28, elastic arm 38, fingers 48, etc.). In an embodiment, the parts can be molded separately and adhered together. The insert 35 can be added to the feed member 36 after molding, or overmolded. In an embodiment, an insert 35 need not be used, i.e., the opening 33 can be formed to cooperatively fit with the axle 34. The protruding tip 40 can be pushed or inserted through the elastic arm 38 (e.g., into housing 44) after its molding or forming. The protruding tip 40 can be designed such that it is held within and not removable from the housing 44 once inserted (e.g., via a barb, flange, adhesive, etc.). Further, a specific housing 44 need not be provided. That is, the elastic arm 38 itself can accommodate the acceptance and insertion or addition of a needle, pin, or other type of protruding tip 40.
In an embodiment, similar or the same materials are used to form parts of the body 28 and the at least one elastic arm 38. In an embodiment, different materials are used to form parts of the body 28 and the at least one elastic arm 38.
In an embodiment, the feed member 36 is formed from a material having a durometer between approximately 70 to approximately 75 Shore A (inclusive).
In an embodiment, the movable feed mechanism 26 comprises two feed members 36 adjacent to the tray, such as shown in
In an embodiment, the movable feed mechanism 26 includes one or more articulating or pivot arms 30, as shown in
A right side view of parts in the housing 12 are only shown in FIGS. 2 and 6-11. However, it should be understood that parts on a left side are substantially similar to those shown and described in detail below.
The movable feed mechanism 26, therefore, is designed to both rotate the feed member 36 and articulate the pivot arms 30 during said rotation such that frictional force can be used to grasp and feed paper picked from atop a stack 22 into the shredder mechanism 20. As the pivot arms 30 are moved between the lowered position and the raised position, the protruding tip 40 of the at least one elastic arm can remain inserted into the stack 22 or sheets grasped from atop the stack 22. Further, the protruding tip 40 of the at least one elastic arm 38 is configured exert greater pressure on the stack 22 via driving the protruding point into the stack 22 of paper pressing itself and the paper against an opposing (curved) surface of the tray 14 as the pivot arm is moved between the lowered position and the raised position and as at least the elastic arm 38 is temporarily compressed and deformed as it moves about the curved feed bed 15 (during rotation of the feed member 36). The arm 30 can be moved relative to the tray 14 or feed bed 15 so as to allow rotation about axle 34 and deformation of at least the elastic arm 38 of each feed member 36 and rotation thereof while still providing friction to any picked articles or sheets.
Accordingly, the shredder 10 includes a feed driver system constructed and arranged to drive the at least one feed member 36 to rotate about a (horizontal) axis in a feeding direction (arrow F) (via rotation of axle 34) with the at least one elastic arm 38 thereof elastically deforming to apply pressure and frictionally feed paper sheets atop the stack 22 to the cutter elements 21 of the shredder mechanism 20. In an embodiment, the feed driver system is also constructed and arranged to also pivot the pivot arm 30 such that the at least one feed member 36 is moved relatively down into engagement with the stack 22 and out of engagement with the stack 22 as the feed member 36 rotates 360 degrees about its axis on axle 34.
In an embodiment, the shredder 10 includes a driver for moving the at least one feed member 36 and its at least one elastic arm 38 between the lowered and raised positions and a rotary driver connected to the at least one feed member 36 for its rotation.
In an embodiment, the feed driver system includes a driver for rotating the axle to drive an axle 34 to rotate two feed members 36 about an axis in the feeding direction with their elastic arms 38 elastically deforming to apply pressure and frictionally feed paper atop the stack 22 to the cutter elements 21.
The number of feed members 36 mounted on axle 34 is not intended to be limiting. In an embodiment, the movable feed mechanism 26 has a plurality or array of feed members 36 with elastic arms 38 provided for rotation along axle 34. A plurality of feed members 36 aids in covering a greater length or width of the tray 14 (in a horizontal direction) and thus aids in grasping and feeding at least the top sheet(s) of paper from the stack 22.
In an embodiment, the pivot arm 30 is rotated about its axis 32 using a motor(s) and/or drive wheel mechanism(s). In an embodiment, the rotation of the axis 32 of the pivot arm 30 is driven based on the rotation of the shredder mechanism 20. In an embodiment, the pivot arm 30 is articulated and activated for rotation using the same motor 23 used to drive the shredder mechanism 20. In an embodiment, the pivot arm 30 can be free floating about its pivot point on axis 32. The axis 32 can be a same axis as one of the parallel axes of the cutter elements 21 (e.g., see
In an embodiment, the axle 34 and thus feed member(s) 36 of the movable feed mechanism 26 is rotated about its axis using a motor(s) and/or drive wheel mechanism(s). In an embodiment, the rotation of the axle 34 is driven based on the rotation of the shredder mechanism 20. In an embodiment, axle 34 is activated for rotation using the same motor 23 used to drive the shredder mechanism 20. For example, the rotation of the axle 34 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 axle 34 uses a separate motor for rotation.
The rotating feed members 36 and axle 34 can be connected to a spur gear (drive gear) on the axis 32, i.e., an axle or shaft of the cutter elements 21 (as seen in
In an embodiment, each feed member 36 and/or pivot arm 30 is removable or replaceable, for example, if damaged.
In an embodiment, a deflector device 42 is provided. The deflector device 42 has a paper deflecting surface provided above the shredder mechanism that is configured to deflect and direct paper grasped fed by the at least one feed member 36 of the movable feed mechanism 26 into the shredder mechanism 20.
In an embodiment, the deflector 50 or strap 60 can further be used to guide paper during an auto-reverse situation of the cutters 21 of the shredder mechanism 20. For example, the shredder mechanism 20 can be configured to rotate the axles of the cutter elements 21 in an opposite rotational direction (opposite to the shredding direction) upon detection of overload or over limit of fed sheet(s). For example, if the number or thickness of sheet(s) that are fed to the cutter elements is exceeded, a controller can be used to auto-reverse the rotation of the cutter elements 21. The deflector 50 and/or strap 60 can then guide sheet(s) during such auto-reverse situations so as to help guide the sheet(s) back into the tray 14 or drawer 24.
When the shredder 10 is activated, the feed members 36 are lowered to the lower position such that at least the elastic arms 38 engage the top of the stack 22, as shown in
The advantage of raising and lowering the feed members 36 in an upward and downward movement is that it reduces jamming from occurring and accommodates the deformation of the elastic arms 38 as the axle is rotated. Additionally, a curved feed bed 15 also aids to prevent jamming.
The variability of the curve of the curved feed bed 15 along with the force exerted by at least the elastic arms 38 of the feed members 36 (and optional fingers 48 or rubber strip) on the curved portion of the tray 14 can all be considered and to control an amount of paper entering into cutter elements 21 per rotation of the elastic arms 38.
In an embodiment, the movement of the feed members 36 need only be used to advance sheet(s) partially, such that the cutter elements 21 themselves grasp and pull the rest of the sheet(s) therebetween.
In accordance with an embodiment, the feed mechanism 26 may be moved or lifted to a third position, i.e., an inoperative or inoperable feed position away from the stack in the tray 14. For example, in an embodiment, when the drawer 24 of the shredder is moved or pulled out to its open position, at least the feed members 36 of the feed mechanism 26 are moved up or lifted up to a higher position away from the feed bed 15 of the tray 14 such that paper or articles may be inserted into the feed bed 15 of the tray 14, e.g., via movement of the axle 34 and pivot arms 30. Further, the feed members 36 can be inhibited from rotation. After insertion of the articles into the stack 22, the drawer 24 can be pushed or moved to its closed position adjacent to the shredder mechanism 20.
To lift the feed mechanism 26 into its third or inoperative feeding position when the drawer 24 is moved or slid into the open position (e.g., by pulling on handle 29), the drawer includes a guide channel with an opening 25 with guide walls 27, such as shown in
In an embodiment, the pivot angle of the pivot arms 30 is about 30 degrees to about 40 degrees. However, such angles are not intended to be limiting. The pivot angle for the pivot arms 30 can vary depending on a depth of the tray 14 and a total rated quantity for the machine (e.g., the higher the stack of paper, the larger the degree of movement needed to disengage with the stack when the drawer is open).
To hold or maintain the axle 34, the pivot arms 30, and thus the feed mechanism 26 in the inoperable feeding position when the drawer 24 is in the open position, at least one disengagement mechanism 50 or retainer is provided adjacent to the feed mechanism 26. In an embodiment, a disengagement mechanism 50 is provided near either end of the axle 34 (e.g., see
The paddles 50 rotate about pivot points 52 into and out of activation to lift and/or hold and release the axle 34. A torsion spring can be provided at each pivot point 52 to bias the retainer 50 in an upright or extended position when the drawer 24 is in the open position. Thus, as the drawer 24 is moved away from the shredder mechanism 20, the retainer 50 pivots as a result of the force from the torsion spring from a storage position to an extended holding position when the drawer is pulled out. The action of closing the drawer 24 pushes the retainer 50 about the pivot point 52 past the upright or extended position against the torsional force of the torsion spring via pivoting it downwardly so as to release the drive axle 34 (from the top surface of the retainer 50) as to allow the drive axle 34 to be guided back towards the stack 22.
The drawer 24 only has to be partially open as to initiate the movement of the axle 34 up along walls 27 of the guide channel on its way to rest on the top surface of the extended, biased retainer 50. The action of opening the drawer 24 allows the retainer 50 to pivot to its extended position (e.g., a vertical orientation).
In addition to guiding movement of the feed mechanism 26 into a third position, the opening 25 and wall 27 in the drawer 24 further provided clearance for when the axle 34 is moved between its lowered and raised positions.
In an embodiment, the shredder 10 includes a safety switch for detecting if the drawer 24 or lid 18 is moved to the open position. The safety switch is coupled to the shredder mechanism 20 and constructed and arranged to prevent operation of the cutter elements when the drawer or lid is in the open position. The shredder may also comprise any number of sensors. In an embodiment, a sensor is provided in tray 14, feed bed 15, and/or drawer 24 for sensing the presence of paper sheets or a stack 22. The sensor may be used to communicate with a controller in the shredder mechanism 20 that sheets are ready to be shredded or destroyed, or to communicate with the feed driver system. The presence of sheets may also start a timer for controlling at least a start time for rotating the feed mechanism 26. A time delay may also be activated such that a feed mechanism 26 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. Additionally, audio sensors may be used with tray 14, bed 15, or drawer 24. For example, a sensor may be able to pick-up audio signals or sounds when paper is shredding or as paper is lifted. Further, in an embodiment, the pivot arms 30 may be activated and articulated (e.g., up and down or pivotally) when the lid 18 or drawer 24 is closed. When the drawer 24 is opened or the lid 18 is lifted to access the tray 14, the motor may be deactivated via sensor detection, thus the feed mechanism 26 is prevented from movement (e.g., pivotally or up and down, or the rotation of, or both).
As the drawer is moved to its closed position adjacent to the shredder mechanism 20, the paper feed mechanism is released from holding the feed mechanism 26 in the inoperable position. That is, as the drawer is pushed forward, at least the axle 34 is moved along the back edge of the drawer 24 and guided downwardly along the wall 27 of the guide channels into the opening 25. It is thus moved to an operable position for advancing the articles into the cutter elements 21 of the shredder mechanism 20.
The shredder 10 may also comprise a control panel (not shown).
A power switch (not shown) may also be provided on the shredder 10. The power switch may be provided on tray 14, for example, or anywhere else on the shredder 10. The power switch can include a manually engageable portion connected to a switch module (not shown). Movement of the manually engageable portion of switch moves the switch module between states. The switch module is communicated to a controller (not shown) 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 is likewise communicated to the motor of the shredder mechanism 20. When the switch is moved to an on position, the controller can send an electrical signal to the drive of the motor so that it rotates the cutting elements 21 of the shredder mechanism 20 in a shredding direction, thus enabling paper sheets to be fed therein. The switch may also be moved to an off position, which causes the controller to stop operation of the motor. Further, the switch may also have an idle or ready position (which can communicate with an optional control panel, for example). The switch module contains appropriate contacts for signaling the position of the switch's manually engageable portion. Generally, the construction and operation of the switch and controller for controlling the motor are well known and any construction for these may be used. Also, the switch need not have distinct positions corresponding to on/off/idle, and these conditions may be states selected in the controller by the operation of the switch.
The shredder 10 may have any suitable construction or configuration and the illustrated embodiments are not intended to be limiting in any way.
The advancement or feed mechanisms 26 for “automatically” feeding one or more sheets as shown in
One major advantage of the described advancement mechanisms in shredder 10 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 is activated. Another advantage is that the shredder 10 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.
Optionally, the shredder 10 may be utilized in a system having a centrally located shredder unit for a multitude of users. For example, the shredder 10 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 drawer 24 of the shredder 10.
As noted above with respect to
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.
Accordingly, this disclosure is directed towards a shredder that includes: a housing; a paper shredder mechanism received in the housing and including a motor and cutter elements, the motor rotating the cutter elements in an interleaving relationship for shredding paper sheets fed therein; a tray for holding a stack of paper sheets to be fed into the cutter elements; a movable feed mechanism positioned above the tray, the movable feed mechanism having at least one feed member with at least one elastic arm, the at least one feed member adjacent to the tray for engaging and disengaging the stack with the at least one elastic arm; and a feed driver system constructed to drive the at least one feed member to rotate in a feeding direction with the at least one elastic arm thereof elastically deforming to apply pressure and frictionally feed paper sheets atop the stack to the cutter elements.
Also provided is a method for advancing articles into cutter elements for shredding. The method includes: providing a tray for holding a stack of articles for feeding into the cutter elements; providing a movable feed mechanism above the tray to advance articles into the cutter elements, the movable feed mechanism having at least one feed member with at least one elastic arm, the at least one feed member adjacent to the tray for engaging and disengaging the stack with the at least one elastic arm; rotating cutter elements in an interleaving relationship for shredding articles fed therein; and driving the movable feed mechanism in a feeding direction to feed articles to the cutter elements from atop the stack of paper sheets in the tray into the rotating cutter elements. The driving of the movable feed mechanism includes rotating the at least one feed member in a feeding direction with the elastic arm thereof elastically deforming to apply pressure and frictionally feed paper sheets atop the stack to the rotating cutter elements.
This disclosure also describes a shredder that includes: a housing; a paper shredder mechanism received in the housing and including a motor and cutter elements, the motor rotating the cutter elements in an interleaving relationship for shredding paper sheets fed therein; a tray for holding a stack of paper sheets to be fed into the cutter elements; a drawer configured for sliding movement between an open position away from the shredder mechanism and a closed position adjacent to the shredder mechanism; a paper feed mechanism positioned above the tray, the paper feed mechanism having at least one feed member with at least one elastic arm adjacent to the tray, the at least one feed member adjacent to the tray for engaging and disengaging the stack with the at least one elastic arm; a feed driver system constructed to drive the at least one feed member to rotate in a feeding direction to feed paper atop the stack to the cutter elements; and a disengagement mechanism provided adjacent to the paper feed mechanism for holding the at least one feed member in an inoperable feeding position when the drawer is in the open position.
Also, this disclosure provides a method for operating a shredder for shredding. The method includes: providing a shredder mechanism with cutter elements positioned on parallel shafts; providing a tray for holding a stack of articles for feeding into the cutter elements; providing a drawer configured for sliding movement between an open position away from the shredder mechanism and a closed position adjacent to the shredder mechanism; providing a paper feed mechanism above the tray to advance articles into the cutter elements, the paper feed mechanism having at least one feed member with at least one elastic arm adjacent to the tray, the at least one feed member positioned adjacent to the tray for engaging and disengaging the stack with the at least one elastic arm; providing a disengagement mechanism adjacent to the paper feed mechanism for holding the paper feed mechanism in an inoperable feeding position when the drawer is in the open position; rotating cutter elements in an interleaving relationship on the parallel shafts for shredding articles fed therein; driving the paper feed mechanism to rotate in a feeding direction to feed articles to the cutter elements from atop the stack of articles in the tray into the rotating cutter elements; moving the drawer into its open position away from the shredder mechanism; and holding the paper feed mechanism in an inoperable feeding position using the disengagement mechanism.
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.
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.
