EP2152422B1 - Document shredder - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a document shredder with a safety device which permits manual intervention through the supply channel for sheet-like, e.g. Paper, or the like material to the cutting unit in operation prevents, in particular the grasping by not in the operation of shredders instructed persons such. As children or persons of the public traffic.

Known shredders with safety devices that put the drive unit of the cutting mechanism of the shredder when approaching a person, especially with their hands in the vicinity of the Materialzuführschachtes out of service. These safety devices are used as switching pulse sensors that respond to touch or already approach, such. B. electronic or optical sensors. As a disadvantage has been found in such safety devices that the sensors often react too early during insertion of the material to be shredded and approaching the insertion shaft and the shredder interrupts the operation unintentionally or adjusts.

Furthermore, shredders from the utility model DE 20 2004 000 907 U1 known, in the inlet region for the material to be shredded a flap is arranged, which narrows the feed channel except for a narrow inlet path and thus prevents the risk of injury by intervention to the cutting unit. Due to the conical shape of the flap caused by the swath, however, it can come to jamming thicker material to be cut, such as. B. in the supply of thicker cardboard or a number of sheets which is greater than the maximum number of sheets specified in the instruction manual for the shredder concerned, since this can be easily introduced at the beginning of the conical inlet runway, and jammed in the rear, tapered area. Increased workload, injuries to the operator when forcibly pulling out the jammed as well as permanent deformations in the feed area can be disadvantageous consequences.

Therefore, in known shredders - usually - the free passage in the feed, so the channel width, greater than the maximum thickness of the material, resulting from the predetermined maximum number of sheets. As a result, with carelessness of the operator too more sheets than the predetermined maximum number of sheets, that is, material thickness, is supplied. At least when supplying material greater than the maximum thickness of material over a longer period of time, the drive of the cutting mechanism heats up excessively, not infrequently leading to overheating with the known consequences.

Therefore, recently in the manuals of shredders under the heading 'safety regulations' above-average information on the maximum number of sheets as well as the maximum possible uninterrupted operating time of the cutting unit and the rest specified, especially for shredders in the lower price segment.

In order to protect the drive of the shredder from overheating, the drive or its control unit is associated with a thermally acting securing element, which stops the drive of the cutting unit when a desired size is exceeded.

Furthermore, there is a risk that the operator feeds injuries caused by bruising when the material to be shredded, such. B. several sheets of paper or foil, forms a loop when pulling, and one or more fingers of the operator are in selbiger and are pulled by the force of the feeder in the tapered passage and jammed there.

Said document shredders are offered in various categories of performance and application. So z. For example, in the low-priced home office sector, for private use or for use as a stand-alone device for individual workstations or as so-called office or floor units or for service providers (such as mobile shredding companies).

The prevailing for some time intense cost pressure in these devices has meant that especially for low-priced equipment, a corresponding material quality was used for the production or is designed borderline in the dimensioning of the components. This resulted in injuries to persons on the market, including children, who were able to reach with their limbs through the narrow but under pressure expanding material supply gap, thus also came to the underlying cutting and were injured.

Therefore, international security requirements for shredders have been greatly tightened, requiring new solutions.

Furthermore, from the DE 41 21 330 A1 known to design a wall of the feed slot movable and to couple with a cutter for the cutting unit.

Furthermore, it is from the US 2006/005 4725 A1 known to provide no probe element in the feed slot, which is the width thereof limited, but to form the feed shaft itself conical and to store movable in the feed direction, so that upon pressure on the movable feed shaft in the feed direction due to a too thick material supplied detected the displacement of the feed shaft and the cutting unit is stopped.

Furthermore, it is from the JP 200 223 9405 known to arrange a probe element immediately behind the end of the feed slot and thus to detect the thickness of the supplied material and possibly turn off the cutting unit.

Furthermore, it is from the US 2006/021 9827 A1 , which forms the closest prior art, known to provide a movable sensing element which penetrates one of the side walls of the supply channel and projects into it, so that upon supply of a thick material or material stack of this probe element is deflected and shut down the cutting unit via a switch.

The penetration of the channel wall by this probe element is not provided several times side by side in this document.

The object of the invention is therefore to develop a document shredder said type so that it meets the increased safety requirements with respect to the avoidance of said malfunction as well as the prevention of interference with the current cutting mechanism, even when passing through the Feeding channel, at the same time the cost of a shredder should remain relatively low.

The object is achieved by a document shredder according to the invention with the features of claim 1. The subordinate claims 2 to 12 disclose advantageous embodiments of the invention.

The invention relates to a document shredder with a housing, preferably a two-part, which is composed of a lower housing part and a housing upper part. In the housing, a cutting unit is arranged together with the drive unit and control unit. Above the cutting unit is a feed channel for substantially sheet-shaped material. The feed channel has an overhead inlet opening, which is embedded in the top of the housing or is integrated in a provided in the top of the housing recess or recess. The feed channel ends in its outlet opening, which is aligned with the material intake gap of the cutting mechanism. In essence, the feed channel consists of two narrow walls which are at a distance from each other, as well as a guide wall and a substantially parallel counterwall spaced from the latter.
This document shredder is placed or attached to the lower edge of its upper housing part on a frame, preferably a cabinet-like frame. The lower housing part of his housing protrudes into the frame. The collection bin for collecting the shredded material is positioned in the rack.

The collecting container can be a flexible or a container with solid walls.
The shredder can also be placed directly removable on a collecting container.

In a novel design is now provided with such a shredder that in the housing at least one, at least one of the two wide walls of the guide channel, so at least the guide wall or at least the opposite wall, several times durchreifendes, partially in the feed channel heineinragendes feeler element is arranged and that way is arranged that selbiges actuates a switch when deflected from a desired position, whereby the drive of the cutting unit is interrupted immediately.
However, the outlet opening or the channel width in the region of the outlet opening is basically chosen so that a reaching through a child's hand or fingers of a child's hand is excluded. It is preferably also provided that the lateral spacing of the sections of the feeler element extending into the feed channel relative to each other is smaller than the thickness of a finger of a "standard hand", this standard hand being specified by national standards institutes.

However, in order to achieve at least a shutdown of the rotating movement of the cutting parts of the cutting unit, when using unusual operations an object through the narrow outlet opening of the feed channel, possibly under deliberate force to be passed through, the above-described new probe element acts additionally as a safety device.

On the other hand, this probe element can be used to ensure that when feeding the feed channel with a number of sheets that is greater than the number specified in the device parameters sheet number, also a shutdown of the rotating parts of the cutting mechanism, so overloading the cutting mechanism or the drive of the cutting unit is prevented from the outset.

According to another embodiment, it is also provided that the new safety device, so the new probe element and the switch is provided in a first desired position for switching on the drive and when reaching or exceeding a second target position, the shutdown of the drive Cutting mechanism causes.

According to another embodiment, it is specifically provided that at least portions of the probe element are rotatable. As a result, additional friction effects are avoided, which has a positive effect on the required drive power. It can on the one hand the Tastelement itself be a rotationally symmetric component, which has a plurality of radially directed recesses; so to speak in plan view has a comb-like shape. In this case, this rotationally symmetrical probe element is mounted with its axis of rotation behind the respective channel wall, preferably the counter wall, such that a region of the quasi-protruding discs protrudes through one of the apertures provided in the opposite wall, into the feed channel.

The probe element may also be designed in a further embodiment, however, that on an axis a plurality of discs are rotatably mounted, which are each spaced by a spacer to each other.

According to a further embodiment, the probe element consists of a non-rotationally symmetrical part, in which, however, slightly protruding rotating elements are provided on the guided through the apertures, extending into the feed channel portion of the probe element.

According to a further embodiment, it is provided that between the probe element and the switch, a transmission unit or - is arranged element for forwarding a change in location of the probe element to the switch. Preferably, a lever mounted pivotably about a lathe axis is arranged there. With this Interposition of a transformer between the probe element and the switch is achieved that upon deflection of the probe element from its desired position out, this movement is sensitively transmitted to the switch with which the drive of the cutting unit is stopped.
In particular, the axis of rotation of the lever on which the probe element is mounted, with respect to its contact with the switch arranged so that the deflection of the probe element is transmitted from a predetermined desired position with a reduction on the moving part of the switch. This reduction is preferably in the range 1.5: 1 to 20: 1.

In addition, it is also provided in a special embodiment that the lever for positioning in a desired position is connected to a force accumulator. In a further embodiment of the invention it is provided that the axis of rotation of the lever is arranged above the probe element or below the probe element.

Preferably, the lever is designed as a straight line, but may - according to the free spaces present in the housing - also be an arcuate part, preferably have an L-shaped form.

According to a further embodiment, the transmission element or parts of a transmission unit pivots, not about an axis, but the movable element of the transfer unit is guided on an inclined plane.

According to a further embodiment, the rotatable areas / sections of the probe are driven, wherein the drive of the rotatable areas / sections of the probe is synchronous with the Drehwegung of the cutting rollers.

With the transmission unit or the transmission element, which allows a stocky and thus sensitive forwarding of the change in location of the probe element with respect to its desired position on the switch, a component or an assembly for a shredder is created, which can be used in shredders of different performance classes. Thus, in addition to the safety-relevant effects, a positive effect is additionally brought about for the production process of shredders by increasing the degree of repetition. Said module can thus be used in a shredder with a maximum throughput of 7 sheets, but also in a shredder, which due to its designed drive power an intended cutting performance of e.g. 17 sheets.

Fig. 1

in Perspektivansicht einen Aktenvernichter mit einem schrankartigen Unterbau,

Fig. 2

einen Querschnitt durch den Aktenvernichter nach Fig. 1 und

Fig. 3

eine Draufsicht auf das Tastelement der neuen Sicherungseinrichtung.

The invention will be explained below with reference to an embodiment schematically illustrated in drawings in detail and in more detail. Show

Fig. 1

in perspective view a document shredder with a cabinet-like substructure,

Fig. 2

a cross section through the shredder after Fig. 1 and

Fig. 3

a plan view of the probe element of the new safety device.

The FIG. 1 shows a standing on a footprint "E" shredder 1, the frame 4 is designed as a cabinet-like base. The front side 4a of the cabinet-like frame 4 is at the same time the door 4b. In the interior of the cabinet-like frame 4 of the collecting container for collecting the crushed material is positioned.

That - see also in FIG. 2 - consisting of an upper housing part 2a and a lower housing part 2b housing 2 of the shredder 1 is placed with its upper housing part 2a on the cabinet-like frame 4; the lower housing part 2b is located inside the side walls of the frame 4.
In the housing 2, the two counter rotating cutting rollers 9a, 9b having cutting 9 is arranged together with the document shredder 1 belonging - not shown here - at least one drive unit and a control unit, by means of which the cutting unit 9 is put into operation or out of order.

Above the cutting mechanism 9, a feed channel 5, in particular in the housing upper part 2a, is arranged for in particular sheet-shaped material.
This feed channel 5 is - see in FIG. 3 - Formed by two spaced-apart narrow walls 5a, 5d and a guide wall 5b and a spaced opposite opposing wall 5c, wherein the feed channel 5 itself preferably integrally formed and in particular an integral part of the upper housing part 2a.
The inlet opening 7 of the feed channel 5 breaks through the upper side of the upper housing part 2 a or is integrated in a housing recess or recess provided in the upper side of the upper housing part 2 a. The feed channel 5 terminates in an outlet opening 8, which is arranged corresponding to the material feed-in gap 9c of the cutting unit 9. The guide wall 5b and the oppositely spaced opposite wall 5c extend conically towards the outlet opening 8. In the guide wall 5b ', an optical sensor 11 is arranged, which gives a signal for switching on the cutting unit 9 when introducing a material to be cut into the feed channel 5.
In the one wide wall of the feed channel 5, the opposite wall 5c, a plurality of openings 5e are distributed over the entire width of the feed channel 5 distributed. Through these openings 5e pass through portions 12a of a probe element 12 into the feed channel 5, see Figures 2 and 3 , The remaining distance, the Passage "D", between the portions 12a of the feeler element 12 and the opposite wall, here the guide wall 5b, is smaller than the smallest channel width "B" of the feed channel 5 in the region of its outlet opening eighth
The lateral distance A1 adjacent sections 12a of the probe element 12 to each other is not greater than the finger thickness of the already mentioned "standard hand", the same applies to the distance A2 between the respective laterally last section 12a of the probe element 12 and the respective lateral wall 5a and 5d the feed channel 5, so that over the entire length of the feed channel 5 no area is present through which a child could stick his finger without the safety device is actuated.

The integrally formed in the embodiment variant shown probe element 12 is mounted on at least one, preferably two levers 16 on both sides; preferably rotatably mounted 13. As a result, when sheet-like material is fed through the feed channel 5, at least the sections 12a of the feeler element 12 projecting through the openings 5e rotate in the feed direction, so that no additional frictional effects occur when the material is introduced. On the other hand, the corresponding sections 12a of the feeler element 12 move in reversing the cutting unit 9 in the opposite direction and offer no additional friction effects here. The lever 16 is fixed by means of a force storage device, here with one attached to a base 19 Tension spring 18, positioned on a stop 6. As a result, it is achieved that the sections 12a of the feeler element 12 reaching into the feed channel 5 lie in a predetermined desired position and thus determine the amount of the passage "D". Compared to the attacking force memory 18 is on the lever 16, a switch 15, preferably a micro-button, arranged so that upon deflection of the lever 16 - ie a change in location with respect to the desired position - according to directional arrow 14, the power supply to drive the cutting unit is interrupted or from the switch 15, a control signal is sent to the control unit of the shredder for switching off the cutting unit. In principle, it is also provided that the response point of the micro-probe is variably adjustable, whereby the passage "D" can be assigned a tolerance range.
In order to keep the amount of the passage "D" variable, it is on the other hand - not shown here - possible to perform the position of the stop 6 with respect to the lever 16 variably adjustable.

In the FIG. 2 is the upper portion of the opposite wall 5c provided with the reference numeral 5c 'and this portion has a different hatching. It is stated here that this subarea of the counterwall 5c can be designed very differently, depending on the intended field of use of the shredder concerned. Thus, the obliquely vertically extending portion of this component can be curved more be curved or polygonal, but can also take an almost vertical position. On the other hand, but also the color scheme compared to the other areas of the housing top be different, so purely referenced with the coloring on the present here at the document shredder dangerous area.

References directory

1

paper shredder

2

casing

2a

Housing top

2 B

Housing bottom

3

receptacle

4

frame

4a

front

4b

door

5

Feed channel, for sheet material

5a

Narrow wall, right

5b

guide wall

5c

against wall

5c '

Section of pos. 5c

5d

Narrow wall, left

5e

Breakthroughs in pos. 5c

6

attack

7

inlet opening

8th

outlet opening

9

cutting

9a, 9b

cutting rollers

9c

Material intake gap at pos. 9

10

switch

11

optical sensor

12

scanning element

12a

Sections at pos.12

13

arrow

14

arrow

15

switch

16

lever

17

axis of rotation

18

Power accumulator (tension spring)

19

Base

A1

Distance between adjacent sections of the probe element

A2

Distance between the outer portion of the probe element and the channel wall

B

channel width

D

passage

e

footprint

Claims (12)

1. A file shredder, comprising:

   - a housing (2),

   - a cutting device (9) including a drive unit and a control unit, the cutting device arranged in the housing (2),

   - a feed channel (5) configured for sheet material and arranged above the cutting device, the feed channel including;

   - an inlet opening (7) originating from a top side of the housing (2) and

   - an outlet opening (8) that is aligned with a material pull in gap (9c) of the cutting device (9),

   - wherein the feed channel (5) is formed by two narrow walls (5a, d) and a support wall (5b) and an opposite wall (5c),

   - at least one movable scan element (12) arranged in the housing (2) which scan element reaches partially through at least one of the wide walls (5b, 5c) of the support channel (5) and partially protrudes into the support channel (5),

   - wherein the scan element (12) actuates a switch when the scan element is displaced from a nominal position and interrupts the drive of the cutting device (9),

   characterized in that
   the at least one movable scan element (12) partially reaches through the wall plural times.
2. The file shredder according to claim 1,
   characterized in that
   at least portions of the scan element (12) are rotatable.
3. The file shredder according to claim 1 or 2,
   characterized in that
   a transmission element, advantageously a lever (16) that is pivotably supported about a rotation axis (17) is arranged between the scanning element (12) and the switch (15), wherein the transmission element transmits a motion of the scanning element (12) to the switch (15).
4. The file shredder according to claim 3,
   characterized in that
   the rotation axis (17) of the lever (16) is arranged above the scanning element (12).
5. The file shredder according to claim 3,
   characterized in that
   the rotation axis (17) of the lever (16) is arranged below the scanning element (12).
6. The file shredder according to claim 3, 4 or 5,
   characterized in that
   the lever (16) is configured straight.
7. The file shredder according to claim 3, 4 or 5, characterized in that the lever (16) is configured as an arcuate component.
8. The file shredder according to claim 3, 4 or 5,
   characterized in that
   the lever (16) is L-shaped.
9. The file shredder according to claim 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8,
   characterized in that
   the lever (16) is connected with a force storage device which positions the lever in a nominal end position.
10. The file shredder according to one of the claims 3 through 9,
    characterized in that
    the rotatable portions of the scanning element (12) are driven.
11. The file shredder according to claim 10,
    characterized in that
    the drive of the rotatable portions of the scanning element (12) is synchronized with a rotation of cutting rollers (9a, 9b).
12. The file shredder according to one of the claims 3 through 11,
    characterized in that
    the transmission element, advantageously the lever (16), is arranged with respect to a contact with the switch (15) so that a change of a dimension of a pass through (D) relative to a predeterminal nominal value is transferred to the movable portion of the switch (15) with a step down transmission, advantageously a step down transmission in a range of 1.5 : 1 to 20 : 1.

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