GB2111437A

GB2111437A - Combined pencil box and sharpener

Info

Publication number: GB2111437A
Application number: GB08137586A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ming-Hung Lin
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1981-12-14
Filing date: 1981-12-14
Publication date: 1983-07-06

Abstract

A pencil box comprises a tray 12 for holding pencils, a pencil sharpener 122 mounted on the tray and arranged to discharge pencil sharpenings under gravity through the tray, an opening in the side wall of the tray in registry with the mouth of the pencil sharpener so that the end of a pencil can be taken into the pencil sharpener through the opening, and a drawer 13 slidably mounted below the tray 12 so as to collect pencil sharpenings from the pencil sharpener. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Pencil box with built-in pencil sharpener This invention relates to a pencil box with a built-in sharpener.

Conventional pencil boxes do not have any device for sharpening a pencil or grinding the tip of the lead of the pencil. Pencils and pencil boxes are frequently used by primary school pupils. The pencil box was originally and mainly designed for pupils bringing pencils or similar appliances with them for use at school. The pencils in general used by these pupils are those which require frequent sharpening. Therefore, before writing or drawing something, they have to frequently sharpen their pencils or grind the lead in order to keep a suitable sharpness of pencil lead. Therefore, they have to bring separate pencil sharpening and grinding appliances with them when they go to school.

Nowadays there are portable small-size rotary pencil sharpeners on sale for pupil's use at school, but they are liable to be lost because their volume is rather small. Particularly when sharpening the pencil, the pencil chips and lead dust have to be put in a waste bin or a piece of paper or some container has to be put below the sharpener, otherwise the pencil chips or lead dust will fall on the floor which is undesirable. Therefore, using the conventional small-size pencil sharpener is extremely inconvenient.

The present invention has been developed with a view to providing a pencil box with a buiit-in pencil sharpener, so as to avoid the necessity to provide a separate pencil sharpener, and which is able to collect pencil sharpenings which are formed in use of the pencil sharpener.

According to the invention there is provided a pencil box comprising a tray having one side for holding pencils, a pencil sharpener mounted on the tray and arranged so that in use pencil sharpenings fall under gravity through the tray to the opposite side thereof, an opening formed in a side wall of the tray in registry with the mouth of the pencil sharpener so that the end of a pencil may be inserted into the pencil sharpener through said opening, and a drawer removably mounted below the tray in order to collect pencil sharpenings which fall from the pencil sharpener.

One embodiment of pencil box according to the invention will now be described in detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the pencil box from below, and partly broken-away; Figure 2 is an exploded view illustrating a pencil-holding tray, a removable drawer for collecting pencil sharpenings and a removable cover of the pencil box; and Figure 3 is a detail view illustrating the mounting of a pencil sharpener in the tray.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a pencil box 10 comprising a pencil-holding tray 12, a removable drawer 13 slidably mounted below the tray 12, and a removable cover 11 which fits over the side walls of the tray 12 and the drawer 1 3.

The tray 12 has a built-in pencil sharpener 122 which is mounted at one end of the tray within a compartment defined by walls of the tray, and an opening is formed in a side wall of the tray which is in registry with the mouth of the pencil sharpener 122 so that the end of a pencil can enter the sharpener via the opening in the side wall of the tray.

The tray 1 2 serves to hold pencils on one side, and the pencil sharpener 122 opens to the opposite, lower side of the tray so that pencil sharpenings may fall under gravity through the tray. As shown in Figure 2, an upper aperture formed in the pencil sharpener compartment of the tray, above the pencil sharpener 122, receives an abrasive plate (or grinding slate 123) which can be used to carry out fine sharpenings of the "iead" of a pencil (after first removing the cover 11). The pencil sharpener 122 per se may be of conventional form (as supplied as a separate item), comprising a holder 124, and a blade 126 which is mounted in the holder by means of a screw 127 (see Figure 3). The holder 124 is directly integrated with the tray 12, e.g. mouldedin.The cover 11, tray 12 and drawer 13 are made of plastics material, preferably injection-moulded synthetic resin. The plate 1 23 is an artificial abrasion-resistant permanent slate which is fixed to a flange 125 of the holder 124, and can be cleaned with wet cotton or rag if it becomes dirty in use.

The drawer 13 is removably mounted on the pencil box, in that it is slidably mounted on the tray 12 for movement in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axes of the tray and drawer. To mount the drawer on the tray, tongue and groovetype connections are provided at each end of the pencil box, taking the form of an L-shaped strip 121 which depends from the tray 12 at each end and defines an outwardly facing groove (see Figure 2) in which a respective inwardly extending tongue or holding edge 131 of the drawer 13 can be received.

The drawer 13 serves to collect pencil sharpenings and lead dust which fall from the pencil sharpener, thereby preventing discharge of the sharpenings to the surrounding area, and when the drawer is full, e.g. after sharpening up to say 6 pencils, it can readily be removed from the pencil box and its contents emptied into a waste bin.

The cover 11 is removably mounted on the tray 12 and the drawer 13, and has an opening 111 in its side wall which registers with the opening in the side wall of the tray 12 (and with the pencil sharpener) so that a pencil can be inserted in the pencil sharpener without the necessity to remove the cover 11.

The embodiment of pencil box disclosed herein provides a portable pencil box having the convenience of a built-in pencil sharpener, and the advantage that no mess is created during pencil sharpening, in that the waste is collected in the drawer and emptied at intervals into a waste container.

Claims

1. A pencil box comprising a tray having one side for holding pencils, a pencil sharpener mounted on the tray and arranged so that in use pencil sharpenings fall under gravity through the tray to the opposite side thereof, an opening formed in a side wall of the tray in registry with the mouth of the pencil sharpener so that the end of a pencil may be inserted into the pencil sharpener through said opening, and a drawer removably mounted below the tray in order to collect pencil sharpenings which fall from the pencil sharpener.

2. A pencil box according to claim 1, in which the drawer is slidably mounted on the tray.

3. A pencil box according to claim 2, in which the drawer and the tray are generally elongate, and the drawer is slidable relative to the tray in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axes of the tray and the drawer.

4. A pencil box according to claim 3, in which the drawer is slidably mounted on the tray by means of tongue and groove-type connections provided one at each of the opposite ends of the tray and the drawer.

5. A pencil box according to any one of the preceding claims, in which an abrasive plate is mounted on the pencil sharpener on said one side of the tray for use in carrying out fine sharpening of the lead of a pencil.

6. A pencil box according to any one of the preceding claims, including a cover removably mounted on said tray in order to form a closed box for the pencils.

7. A pencil box according to claim 6, in which the cover has an opening which is in registry with said opening in the side wall of the tray so that the end of a pencil can enter the pencil sharpener without the necessity to remove the cover.

8. A pencil box according to claim 1 and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in the accompanying drawings.