TWM582872U - Automatic paper-feeding shredder - Google Patents

Abstract

The present author provides an automatic paper shredder that operates by using a counter-rotating belt to clamp the paper from the bottom of the stack of paper and push the layer into the shredder mechanism. The continuous layer is pulled from the laminate and shredded to enable the entire stack of hundreds of layers of paper to be shredded without operator intervention. The belt that achieves automatic feeding is housed in a roller belt assembly that can be easily removed from the shredder and reinserted into the shredder. In this way, the user only removes the component and inserts a new one when the belt becomes worn and the paper is no longer effectively clamped. This wear component can be returned to the manufacturer for refurbishment.

Description

Automatic paper shredder

This creation relates to shredders and more particularly to an automatic paper shredder having a user replaceable portion.

Modern shredders for shredding include a counter-rotating shaft that supports the blades and a spacer such that paper passing between the blades is effectively shredded. The maximum layer capacity of this shredder depends on the strength of the motor and the limitations of the cutting blade and the rotating shaft. While multiple units can operate small stacks of 10-20 layers, when a large amount of paper must be destroyed, the user is required to stand next to the unit and continuously feed the stack of paper within the maximum layer capacity of the unit. If even a relatively small number of layers is to be shredded, it is usually necessary for the user to get up and walk to the shredder because most units must supply a relatively small amount of paper at a time, ie they cannot be shredded. Paper laminate.

The problem of conveniently shredding large laminations can be solved by a shredder equipped with some type of automatic feeding mechanism that allows automatic feeding of the shredder from a large gear stack. U.S. Patent No. 5,362, 002, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety in its entirety in the the the the the the the The supply device includes: an angled tray mounted to the top of the device adjacent the shredder roller assembly; a rotating shaft rotatably mounted on the tray; a tensioning spring coupled to the rotating shaft and the tray; and at least one push A rod having a rod portion that is pivotally connected. Lift one or more layers of paper from the top of the paper stack in the tray and transfer them to the shredder In the entrance. A similar arrangement is found in U.S. Patent No. 5,884,855, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, for its utility for the utility of the utility of the utility of the utility of the utility of the present invention. All of these automatic feeding devices are analogous to manual feeding in paper to shredders and they all depend on an external tray that increases the overall height and the contour of the unit.

What is really needed is a shredder with an integrated automatic feeding system. A good example is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 8,074,912, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety in its entirety in the the the the the the the the the A downward pressure is provided on the stack of paper within the compartment. The drive roller assembly includes spaced apart counter-rotating feed rollers that extend through openings in the bottom of the paper compartment to contact and capture the paper from the bottom of the stack of paper that has been disposed in the compartment. This layer is clamped near its center and pulled between the rolls and then pushed into the shredder mechanism. When the compartment is vacant, one or more layers of paper can be pushed through the slots in the hinged top between the supply rolls and into the shredder mechanism. Thereby, the unit can be used as an automatic supply unit for shredding a large laminate arranged in the compartment or as a conventional shredded paper by directly inserting the layer into the shredding mechanism when the compartment is vacant machine.

The bottom supply roller pair works very well as long as the hinged top is designed to provide the proper amount of pressure to the laminate. However, one problem with the supply rolls is that each roll has only a single point of contact with the bottom of the paper stack. If this contact proves to be insufficient for pulling the paper from the bottom of the stack, then the entire system fails. This failure can occur if the rollers become worn, so that they can no longer "clamp" the paper. The same thing can happen if there is a "slip" point on the underside of the paper at the bottom of the paper.

Can be effectively replaced by short "transfer" tapes that operate as moving towards each other Replace the conventional counter-rotating rollers that are automatically supplied to the shredder. This unit includes a shredder mechanism disposed above the waste container. The shredder mechanism has a shredded compartment in which a large stack of paper (several hundred layers) can be placed. The shredded compartment is closed by a hinged lid or door fitted with a pressure plate to apply pressure to the upper surface of the stack of paper that has been disposed in the shredding compartment. There is also a supply slot positioned intermediate the bottom of the shredder compartment; this supply slot is aligned with the blade of a conventional shredder mechanism positioned below the supply slot. This slot is also aligned with the slot through the cover so that if no paper occupies the compartment, a layer or a small number of layers can be inserted directly into the shredder mechanism as in a conventional shredder without an automatic feed function.

There are three or four aligned conveyor belts on either side of the supply slot. These strips are formed from a flexible rubber material that strongly interacts with the paper in a frictional manner. When operating the shredder, the left hand strap moves toward the right and the right hand strap moves toward the left. When the strips are in contact with the bottom of the stack of paper disposed in the compartment, the reverse movement of the strip causes the bottom sheet of paper to fold right in the direction of the supply slot so that the fold is pushed through the belt to the undercut In the organization. Each successive layer is pushed into the chopping mechanism until all of the paper stack is shredded. In a preferred embodiment, the belt is driven by a drive chain, wherein the motor drives the two rotating blades of the shredder mechanism. However, it is also possible to provide a single motor with a near drive belt.

The creator discovered that the belt provides better and more reliable contact with the paper so that the automatic supply is superior to the reverse rotating roller. However, the belt like roller wears and eventually loses the ability to reliably grip the paper. Can be sent to a service technician to replace the wear strip; however, current automatic supply of shredders is relatively inexpensive consumer goods. Consumers resist the use of service calls by visiting a home technician or by dragging the unit to a service center. Bringing themselves is a relatively low-cost item, but the complexity of disassembling this mechanism to replace the belt exceeds the technical capabilities and resistance of most consumers. heart.

The creator has solved this problem by encapsulating the tape in a frame to form a removable tape cartridge unit. This unit includes a frame that includes a mounted drive wheel or roller with the belt moving above it in a manner similar to the movement of a military tank (armored vehicle) above the tank drive wheel. This drive wheel is fitted with a simple mechanical connection such as a frictional contact or splined connection or other mechanical connection such that the belt is automatically connected to the drive motor of the shredder when the cassette is inserted into position. A simple locking mechanism makes it easy to remove a box and drop into the replacement unit. It should be understood that although this figure shows four pairs of belts, a greater or lesser number of belts may be utilized. The replacement cartridge can include all of the straps in this system. Or the belts may each have their own box or all of the strips on the side of the resupply slot can be housed in a single box such that the two boxes represent a complete replacement of the belt.

1‧‧‧Shell

12‧‧‧Scraper

14‧‧‧ Cover

16‧‧‧shredder parts

20‧‧‧ slot

22‧‧‧

24‧‧‧ console

26‧‧‧Hinges

28‧‧‧ mouth

30‧‧‧ components

30’‧‧‧ components

32‧‧‧ pressure plate

34‧‧ ‧ compartment

36‧‧‧blade

38‧‧‧Drive shaft

40‧‧‧With

42‧‧‧ Covers

44‧‧‧ drive wheel

46‧‧‧Connector

48‧‧‧Axis

50‧‧‧ Holder

52‧‧‧ bearing

54‧‧‧roll

56‧‧‧Frame

58‧‧‧Motor

Figure 1 is a view of the present paper shredder with the lid closed; Figure 2 is a view of the shredder of Figure 1 with the lid open; Figure 3 is a view of the shredder of Figure 1 with the roller belt assembly removed; Figure 4 is Figure 5 is a top plan view of one of the roll belt assemblies; Figure 6 is a bottom plan view of the roll belt assembly of Figure 5; Figure 7 is a view of the roll belt assembly of Figure 5 showing the end bearing connector Figure 8 is a bottom plan view of the roll belt assembly of Figure 5 showing the end bearing connector; Figure 9 is a view of the paper shredder of Figure 2 showing the first step in the removal of the roll belt assembly; Figure 10 is a view of the shredder of Figure 2 showing a second step in the removal of the roll belt assembly; and Figure 11 is a view of the automatic feed shredder assembly with the roll belt assembly removed.

The following description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the present invention and set forth the best mode of performing his creation contemplated by the creator. However, various modifications will remain readily apparent to those skilled in the art, as the general principles of the present work have been specifically defined herein to provide an automatic feed shredder having a user replaceable drive belt.

FIG. 1 shows an authored shredder 12 that includes a shredder component 16 positioned on top of the outer casing 1. The shredder component 16 has a cover 14 and a console 24 that includes a plurality of on and off controls. The cover 14 also has an input slot 20. In general, the shredder component 16 is attached to the outer casing 1 by clamps, screws or other mechanical fasteners, although since the shredder component 16 includes a motor, it is quite heavy and can only be placed in the outer casing 1 held in place by gravity in. In addition, the casing 1 is substantially hollow and most or all of the interior space is a waste bin for capturing shredded paper from the shredder mechanism. A waste bin (not shown) can be accessed through the door 22.

Figure 2 shows the cover 14 in an open configuration. The cover 14 is supported by a hinge 26. When the lid 14 is opened, the rectangular compartment 34 is revealed. This compartment 34 is sized to maintain a stack of standard size paper. A shredder port 28 is exposed in the middle of the compartment 34. Any paper inserted into port 28 will actuate the shredder mechanism below port 28, and this paper will be shredded by the rotating slice so that the formed pieces of paper fall into the waste bin. The bottom surface of the lid 14 carries two pressure plates 32 that exert pressure on the laminate when the lid is closed. The gap between the input slot 20 and the two pressure plates 32 is continuous. The input slot 20 is aligned with the port 28 when the cover 14 is closed such that if there is no stack of paper in the compartment 34, The paper can then be fed directly from the outside and into the shredder port 28.

The roller belt assemblies 30, 30' are positioned on either side of the port 28. Each of the components has four belts, but the number of belts as described above may vary significantly depending on the width of the belt or the like. The belt in the left hand assembly 30 is driven by a clockwise rotating roller such that the belt moves from the left end of the compartment 34 toward the port 28. The belt in the right hand assembly 30' is driven by a counterclockwise roller such that the belt moves from the right end of the compartment 34 toward the port 28. This arrangement clamps the bottom sheet of the stack of paper, pinches it to the fold, and is then drawn into the mouth 28 such that the bottom sheet of the stack is shredded. Then the new bottom paper is captured and shredded.

The belt belt assemblies 30, 30' are easily removable. Figure 3 shows the shredder that removes the roller belt assembly. This shows that the shredder blade 36 is disposed directly below the shredder port 28 and the mechanism that supports the roll belt assembly 30, 30'. The drive shaft 38 interacts with the rollers (and indirect zones) in the belt assembly and drives the rollers. Figures 9 and 10 illustrate the steps of removing the roller belt assemblies 30, 30'. Removal is extremely easy. First, one of the components is grasped at its "top" end, closest to the end of the hinge 26. The "top" end is pivoted upwardly at an angle to the entire assembly; then the "bottom" end can be freely pulled from the mechanism. The cassette is held in place by a simple ratchet mechanism (eg, a ball fastener), although a mechanical latch can also be provided to prevent accidental removal of the cassette. This figure shows that the left hand assembly 30' is first removed, but it is not important in which order the components are removed. Figure 4 shows the two roller belt assemblies 30, 30' after removal. This component is basically a mirror image of each other. When the roller belt assemblies 30, 30' are inserted into the shredder, each of the drive wheels 44 at the top end is in contact with one of the drive shafts 38. The roller belt assembly cover 42 provides a smooth surface for guiding the paper to the shredder opening 28. In the illustrated embodiment, the drive shaft 38 rotates the drive wheel 44 by friction. However, the shaft and the wheel may be mating gears or as long as the connector portion interferes with the roller belt assembly 30, 30' Other mechanical connectors can be utilized for removal.

Figure 5 shows the flip to show its bottom end to show the end bearing connector 46. Figure 6 shows a bottom view of the roll belt assembly showing the shaft 48 of the roll belt assembly 30, 30' and the intermediate bearing holder 50. Figure 8 shows the roller belt assembly 30, 30' with the cover 42 removed. Roller 54 and intermediate bearing retainer 50 are apparent. Each shaft 48 is supported within the bearing retainer 50 by a bearing such that when the drive shaft 38 drives the drive wheel 44, the shaft 48 is free to rotate. As the shaft 48 rotates, the roller 54 secured to the shaft 48 also rotates causing the belt 40 to move. In the preferred embodiment the roller 54 is toothed and the bottom surface of the conveyor belt 40 is provided with mating teeth so that the roller 54 can drive the belt 40 without slipping. The bearing coupling 46 is grip-rotatably secured to the end bearing 52 of the main shredder frame. That is, when the roller belt assembly 30, 30' is inserted into the unit, the connector 46 slides on the bearing 52; then the drive wheel 44 is pressed downwardly into contact with the drive shaft 38.

This relationship is made clearer by reference to Figure 11, which shows the shredder frame 56 removed from the shredder 12. Motor 58 drives the shaft that supports blade 36. The shafts are also in mechanical communication with the drive shaft 38 such that when the shredder motor 58 operates the shredder blade 36, the drive shaft 38 also rotates and drives the belt belt assemblies 30, 30'. End bearings 52 (not shown in this figure) are located at opposite ends of the belt belt assemblies 30, 30' from the drive shaft 38 and rotatably support the ends of the shafts 48 of the belt belt assemblies 30, 30'.

The following claims are to be understood as being inclusive of the A person skilled in the art will appreciate that many variations and modifications of the preferred embodiments just described may be constructed without departing from the scope of the present invention. The illustrated embodiments are set forth for purposes of example only and should not be considered as limiting the present invention. Therefore, it is to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than specifically described herein. Work.

Claims (7)

An automatic paper shredder comprising: a shredding mechanism having a series of chopping blades arranged longitudinally; a paper compartment for holding a stack of paper disposed above the shredder; a supply slot Located in a lower surface of the paper compartment and aligned with a series of chopped blades arranged in a longitudinal direction; at least one pair of conveyor feed belts, a first belt of each pair disposed on a first side of the supply slot And a second pair of pairs disposed on the second side of the supply slot, wherein the belt is driven such that the strip on the first side of the supply slot faces the supply slot Moving, and the belt on the second side of the supply slot is also moved toward the supply slot, and wherein the transfer supply belt is disposed in at least one of the cartridges, the at least one cartridge shown being capable of being Easily removed and replaced by a new cartridge for rapid replacement of the wear transfer supply belt; and a hinged door for closing the paper compartment and applying pressure to the stack of paper. The automatic paper shredder according to claim 1, wherein the belt is disposed in two boxes, one of the belts includes the belt of the first side of the supply slot, and one of the boxes includes The strip of the second side of the supply slot. The automatic paper shredder according to claim 2, wherein each of the boxes includes four belts. The automatic paper shredder according to claim 1, wherein the cartridge is driven by a friction mechanical connector. The automatic paper shredder of claim 1, wherein the hinged door has an input slot aligned with the supply slot when the hinged door is in the closed position. The automatic paper shredder according to claim 1, wherein the belt is driven by the same motor that drives the shredder blades. The automatic paper shredder according to claim 1, wherein the belt is toothed and driven by a toothed roller.