US1883217A - Pencil sharpener - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 18, 1932. wgT 1,883,217

PENCIL SHARPENER Filed July 3, 1951 2; H @fl Z1 go I Patented Oct. 18, 1932 UNITED STATES HERMAN I. WITTSTEIN, OF NEW HAVEN,

PATENT? OFFICE CONNECTICUT, .ASSIGNOB TO THE ATLAS- PENCIL SHARPENER Application filed July 3, 1931.

This invention relates to improvement in pencil sharpeners and particularly to pencil sharpeners having removable and replaceable blades, though not so limited.

One of the main objects of my present invention is to provide, at a low cost for manufacture, a simple, reliable and convenient sharpener, constructed with particular reference to avoiding choking or jamming by broken leads, etc.

A further object of my invention is to provide a superior pencil sharpener which may employ a razor blade as its cutting implement, and constructed with particular reference to securing the maximum service from such blades.

Withthe above and other objects in View as will appear from the following, my invention consists in a pencil sharpener having certain details of construction and combinations of parts as will be hereinafter described and particularly recited in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a View in side elevation of a pencil i sharpener constructed in accordance with my invention and showing the removable casing thereof in section;

Fig. 2 is a View thereof in end elevation looking in the direction of the arrow A of Fig. 1 but with the casing removed;

Fig. 3 is a broken detail view in longitudinal section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1 but on a larger scale; s

Fig. 4 is atransverse sectional View taken on the line H of Fig. 1 but shown on the same scale as Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a view in elevation of the rotary blade-carrier and pencil-guide detached;

Fig. 6 is an edge view thereof; and

Fig. 7 is a broken detail sectional view taken on the line 77 of Fig. 5.

The embodiment .of my invention herein chosen for illustration consists of a revoluble combined pencil-guide and blade-carrier 10 formed at one end with a cylindrical terminal 11 hearing in an opening 12 in a casing 13 which is removably secured in any approved manner to a supporting-bracket 1 1 having a base-portion 15 by means of which Serial No. 548,586.

avertical or horizontal surface.

The end of the combined guide-and-car rier 10 opposite its cylindrical terminal 11 is provided with a shank 16 bearing in a suitable bore in a boss 17 offsetting from the bracket 14 aforesaid. Adjacent the base of the shank 16 the member 10 is provided with an annular series of gear-teeth 18 meshed into by a gear-wheel 19 mounted at the inner end of a drive-shaft 20 rotating in a bore formed in a boss 21 ofisetting from the bracket 14 immediately above the-boss 17 before referred to. The outer end of the drive-shaft 2.0 has secured to it a radially-extending arm 22 carrying at its outer end a finger-but ton 23 in the well-known manner of pencil Sharpeners.

The cylindrical terminal 11 is formed axially wit-h a cylindrical chamber or socket 242, contracted at its inner end to form a coni cal terminal 25 therefor and adapted to receive a lead pencil. The wall of the conical socket-terminal 25 is cut away as at 26- to permit the cutting-edge of a blade 27 to project into said chamber for engagement with a pencil therein.

The combined pencil-guide and blade-car rier 10 is also provided with a. plate-like offset 28 having its blade-receiving face 29 inclined with respect to theaxis of the member as a whole, and so located that the cuttingedge of the blade 27 projecting over the cutaway portion 26 of the Wall of the socketter1ninal25 will tangentially engage a pencil.

The inner end of the conical portion 25 of the chamberv or socket 24 intersects a diametrical passage 80, into one side of which an extension of the wall of the socket 25 eX- tends in the form of a lip 31, providing a quadrant-shaped seat 32 (Figs. 4 and 7) for the support of the pencil-lead and located adjacent the cutting-edge of the blade 27 and facing substantially away from the inner face of the said blade, as clearly shown in Fig. 4: of the drawing and for the purpose as will hereinafter appear.

The plate-like offset 28 of the combined pencil-guide and blade-carrier 10 is further provided with a pair of spaced blade-locating lugs 3333 adapted to extend into the usual aligned central openings 3 134 formed in the blade 27 and between which the said plate is formed with a threaded bore 35 for the reception of the threaded inner end 36 of a knurled clamping-screw 37. V

The threaded stem 36 of the clamping screw 37 just above referred to also passes through a central perforation 38 inra clamping-plate 39, preferably formed of sheetmetal and having its respective opposite sideedges 40-40 offset to engage the outer face of the blade 27 adjacent the respective c'utting-edges thereof. The said clamping-plate is further provided, on either side of its central perforation 38, with a pair of complementary perforations 414L1 registering with and fitting over the blade-locating lugs 33 before referred to.

By forming the clamping-plate 39 with the offset edges 40, its central longitudinal portion is correspondingly raised, and its under face thus made concave. Therefore, when the plate is positioned with its edges 40 hearing against the blade and the screw tightened, the central longitudinal portion of the plate will provide a relatively springy bearing for the cap of the screw and will function as a lock or spring washer to prevent loosening of the screw under the influence of chattering of the blade when in use, thus effectively maintaining the blade in fixed adjustment with relation to the combined pencilguide and blade-carrier 10.

Preferably, the blade-locating lugs .3333 are sufficiently smaller than the openings 3434 in the blade 27 to permit a slight movement of the latter with reference to the said lugs, and to provide for accurately gauging the degree to which the cutting-edge 0f the blade, will project into the cut-away por-' tion 26 of the wall of the conical socket 25, I provide, at the point of junction between theplate-like offset 28 and the right-hand end of the body-portion of the combined guideand-carrier 10, a rib-like abutment 42 which is engaged by the sharp inner edge of the blade for definitely locating the same, as clearly shown in Fig. 1.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that when the drive-shaft 20 is rotated by means of the offsetting-arm 22 and finger-button 23, it vwill effect the rotation of the combined pencil-guide and blade-carrier 10 through the intermediary of the gear 19 and the gear-teeth 18 formed upon the said combined guide-andcarrier, with the result that-the blade 27 will be moved therewith and effect the gradual sharpening of the pencil as the same is forced inwardly through the open end of the cylindrical chamber or socket 24 in the terminal 11.

The sharpening operation will continue until the end of the lead of the pencil, in-

dicated for the purpose of illustration by the dotted lines 43 in Fig. 5, strikes the wall of upon the lead thereof by the blade 27, as the, same is rotated, is received by the said seat 32 which, however, is so positioned and so faced that in the event that a breakage occurs in the lead, the same may drop away from "the blade, through the opposite end of the transverse passage 30, and into the bottom of the casing 13 without'jamming.

Preferably and as shown, the passage 30;

extends diametrically through the combined guide-and-carrier 10 at a point adjacent the contracted end of the socket 25, so that if conditions require, any suitable implement may be passed therethrough to forcibly remove any obstruction, though I wish to have it understood that the said passage will serve its major purpose if it merely provides an opening extending partway through the fixture to the side thereof toward which the seat 32 partially faces.

It will be noted that the supporting means, such as the lugs 3333, are so located with respect to the clearance-cut 26 in the wall of the conical socket 25 that a blade, such as 27, may be reversed end for end to bring a fresh section of its cutting-edge into position for sharpening, and if, as usual, it is a double edge blade, it may be reversed side for side as well, and thus provide two additional cutting-sections-four in all. Duringv each change of the blade, such asjust described, the locating abutment 42 will serve to accurately determine the proper location of the cuttingedge of the blade, regardless of what section thereof is beingused, and so minimizesthe breakage of the pencil-leads.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that my invention may assume varied physical forms without departing from my inventive concept, and I, therefore, do not limit myself to the specific embodiments herein chosen for illustration, but only as indicated in the appended claims. I I claim V 1. A pencil sharpener. having a rotary blade-carrier provided with an axial pencilreceiving socket and formed with a transverse passage extending therethrough from side to side adjacent the inner end of the said penoil-receiving socket which it intersects to permit the forcible lateral expulsion of broken leads, shavings and dust; a blade positioned to engage and sharpen a pencil as the same is moved axially into the said socket; and a seat extending part way into the said transverse,

end of a pencil therein against the thrust of the said blade.

2. A pencil sharpener having a rotary blade-carrier provided with a conical pencilreceiving socket and formed with a clearancepassage opening laterally from the smaller end of the said conical pencil-receiving socket; a blade positioned to engage and sharpen a pencil as the same is moved axially into the said socket; and a lead-supporting seat extending part way into the said lateral clearance-passage in position to support the sharp ened end of a pencil therein against the thrust of the said blade.

3. A pencil sharpener having a rotary blade-carrier provided with an axial pencilreceiving socket; a double-edged blade carried by the said blade-carrier in position to engage and sharpen a pencil as the same is moved axially into the said socket; a clamp ing-plate provided with a concave under-face by having its respective opposite edges offset to bear upon the said blade adjacent the respective opposite cutting-edges thereof; and screw-means extending through the said clamping-plate and blade for securing the latter to the said blade-carrier, the concave formation of said plate serving to exert a resilient locking effect upon said screw.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification.

HERMAN L. WITTSTEIN.

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