Electric Pencil Sharpener With Delay Function

An electric pencil sharpener with delay function includes a motor, a drive assembly, a gear assembly and a cutter assembly. The drive assembly includes a connecting rod, a drive shaft and a start trigger, a stop trigger, and a thrust plate. The connecting rod is moved backward to drive the start trigger to trigger the motor, and synchronously rotated with the cutter assembly; the stop trigger is provided with a teeth structure and a friction structure respectively. The thrust plate is rotated or moved to push against the drive shaft, so that the connecting rod continues to move backwards until the bulge portion engages with the teeth structure, and the ring portion matches with the friction structure, thereby actuating the stop trigger to move to trigger an action of the stop switch of the motor.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The application relates to the field of stationery products, in particular to an electric pencil sharpener with delay function.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Electric pencil sharpeners are electric stationery products in which a motor drives a hob to make planetary motions to sharpen the pencil. In use, one end of the pencil is inserted into the cutting channel, and the motor is started to drive the hob to make a planetary cutting movement around the pencil thereby sharpening the pencil tip. The pencil is pulled out after sharpening. However, the motor in the current pencil sharpener is immediately stopped after sharpening, causing the hob stop suddenly, which brings several problems. For example, cutting dents may be formed on the pencil tip, the cutting surface is rough, and parts of pencil shavings are remained on the cutting surface, which results in a poor cutting effect. For this reason, a manual polish to the cutting surface is necessary in the next stage, by means of sandpaper for example, so as to smooth and clean the cutting surface. However, the manual operation efficiency is low, and the manual polish may pollute the pencil tip, resulting in poor cutting quality.

Therefore, there is an urgent need for an efficient electric pencil sharpener with delay function that has simple structure, improved cutting effect and low cost to solve the above problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The purpose of the present application is to provide an efficient electric pencil sharpener with delay function that has simple structure, improved cutting effect and low cost.

Accordingly, an electric pencil sharpener with delay function includes a motor, a drive assembly, a gear assembly and a cutter assembly housed in a box body, the gear assembly has an input end connected with the motor, and an output end connected with a connection between the drive assembly and the cutter assembly. The drive assembly includes a connecting rod which is rotatable and movable back and forth; a drive shaft and a start trigger which are coaxially and retractably connected to ends of the connecting rod; a stop trigger retractably connected to an exterior of the connecting rod; and a thrust plate which is rotatable and movably disposed on a front end of the drive shaft. The stop trigger is located at a front side of the start trigger, a front end of the connecting rod and a back end of the cutter assembly are connected with the output end of the gear assembly; the connecting rod is moved backward to drive the start trigger to trigger the motor, under a thrust force action of a pencil inserting into the cutter assembly; and the connecting rod is synchronously rotated with the cutter assembly under a driving of the gear assembly; the stop trigger is provided with a teeth structure and a friction structure, the connecting rod is provided with a ring portion for matching with the friction structure, the ring portion is provided with a bulge portion for intermittently engaging with one tooth of the teeth structure, an engaging force between the teeth structure and the bulge portion is larger than a friction force between the friction structure and the ring portion; the thrust plate and the drive shaft are installed in the cutter assembly at a certain distance, the thrust plate is rotated or moved to push against the drive shaft under a push action of a pencil tip, so that the connecting rod continues to move backwards until the bulge portion engages with the teeth structure, and the ring portion matches with the friction structure, thereby actuating the stop trigger to move left and right to trigger an action of the stop switch of the motor.

In comparison with the prior arts, in the electric pencil sharpener with delay function in the present application, under the insertion action of the pencil, the connecting rod is driven by the cutter assembly to move backward, so that the start trigger is contacted with the start switch, and the motor is actuated, accordingly, the drive assembly and the cutter assembly are rotated by the driving of the gear assembly. During the cutting process, as the length of the pencil tip increases, the thrust plate moves backward or rotates to push the drive shaft, under the push force of the pencil tip; accordingly the connecting rod is pushed backward, and the bulge portion is engaged with the teeth structure of the stop trigger, meanwhile the ring portion rolls on the friction structure of the stop trigger, so that the stop trigger moves in the left and right direction to approach the stop switch under the action of the rotation of the connecting rod. Since only one bulge portion is configured, thus the bulge portion will be relatively detached from the teeth structure for every one circle rotation of the connecting rod. At this time, the connecting rod continues to rotate, but not move backward due to the actions of the teeth structure. In such a way, the bulge portion of the connecting rod and the teeth structure of the stop trigger engage with each other intermittently, and the stop trigger will only contact with the stop switch after the connecting rod rotates for several circles, so that the rotation of the motor will not Immediately stopped, instead, the rotation of the motor will be maintained for a period of time after the cutting process is completed. That is to say, the time node of the stop action for the motor is delayed and extended, to possess said delay function. During the delay process, the cutter assembly no longer moves backward to cut the pencil, instead, only trims surface of the rotating pencil tip to smooth it, thereby improving the cutting and sharpening effect. In addition, since the stop trigger is located on the relative front side of the start trigger, the start switch will be disconnected earlier than the stop switch when the pencil is pulled out, that is to say, the motor will not start during the pencil pulling, and therefore the cutting is more safe and reliable. Furthermore, the start switch and the stop switch are actuated by means of the mechanical motion of the connecting rod, which is efficient. The overall structure is simple and compact, the cutting effect is good, and the cost is low.

As a preferable embodiment, the cutter assembly includes a cutter holder, a pencil insertion channel, a hob and a cutter shaft, the pencil insertion channel is configured at a bottom side of the cutter holder, and coaxial with the connecting rod, the hob is coaxial with the cutter shaft and obliquely disposed at a top side of the cutter holder, and a rear end of the cutter holder is connected with the gear assembly to drive the hob to make planetary cutting motion around the pencil.

As a preferable embodiment, the thrust plate includes a transverse plate and a first vertical plate and a second vertical plate connected to opposite ends of the transverse plate, the first vertical plate has a longer length than the second vertical plate, the first vertical plate is configured to connect with the cutter shaft, and the second vertical plate is configured to connect with the pencil tip.

As a preferable embodiment, the thrust plate is configured in an inclined status, the first vertical plate is slidable and connected to a rear end of the cutter shaft, and the second vertical plate is slidable at a rear end of the pencil insertion channel, so that the thrust plate is rotated backward around the cutter shaft under the push action of the pencil tip to push the drive shaft.

As a preferable embodiment, the thrust plate is configured in an inclined status, the first vertical plate is rotatable and connected to a rear end of the cutter shaft, and the second vertical plate is suspended at a rear end of the pencil insertion channel, so that the thrust plate is rotated backward around the cutter shaft under the push action of the pencil tip to push the drive shaft.

As a preferable embodiment, the thrust plate is configured in an inclined status, the first vertical plate is fixedly connected to a rear end of the cutter shaft, and the second vertical plate is slidable at a rear end of the pencil insertion channel, so that the thrust plate is rotated backward around the cutter shaft under the push action of the pencil tip to push the drive shaft, and the cutter shaft is moved backward to cause a neck of the cutter shaft to slide into a groove of the cutter holder.

As a preferable embodiment, the gear assembly includes a first helical gear, a double gear and a second helical gear meshing successively from bottom to top, the first helical gear is connected to an output end of the motor, a front end of the connecting rod and a back end of the cutter holder are connected to a gear sleeve of the second helical gear; the gear assembly further includes an internal gear and a bevel gear, the internal gear is installed in a lateral end of the cutter holder, and located close to the back end of cutter shaft, the bevel gear is sleeved on the cutter shaft, one end of the bevel gear is engaged with the internal gear, and the other end of the bevel gear is connected with the hob, so that the hob rotates with the cutter holder and simultaneously moves along a circumference of the internal gear.

As a preferable embodiment, the drive assembly includes a first elastic element, a second elastic element and a third elastic element, the first elastic element is configured between the start trigger and the box body for constantly driving the start trigger to move away from the start switch, the second elastic element is configured between the cutter assembly and the gear assembly for constantly driving the cutter assembly to move away from the gear assembly, and the third elastic element is configured between the drive shaft and the cutter assembly for constantly driving the drive shaft to move in a direction releasing the push force to the connecting rod.

As a preferable embodiment, the gear assembly includes a first helical gear, a double gear and a second helical gear meshing successively from bottom to top, the first helical gear is connected to an output end of the motor, a front end of the connecting rod and a back end of the cutter holder are connected to a gear sleeve of the second helical gear.

As a preferable embodiment, the gear assembly further includes an internal gear and a bevel gear, the internal gear is installed in a lateral end of the cutter holder, and located close to the back end of cutter shaft, the bevel gear is sleeved on the cutter shaft, one end of the bevel gear is engaged with the internal gear, and the other end of the bevel gear is connected with the hob, so that the hob rotates with the cutter holder and simultaneously moves along a circumference of the internal gear.

As a preferable embodiment, the drive assembly includes a first elastic element, a second elastic element and a third elastic element, the first elastic element is configured between the start trigger and the box body for constantly driving the start trigger to move away from the start switch, the second elastic element is configured between the cutter assembly and the gear assembly for constantly driving the cutter assembly to move away from the gear assembly, and the third elastic element is configured between the drive shaft and the cutter assembly for constantly driving the drive shaft to move in a direction releasing the push force to the connecting rod.

As a preferable embodiment, it further includes a pencil feeding assembly rotatable and arranged on the box body at a front side of the cutter assembly, and the pencil feeding assembly is provided with a plurality of insertion ports which are selectively connected to the pencil insertion channel

As a preferable embodiment, the box body includes a base, a support base, a box cover, a fixed base and a drawer, the support base is detachably installed at a center of base, the motor, the drive assembly and the gear assembly are installed at a rear side of the support base, the cutter assembly is configured on a front side of the support base through the fixed base, the pencil feeding assembly is rotatable and arranged on a front side of the fixed base, the box cover is detachably arranged on a back end of the base and covers the motor, the drive assembly, the support base and the fixed base, and the drawer is embedded in space defined by the base, the box cover and the fixed base.

As a preferable embodiment, the stop trigger has an inserting slot, a top sidewall and a bottom sidewall of the inserting slot are provided with the teeth structure and the friction structure respectively.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present application more clearly understood, the present application will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present application, but not to limit the present application. The same reference numbers in different figures represent the same parts.

Referring toFIGS.1-8, an electric pencil sharpener100with delay function provided in the present application is used for automatically cutting a pencil200. In this application, the pencil200may have a circular, a triangular or a hexagonal cross section, and may have different size for the same shape. Specifically, the electric pencil sharpener100include a box body10, a motor20, a drive assembly30, a gear assembly40and a cutter assembly50housed in the box body10. An input end of the gear assembly40is connected with an output end of the motor20, and output end of the gear assembly40is connected with a connection between the drive assembly30and the cutter assembly50. The drive assembly is functioned as a trigger assembly to trigger the start and stop of the motor20. The motor is served as the power source and is configured to drive the cutter assembly50to rotate under the transmission of the gear assembly40. The cutter assembly50is used to cut the inserted pencil200, and trim the cutting surface of the pencil in a delay process. It should be noted that, a front or back direction mentioned in the application is taken referring to the insertion direction of pencil200. A side of box body10where the pencil200is inserted is referred as the front side and an opposite side is referred as the rear side. The motor20is triggered to rotate by a start switch21electrically connected thereon, and is triggered to stop rotating by a stop switch22electrically connected thereon. Further, the motor20is connected to an external power supply by wires23.

Specifically, referring toFIG.3, the drive assembly30includes a connecting rod31which is rotatable and movably arranged back and forth; a drive shaft32and a start trigger33which are coaxially and retractably connected to ends of the connecting rod31; a stop trigger34retractably connected to an exterior of the connecting rod31; and a thrust plate35which is rotatable and movably disposed on front end of the drive shaft32. The stop trigger34is located at a front side of the start trigger33, a front end of the connecting rod31and a back end of the cutter assembly50are connected with the output end of the gear assembly40, so that the connecting rod can be moved backward to drive the start trigger33to trigger the motor20, under a thrust force action of the pencil200inserting into the cutter assembly50, further the connecting rod31can be synchronously rotated with the cutter assembly50under the driving of the gear assembly40. Referring toFIG.7, the stop trigger34has an inserting slot34a, a top sidewall of the inserting slot34ais provided with a teeth structure341, and a bottom sidewall of the inserting slot34ais provided with a friction structure342. The connecting rod31is provided with a ring portion311for matching with the friction structure342. The ring portion311is provided with a bulge portion312for engaging with one tooth of the teeth structure341. The engaging force between the teeth structure341and the bulge portion312is much larger than the friction force between the friction structure342and the ring portion311. The thrust plate35and the drive shaft32are installed in the cutter assembly50at a certain distance. The thrust plate35is rotated or moved to push against the drive shaft32, under the push action of the pencil tip, so that the connecting rod31continues to move backwards until the bulge portion312engages with the teeth structure341, and the ring portion311matches with the friction structure342, thereby actuating the stop trigger34to move left and right to trigger the action of the stop switch22. Specifically, the connecting rod31is tubular and has a certain length. Each tooth in the teeth structure341is parallel one another at the same spacing and has the same height. The friction structure342has several protrusions on the surface, and each protrusion is parallel one another at the same spacing and has a height smaller than the height of each tooth in the teeth structure341. The shape of the protrusions may be triangular, circular, wavy or serrated.

When works, the pencil200is inserted into the cutter assembly50to push the cutter assembly50backward, accordingly driving the connecting rod31backward, and the start trigger33will then be moved to the start switch21to actuate the motor20. The motor20rotates, and the gear assembly40rotates with it, driving the drive assembly30and the cutter assembly50to rotate, thereby sharpening the pencil200. As the cutting progresses, the thrust plate35moves backward or rotates under the pushing action of the pencil tip until it contacts and pushes the drive shaft32, so that the connecting rod31is pushed backward, the bulge portion312is engaged with the teeth structure342of the stop trigger34, and the ring portion311rolls on the friction structure342, and then the stop trigger34moves in the left and right direction to approach the stop switch22under the action of the rotation of the connecting rod31. Note that, only one bulge portion312is configured, thus the bulge portion312will be relatively detached from the teeth structure342for every one circle rotation of the connecting rod31. At this time, the connecting rod31will no longer move backward, but only rotate, and the bulge portion312will be engaged with the teeth structure342again when a second circle rotation of the connecting rod31arrives. The stop trigger34is continued to move another tooth distance. In such a way, the bulge portion312of the connecting rod31and the teeth structure341of the stop trigger34engage with each other intermittently, and the stop trigger34contacts with the stop switch22after the connecting rod31rotates for several circles, so that the rotation of the motor20will not Immediately stopped, instead, such a rotation will be maintained for a period of time after the cutting process is completed. That is to say, the time node of the stop action for the motor20is delayed and extended, to possess said delay function. During this delay, the cutter assembly50stops sharpening and cutting, but only trims the cutting surface of the pencil tip to remove shavings on the cutting surface. Until the stop trigger34moves to contact with the stop switch22of the motor20, the motor20stops running, thereby achieving the purpose of delay stop.

Referring toFIGS.3-5, in order to simply and efficiently realize the retractable movement of the start trigger33, the cutter assembly50and the drive shaft32, and realize a quick reset, the drive assembly30includes a first elastic element36, a second elastic element37and a third elastic element38. The first elastic element36is arranged between the start trigger33and the box body10, for constantly driving the start trigger33to move away from the start switch21. The second elastic element37is arranged between the cutter assembly50and the gear assembly40, for constantly driving the cutter assembly50to move away from the gear assembly40. The third elastic element38is arranged between the drive shaft32and the cutter assembly50, for constantly driving the drive shaft32to move in the direction releasing the push force to the connecting rod31, so that the stop trigger34moves in the direction away from the start switch21to reset. In addition, a fourth elastic element39is arranged between the inner wall of the stop trigger34and the box body10, which is used to constantly drive the stop trigger34to move in the direction away from the stop switch22. Specifically, the first, second, third and fourth elastic elements36,37,38and39may be springs. When the motor20stops, the pencil200is pulled out, and the drive assembly30and the cutter assembly50are reset to their initial positions under the action of the restoring force of the respective spring.

Referring toFIGS.3-5, the cutter assembly50includes a cutter holder51, a pencil insertion channel52, a hob53and a cutter shaft54. The pencil insertion channel52is configured on a bottom side of the cutter holder51, and is arranged coaxially with the connecting rod31. Further, the pencil insertion channel52has a certain taper for better receiving the pencil200. The hob53is coaxial with the cutter shaft54and obliquely disposed at a top side of the cutter holder51, and a rear end of the cutter holder51is connected with the gear assembly40to drive the hob53to make planetary cutting motion around the pencil200.

Referring toFIGS.3-5, the gear assembly40includes a first helical gear41, a double gear42and a second helical gear43meshing successively from bottom to top. The first helical gear41is connected to the output end of the motor20. The front end of the connecting rod31and the back end of the cutter holder51are connected to a gear sleeve431of the second helical gear43. The connecting rod31and the cutter holder51are effectively fixed through the gear sleeve431located at the center hole of the second helical gear43, so that the connecting rod31and the cutter holder51can rotate synchronously with the rotation of the second helical gear43, with stable connection. Specifically, the second elastic element37is arranged between the back end of cutter holder51and the gear sleeve431. Specifically, the gear assembly40further includes an internal gear44and a bevel gear45. The internal gear44is installed in the lateral end of the cutter holder51, and located close to the backend of cutter shaft54. The bevel gear45is sleeved on the cutter shaft54, one end of the bevel gear45is engaged with the internal gear44, and the other end of the bevel gear45is connected with the hob53, so as to make the hob53to rotate with the cutter holder51and simultaneously move along a circumference of the internal gear44, thereby sharpening to the pencil200.

Referring toFIGS.3and8, the thrust plate35includes a transverse plate351and a first vertical plate352and a second vertical plate353connected to each end of the transverse plate351. The length of the first vertical plate352is greater than that of the second vertical plate353. The first vertical plate352is configured to connect with the cutter shaft54, and the second vertical plate353is configured to connect with the pencil tip. Specifically, the thrust plate35is configured in an inclined status.

In some embodiments, the first vertical plate352is rotatable and connected to the rear end of the cutter shaft54, and the second vertical plate353is suspended at the rear end of the pencil insertion channel52, so that the thrust plate35may be rotated backward around the cutter shaft54under the push action of the pencil tip, to push the drive shaft32.

In some embodiments, the first vertical plate352is slidable and connected to the rear end of the cutter shaft54, and the second vertical plate353is slidable at the rear end of the pencil insertion channel52, so that the thrust plate35may be moved backward relative to the cutter shaft54under the push action of the pencil tip, to push the drive shaft32.

In some embodiments, the first vertical plate352is fixedly connected to the rear end of the cutter shaft54, and the second vertical plate35is slidable at the rear end of the pencil insertion channel52, so that the thrust plate35may be moved backward relative to the cutter shaft54under the push action of the pencil tip, to push the drive shaft32. It should be noted that, the backward movement of the thrust plate35will drive the cutter shaft54to move backward, and the narrowed neck of the cutter shaft54at the front end will slide into a groove51aof the cutter holder51at the top side, so that the placement angle of the cutter shaft54relative to the pencil insertion channel52can be changed, accordingly the hob53is deviated from the pencil. At this time, the hob53will not cut the pencil tip, instead, just trim the cutting surface to further improve the cutting effect.

Referring toFIGS.1-3, in order to realize the effective insertion of pencil200, the electric pencil sharpener100with delay function of the present application further includes a pencil feeding assembly70, which is rotatable and arranged on the box body10at the front side of the cutter assembly50. The pencil feeding assembly70is provided with a plurality of insertion ports71with different shapes. The insertion ports71are selectively connected to the pencil insertion channel52, so as to realize the cutting operation of pencil200with different shapes, and effectively improve the adaptability of the electric pencil sharpener100of the present application. Optionally, the same shape for the insertion ports71may have different sizes. In use, the pencil feeding assembly70is turned to choose an appropriate insertion port71for the pencil200to connect with the pencil insertion channel52.

Referring toFIGS.1-6, the box body10includes a base11, a support base12, a box cover13, a fixed base14and a drawer15. The support base12is detachably installed at the relative center of base11. The motor20, the drive assembly30and the gear assembly40are installed at the rear side of the support base12. The cutter assembly50is configured on the front side of the support base12through the fixed base14. The pencil feeding assembly70is rotatable and arranged on the front side of the fixed base14. The box cover13is detachably arranged on the back end of the base11and covers the motor20, the drive assembly30, the support base12and the fixed base14. The drawer15may be embedded in the space defined by the base11, the box cover13and the fixed base14. Specifically, the components of the box body10consisting of the base11, the support seat12, the box cover13, the fixed base14and the drawer15, are all detachable, which facilitates the assembly and maintenance. The pencil feeding assembly70is exposed to the outside of the box body10, which facilitates the insertion and removal of the pencil200. Specifically, the motor20, the drive assembly30and the gear assembly40are arranged in the box body10in an inclined manner.

Comparing with the prior arts, in the electric pencil sharpener with delay function in the present application, under the insertion action of the pencil200, the connecting rod31is driven by the cutter assembly50to move backward, so that the start trigger is contacted with the start switch21, and the motor20is actuated, accordingly, the drive assembly30and the cutter assembly50are rotated by the driving of the gear assembly40. During the cutting process, as the length of the pencil tip increases, the thrust plate35moves backward or rotates to push the drive shaft32, under the push force of the pencil tip; accordingly the connecting rod31is pushed backward, and the bulge portion312is engaged with the teeth structure342of the stop trigger34, meanwhile the ring portion311rolls on the friction structure342of the stop trigger34, so that the stop trigger34moves in the left and right direction to approach the stop switch22under the action of the rotation of the connecting rod31. Since only one bulge portion312is configured, thus the bulge portion312will be relatively detached from the teeth structure342for every one circle rotation of the connecting rod31. At this time, the connecting rod31continues to rotate, but not move backward due to the actions of the teeth structure342. In such a way, the bulge portion312of the connecting rod31and the teeth structure341of the stop trigger34engage with each other intermittently, and the stop trigger34will only contact with the stop switch22after the connecting rod31rotates for several circles, so that the rotation of the motor20will not Immediately stopped, instead, the rotation of the motor20will be maintained for a period of time after the cutting process was completed. That is to say, the time node of the stop action for the motor20is delayed and extended, to possess said delay function. During the delay process, the cutter assembly50no longer moves backward to cut the pencil, instead, only trims the rotating pencil tip to smooth it, thereby improving the cutting and sharpening effect. In addition, since the stop trigger34is located on the relative front side of the start trigger33, the start switch21will be disconnected earlier than the stop switch22when the pencil200is pulled out, that is to say, the motor20will not start during the pencil pulling, thus the cutting is more safe and reliable. Furthermore, the start switch21and the stop switch22are actuated by means of the mechanical motion of the connecting rod31, which is efficient. The overall structure is simple and compact, the cutting effect is good, and the cost is low.

The above-mentioned embodiments only represent several embodiments of the present application, and the descriptions thereof are relatively specific and detailed, but should not be construed as limiting the scope of the patent application. It should be pointed out that for those skilled in the art, several modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present application, which all belong to the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the patent of the present application shall be subject to the appended claims.