Patent Publication Number: US-8967511-B1

Title: Slidable cover mechanism of a paper shredder

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     a) Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a slidable cover mechanism of a paper shredder. 
     b) Description of the Prior Art 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , it shows a conventional paper shredder wherein paper is fed in vertically and  FIG. 2  shows another conventional paper shredder having a blocking board structure, wherein paper is fed in obliquely. Although these two kinds of paper feed-in methods have all been carried out with safety certification in design, some problems still exist when using the paper shredders. As the paper entrance is opened, foreign objects may inevitably fall into the paper shredder, which results in damage to a user&#39;s possession, thereby causing an unnecessary loss. In addition, the objects (hard objects, such as coins) that fall into the paper shredder may cause damage to the paper shredder itself. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, the primary object of the present invention is to provide a slidable cover mechanism of a paper shredder, preventing the foreign objects from dropping into the paper shredder to cause an unnecessary loss to the user and protecting the paper shredder itself. 
     In comparison to the existing technology, the present invention utilizes a slidable face cover on an upper cover of a paper shredder, so as to effectively prevent from hurting people, avoid the foreign objects from dropping at the paper entrance of the paper shredder and keep from damaging the paper shredder. A bottom of the face cover is disposed with pressing plates and an extension arm, so that after the face cover has been pushed open, the extension arm can be in touch with a micro-switch to energize the paper shredder, thereby achieving the effects of energy saving and environmental protection. 
     To enable a further understanding of the said objectives and the technological methods of the invention herein, the brief description of the drawings below is followed by the detailed description of the preferred to embodiments. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows an external view of an embodiment of a conventional product. 
         FIG. 2  shows an external view of another embodiment of a conventional product. 
         FIG. 3  shows an external view of the present invention when being closed. 
         FIG. 4  shows a bottom schematic view of a first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  shows a bottom schematic view of a second embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  shows a bottom schematic view of a third embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  shows a partial cross-sectional view of an embodiment of  FIG. 6 . 
         FIG. 8  shows a partial cross-sectional view of another embodiment of  FIG. 6 . 
         FIG. 9  shows an external view of the present invention when face cover that is pushed open. 
         FIG. 10  shows a bottom schematic view of the present invention when face cover that is pushed open. 
         FIG. 11  shows a schematic view of an elastic pin mechanism of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , in the existing paper shredders, paper is fed in vertically or inserted in obliquely with a blocking board. 
     However, both of these two methods exist with a safety concern that clothes or ties can be easily entrained into the paper shredders, causing danger to people. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 3 to 5 , it shows a paper shredder of the present invention which comprises a face cover  1 . The face cover  1  is disposed on an upper end surface of an upper cover  4  of the paper shredder. A side of an opening of the upper cover  4  of the paper shredder is disposed with fixing boards and the face cover  1  is disposed on a same level as the fixing boards. A left and right side of the face cover  1  is provided respectively with an indented circular groove  27  which is disposed close to the fixing boards. A left and right side at a bottom of the upper cover  4  is provided longitudinally with a first chute  15  and a second chute  21 . The first chute  15  and the second chute  21  are long slots; a front and rear side of the chutes are a round arc. A chute wall on a side opposite to the rear side of the first chute  15  and the second chute  21  is provided with an elastic wall  16 . A lower end of the first chute  15  is provided with a third chute  22  and the third chute  22  is wider than the first chute  15 . The third chute  22  is also a long slot; a front and rear side of the third chute  22  are a round arc. A lower end of the third chute  22  is provided with a fifth chute  24  and the fifth chute  24  is wider than the third chute  22 . A left side of the fifth chute  24  is opened with a limiting slot  26 . The first chute  15 , the third chute  22  and the fifth chute  24  form a staircase mechanism. A lower end of the second chute  21  is provided with a fourth chute  23  and the fourth chute  23  is wider than the second chute  21 . A lower end of the fourth chute  23  is provided with a sixth chute  25  and the sixth chute  25  is wider than the fourth chute  23 . The second chute  21  and the fourth chute  23  are a long slot; a front and rear side of the second and fourth chute are a round arc. The second chute  21 , the fourth chute  23  and the sixth chute  25  form a staircase mechanism. The first chute  15  and the second chute  21  are equal in shape and size. The third chute  22  and the fourth chute  23  are equal in shape and size. The fifth chute  24  and the sixth chute  25  are equal in shape and size. A right side of the first chute  15  (i.e., a left side of the first chute  15  in  FIG. 5  and an exterior side of the upper cover  4 ) is provided with a micro-switch  6 . An interior of the first chute  15  and the second chute  21  is provided with guiding pillars  13 . The guiding pillars  13  are connected and fixed on a lower end surface of the face cover  1 . There are three guiding pillars  13  at each side, aligned in a straight line along the first chute  15  and the second chute  21 , respectively. The guiding pillars  13  in the first chute  15  and the second chute  21  are provided with a first pressing plate  2  and a second pressing plate  3  which are connected through screws. The first pressing plate  2  and the second pressing plate  3  are a rectangular strip and are disposed respectively in the fifth chute  24  and the sixth chute  25 . The first pressing plate  2  is provided with an extension arm  5  disposed between the micro-switch  6  and the fifth chute  24 . The extension arm  5  moves in the limiting slot  26  and when the face cover  1  is pushed, the face cover  1  will drive the guiding pillars  13  to slide in the first chute  15  and the second chute  21 ; whereas, the guide pillars  13  will drive the first pressing plate  2  and the second pressing plate  3  to move together. When the extension arm  5  moves to a front end of the limiting slot  26 , the extension arm  5  will be in touch with a spring leaf  7  of the micro-switch  6 , and referring to  FIG. 10  and  FIG. 11 , the spring leaf  7  will be compressed to energize the micro-switch  6  and ignite an indication light  9  ( FIG. 9 ). 
     Referring to  FIG. 6  and  FIG. 7 , the front and rear guiding pillars  13  are connected with pulleys  14 , the pulleys  14  are disposed in the third chute  22  and the fourth chute  23  and two sides of the pulleys  14  are in touch with the chute walls of the third chute  22  and the fourth chute  23 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 8 , to guarantee that the face cover  1  can move front and back smoothly, a left and right side of the upper end surface of the upper cover  4  are provided longitudinally with three first bars  12 . The first bars  12  are disposed at a left and right side of the circular grooves  27  and interior sides of the first chute  15  and the second chute  21 . An upper end surface of the first bar  12  is in contact with a lower end surface of the face cover  1 . Two sides of an upper end surface of the first pressing plate  2  and the second pressing plate  3  are provided longitudinally with second bars  11 . An upper end surface of the second bar  11  is in contact with a lower end surface of the fifth chute  24  and the sixth chute  25 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 11 , to guarantee a sense of touch, a lower end of the circular groove  27  and on the upper cover  4  is provided with a seventh chute  28 . The circular groove  27  moves inside the seventh chute  28  and an elastic pin mechanism is provided between the circular groove  27  and the seventh chute  28 . The elastic pin mechanism is formed by an elastic pin seat  31 , a locating pin  32 , a spring  18  and a third pressing plate  19 . The elastic pin seat  31  is disposed in a middle of the seventh chute  28 , and a hole  34  is opened on the elastic pin seat  31  and the seventh chute  28 . An upper end of the locating pin  32  is provided with a stand column  33  which extends out of the hole  34 . An upper end of the stand column  33  is provided with a spherical surface and a lower end of the circular groove  27  is provided longitudinally with a first locating slot  29  and a second locating slot  30 . The first locating slot  29  and the second locating slot  30  are a round recession and are disposed at a front and rear end in a middle of the circular grooves  27 , at a same position of the stand column  33 . The spring  18  is disposed in the elastic pin seat  31  and the third pressing plate  19  is connected and fixed at a bottom of the elastic pin seat  31  through screws. A side of the spring  18  abuts on an upper end surface of the third pressing plate  19  and the other side is sheathed at a lower end of the locating pin  32 . 
     In an idle state, the face cover  1  is closed. At this time, the rear guiding pillars  13  are subjected to an elastic force of the elastic wall  16 , so that they are tightened at the rear sides of the first chute  15  and the second chute  21 . Whereas, the stand column  33  on the locating pin  32  abuts in the first locating slot  29  and the micro-switch  6  is not touched. Therefore, the paper shredder is powered off. On the other hand, when the face cover  1  is pushed open, the spherical surface at the upper end of the stand column  33  will slide out along the first locating slot  29 , allowing the locating pin  32  to compress the spring  18  and to tightly depress the stand column  33  at a same time. Therefore, the stand column  33  will abut on a lower end surface of the circular groove  27  and move toward the second locating slot  30  at a same time. In addition, the face cover  1  will also drive the guiding pillars  13  to move, and the rear guiding pillars  13  will slide into the elastic wall  16 . At this time, the elastic wall  16  will tightly depress the rear guiding pillars  13 , so that the rear guiding pillars  13  can slide inside the first chute  15  and the second chute  21  to guarantee the sense of touch. In a mean time, the guiding pillars  13  also drive the first pressing plate  2  and the second pressing plate  3  to move toward a front end. When the extension arm  5  reaches to a front end of the limiting slot  26 , the extension arm  5  cannot move further, the stand column  33  has also moved into the second locating slot  30 , with that the spherical surface allows the stand column  33  to enter into the second locating slot  30 . In addition, the spring  18  extends to tightly abut the stand column  33  in the second locating slot  30 . The extension arm  5  is also in touch with the spring leaf  7  of the micro-switch  6 , and the micro-switch  6  is activated. Therefore, the paper shredder is energized, the indication light  9  is ignited and the paper shredder is operating. 
     Conclusively, in the present invention, the paper entrance is closed when the paper shredder is not in use. Therefore, the paper shredder is neat and beautiful in appearance and is also powered off, which saves energy and is environmental benign. When the paper shredder is to be used, on the other hand, the face cover  1  is only pushed back gently and then the paper entrance will reveal and the power will be on, which prevents from hurting people and damaging the paper shredder itself. 
     It is of course to be understood that the embodiments described herein is merely illustrative of the principles of the invention and that a wide variety of modifications thereto may be effected by persons skilled in the to art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.