SHREDDER WITH INTELLIGENT ACTIVATION SWITCH
First Claim
1. A shredder comprising:
- a housing;
a shredder mechanism received in the housing and including an electrically powered motor and cutter elements, the shredder mechanism enabling articles to be shredded to be fed into the cutter elements and the motor being operable to drive the cutter elements so that the cutter elements shred the articles fed therein;
the housing having an opening enabling articles to be fed therethrough into the cutter elements of the shredder mechanism for shredding;
an activation sensor operable to detect an inherent electrical characteristic of an operator of the shredder;
a controller, coupled to the activation sensor and the shredder mechanism, the controller being operable to enable operation of the shredder mechanism responsive to the detected inherent electrical characteristic being above a predetermined level.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A shredder includes a housing, a shredder mechanism including a motor and cutter elements, a capacitive sensor, and a controller. The capacitive sensor is configured to detect the capacitance of an entity attempting to operate the shredder and thereby detect an appropriate indication of the relative size of the entity because relative size can be an effective indicator of age of the entity. The controller is coupled to the capacitive sensor and is configured to enable/disable operation of the shredder based on the detected capacitance. As a result, the controller and capacitive sensor are configured to cooperate to detect some indication of age, and therefore, maturity, to safely operate the shredder. As a result, a mechanism is provided which results in an increased safety function for the shredder by ensuring that the operator is capable of safely operating the shredder.
92 Citations
22 Claims
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1. A shredder comprising:
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a housing; a shredder mechanism received in the housing and including an electrically powered motor and cutter elements, the shredder mechanism enabling articles to be shredded to be fed into the cutter elements and the motor being operable to drive the cutter elements so that the cutter elements shred the articles fed therein; the housing having an opening enabling articles to be fed therethrough into the cutter elements of the shredder mechanism for shredding; an activation sensor operable to detect an inherent electrical characteristic of an operator of the shredder; a controller, coupled to the activation sensor and the shredder mechanism, the controller being operable to enable operation of the shredder mechanism responsive to the detected inherent electrical characteristic being above a predetermined level. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A shredder comprising:
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a housing; a shredder mechanism received in the housing and including an electrically powered motor and cutter elements, the shredder mechanism enabling articles to be shredded to be fed into the cutter elements and the motor being operable to drive the cutter elements so that the cutter elements shred the articles fed therein; the housing having an opening enabling articles to be fed therethrough into the cutter elements of the shredder mechanism for shredding; a sensor operable to detect an inherent electrical characteristic of an operator of the shredder; a controller, coupled to the sensor and the shredder mechanism, the controller being operable to enable operation of the shredder mechanism provided the sensor detects an operator having an electrical characteristic greater than a predetermined level.
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Specification