Shredder with thickness detector

• US 7,712,689 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2007
• Issued: 05/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fellowes Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Fellowes Incorporated
• Inventors: Matlin, Taihoon K., Gach, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): MILLER, BENA B
• Application Number:
  US11/770,223
• Publication Number:
  US 20070246586A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,048 Days
• Field of Search: 241/100, 241/236, 241/38
• US Class Current: 241/38
• CPC Class Codes: B02C 18/0007 specially adapted for disintegrating documents
• CPC Class Codes: B02C 18/16 Details
• CPC Class Codes: B02C 2018/0015 for disintegrating CDs, DVDs and/or credit cards
• CPC Class Codes: B02C 2018/0023 Switching devices
• CPC Class Codes: B02C 2018/164 Prevention of jamming and/or overload
• CPC Class Codes: B02C 2018/166 Lubricating the knives of the cutting mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: B02C 2018/168 User safety devices or measures in shredders
• CPC Class Codes: B02C 23/04 Safety devices in general F16P ; for rotary mills B02C13/31
• CPC Class Codes: B02C 23/06 Selection or use of additives to aid disintegrating
• CPC Class Codes: B02C 23/18 Adding fluid, other than for crushing or disintegrating by fluid energy for tumbling mills B02C17/186; feeding devices B02C23/02
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 7/088 by cleaning or lubricating sterilizing B26D1/00

Abstract

A shredder is disclosed. The shredder includes a housing having a throat for receiving at least one article to be shredded, and a shredder mechanism received in the housing and including an electrically powered motor and cutter elements. The shredder mechanism enables the at least one article to be shredded to be fed into the cutter elements. The motor is operable to drive the cutter elements so that the cutter elements shred the articles fed therein. The shredder also includes a detector that is configured to detect a thickness of the at least one article being received by the throat, and a controller that is operable to perform a predetermined operation responsive to the detector detecting that the thickness of the at least one article is at least equal to a predetermined maximum thickness.

Claims

1. A shredder comprising:

a housing having a throat open to an exterior of the housing for permitting a user to feed at least one article to be shredded;

a shredder mechanism received in the housing and including an electrically powered motor and cutter elements, the shredder mechanism enabling the at least one article fed into the throat 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;

a lubrication system configured to lubricate the cutter elements;

a thickness detector configured to detect a thickness between opposing major surfaces of the at least one article being received by the throat; and

a controller operable to store an accumulation of thicknesses detected by the detector over a plurality of shredding operations performed over time and to actuate the lubrication system to lubricate the cutter elements in response to the accumulation being at least equal to a predetermined total thickness.

2. A shredder according to claim 1 wherein the detector comprises a contact member that extends into the throat and is actuated in response to the article being inserted into the throat.

3. A shredder according to claim 2, wherein the detector further comprises a strain gauge configured to measure movement of the contact member and communicate the movement to the controller.

4. A shredder according to claim 2, wherein the detector further comprises a piezoelectric sensor configured to measure movement of the contact member and communicate the movement to the controller.

5. A shredder according to claim 2, wherein the detector further comprises an optical sensor configured to measure movement of the contact member and communicate the movement to the controller.

6. A shredder according to claim 5, wherein the optical sensor comprises an infrared LED and a dual die infrared receiver configured to detect the direction and amount of the movement.

7. A shredder comprising:

a housing having a throat open to an exterior of the housing for permitting a user to feed at least one article to be shredded;

a shredder mechanism received in the housing and including an electrically powered motor and cutter elements, the shredder mechanism enabling the at least one article fed into the throat 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; and

a user indicator;

a thickness detector configured to detect a thickness between opposing major surfaces of the at least one article received by the throat;

a monitor comprising a memory, the monitor being operable to store an accumulation of thicknesses detected by the detector over a plurality of shredding operations performed over time in the memory and to alert a user of the shredder via the user indicator in response to the accumulation being at least equal to a predetermined total thickness.