U.S. patent number 3,682,402 [Application Number 04/863,911] was granted by the patent office on 1972-08-08 for wastepaper basket with paper shredder.
Invention is credited to Albert Goldhammer.
United States Patent |
3,682,402 |
Goldhammer |
August 8, 1972 |
WASTEPAPER BASKET WITH PAPER SHREDDER
Abstract
A rectangular wastepaper basket is provided with support tracks
positioned interiorly of the basket and along longitudinal sides
thereof. A paper shredder is mounted in a rectangular housing
having a length comparable to the short side of the basket and a
lesser width. The shredder housing is movable along the support
tracks to permit equal distribution of shredded paper over the full
floor area of the basket.
Inventors: |
Goldhammer; Albert (7773
Nussdorf/Bodensee, DT) |
Family
ID: |
5710682 |
Appl.
No.: |
04/863,911 |
Filed: |
October 6, 1969 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
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Oct 17, 1968 [DT] |
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P 18 03 463.4 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
241/100;
241/101.78; D18/34.6 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47G
29/06 (20130101); D21B 1/08 (20130101); Y02W
30/642 (20150501); B02C 2018/0046 (20130101); Y02W
30/64 (20150501) |
Current International
Class: |
A47G
29/00 (20060101); A47G 29/06 (20060101); D21B
1/00 (20060101); D21B 1/08 (20060101); B02C
18/00 (20060101); B02c 019/12 () |
Field of
Search: |
;241/100,101,284,285
;312/293,350 ;308/3.6 ;220/1T,65 ;141/231 ;206/72,116E |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Juhasz; Andrew R.
Assistant Examiner: Smith; Gary L.
Claims
I claim:
1. Apparatus for shredding and collecting paper comprising a
container having an upwardly exposed opening, support means carried
by the container below the upper edge of the container but
substantially above the bottom thereof to provide space for
accumulation of shredded paper, and a paper shredder disposed in a
housing and removably resting on the support means, whereby said
housing and included shredder is removably installed in said
container and the center of gravity of the assembly is thereby
lowered to enhance stability.
2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the housing has a
generally rectangular configuration and the container opening is
rectangularly shaped, wherein a longitudinal side of the housing is
substantially equidistant with a short side of the opening, and
said housing being movable along longitudinal sides of the
opening.
3. Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the support means
comprises tracks extending along interior longitudinal walls of the
container.
4. Apparatus according to claim 3 including low friction bearing
means cooperating with and disposed between the support tracks and
an underside of the housing for facilitating the movement of the
housing along the tracks.
5. Apparatus according to claim 2, including a removable insert
constructed for engaging the upper end of the container, the insert
including support tracks disposed interiorly of the container and
extending along longitudinal walls of the container.
6. Apparatus according to claim 1 including means for use in
varying the vertical position of the shredder in the container,
said means including a plurality of independent support means for
said shredder housing, installed at different elevations in said
container and selectively usable in supporting said shredder
housing.
7. Apparatus according to claim 1 including a disposal liner placed
interiorly of the container, the liner including means engaging the
support means to maintain the liner in a substantially upright
position below said paper shredder.
8. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the housing includes
runners depending from an underside of the housing for engaging the
support means.
9. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the housing comprises a
bottom member, a cover and a frame clamped between the bottom
member and the cover.
10. Apparatus according to claim 9 including retractable handle
means mounted to the cover and extending in the direction of long
sides of the housing, the handle means being positioned
substantially above the center of gravity of the shredder and
set-off from the longitudinal center line of the housing.
11. Apparatus according to claim 10 wherein the cover includes a
plurality of ventillation openings, the openings being arranged in
a substantially rectangular field of a length about equal to the
length of the handle means and extending from side of the cover
past the longitudinal center line of the cover.
12. Apparatus according to claim 11 including switch means for
actuating the paper shredder, the actuating means being disposed
adjacent a short side of the rectangular field.
13. Apparatus according to claim 12 including an electrical
receptacle affixed to the cover for electrically connecting the
paper shredder with a source of electrical power.
14. Apparatus according to claim 13 wherein the receptacle is
positioned adjacent the rectangular field.
15. Apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the shredder includes a
drive wheel and the runners are hollow, and wherein a lower end of
the drive wheel extends into the hollow interior of one of the
runners.
16. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the shredder includes
rubber mounts supporting the shredder on a bottom member of the
housing and insulating the housing from shock and vibration.
17. Apparatus according to claim 1 including casters mounted to the
lower end of the container and permitting movement of the container
about a supporting surface.
Description
The present invention relates to a wastepaper basket including a
shredder for the shredding of paper and the like.
Paper shredders for cutting small paper sheets and the like and
which are mounted on top of a wastepaper basket are known. Such
wastepaper baskets include a continuous edge onto which the
shredder is fitted. This requires a relatively close tolerance fit
if a secure connection between the basket and the shredder is to be
obtained. In addition the center of gravity of such shredder-basket
combinations is relatively high so that even small horizontal
forces can overthrow the wastepaper basket.
The present invention eliminates the aforementioned shortcomings of
paper shredders mounted to wastepaper baskets.
It is the object of the invention to provide a wastepaper basket
with a paper shredder so that all component parts can be
manufactured with relatively loose tolerances while providing the
finished product with a high degree of stability.
The present invention attains this object by mounting a support
track having a substantially horizontal support surface on the
interior of the wastepaper basket (hereinafter "basket"). Thus, the
paper shredder is positioned below the upper edge of the basket and
the center of gravity of the device is relatively low. Since the
support surface can be of any desired width the interior dimensions
of the basket can deviate substantially from the dimensions of the
paper shredder and the housing mounting it.
It is particularly advantageous when the paper shredder and the
opening of the basket have a rectangular shape with unequal sides.
It is preferred that the long side of the paper shredder is about
equal to the short side of the basket and that the shredder is
mounted so that it is longitudinally movable in the basket. This
permits the use of relatively large volume baskets for the receipt
and storing of large quantities of shredded paper before the basket
must be emptied.
Moreover, by mounting the shredder in the above fashion it can be
gradually moved from one end of the support tracks mounting the
shredder, to the other end thereof, so that the basket is evenly
filled with shredded paper. Thus, it is particularly desirable to
mount the shredder for convenient and easy movement along the
supporting tracks, and it is therefore presently preferred to
provide the support surfaces, or the underside of the paper
shredder, with rollers or similar low friction bearing means.
In an alternative embodiment of the invention the paper shredder is
supported by an insert that is removably placed over the top edges
of the basket. The insert also includes support tracks that are
disposed interiorly of the basket and run along the longitudinal
sides of the basket.
To further assure an even distribution of the shredded paper as the
basket is filled, the shredder is vertically movably mounted. The
invention therefore provides vertically spaced support tracks
permitting such adjustment of the shredder.
To facilitate the removal of shredded paper from the basket a sack
or liner manufactured of a material such as plastic is placed on
top of the support tracks and retained thereon by the shredder. To
remove the liner from the basket the shredder is first lifted off
the tracks and the liner is then taken out and discarded.
To facilitate the temporary storage of the shredder while not
disposed on the tracks, as during emptying of the basket, it
preferably included hollow runners or support members onto which it
is placed.
In the preferred form of the invention, the housing mounting the
shredder is constructed of a bottom member, a cover, and a sheet
metal frame clamped between the bottom member and the cover. This
enables a relatively effortless disassembly of the housing and
assures ready access to the electric motor, the transmission and
the shredding mechanism for repair and the like.
The shredder, including the drive means for the shredding
mechanism, is asymmetrically positioned in the housing so that its
center of gravity is offset from the center line of the cover. A
handle is mounted to the cover substantially vertically above the
center of gravity of the shredder, that is offset from the cover
center line. The unit can thus be lifted without tilting or
possible jamming with the support track or the basket.
The housing cover, which comprises the major visible portion of the
housing, has a particularly attractive appearance when ventilation
openings provided for the electric drive are arranged in a
rectangular field with a length about equal to the length of the
handle and which extends past the center line of the cover. When so
arranged the ventilation openings represent a balance to the
asymmetrically positioned handle and optically place the handle on
the center of the cover.
Electrical switches for the drive means are preferably adjacent the
short sides of the rectangular field of ventilation openings. A
female receptacle for electrically connecting the drive means with
an electrical cord is also mounted to the cover. The need for
mounting such a receptacle to the sides of the housing is thus
eliminated. By placing the receptacle adjacent the rectangular
field and opposite from the switches the appearance of the cover is
substantially enchanced.
The electrical motor of the drive means includes a relatively large
diameter drive wheel which is positioned so that its lower end
extends into the hollow interior of the runners depending from the
housing bottom member. The overall housing height can thus be
substantially reduced. Furthermore, to reduce vibrations of the
housing the shredding mechanism and the drive means therefor are
preferably connected to the housing via a shock and vibration
absorbing rubber mount.
The stability of the basket is enchanced by mounting it on suitable
casters. Possible tilting of the basket from horizontally acting
forces is thereby reduced or eliminated since the basket moves over
the supporting floor under such forces and moments tending to tilt
the basket do not develop. In addition, the already referred to
relatively low center of gravity of the basket and the shredder
mounted therein further reduces the danger of tilting the
basket.
The invention is further described with reference to the
accompanying drawings and the therein illustrated embodiments, from
which additional features and advantages of the invention are
apparent.
FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of the basket provided with a paper
shredder and constructed in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the
invention; and
FIG. 3 is a perspective cross-sectional view of yet another
embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view in section through the paper shredder,
showing the motor drive.
Referring to FIG. 1, a wastepaper basket 1 has a rectangular cross
section and an upwardly oriented rectangular opening.
Longitudinally oriented support tracks 2 defining support surfaces
on which a paper shredder 3 rests, are mounted to the interior of
the basket. The shredder is provided with runners 4 which engage
the supporting surfaces of the tracks and permit movement of the
shredder along the long sides of the basket. In the embodiment
illustrated in FIG. 2 runners 4 are positioned inwardly of the ends
of the shredder so that the outer edges of the bottom member 5 of
the shredder are in engagement with tracks 2. To facilitate the
ease with which the shredder can be moved along tracks 2, the
latter are provided with low friction bearing means such as
intermittently spaced rollers 10.
A preferred embodiment of the invention includes additional,
vertically lower positioned tracks 6 to permit the vertical
repositioning of the shredder and the basket.
Basket 1 is provided with legs 8 (see FIG. 2) or, as is presently
preferred for the above stated reasons, with casters 7 (see FIG.
1). A collapsible liner 9 has its ends folded over the support
surfaces of tracks 2 as illustrated in FIG. 2 and is retained
thereon by the weight of the shredder. Shredded paper discharged by
shredder 3 is collected in the liner.
The housing of shredder 3 is defined by a bottom member 5, a cover
11 and a frame 12 clamped between the cover and the bottom member.
The cover includes an aperture 13 through which paper is inserted
into the shredding mechanism (not separately shown). A retractable
handle 14 for the lifting of shredder 3 is mounted to the
cover.
A plurality of ventilation openings for an electrical motor 14
(FIG. 4) of the shredder are arranged in a rectangular field 15. A
pair of electrical switches 16 for energizing and de-energizing the
motor are mounted to the right of the rectangular field as seen in
FIG. 1. A receptacle 17 for connecting the motor to a source of
electrical power (not shown) is mounted to cover 11 to the left of
the rectangular field. The motor carries a drive wheel 17' for
driving the shredder mechanism.
Referring to FIG. 3, another preferred embodiment of the invention
employs a removable insert 18 which includes an upper flange 19
that is placed over the top end of the basket and suspends the
insert therefrom. The insert depends through the upwardly oriented
basket opening into the basket interior. A pair of support tracks
20 are formed at the lower end of the insert and run along the
longitudinal basket sides. The shredder (not shown in FIG. 3) rests
on tracks 20 in the above described manner. To minimize vibrations
of the motor 17' being transmitted to the basket 1, the motor is
mounted on a pad 21 of rubber or other appropriate material.
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