U.S. patent number RE40,042 [Application Number 11/109,843] was granted by the patent office on 2008-02-05 for dual-functional medium shredding machine structure.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Michilin Prosperity Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Frank Chang.
United States Patent |
RE40,042 |
Chang |
February 5, 2008 |
**Please see images for:
( Reexamination Certificate ) ** |
Dual-functional medium shredding machine structure
Abstract
This invention is related to a dual-functional medium shredding
machine structure, specifically designed for shredding or
destroying paper printed with data to be destroyed, optical discs
containing data to be destroyed, or expired credit cards. This
invention mainly implements a pair of shredding roller blades with
sharp teeth as shredding means, and is characterized by providing
separate feeding inports, including a paper inport for feeding
paper in an inclined orientation, and a disc inport for feeding
discs in a vertical orientation, wherein the inports are each led
to the same shredding roller blades such that, regardless of the
type of substance being fed by the user, the paper or the discs can
both be shredded by the shredding roller blades, and the shredded
scraps are dispensed to separate collectors through an identical
exit by means of an auto-revolving switch plate; and a touch switch
at each of the inports such that, while feeding the paper or the
discs, the touch switch activates the shredding roller blades to
perform shredding task, and drives the switch plate so as to
dispense shredded scraps of different substance into different
collectors.
Inventors: |
Chang; Frank (Taipei,
TW) |
Assignee: |
Michilin Prosperity Co., Ltd.
(Taipei Hsien, TW)
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Family
ID: |
24749525 |
Appl.
No.: |
11/109,843 |
Filed: |
April 20, 2005 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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Reissue of: |
09684777 |
Oct 10, 2000 |
06550701 |
Apr 22, 2003 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
241/36; 241/166;
241/236; 241/76 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B02C
18/0007 (20130101); B02C 18/148 (20130101); B02C
23/10 (20130101); B02C 2018/0015 (20130101); B02C
2018/0023 (20130101); B02C 2018/0046 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B02C
18/22 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;241/236,100,36,76,166 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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3633 109 |
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36 33 109 |
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10008442 |
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10008442 |
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DE |
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0 281 136 |
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EP |
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503957 |
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Sep 1992 |
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EP |
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0 505 109 |
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Sep 1992 |
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EP |
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1127621 |
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Aug 2001 |
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EP |
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76 37761 |
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Jul 1978 |
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FR |
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77 06557 |
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Oct 1978 |
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FR |
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2 171029 |
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Aug 1986 |
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GB |
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06312144 |
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Nov 1994 |
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JP |
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Other References
Panasonic KX-4100 Auto-Feed paper Shredder photograph, Service
Manual, and Supplement-1 to the Service Manual. cited by other
.
German language brochure of Schleicher & Co. AG. cited by other
.
Brochure for an Intimus Datenex 2000 shredder. cited by other .
Brochure for an Ideal 2400 Paper Shredder. cited by other .
Petition to the Director dated Apr. 19, 2005, to reverse Decision
that denies the Request for Certificate of Correction of Claim 4 of
U.S. Patent No. 6,550,701, with a copy of Decision as Exhibit A,
and a copy of the Request as Exhibit B. cited by other .
Amended Memorandum and Order dated Mar. 7, 2006, which denies Court
correction of Claim 4 of U.S. Patent No. 6,550,701. cited by other
.
"Memorandum Opinion and Order" dated Aug. 30, 2006, Michilin
Prosperity Co. v. Fellowes Manufacturing Co., Civil Action No.
04-1025 (RWR) (JMF), U.S. Dist. Ct. For the District of Columbia.
cited by other .
Kobra 240 SS5 Electronic Data Media Shredder brochure (2 pages).
cited by other .
Shredding Device Drawing. cited by other .
Flyer describing Intimus shredder for CD-ROM's , diskettes, and
credit cards, Jan. 1999. cited by other.
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Primary Examiner: Rosenbaum; Mark
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Bacon & Thomas, PLLC
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A dual-functional medium shredding machine structure, that
allows shredding of paper, optical discs, and credit cards,
characterized in comprising: a machine body being provided with a
power switch on a surface thereof and roller blades therein, the
roller blades being driven by a gearbox; two inports on an upper
limit thereof, the inports including a paper inport with an opening
of a larger dimension and inclined, curved channel walls, and a
disc inport with an opening of a smaller dimension and vertical
channel walls, the inports being each led to the shredding roller
blades such that, regardless of the type of substance being fed by
a user, the paper or the disc can all be shredded by the shredding
roller blades through the intermeshing of roller blades; a paper
touch switch being provided at an appropriate location between the
paper inport and the roller blades; and a disc touch switch being
provided at an appropriate location between the paper inport and
the roller blades; whereby the roller blades are activated by the
touch switches when paper, discs, or credit cards are fed and touch
the touch switches so as to activate the roller blades to perform
intermeshing and shredding task.
2. The dual-functional medium shredding machine structure of claim
1, wherein the machine body is provided with a scrap exit at a base
thereof, the scrap exit being provided with a switch plate that is
switchable to a desired direction by means of a driving mechanism,
such that while the paper touch switch or the disc touch switch is
touched by paper, discs, or credit cards, the touch switch also
activates rotation of the switch plate so as to change the
direction of the scrap exit thereby dispensing shredded scraps of
different substance into different bins.
3. The dual-functional medium shredding machine structure of claim
1, wherein the disc inport is dimensioned to have an opening width
that only allows a single piece of optical disc or credit card to
pass thereby preventing overloading and damaging of the roller
blade.
4. The dual-functional medium shredding machine structure of claim
1, wherein the paper inport and the disc or card inport are both
led to the roller blades, a single touch switch is provided between
the roller blades such that regardless of the type of substances
being fed by a user, the paper, disc, or credit cards can all touch
the touch switch so as to activate the roller blades to perform
shredding task while the scraps are all dispensed to an identical
bin.
.Iadd.5. A dual-functional medium shredding machine structure, that
allows shredding of paper and optical discs or credit cards,
characterized in comprising: a machine body being provided with a
power switch on a surface thereof and intermeshing shredding blades
therein; two inports on an upper lid thereof, the inports including
a paper inport with an opening of a larger dimension and inclined,
curved channel walls, and a disc or card inport with an opening of
a smaller dimension and vertical channel walls, the inports being
each led to the shredding blades such that, regardless of whether
the type of substance being fed by a user is paper, an optical
disc, or a card, the paper, card, or disc can all be shredded by
the shredding blades through the intermeshing of the blades.
.Iaddend.
.Iadd.6. The dual-functional medium shredding machine structure of
claim 5, further comprising a first blade-activation switch
situated between the paper inport and the shredding blades and a
second blade-activation switch situated between the disc or card
inport and the shredding blades, wherein the machine body is
provided with a scrap exit at a base thereof, the scrap exit being
provided with a switch plate that is switchable to a desired
direction by means of a driving mechanism, such that while a
respective one of said first or second blade-activation switches is
caused to activate said shredding blades by the presence of paper,
a disc, or a card in one of the inports, the respective first or
second blade-activation switch also activates rotation or the
switch plate so as to change the direction of the scrap exit
thereby dispensing shredded scraps of different substance into
different bins. .Iaddend.
.Iadd.7. The dual-functional medium shredding machine structure of
claim 5, wherein the disc or card inport is dimensioned to have an
opening width that only allows a single piece of optical disc or
credit card to pass thereby preventing overloading and damaging of
the shredding blades. .Iaddend.
.Iadd.8. The dual-functional medium shredding machine structure of
claim 5, wherein the paper inport and the disc or card inport are
both led to the shredding blades, and a single switch is provided
between the shredding blades such that regardless of the type of
substance being fed by a user, the paper, disc, or credit cards can
all cause the switch to activate the shredding blades to perform a
shredding task while the scraps are all dispensed to an identical
bin. .Iaddend.
.Iadd.9. The dual-functional medium shredding machine structure of
claim 5, wherein: a first blade-activation switch is provided at an
appropriate location between the paper inport and the shredding
blades; and a second blade-activation switch is provided at an
appropriate location between the disc inport and the shredding
blades; whereby the shredding blades are activated by the first or
second blade-activation switch to perform an intermeshing and
shredding task when paper, discs, or credit cards are fed into
either of the paper and disc or card inports. .Iaddend.
.Iadd.10. A dual-functional medium shredding machine structure,
that allows shredding of paper and optical discs or credit cards,
characterized in comprising: a machine body being provided with
intermeshing shredding blades therein; two inports on an upper lid
thereof, the inports including a paper inport with an opening of a
larger dimension and inclined, curved channel walls, and a disc or
card inport with an opening of a smaller dimension and vertical
channel walls, the inports being each led to the shredding blades
such that, regardless of whether the type of substance being fed by
a user is paper, an optical disc, or a card, the paper, card, or
disc can all be shredded by the shredding blades through the
intermeshing of the blades. .Iaddend.
.Iadd.11. A dual-functional medium shredding machine structure,
that allows shredding of paper and optical discs or credit cards,
characterized in comprising: a machine body being provided with
intermeshing shredding blades therein; two inports on an upper lid
thereof, the inports including a paper inport with an opening of a
larger dimension and inclined, curved channel walls, and a disc or
card inport with an opening of a smaller dimension and vertical
channel walls, the inports being each led to the shredding blades
such that, regardless of whether the type of substance being fed by
a user is paper, an optical disc, or a card, the paper, card, or
disc can all be shredded by the shredding blades through the
intermeshing of the blades; and a switch arranged to activate the
shredding blades to perform an intermeshing and shredding task when
paper, an optical disc, or a card is being fed by the user.
.Iaddend.
Description
This invention is related to a dual-functional medium shredding
machine structure, that not only serves as conventional paper
shredding machines, but also allows shredding of the commonly known
optical discs containing data or expired credit cards or membership
cards through a disc inport or a card inport specifically for such
media. This invention mainly implements a pair of shredding roller
blades with sharp teeth as shredding means for shredding paper,
credit cards, and membership cards. This invention is provided with
separate feeding inports, including an inclined inport for feeding
paper, and a vertical inport for feeding discs or cards, wherein
the inports are each led to the same shredding roller blades such
that, regardless of the type of substance being fed by the user,
the paper, cards, or the discs can all be shredded by the shredding
roller blades. This invention is characterized in that: an inclined
inport of a longer channel and a vertical inport of a shorter
channel are each provided at the machine body above the roller
blades; touch switches are provided at each of the inports such
that, while feeding the paper, cards, or discs, the touch switch
activates the shredding roller blades to perform shredding task,
and drives the switch plate so as to dispense shredded scraps of
different substance into different bins.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
Conventional paper shredding machines mostly include a roller blade
set constructed of two roller blades that shred or cut paper to be
fed into strips or scraps as a result of the opposed rotations of
the two roller blades such that information as recorded on the
paper is destroyed for confidentiality, and the strips or scraps of
paper can be easily compressed to reduce processing space. However,
optical discs, regardless of CD-ROM discs or CD-R discs, rather
than paper have evolved to be one of the major means for storing
information. Once information contained in such optical discs has
lost its original value and needs to be destroyed, manually
breaking the optical discs not only cannot destroy the information
as stored, it also may cause personal injuries. An optimum measure
is to shred these discs by means of mechanical operations such as
those in conventional paper shredding machines.
In the highly economized society as of today, plastic money, such
as credit cards, debit cards, ATM cards, or even membership cards
issued by enterprises for promotional purposes, and registration
cards issued by medical institutions, have made "cards" become an
article that can certainly be found in everyone's pocket. When
these cards have expired or been replaced with new cards, the most
commonly adopted measure is to cut the cards in halves for
disposal. However, danger still exists in such a disposing measure
because most cards carry the user's signature and the registration
cards may also carry personal, medical history, or personal
information. It is possible that other individuals with malicious
intention may still have access to these halved cards.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
Though paper shredders are tools commonly used for destroying
information, the inventor of this invention believes that the
functions of the conventional paper shredders shall be expanded so
as to perform shredding task on the same machine using an identical
roller blade set regardless of the type of substance of the media
to be shredded, given that the machine volume is not increased but
the functions are enhanced. In other words, this invention intends
to provide a medium shredding machine that allows paper shredding
and disc shredding using the same machine.
In view of the above, the inventor made researches and developments
in such a valuable subject matter and accomplished the
"Dual-Functional Medium Shredding Machine Structure" that provides
separate feeding inports, including a paper inport for feeding
paper and a disc inport for feeding discs, wherein the inports are
each led to the same shredding roller blades such that, and the
shredded scraps are dispensed to separate bins through an identical
exit by means of an auto-revolving switch plate.
It is thus a primary object of this invention to provide a
"dual-functional medium shredding machine structure" specifically
designed for shredding or destroying paper printed with data to be
destroyed, and optical discs containing data to be destroyed, and
expired credit cards. This invention mainly implements a pair of
shredding roller blades with sharp teeth as shredding means, and is
characterized by providing separate feeding inports, including a
paper inport for feeding paper in an inclined orientation, and a
disc inport for feeding discs in a vertical orientation, wherein
the inports are each led to the same shredding roller blades such
that, regardless of the type of substance being fed by the user,
the paper or the discs can both be shredded by the shredding roller
blades.
It is another object of this invention to provide a touch switch at
each of the inports such that, while feeding the paper or the
discs, the touch switch activates the shredding roller blades to
perform shredding task, and drives the switch plate so as to
dispense shredded scraps of different substance into different
bins, whereby the paper and discs can all be destroyed and shredded
while the different types of shredded scraps can be dispersed into
different bins through the auto-switching function of the switch
plate in order to sort the waste and to recycle the resources for
environmental sakes.
In order to clearly delineate the objects, characteristics and
advantages of the present invention, a few preferred embodiments
are specifically explained in detail in accompany with the drawings
as follows.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of this invention;
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the invention under
the paper shredding process;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the invention under
the disc shredding process; and
FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the appearance of this
invention.
TABLE-US-00001 LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS 10 machine body 11
upperlid 12 base 13 power switch 14 paper inport 15 disc inport 16
paper touch switch 17 disc touch switch 18 roller blades 19 scrap
exit 20 switch plate 21 paper scrap bin 22 disc scrap bin 23 shaft
24 driving component 25 paper 26 optical disc
DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS OF EMBODIMENTS
This invention is related to a dual-functional medium shredding
machine structure that is substantially dimensioned to the
conventional paper shredding machines serving as tools for
destroying information. This invention not only serves as a
conventional paper-shredding machine, but also allows shredding of
the commonly known optical discs or credit cards by implementing an
identical set of roller blades and allows sorting and collection of
different scraps.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, a machine body 10 dimensioned to a
conventional paper shredding machine is provided with a power
switch 13 on a surface thereof, a pair of roller blades 18 provided
therein and driven by a gearbox, and two inports on an upper lid 11
thereof, the inports including a paper inport 14 with an opening of
a larger dimension and inclined, curved channel walls, and a disc
inport 15 with an opening of a smaller dimension and vertical
channel walls. The inports 14, 15 are each led to the shredding
roller blades 18 such that, regardless of the type of substance
being fed by the user, the paper 25 or the disc 26 can all be
shredded by the shredding roller blades 18 through the intermeshing
of roller blades 18. The disc inport 15, in principles, is designed
to have an opening width that only allows a single piece of optical
disc 26 to pass thereby preventing overloading and damaging of the
roller blades 18.
The paper inport 14 and the disc inport 15 are, respectively,
provided with a paper touch switch 16 and a disc touch switch 17 at
appropriate locations of the openings or the channel walls. As
shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, while feeding a piece of paper 25, the
paper touches and activates the paper touch switch 16 so as to
activate the shredding roller blades 18 to perform the intermeshing
and shredding task. Likewise, while feeding an optical disc 26, the
disc touches and activates the disc touch switch 17 so as to
activate the shredding roller blades 18 to perform the intermeshing
and shredding task.
In this invention, the machine body 10 is provided with a scrap
exit 19 at a base 12 thereof. The scrap exit 19 is provided with a
switch plate 20 that revolves about a shaft 23. The switch plate 20
can be driven to the desired direction by means of a conventional
driving mechanism (not shown) so as to change the direction that
the scraps are dispensed.
The two touch switches 16, 17, while being provided to activate the
roller blades 18, can also activate the rotation of the switch
plate 20 provided at the scrap exit 19 of the base 12 so as to
change the direction of the scrap exit 19 thereby dispensing
shredded scraps of different substance into different bins.
As shown in FIG. 2, while feeding one or more pieces of paper 25
into the paper inport 14, the paper 25 touches the paper touch
switch 16, which not only activates rotation of the roller blades
18, but also drives rotation of the switch plate 20 so as to
dispense the scrap exit 19 towards the paper scrap bin 21.
As shown in FIG. 32, while feeding an optical disc 26 into the disc
inport 15, the disc 26 touches the disc touch switch 17, which not
only activates rotation of the roller blades 18, but also drives
rotation of the switch plate 20 so as to dispense the scrap exit 19
towards the disc scrap bin 22.
Because the "dual-functional medium shredding machine structure" of
this invention provides two functions within an identical machine
and uses an identical set of roller blades, the invention helps to
reduce cost and improved space utilization. Furthermore, this
invention uses two touch switches 16, 17 to activate directional
change of a switch plate 20 so as to dispense shredded scraps of
different substance into different bins. As such, the effects as
achieved by this invention are not limited to destroying paper 25
or discs 26 within an identical machine, but also allows waste
sorting and resource recycling for environmental sakes.
The "dual-functional medium shredding machine structure" of this
invention uses two touch switches 16, 17 to activate the roller
blades 18 and to drive rotational change of the switch plate 2 of
the scrap exit 19 so as to dispense shredded scraps of different
substance into different bins so as to facilitate waste sorting and
resources recycling. However, it is known that people will mostly
use this invention as means for shredding paper 25 in daily life or
at professional sites; it is thus possible that scraps of discs 26
will only be a small proportion of paper. Though the two touch
switches 16, 17 can drive rotational change of the switch plate 20
so as to dispense shredded scraps of different substance into
different bins, the capacity of paper pin may be insufficient for
most of the time. Furthermore, in consideration of reduction of
manufacturing cost and in response to the market demands, the
number of touch switches in this invention may be reduced to one,
and the switch plate 20 as well as the accompanying driving
mechanism may also be eliminated. In other words, a single touch
switch is provided at an appropriate location beneath the two
inports and between the roller blades, such that regardless of the
type of substance being fed by the user, the paper 25 or disc 26
can both touch the touch switch so as to activate the roller blades
to perform shredding task while the scraps are dispensed to an
identical bin. As such, a simplified embodiment of this invention
further reduces the number of components thereby reducing the
manufacturing cost and enhancing competitiveness.
From the invention thus described, it will be obvious that this
invention as described above is provided for explanation and that
the invention may be varied in many ways, where such variations are
not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the
invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one
skilled in the art are intended for inclusion within the scope of
the following claims.
* * * * *