SHREDDER

Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to shredders for destroying articles, such as documents, CDs, etc.

Background of the Invention

[0002] Shredders are well known devices for destroying substrate articles, such as documents, CDs, floppy disks, etc. Typically, users purchase shredders to destroy sensitive articles, such as credit card statements with account information, documents containing company trade secrets, etc.

[0003] A common type of shredder has a shredder mechanism contained within a housing that is removably mounted atop a container. The shredder mechanism typically has a series of cutter elements that shred articles fed therein and discharge the shredded articles downwardly into the container. The shredder typically has a stated capacity, such as the number of sheets of paper (typically of 20 Ib. weight) that may be shredded at one time; however, the feed throat of a typical shredder can receive more sheets of paper than the stated capacity. A common frustration of users of shredders is to feed too many papers into the feed throat, only to have the shredder jam after it has started to shred the papers. To free the shredder of the papers, the user typically reverses the direction of rotation of the cutter elements via a switch until the papers become free.

[0004] In addition, shredders that are subjected to a lot of use should have periodic maintenance done to them. For example, the cutter elements may become dull over time. It has been found that lubricating the cutter elements may improve the performance of cutter elements, particularly if the shredder is used constantly over a long period of time.

[0005] Examples of known shredders with thickness sensing features designed to prevent the cutter elements from jamming are JP 57-70445U and JP 60-34900B. An example of a shredder with a feature that disables in response to insertion of an object moving a flap at the shredder opening is shown in JP 52-11691. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0054725 discloses, among other things, a detector that can determine if an overly thick object is being inserted in a shredder throat. Examples of shredders with oiling capability are shown in U.S. Patent Nos. 5,186,398 and 5,494,229.

Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present application endeavors to provide various improvements over the prior art shredders.

[0007] One aspect of the present invention provides a shredder for shredding substrates with an oiling mechanism. The shredder includes a housing, a shredder mechanism received in the housing and including a motor and cutter elements, the shredder mechanism enabling substrates to be shredded to be fed into the cutter elements and the motor being operable to drive the cutter elements in a shredding direction so that the cutter elements shred the substrates fed therein, the housing having a feed opening enabling the substrates to be shredded to be fed into the cutter elements, a reservoir constructed to contain an amount of fluid lubricant, a plurality of nozzles communicated with the reservoir, and a pump, operable to deliver the fluid under pressure to the plurality of nozzles such that the fluid is sprayed to lubricate the cutter elements.

[0008] In certain embodiments, the oiling mechanism includes one or more nozzles in fluid communication with a pump The pump is in turn in fluid communication with a fluid reservoir for containing the lubricant. When activated, the pump pumps lubricant from the reservoir through the nozzle or nozzles to provide the lubricant to the cutter elements. In a particular embodiment, the lubricant is provided to the cutter elements directly. In another variation, the lubricant is provided to an intermediate surface from whence it flows to the cutter elements.

[0009] In another embodiment, the shredder incorporates a controller that is configured and arranged to control a schedule of lubrication. The controller may control the schedule according to a predetermined time schedule, according to a predetermined number of uses, or it may control the schedule according to a measured or estimated number of sheets shredded

[00010] One aspect of an embodiment of the present invention includes a retrofittable lubricating kit for use with a shredder for shredding substrates, the shredder including a housing, a shredder mechanism received in the housing and including a motor and cutter elements, the shredder mechanism enabling substrates to be shredded to be fed into the cutter elements and the motor being operable to drive the cutter elements in a shredding direction so that the cutter elements shred the substrates fed therein, the housing having a feed opening enabling the substrates to be shredded to be fed into the cutter elements, including a reservoir constructed to contain an amount of fluid lubricant, a plurality of nozzles communicated with

the reservoir, and a pump, operable to deliver the fluid under pressure to the plurality of nozzles such that the fluid is sprayed to lubricate the cutter elements

[00011] Another aspect of the invention provides a shredder with a progressive indicator system Specifically, the shredder comprises a housing having a throat for receiving at least one article to be shredded A shredder mechanism is received in the housing and includes 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, and the motor is operable to dπve the cutter elements so that the cutter elements shred the articles fed therein A detector is configured to detect a thickness of the at least one article received by the throat A progressive indictor system is configured to indicate to a user of the shredder the thickness of the at least one article detected by the detector within a range of thicknesses

[00012] Another aspect of the piesent invention provides a method comprising detecting a thickness of at least one article being inserted into the throat of the shredder, and using a progressive indicator system to indicate to a user a detected thickness of the at least one article within a range of thicknesses

[00013] Another aspect of the present invention provides a shredder with an input for selecting a material to be shredded Specifically, the shredder compπses a housing having a throat for receiving at least one article to be shredded A shredder mechanism is received in the housing and includes 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, and the motor is operable to dπve the cutter elements so that the cutter elements shred the articles fed therein A detector is configured to detect a thickness of the at least one article received by the throat A controller 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 An input enables a user to select a type of material to be shredded The input is coupled to the controller for varying the predetermined maximum thickness in accordance with the material selected

[00014] Another aspect of the invention provides a method comprising selecting a type of material to be shiedded via an input on the shredder, the selection determining a predetermined maximum thickness for the selected type of mateπal, determining if a thickness of at least one article being inserted into a throat of the shredder is at least equal to the piedetermined maximum thickness for the selected type of material, and performing a predetermined operation if the detected thickness is at least equal to the piedetermined maximum thickness

[00015] Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims

Brief Description of the Drawings

[00016] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a shredder constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention,

[00017] Figure 2 is a perspective view similar to Figure 1, showing a stack of documents that is too thick to be inserted into a thickness gauge on the shredder,

[00018] Figure 3 is a perspective view similar to Figure 2, but with a thinner stack of documents inserted into the thickness gauge,

[00019] Figure 4 is a close-up perspective view of the thickness gauge,

[00020] Figure 5 is a schematic illustration of an oilmg mechanism in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention,

[00021] Figure 6 is a perspective view of a shredder having an oilmg mechanism in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention,

[00022] Figure 7 is a perspective view of a shredder having an oiling mechanism in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention,

[00023] Figure 8 is a schematic block diagram of various operational components of a shredder,

[00024] Figure 9 is a schematic block diagram of various operational components of an embodiment of an oiling mechanism in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention,

[00025] Figure 10 is a perspective view of a shredder constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention,

[00026] Figure 11 is an exploded perspective view of the shredder of FIG 10,

[00027] Figure 12 is a schematic of interaction between a controller and other parts of the shredder,

[00028] Figure 13 is a schematic of an embodiment of an indicator located on the shredder,

[00029] Figure 14 is a schematic of an embodiment of a detector configured to detect a thickness of a article to be shredded by the shredder,

[00030] Figuie 15 is a schematic of another embodiment of a detector configured to detect a thickness of a article to be shredded by the shredder,

[00031] Figure 16 is a schematic of another embodiment of a detector configured to detect a thickness of a article to be shredded by the shredder,

[00032] Figure 17 is a schematic of another embodiment of a detector configured to detect a thickness of a article to be shredded by the shredder, and

[00033] Figure 18 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of a method for shredding an article

Detailed Descnption of the Illustrated Embodiments

[00034] Figures 1-4 illustrate an embodiment of a shredder constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention The shredder is generally indicated at 10 The shredder 10 sits atop a waste container, generally indicated at 12, which is formed of molded plastic or any other mateπal The shredder 10 illustrated is designed specifically for use with the container 12, as the shredder housing 14 sits on the upper periphery of the waste container 12 in a nested relation However, the shredder 10 may also be designed so as to sit atop a wide variety of standard waste containers, and the shredder 10 would not be sold with the container Likewise, the shredder 10 could be part of a large freestanding housing, and a waste container would be enclosed in the housing An access door would provide for access to and removal of the container Generally speaking, the shredder 10 may have any suitable construction or configuration and the illustrated embodiment is not intended to be limiting in any way In addition, the term "shredder" is not intended to be limited to devices that literally "shred" documents and articles, but is instead intended to cover any device that destroys documents and other such substrate articles in a manner that leaves each document or article illegible and/or useless

[00035] The shredder 10 includes a shredder mechanism 16 including an electrically powered motor 18 and a plurality of cutter elements 20 "Shredder mechanism" is a geneπc structural term to denote a device that destroys articles using at least one cutter element Such destroying may be done in any particular way For example, the shredder mechanism may include at least one cutter element that is configured to punch a plurality of holes in the document or article in a manner that destroys the document or article The cutter elements 20 are mounted on a pan of parallel rotating shafts (not shown) The motor 18 operates using electncal power to rotatably dπve the shafts and the cutter elements 20 through a conventional transmission (not shown) so that the cutter elements 20 shred articles fed theiein The shredder mechanism 16 may also include a sub-frame for mounting the shafts, the motor 18 and the transmission The operation and construction of such a shredder

mechanism 16 are well known and need not be described herein in detail The shredder mechanism 16, motor 18, and cutter elements are represented schematically in Figure 8 Generally, any suitable shredder mechanism known in the art or developed hereafter may be used For example, reference may be made to U S Application Senal Nos 10/828,254, 10/815,761 and 10/347,700, and U S Patent Nos 6,260,780, 5,961,059, 5,961,058, 5,954,280, 5,829,697, 5,826,809, 5,799,887, 5,676,321, 5,655,725, 5,636,801, 5,511,732, 5,295,633 and 5,071,080 for details of various shredder mechanisms Each of these patents and applications is incorporated into the present application by reference in their entirety

[00036] The shredder 10 also includes the shredder housing 14, mentioned above The shredder housing 14 includes a top wall 24 that sits atop the container 12 The top wall 14 is molded from plastic and a waste opening 26 is located at a rear portion thereof The opening 26 allows waste to be discarded into the container 12 without being passed through the feed opening 32 and the shredder mechanism 16, as discussed below As an optional feature, this opening 26 may be provided with a lid, such as a pivoting lid, that opens and closes the opening 26 However, this opening is optional and may be omitted entirely

[00037] Additionally, the top wall 24 has a handle 28 pivotally connected to it and adjacent the waste opening 26 The handle 28 is pivoted at the ends of its legs 27 and can be pivoted upwardly so that its hand grip portion 30 can be grasped This makes it easier for the user to lift the shredder mechanism 16 off the waste container 12 The handle 30 is entirely optional In the illustrated embodiment, the top wall 24 has a relatively flat upper area where the handle 28 and waste opening 26 are located, and curves downwardly at its front, side, and rear areas However, the shredder housing 14 and its top wall 24 may have any suitable construction or configuration

[00038] The top wall 24 has a generally laterally extending feed opening 32 extending generally parallel and above the cuttei elements 20 The feed opening 32, often referred to as a throat, enables the articles being shredded to be fed into the cutter elements 20 The opening 32 may have any configuration

[00039] The top wall 24 also has a switch recess 34 with an opening (not shown) therethrough A main switch 36 includes a switch module 38 mounted to the top wall 24 underneath the recess 34 by fasteners, and a movable manually engageable portion 40 Movement of the manually engageable portion 40 moves the switch module between its states

[00040] In the illustrated embodiment, the switch module 38 is communicated to a controller 42, which is shown as including a pπnted circuit board 44 Typically, a power

supply (not shown) is connected to the controller 42 by a standard power cord 46 with a plug 48 on its end that plugs into a standard AC outlet. The controller 42 is likewise communicated to the motor 18. When the main switch 36 is moved to an on position, the controller 42 can send an electrical signal to the drive the motor 18 so that it rotates the cutting elements 20 in a shredding direction, thus enabling articles fed in the feed opening 26 to be shredded. The switch 36 may also be moved to an off position, which causes the controller 42 to stop operation of the motor 18. The switch module 38 contains appropriate contacts for signalling the position of the switch's manually engageable portion 40. The motor 18, controller 42, main switch 36, and cutters 20 are shown schematically in Figure 8. Although Figure 8 shows a sensor 74, that component can be ignored, as it is not used in the embodiments of Figures 1-4.

[00041] As an option, the switch 36 may also have a reverse position that signals the controller 42 to operate the motor 18 in a reverse manner. This would be done by using a reversible motor and applying a current that is of a reverse polarity relative to the on position. The capability to operate the motor 18 in a reversing manner is desirable to move the cutter elements 20 in a reversing direction for clearing jams. To provide the on, off, and reverse positions, the switch 36 used may be a three position rocker switch (or a two position switch if only two positions are used). Also, the switch 36 may be of the push switch type that is simply depressed to cycle the controller through the three (or two) conditions.

[00042] Generally, the construction and operation of the switch 36 and controller 42 for controlling the motor 18 are well known and any construction for these may be used. For example, a touch screen switch, a membrane switch, or a toggle switch are other examples of switches that may be used. Also, the switch need not have distinct positions corresponding to on/off/reverse, and theses conditions could be states selected in the controller by operation of the switch. The particular condition (e.g., on, off, reverse) could be signalled by the lights 50, 52, 54 (discussed below), on a screen, or otherwise.

[00043] To assist the user in visually verifying the operational status of the shredder 10, three optional lights 50, 52, 54 are provided. Light 50 to the left corresponds to the on position of the switch 36, which means that the shredder mechanism 16 is on and ready to shred. Light 52 in the middle corresponds to the off position of the switch 36, and indicates that the shredder 10 is plugged in and ready to be activated. Light 54 to the right corresponds to the reverse position of the switch 36, and indicates that the shredder mechanism 16 is operating in reverse. Any type of lights, such as LEDs may be used, and all or some of the lights can be eliminated.

[00044] An optical sensor 56 may be provided in the feed opening 32. When the switch 36 is in its on position, the controller 42 may be configured to operate the motor 18 to drive the cutter elements 20 in the shredding direction only upon the optical sensor 56 being triggered. Specifically, the optical sensor 56 includes a transmitter and a receiver located within the feed opening 32.

[00045] The transmitter emits a light beam to the receiver across the opening 32. When a paper or other article is inserted into the opening, it will interrupt the light beam, and this is sensed by the receiver, which is communicated to the controller 42. Based on this, assuming that the switch 36 is in the on position, the controller 42 then activates the motor 18 to drive the cutter elements 20 in the shredding direction. The use of such a sensor is desirable because it allows the user to ready the shredder 10 by moving the switch 36 to its on position, but the controller 42 will not operate the shredder mechanism 16 to commence shredding until the sensor 56 detects the presence of one or more substrates in the feed opening 32. Once the substrates have passed into the shredding mechanism 16 beyond the sensor 56, the controller 42 will then stop the shredding mechanism 16, as that corresponds to the substrates having been fully fed and shredded. Typically, a slight delay, such as 3-5 seconds, is used before stopping the shredding mechanism 16 to ensure that the substrates have been completely shredded and discharged from the shredder mechanism 16. This is beneficial because it allows the user to perform multiple shredding tasks without having the shredder mechanism 16 operating, and making noise, between tasks. It also reduces wear on the shredder mechanism 16, as it will only operate when substrates are fed therein, and will not continually operate. Other sensors besides an optical sensor may be used, but an optical sensor is preferred because it has no mechanical parts and is less susceptible to wear.

[00046] As an optional feature, a narrow opening 58 may be provided adjacent the feed opening 32 for insertion of more rigid articles, such as CDs and credit cards. As can be seen in the drawings, this opening 58 is much narrower in the transverse direction of the shredder 10 than the feed opening 32. Also, it has a smaller width to restrict the number of articles that can be inserted, thus preventing overloading and jamming. This opening 58 leads into the feed opening 32, and articles inserted through the opening 58 will trigger the same optical sensor 56 as discussed above. While it is possible for a user to insert such articles through the larger feed opening 36, the smaller size of opening 58 typically encourages users to use it for feeding such articles.

[00047] To help prevent the user from feeding a stack of substrates that is overly thick into the shredder mechanism 16, a stack thickness gauge 60 is optionally provided. The stack

thickness gauge 60 has a substrate leceiving opening 62 configured to receive an edge portion of a stack of substrates 64 therein In the illustrated embodiment, the stack thickness gauge includes two upwaidly extending structuies 66, 68 spaced apart to define the opening 64 These structures 66, 68 are part of an integral molded plastic part that snaps into a recess 70 on a front portion of the top wall 24 adjacent the feed opening 32 The snap-fit projections 72 for securing the gauge 60 in the recess 70 can be seen in Figure 4, and corresponding receiving holes are provided in the iecess 70 The gauge 60, however, may have any construction For example, it may be constructed as an integrated part of the housing 14, instead of as a part that is separate and attachable to it Likewise, it may be placed in another location, and its opening 62 may have a different orientation, such as horizontal or at an angle

[00048] The width of the substrate opening 62 is less than or equal to a maximum thickness of a stack of substrates that the shredder mechanism 16 is capable of shredding This width will vary from shredder to shredder, and depends on factors such as cutter efficiency and motor power However, any given shredder is limited as to how thick of a stack of substrates it can handle at one time Above this limit, the shredder mechanism 16 is liable to jam, requiring the user to reverse the shredder mechanism 16 or otheiwise remove the substrates from the mechanism 16 for re-feeding in smaller stacks

[00049] By pioviding the stack thickness gauge 60, the user can verify whether the stack he/she desires to shred is within or above the capability of the shredder mechanism 16 As can be seen in Figure 2, if the stack 64 is too thick, the user will not be able to insert the edge portion of the stack into the substrate receiving opening 62, indicating that the stack thickness needs to be reduced Likewise, as can be seen in Figure 3, if the stack 64 is thinner than the width of the opening 62, it can be inserted therein, indicating that the stack 64 can be fed into the shredder mechanism 16 as is

[00050] Typically, the width of the opening 62 will be selected based on the capacity of the shredder mechanism 16 to handle a stack of a given type of substrate For example, most shredders aie used to shred paper, and thus in most instances the thickness of opening 62 will be based on the maximum thickness for a stack of paper that the shredder mechanism 16 can handle For specialized shredders dedicated to other substrates, the width of opening 62 may be based on the shredder mechanism's capacity to handle a lelevant substiate other than papei

[00051] As schematically illustrated in Fig 5, in order to lubricate the cutting elements of the shredder 10, a system 100 is included for providing lubrication at the cutting elements

20. The system includes a pump 102, that draws lubricating fluid, such as oil, from a reservoir 104. In a typical application, the reservoir 104 will have a fill neck 106 that extends through the top wall 24 of the shredder housing 14 to allow for easy access for refilling the reservoir.

[00052] The pump 102 communicates through a series of conduits 108 to one or more nozzles 110 that are positioned proximate the cutting elements 20. In one embodiment, the nozzles can be positioned such that oil forced through the nozzles is dispersed as sprayed droplets in a throat of the shredder 10. In another embodiment, the oil is dispersed in back of the throat of the shredder 10. Generally, the nozzles have openings small relative to the conduits, thereby creating a high speed flow at the nozzle, allowing the oil to be expelled at a predictable rate and pattern.

[00053] As shown in Fig. 6, a system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention may be a retrofit device. In this embodiment, the reservoir 104 is mounted to an outside surface of the shredder 10. It is connected via a conduit 120 to the main unit 122. The main unit 122 may include a power supply (not shown) and the pump 102 (not shown in Fig. 6).

[00054] In any embodiment, the reservoir 104 may be designed to be removed and replaced, rather than re-filled.

[00055] An alternate embodiment includes the system 100 built into the housing of the shredder 10. In this embodiment, shown in Fig. 7, the fill neck 106 can be designed to extend through the top wall 24 of the shredder housing 14. Operation of the system 100 does not depend on whether it is retrofit or built-in.

[00056] In operation, a controller 130 for the system 100 is programmed with instructions for determining when to lubricate the cutting elements 20. The controller processes the instructions and subsequently applies them by activating the pump 102 to cause fluid from the reservoir to be delivered to the nozzles 110 under pressure. The nozzles are positioned and arranged to spray the pressurized lubricating oil to the cutting elements 20. In general, the oil will be dispersed in a predetermined pattern directly onto the cutting elements and/or the strippers. In a particular arrangement, it may be useful to array the nozzles below the cutting elements so that lubrication is sprayed from below. In an alternate embodiment, the oil is sprayed onto an intermediate surface 132 (shown in Fig. 5) and allowed to drip from there onto the cutting elements and the strippers (which are generally located on the outward or post-cutting side of the cutting mechanism and include a serrated member or a comb type member having teeth that protrude into the spaces between the individual cutting disks).

[00057] The oiling mechanism 110 may also be positioned between the cutter elements and the feed opening 32 so that the lubricant is sprayed directly onto the document being fed into the cutter elements. The nozzles 110 need not be directly between the cutter elements and the feed opening, but should be positioned to spray the lubricant directly on the portion of the document between the opening 32 and the cutter elements. This is advantageous because as the document is shredded, it will come into intimate contact with the interleaving and shearing portions of the cutter elements, thus facilitating distribution of the lubricant to the cutting areas of the cutter elements.

[00058] Within the scope of the present invention, the controller may be programmed to operate the pump in a number of different modes. In one embodiment, the controller is programmed to operate according to a predetermined timing schedule. In another, the controller activates the pump upon a certain number of rotations of the drive for the cutting elements. In another embodiment, a sensor at the throat of the shredder monitors a thickness of items deposited therein. Upon accumulation of a predetermined total thickness of material shredded, the controller activates the pump to lubricate the cutting elements It is also possible to schedule the lubrication based on a number of uses of the shredder (e.g., the controller tracks or counts the number of shredding operations and activates the pump after a predetermined number of shredder operations). In each of the embodiments making use of accumulated measures, a memory can be incorporated for the purpose of tracking use. In each foregoing embodiment, the mechanism may include a manual control to allow a user to operate the system outside of the schedule determined by the controller.

[00059] In another embodiment, the motor controller may be configured to monitor a load on the motor 18. A large load on the motor may be indicative of resistance to the motion of the cutting elements, in turn indicating that a large amount of paper or a relatively tough substrate such as a CD is being shredded. In this embodiment, the load monitoring function may be used as a trigger for lubrication of the cutting elements. For example, a current or voltage sensor may sense the resistance across the shredder mechanism's motor. An increase in the voltage drop across the motor (or a decrease in current flowing to the motor) will indicate an increase in the mechanical resistance faced by the motor. As such, when the electrical resistance, voltage drop, or current (all of which are related, so any one may be monitored directly or indirectly) reaches a threshold value, the controller may activate the pump to spray the lubricant. Motor temperature may provide the same information, as the motor temperature increases as the motor works harder against resistance. Thus, temperature of the motor may also be sensed against as threshold value to determine when lubrication

should take place. Generally, any operational characteristic of the motor may be sensed for this purpose.

[00060] In another embodiment, the lubrication system may have a manual control that allows for hand actuating of the lubrication pump. For example, a bulb may be hand- actuatable for pressurizing the lubricating fluid. Likewise, a user-activated button may be used to manually engage a pump.

[00061] FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate another shredder constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The shredder is generally indicated at 510. In the illustrated embodiment, the shredder 510 sits atop a waste container, generally indicated at 512, which is formed of molded plastic or any other material. The shredder 510 illustrated is designed specifically for use with the container 512, as the shredder housing 514 sits on the upper periphery of the waste container 512 in a nested relation. Generally speaking, the shredder 510 may have any suitable construction or configuration and the illustrated embodiment is not intended to be limiting in any way.

[00062] As shown in FIG. 11, in an embodiment, the shredder 510 includes a shredder mechanism 516 that includes an electrically powered motor 518 and a plurality of cutter elements 519. In the illustrated embodiment, the cutter elements 519 are generally mounted on a pair of parallel rotating shafts 520. The motor 518 operates using electrical power to rotatably drive the shafts and the cutter elements through a conventional transmission 523 so that the cutter elements shred articles fed therein. The shredder mechanism 516 may also include a sub-frame 521 for mounting the shafts, the motor 518, and the transmission 523. The operation and construction of such a shredder mechanism 516 are well known and need not be described herein in detail. Generally, any suitable shredder mechanism 516 known in the art or developed hereafter may be used.

[00063] The shredder 510 also includes the shredder housing 514, mentioned above. The shredder housing 514 includes top wall 524 that sits atop the container 512- The top wall 524 is molded from plastic and an opening 526 is located at a front portion thereof. The opening 526 is formed in part by a downwardly depending generally U-shaped member 528. The U-shaped member 528 has a pair of spaced apart connector portions 527 on opposing sides thereof and a hand grip portion 528 extending between the connector portions 527 in spaced apart relation from the housing 514. The opening 526 allows waste to be discarded into the container 512 without being passed through the shredder mechanism 516, and the member 528 may act as a handle for carrying the shredder 510 separate from the container 512. As an optional feature, this opening 526 may be provided with a lid, such as a pivoting

lid, that opens and closes the opening 526. However, this opening in general is optional and may be omitted entirely. Moreover, the shredder housing 514 and its top wall 524 may have any suitable construction or configuration.

[00064] The shredder housing 514 also includes a bottom receptacle 530 having a bottom wall, four side walls and an open top. The shredder mechanism 516 is received therein, and the receptacle 530 is affixed to the underside of the top wall 524 by fasteners. The receptacle 530 has an opening 532 in its bottom wall through which the shredder mechanism 516 discharges shredded articles into the container 512.

[00065] The top wall 524 has a generally laterally extending opening, which is often referred to as a throat 536, extending generally parallel and above the cutter elements. The throat 536 enables the articles being shredded to be fed into the cutter elements. As can be appreciated, the throat 536 is relatively narrow, which is desirable for preventing overly thick items, such as large stacks of documents, from being fed into cutter elements, which could lead to jamming. The throat 536 may have any configuration.

[00066] The top wall 524 also has a switch recess 538 with an opening therethrough. An on/off switch 542 includes a switch module (not shown) mounted to the top wall 524 underneath the recess 538 by fasteners, and a manually engageable portion 546 that moves laterally within the recess 538. The switch module has a movable element (not shown) that connects to the manually engageable portion 546 through the opening. This enables movement of the manually engageable portion 546 to move the switch module between its states.

[00067] In the illustrated embodiment, the switch module connects the motor 518 to the power supply. Typically, the power supply will be a standard power cord 544 with a plug 548 on its end that plugs into a standard AC outlet. The switch 542 is movable between an on position and an off position by moving the portion 546 laterally within the recess 538. In the on position, contacts in the switch module are closed by movement of the manually engageable portion 546 and the movable element to enable a delivery of electrical power to the motor 518. In the off position, contacts in the switch module are opened to disable the delivery of electric power to the motor 518.

[00068] As an option, the switch 542 may also have a reverse position wherein contacts are closed to enable delivery of electrical power to operate the motor 518 in a reverse manner. This would be done by using a reversible motor and applying a current that is of a reverse polarity relative to the on position. The capability to operate the motor 518 in a reversing manner is desirable to move the cutter elements in a reversing direction for

clearing jams. In the illustrated embodiment, in the off position the manually engageable portion 546 and the movable element would be located generally in the center of the recess 538, and the on and reverse positions would be on opposing lateral sides of the off position.

[00069] Generally, the construction and operation of the switch 542 for controlling the motor 542 are well known and any construction for such a switch 542 may be used.

[00070] In the illustrated embodiment, the top cover 524 also includes another recess 550 associated with an optional switch lock 552. The switch lock 552 includes a manually engageable portion 554 that is movable by a user's hand and a locking portion (not shown). The manually engageable portion 554 is seated in the recess 550 and the locking portion is located beneath the top wall 524. The locking portion is integrally formed as a plastic piece with the manually engageable portion 554 and extends beneath the top wall 524 via an opening formed in the recess 50.

[00071] The switch lock 552 causes the switch 542 to move from either its on position or reverse position to its off position by a camming action as the switch lock 552 is moved from a releasing position to a locking position. In the releasing position, the locking portion is disengaged from the movable element of the switch 542, thus enabling the switch 542 to be moved between its on, off, and reverse positions. In the locking position, the movable element of the switch 542 is restrained in its off position against movement to either its on or reverse position by the locking portion of the switch lock 552.

[00072] Pieferably, but not necessarily, the manually engageable portion 554 of the switch lock 552 has an upwardly extending projection 556 for facilitating movement of the switch lock 552 between the locking and releasing positions.

[00073] One advantage of the switch lock 552 is that, by holding the switch 542 in the off position, to activate the shredder mechanism 516 the switch lock 552 must first be moved to its releasing position, and then the switch 542 is moved to its on or reverse position. This reduces the likelihood of the shredder mechanism 516 being activated unintentionally. Reference may be made to U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005-0218250 Al, which is incorporated herein by reference, for further details of the switch lock 552. This switch lock is an entirely optional feature and may be omitted.

[00074] In the illustrated embodiment, the shredder housing 514 is designed specifically for use with the container 512 and it is intended to sell them together. The upper peripheral edge 560 of the container 512 defines an upwardly facing opening 562, and provides a seat 561 on which the shredder 510 is removably mounted. The seat 561 includes a pair of pivot guides 564 provided on opposing lateral sides thereof. The pivot guides 564

include upwardly facing recesses 566 that are defined by walls extending laterally outwardly from the upper edge 560 of the container 512. The walls defining the recesses 566 are molded integrally from plastic with the container 512, but may be provided as separate structures and formed from any other material. At the bottom of each recess 566 is provided a step down or ledge providing a generally vertical engagement surface 568. This step down or ledge is created by two sections of the recesses 566 being provided with different radii. Reference may be made to U.S. Patent No. 7,025,293, which is incorporated herein by reference, for further details of the pivotal mounting. This pivotal mounting is entirely optional and may be omitted.

[00075] In order to lubricate the cutter elements 19 of the shredder 10, a lubrication system, such as any of the ones described above, may be included for providing lubrication at the cutter elements 19.

[00076] In operation, a controller 596 (shown in FIG. 12) for the lubrication system is programmed with instructions for determining when to lubricate the cutter elements 519. The controller processes the instructions and subsequently applies them by activating the pump 102 to cause fluid from the reservoir to be delivered to the nozzles as described above.

[00077] In an embodiment of the invention, the shredder 510 includes a thickness detector 600 to detect overly thick stacks of documents or other articles that could jam the shredder mechanism 516, and communicate such detection to a controller 700, as shown in FIG. 12. Upon such detection, the controller 700 may communicate with an indicator 610 that provides a warning signal to the user, such as an audible signal and/or a visual signal. Examples of audible signals include, but are not limited to beeping, buzzing, and/or any other type of signal that will alert the user that the stack of documents or other article that is about to be shredded is above a predetermined maximum thickness and may cause the shredder mechanism 516 to j am. This gives the user the opportunity to reduce the thickness of the stack of documents or reconsider forcing the thick article through the shredder, knowing that any such forcing may jam and/or damage the shredder.

[00078] A visual signal may be provided in the form of a red warning light, which may be emitted from an LED. It is also contemplated that a green light may also be provided to indicate that the shredder 510 is ready to operate. In an embodiment, the indicator 610 is a progressive indication system that includes a series of indicators in the form of lights to indicate the thickness of the stack of documents or other article relative to the capacity of the shredder is provided, as illustrated in FIG. 13. As illustrated, the progressive indication system includes a green light 612, a plurality of yellow lights 614, and a red light 616. The

green light 612 indicates that the detected thickness of the item (e g , a single paper, a stack of papers, a compact disc, a ciedit card, etc ) that has been placed in the throat 536 of the shredder 510 is below a first predetermined thickness and well within the capacity of the shreddei The yellow lights 614 provide a progressive indication of the thickness of the item The first yellow light 614, located next to the green light 612, would be triggered when the detected thickness is at or above the first predetermined thickness, but below a second predetermined thickness that triggers the red light 616 If there is more than one yellow light 614, each additional yellow light 614 may correspond to thicknesses at or above a corresponding number of piedetermined thicknesses between the first and second predetermined thicknesses The yellow lights 614 may be used to train the user into getting a feel for how many documents should be shredded at one time The red light 616 indicates that the detected thickness is at or above the second predetermined thickness, which may be the same as the predetermined maximum thickness, thereby warning the user that this thickness has been reached

[00079] The sequence of lights may be varied and their usage may vary For example, they may be arianged linearly in a sequence as shown, or in other configurations (e g , in a partial circle so that they appear like a fuel gauge or speedometer Also, for example, the yellow hght(s) 614 may be lit only for thickness(es) close to (i e , within 25% of) the predeteimined maximum thickness, which triggers the red light 616 This is a useful sequence because of most people's familiarity with traffic lights Likewise, a plurality of green lights (or any other color) could be used to piogressively indicate the detected thickness within a range Each light would be activated upon the detected thickness being equal to or greater than a corresponding predetermined thickness A red (or other color) light may be used at the end of the sequence of lights to emphasize that the predetermined maximum thickness has been reached or exceeded (or other ways of getting the user's attention may be used, such as emitting an audible signal, flashing all of the lights in the sequence, etc ) These alert features may be used in lieu of or in conjunction with cutting off powei to the shredder mechanism upon detecting that the predetermined maximum thickness has been reached oi exceeded

[00080] Similarly, the aforementioned indicators of the progressive indicator system may be in the form of audible signals, lather than visual signals or lights For example, like the yellow lights desciibed above, audible signals may be used to piovide a progiessive indication of the thickness of the item The audible signals may vaiy by number, frequency, pitch, and/or volume in such a way that provides the usei with an indication of how close the

detected thickness of the article is to the predetermined maximum thickness. For example, no signal or a single "beep" may be provided when the detected thickness is well below the predetermined maximum thickness, and a series of "beeps" that increase in number (e.g., more "beeps" the closer the detection is to the predetermined maximum thickness) and/or frequency (e.g., less time between beeps the closer the detection is to the predetermined maximum thickness) as the detected thickness approaches the predetermined maximum thickness may be provided. If the detected thickness is equal to or exceeds the predetermined maximum thickness, the series of "beeps" may be continuous, thereby indicating to the user that such a threshold has been met and that the thickness of the article to be shredded should be reduced.

[00081] The visual and audible signals may be used together in a single device. Also, other ways of indicating progressive thicknesses of the items inserted in the throat 36 may be used. For example, an LCD screen with a bar graph that increases as the detected thickness increases may be used. Also, a "fuel gauge," i.e., a dial with a pivoting needle moving progressively between zero and a maximum desired thickness, may also be used. As discussed above, with an audible signal, the number or frequency of the intermittent audible noises may increase along with the detected thickness. The invention is not limited to the indicators described herein, and other progressive (i.e., corresponding to multiple predetermined thickness levels) or binary (i.e., corresponding to a single predetermined thickness) indicators may be used.

[00082] The aforementioned predetermined thicknesses may be determined as follows. First, because the actual maximum thickness that the shredder mechanism may handle will depend on the material that makes up the item to be shredded, the maximum thickness may correspond to the thickness of the toughest article expected to be inserted into the shredder, such as a compact disc, which is made from polycarbonate. If it is known that the shredder mechanism may only be able to handle one compact disc at a time, the predetermined maximum thickness may be set to the standard thickness of a compact disc (i.e., 1.2 mm). It is estimated that such a thickness would also correspond to about 12 sheets of 20 Ib. paper. Second, a margin for error may also be factored in. For example in the example given, the predetermined maximum thickness may be set to a higher thickness, such as to 1.5 mm, which would allow for approximately an additional 3 sheets of paper to be safely inserted into the shredder (but not an additional compact disc). Of course, these examples are not intended to be limiting in any way.

[00083] For shredders that include separate throats for receiving sheets of paper and compact discs and/or credit cards, a detector 600 may be provided to each of the throats and configured for different predetermined maximum thicknesses For example, the same shredder mechanism may be able to handle one compact disc and 18 sheets of 20 Ib paper Accordingly, the predetermined maximum thickness associated with the detector associated with the throat that is specifically designed to receive compact discs may be set to about 1 5 mm (03 mm above the standard thickness of a compact disc), while the piedetermined maximum thickness associated with the detector associated with the throat that is specifically designed to receive sheets of paper may be set to about 1 8 mm Of course, these examples are not intended to be limiting in any way and are only given to illustrate features of embodiments of the invention

[00084] Similarly, a user input in the form of, e g , selector switch may optionally be provided on the shredder to allow the user to indicate what type of material is about to be shredded, and, hence the appropriate predetermined maximum thickness for the detector A given shredder mechanism may be able to handle different maximum thicknesses for different types of materials, and the use of this selectoi switch allows the controller to use a diffeient predetermined thickness for the material selected For example, there may be a setting for "paper," "compact discs," and/or "credit cards," as these materials are known to have different cutting characteristics and are popular items to shred for secuπty reasons Again, based on the capacity of the shredder mechanism, the appropriate predetermined maximum thicknesses may be set based on the known thicknesses of the items to be shredded, whether it is the thickness of a single compact disc or credit card, or the thickness of a predetermined number of sheets of paper of a known weight, such as 20 Ib The selector switch is an optional feature, and the description thereof should not be considered to be limiting in any way

[00085] Returning to FIG 12, in addition to the indicator 610 discussed above, the detector 600 may also be in communication with the motor 518 that powers the shredder mechanism 16 via the controller 700 Specifically, the controller 700 may control whether powei is provided to the motor 518 so that the shafts 520 may rotate the cutter elements 519 and shred the item This way, if the thickness of the item to be shredded is detected to be greater than the capacity of the shredder mechanism 516, power will not be provided to the shredder mechanism 516, thereby making the shredder 510 temporarily inopeiable This not only protects the motor 518 from oveiload, it also provides an additional safety feature so that

items that should not be placed in the shredder 510 are not able to pass through the shredder mechanism 516, even though they may fit in the throat 536 of the shredder 510.

[00086] FIG. 14-17 show different embodiments of the detector 600 that may be used to detect the thickness of an article (e.g., a compact disc, credit card, stack of papers, etc.) that is placed in the throat 536 of the shredder. As shown in FIG. 14, the detector 600 may include a contact member 620 that is mounted so that it extends into the throat 536 at one side thereof. The contact member 620 may be pivotally mounted or it may be mounted within a slot so that it translates relative to the throat 536. The contact member 620 is mounted so that as the item to be shredded is inserted into the throat 536, the item engages the contact member 620 and causes the contact member 620 to be pushed out of the way of the item. As shown in FIG. 8, a strain gauge 622 is located on a side of the contact member 620 that is opposite the throat 536. The strain gauge 622 is positioned so that it engages the contact member 620 and is able to measure the displacement of the contact member 620 relative to the throat 536. Other displacement sensors may be used. The greater the displacement, the thicker the item being inserted into the throat 536. The strain gauge 622 communicates this measurement to the controller 700 and the controller 700 determines whether the displacement measured by the strain gauge 622, and hence thickness of the item, is greater than the predetermined maximum thickness, thereby indicating that the item that is being fed into the throat of the shredder 510 will cause the shredder mechanism 516 to jam. If the detected thickness is greater than the predetermined maximum thickness, the controller 700 may send a signal to the indicator 610, as discussed above, and/or prevent power from powering the motor 518 to drive the shafts 520 and cutter elements 519. This way, a jam may be prevented. Likewise, the measured displacement of the contact member 620 may be used by the controller 700 to output progressive amounts of thicknesses, as discussed above. Of course, different configurations of the strain gauge 622 and contact member 620 may be used. The illustrated embodiment is not intended to be limiting in any way.

[00087] In another embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 15, the detector 600 includes the contact member 620 and a piezoelectric sensor 624. In this embodiment, the contact member 620 is mounted such that it protrudes through one wall 626 of the throat and into the throat by a small amount, thereby creating a slightly narrower throat opening. A spring 628 may be used to bias the contact member 620 into the throat 536. The narrower opening that is created by a tip 630 of the contact member 620 and a wall 632 opposite the spring 628 is less than the predetermined maximum thickness. Therefore, if an item that is too thick to be shredded enters the throat 536, it will engage a top side 634 of the contact member 620.

Because the top side 634 of the contact member 620 is sloped, the contact member 620 will move against the bias of the spring 628 and into contact with the piezoelectric sensor 624, thereby causing a voltage to be created within the piezoelectric sensor 624. As the thickness of the item increases, the force applied by the contact member 620 to the piezoelectric sensor 624 increases, thereby increasing the voltage generated within the piezoelectric sensor 624. The resulting voltage may be communicated to the controller 700 or directly to the indicator 610, thereby causing the indicator 610 to indicate that the item is above the predetermined maximum thickness. In addition, the controller, upon sensing the voltage, may prevent power from powering the motor 518 to drive the shafts 520 and cutter elements 519. Of course, different configurations of the piezoelectric sensor 624 and contact member 620 may be used. The illustrated embodiment is not intended to be limiting in any way.

[00088] In another embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 16, the detector 600 includes the contact member 620 and an optical sensor 640. In this embodiment, the contact member 620 is pivotally mounted such that one portion extends into the throat 536 and another portion, which has a plurality of rotation indicators 642, extends away from the throat 536. The optical sensor 640 may be configured to sense the rotation indicators 642 as the rotation indicators 642 rotate past the optical sensor 640. For example, the optical sensor 640 may include an infrared LED 644 and a dual die infrared receiver 646 to detect the direction and amount of motion of the contact member 620. As shown in FIG. 16, the contact member 620 may be configured such that a small amount of rotation of the contact member is amplified at the opposite end of the contact member 620, thereby improving the sensor's ability to sense changes in the thickness of the items that cause the contact member 620 to rotate. Of course, different configurations of the optical sensor 640 and contact member 620 may be used. The illustrated embodiment is not intended to be limiting in any way.

[00089] Another embodiment of the detector 600 that includes the optical sensor 640 is shown in FIG. 12. As illustrated in FIG. 17, the detector 600 is located above an infrared sensor 650 that detects the presence of an article. Of course, any such sensor may be used. The illustrated embodiment is not intended to be limiting in any way. The sensor 650 provides a signal to the controller 700, which in turn is communicated to the motor 518. When the sensor 650 senses that an article is passing through a lower portion of the throat 536, the controller 700 signals the motor 518 to start turning the shafts 520 and cutter elements 519. Of course, because the detector 600 is also in communication with the controller 700, if the detector 600 detects that the thickness of the article that has entered the throat is too thick for the capacity of the shredder mechanism 516, the shredder mechanism

516 may not operate, even though the sensor 650 has indicated that it is time for the shredder mechanism 516 to operate Of course, this particular configuiation is not intended to be limiting in any way Foi example, the sensoi 150 could be omitted, and the detector 600 may be used to detect the presence of an article

[00090] Although various illustrated embodiments herein employ particular sensors, it is to be noted that other approaches may be employed to detect the thickness of the stack of documents oi article being fed into the throat 536 of the shredder 510 For example, embodiments utilizing eddy current, inductive, photoelectric, ultrasonic, Hall effect, or even infrared proximity sensor technologies are also contemplated and are considered to be within the scope of the present invention

[00091] The sensors discussed above, and other possible sensors, may also be used to initiate the shredding operation by enabling the power to be delivered to the motor of the shredder mechanism This use of sensors in the shredder throat is known, and they allow the shredder to remain idle until an item is inserted therein and contacts the sensor, which in turn enables power to operate the motor to rotate the cutting elements via the shafts The controller 700 may be configured such that the insertion of an item will perform this function of enabling power delivery to operate the shredder mechanism motor The motor may be cutoff or not even started if the thickness exceeds the predetermined maximum thickness

[00092] Returning to FIG 12, for embodiments of the shredder 510 that include the lubrication system, the controller 700 may be programmed to communicate with the controller 596 associated with the lubrication system to operate the pump in a numbei of different modes The controller 700 and the controller 596 for the lubrication system may be part of the same controller, or may be separate controllers that communicate with each another In one embodiment, the controller 596 is programmed to operate according to a predetermined timing schedule In another, the controller 596 activates the pump 102 upon a certain number of rotations of the drive for the cutter elements In another embodiment, the detector 600 at the throat 536 of the shredder 510 monitors the thickness of items deposited theiein Upon accumulation of a predetermined total thickness of material shredded, the controller 596 activates the pump to lubricate the cutter elements 519 For example, if the predetermined total thickness of material is programmed in the controller 596 to be 0 1 m (100 mm), then once the total accumulated detected thickness of articles that have been shredder is at least equal to 0 1 m (e g , one hundred articles with an average thickness of 1 mm, or fifty articles with an average thickness of 2 mm, etc ), the controllei 596 will activate the pump 102 of the lubrication system to lubricate the cutter elements 519

[00093] It is also possible to schedule the lubrication based on a number of uses of the shredder (e.g., the controller tracks or counts the number of shredding operations and activates the pump after a predetermined number of shredder operations). In each of the embodiments making use of accumulated measures, a memory 597 can be incorporated for the purpose of tracking use. Although the memory 597 is illustrated as being part of the controller 596 associated with the lubrication system, the memory may be part of the shredder controller 700, or may be located on some other part of the shredder 510. The illustrated embodiment is not intended to be limiting in any way. The elements (whether they be hardware or software) responsible for tracking the usage may be referred to generally as a monitor, as it monitors the usage.

[00094] In addition, the accumulated measures (e.g., the number of shredding operations or the accumulated thickness of the articles that have been shredded) may be used to alert the user that maintenance should be completed on the shredder. The alert may come in the form of a visual or audible signal, such as the signals discussed above, or the controller may prevent power from powering the shedder mechanism until the maintenance has been completed.

[00095] The ability to keep track of the accumulated use of the shredder may also be helpful in a warranty context, where the warranty could be based on the actual use of the shredder, rather than time. This is similar to the warranties that are used with automobiles, such as "100,000 miles or 10 years, whichever comes first." For example, the warranty may be based on 100 uses or one year, whichever comes first, or the warranty may be based on shredding paper having a total sensed thickness of 1 meter or 2 years, whichever comes first, and so on.

[00096] FIG. 18 illustrates a method 800 for detecting the thickness of an item, e.g., a stack of documents or an article, being fed into the throat 536 of the shredder 510. The method starts at 802. At 804, the item is fed into the throat 536 of the shredder 510. At 806, the detector 800 detects the thickness of the item. At 808, the controller 700 determines whether the thickness that has been detected is greater than (or at least equal to) a predetermined maximum thickness. The predetermined maximum thickness may be based on the capacity of the shredder mechanism 516, as discussed above. If the controller 700 determines that the thickness that has been detected is at least the predetermined maximum thickness, at 810, a warning is provided. For example, to provide the warning, the controller 700 may cause the red light 616 to illuminate and/or causes an audible signal to sound and/or cause power to be disrupted to the motor 518 so that the shredder mechanism 516 will not

shred the item The user should then remove the item from the throat 536 of the shredder 510 at 812, and reduce the thickness of the item at 814 befoie inserting the item back into the throat 536 at 804

[00097] If the controller 700 determines that the thickness that has been detected is less than the predetermined maximum thickness, the controller 700 may cause the green light 612 to illuminate and/or allows power to be supplied to the shredder mechanism 16 so that the shredder 510 may proceed with shredding the item at 816

[00098] In the embodiment that includes the plurality of yellow lights 614 as part of the indicator 600, if the controller 700 determines that the thickness that has been detected is less than the predetermined maximum thickness, but close to or about the predetermined maximum thickness, the controller 700 may cause one of the yellow lights to illuminate, depending on how close to the predetermined maximum thickness the detected thickness is For example, the different yellow lights may represent increments of about 0 1 mm so that if the detected thickness is within 0 1 mm of the predetermined maximum thickness, the yellow light 614 that is closest to the red light 616 illuminates, and so on Although power will still be supplied to the shiedder mechanism 516, the user will be warned that that particular thickness is very close to the capacity limit of the shredder 510 Of course, any increment of thickness may be used to cause a particular yellow light to illuminate The example given should not be considered to be limiting in any way

[00099] Returning to the method 800 of FIG 18, at 818, the user may insert an additional item, such as another document or stack of documents, as the shredder mechanism 516 is shredding the previous item that was fed into the throat 536 of the shredder at 804 If the user does insert an additional item into the throat 536 at 818, the method returns to 804, and the detector 600 detects the thickness of the item at the location of the detector 600 at 806, and so on If part of the previous item is still in the throat 536, the cumulative thickness of the item being shredded and the new item may be detected If the user does not add an additional item at 818, the method ends at 820 The illustrated method is not intended to be limiting in any way

[000100] The foregoing illustrated embodiments have been provided to illustiate the structural and functional principles of the piesent invention and are not intended to be limiting To the contrary, the present invention is intended to encompass all modifications, alteiations and substitutions within the spiπt and scope of the appended claims