Self-cleaning gear assembly for pencil sharpeners

A gear assembly for use in a sharpening device, comprising:

• a cutter gear having an outer edge and an inner edge, and comprising a plurality of gear teeth on the outer edge thereof;
• and
• an internal gear having an outer edge and an inner edge, and comprising:
• a plurality of gear teeth on the inner edge thereof, wherein the gear teeth on the inner edge of the internal gear are adapted to engage the gear teeth on the outer edge of the cutter gear;
• a plurality of troughs, wherein each trough in the plurality of troughs is formed between two of the gear teeth on the inner edge of the internal gear where each trough is configured to receive one of the plurality of gear teeth of the cutter gear, such that a tip of one of the gear teeth of the cutter gear extends to a bottommost portion of each trough;
• and
• a plurality of debris discharge grooves, wherein each debris discharge groove is in communication with one of the plurality of troughs and extends from the bottommost portion of the trough toward the outer edge of the internal gear, without extending through the outer edge of the internal gear, wherein each of the plurality of debris discharge grooves increases in width as the debris discharge grooves extend toward the outer edge of the internal gear.

An internal gear for use in a sharpening device, wherein the internal gear has an outer edge and an inner edge and further comprising:

• a plurality of gear teeth on the inner edge thereof, wherein the gear teeth on the inner edge of the internal gear are adapted to engage gear teeth on an outer edge of a cutter gear;
• a plurality of troughs, wherein each trough in the plurality of troughs is formed between two of the gear teeth on the inner edge of the internal gear, wherein each trough is configured to receive one of the plurality of gear teeth of the cutter gear, such that a tip of one of the plurality of gear teeth of the cutter gear extends to a bottommost portion of each trough;
• and
• a plurality of debris discharge grooves, wherein each debris discharge groove is in communication with one of the plurality of troughs and extends from the bottommost portion of the trough toward the outer edge of the internal gear, without extending through the outer edge of the internal gear,
• wherein each of the plurality of debris discharge grooves increases in width as the debris discharge grooves extend toward the outer edge of the internal gear.