US 6,886,614 B2Granted

Pencil sharpener

AssigneeHunt Holdings, Inc.

InventorsThomas R. Ricono, Michael Lee Parrish

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A pencil sharpener having a sharpening sub-assembly for sharpening pencils, and first and second external shells having internal ribs defining surfaces for supporting the sharpening sub-assembly. Components of the sub-assembly are placed into corresponding portions defined by the internal ribs. The ribs ensure proper alignment of the components relative to the shell and each other, e.g. in the x- and y-directions. All components may be placed in the shell in a single direction, e.g. in a single axial direction (the z-direction). The components of the pencil sharpener are mounted in place upon fastening together of the first and second external shells. No internal or additional fasteners are required. The sharpening sub-assembly may include an electric motor, a gear assembly, and a cutter assembly including a cutter gear module having an annular ring gear, acting as a carrier support, and housing a pencil insertion switch and/or a receptacle presence switch.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A pencil sharpener comprising:

a first longitudinally elongated external shell having internal ribs defining a first plurality of support surfaces;
a sharpening sub-assembly for sharpening a pencil, said sharpening sub-assembly comprising:
a blade-supporting shaft;
a rotary blade and a pinion supported co-axially on said blade-supporting shaft, said rotary blade having spiral cutting edges;
a blade holder defining a cavity for receiving an end of the said pencil therein and supporting said blade-supporting shaft, said blade holder being supported by said first and second external shells to be rotatable around an axis of said cavity;
a cutter gear module defining a pencil-receiving opening and including an annular ring gear meshing with said pinion;
and
a drive shaft which drives said blade holder around said axis;
and
a second longitudinally elongated external shell mated with said first external shell to define a substantially closed compartment, said second external shell having internal ribs defining a second plurality of support surfaces;
wherein each support surface extends along an edge of a respective internal rib, and wherein said first and second pluralities of support surfaces cooperate with each other to laterally position and fixedly retain said sharpening sub-assembly within said shells;
and
wherein said drive shaft is capable of driving said blade holder around said cavity, causing said pinion to travel along said annular ring gear and said rotary blade to rotate and sharpen the pencil advanced into said cavity.

10 more elements

A pencil sharpener comprising:

a first external shell having internal ribs defining a first plurality of support surfaces;
a cutter assembly defining a ring flange and having a rotatable pinion;
a gear module defining a pencil-receiving opening and including an annular ring gear meshing with said pinion, said gear module defining a ring groove for registering with said ring flange;
a second external shell mated with said first external shell to define a substantially closed compartment, said second external shell having internal ribs defining a second plurality of support surfaces;
whereby said cutter assembly is rotatably supported at one end by said gear module when said ring flange is positioned within said ring groove;
wherein each internal rib comprises a first side and a second side opposite said first side, each of said first and second sides adjoining one of said first and second external shells, each of said first and second pluralities of support surfaces extending between a respective first and second side of a respective rib;
and
wherein said first and second pluralities of support surfaces cooperate with each other to engage and retain said cutter assembly and said gear module in said compartment, at least one of said support surfaces positioning and supporting said cutter assembly in a predetermined operative spatial relationship relative to said gear module, said gear module being separately positioned and supported by another of said support surfaces.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.