Electric pencil sharpener with auto-stop feature
OwnerChia-Wen Hsuinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electric pencil sharpener includes a cutter carrier, and first and second cutter members mounted on the cutter carrier and having long and short blade portions. The rear end of the short blade portion is disposed forwardly of the rear end of the long blade portion. A shaving space includes a rear region disposed between the rear ends of the long and short blade portions. The rear region allows extension of a tip portion of a pencil thereinto for pushing a switch actuation unit so as to deactivate a motor when the tip portion of the pencil has been sharpened to extend a predetermined length into the rear region.
Claims10
An electric pencil sharpener, comprising:
- a drive unit including a motor;
- a cutter assembly which includes:
- a cutter carrier operatively connected to said motor, said cutter carrier having an open front end portion adapted to permit insertion of a pencil, and a rear end portion;
- a first cutter member mounted on said cutter carrier and having a long blade portion with a first rear end;
- a second cutter member mounted on said cutter carrier and having a short blade portion with a second rear end, said short blade portion having a length shorter than that of said long blade portion, said second rear end being disposed forwardly of said first rear end of said long blade portion;
- and
- a shaving space formed between said first and second cutter members and extending rearwardly from said open front end portion of said cutter carrier for receiving the pencil, said shaving space including a front region disposed forwardly of said second rear end of said short blade portion, and a rear region disposed between said second rear end of said short blade portion and said first rear end of said long blade portion, said rear region allowing extension of a tip portion of the pencil thereinto during sharpening of the tip portion of the pencil;
- and
- a switch assembly including a shutoff switch operatively connected to said motor for deactivating said motor, and a switch actuation unit disposed movably in said rear end portion of said cutter carrier and extendible into said rear region, said switch actuation unit being movable between an actuation position in which said shutoff switch is actuated by said switch actuation unit to deactivate said motor, and a non-actuation position in which said shutoff switch is not actuated, said switch actuation unit being movable by the tip portion of the pencil to said actuation position when the tip portion of the pencil has been sharpened to extend a predetermined length into said rear region.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.