Abstract: A pencil sharpener including a self-governing sharpening assembly, a motor for driving the sharpening assembly, and a selector guide. The selector guide defines a plurality of openings positionable for aligning pencils of various sizes with the sharpening assembly. The sharpening assembly includes a rotary blade and a shaft having a reduced diameter portion. A blade holder defines a conical cavity for receiving a pencil and is driven by a drive shaft. A stop is connected to the lower end of the shaft and is slidably mounted to the blade holder in alignment with the conical cavity and is biased by a spring member to position the reduced diameter portion of the shaft away from the bearing lug of the blade holder. Sharpening ceases when a pencil moves the stop, causing receiving of the reduced diameter portion in a bearing lug and pivoting of the rotary blade away from the pencil.

Abstract: A pencil sharpener including a self-governing sharpening assembly, a motor for driving the sharpening assembly, and a selector guide. The selector guide defines a plurality of openings positionable for aligning pencils of various sizes with the sharpening assembly. The sharpening assembly includes a rotary blade and a shaft having a reduced diameter portion. A blade holder defines a conical cavity for receiving a pencil and is driven by a drive shaft. A stop is connected to the lower end of the shaft and is slidably mounted to the blade holder in alignment with the conical cavity and is biased by a spring member to position the reduced diameter portion of the shaft away from the bearing lug of the blade holder. Sharpening ceases when a pencil moves the stop, causing receiving of the reduced diameter portion in a bearing lug and pivoting of the rotary blade away from the pencil.

Abstract: An electrically powered stapler is disclosed having a sliding blade for driving staples which is reciprocated by a lever and crank mechanism driven by an electric motor through a torque increasing gear train. Jamming of the stapler is prevented by mounting the lever's fulcrum on a plunger which is releasably retained to a fixed support by a flexible collar. The plunger has an enlarged head, and the collar has a plurality of flexible fingers which grip the plunger behind the head to retain the plunger to the collar. The plunger can be disengaged from the collar by the application of a predetermined force directed away from the plunger, such as occurs on the fulcrum during a jammed condition when the blade cannot drive a staple and is stalled. The pivot point of the lever then shifts to the blade end of the lever and the plunger is reciprocated by the lever instead of the blade, allowing the motor and other components to cycle through their full range of motion without stalling.

Abstract: A scissors has first and second arms with each arm having a finger receiving portion at one end. There is a removable metal blade having an outer edge and an inner cutting edge for each arm. A flange on each arm abuts the outer edge of the respective blade. A pair of inward projections on each flange each has a forwardly extending nose portion and a sloping rear portion and is engaged in a complementary opening in the adjacent blade. A finger extending inwardly from the forward end of each flange overlies a portion of the adjacent blade and is adapted to be engaged by the blade of the other arm when the scissors is in the closed position. A pivot structure passes through the arms and blades securing them together.