Intermeshing Patents (Class 241/236)
  • Patent number: 5292078
    Abstract: An improved machine for cutting material into at least narrow strips includes parallel, rotating cutting shafts having a plurality of cutting wheels thereon. The cutting wheels are separated by spacer-comber elements which provide a comber surface in alignment with a cutting wheel on the other shaft. A cutting wheel comber is mounted between adjacent spacer-comber elements and includes a concave surface to partially encircle the cutting wheel therebetween. The cutting wheel comber has a discharge end toward the discharge side of the machine with a rounded portion. The regions along the concave surface is separated by different distances from the cutting wheel to prevent the retention and collections of the narrow strips of material at the backsides of the cutting wheels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 1992
    Date of Patent: March 8, 1994
    Assignee: Allegheny Paper Shredders, Inc.
    Inventors: Frank J. Lodovico, John W. Wagner
  • Patent number: 5285973
    Abstract: A shredder including a shredder housing having an inside, an outside, side walls, end walls, such that the end walls and side walls are engineered and joined together to maintain tight tolerance within the shredder. The end walls and side walls define a top inlet opening and a bottom outlet opening. Two parallel spaced apart shafts are horizontally aligned with each other and rotationally mounted through the end walls for receiving rotational power. Adjustable speed rotational motors engage each of the shafts for rotating them in counter-rotational directions. A plurality of uniform thickness disk-shaped blades are alternatingly positioned with interposed disk-shaped spacers placed therebetween. The spacers have a thickness slightly thicker than the blades.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 1992
    Date of Patent: February 15, 1994
    Assignee: Advanced Environmental Recycling Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Billy D. Goforth, Charles L. Goforth, Joe G. Brooks, J. Douglas Brooks
  • Patent number: 5275342
    Abstract: An improved apparatus for shredding, crushing and grinding solid waste materials to the desired particle sizes and shape for waste disposal or other uses is provided in which two unitary i.e. one-piece shredding members having a composite cutting teeth and tooth spacing arrangement in intermeshing shredding relationship mounted on substantially parallel shafts and are positioned in a transverse arrangement to the direction of waste material flow as it is introduced into the crushing apparatus. A shredding element of each shredding member interacts with an element of the other member whereby the shredding elements cooperatively interact on an inlet side of the apparatus. On an outlet or discharge side of the interacting members is positioned relative to a sizing means or screen useful for the passage of solid waste material particles of predetermined size and configuration, while simultaneously rejecting the passage of other improperly sized and shaped particles, for reprocessing through the apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 1991
    Date of Patent: January 4, 1994
    Inventor: William B. Galanty
  • Patent number: 5261614
    Abstract: A paper shredder includes a cutting unit with cutting rollers and a feed table arranged in front of the cutting unit. A conveyor belt for waste material or paper to be comminuted is mounted in the feed table. The conveyor belt extends into an intake gap of the cutting roller. The front end of the conveyor belt formed by a guide roller is mounted spaced from stripping members of the cutting rollers and this distance is bridged by a guide unit for the waste material or paper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 1992
    Date of Patent: November 16, 1993
    Inventor: Hermann Schwelling
  • Patent number: 5248100
    Abstract: A rotor shearing type crusher for crushing municipal waste and industrial waste whether it is bulky or not. If any foreign material, which is impossible to crush, is mixed with the municipal waste or industrial waste, the foreign material is promptly discriminated and discharged separately. The crusher includes a casing, a feed plate and a cutter respectively rotatably mounted to the casing obliquely above two rotatable knives. The inclination of the feed plate and cutter can be changed freely. Cutouts rae provided on the top end of the feed plate and cutter in a comb-like manner to dodge cutting edges of the rotatable knives intersecting each other. A discharge port is divided into two sections. The crusher of such a construction performs a function of tearing off soft waste twining itself around the rotatable knives. Rigid material impossible to be crushed is separately discharged. Even dangerous small waste such as cartridges, cylinders, etc. can be crushed and degassed inside without fail.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 1991
    Date of Patent: September 28, 1993
    Assignee: Kurimoto, Ltd.
    Inventor: Kazuaki Arakawa
  • Patent number: 5236138
    Abstract: A document shredder (11) has a cutting mechanism (13), which is driven via a gear (25) by an electric motor (26). In the return movement a diode (30) is connected in, which reduces the voltage supplied to the motor and therefore its maximum torque.This avoids material being jammed on the top of the cutting mechanism during the return movement in such a way that the cutting mechanism cannot be rotated again during the following forward movement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 1992
    Date of Patent: August 17, 1993
    Assignee: Schleicher & Co. International Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Hartmut Stangenberg, Rolf Gasteier
  • Patent number: 5236139
    Abstract: A wear adjustable shredder having spaced apart, parallel rotating shafts, series of interleaved and overlapping cutter disks carried on the shafts, and an adjustable cutter disk assembly carried endmost on one of the shafts, the adjustable cutter disk assembly having an inner adjusting ring and an outer cutting ring with the cutting ring threaded on the adjusting ring. The cutting ring may be rotated with respect to the adjusting ring such that the ring moves axially toward or away from the cutter disks to adjust the spacing of the cutter disks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 1992
    Date of Patent: August 17, 1993
    Assignee: Ameri-Shred Industrial Corp.
    Inventor: John A. Radtke
  • Patent number: 5230477
    Abstract: A knife shaft stripping device is described, in which the stripping fingers (5) are made of plastic and are injection molded in one piece either with a housing top (7) or with a housing bottom (8), and in which supporting stays (6) are associated with the stripping fingers (5), which likewise are made of plastic and injection molded in one piece with the mating housing bottom (8) or housing top (7). Bearing surfaces (12) for the knife shafts (3) are also disposed in the housing top (7) and in the housing bottom (8), and the stripping fingers (5) and supporting stays (6) are provided with abutment surfaces (9, 10) which contact one another when the cutting mechanism (2) is assembled such that the stripping fingers (5) are supported.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 1991
    Date of Patent: July 27, 1993
    Assignee: PBS-Servicegesellschaft mbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Willi Strohmeyer
  • Patent number: 5215265
    Abstract: An improved glass breaking apparatus is of the type which includes a plurality of rotating breaking bars which are capable of breaking a glass bottle into small glass pieces and at least some larger glass pieces having a longest dimension exceeding a predetermined length. The improvement includes a pair of cylindrical rollers disposed below the plurality of rotating breaking bars and mounted for rotation in opposite directions about parallel, horizontal axes. The cylindrical rollers are spaced apart to provide a predetermined separation distance between the cylindrical outer surfaces thereof. The cylindrical rollers include an array of extensions about the cylindrical outer surface and are relatively disposed to cause the extensions of one cylindrical roller to be aligned with the cylindrical outer surface of the other cylindrical roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 1992
    Date of Patent: June 1, 1993
    Assignee: Allegheny Paper Shredders, Inc.
    Inventor: Frank J. Lodovico
  • Patent number: 5207392
    Abstract: A cutting mechanism (11) for torsion cut has two cutting rollers (12, 13), cutting disks (14, 15), which in each case have a steep cutting face (22) and a sloping back face (23). The transitions between the latter and the roller body are generously filleted and the ratios between the cutting disk spacing, height, etc. are such that the opening (29) for the cut strips (28) has a compact and well rounded shape, so that the strips do not tend to get caught.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 1991
    Date of Patent: May 4, 1993
    Assignee: Schleicher & Co. International Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Hartmut Stangenberg, Rolf Gasteier
  • Patent number: 5201475
    Abstract: A double shaft breaker for use in breaking plastic wastes and wastes of metal cans so that the materials can be used again.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 1992
    Date of Patent: April 13, 1993
    Inventor: Shoji Nakagomi
  • Patent number: 5199666
    Abstract: Shredding apparatus for reducing material by use of cutter discs mounted on each of a pair of spaced shafts which place the cutter discs in an interleaved operating position over a perforated grate which has active surfaces swept by the cutter discs, and a controllable drive for oscillating the grate so the normally inactive surfaces of the grate are also swept by the cutter discs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 1992
    Date of Patent: April 6, 1993
    Inventor: Robert M. Williams
  • Patent number: 5188301
    Abstract: In the disposal device for paper documents according to the present invention, the feeding of paper that is to be disposed can be done either automatically with a feeding unit or manually from a manual inlet. Therefore, the disposal of sensitive paper documents can be carried out sheet by sheet by placing the paper on the automatic paper feed unit while paper documents which do not require any security measures may be manually fed into the disposal device for an immediate shredding process. Therefore, the present invention allows both appropriate and efficient disposal of paper documents without regard to whether the paper documents to be disposed require security measures or not.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 1992
    Date of Patent: February 23, 1993
    Assignee: Riso Kagaku Corporation
    Inventor: Takanori Hasegawa
  • Patent number: 5186398
    Abstract: This invention provides a method and a combination for automatically oiling a paper shredder with oil drops when it is running in the reverse direction, and after a predetermined running time in the forward direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 1990
    Date of Patent: February 16, 1993
    Assignee: Paul E. Vigneaux, Jr.
    Inventor: Paul E. Vigneaux, Jr.
  • Patent number: 5178336
    Abstract: An improved machine for cutting into small pieces the thin wall material of disposable containers includes parallel, rotating cutting shafts having a plurality of cutting wheels thereon. The cutting wheels are separated by annular spacers which provide a rotating comber surface. There is a spacer comber partially encircling each of the annular spacers which has a lower section having a rounded surface. A cutting wheel comber partially encircles each of the cutting wheels and has a lower end with a rounded portion. The spacer combers having the rounded surface and the cutting wheel combers having the rounded portion prevent the collection of the small pieces within the improved machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 1991
    Date of Patent: January 12, 1993
    Assignee: John W. Wagner
    Inventors: Frank J. Lodovico, John W. Wagner
  • Patent number: 5169078
    Abstract: A tire shredder having a stripper plate to prevent feed from wrapping about a shaft on which feeder discs are mounted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 8, 1992
    Inventor: Clyde Lamar
  • Patent number: 5167374
    Abstract: A piston-and-cylinder retarder delays the switch opening of a switch actuated by a sensor in the path of paper introduced through the paper-feed shaft or chute of a paper shredder, thereby eliminating the need for more expensive and complex electronic time-delay systems to ensure that the shredding unit remains switched on until the trailing edge of the paper passes it.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 1992
    Date of Patent: December 1, 1992
    Assignee: Geha-Werke GmbH
    Inventor: Willi Strohmeyer
  • Patent number: 5163629
    Abstract: A shredding device uses a plurality of interleaving, counter-rotating discs to reduce sheets of material into longitudinal strips. One or more parallelogram or diverging configured notches, formed in the periphery of each disc, cut the longitudinal strips into segments. Deflectors disposed in the spaces between each disc clear unwanted material from between the discs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 1991
    Date of Patent: November 17, 1992
    Assignee: Cummins-Allison Corp.
    Inventors: Donald E. Raterman, James M. Amburn, Heinz W. Schrieter
  • Patent number: 5160095
    Abstract: A macerator including two stacks of contra-rotating interleaved cutter discs having teeth is provided with two side rails closely adjacent to the periphery of the stacks of cutters. Each side rail has a plurality of angled ribs with slots therebetween. The ribs and slots are angled at an acute angle to the planes of the cutters so that each rib is passed by two or more cutters thereby to ensure maceration of any solids passing with the liquid in the slots.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 1992
    Date of Patent: November 3, 1992
    Assignee: Mono Pumps Limited
    Inventor: Robert Pepper
  • Patent number: 5156794
    Abstract: A pulverizing/kneading apparatus for pulverizing and kneading a material such as a soap compound. The material is supplied in a barrel in which are provided a pair of shafts respectively having feeding helical gears and returning helical gears. The material supplied is kneaded and the fine particles contained in the material pulverized by the gears. The forward driving force of the feeding gears is larger than the backward driving force of the returning gears so that the material advances forwardly toward the discharge opening of the barrel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 1991
    Date of Patent: October 20, 1992
    Assignee: Kao Corporation
    Inventors: Nozomu Nakanishi, Hironobu Otani, Takeshi Hasegawa, Shinichi Watanabe
  • Patent number: 5152469
    Abstract: There is disclosed a tire shredding machine of the type having oppositely rotating rotors mounting interdigitated cutting elements, which is particularly adapted for use in the further reduction of relatively large size rubber chips presently produced by use of commercially available primary tire shredding machines. The present machine incorporates an improved segmented knife retention assembly and a stripper or knife cleaning assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 1991
    Date of Patent: October 6, 1992
    Assignee: Columbus McKinnon Corporation
    Inventor: John Dicky
  • Patent number: 5150843
    Abstract: Apparatus for processing solid waste includes a chamber for receiving the waste, which may be any contaminated or non-contaminated waste including paper, plastics, cloth, metal and hospital sharps, and a ram for forcing the waste, to which germicide may be added, into contact with a plurality of cutting heads. The cutting heads which shred, shear and cut the waste are each mounted on an elongated rotating shaft. Each cutting head includes a plurality of parallel cutting blades separated by spacers. Adjacent cutting heads mesh together so that cutting blades of one cutting head interdigitate with spacers of an adjacent cutting head. A pair of curved doors close the chamber closely adjacent the cutting heads while the waste is being cut, and are opened for releasing the cut waste. The doors include elongated parallel grooves alternately for receiving the cutting edges of the cutting blades and for receiving the spacers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 1991
    Date of Patent: September 29, 1992
    Assignee: Premier Medical Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles R. Miller, Haskell B. Berry, Jr., Tod S. Johnson
  • Patent number: 5146820
    Abstract: The cutting apparatus and method of the present invention involve feeding a newsprint wrapper or any other sheet of paper downwardly along a planar path between two rotating cutters. Each of the cutters includes a planar blade member with an outer, sawtoothed cutting portion. In operation, the blade members are rotated about respective axes to move their cutting portions downwardly along arcuate paths that preferably pass through the path of the downwardly fed sheet. The arcuate paths of the cutting portions overlap and one of the cutting portions of the blade members is spaced farther from its rotational axis than the other. It is also moved tangentially faster about its axis than the cutting portion of the other blade member. In this manner, a cutting action is produced which first punctures and then subsequently tears or shreds a horizontal cut across the downwardly fed sheet to cut it into smaller pieces or segments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 1991
    Date of Patent: September 15, 1992
    Assignee: Machine Design Service, Inc.
    Inventors: Peter Nemeth, Tibor Dancs, Robert L. Simmons, Istvan Kalman
  • Patent number: 5141168
    Abstract: A cutter for a macerator of a type having first and second parallel contra-rotating shafts, each having a plurality of alternate cutters and spacers at the same axial thickness, the cutters of the first shaft being interleaved with those of the second shaft. The cutter of the invention has generally circumferentially spaced teeth 14, 16, 18, 22, each tooth having a front cutting face 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, and an inclined, generally ramp shaped rear face 46, 48, 50, 52, 54, which may be serrated. One tooth 14 has a "square" front face 26 which extends substantially parallel to the axis of the cutter while the front faces of the remaining teeth are inclined, preferably alternately, to the axis of the cutter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 1992
    Date of Patent: August 25, 1992
    Assignee: Mono Pumps Limited
    Inventor: Robert Pepper
  • Patent number: 5135178
    Abstract: A knife shaft assembly (1) for a document shredder formed from a series of cutting disks (3) arranged on a shaft (2) with spacer rings (4) disposed between them. The spacer rings (4) are compressible, and a securing mechanism, such as snap rings (6) received in grooves (5), is provided on the shaft to secure the cutting disks (3) on the shaft (2) under compression. During assembly, the spaces between the cutting disks (3) are adjusted to a predetermined size by compression in the axial direction. This arrangement enables material costs to be kept low while assuring high dimensional accuracy of the knife shaft assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 1991
    Date of Patent: August 4, 1992
    Assignee: PBS-Servicegesellschaft mbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Willi Strohmeyer
  • Patent number: 5115992
    Abstract: The invention comprises a machine for slicing food products into then strips. Two stacks of spaced, axially aligned circular blades are positioned so as to be driven in counterrotating intermeshing relationship. Each of the blades comprises a central hub connected to a peripheral cutting ring by a plurality of spokes. Spacers are provided between adjacent ones of the circular blades. The stacked blades are assembled with the spokes of succeeding ones of the blades displaced by a predetermined angular amount, so that the spokes define a plurality of helical paths through the interior of the stacks. As the blades are rotated the food product is sliced by being forced between the spaced blades, and the resulting strips are deposited within the interior of the stack to travel along the helical paths defined by the spokes and be discharged at the end of the stack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 1991
    Date of Patent: May 26, 1992
    Inventor: Duane C. Nugent
  • Patent number: 5110060
    Abstract: This invention pertains to the cutter area of size reduction equipment for plastic or other waste material. The primary objective of the invention is to provide a primary and secondary cutting area within the cutting head assembly so that the granulate is properly sized upon discharge. In the normal passage of the material through the cutter assembly, this reduction to a predetermined size is accomplished in the primary cutting area. However, if material inadvertently passes through the primary area without being properly sized, it will be appropriately dimensioned in the secondary cutting area prior to discharge. The invention pertains to a cutter mechanism which uses a single plane of counter rotating, alternating cutters in conjunction with a stationary cutting surface to achieve the primary and secondary cutting actions. The invention further addresses design considerations of the locating means of both the shaft mounted cutter assemblies and the stationary cutting surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 1990
    Date of Patent: May 5, 1992
    Inventor: Lynn C. Lundquist
  • Patent number: 5110059
    Abstract: A trash shredding device (10) includes an annular drum (41) which carries vertically spaced segmented blade members (47) in tracks (48) formed therein. A paddle (44) rotates within the drum (41) with its radially outer end (46) being adjacent to the blade members (47). Trash is introduced at one axial end of the paddle (44) and is forced against the blade members (47). The trash shredded by this action is discharged from the device (10) at the outer axial end of the paddle (44). The average overall sharpness of the blade members (47) is maintained by placing a new blade member (47) in the first of the tracks (48) while at the same time removing the oldest of the blade members (47) from the last of the tracks (48).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 1990
    Date of Patent: May 5, 1992
    Inventors: James A. Titmas, Phillip J. Flauto
  • Patent number: 5100069
    Abstract: A secondary waste apparatus for shearing waste material such as a discarded vehicle tire which has already been reduced in size by a primary shearing process. The apparatus includes a pair of counter-rotating shafts, each shaft having a plurality of generally annular shear members extending in a unitary construction from an abutting relationship with the shaft to an outside diameter which meshes with the shear members of the other shaft. The ratio of the diameter of each shaft to the maximum radial extent of the shear members abutting the shaft being greater than 3:5. Adjacent shear members on a shaft are spaced apart by a driving spacer and one or more grind-depreciable shims. Waste material from a primary shearing process is fed into the apparatus to further reduce the maximum size of the material. The apparatus is periodically sharpened by grinding of the shear members and the shims.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 1990
    Date of Patent: March 31, 1992
    Inventor: Randel L. Barclay
  • Patent number: 5100067
    Abstract: A feeding device comprising a pair of oppositely driven rotational bodies is provided as an auxiliary aggregate arranged upstream of a continuously working presser belt separating machine for separating flowable and non-flowable constituents mixed with each other, one of the rotational bodies including a set of coaxially arranged circular knives spaced with regard to each other, while the other one is shaped as a prismatic body having at least one vane, the latter being provided with radial slots into which the circular knives can intrude.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 1990
    Date of Patent: March 31, 1992
    Assignee: Nordischer Maschinenbau Rud. Baader Gmbh & Co KG
    Inventors: Helmut Konig, Wolfgang Rose
  • Patent number: 5096499
    Abstract: A sugarcane rind-slitting apparatus of the type having a pair of counter-rotatable cylindrical members with a multiplicity of intermeshing annular projections. The apparatus includes disks on each cylindrical member, each disk having axially-recessed sides such that the disks of one such member extend into the recession formed by a pair of disks of the other such member. Rind introduced to the apparatus is slit effectively and efficiently by the intermeshing action of the disks, without excessive wear on the disks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 1991
    Date of Patent: March 17, 1992
    Inventor: Sydney E. Tilby
  • Patent number: 5090628
    Abstract: A device for skiving and roller burnishing a workpiece (6) including a cutter (8) and a chip crusher (14) for crushing strings of chips (10). The crusher is positioned beneath the cutter such that low pressure coolant directs the chips from the end (12) of the workpiece and cutter directly into the crusher. The crusher includes rolls (26, 28) having a plurality of teeth (30) for pulling the strings of chips through the crusher.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 1990
    Date of Patent: February 25, 1992
    Assignee: Sierra Machinery, Inc.
    Inventor: Ronald J. Porter
  • Patent number: 5074479
    Abstract: A tire shredder having bundled precisely machined cutter discs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 1990
    Date of Patent: December 24, 1991
    Inventor: Clyde Lamar
  • Patent number: 5071080
    Abstract: A shredding mechanism having a continuous stripper to strip shredded material from the cutting surface of the shredding mechanism and having a bearing support for rotatably carrying the shafts of cutting cylinders. The stripper consists of upper teeth integrally formed on the inside surface of a top housing and bottom teeth integrally formed on the inside of a bottom base. The bearing support comprising two bearing plates integrally formed onto the inside surface of the bottom base. The bearing plates have semicircular indentations to rotatably carry the shafts of cutting cylinders.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 1990
    Date of Patent: December 10, 1991
    Assignee: Fellowes Manufacturing Company
    Inventors: David E. Herbst, Charles D. Kimbro
  • Patent number: 5067645
    Abstract: Apparatus for sizing a mix of randomly sized food pieces into chunks of a predetermined maximum length. The apparatus includes a carrier drum and a cutting drum mounted on parallel shafts which are interconnected for rotation in opposing directions. The carrier drum has a plurality of parallel longitudinal bars mounted equidistant around the periphery of the drum, spaced apart a distance equal to the desired maximum length of the food chunks. The cutting drum carries a plurality of elongated cutting blades mounted parallel to the longitudinal bars on the carrier drum and spaced apart the same distance as the longitudinal bars. The drums are aligned so that upon rotation of the drums the blades cooperate with the longitudinal bars to cut elongated food pieces carried on the surface of the bars into the nip between the drums, without striking against the bars.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 1990
    Date of Patent: November 26, 1991
    Assignee: Nestec S.A.
    Inventor: Roger D. Johnson
  • Patent number: 5062576
    Abstract: A rotary shear type shredder for shredding a wide range of materials, including flat and sheet materials has a plurality of spaced, intermeshed coacting cutter discs mounted for counterrotation on a parallel shaft. Each disc has a single cutter hook and a single rectangular cutter block fixedly mounted on opposite circumferential sides thereof. The hooks and blocks are arranged to form a spiral of cutters and hooks mounted on each shaft a 180 degrees apart and positioned so that blocks on one shaft feed material to hooks on the other shaft. The cutter blocks have a pair of right-angle cutter edges on both front and back sides for coacting with discs and hooks when rotated in a forward direction and coacting with cleaning fingers when reversed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 1990
    Date of Patent: November 5, 1991
    Inventor: Dan S. Burda
  • Patent number: 5054695
    Abstract: A shredder for sheets of paper and the like in which a pair of rotatable cutters are used to shred the paper, the cutters being located in a housing which has at least one pair of opposed surfaces, which are remote from the paper entrance to and exit from the shredder, spaced apart by less than 15 cm, whereby the housing can be held between the fingers and thumb of one hand and so can be portable. Preferably the weight of the paper shredder is less than 1.5 kg.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 1989
    Date of Patent: October 8, 1991
    Inventor: Pieter G. J. Koornhof
  • Patent number: 5048764
    Abstract: Apparatus for crushing, grinding and shredding solid waste material in which two interacting stacks of cutting and shredding elements are positioned on two substantially parallel shafts and mounted transversely with respect to the directions of waste material fed into the apparatus. Cutting members on one stack interact with cutting members on the other stack. In each stack adjacent cutting members are spaced from each other by a spacer. The spacers in the apparatus differ from those used in prior comminutors of this type in that they also have cutter elements on their periphery and thereby serve as cutters or shredders as well as spacers. This double function of the spacers increases the efficiency of the comminuting apparatus. Most importantly there are cutting edges from the bottom to the top of each stack so that there are no intermediate elements on which strings or wires can be wrapped without encountering a cutting edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 1990
    Date of Patent: September 17, 1991
    Inventor: Gregory J. Flament
  • Patent number: 5048767
    Abstract: A cutter for a shredder comprising a cutter blade formed by a plurality of rotation blades disposed and spaced parallel to each other on a shaft, and a cylinder made of a resilient material having on the circumference thereof a plurality of annular grooves which are inserted by the blades when those two are assembled with both shafts pivoted on the frame parallel to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 1990
    Date of Patent: September 17, 1991
    Assignee: Carl Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Chuzo Mori
  • Patent number: 5042634
    Abstract: A system for collecting and recycling used containers made from metal and plastic materials, having two different operative cycles for processing the containers in a closed cubicle compartment provided with two openings for introducing containers while pre-separating the plastic from the metal containers; lower doors provide access to the cubicle for removal of processed containers, a gate including a central opening for receiving the neck and only allowing passage of the plastic container sensed by a neck sensor and for operating an electrically operated piston-cylinder assembly to operate the gate and permit the entire plastic bottle to be conveyed to a first roller set for squeezing thereof including intermediate rollers positioned between two squeezing rollers, the intermediate rollers having different diameters for reducing the size of the container, and the metal container is also conveyed to a second set of squeezing rollers and both types of containers pass a sensor for counting the number thereof, th
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 1990
    Date of Patent: August 27, 1991
    Assignee: Govoni SpA
    Inventor: Carlo Gulmini
  • Patent number: 5039020
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and apparatus for monitoring the destruction of thin sheet material, in particular bank notes, in an automatic sorting machine, whereby the sheet material is fed by a transport means successively sheet by sheet to a motor-driven cutting means having meshing cutter boards. The destruction process and/or its immediate result are detected by sensor means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 1989
    Date of Patent: August 13, 1991
    Assignee: GAO Gesellschaft fur Automation und Organisation mbH
    Inventors: Karl Leuthold, Wilhelm Hell, Mumtaz Erturk
  • Patent number: 5025994
    Abstract: An apparatus for grinding hypodermic syringes or needles, IV needles and other medical waste into relatively fine particles. The apparatus includes a housing having a case therein defining an inlet and an outlet. A plurality of rotors are disposed in the case, and each of the rotors has a plurality of radially outwardly extending teeth therein which interact with teeth on the other rotors to grind the syringes or needles. A discharge valve is provided for controlling the flow of particles discharged from the case. The teeth on the rotors are longitudinally and circumferentially spaced. Generally, the teeth on at least one of the rotors extend between the teeth on another of the rotors. Also, the teeth on at least a pair of the rotors have angled sides which are angled in opposite directions such that the angled sides of the teeth on one rotor generally face, and are aligned with, the corresponding angled sides of the teeth on the other rotor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 1989
    Date of Patent: June 25, 1991
    Assignee: Pelibe, an OK Partnership
    Inventors: C. Gene Maitlen, Simon G. Franks
  • Patent number: 5016828
    Abstract: A shredding machine has a rotary cutter and a fixed cutter. The rotary cutter includes a cutter part with a spiral cutting edge and a flute, and a column part for rotatably holding by a holding member for rotation of the rotary cutter. The fixed cutter has a cutting edge contacting with the cutter part of the rotary cutter. In rotating the rotary cutter, longitudinal slips of documents are fed between the cutters so that the documents enter the flute of the rotary cutter to cut the slips into chips by cooperation between the cutting edge of the rotary cutter and the cutting edge of the fixed cutter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 1989
    Date of Patent: May 21, 1991
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tatsuya Utsumi, Shinji Kawamura, Tetsuya Itoh, Hiroshi Moriyama, Naofumi Okada
  • Patent number: 5007787
    Abstract: A material debagging apparatus includes a receptacle movable between upright loading and inverted dumping positions. The receptacle defines a bagged material holding chamber with a closed bottom and an open top. A rupturing mechanism in the form of a pair of generally parallel drums having circumferential rows of teeth thereon is carried on the receptacle adjacent the closed bottom of the chamber. The rupturing mechanism is operable for rupturing a bag at least partially filled with material and disposed in the chamber with the bottom of the bag overlying the rupturing mechanism. A clamping device is mounted on the receptacle adjacent the open top of the chamber for clamping and securing the top of the bag while the bottom of the bag is ruptured by the rupturing mechanism. The clamping device includes a pair of clamp members positioned side-by-side and normally urged into a clamping condition by a spring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 1989
    Date of Patent: April 16, 1991
    Assignee: Ford New Holland, Inc.
    Inventor: Llewellyn R. Schnader
  • Patent number: 5002451
    Abstract: A material debagging apparatus includes a receptacle movable between upright loading and inverted dumping positions. The receptacle defines a bagged material holding chamber with a closed bottom and an open top. A rupturing mechanism in the form of a pair of generally parallel drums having circumferential rows of teeth thereon is carried on the receptacle adjacent the closed bottom of the chamber. The rupturing mechanism is operable for rupturing a bag at least partially filled with material and disposed in the chamber with the bottom of the bag overlying the rupturing mechanism. A drive mechanism is coupled to the drums of the rupturing mechanism for transmitting rotary power thereto to cause counterrotation of the drums. A clamping device normally disposed in a clamping condition is mounted on the receptacle adjacent the open top of the chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 1989
    Date of Patent: March 26, 1991
    Assignee: Ford New Holland, Inc.
    Inventors: John K. Hale, Jack W. Crane, J. Keith Weinlader
  • Patent number: 4997134
    Abstract: A document shredder for destroying a generally rectangular document and having feed rollers for engaging a marginal portion of a document and simultaneously spirally coiling the document into a generally cylindrical form while advancing the document in an axial direction. A rotary shredding mechanism cuts the leading end portion of the document as it is advanced by the feed rollers. The shredding mechanism may be arranged to cut the advancing document along a line of shear spaced inward of the leading edge of the leading end portion to trim successive strips from the leading end of the document. The shredding mechanism may also include chipping mechanism for reducing each strip to smaller bits as the strip is formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 1990
    Date of Patent: March 5, 1991
    Assignee: Group Four Design
    Inventor: Francis W. MacGregor
  • Patent number: 4995770
    Abstract: A material debagging apparatus includes a receptacle movable between upright loading and inverted dumping positions. The receptacle defines a bagged material holding chamber with a closed bottom and an open top. A rupturing mechanism in the form of a pair of generally parallel drums having circumferential rows of teeth thereon is carried on the receptacle adjacent the closed bottom of the chamber. The rupturing mechanism is operable for rupturing a bag at least partially filled with material and disposed in the chamber with the bottom of the bag overlying the rupturing mechanism. A drive mechanism is coupled to the drums of the rupturing mechanism for transmitting rotary power thereto to cause counterrotation of the drums. The rupturing mechanism includes a grate-like structure consisting of a plurality of laterally spaced bars disposed above the drums for supporting the bag while it is being ruptured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 1989
    Date of Patent: February 26, 1991
    Assignee: Ford New Holland, Inc.
    Inventor: Jack W. Crane
  • Patent number: 4986481
    Abstract: An automatic paper feeder for use in a document shredder includes a paper feeding table for receiving a large number of paper sheets to be shredded in a stack, a feeding roller for feeding the paper sheets to be shredded on the paper feeding table, a set of shredding blades, and a driving device for driving the feeding roller for rotation. The rotational peripheral speed of the feeding roller are set larger than the speed of the shredding blades.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 1989
    Date of Patent: January 22, 1991
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshihalu Fujii, Hiroshi Fujita, Yukitoshi Fujita
  • Patent number: 4982907
    Abstract: A document shredder comprises a pair of cutter assemblies, each having a shaft on which there are cutter disks with interspersed spacers. The disks overlap to form a nip. On the one shaft, additionally, there are rings mounted in the spacers, and that permits the shaft to be axially compressed tighter than the shaft without rings. This provides for relative flexibility and axial movement between the shafts such that foreign objects can more easily be removed. A 20 inch cutter assembly driven by a single phase motor through a planetary gear system is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 1988
    Date of Patent: January 8, 1991
    Inventors: Brian C. Sedgwick, Raymond K. Mackenzie
  • Patent number: 4981270
    Abstract: A shredding machine is for shredding paper or the like and includes a pair of parallel, spaced-apart shafts which rotate in opposite directions. Each of the shafts includes a plurality of cutting discs mounted thereon for rotation therewith. The cutting discs on one shaft extend between the cutting discs on the other shaft for producing cooperative longitudinal cuts of paper passing therebetween. The cutting discs include a cylindrical outer surface which is interrupted by a plurality of notches. Each of the notches has a trailing transverse surface which intersects the cylindrical outer surface at a transverse cutting edge to form a cutting angle therebetween. The cutting angle is less than forty degrees. The cutting discs on one shaft are oriented with respect to the cutting discs on the other shafts to cause the cutting angle on each of the cutting discs to be aligned with the cylindrical outer surface of the adjacent cutting discs on the outer shaft just prior to overlapping thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 1988
    Date of Patent: January 1, 1991
    Assignee: John W. Wagner
    Inventor: Joseph A. Reber