Pencil sharpener

Abstract

To provide a pencil sharpener capable of sharpening pencils having different outer diameters and convenient for storage and carrying. The pencil sharpener has a base, a blade assembly, and a cap. The blade assembly is attached to the base and has a first pencil inlet. The cap is pivotally connected to a side of the base and configured to pivot between a first position and a second position and has a second pencil inlet with an inner diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the first pencil inlet. When the cap is in the first position, the second pencil inlet is located above the first pencil inlet along an axis, and a pencil is insertable into the blade assembly through the second pencil inlet and the first pencil inlet in sequence. When the cap is in the second position, the cap is out of the space above the blade assembly and a pencil is insertable into the blade assembly through the first pencil inlet along an axis.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a pencil sharpener, and more particularly to a pencil sharpener capable of sharpening pencils with different outer diameters. [Background technology]

[0002] Pencils are provided with different outer diameters. When a conventional pencil sharpener is used to sharpen a thinner pencil, the thinner pencil vibrates in the conventional pencil sharpener, which tends to destroy the pencil lead of the thinner pencil. In some cases, the user needs to maintain the position of the thinner pencil as much as possible during sharpening, which causes difficulties during operation.

[0003] Chinese utility model CN ​​201371686 U discloses a conventional pencil sharpener having a blade assembly and a number of adjustable sheaths, whereby the inner diameter of the conventional pencil sharpener can be adjusted to match the outer diameter of the pencil to be sharpened by inserting one or more of the adjustable sheaths into the pencil inlet of the blade assembly.

[0004] However, the adjusting sheath and the blade assembly are all independent components, and since the adjusting sheath is small, users must store the components carefully when not in use to prevent losing any. Moreover, the adjusting sheath may be designed to fit tightly into the pencil inlet of the blade assembly, which also causes difficulties in installation and separation. Therefore, the conventional pencil sharpener disclosed in Chinese Utility Model CN ​​201371686 U is inconvenient to use.

[0005] US Patent Publication US 2014 / 0090258 A1 discloses another conventional pencil sharpener having multiple blade assemblies assembled together. Each of the multiple blade assemblies corresponds to a pencil having a different outer diameter. In this way, carrying this conventional pencil sharpener is similar to carrying multiple average conventional pencil sharpeners. The conventional pencil sharpener disclosed in US 2014 / 0090258 A1 has the disadvantages of high cost and large volume, which leads to difficulties in storage and carrying.

[0006] In short, conventional pencil sharpeners have limitations and shortcomings in sharpening pencils with different outer diameters, which need to be improved. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] The main objective of this utility model is to provide a pencil sharpener that can sharpen pencils with different outer diameters and is convenient to store and carry, in order to alleviate the above-mentioned shortcomings of conventional pencil sharpeners. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The pencil sharpener according to the present invention includes a base, a blade assembly, and a cap. The blade assembly is attached to the base and has a first pencil inlet. The cap is pivotally connected to a side of the base and configured to pivot between a first position and a second position and has a second pencil inlet with an inner diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the first pencil inlet. When the cap is in the first position, the second pencil inlet is located above the first pencil inlet along an axis, such that a pencil can be inserted into the blade assembly through the second pencil inlet and the first pencil inlet in sequence. When the cap is in the second position, the cap is retracted from the space above the blade assembly, such that another pencil can be inserted into the blade assembly through the first pencil inlet along an axis.

[0009] Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pencil sharpener according to the present invention, in which the cap is in a first position. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the pencil sharpener in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is another perspective view of the pencil sharpener in FIG. 1, where the cap is in a second position. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view of the pencil sharpener in FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional side view of the pencil sharpener in FIG. 3. [Figure 6] FIG. 5 is an operational diagram of the pencil sharpener in FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 6 is an operational diagram of the pencil sharpener in FIG. 5. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 illustrates the cap and base of the pencil sharpener in FIG. 1 abutted against each other. [Figure 9] FIG. 5 is another operational diagram of the pencil sharpener in FIG. 4. [Figure 10] 5 is a top cross-sectional view taken along line AA depicted in FIG. 4. [Figure 11] 5 is a top view of a partial section taken along line BB depicted in FIG. 4. FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 illustrates the dust shield of the pencil sharpener of FIG. 11 in a closed position. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] 1-4, a preferred embodiment of the pencil sharpener according to the present invention includes a base 10, a blade assembly 20, and a cap 30. Referring to FIGS. 2-4, the blade assembly 20 is attached to the base 10 and has a first pencil inlet 21. The cap 30 is pivotally attached to a side of the base 10 and can be pivoted to a first position above the blade assembly 20 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4. The cap 30 has a second pencil inlet 31 whose inner diameter is smaller than that of the first pencil inlet 21. When the cap 30 is in the first position, the second pencil inlet 31 is located above the first pencil inlet 21 along the axis C, so that, referring to FIG. 6, a pencil P can be inserted into the blade assembly 20 through the second pencil inlet 31 and the first pencil inlet 21 in sequence.

[0012] 3 and 5, the cap 30 can also be pivoted to a second position and retracted from the space above the blade assembly 20 so that the first pencil entrance 21 is exposed at the top of the base 10 and a thicker pencil P' can thereby be inserted through the first pencil entrance 21 along the axis C and into the blade assembly 20 for sharpening.

[0013] According to the above-mentioned technical features, when a thicker pencil P' is to be sharpened, the user can open the cap 30 to the second position and insert the pencil P' into the blade assembly 20 for sharpening. (The detailed structural features of the blade assembly 20 for sharpening the pencil are similar to those of a conventional pencil sharpener.) Meanwhile, when a thinner pencil P is to be sharpened, the user can close the cap 30 to the first position, so that the pencil P can pass through the second pencil inlet 31 of the cap 30 and the first pencil inlet 21 of the blade assembly 20 and enter the blade assembly for sharpening. Since the inner diameter of the second pencil inlet 31 is smaller than the inner diameter of the first pencil inlet 21, the second pencil inlet 31 can keep the thinner pencil P on the axis C and prevent the problem of vibration of the pencil P and breaking the pencil lead.

[0014] Thereby, without substantially increasing the volume of the pencil sharpener, the pencil sharpener of the present invention utilizes a single blade assembly 20 to achieve good sharpening effect on pencils P, P' having different outer diameters. The pencil sharpener of the present invention is not only cost-effective and easy to store, but also has no problem of losing components. Thus, the present invention solves the shortcomings of conventional pencil sharpeners and provides a pencil sharpener capable of sharpening pencils having different outer diameters.

[0015] Moreover, referring to Figs. 2-5, the top of the base 10 has a first side and a second side, and the first pencil inlet 21 is formed between the first side and the second side. The first side is the side of the base 10 to which the cap 30 is pivotally connected, and the second side is engageable with the cap 30 to position the cap 30 in a first position. In particular, in a preferred embodiment, referring to Figs. 2-5, the first side of the base 10 has a pair of lugs 11, and the second side of the base 10 has an engagement groove 12. Correspondingly, the cap 30 has a pair of pins 32 and an engagement rib 33 disposed on two opposite sides. The pair of pins 32 is inserted into the pair of lugs 11 to pivotally connect the cap 30 at the first side of the base 10. When the cap 30 is in the first position, the engagement rib 33 extends into and is engaged with the engagement groove 12 to position the cap 30 .

[0016] In other embodiments, the positions of the lug 11 and the pin 32 may be interchanged, in other words, the lug 11 is formed in the cap 30 and the pin 32 is formed in the base 10. Also, the positions of the engagement groove 12 and the engagement rib 33 may be interchanged. Moreover, in other embodiments, other pivot mechanisms may be applied to position the cap 30 in the first position and to make the second pencil inlet 31 of the cap 30 coaxial with the first pencil inlet 21 of the blade assembly 20, or the engagement means may be replaced by magnetic means or other known positioning means.

[0017] 2 and 3, the cap 30 has a pivot part 301 pivotally connected to the base 10 and having a positioning edge 302. The position of the positioning edge 302 relative to the base 10 varies as the pivot part 301 rotates. When the cap 30 is in a first position, see FIG. 4, the positioning edge 302 is located away from the base 10. The surface of the positioning edge 302 is in fact the part of the surface of the pivot part 301 that is furthest from the pivot axis, and the radius of curvature of the positioning edge 302 is smaller than the other parts of the pivot part 301, making the surface of the pivot part 301 a cam surface.

[0018] Referring to FIG. 8, when the cap 30 pivots from the first position (FIG. 4) to the second position (FIG. 5), the positioning edge 302 abuts against the base 10 to position the cap 30 in the second position. After the positioning edge 302 passes the point of abutment, the other part of the pivot part 301 is not abutted against the base 10. As illustrated in FIG. 8, the thin dashed double-dashed line illustrates the elastic deformation of the base 10 after abutment. The practical situation may be that the pivot part 301 is elastically deformed, or both the base 10 and the pivot part 301 are elastically deformed, or the base 10 and the pivot part 301 simply rub against each other, and is not limited to the figures of this utility model.

[0019] In detail, after the positioning edge 302 abuts against the base 10, an external force may cause elastic deformation or rubbing, driving the positioning edge 302 to pass, so that the cap 30 can smoothly continue pivoting toward the second position. In practice, when the user flips the cap 30 to the second position to sharpen the thicker pencil P', the positioning edge 302 tends to abut against the base 10, so that the cap 30 is prevented from easily pivoting toward the base 10, and the user is thereby prevented from being disturbed by the vibration of the cap 30. Meanwhile, when the user needs to close the cap 30 on the base 10, the user may apply a slightly stronger force to help the positioning edge 302 pass the point of abutment to smoothly pivot the cap 30 to the first position.

[0020] In a preferred embodiment, the pair of pins 32 protrude from two ends of the pivot portion 301. In other embodiments, the two ends of the pivot portion 301 can be pivot holes for the pivot pins to enter. Moreover, even if the positioning edge 302 of the cap 30 is omitted, the user can still flip the cap 30 away from the blade assembly 20 to sharpen the thicker pencil P' and fulfill the main purpose of the present invention.

[0021] 3-5, the pencil sharpener includes an engagement structure having an annular protrusion 34 and an engagement recess 13. The annular protrusion 34 and the engagement recess 13 are formed on the cap 30 and the base 10, respectively, so that when the cap 30 is in the first position, the annular protrusion 34 extends into the engagement recess 13 and abuts against the inner side wall of the engagement recess 13. This prevents relative wobble between the cap 30 and the base 10 due to wear or tolerance in long-term use, and further improves the stability of positioning between the cap 30 and the base 10. Thereby, the pencil sharpener of the present utility model provides excellent operational stability when the user sharpens a thinner pencil P.

[0022] Generally, the annular protrusion 34 and the engagement recess 13 are formed in the base 10 and the cap 30, respectively; in other words, the engagement recess 13 is formed in one of the base 10 and the cap 30, and the annular protrusion 34 is formed in the other of the base 10 and the cap 30 at a location corresponding to the engagement recess 13.

[0023] 3 and 5, in a preferred embodiment, the engagement recess 13 is disposed at the top of the base 10 adjacent the first pencil entrance 21 of the blade assembly 20, and the annular protrusion 34 protrudes from the bottom of the cap 30. In this way, when the cap 30 is in the second position and a user desires to insert a thicker pencil P' into the blade assembly 20, the pencil P' can be successfully inserted without being blocked by the annular protrusion 34.

[0024] Moreover, referring to Figs. 3-5 and 9, the cap 30 further includes a plurality of elastic retaining units 35. Each of the elastic retaining units 35 protrudes toward the blade assembly 20 and forms a respective retaining end. The plurality of elastic retaining units 35 are arranged around the axis C such that the inner surfaces of the retaining ends of the elastic retaining units 35 form a retaining circle whose inner diameter is smaller than the inner diameter of the second pencil inlet. The elastic retaining units 35 enable the pencil sharpener to sharpen even thinner pencils P'' when the cap 30 is in the first position, as shown in Fig. 9.

[0025] 6, when a user closes the cap 30, a thinner pencil P is inserted into the blade assembly 20 through the second pencil inlet 31 and the first pencil inlet 21, and then the elastic retaining units 35 are elastically pushed outward. That is, the retaining ends of the elastic retaining units 35 expand radially to an extent that the pencil P can pass through them. At the same time, the elastic retaining units 35 contract inward to stably hold the pencil P.

[0026] A user may insert an even thinner pencil whose outer diameter is between the inner diameter of the holding circle and the inner diameter of the second pencil inlet 31, as the case may be, or as shown in FIG. 9, the outer diameter of the even thinner pencil P″ is substantially equal to the inner diameter of the second pencil inlet 31. Retained by the slightly deformed elastic holding unit 35 or restricted by the holding circle, the pencil P″ may be prevented from vibrating during sharpening after passing through the elastic holding unit 35. With the above-mentioned technical features, the pencil sharpener of the present utility model is applicable to pencils P, P′, P″ of four or more different outer diameters, and the overall volume of the pencil sharpener does not increase significantly, thereby effectively improving the convenience of the pencil sharpener.

[0027] In detail, in a preferred embodiment, referring to FIG. 3, each of the elastic holding units 35 is a curved elastic piece whose shape fits the pencil P, P'', in other words, the inner surface of the elastic holding unit 35 partially matches the configuration of the pencil P, P'', thereby further stabilizing the posture of the pencil P, P'', and improving the operational stability of the pencil sharpener.

[0028] Moreover, in the preferred embodiment, the elastic retaining unit 35 forms a tapered conical space that provides an advantageous guiding effect for pencil insertion. In addition, in the preferred embodiment, the elastic retaining unit 35 extends into the first pencil entrance 21 to hold the pencil P, P″ at a location even closer to where the pencil P, P″ is sharpened by the blade assembly 20, improving operational stability.

[0029] Moreover, with reference to FIGS. 2-4 and 10, the base 10 and the blade assembly 20 are connected via a ratchet mechanism such that the blade assembly 20 is rotatable in one direction relative to the base 10.

[0030] In detail, the base 10 comprises two shells 101 and a shaving receptacle 102. The two shells 101 are configured to be attached to each other and jointly form the top of the base 10. Each of the lugs 11 is formed in each of the two shells 101, the engagement groove 12 is jointly formed by the two shells 101, and the blade assembly 20 is jointly fastened by the two shells 101. The shaving receptacle 102 is attached to the bottom of the two shells 101 for receiving the blade assembly 20 and collecting pencil shavings from the blade assembly 20.

[0031] 10, the ratchet mechanism includes a plurality of pawls 22 and a plurality of teeth 14. The plurality of pawls 22 are formed on the outer periphery of the blade assembly 20 at spaced apart intervals. The plurality of teeth 14 are formed on the inner periphery of the two shells 101 of the base 10. Thus, when the blade assembly 20 and the base 10 are assembled, the plurality of pawls 22 and the plurality of teeth 14 can engage with each other and cooperate to allow the blade assembly 20 to rotate in one direction relative to the base 10.

[0032] 2, 4, 11 and 12, the pencil sharpener includes a dust shield 40 movably attached to the cap 30 between an open position and a closed position, as shown in FIG 12, and configured to cover the second pencil entrance 31. Thereby, after use, the dust shield 40 can be pushed to the closed position to prevent pencil shavings in the shaving receptacle 102 of the base 10 from falling through the first pencil entrance 21 and the second pencil entrance 31 and from soiling the environment in which the user stores the pencil sharpener.

[0033] In detail, the dust shield 40 is slidably attached to the cap 30 between an open position (FIG. 11) and a closed position (FIG. 12). The dust shield 40 has a through hole 41. When the dust shield 40 is in the closed position, see FIG. 12, the through hole 41 and the second pencil inlet 31 are blocked from each other, and thus the pencil shavings are secured in the base 10. When the dust shield 40 is in the open position, see FIGS. 1, 4 and 11, the second pencil inlet 31 is fully exposed via the through hole 41 in preference to allowing the user to insert a thinner pencil P, P″ for sharpening.

[0034] In other potential embodiments, the dust shield 40 may be a smaller cover board configured to move over the cap 30 and switch between shielding the second pencil entrance 31 and exposing the second pencil entrance 31.

[0035] Preferably, and referring to Figures 2, 11 and 12, when the dust shield 40 is located between the open and closed positions, the dust shield 40 and the cap 30 are abutted and elastically deformed, thereby causing the dust shield 40 to tend to move toward the open and closed positions.

[0036] In detail, in the preferred embodiment, the cap 30 has two opposing walls 303 and a platform 304 between the two walls 303. The second pencil entrance 31 is disposed on the platform 304, and the dust shield 40 is slidably attached to the platform 304. Each of the two walls 303 has a slide groove 36 disposed thereon along a width direction W. The width direction W is perpendicular to the direction along which the dust shield 40 slides. Referring to Figures 11 and 12, the slide groove 36 has a middle portion 361 and two side portions 362. The middle portion 361 has a smaller depth along the width direction W, and the side portions 362 have a larger depth along the width direction W.

[0037] The dust shield 40 has two opposing side walls, each having an elastic engagement block 42, so that when the dust shield 40 slides on the cap 30, the elastic engagement block 42 is either abutted and elastically deformed by the middle portion 361 of each of the two slide grooves 36, or extends into one of the two side portions 362 of the slide groove 36 for positioning. In other words, the two side portions 362 of each of the two slide grooves 36 correspond to the open and closed positions of the dust shield 40, respectively.

[0038] When a user moves the dust shield 40 to position the dust shield 40 between the open position and the closed position, the two elastic engagement blocks 42 are pushed and elastically deformed by the middle portion 361 because the middle portion 361 is shallower. When the dust shield 40 is moved to either the open position or the closed position, the two engagement blocks 42 spring back and extend into the deeper side portions 362 of the two slide grooves 36 to complete positioning. Thereby, the dust shield 40 tends to be positioned to either the open position or the closed position.

[0039] Alternatively, another embodiment may comprise a cap 30 having only one said slide groove 36, a dust shield 40 having only one said elastic engagement block 42, and the wall 303 of the cap 30 and the side wall of the dust shield 40 on opposite sides barely abutting each other. The dust shield 40 still tends to be positioned either in the open position or in the closed position, as the elastic engagement block 42 is pressed by the middle part 361 of the slide groove 36. Furthermore, another embodiment may exchange the technical features of the cap 30 and the dust shield 40, i.e., the elastic engagement block 42 is arranged in the cap 30 and the slide groove 36 is arranged in the dust shield 40. The above-mentioned technical effect may also be achieved in this situation.

[0040] Although numerous characteristics and advantages of the present utility model have been set forth in the above description, the disclosure, together with the details of the structure and characteristics of the present utility model, is merely illustrative. Changes in details, particularly with regard to shape, size and arrangement of parts within the principles of the present utility model, may be made to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.

Claims

1. A base and a blade assembly attached to the base and having a first pencil inlet; a cap pivotally connected to a side of the base and configured to pivot between a first position and a second position, the cap having a second pencil inlet with an inner diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the first pencil inlet; wherein: when the cap is in the first position, the second pencil inlet is located above the first pencil inlet along an axis, such that a pencil can be inserted into the blade assembly sequentially through the second pencil inlet and the first pencil inlet; when the cap is in the second position, the cap is retracted from the space above the blade assembly such that another pencil is insertable into the blade assembly along the axis through the first pencil entrance; Pencil sharpener.

2. The upper portion of the base is a first side, the side of the base to which the cap is pivotally connected; a second side engageable with the cap to position the cap in the first position; and having the first pencil inlet of the blade assembly is disposed between the first side and the second side; 2. The pencil sharpener of claim 1.

3. the cap has a pivot portion pivotally connected to the base and having a positioning edge; when the cap is in the first position, the positioning edge is located away from the base; when the cap is pivoted from the first position to the second position, the positioning edge abuts the base to position the cap in the second position.

2. The pencil sharpener of claim 1.

4. The pencil sharpener comprises: an engagement recess disposed at a bottom of the cap; an annular projection protruding from a top portion of the base at a location adjacent the first pencil entrance, whereby when the cap is in the first position, the annular projection extends into the engagement recess and abuts an inner sidewall of the engagement recess; 2. The pencil sharpener of claim 1, further comprising an engagement structure having:

5. The pencil sharpener comprises: an engagement recess disposed on an upper portion of the base at a location adjacent the first pencil entrance; an annular projection protruding from a bottom of the cap such that when the cap is in the first position, the annular projection extends into the engagement recess and abuts an inner sidewall of the engagement recess; 2. The pencil sharpener of claim 1, further comprising an engagement structure having:

6. the cap has a plurality of resilient retaining units, each protruding toward the blade assembly and each forming a respective retaining end; the plurality of elastic retaining units are arranged about the axis such that inner surfaces of the retaining ends of the elastic retaining units form a retaining circle having an inner diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the second pencil inlet; 2. The pencil sharpener of claim 1.

7. 2. The pencil sharpener of claim 1, wherein the base and the blade assembly are connected through a ratchet mechanism such that the blade assembly is rotatable in one direction relative to the base.

8. 8. The pencil sharpener of claim 1, further comprising a dust shield movably attached to the cap between an open position and a closed position and configured to cover the second pencil entrance.

9. the dust shield is slidably attached to the cap between the open and closed positions and has a through hole; when the dust shield is in the closed position, the through hole and the second pencil inlet are blocked from each other; when the dust shield is in the open position, the second pencil inlet is fully exposed through the through hole.

9. The pencil sharpener according to claim 8.

10. the cap and the dust shield each have at least one slide groove and at least one elastic engagement block; The elastic engagement block is received in the slide groove, the slide groove having two side portions with a greater depth and a middle portion with a smaller depth; When the dust shield is slid onto the cap, the elastic engagement block is either abutted and elastically deformed by the middle portion of the slide groove, or extends into one of the two side portions of the slide groove for positioning.

9. The pencil sharpener according to claim 8.

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