A shredder has cutter elements for destroying articles (paper) and a feed mechanism for advancing paper from a stack in a tray into cutters for shredding. The feed mechanism has a feed member provided adjacent to the tray with an elastic arm for engaging and disengaging the stack. The feed member rotates in a feeding direction about an axle, with the elastic arm elastically deforming to apply pressure to feed paper atop the stack to the cutters. The elastic arm can include a protruding tip that is inserted into the stack. The tray includes a curved feed bed to assist in feeding paper into the cutters and deforming the elastic arm. A pivot arm can also move the feed member relative to the tray (e.g., vertically). A disengagement mechanism can hold the feed mechanism in an inoperable feeding position when a drawer or tray is moved into an open position.

A mechanical bin-full device for a paper shredder with a pressing plate, a contact switch, and a touching part. The pressing plate is installed at an outside portion of the shredder mechanical parts under the lower housing. One end of the pressing plate is pivots on the lower housing and the other end is free. The contact switch is fixed on the lower housing and a contact point is provided on the contact switch. The touching part is provided on the pressing plate, away from the mechanical parts. The lower housing has a through-hole under the contact point of the contact switch enabling the touching part to contact the contact point. The waste paper drives the pressing plate to turn around the joint between it and the lower housing, making the touching part touch the contact point of the contact switch and making the shredder power off.

A novel safe paper feed opening structure of a paper shredder, having a shredder upper cover and a paper shredder plate. The shredder upper cover has an opening, and the paper shredder plate is at the opening. The opening communicates with a moveable feed throat. The paper shredder plate can be configured in one of four positions. The moveable feed throat has a normal opening and a wide opening. The feed throat can be moved to the wide opening when the shredder plate is in a JAM CLEAR/OFF position. The CLOSED/OFF, NORMAL/ON, and SHRED-SAFE/OFF positions use a normal feed throat. A method for operating a paper shredder includes providing a shredder upper cover; providing the shredder upper cover with an opening; disposing a paper shredder plate at the opening; disposing the opening in communication with a moveable feed throat; and moving the feed throat responsive to a paper shredder condition.