Pencil sharpener

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a pencil sharpener for pencils having a lead surrounded by a lead carrier. The pencil sharpener includes a hollow guide channel for the pencil to be sharpened. An inner surface of the guide channel forms a guide surface for a partial area of a lead carrier of the pencil to be sharpened. To prevent contamination of an outer surface of the lead carrier the inner surface of the guide channel is interrupted by at least one cleaning groove extending in an axial direction of the guide channel.

Claims

1. A pencil sharpener, comprising a hollow guide channel (1) for a pencil to be sharpened, wherein an inner surface of the hollow guide channel (1) forms a guide surface (3) for a partial area of a lead carrier of the pencil to be sharpened, and wherein the inner surface of the hollow guide channel (1) is interrupted by at least one cleaning groove (5) extending in an axial direction (2) of the hollow guide channel (1).

2. The pencil sharpener according to claim 1, further comprising a sharp-edged grooved flank (6) between the cleaning groove (5) and the inner surface (3) of the hollow guide channel (1).

3. The pencil sharpener according to claim 1 further comprising a grooved flank (6) designed as a longitudinal edge between the cleaning groove (5) and the inner surface (3) with a negative angle.

4. The pencil sharpener according to claim 1 further comprising a grooved flank (6) designed as a longitudinal edge between the cleaning groove (5) and the inner surface (3) with a positive angle.

5. The pencil sharpener according to claim 1, wherein the inner surface of the hollow guide channel (1) and/or a surface of the cleaning groove (5) exhibits a lotus effect.

6. The pencil sharpener according to claim 1, further comprising a cleaning medium arranged in the cleaning groove (5).

7. The pencil sharpener according to claim 1, wherein the at least one cleaning groove (5) is part of a plurality of cleaning grooves (5) distributed around a circumference of the hollow guide channel (1).

8. The pencil sharpener according to claim 1, further comprising a cutting blade arranged in the hollow guide channel (1).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] FIG. 1 shows a pencil sharpener with two parallel guide channels for pencils to be sharpened in a perspective view.

[0015] FIG. 2 shows the detail II from FIG. 1.

[0016] FIG. 3 shows a sectional side view of the guide channel of the sharpener.

[0017] FIG. 4 shows a top view of the insertion opening of the pencil guide channel from FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] The sharpener shown in FIG. 1 has two parallel guide channels 1. The guide channels 1 extend in the axial direction 2. Guide surfaces 3 in the guide channels 1 are joined in the axial direction 2 by U-shaped scraper ribs 4 in the exemplary embodiment as forming tools for the soft lead to be formed of the pencil not shown in the figures. Furthermore, three cleaning grooves 5 are visible in the exemplary embodiment.

[0019] Each of the guide surfaces 3 forms common groove flanks 6 with the cleaning grooves 5. Such grooved flanks 6 may be designed to be sharp-edged. However, they may also be designed as longitudinal edges with either a negative angle or a positive angle. The mode of action of the pencil sharpener is as follows:

[0020] The tip of the lead carrier of the pencil to be sharpened is inserted into the guide channel 1. The outer wall of the pencil tip then rests against the guide surfaces 3. The pencil is rotated clockwise in order to sharpen the soft pencil lead engaged with the scraper rib 4. If lead material falls onto the outer surface of the tip of the lead carrier, it is lifted off the outer surface of the tip of the lead carrier by the grooved flanks 6, which act in the manner of scraping strips, and falls into the adjacent cleaning groove 5 and can thus be transported out of the sharpener.

[0021] While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the disclosed or illustrated embodiments but, on the contrary, is intended to cover numerous other modifications, substitutions, variations and broad equivalent arrangements that are included within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0022] 1 Guide channel [0023] 2 Axial direction [0024] 3 Guide surface [0025] 4 Scraper rib [0026] 5 Cleaning groove [0027] 6 Grooved flank