GB2401569A

GB2401569A - Paper cutting device

Info

Publication number: GB2401569A
Application number: GB0311060A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Tim Scotford
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2003-05-14
Filing date: 2003-05-14
Publication date: 2004-11-17
Anticipated expiration: 2023-05-14
Also published as: GB0311060D0; GB2401569B

Abstract

A paper cutting device comprising a housing 2, a slot 4 extending transversely across the front of the housing 2, a plunger 8 and a cutting edge 12 which has a set of teeth (fig 3; 14). The paper cutting device is arranged for the slot 4 to receive the folded edge of a folded sheet of paper and to cut-away a portion of the folded edge. The cutting action is carried out by vertically displacing the plunger 8 which moves the set of teeth (fig 3; 14) into mesh with an opposing series set of teeth (fig 3; 16) to perform the cut. The cut-away portions then being retained within a base region 24.

Description

PAPER-CUTTING DEVICE

The present invention relates to a paper-cutting device and, more particularly to a device for cutting away a pre- determined region of a sheet of paper.

A person paying for goods or services with a credit card is typically issued with a receipt on which details of the financial transaction are printed, including details of the person's credit card account, such as a card or account number.

Should the person be careless in disposing of such a receipt, the receipt might fall into the hands of an unscrupulous third party, thereby providing the third party with the account details printed thereon and thus unauthorized access to the person's account.

I have now devised an arrangement which overcomes the aforementioned problem.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a papercutting device comprising a housing having a slot for receiving the folded edge of a folded sheet of paper and a cutting edge, displaceable with respect to said slot, in a plane extending perpendicular to said slot, for cutting away at least one portion of said folded edge when said folded edge is fully inserted into said slot, such that the cut-away portion(s) is/are retained within said housing.

Thus, the device may be used to cut-away a portion of a credit card receipt on which a person's account details are printed, by folding the receipt along a line extending through the card or account number printed on the receipt, fully inserting the folded edge of the folded receipt into the slot and displacing the cutting edge with respect to the slot to cut away one or more portions of the folded edge, thereby removing, in whole or in part, the card or account number from the receipt.

With the card or account number thus removed from the receipt, the receipt may then be disposed of, without risk of the card or account number becoming available to an unscrupulous third party.

It will be appreciated that the device provides the advantage over existing types of paper punch, that the location of a cut-away to be formed in a receipt may be readily and accurately varied (by varying the position of the fold formed in the receipt) to correspond with the positioning of a person's account details on that receipt, which may vary between different types of receipt.

Preferably said cutting edge comprises a series of teeth for cutting away respective, adjacent portions of said folded edge.

Preferably said slot is open-ended, thereby allowing the housing to receive folded sheets of any width.

Preferably said slot comprises a surface for supporting said folded edge, said supporting surface having a profiled edge which meshes with said series of teeth, when said cutting edge is displaced perpendicularly to said slot.

Preferably, said cutting edge is biassed towards a normal position wherein the full insertion of said folded edge into said slot is permitted.

Preferably said device comprises a plunger which supports said cutting edge and is Repressible into said housing to displace said cutting edge with respect to said slot.

Preferably a portion of the side-wall of the housing is removable for emptying accumulated cut-away portions from the device.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of an example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a front elevation of a paper-cutting device in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 is a vertical section through the device along the line A-A' in Figure 1; Figure 3 is an isometric view of the cutting edge and support surface of the device; and Figure 4 is a plan view of a paper sheet from which a series of portions have been removed by use of the device of Figure 1.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, a paper cutting device is shown comprising a housing 2 having a slot 4 extending transversely across the front of the housing for receiving the folded edge of a folded sheet of paper, such as a credit card receipt.

The housing comprises an outer casing 6 into which a plunger 8 is Repressible against a counterforce provided by a biassing spring 10 disposed between the two parts 6,8.

The plunger 8 supports a cutting edge 12 which is vertically displaced with respect to the slot 4 when the plunger is depressed.

As shown in detail in Figure 2, the cutting edge 12 comprises a series of teeth 14 which, as the plunger 8 is depressed, mesh with an opposed series of teeth 16 formed in the profiled, inner edge of the floor 18 of the slot 4.

The device may thus be used to remove a card or account number from a credit card receipt, such as the processed receipt shown in Figure 3, by folding the receipt along a line extending through the number, fully inserting the folded edge of the folded receipt into the slot and displacing the cutting edge 12 with respect to the slot 4, the portions 22 thus cut away from the receipt being retained within a base region 24 of the casing 6.

The processed receipt, may then be disposed of, without risk of the card or account number becoming available to an unscrupulous third party.

Accumulated cut-away portions may be periodically emptied from the casing 6 via an aperture in the base of the casing, which is normally closed by a removable panel 26.

The device thus provides an advantage over existing types of paper punch, in that the location of a cut-away to be formed in a receipt may be readily and accurately varied (by varying the position of the fold formed in the receipt) to correspond with the positioning of a person's account details on that receipt, which may vary between different types of receipt.

Claims

1) A paper-cutting device comprising a housing having a slot for receiving the folded edge of a folded sheet of paper and a cutting edge, displaceable with respect to said slot, in a plane extending perpendicular to said slot, for cutting away at least one portion of said folded edge when said folded edge is fully inserted into said slot, such that the cut-away portion(s) is/are retained within said housing.

2) A paper-cutting device as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said cutting edge comprises a series of teeth for cutting away respective, adjacent portions of said folded edge.

3) A paper-cutting device as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein said slot is open-ended.

4) A paper-cutting device as claimed in any preceding Claim, wherein said slot comprises a surface for supporting said folded edge, said supporting surface having a profiled edge which meshes with said series of teeth, when said cutting edge is displaced perpendicularly to said slot.

5) A paper-cutting device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said cutting edge is biassed towards a normal position wherein the full insertion of said folded edge into said slot is permitted.

6) A paper-cutting device as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising a plunger which supports said cutting edge and is Repressible into said housing to displace said cutting edge with respect to said slot.

7) A paper-cutting device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein a portion of the side-wall of the housing is removable for emptying accumulated cut-away portions from the device.

8) A paper-cutting device substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.