Pen

Abstract

The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a pen that can supply liquid to the pen tip with a weaker pushing force than conventional squeeze-type pens. The technical solution of the present invention is a pen having: a pen tip (3) having a liquid storage chamber (2) inside and being deformable by pushing; and a pen tip (5) receiving liquid supply from the liquid storage chamber (2) through a valve body (4). The valve body (4) has a flexible cylindrical member (4a) housed in the liquid storage chamber (2), one side of which can communicate with the pen tip (5) and the other side is closed. The cylindrical member (4a) has an opening forming part (4d) that can bend and deform with the pushing deformation of the pen tip (3), and opens by bending deformation and closes when not deformed.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to pens such as calligraphy brushes, felt-tip pens, and cosmetic pens. More specifically, it relates to a type of pen in which a liquid such as ink is contained in a flexible pen shaft, and the pen shaft is deformed by pressing the pen shaft with a finger to supply the liquid inside the pen shaft to the pen tip. [Previous Technology]

[0002] Conventionally, such pens have been known as squeezing-type writing instruments where liquid is contained within the spool, and the liquid is dispensed from the pen tip mounted on the spool by squeezing and pressing the spool with a finger (Patent Document 1, etc.). [Prior Art Documents] [Patent Documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Execution Announcement No. 4-36294 [Summary of the Invention]

[0004] [Problem to be solved by the invention] However, the above-mentioned conventional squeeze-type writing instruments cannot deliver the liquid inside the pen shaft to the pen tip without pushing the pen shaft from both sides with considerable force, making them difficult for the elderly and others with weaker fingers to use.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention primarily aims to provide a pen that supplies liquid to the pen tip within the pen shaft with a less force than conventional squeeze-type writing instruments. [Means for Solving the Problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above objective, the pen of the present invention has: a pen shaft having a liquid reservoir inside and being deformable by pressure; and a pen tip receiving liquid supply from the liquid reservoir through a valve body. The valve body has: a flexible cylindrical member housed in the liquid reservoir, one side of which can communicate with the pen tip and the other side is closed. The cylindrical member has: an opening forming portion that can bend and deform with the pressure of the pen shaft, and opens by bending and deforming and closes when not deformed.

[0007] The aforementioned cylindrical member includes: a coil spring that is closely connected between coils, and the aforementioned opening forming part is formed by: bending the aforementioned pen shaft to deform the aforementioned coil spring, thereby opening the aforementioned coil-to-coil formation.

[0008] The aforementioned pen shaft includes: a rear shaft having the aforementioned liquid reservoir inside; and a front shaft holding the aforementioned pen tip and screwed onto the aforementioned rear shaft. The aforementioned cylindrical member includes: an outer plug connected to one side of the aforementioned coil spring and having a first liquid passage communicating with the aforementioned pen tip in the center and embedded in the front end of the aforementioned rear shaft; a middle plug for opening and closing the aforementioned first liquid passage; and a rear end plug for closing the aforementioned other side of the aforementioned coil spring.

[0009] The aforementioned outer bolt has a connecting portion that is embedded and connected to one of the aforementioned coil springs, and the aforementioned connecting portion may also have a screw peak formed on its outer peripheral surface into which the aforementioned coil spring is screwed.

[0010] The aforementioned rear end bolt has an insert portion into which the aforementioned coil spring is inserted on the other side, and the aforementioned insert portion may also have a screw peak into which the aforementioned coil spring is screwed.

[0011] On one of the aforementioned sides of the coil spring, at the front end of the aforementioned one side of the wire constituting the coil spring, there is a protrusion in the inward direction protruding from the radial direction of the coil spring. The aforementioned protrusion may also be locked onto the outer peripheral surface of the aforementioned outer bolt.

[0012] Depending on the type of pen tip, the bending ease of the coil spring may vary.

[0013] The aforementioned cylindrical member includes: a rubber tube that is connected to the aforementioned pen tip on one side and closed on the other side, and the aforementioned opening forming part may be a cut on the periphery of the aforementioned rubber tube.

[0014] The aforementioned cut may also extend in a direction that intersects with the long side of the aforementioned rubber tube.

[0015] The aforementioned cuts may be multiple at different positions along the long side of the aforementioned rubber tube.

[0016] The aforementioned cuts may be multiple at different positions around the circumference of the aforementioned rubber tube.

[0017] The aforementioned cut may also be formed in a spiral shape along the long side of the aforementioned rubber tube. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] With the pen of the present invention, the cylindrical member constituting the valve body is deformed by the pushing and bending of the pen shaft, and the valve body opens by bending deformation, so even if the force of pushing the pen shaft is less than that of conventional valve bodies, it can still open.

Implementation Method

[0020] Embodiments of the pen of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 19. Furthermore, in all figures and embodiments, the same or similar constituent elements are given the same reference numerals.

[0021] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the pen 1 has a liquid reservoir 2 inside, and has: a pen shaft 3 that can be pushed and deformed; and a pen tip 5 that receives liquid supply from the liquid reservoir 2 through a valve body 4.

[0022] The pen shaft 3 has a front shaft 3a and a rear shaft 3b. The front shaft 3a and the rear shaft 3b are screwed together. The liquid reservoir 2 is formed inside the rear shaft 3b. Furthermore, in this specification, the pen tip side is referred to as the front side, and its opposite side is referred to as the rear side. The cap 6 covers the front shaft 3a.

[0023] The pen shaft 3 is made of plastic. The front shaft 3a is rigid, while the rear shaft 3b is flexible. The rear shaft 3b is generally made of blow-molded polyethylene resin. In blow molding, for example, the inner diameter can be changed to change the thickness. Specifically, the part with a larger inner diameter is thinner than the part with a smaller inner diameter. The rear shaft 3b has a shape in which the inner diameter gradually increases from the rear to the front, and has a thin skin portion 3c near the front shaft 3a that is easily deformed by pushing. Markings such as "PUSH" are given to this thin skin portion 3c to clearly indicate the pushing area to be pushed when dispensing liquid from the reservoir 2 to the pen tip 5 (Fig. 3). The rear shaft 3b retains its elasticity and returns to its original shape when the pushing force is released after deformation by pushing.

[0024] An outer plug 7 is embedded in the front end of the rear axle 3b. The outer plug 7 has a first liquid passage 7a formed in its center. A middle plug 8 is inserted into the first liquid passage 7a of the outer plug 7. The first liquid passage 7a has a small diameter portion on its front side, and the front end of the middle plug 8 is embedded in this small diameter portion. In use, as shown in FIG. 4, the middle plug 8 is pushed from the outside by the following means, pressing it into the first liquid passage 7a. In this way, the front end of the middle plug 8 moves from the small diameter portion on the front side of the first liquid passage 7a to its rear side. The inner diameter of the rear side of the first liquid passage 7a is slightly larger than the inner diameter of the small diameter portion on the front side, forming a small gap between the outer peripheral surface of the middle plug 8 and the inner peripheral surface of the rear side of the first liquid passage 7a, thus opening the first liquid passage 7a. The rear axle 3b, with the middle plug 8 inserted into the outer plug 7, can be provided as an ink exchange clip. As will be described later, the valve body 4 can be closed when not deformed, so the middle plug 8 can also be omitted.

[0025] As shown in Figures 5-9, the valve body 4 includes a flexible cylindrical member 4a. The front end of the cylindrical member 4a is connected to the rear of the outer plug 7, and the rear end is closed. The interior of the cylindrical member 4a is connected to the first liquid passage 7a.

[0026] The cylindrical member 4a includes: a flexible rubber tube 4c, one end of which is fitted to an external bolt 7 and the other end is closed by a rear bolt 4b. The circumferential surface of the rubber tube 4c is provided with a slit 4d.

[0027] For example, by pressing the thin skin portion 3c of the rear axle 3b in the direction indicated by the arrow X in Figure 4, as shown in Figure 9, the cylindrical member 4a is elastically bent and deformed by the inner wall of the rear axle 3b. Due to this bending deformation, the cylindrical member 4a is stretched outward in the radial direction relative to its radius of curvature, and compressed inward in the radial direction, thus opening a notch 4d on the outward side in the radial direction. In this way, the notch 4d is closed when not deformed and opens during bending deformation, forming an opening portion.

[0028] The cut 4d constituting the opening forming part, in the example of FIG. 5, extends in a direction intersecting the long side direction of the rubber tube 4c. As shown in FIGS. 10-13, the cut 4d constituting the opening forming part can be inclined relative to the long side direction of the rubber tube 4c, or it can be parallel to the long side direction of the rubber tube 4c as shown in FIG. 14. Preferably, a plurality of cuts 4d are provided at different positions in the axial direction of the rubber tube 4c. Preferably, cuts 4d are also provided near the root of the rubber tube 4c to use up the liquid in the reservoir 2 as little as possible. In addition, it is preferable that a plurality of cuts 4d are provided at different positions in the circumference of the rubber tube 4c so that it can also open when the thin skin part 3c is pressed at different positions around it. The cut 4d can be formed in a spiral shape along the long side direction of the rubber tube 4c.

[0029] When the rear shaft 3b is pushed, the liquid reservoir 2 is pressurized, and the liquid in the liquid reservoir 2, for example, black ink, enters the cylindrical member 4a through the opening cut 4d and is supplied to the pen tip 5 through the first liquid passage 7a of the outer plug 7.

[0030] The pressing of the rear shaft 3b, for example as shown in Figure 15, can be achieved by pressing the front shaft 3a with the tip of the middle finger and the rear shaft 3b with the base of the ring finger, while pressing the thin skin portion 3c of the pen shaft 3 with the thumb between them, causing the thin skin portion 3c of the rear shaft 3b to bend and deform. In this way, the rear shaft 3b can be deformed with less force than the force required to clamp the rear shaft 3b from both sides with the tips of two fingers, and the cylindrical member 4a can be bent and deformed.

[0031] The cylindrical member 4a extends along the long side of the pen shaft 3. The length of the cylindrical member 4a is sufficient to allow the cylindrical member 4a to bend and deform when the thin skin portion 3c is pressed, thus forming the opening of the cut 4d of the opening portion. Therefore, the length of the cylindrical member 4a is only required within the range of the thin skin portion 3c of the rear shaft 3b. The length of the cylindrical member 4a can be less than half the length of the rear shaft 3b, preferably less than one-third of the length of the rear shaft 3b. The length of the cylindrical member 4a can be, for example, 2.5cm to 5cm. By making the cylindrical member 4a shorter, the volume of the liquid reservoir 2 can be increased, and when accommodating liquids that need to be stirred, sufficient space can be ensured in the liquid reservoir 2 to accommodate the stirring ball.

[0032] Brush tip 5: This embodiment illustrates the brush tip of a brush pen having a brush tip. Brush tip 5 may also be the brush tip of a felt-tip brush, a cosmetic brush, etc.

[0033] The pen tip 5 is held in the retainer 9, with its front end protruding from the retainer 9 (Figs. 1-3). The rear part of the retainer 9 is provided with a protruding middle plug 10, which has a second liquid passage 10a communicating with the first liquid passage 7a of the outer plug 7. The retainer 9 and the protruding middle plug 10 are accommodated and held in the front shaft 3a. After the front shaft 3a is removed from the rear shaft 3b and the spacer collar 11 sandwiched between the front shaft 3a and the rear shaft 3b is removed, the external thread portion 3b1 of the rear shaft 3b is screwed back into the internal thread portion 3a1 of the front shaft 3a. As shown in Fig. 4, the protrusion 10b of the protruding middle plug 10 is pressed into the middle plug 8 in the first liquid passage 7a, thereby opening the first liquid passage 7a.

[0034] Figures 16-19 show a modified version of the cylindrical member. The modified cylindrical member 4e has a coil spring 4f with the coils closely connected. The other components are the same as those of the cylindrical member with rubber tube described above, so detailed descriptions are omitted.

[0035] The coil spring 4f is a tension coil spring in which adjacent coils are seamlessly connected to each other (a tension coil spring without hooks at both ends). One side of the coil spring 4f is embedded and connected to the outer bolt 7, and the other side is closed by the rear bolt 4g. As shown in FIG18, the coil spring 4f is closed in the state of close connection between the coils when not deformed, and as shown in FIG19, the coils 4h are open when bent and deformed, forming an opening.

[0036] A cylindrical member 4e is formed by a coil spring 4f, and an opening formed between the coils of the coil spring 4f is formed over the entire length of the cylindrical member 4e within a predetermined range. Therefore, within the aforementioned predetermined range, the position of the thin skin portion 3c of the pen shaft 3 is not restricted, and the opening portion can be opened regardless of the position of the thin skin portion 3c.

[0037] Figures 20 and 21 show another embodiment of the cylindrical member. The shapes of the outer bolt 7 and the rear bolt 4g of the cylindrical member 4e shown in Figures 20 and 21 are different from those of the outer bolt 7 and the rear bolt 4g shown in Figures 16 to 19.

[0038] As shown in Figures 20 and 21, the coil spring 4f is externally embedded in the connecting portion 7b of the outer bolt 7. Therefore, the connecting portion 7b of the outer bolt 7 shown in Figures 20 and 21 is formed as a cylindrical small-diameter portion with an outer diameter that is embedded inside the coil spring 4f. The rear bolt 4g, with its small-diameter cylindrical embedding portion 4g1, is also embedded in the coil spring 4f and mounted on the coil spring 4f.

[0039] As shown in FIG21, the connecting part 7b has a screw peak 7b1 formed on its outer peripheral surface, and the screw peak 7b1 is screwed into the coil spring 4f. By means of such a screw-in connection, even if the coil spring 4f is repeatedly bent as shown by the dotted line in FIG20 due to the use of a pen, the situation of the coil spring 4f coming off the outer plug 7 can be avoided. In addition, by setting it to a screw-in connection, there is no need to use adhesive to connect the coil spring 4f and the outer plug 7, and the connection can be made simply. The outer peripheral surface of the insertion part 4g1 of the rear plug 4g is also provided with a screw peak 4g2, which is screwed into the rear end of the coil spring 4f.

[0040] As shown in Figure 22, during the manufacturing process of the coil spring 4f, a protrusion 4f1 is formed due to burrs generated when the steel wire is wound into a coil and then cut with a cutting tool. The protrusion 4f1 is located at the front end of one side of the wire constituting the coil spring 4f, protruding inward in the radial direction of the coil spring 4f. Therefore, the protrusion 4f1 locks into the outer peripheral surface of the outer plug 7. This more effectively prevents the coil spring 4f from detaching from the outer plug 7.

[0041] The coil spring 4f is not limited to metal components such as stainless steel or spring steel; it can also be made of resin. Resin coil springs 4f are easy to recycle because there is no need to separate the metal and resin components when discarding a used pen.

[0042] Preferably, the amount of liquid supplied from the reservoir 2 (Fig. 1) to the pen tip 5 (Fig. 1) can be varied depending on the type of pen tip. For example, a thicker pen tip requires a larger amount of liquid supply compared to a finer pen tip. Furthermore, a pen tip made of a material that easily allows ink to pass through requires a larger amount of ink supply compared to a pen tip made of a material that makes ink difficult to pass through. The flexibility of the coil spring 4f can be changed by varying the wire diameter of the wire constituting the coil spring 4f. Alternatively, the flexibility of the coil spring 4f can be changed by varying the initial tension setting of the coil spring 4f during the manufacturing process. Compared to a coil spring 4f with a lower flexibility, a coil spring 4f with a higher flexibility bends more when bent with the same force, resulting in a larger gap between the coils and a larger amount of liquid supplied from the reservoir 2 to the pen tip 5. Therefore, coil springs 4f with different flexibility can be used depending on the type of pen tip, such as its thickness or material.

[0043] In all the embodiments described above, the cylindrical members 4a and 4e can be configured to be shorter than the tubes (inner tube 4, outer tube 5) of the prior art (Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 4-36294), thus shortening the path of the liquid, such as ink, supplied from the reservoir 2 to the pen tip 5. As a result, fewer air bubbles (air mixed in) are generated in the liquid (ink, etc.) when it is dispensed from the pen tip 5. This reduces the possibility of air bubbles bursting from the pen tip 5 and contaminating the artwork.

[0044] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, although the above-described embodiment illustrates a pen shaft 3 with the front shaft 3a and the rear shaft 3b screwed together, it can also be configured as a pen shaft with the front shaft and the rear shaft integrally formed. [Simplified Explanation of the Diagram]

[0019] [Fig. 1] is a central longitudinal sectional view showing one embodiment of the present invention. [Fig. 2] is an exploded sectional view of the pen in Fig. 1. [Fig. 3] is an exploded front view of the pen in Fig. 1. [Fig. 4] is a central longitudinal sectional view showing the pen in use in Fig. 1. [Fig. 5] is a top view showing the valve body inserted into the pen in Fig. 1. [Fig. 6] is a front view of the valve body in Fig. 5. [Fig. 7] is a sectional view of Fig. 6. [Fig. 8] is a perspective view of the valve body in Fig. 5. [Fig. 9] is a perspective view showing the bending deformation state of the cylindrical member of the valve body in Fig. 8. [Fig. 10] is a top view showing a modified version of the valve body, which is a constituent element of the present invention. [Fig. 11] is a front view of Fig. 10. [Fig. 12] is a sectional view of the valve body in Fig. 10. [Fig. 13] is a perspective view of the valve body in Fig. 10. [Fig. 14] is a top view showing another modified version of the valve body, which is a constituent element of the present invention. [Fig. 15] is a perspective view showing the pen in use as shown in Fig. 1. [Fig. 16] is a top view showing another variation of the valve body, a constituent element of the present invention. [Fig. 17] is a perspective view of the valve body of Fig. 16. [Fig. 18] is a cross-sectional view of the valve body of Fig. 16. [Fig. 19] is a cross-sectional view showing the bent deformation state of the cylindrical member of the valve body of Fig. 16. [Fig. 20] is a perspective view showing another variation of the valve body, a constituent element of the present invention. [Fig. 21] is an exploded perspective view of the valve body of Fig. 20. [Fig. 22] is a front view showing the end of the coil spring of the valve body of Fig. 20.

Claims

1. A pen comprising: a deformable pen shaft having a rear shaft having an internal liquid reservoir; and a pen tip receiving liquid supply through a valve body from the liquid reservoir, the valve body comprising: a flexible cylindrical member housed within the liquid reservoir, one side of which is connected to the pen tip and the other side of which is closed, the cylindrical member being connected only to the front end of the rear shaft on one side and being deformable by bending in conjunction with the deformation of the pen shaft, and having an opening forming portion on the circumferential surface of the cylindrical member that opens by bending deformation and closes when not deformed.

2. The pen as described in claim 1, wherein, The aforementioned cylindrical member includes: a coil spring that is closely connected between the coils; the aforementioned opening is formed by: bending the aforementioned pen shaft to deform the aforementioned coil spring, thereby opening the aforementioned connection between the coils.

3. The pen as described in claim 2, wherein, The aforementioned pen shaft further comprises: holding the aforementioned pen tip and screwing it onto the front shaft of the aforementioned rear shaft; the aforementioned cylindrical member comprises: having a first liquid passage in the central part connected to one side of the aforementioned coil spring and communicating with the aforementioned pen tip, and an outer plug embedded in the front end of the aforementioned rear shaft; opening and closing the middle plug of the aforementioned first liquid passage; and closing the rear end plug of the aforementioned other side of the aforementioned coil spring.

4. The pen as described in claim 3, wherein, The aforementioned outer bolt has a connecting portion that is embedded and connected to one of the aforementioned sides of the aforementioned coil spring, and the aforementioned connecting portion has a screw crest formed on its outer peripheral surface into which the aforementioned coil spring is screwed.

5. The pen as described in claim 3, wherein, The aforementioned rear end bolt has an insert portion into which the aforementioned coil spring is inserted on the other side, and the aforementioned insert portion has a screw crest formed on its outer peripheral surface into which the aforementioned coil spring is screwed.

6. The pen as described in claim 4, wherein, On one of the aforementioned sides of the coil spring, at the front end of the aforementioned one side of the wire constituting the coil spring, there is a protrusion protruding inward in the radial direction of the coil spring, and the aforementioned protrusion is engaged with the outer peripheral surface of the aforementioned outer bolt.

7. The pen as described in claim 2, wherein, Depending on the type of pen tip, the ease with which the aforementioned coil spring can be bent varies.

8. The pen as described in claim 1, wherein, The aforementioned cylindrical member includes: a rubber tube that is connected to the aforementioned pen tip on one side and closed on the other side, and the aforementioned opening forming part is a cut on the periphery of the aforementioned rubber tube.

9. The pen as described in claim 8, wherein, The aforementioned cut extends in the direction that intersects with the long side of the aforementioned rubber tube.

10. The pen as described in claim 9, wherein, The aforementioned cuts are present in multiples at different positions along the long side of the aforementioned rubber tube.

11. The pen as described in claim 8, wherein, The aforementioned cuts are present in multiples at different positions around the circumference of the aforementioned rubber tube.

12. The pen as described in claim 8, wherein, The aforementioned cut is formed in a spiral shape along the long side of the aforementioned rubber tube.

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