Pen with locking mechanism for erasing

Abstract

The invention relates to a click pen capable of being used for stable erasing, the pen comprising: a tubular housing (10) comprising a tapered portion (11), a main tube (12) having a vertical groove (124) at the upper end thereof and two shallow holes (128a, 128b) on the inner surface at a position facing the vertical groove (124), and a stop portion (13); a refill (50) having a writing tip (52) capable of passing through the tapered portion (11); an erasing head (30); the locking assembly comprises a sliding block (20), a locking assembly (30) and a locking assembly (40), and the sliding block (20) is provided with a cavity (220); a clip (21) connected to the slider (20); and a latch (40) capable of sliding within the cavity (220) so as to extend out and engage with the shallow hole (128a or 128b), respectively, corresponding to the writing position and the non-writing position; wherein: the cavity (220) has an inclination such that the latch (40) slides within the cylindrical cavity (220) under the action of gravity.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of office stationery, and more particularly to a retractable pen or click pen (i.e., a pen having a mechanism for moving its writing tip to extend and / or retract from its body), and more specifically to a click pen having a mechanism for locking its eraser head and its writing tip. Background Art

[0002] Known click pens or retractable pens in the art include a writing tip at one end and an eraser head at the other end. Generally, the eraser head should be fixed relative to the pen body to ensure stable erasing, especially for any pen using thermochromic ink.

[0003] Regarding click pens, fixing the eraser head during the erasing process requires a stop mechanism or a locking mechanism for blocking the mechanism that controls the writing tip, such that the writing tip cannot extend / retract from the pen body (i.e., for fixing the eraser head relative to the pen body). There are many technical solutions that meet this requirement.

[0004] Japanese Patent JP7209162B2 (Micro) discloses a click pen in which when the pen body is tilted such that when the eraser head is downward, a control latch and a blocking button disposed on the eraser head holding member can fall along a sliding groove of a pushing member under the action of gravity. When the control latch moves into a locking groove continuously arranged circumferentially at the rear end of the sliding groove, the blocking button prevents the control latch from moving out, and then the eraser head holding member cannot be withdrawn into the pushing member. At this time, the outer end face of the control latch faces the rear surface of the pen housing, and the withdrawn surface serves as a stop portion, and then the pushing member is locked, so that the pen cannot be pushed. Therefore, during the erasing process, the eraser head is locked by the movement of the control latch and the stop button under the action of gravity on the locking groove (i.e., the locking groove extends circumferentially and is inclined backward relative to the central axis of the pushing member, and then the control latch falls and moves into the locking groove).

[0005] Japanese Patent JP6545039B2 (Mitsubishi) discloses a mechanical pen that also includes a knock-lock member for pushing the operating portion forward, thereby extending the writing lead, and the writing lead can move diagonally in the pen housing under the action of gravity (specifically, by further including a hook disposed inside the pen housing, and the hook can engage with the locking pushing member). When the extended end of the pen housing is upward, the knock-lock member moves backward and engages with the stop portion, thereby preventing the operating portion from moving forward.

[0006] Japanese Patent JP7106432B2 (Mitsubishi) discloses a mechanical pen which further includes a brake lever for locking a knock ring with a locking section, wherein the brake lever can move by gravity within the pen housing; the knock ring can move together with an operating portion and can rotate about a central axis, and the locking section can lock with the knock ring. When the front end of the pen housing faces upward, the brake lever moves backward, the rotation of the knock ring is restricted, and the knock ring locks with the locking section, thereby preventing the operating portion from moving forward.

[0007] U.S. Patent US10576775B2 (Mitsubishi) discloses a knock-type writing instrument which further includes: a knock locking member which can move back and forth within a shaft cylinder due to gravity; and a locking portion provided on one side of a barrel cylinder and capable of locking with the knock locking member. When the front end of the shaft cylinder faces upward, the knock locking member moves backward to lock with the locking portion, thereby preventing the operating portion from moving forward. The knock locking member is a tubular member through which a refill runs, and can move in the front-back direction between the operating portion and the locking portion of the pen barrel. At the rear end surface of the knock locking member, a locking cam receiving surface having a shape complementary to the locking cam surface of the operating portion is formed. The locking cam receiving surface has six peak portions and valley portions in the same manner as the locking cam surface of the operating portion. That is, at the locking cam receiving surface of the knock locking member, the peak portions and valley portions are configured to have an inclined portion inclined circumferentially with respect to a plane perpendicular to the front-back direction and a vertical wall portion extending along the front-back direction.

[0008] Japanese Patent JP6304958B2 (Mitsubishi) discloses a writing instrument which includes a shaft cylinder and an erasing member, wherein when the shaft cylinder is tilted so that the erasing member side is set downward, the sliding of the erasing member within the shaft cylinder is restricted.

[0009] This patent discloses in detail a retainer of a locking mechanism: a movable pin serving as a locking portion is swingably attached to the retainer, that is, the movable pin has a pin body integrally formed in a rod shape. A fitting ball portion is formed at one end of the pin body and is formed in a spherical shape substantially complementary to a recess of the retainer and is fitted into the recess, and the other end of the pin body is circular. Since the entrance of the recess of the retainer is narrow, the fitting ball portion of the movable pin is fitted into the recess of the retainer by strongly pushing, and the movable pin is attached to the retainer.

[0010] U.S. Patent No. US9914322B2 (Zebra) discloses a locking mechanism that includes a rolling element supported to rotate relative to the writing instrument body without advancing or retracting, and the outer peripheral surface of the rolling element contacts the side surface of the retracting member. Specifically, each rolling element is a spherical member, and a plurality of rolling elements are arranged to inwardly clamp the sliding shaft of the retracting member in the radial direction of the shaft tube. Each rolling element is arranged to freely rotate in a respective through-hole of the retainer. A side wall portion of the sliding support near the front end is provided with a through-hole that penetrates the side wall portion in its thickness direction. Each through-hole is a hole with an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the rolling element and surrounds the rolling element, such that the rolling element can freely rotate in the axial direction of the shaft tube without advancing or retracting.

[0011] A common drawback (common backward) of all of the above technical solutions that make full use of gravity to lock the writing tip and the eraser head during the erasing process is their complex structure.

[0012] Therefore, there is a certain need for a click pen with a locking mechanism to fix the eraser head relative to its body when the eraser head is in use.

[0013] The present invention provides a technical solution to meet this need. Summary of the Invention

[0014] The present invention meets the above need by providing a click pen that includes:

[0015] A housing that includes a tapered portion, a body, and a stop portion, the body having a vertical groove at its upper end and two shallow holes on its inner surface at a position facing the vertical groove;

[0016] A refill having a writing tip capable of moving through the tapered portion;

[0017] An eraser head; and

[0018] A locking mechanism that includes:

[0019] A slider having a cavity;

[0020] A clip connected to the slider; and

[0021] A latch capable of sliding within the cavity to project and engage with one or the other of the shallow holes corresponding to the writing position and the non-writing position; wherein:

[0022] The cavity has an inclination for the latch to slide within the cylindrical cavity under the action of gravity. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0023] The above and other features and advantages will become more apparent from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0024] Figure 1 is a side view of a click pen according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 2 is Figure 1 a perspective view of the click pen in when used for erasing;

[0026] Figure 3 is a front view of the body of a click pen according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 4 is Figure 3 a perspective view of the body of the click pen in ;

[0028] Figure 5 is a perspective view of the locking mechanism of a click pen according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 6 is a partially sectioned front view of a click pen in a writing state according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 7 is Figure 6 a partial cross-sectional view of the click pen in a non-writing state in ;

[0031] Figure 8 is Figure 7 an enlarged view of part I in ;

[0032] Figure 9 is Figure 6 a partial cross-sectional view of the click pen in an erasing state in ; and

[0033] Figure 10 is Figure 9 an enlarged view of part II in . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] In this specification, the terms "upper" and "lower" are used to refer to the positions when the pen is placed in an upright position and the writing tip is facing downwards.

[0035] Also in this specification, the "writing state" refers to the state when the writing tip of the pen extends out of the housing, and the "non-writing state" refers to the state when the writing tip of the pen is retracted into the housing. The non-writing state can be the state when the pen is stored (i.e., held or clipped in a pocket, etc.). The non-writing state can also be the state of the pen when the user turns the pen upside down to erase with its erasing head.

[0036] As Figure 1 and Figure 2 shown, the click pen of the present invention includes the basic components of a traditional click pen, namely:

[0037] A tubular housing 10, which includes a main tube 12 connected to a tapered portion 11 at the lower end and a stop portion 13 at the upper end;

[0038] A clip 20;

[0039] A push head 30, which is connected to the clip 20; and

[0040] A refill 50, an ink reservoir, a pushing mechanism for controlling the movement of the refill, and a writing tip that form a pushing end, all of which are arranged in the tubular housing 10. For convenience, these components are not shown and / or indicated in the drawings except for the writing tip 52, because the writing tip 52 is a component that helps to show the state of the click pen.

[0041] As Figure 1 and Figure 2 shown, the click pen is in a non-writing state, that is, the writing tip 52 does not appear below the tapered portion 11 of the tubular housing 10. Generally, similar to traditional click pens, the writing tip 52 (see Figure 6 ) can be extended / retracted through the tapered portion 11 of the tubular housing 10 under the control of the pushing mechanism.

[0042] The pushing mechanism of the click pen according to the present invention is any pushing mechanism that can control the writing tip to extend / retract through the tapered portion of the tubular housing. Such a pushing mechanism may include springs and cam mechanisms known in the art (not shown in the drawings).

[0043] Figure 2 The state of the click pen of the present invention when it is not used for writing but for erasing is shown, which means the click pen is inverted so that the push head 30 faces downwards. In this state, the writing tip can be retracted into the tubular housing as shown. However, it should be noted that when using the click pen of the present invention for erasing, the writing tip can also extend out of the tubular housing.

[0044] In the case where the click pen is used with thermochromic ink, the push head 30 can be an erasing head. In the case of pencils and other situations, the push head 30 can be an eraser. There can also be a cap to cover the erasing head when it is not in use. And for the simplicity of this specification, the erasing head and the cap (if any) are simply drawn as the push head 30 in the drawings, and the push head 30 can also be called the erasing head 30.

[0045] Compared with the technical solutions known in the art, the click pen of the present invention has basic differences, including the structure of the main tube 12 and the structure of the locking assembly.

[0046] As Figure 3 and Figure 4As shown, the main tube 12 has a vertical groove 124 at its upper end, and at a position facing the vertical groove 124, the main tube 12 has two shallow holes 128a, 128b on the inner surface of the main tube 12. At Figure 3 In, the two shallow holes 128a, 128b are partially hidden behind the vertical groove 124, and the hidden parts are shown by dashed lines. At Figure 4 In, since the two shallow holes 128a, 128b are on the inner surface of the main tube 12 at a position opposite to the vertical groove 124, they are also shown by dashed lines.

[0047] As Figure 3 and Figure 4 shown, the vertical groove 124 is a short groove starting from the upper edge of the main tube 12 and parallel to the central axis of the main tube 12. For the convenience of the assembly process, the upper end of the vertical groove 124 can extend into a V-shaped groove V 122.

[0048] In addition, the main tube 12 can have a second vertical groove to cooperate with the lug 26 (see Figure 5 ) at the inner surface of the clip 21 and the pushing mechanism to form a locking mechanism for the pushing process.

[0049] As Figure 5 shown, the locking assembly of the click pen according to an embodiment of the present invention includes:

[0050] A cylindrical slider 20, one end of which is mounted to the eraser head 30, the other end abuts against the proximal end of the pen core 50, and has a cylindrical cavity 220 in its main body 22;

[0051] A clip 21, which is connected to the cylindrical slider 20 through a connecting rod 23, and the connecting rod 23 is installed through the vertical groove 124 of the main tube 12;

[0052] A latch 40, which can slide within the cylindrical cavity 220 so as to protrude and engage with either of the two shallow holes 128a, 128b in the inner surface of the main tube 12 when the cylindrical slider 20 is in corresponding positions corresponding to the writing state and the non-writing state; wherein:

[0053] The cylindrical cavity 220 has a certain inclination so that under the action of the weight of the latch 40, the latch 40 slides within the cylindrical cavity 220;

[0054] Therefore, the click pen can be used for stable erasing operations.

[0055] In the drawings, the cylindrical cavity 220 is a cylindrical hole extending from the side surface of the main body 22 to the inside of the main body 22, and the cylindrical hole is inclined with respect to the axis of the main body 22.

[0056] The cylindrical slider 20 may also include, at its upper end, a large cylindrical portion 25 for mounting the eraser head 30 and a small cylindrical portion 24 for mounting a pushing or state conversion mechanism for the ink reservoir and / or a pen known in the art.

[0057] The latch 40 may have any suitable shape. For example, the latch 40 may be cylindrical or spherical, as long as the requirements for friction with the cavity, as well as the size and weight of the latch, are met. In a preferred embodiment, the latch 40 is cylindrical. The advantage of this embodiment is that the weight of the latch can be increased by extending the latch or changing its structure. In the case where the latch is spherical, due to the diameter limitation, i.e., its diameter should be smaller than the diameter of the cylindrical cavity, the only way to increase the weight of the latch is to change its structural form.

[0058] When the user pushes the eraser head or the pushing head 30 or longitudinally slides the clip 21, the vertical groove 124 of the main tube 12 is used to guide the cylindrical slider. In addition, since the shallow holes 128a, 128b are positioned to face the vertical groove 124, the cylindrical cavity 220 can be positioned such that its mouth can precisely point to the shallow hole 128a or the shallow hole 128b, facilitating the partial engagement of the latch 40 with the shallow hole 128a or the shallow hole 128b under the action of gravity, or completely and easily leaving the shallow hole 128a or the shallow hole 128b (which will be described in detail below).

[0059] The inclination of the cylindrical cavity relative to the central axis of the click pen is also the slope at which the latch freely falls within the cylindrical cavity under the action of gravity and friction. The greater the inclination, the easier the latch slides, and vice versa.

[0060] Therefore, according to the characteristics of the materials used to construct the cylindrical slider and the latch (especially the coefficient of friction between the cylindrical slider and the latch and the weight of the latch itself), the inclination of the cylindrical cavity relative to the central axis of the click pen can be between 40 degrees and 50 degrees, preferably between 42 degrees and 48 degrees, and more preferably about 45 degrees.

[0061] The operation of the click pen of the present invention is as Figures 6 to 10 shown, where the click pen is presented in a partial cross-sectional view (i.e., the tubular housing 10 is partially cut to expose the internal part, and the other parts are longitudinally cut to show the cavity and the latch arranged inside the cylindrical slider 20).

[0062] Figure 6It is a partial cross-sectional front view showing the stylus in the writing state (which means the writing tip 52 protrudes from the tubular housing 10). In this state, the weight of the latch 40 and the inclination of the cylindrical cavity 20 allow the latch 40 to slide freely downward, and the latch 40 does not engage with the shallow hole 128b. This means that the writing tip 52 and the eraser head 30 are not locked, and the user can push to change the stylus to the non-writing state.

[0063] In the non-writing state as Figure 7 shown (i.e., the writing tip is retracted into the tubular housing 10), similarly, the weight of the latch 40 and the inclination of the cylindrical cavity 20 allow the latch 40 to slide freely downward, that is, the latch 40 does not engage with the shallow hole 128a. This means that the writing tip 52 and the eraser head 30 are not locked, and the user can push to change the stylus back to the writing state.

[0064] Therefore, as Figure 8 shown, when the stylus is in the state with the writing tip 52 facing downward, the latch 40 does not engage with the shallow hole 128a or the shallow hole 128b, and the stylus (especially the writing tip) is not locked and can be changed to any state according to the user's will.

[0065] In the non-writing state as Figure 9 shown (i.e., the writing tip 52 protrudes from the tubular housing 10), the weight of the latch 40 and the inclination of the cylindrical cavity 20 allow the latch 40 to slide freely downward, that is, to engage in the shallow hole 128a (as Figure 10 shown in detail). This means that the eraser head 30 is thus locked (i.e., fixed to the tubular housing 10), and the user can stably use the eraser head 30.

[0066] Similarly, in any state where the writing tip 52 protrudes and the writing tip 52 faces downward, the latch 40 will not fall into the shallow hole 128b. This means that the eraser head 30 is locked (i.e., fixed to the tubular housing 10), and the user can still stably use the eraser head 30.

[0067] Therefore, the mechanism for locking the eraser head of the stylus of the present invention can fix the eraser head relative to the pen housing in two cases (i.e., when the writing tip 52 protrudes from the tubular housing 10 and when the writing tip 152 is retracted into the tubular housing 10).

[0068] Therefore, when the stylus becomes the state with the writing tip facing upward, the eraser head will be automatically locked.

[0069] In addition, only when the stylus is inverted again, the weight of the latch 40 and the static friction force applied when the latch 40 engages with the shallow hole 128a or 128b always assist the operation of the mechanism for locking the eraser head of the stylus, that is, assist the user to stably use the eraser head.

[0070] This makes the click pen of the present invention more convenient because the user can use the eraser head without paying attention to the state of the writing tip.

[0071] Effect

[0072] The click pen of the present invention has a simple structure and can help the user stably perform an erasing operation through its eraser head.

Claims

1. A click pen, comprising: A tubular housing (10) comprising a main pipe (12) mounted to a tapered portion (11) at a lower end and to a stopper portion (13) at an upper end, wherein the main pipe (12) has a vertical groove (124) at an upper end and two shallow holes (128a, 128b) on an inner surface of the main pipe (12) at a position facing the vertical groove (124); A pen core (50), comprising a push head, an ink reservoir, a push mechanism for controlling the movement of the pen core, and a writing tip (52), wherein the writing tip (52) can be extended / retracted through the tapered portion (11) of the tubular housing (10); an erasing head (30) mounted via the stopper (13) of the tubular housing (10); as well as Locking assembly, comprising: A cylindrical slider (20) having one end mounted to the erasing head (30) and the other end abutting against the proximal end of the refill (50), and having a cylindrical cavity (220) in its body (22); a clamp (21) connected to the cylindrical slider (20) via a connecting rod (23), the connecting rod (23) being mounted through the vertical slot (124) of the main pipe (12); a latch (40) which is slidable in the cylindrical cavity (220) so that when the cylindrical slider (20) is in the writing position or the non-writing position, the latch (40) extends out and engages one of the two shallow holes (128a, 128b) on the inner surface of the main tube (12); wherein: The cylindrical cavity (220) has an inclination so that under the weight of the latch (40), the latch (40) slides in the cylindrical cavity (200); The pen can thus be used for stable erasing.

2. The click pen according to claim 1, wherein: The cylindrical cavity (220) is inclined at about 45° relative to the central axis of the pen.

Images