Ink bottle adapter

Abstract

To provide an ink bottle adapter that can be attached to the mouth of an ink bottle with its lid removed and smoothly supply ink in the ink bottle to a fountain pen. [Solution] The ink bottle adapter 100 of the present invention comprises an attachment part 1 that is attached to the ink bottle 5 so as to cover the mouth of the ink bottle 5 when the lid has been removed, an insertion port 2 that is erected on the attachment part 1 and into which a part of the fountain pen (body 6) is inserted, an ink introduction part 3 that has an internal space 31 that communicates with the insertion port 2 and extends from the attachment part 1 toward the opposite side of the insertion port 2, and a movable member 4 that is arranged in the internal space 31 of the ink introduction part 3, and is configured so that the movable member 4 can move axially within the internal space 31.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an ink bottle adapter that can be attached to the mouth of an ink bottle in place of the lid when the lid has been removed. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known a fountain pen that is configured such that the nib is inserted into an ink bottle with a dedicated adapter member attached to the opening, and the ink bottle is tilted so that the top is on top while the nib is inserted, causing ink to flow into the ink tank through a core member that extends from the nib to the ink tank (for example, Patent Document 1). Because such a fountain pen requires the nib to be inserted into the ink bottle, the nib becomes dirty every time the ink is refilled, making maintenance a hassle.

[0003] Therefore, the present applicant has invented a fountain pen with a detachable neck, into which a pen core with an ink flow passage is inserted, and a barrel, which has an ink reservoir therein and a core member for introducing ink into the ink reservoir, so that ink can be refilled without soiling the nib (see patent application: Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-102787). The front end of the core member is exposed from an opening in the front part of the barrel, and the core member has a groove extending axially rearward from the front end. With a fountain pen with this structure, a dedicated adapter that can be attached to the front part of the barrel is attached to the opening of an ink bottle. When refilling ink, the fountain pen's neck is removed, the front part of the barrel is attached to the adapter, and the ink bottle is tilted so that it faces upward. This allows ink to flow from the ink bottle down the core member and into the ink reservoir in the barrel, thereby allowing ink to be refilled without soiling the nib. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 127118 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The dedicated adapter attached to the mouth of the ink bottle has an opening for ink flow. This opening must be relatively small because it is shaped to fit the opening at the front of the fountain pen's barrel. However, if the adapter opening is made small, air can accumulate between the front of the attached fountain pen's barrel and the adapter opening, even when the ink bottle is tilted upward, preventing ink from flowing out of the ink bottle. Furthermore, when the fountain pen's barrel is removed from the adapter with the ink bottle facing downward after ink has been supplied to the fountain pen, an ink pool can form between the front of the attached fountain pen's barrel and the adapter opening, causing ink to leak out and soil the area around the adapter.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of these points, and its object is to provide an ink bottle adapter that can be attached to the mouth of an ink bottle with the lid removed, and that can smoothly supply ink from the ink bottle to a fountain pen. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides an ink bottle adapter comprising: an attachment part that is attached to an ink bottle so as to cover the mouth of the ink bottle when the lid has been removed; an insertion port that stands upright on the attachment part and into which a part of a fountain pen is inserted; an ink introduction part that has an internal space that communicates with the insertion port and extends from the attachment part toward the opposite side of the insertion port; and a movable member that is arranged in the internal space of the ink introduction part, wherein the movable member is configured to be movable along the axial direction within the internal space (Invention 1).

[0008] According to this invention (Invention 1), when the mounting part is attached to the ink bottle and the ink bottle is inverted with a fountain pen inserted into the insertion port (i.e., with the ink bottle on top and the fountain pen on the bottom), ink from the ink bottle flows from the ink introduction part through the insertion port and into the fountain pen. At this time, the moving member moves downward (toward the insertion port) through the internal space of the ink introduction part due to gravity, smoothly guiding the ink from the ink bottle toward the insertion port and allowing air that could cause air accumulation to escape upward (toward the ink bottle). When the ink supply to the fountain pen is completed and the ink is returned to its original state (i.e., with the ink bottle on the bottom and the fountain pen on the top), the moving member again moves downward (toward the ink bottle) through the internal space of the ink introduction part due to gravity, and the ink that could cause ink accumulation does not accumulate near the insertion port but flows downward (toward the ink bottle) as the moving member moves. In this way, an ink bottle adapter is realized that can be attached to the mouth of an ink bottle with the lid removed, and that can smoothly supply ink from the ink bottle to a fountain pen.

[0009] In the above invention (Invention 1), the mounting portion may have a bottom wall portion on which the insertion port is erected, and a side wall portion erected from the edge of the bottom wall portion toward the opposite side of the insertion port (Invention 2).

[0010] According to this invention (Invention 2), the attachment portion can be attached to the ink bottle by engaging the side wall portion with the outer peripheral surface of the mouth of the ink bottle.

[0011] In the above invention (Invention 1), the movable member may have a substantially cylindrical main body and a protruding portion provided on the outer peripheral surface of the main body so as to protrude radially outward from the main body, and a locking portion protruding radially inward from the internal space may be formed on the inner peripheral surface of the internal space of the ink introduction portion (Invention 3).

[0012] According to this invention (Invention 3), the movement of the movable member within the internal space can be restricted by abutting the protruding portion of the movable member against the locking portion formed in the internal space of the ink introduction portion.

[0013] In the above invention (Invention 3), the protruding portion may be an annular member fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the main body (Invention 4).

[0014] According to this invention (Invention 4), a moving member can be produced simply by attaching an annular member to a substantially cylindrical main body.

[0015] In the above invention (Invention 3), a first slit may be formed in the main body of the moving member over the entire length in the axial direction (Invention 5).

[0016] According to this invention (Invention 5), air stagnating inside the main body of the movable member can be circulated to the outside of the main body through the first slit, so that air that causes air accumulation can be released more smoothly.

[0017] In the above invention (Invention 3), when the ink introduction portion is positioned vertically below the insertion port, the protruding portion of the movable member may abut against the engaging portion, thereby restricting downward movement of the movable member (Invention 6).

[0018] In the above invention (Invention 3), when the insertion port is positioned vertically lower than the ink introduction portion, the end of the movable member on the insertion port side may protrude from the internal space of the ink introduction portion into the inside of the insertion port (Invention 7).

[0019] According to this invention (Invention 7), the end of the moving member protruding into the insertion port abuts against a part of the fountain pen inserted into the insertion port, allowing the ink in the ink bottle to be supplied to the fountain pen more smoothly.

[0020] In the above invention (Invention 1), the ink introduction portion may be formed with a second slit extending from the tip toward the attachment portion along the axial direction (Invention 8).

[0021] According to this invention (Invention 8), even when the ink in the ink bottle is running low, the ink can be made to flow into the internal space of the ink introducing portion.

[0022] In the above inventions (Inventions 1 to 8), it is preferable that the fountain pen is a fountain pen comprising a neck into which a pen core having an ink flow passage is inserted, and a body having an ink reservoir therein and to which the neck is removably attached, the body extending into the ink reservoir so that its front end is exposed from an opening provided in the front part of the body, and having a core member having a groove formed from the front end toward the rear in the axial direction, and the insertion opening is configured to allow the body from which the neck has been removed to be attached (Invention 9). [Effects of the Invention]

[0023] The ink bottle adapter of the present invention can be attached to the mouth of an ink bottle with the lid removed, allowing the ink in the ink bottle to be smoothly supplied to a fountain pen. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the internal structure of an ink bottle adapter according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 10A and 10B are explanatory diagrams showing the structure of a moving member of the ink bottle adapter. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the structure of a fountain pen (body) into which ink is supplied. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the state in which ink is supplied to a fountain pen (barrel) using an ink bottle adapter. [Figure 5] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the state after ink has been completely supplied to the fountain pen (barrel) using the ink bottle adapter. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below, and the embodiments are merely examples described to explain the technical features of the present invention. Furthermore, the shapes and dimensions shown in the drawings are shown merely to facilitate understanding of the contents of the present invention, and do not accurately reflect the actual shapes and dimensions.

[0026] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in Figure 1, an ink bottle adapter 100 according to this embodiment comprises an attachment part 1 that is attached to an ink bottle 5 so as to cover the opening of the ink bottle 5 when the lid is removed, a substantially cylindrical insertion opening 2 that is erected on the attachment part 1 and into which a part of a fountain pen is inserted, an ink introduction part 3 that has an internal space 31 that communicates with the insertion opening 2 and that extends from the attachment part 1 toward the opposite side of the insertion opening 2, and a moving member 4 that is disposed in the internal space 31 of the ink introduction part 3.

[0027] The mounting part 1 has a cap shape that covers the mouth of the ink bottle 5 when the lid is removed, and has a substantially disk-shaped bottom wall 11 with the insertion opening 2 standing upright, and a substantially cylindrical side wall 12 that stands upright from the edge of the bottom wall 11 toward the opposite side of the insertion opening 2. The mounting part can be attached to the ink bottle by engaging the side wall 12 with the outer circumferential surface of the mouth of the ink bottle 5. The inner circumferential surface of the side wall 12 is formed with a structure for engaging with and fixing the mouth of the ink bottle 5. For example, the side wall 12 may have a threaded groove that screws onto the mouth of the ink bottle 5, a hook that engages with the mouth of the ink bottle 5, or a protrusion that fits into the mouth of the ink bottle 5.

[0028] A ring-shaped rubber sealant 13 is attached to the back side (the lower side in FIG. 1 ) of the bottom wall 11 along the side wall 12. The sealant 13 is provided at a position where it will come into contact with the edge of the mouth of the ink bottle 5 when the ink bottle adapter 100 is attached to the ink bottle 5, and prevents ink from leaking between the ink bottle adapter 100 and the ink bottle 5.

[0029] The insertion opening 2 is provided so as to rise vertically from the center of the bottom wall 11 of the attachment part 1, and the insertion space 21 inside it has a shape that matches a part of the fountain pen to be inserted (in this embodiment, the fountain pen body 6 described below). The inner circumferential surface 211 of the insertion space 21 is formed with a structure that engages with and fixes the fountain pen body 6. For example, a screw groove may be formed on the inner circumferential surface 211 to screw the fountain pen body 6 onto, or a hook may be formed to engage with the fountain pen body 6, or a protrusion may be formed to fit into the fountain pen body 6.

[0030] The ink introduction section 3 has a substantially cylindrical shape and is provided from the center of the bottom wall section 11 of the mounting section 1 toward the opposite direction from the insertion port 2. The internal space 31 of the ink introduction section 3 is composed of a main space 311 with a large inner diameter and a reduced diameter space 312 that is located closer to the insertion port 2 than the main space 311 and has a smaller inner diameter than the main space 311, and the main space 311 is connected to the reduced diameter space 312, and the reduced diameter space 312 is connected to the insertion port 2 (insertion space 21 thereof).

[0031] A locking portion 32 that protrudes radially inward of the internal space 31 is formed on the inner peripheral surface 313 of the internal space 31 of the ink introduction portion 3. The locking portion 32 can be formed, for example, by pushing an annular member into the ink introduction portion 3 from the tip 33 and fixing it to the internal peripheral surface 313 by a known fixing means such as adhesive. In this embodiment, the locking portion 32 is located in the middle of the main space 311 of the internal space 31, slightly toward the tip 33.

[0032] The ink introduction portion 3 is formed with a second slit 34 extending axially from the tip 33 toward the mounting portion 1. Although a single second slit 34 or multiple second slits 34 may be formed, it is preferable to arrange multiple second slits 34 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction so that the ink in the ink bottle 5 can be smoothly guided into the internal space 31 of the ink introduction portion 3. For example, three second slits 34 may be formed at 120-degree intervals, or four second slits 34 may be formed at 90-degree intervals. By forming such second slits 34, ink can flow into the internal space 31 of the ink introduction portion 3 even when the ink in the ink bottle 5 is running low.

[0033] The movable member 4 has a substantially cylindrical main body 41 and a protruding portion 42 provided on an outer peripheral surface 411 of the main body so as to protrude radially outward from the main body 41. As shown in Fig. 2, a single first slit 412 is formed in the main body 41 of the movable member 4 over the entire axial length, and the formation of this first slit 412 allows air stagnating inside the main body 41 of the movable member 4 to circulate to the outside of the main body 41 through the first slit 412, thereby allowing air that may cause air accumulation to escape more smoothly.

[0034] The protruding portion 42 of the moving member 4 is formed by fixing an annular member to the outer peripheral surface 411 of the main body 41. The moving member 4 can be created simply by attaching an annular member (protruding portion 42) to the substantially cylindrical main body 41. The shape of the protruding portion 42 of the moving member 4 is not limited to this, and it may be formed, for example, by providing a plurality of plate-like members on the outer peripheral surface 411 of the main body 41.

[0035] The movable member 4 is configured to be movable along the axial direction within the internal space 31 of the ink introduction section 3. Specifically, the movable member 4 is disposed within the internal space 31 of the ink introduction section 3 so that the first end 413 of the main body 41 is located in the reduced diameter space 312 of the internal space 31 and the second end 414 of the main body 41 is located near the locking portion 32 of the main space 311 of the internal space 31. The protruding portion 42 of the movable member 4 is located in the main space 311 closer to the reduced diameter space 312 than the locking portion 32 (i.e., between the locking portion 32 and the reduced diameter space 312).

[0036] To enable the movable member 4 to move smoothly within the internal space 31, the outer diameter of the main body 41 of the movable member 4 is formed slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the reduced-diameter space 312 of the internal space 31, and the outer diameter of the protruding portion 42 of the movable member 4 is formed slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the main space 311 of the internal space 31 but larger than the inner diameter of the reduced-diameter space 312. The movable area of ​​the protruding portion 42 is limited to the area between the locking portion 32 and the reduced-diameter space 312 in the internal space 31 of the ink introduction portion 3. In other words, when the ink bottle adapter 100 is held so that the insertion port 2 is at the top and the ink introduction portion 3 is at the bottom, the movement of the movable member 4 within the internal space 31 is restricted by bringing the protruding portion 42 of the movable member 4 into contact with the locking portion 32. When the ink bottle adapter 100 is held with the ink introduction section 3 at the top and the insertion port 2 at the bottom, the movement of the movable member 4 within the internal space 31 is restricted by abutting the protruding section 42 of the movable member 4 against the wall surface located at the boundary between the reduced diameter space 312 and the main space 311.

[0037] The mounting portion 1, insertion port 2, ink introduction portion 3, and moving member 4 that make up the ink bottle adapter 100 may be made of a resin material such as polyethylene or polypropylene, or may be made of a metal material such as stainless steel, aluminum, or titanium. The moving member 4 is preferably made of a metal material so that it can move within the internal space 31 of the ink introduction portion 3 filled with ink by gravity alone.

[0038] The ink bottle adapter 100 according to this embodiment has a structure compatible with a fountain pen, which has a neck (not shown) into which a pen core having an ink flow passage is inserted, and a body 6 having an ink storage section therein, which are separable. As described above, the insertion port 2 of the ink bottle adapter 100 is configured to allow the body 6 to be attached. When writing with the fountain pen, the neck is attached to the body 6, and when refilling with ink, the neck can be removed from the body 6. The neck is detachably attached to the body 6, for example, by screwing. Because only the fountain pen body 6 is attached to the ink bottle adapter 100, only the structure of the body 6 will be described below, and a description of the neck will be omitted.

[0039] As shown in Figure 3, the body 6 of the fountain pen extends into the ink storage section 65 so that the front end 661 is exposed from an opening 633 provided in the front part of the body 6, and has a core member 66 in which a groove portion (not shown) is formed from the front end 661 toward the rear in the axial direction.

[0040] The barrel 6 has a generally cylindrical barrel body 61 whose rear end is closed by a tail cap 62, and a cylindrical abutting member 63 with a bottom is disposed at the front end inside the barrel body 61, and a cylindrical locking member 64 with a bottom is disposed at the rear end inside the barrel body 61. The abutting member 63 is fixed to the inner circumferential surface of the barrel body 61 by known fixing means such as adhesive so that its bottom wall 631 is located at the front, and the locking member 64 is fixed to the inner circumferential surface of the barrel body 61 so that its bottom wall 641 is located at the front. The space defined by the bottom wall 631 of the abutting member 63 and the bottom wall 641 of the locking member 64 forms an ink reservoir 65. A core member 66 is disposed inside the ink reservoir 65.

[0041] The core member 66 is a shaft-shaped member having a certain length in the axial direction, and includes a substantially cylindrical front end portion 661, a substantially disk-shaped abutment portion 662 connected to the rear of the front end portion 661 and extending radially, a substantially semi-cylindrical shaft portion 663 connected to the rear of the abutment portion 662, and a substantially cylindrical rear end portion 664 connected to the rear of the shaft portion 663. A groove portion is formed in the core member 66 from the front end portion 661 toward the rear in the axial direction.

[0042] A cylindrical portion 632 protruding forward is formed in the center of the bottom wall 631 of the abutment member 63 of the barrel 6, and an opening 633 is formed in the cylindrical portion 632, which communicates from the bottom wall 631 to the front end surface of the cylindrical portion 632. The core member 66 extends into the ink reservoir 65 so that its front end 661 protrudes from the opening 633.

[0043] A generally cylindrical protrusion 642 protruding forward is formed in the center of the bottom wall 641 of the locking member 64 of the barrel 6, and a rear end 664 of the core member 66 is connected to the protrusion 642 by a coil spring 643. The rear end 664 of the core member 66 is attached to the barrel 6 via the coil spring 643, and the other parts of the core member 66 are not attached to the barrel 6, so that the core member 66 can move axially inside the ink reservoir 65.

[0044] The core member 66 is configured to be able to move axially inside the ink storage section 65, with only its rear end 664 being attached to the body 6 via a coil spring 643. However, even if the core member 66 moves axially inside the ink storage section 65, the abutment portion 662 abuts against the bottom wall 631 of the abutment member 63, preventing the core member 66 from moving further forward.

[0045] Next, the operation of attaching the ink bottle adapter 100 to the ink bottle 5 and supplying ink to the body 6 of the fountain pen will be described. As shown in Figure 4, when the attachment part 1 is attached to the ink bottle 5 and a part of the fountain pen (body 6) is inserted into the insertion opening 2, and the ink bottle 5 is then turned upside down (i.e., the ink bottle 5 is on top and the body 6 of the fountain pen is on the bottom), the ink in the ink bottle 5 is supplied from the ink introduction part 3 through the insertion opening 2 to the fountain pen. At this time, the moving member 4 moves downward (towards the insertion opening 2) in the internal space 31 of the ink introduction part 3 due to gravity, so that the ink in the ink bottle 5 is smoothly guided towards the insertion opening 2 and air that may cause air accumulation is allowed to escape upward (towards the ink bottle 5).

[0046] When ink is supplied to the body 6, the insertion port 2 is positioned vertically lower than the ink introduction section 3, and at this time, the end of the moving member 4 on the insertion port 2 side protrudes from the internal space 31 of the ink introduction section 3 into the inside of the insertion port 2. As a result, the end of the moving member 4 protruding into the inside of the insertion port 2 hits the body 6 (core member 66) of the fountain pen inserted into the insertion port 2, so that the ink in the ink bottle 5 can be supplied more smoothly to the body 6 of the fountain pen.

[0047] As shown in Figure 5, when the ink supply to the body 6 is completed and the fountain pen is returned to its original state (i.e., the ink bottle 5 is at the bottom and the fountain pen body 6 is at the top), the movable member 4 moves downward (towards the ink bottle 5) again within the internal space 31 of the ink introduction section 3 due to gravity, and the ink that causes ink accumulation does not remain on the side of the insertion port 2 but flows downward (towards the ink bottle 5) as the movable member 4 moves.

[0048] After the ink supply is completed, the ink introduction section 3 is positioned vertically below the insertion port 2, and at this time, the protruding section 42 of the movable member 4 abuts against the engaging section 32, restricting the downward movement of the movable member 4.

[0049] In this way, an ink bottle adapter 100 is realized which can be attached to the mouth of an ink bottle 5 after the lid has been removed in place of the lid, and which can smoothly supply ink in the ink bottle 5 to a fountain pen.

[0050] While the ink bottle adapter according to the present invention has been described above with reference to the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and various modifications are possible. For example, the insertion opening need only have a shape that allows a portion of a fountain pen to be inserted, and the shape does not have to be substantially cylindrical. Furthermore, the ink introduction portion need only have a space therein through which ink can flow and a movable member is disposed within the space, and the shape does not have to be substantially cylindrical. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 100 Ink bottle adapter 1 Mounting part 11 Bottom wall 12 Side wall 13 Sealing material 2 Insertion port 3 Ink introduction section 4 Moving parts 41 Main Unit 42 overhang 5 ink bottles 6 (Fountain pen) body 61 Body 62 Tail crown 63 Contact member 631 Bottom wall 632 Cylindrical part 633 Aperture 64 Locking member 641 Bottom wall 642 Protrusion 643 Coil spring 65 Ink reservoir 66 Core member 661 Front end 662 Contact part 663 Shaft 664 Rear end 665 front end

Claims

1. a mounting portion that is attached to the ink bottle so as to cover the opening of the ink bottle when the lid is removed; an insertion port provided on the mounting portion and into which a portion of the fountain pen is inserted; an ink introduction portion having an internal space communicating with the insertion port and extending from the attachment portion toward an opposite side of the insertion port; a moving member disposed in the internal space of the ink introduction portion, The ink bottle adapter is configured so that the movable member is movable in the axial direction within the internal space.

2. 2. The ink bottle adapter according to claim 1, wherein the mounting portion has a bottom wall portion on which the insertion opening is formed, and a side wall portion extending from an edge of the bottom wall portion toward the opposite side of the insertion opening.

3. The moving member has a substantially cylindrical main body and a protruding portion provided on an outer circumferential surface of the main body so as to protrude radially outward from the main body, 2. The ink bottle adapter according to claim 1, wherein an engaging portion is formed on an inner peripheral surface of the internal space of the ink introduction portion, the engaging portion extending radially inward of the internal space.

4. 4. The ink bottle adapter according to claim 3, wherein the protruding portion is an annular member fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the main body.

5. 4. The ink bottle adapter according to claim 3, wherein a first slit is formed in the main body of the moving member over the entire axial length thereof.

6. 4. The ink bottle adapter according to claim 3, wherein when the ink introduction portion is positioned vertically below the insertion opening, the protruding portion of the movable member abuts against the locking portion, thereby restricting downward movement of the movable member.

7. 4. An ink bottle adapter as described in claim 3, wherein when the insertion port is positioned vertically lower than the ink introduction portion, the end of the movable member on the insertion port side protrudes from the internal space of the ink introduction portion into the interior of the insertion port.

8. 2. The ink bottle adapter according to claim 1, wherein the ink introduction portion has a second slit formed therein, the second slit extending axially from the tip end toward the attachment portion.

9. The fountain pen is provided with a neck into which a pen core having an ink flow passage is inserted, and a body having an ink reservoir therein and to which the neck is detachably attached, the body extending into the ink reservoir so that the front end is exposed from an opening provided in the front part of the body, and a core member having a groove formed from the front end toward the rear in the axial direction, 9. The ink bottle adapter according to claim 1, wherein the insertion opening is configured to allow attachment of the body portion from which the neck portion has been removed.

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