Washing device

Abstract

We provide a cleaning device that can thoroughly clean every nook and cranny of the nib of a fountain pen. [Solution] The cleaning device 1 of the present invention comprises a water supply unit 2 for supplying cleaning water, and a drainage unit 3 located below the water supply unit 2 for storing wastewater after cleaning, and the water supply unit 2 and the drainage unit 3 are configured to be separable. The water supply unit 2 comprises a bottomed cylindrical water storage tank 21 having a bottom wall 211 and a side peripheral wall 212 erected from the bottom wall 211, an opening 22 formed in the bottom wall 211 of the water storage tank 21, a closing member 23 for closing the opening 22, and a mounting part 25 provided so as to surround the opening 22 from the outside of the bottom wall 211, to which the open end 51 of the neck 5 of a fountain pen is attached. The closing member 23 is provided so as to be movable inside the water storage tank 21, and when the water supply unit 2 is placed above the drainage unit 3, the closing member 23 moves so as to open the opening 22, and when the water supply unit 2 is removed from the drainage unit 3, the closing member 23 moves so as to close the opening 22.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a cleaner for cleaning a fountain pen.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a fountain pen configured such that a pen tip is inserted into an ink bottle to which a dedicated adapter member is attached to the mouth, and the ink bottle is tilted so that the ink bottle comes to the upper side in the inserted state, and the ink flows into the ink tank through a core member extending from the pen tip to the ink tank (for example, Patent Document 1). Such a fountain pen has a problem that since the pen tip needs to be inserted into the ink bottle, the pen tip gets dirty every time the ink is replenished, and it is troublesome to maintain.

[0003] Therefore, the applicant of the present application has invented a fountain pen having a structure in which a neck portion into which a pen core having an ink flow path is inserted and a body portion having an ink storage portion inside and having a core member for introducing ink into the ink storage portion are detachable (see Patent Application: Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-102787). The front end portion of the core member is provided so as to be exposed from an opening provided in the front portion of the body portion, and a groove portion is formed in the core member from the front end portion toward the rear in the axial direction. With a fountain pen having such a structure, a dedicated adapter that can be attached to the front portion of the body portion is attached to the mouth of the ink bottle, and when replenishing the ink, the neck portion of the fountain pen is removed and the front portion of the body portion is attached to the adapter, and the ink bottle is tilted so that the ink bottle comes to the upper side, so that the ink is introduced from the ink bottle through the core member into the ink storage portion of the body portion, and thus the ink can be replenished without soiling the pen tip.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

[0005] The removed nib section of a fountain pen is cleaned, for example, by running water over it from a tap, but there is a problem that ink remains in the fine details where water cannot easily enter. This problem occurs not only with the nib section of fountain pens with the aforementioned structure, but also when cleaning the nibs of, for example, regular cartridge-type fountain pens, as well as piston-filling and converter-type fountain pens.

[0006] This invention has been made in view of these points, and aims to provide a cleaning device that can thoroughly clean every corner of the nib of a fountain pen. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides a cleaning device comprising a water supply unit for supplying cleaning water and a drainage unit disposed below the water supply unit for storing wastewater after cleaning, wherein the water supply unit and the drainage unit are configured to be separable, the water supply unit comprising a bottomed cylindrical water tank having a bottom wall and side circumferential walls erected from the bottom wall, an opening formed in the bottom wall of the water tank, a closing member for closing the opening, and a mounting part provided from the outside of the bottom wall so as to surround the opening and to which the open end of the neck of a fountain pen is attached, wherein the closing member is provided to be movable inside the water tank, and when the water supply unit is placed above the drainage unit, the closing member moves so as to open the opening, and when the water supply unit is removed from the drainage unit, the closing member moves so as to close the opening, thereby providing a cleaning device (Invention 1).

[0008] According to this invention (Invention 1), when the nib of a fountain pen is attached to the mounting part provided on the water supply unit and the water supply unit is placed above the drain unit, cleaning water is supplied from the water supply unit to the nib of the fountain pen through the open opening. The cleaning water supplied to the nib of the fountain pen drips naturally from the nib of the nib to the drain unit, so the cleaning water is supplied to the inside of the nib of the fountain pen at a slower rate compared to when tap water is run from a faucet. As a result, the time that the cleaning water supplied from the water supply unit remains inside the nib of the fountain pen increases, so the nib of the fountain pen can be thoroughly cleaned all over.

[0009] In the above invention (Invention 1), it is preferable that a contact member is provided on the outer edge of the bottom wall, protruding below the mounting surface on which the water supply unit is placed, and that the closing member moves in response to the contact member contacting the drainage unit (Invention 2).

[0010] According to this invention (Invention 2), the blocking member can be moved by the operation of placing the water supply unit on the drainage unit.

[0011] In the above invention (Invention 2), it is preferable that the contact member and the closing member are connected, and when the contact member moves from the first position to the upper second position, the closing member also moves upward and the opening is opened, and when the contact member returns from the second position to the first position, the closing member also moves downward and the opening is closed (Invention 3).

[0012] According to this invention (Invention 3), when the water supply unit is placed on the drainage unit, the contact member moves from the first position to the second position above it, so the closing member also moves upward in conjunction, opening the opening of the water supply unit and allowing cleaning water to flow out from the opening of the water supply unit. When the water supply unit is removed from the drainage unit, the contact member returns from the second position to the first position (moves downward), so the closing member also moves downward accordingly, closing the opening of the water supply unit and preventing cleaning water from flowing out from the opening of the water supply unit.

[0013] In the above invention (Invention 3), the contact member may be provided in a state in which it is biased downward by an elastic member (Invention 4).

[0014] According to this invention (Invention 4), when the water supply unit is removed from the drainage unit, the contact member moves downward due to the biasing force of the elastic member, and consequently the closing member also moves downward, closing the opening and preventing cleaning water from flowing out of the opening of the water supply unit.

[0015] In the above invention (Invention 1), the mounting portion may be formed in a cylindrical shape that protrudes outward from the bottom wall (Invention 5).

[0016] According to this invention (Invention 5), the neck of the fountain pen can be attached to the water supply section by inserting the mounting section from the open end of the neck of the fountain pen, so that cleaning water can be supplied from the water supply section to the neck of the fountain pen without leakage.

[0017] In the above inventions (Inventions 1-5), the invention may further include a mounting aid for attaching and holding the neck of a fountain pen, and when the mounting aid is attached below the water supply section, the neck of the fountain pen may be attached to the mounting section (Invention 6).

[0018] According to this invention (Invention 6), it is possible to easily attach and detach the neck of a fountain pen to the cleaning device.

[0019] In the above invention (Invention 6), the mounting aid may be attached to the water supply section using magnetic force (Invention 7).

[0020] According to this invention (Invention 7), the neck of the fountain pen can be properly attached to the attachment part simply by bringing the attachment aid closer to the bottom of the water supply part, making it easier to attach and detach the neck of the fountain pen to the cleaning device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0021] According to the cleaning device of the present invention, the neck of a fountain pen can be thoroughly cleaned, including all corners.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0022] [Figure 1] It is an explanatory diagram showing the internal structure of a cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the water supply part and the drainage part of the cleaner according to the embodiment are separated. [Figure 3] It is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the neck part of a fountain pen to be cleaned. [Figure 4] It is an explanatory diagram showing the internal structure of an attachment aid to which the neck part of a fountain pen to be cleaned is attached. [Figure 5] It is an explanatory diagram showing a state of cleaning the neck part of a fountain pen.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0023] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited only to the embodiments described below, and the embodiments are merely examples described for explaining the technical features of the present invention. Also, the shapes and dimensions shown in each drawing are merely shown for facilitating the understanding of the content of the present invention, and do not correctly reflect the actual shapes and dimensions.

[0024] An embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, a cleaner 1 according to this embodiment includes a water supply part 2 that supplies cleaning water, and a drainage part 3 that is disposed below the water supply part 2 and stores drained water after cleaning in an internal space 31. The water supply part 2 is placed above the drainage part 3, and as shown in FIG. 2, the water supply part 2 and the drainage part 3 are configured to be separable.

[0025] The object to be cleaned by the cleaning device 1 is, for example, the neck 5 of a fountain pen, as shown in Figure 3, which has a substantially cylindrical open end 54 at one end and is shaped to supply cleaning water to the pen body 52 and pen nib 53 inserted into the neck body 51 from the open end 54. The neck 5 is constructed by inserting the pen body 52 and the pen nib 53, which is positioned adjacent to the upper side of the pen body 52, into a front opening 511 formed in the substantially cylindrical neck body 51. The rear end surface 531 of the pen nib 53 is exposed at the rear opening 512 of the neck body 51, and the rear end of the ink flow passage 532 formed in the pen nib 53 opens to the rear end surface 531.

[0026] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the water supply unit 2 comprises a bottomed cylindrical water storage tank 21 having a bottom wall 211 and side circumferential walls 212 erected from the bottom wall 211; an opening 22 formed in the center of the bottom wall 211 of the water storage tank 21; a closing member 23 that is movable within the internal space 213 of the water storage tank 21 and closes the opening 22; a contact member 24 for moving the closing member 23 within the internal space 213; and a mounting portion 25 that surrounds the opening 22 from the outside of the bottom wall 211. The top of the water storage tank 21 is open, allowing cleaning water to be introduced into the internal space 213. Furthermore, the cleaning water stored in the internal space 213 can flow down through the opening 22, which is formed to penetrate from the inside to the outside of the water storage tank 21.

[0027] The closing member 23 comprises a rod-shaped shaft portion 231, a locking portion 232 formed at the tip of the shaft portion 231 (near the end on the lower side in the vertical direction), and a sealing material 233 circumferentially provided around the tip of the locking portion 232. The closing member 23 is positioned vertically in approximately the center of the internal space 213 of the water storage tank 21 such that the tip of the rod-shaped shaft portion 231 is located inside the opening 22. The sealing material 233 is, for example, an annular member (packing) made of rubber or resin, and its movement upward in the vertical direction is restricted by the locking portion 232 fixed to the side surface of the shaft portion 231. The sealing material 233 has a size (diameter) sufficient to close the opening 22. When the water supply unit 2 is placed above the drainage unit 3, the closing member 23 moves so that the opening 232 is opened, and when the water supply unit 2 is removed from the drainage unit 3, the closing member 23 moves so that the opening 22 is closed.

[0028] The contact member 24 comprises a rod-shaped shaft portion 241 and a contact portion 242 formed at the tip of the shaft portion 241 (the vertically downward end). As shown in Figure 2, when the water supply unit 2 is removed from the drainage unit 3, the contact member 24 is positioned such that the contact portion 242 of the contact member 24 protrudes vertically downward at the outer edge of the bottom wall 211 (protruding below the mounting surface on which the water supply unit 2 is placed on the drainage unit 3). The dashed line A in Figure 2 indicates the mounting surface on which the water supply unit 2 is placed on the drainage unit 3, and it can be seen that the contact portion 242 of the contact member 24 protrudes below the dashed line A. As will be described later, in response to the contact portion 242 of the contact member 24 contacting the upper end surface of the opening 32 of the drainage unit 3, the closing member 23 moves inside the internal space 213 of the water storage tank 21 of the water supply unit 2.

[0029] The contact member 24 and the closing member 23 are connected by a connecting member 26. Specifically, the upper vertical end of the shaft portion 241 of the contact member 24 and the upper vertical end of the shaft portion 231 of the closing member 23 are connected to the connecting member 26, thereby configuring the contact member 24 and the closing member 23 to move in conjunction. With this structure, the closing member 23 can be moved by the action of placing the water supply unit 2 on the drainage unit 3.

[0030] A movable space 214 is formed in the side wall 212 of the water storage tank 21 so that the contact member 24 can move along the vertical direction. An elastic member 27 is arranged inside the movable space 214 so that the contact portion 242 of the contact member 24 is biased downward. The elastic member 27 is, for example, a coil spring made of metal or resin. When the water supply unit 2 is removed from the drainage unit 3, the contact member 24 moves downward due to the biasing force of the elastic member 27, and consequently the closing member 23 also moves downward, closing the opening 22 and preventing cleaning water from flowing out of the opening 22 of the water supply unit 2.

[0031] The mounting portion 25 is formed as a cylindrical shape that protrudes outward from the bottom wall 211 on the outside of the bottom wall 211. By making the mounting portion 25 in this shape, the fountain pen's neck portion 5 can be attached to the water supply portion 2 by inserting the mounting portion 25 from the open end 51 of the fountain pen's neck portion 5, so that cleaning water can be flowed from the water supply portion 2 to the fountain pen's neck portion 5 without leakage.

[0032] The drain section 3 is equipped with a roughly cylindrical opening 32 that is open at the top. The outer diameter of the opening 32 of the drain section 3 is formed to be approximately the same as the outer diameter of the water supply section 2, and the outer edge of the bottom wall 211 of the water supply section 2 is placed on the upper end surface of the opening 32 of the drain section 3, so that the water supply section 2 and the drain section 3 can be combined to form a single washing machine 1.

[0033] A roughly cylindrical fitting portion 28 is erected vertically downward on the bottom wall 211 of the water supply section 2. This fitting portion 28 fits into the opening of the drainage section 32, allowing the water supply section 2 to be stably placed above the drainage section 3. The outer diameter of the fitting portion 28 of the water supply section 2 is formed to be slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the opening of the drainage section 32, so as to fit into the opening of the drainage section 32.

[0034] An annular magnetic member 29 is positioned on the bottom wall 211 of the water supply section 2, surrounding the mounting section 25. The magnetic member 29 is used to attach the mounting aid 4, which will be described later, to the water supply section 2 using magnetic force.

[0035] The cleaning device 1 of this embodiment uses a mounting aid 4, as shown in Figure 4, to attach and detach the neck portion 5 of the fountain pen to be cleaned. The mounting aid 4 holds the neck portion 5 of the fountain pen in place, and when the mounting aid 4 is attached below the water supply portion 2, the neck portion 5 of the fountain pen is attached to the mounting portion 25.

[0036] The mounting aid 4 comprises a roughly cylindrical main body 41 and an insertion hole 42 through which the neck 5 of a fountain pen can be inserted. The main body 41 has an upper block 41a and a lower block 41b, and the outer diameter of the upper block 41a is formed to be slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the fitting portion 28 of the water supply unit 2 so as to fit inside the fitting portion 28 of the water supply unit 2. The insertion hole 42 is formed according to the size of the neck 5 of the fountain pen to be cleaned, but a reduced diameter portion 43 is formed near the axial center inside, where the inner wall protrudes inward, narrowing the diameter. The tip of the neck body 51 of the fountain pen neck 5 inserted into the insertion hole 42 comes into contact with the reduced diameter portion 43, thereby holding the neck 5 of the fountain pen in the mounting aid 4. By configuring the fountain pen's neck 5 to be attached to the mounting part 25 of the water supply unit 2 via such mounting aid 4, it is possible to easily attach and detach the fountain pen's neck 5 to the cleaning device 1.

[0037] An annular magnet 44 is positioned on the upper block 41a of the mounting aid 4 so as to surround the insertion hole 42. Therefore, when the nib 5 of a fountain pen is attached to the mounting aid 4 and the mounting aid 4 is brought close to the mounting part 25 of the water supply unit 2, the magnet 44 of the mounting aid 4 will be attracted to the water supply unit 2 by magnetic force. By adopting this structure in which the mounting aid 4 is attached to the water supply unit 2 using magnetic force, the nib 5 of the fountain pen can be properly attached to the mounting part 25 simply by bringing the mounting aid 4 close to the bottom of the water supply unit 2, making it easier to attach and detach the nib 5 of a fountain pen to the cleaning device 1.

[0038] The water supply section 2, drainage section 3, and mounting aid 4 that constitute the cleaning device 1 may be made of resin materials such as polyethylene or polypropylene, metal materials such as stainless steel, aluminum, or titanium, or other materials. The cleaning device 1 may be made entirely of the same material, or it may be made partially of different materials.

[0039] Next, the process of attaching the fountain pen section 5 to the cleaning device 1 via the mounting aid 4 and cleaning the fountain pen section 5 will be explained with reference to Figure 5.

[0040] First, as shown in Figure 5(a), the neck portion 5 of the fountain pen is inserted into the insertion hole 42 and attached to the mounting aid 4. The mounting aid 4 with the fountain pen neck portion 5 attached is then attached to the lower part of the water supply portion 2 of the cleaning device 1, which has cleaning water W introduced into its internal space 213. In this state, since the water supply portion 2 is not placed on the drain portion 3, the contact portion 242 of the contact member 24 remains protruding downward, and the sealing material 233 of the closing member 23 remains closed off the opening 22 of the water supply portion 2. Therefore, the cleaning water W stored in the water supply portion 2 does not flow out of the opening 22 to the outside.

[0041] Next, as shown in Figure 5(b), the water supply unit 2, to which the fountain pen neck 5 is attached via the mounting aid 4, is placed on top of the drainage unit 3. When placing it, the lower block 41b of the mounting aid 4 to which the fountain pen neck 5 is attached is inserted inward through the opening 32 of the drainage unit 3, so that the drainage unit 3 can receive the cleaning water that flows out from the fountain pen neck 5 during cleaning.

[0042] When the water supply unit 2 is placed on the drainage unit 3, as shown in Figure 5(c), the contact portion 242 of the contact member 24 is pushed up by the upper end surface of the opening 32 of the drainage unit 3, and the closing member 23 moves upward in conjunction with it. If we consider the position of the contact member 24 in Figure 5(b) as the first position and the position of the contact member 24 in Figure 5(c) as the second position, then when the contact member 24 moves from the first position to the upper second position, the closing member 23 also moves upward and the opening 22 is opened, and when the contact member 24 returns from the second position to the first position, the closing member 23 also moves downward and the opening 22 is closed. In other words, when the water supply unit 2 is placed on the drainage unit 3, the contact member 23 moves from the first position to the upper second position, so the closing member 23 also moves upward in conjunction, the opening 22 of the water supply unit 2 is opened, and the washing water W flows down from the opening 22 of the water supply unit 2. When the water supply unit 2 is removed from the drainage unit 3, the contact member 24 returns from the second position to the first position (moves downward), and consequently the blocking member 23 also moves downward, closing the opening 22 of the water supply unit 2, and preventing the washing water W from flowing out of the opening of the water supply unit 2.

[0043] With the cleaning device 1 described above, when the fountain pen's neck 5 is attached to the mounting part 25 provided on the water supply unit 2 and the water supply unit 2 is placed above the drainage unit 3, cleaning water is supplied from the water supply unit 2 to the fountain pen's neck 5 through the open opening 22. The cleaning water supplied to the fountain pen's neck 5 drips naturally from the nib 52 of the fountain pen's neck 5 to the drainage unit 3, so the cleaning water is supplied to the inside of the fountain pen's neck 5 at a slower rate compared to when tap water is run from a faucet. As a result, the time that the cleaning water supplied from the water supply unit 2 remains inside the fountain pen's neck 5 increases, so the fountain pen's neck 5 can be thoroughly cleaned all over.

[0044] Although the cleaning device according to the present invention has been described above with reference to the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications are possible. For example, the neck of the fountain pen to be cleaned does not have to have the structure shown in Figure 5, and even if the neck of the fountain pen has a different structure, it can be cleaned by forming the mounting part 25 of the cleaning device 1 in an appropriate shape and size. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0045] 1. Washer 2 Water supply section 21 Water storage tank 211 Bottom wall 212 Side wall 213 Interior space 214 Mobile Space 22 Aperture 23 Closure member 231 Shaft 232 Locking part 233 Sealant 24 Contact Member 241 Shaft 242 Contact part 25 Mounting part 26 Connecting member 27 Elastic members 28 Fitting part 29 Magnetic material 3 Drainage section 31 Interior space 32 Mouth 4. Mounting aids 41 Main body 41a Upper block 41b Lower block 42 Insertion holes 43 Reduced diameter part 44 Magnets 5. The section of a fountain pen 51 Neck body 52 Pen Body 53 Pen nib 54 Open end

Claims

1. A washing machine comprising a water supply unit for supplying washing water, and a drainage unit located below the water supply unit for storing wastewater after washing, wherein the water supply unit and the drainage unit are configured to be separable, The aforementioned water supply unit, A bottomed cylindrical water storage tank having a bottom wall and side walls erected from the bottom wall, An opening formed in the bottom wall of the water storage tank, A closing member that closes the opening, It comprises a mounting portion provided so as to surround the opening from the outside of the bottom wall, to which the open end of the neck of the fountain pen is attached, The aforementioned blocking member is provided so as to be movable inside the water storage tank, A washing machine wherein, when the water supply unit is placed above the drainage unit, the closing member moves so that the opening is opened, and when the water supply unit is removed from the drainage unit, the closing member moves so that the opening is closed.

2. A contact member is provided on the outer edge of the bottom wall, which protrudes below the mounting surface on which the water supply unit is placed in the drainage unit. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the blocking member moves in response to the contact member contacting the drainage portion.

3. The contact member and the closing member are connected, When the contact member moves from the first position to the second position above it, the closing member also moves upward and the opening is opened. The washing device according to claim 2, wherein when the contact member returns from the second position to the first position, the closing member also moves downward and the opening is closed.

4. The washing device according to claim 3, wherein the contact member is provided in a state biased downward by an elastic member.

5. The washing device according to claim 1, wherein the mounting portion is formed in a cylindrical shape that protrudes outward from the bottom wall.

6. It further includes a mounting aid for attaching and holding the neck of a fountain pen, The cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein when the mounting aid is attached below the water supply section, the neck of a fountain pen is attached to the mounting section.

7. The washing device according to claim 6, wherein the mounting aid is attached to the water supply section using magnetic force.

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