Retractable writing instrument

Abstract

To provide a rotary-type writing instrument that allows the writing tip to be extended while the barrel is being held. [Solution] The rotary retractable writing instrument 1 comprises a barrel 2, at least one refill 5 disposed inside the barrel 2, an operating part provided at the front or front end of the barrel 2, and a rotary retraction mechanism that allows the refill 5 to extend and retract in accordance with the rotation of the operating part relative to the barrel 2.

Description

Technical Field

[0004] , , ,

[0001] The present invention relates to a rotary feeding type writing instrument.

Background Art

[0002] There is known a writing instrument, so-called a rotary feeding type writing instrument, which includes a plurality of refills and has a rotary feeding mechanism in which the refills can selectively protrude and retract by performing a feeding operation of rotating an operation portion provided on a part of a shaft cylinder around a central axis (Patent Document 1). The feeding operation in the rotary feeding type writing instrument described in Patent Document 1 is performed by rotating one of a front shaft and a rear shaft divided around the vicinity of the center in the axial direction of the shaft cylinder with respect to the other of the front shaft and the rear shaft. Specifically, the feeding operation is performed by gripping the front shaft with one hand, for example, the right hand, and rotating the rear shaft with the other hand, or by gripping the rear shaft with one hand and rotating the front shaft with the other hand. In the former case, the rear shaft is the operation portion, and in the latter case, the front shaft is the operation portion.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] For example, when it is desired to change to another refill during writing, in the rotary feeding type writing instrument described in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to hold the shaft cylinder again for the feeding operation. Specifically, the user holds the front shaft with one hand, for example, the right hand, and performs a writing operation. If an attempt is made to perform a feeding operation without holding the shaft cylinder again in this state, it is necessary to hold the rear shaft with the left hand and rotate it. At this time, an unnatural posture is formed in which the left arm crosses above the right arm. The same applies to a rotary feeding type writing instrument in which the operation portion is a clip member or the like rotatably provided at the rear end portion of the shaft cylinder.

[0005] The present invention aims to provide a rotary-type writing instrument that allows the writing instrument to be extended while the barrel is being held. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, a rotary retractable writing instrument is provided, comprising: a barrel; at least one writing element disposed within the barrel; an operating part provided at the front or front end of the barrel; and a rotary retraction mechanism that allows the writing element to extend and retract in accordance with the rotation of the operating part relative to the barrel.

[0007] The rotary extension mechanism may include a first cam member attached to the rear of the writing body and a second cam member disposed within the barrel, wherein, in response to the rotation of the operating part relative to the barrel, one of the first or second cam member rotates relative to the other of the first or second cam member around the central axis of the barrel, causing the first and second cam members to cooperate and move the first cam member back and forth along the axial direction.

[0008] A window hole may be provided on the side surface of the barrel, and the first cam member may rotate relative to the second cam member in accordance with the rotation of the operating part relative to the barrel, and the first cam member related to the protruding cursive writing element may be visible through the window hole.

[0009] The device comprises at least two of the aforementioned writing bodies, wherein the protruding writing body may be different from the writing body to which the first cam member, visible through the window opening, is attached.

[0010] The operating part may be a nozzle member provided at the front end of the shaft cylinder. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to aspects of the present invention, a common effect is to provide a rotary-type writing instrument that allows for the extension operation while the barrel is being held. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a side view of the writing state of a rotary retractable writing instrument according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a retractable writing instrument. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is an enlarged longitudinal cross-sectional view of the front half of a retractable writing instrument. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is an enlarged longitudinal cross-sectional view of the rear half of a retractable writing instrument. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a side view of a retractable writing instrument with the barrel omitted. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a side view showing the relationship between the first cam member and the second cam member. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is another side view showing the relationship between the first cam member and the second cam member. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Throughout all drawings, corresponding components are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0014] Figure 1 is a side view of the writing state of the retractable writing instrument 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the retractable writing instrument 1, Figure 3 is an enlarged longitudinal cross-sectional view of the front half of the retractable writing instrument 1, Figure 4 is an enlarged longitudinal cross-sectional view of the rear half of the retractable writing instrument 1, and Figure 5 is a side view of the retractable writing instrument 1 with the barrel 2 omitted. Hereinafter, the retractable writing instrument 1 will be simply referred to as the writing instrument 1.

[0015] In this specification, in the axial direction of the writing instrument 1, the side with the writing portion 5a is defined as the "front" side, and the side opposite to the writing portion 5a is defined as the "rear" side. In the writing instrument 1, the state in which the writing portion 5a protrudes outward is referred to as the writing state (Figures 1 and 2), and the state in which the writing portion 5a is retracted inward is referred to as the non-writing state (not shown).

[0016] The writing instrument 1 comprises a barrel 2 having an inner barrel 3 and an outer barrel 4, a refill 5 as a writing body disposed inside the barrel 2 and equipped with a writing section 5a, a tip member 6 provided at the front or front end of the barrel 2, and a truncated cone-shaped tail plug 7 provided at the rear end of the barrel 2. The writing instrument 1 has three refills 5, but may have one, two, or four or more refills 5. A cylindrical retaining member 8 is disposed at the rear end of the barrel 2. The front half of the retaining member 8 is screwed into the inner surface of a second cam member 17 (described later) inside the barrel 2, and the rear half of the retaining member 8 protrudes rearward from the rear end of the barrel 2 and is screwed into the inner surface of the tail plug 7. A clip 9 is provided on the side of the rear end of the barrel 2.

[0017] Each of the three refills 5 is detachably connected to a corresponding rod-shaped guide member 10. A first cam member 11 is attached to the rear end of each guide member 10. The guide members 10 are arranged within the shaft 2, spaced apart from each other by columnar spacers 12. Specifically, the spacers 12 are provided with three through holes 12a that extend axially and are arranged circumferentially, and each through hole 12a into which the guide member 10 is inserted so as to be able to move back and forth along the axial direction. Furthermore, the guide members 10 are biased rearward by a spring (not shown) supported by the spacers 12. Therefore, the refills 5 connected to the guide members 10 are also biased rearward. Note that although the refills 5 are connected to the first cam member 11 via the guide members 10, the guide members 10 may be omitted and the refills 5 may be connected directly to the first cam member 11.

[0018] The front end of the spacer 12 is connected to the cylindrical joint member 13. That is, the outer surface of the front end of the spacer 12 is integrally fitted with the inner surface of the joint member 13. A minute annular projection 13a is provided on the outer surface around the center in the axial direction of the joint member 13. The joint member 13 is connected to the cylindrical front shaft 14 disposed in the front. That is, the outer surface of the joint member 13 in the front with respect to the annular projection 13a is integrally fitted with the inner surface of the cylindrical front shaft 14. The front shaft 14 is connected to the mouth tip member 6 disposed in the front. That is, the outer surface of the front end of the front shaft 14 is integrally fitted with the cylindrical fitting surface 6a provided on the inner surface of the mouth tip member 6.

[0019] Behind the fitting surface 6a of the mouth tip member 6, a cylindrical sliding surface 6b having an inner diameter larger than the inner diameter of the fitting surface 6a is provided. On the inner surface of the mouth tip member 6 at the front end of the sliding surface 6b, an annular first locking surface 6c facing the rear is provided. On the annular rear end surface of the mouth tip member 6, an annular second locking surface 6d is provided.

[0020] The shaft cylinder 2 is configured such that the outer surface of the inner shaft 3 and the inner surface of the outer shaft 4 are in close contact. The front end of the inner shaft 3 extends forward of the front end of the outer shaft 4, and the outer surface of the front end of the inner shaft 3 is exposed. The exposed outer surface of the front end of the inner shaft 3 is disposed on the sliding surface 6b of the mouth tip member 6. The front end surface of the inner shaft 3 abuts against the first locking surface 6c of the mouth tip member 6, and the front end surface of the outer shaft 4 abuts against the second locking surface 6d of the mouth tip member 6. As a result, while the sliding surface 6b of the mouth tip member 6 is in sliding contact with the outer surface of the front end of the inner shaft 3, the mouth tip member 6 can be rotated around the central axis with respect to the shaft cylinder 2. That is, the mouth tip member 6 is rotatably attached to the shaft cylinder 2 around the central axis.

[0021] The inner diameter of the shaft cylinder 2, that is, the inner diameter of the inner shaft 3 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the front shaft 14 disposed inside the inner shaft 3. Therefore, the inner surface of the inner shaft 3 and the outer surface of the front shaft 14 are slightly separated. On the outer surface of the rear end portion of the mouth tip member 6, three O-rings 15 are arranged at equal intervals along the axial direction as an anti-slip when rotating the mouth tip member 6 while gripping the mouth tip member 6.

[0022] Within the shaft cylinder 2, a cylindrical rear shaft 16 is positioned behind the annular projection 13a of the coupling member 13. The inner diameter of the rear shaft 16 is larger than the outer diameter of the opposing portion of the coupling member 13 and smaller than the outer diameter of the annular projection 13a. Therefore, the inner surface of the front end of the rear shaft 16 is slightly separated from the outer surface of the coupling member 13, and the front end surface of the rear shaft 16 is positioned to abut against the annular projection 13a of the coupling member 13 in the axial direction.

[0023] A cylindrical second cam member 17 is positioned inside the rear side of the rear axle 16 so as to fit with the rear axle 16. The inner surface of the rear end of the second cam member 17 is screwed into the front half of the retaining member 8. Inside the second cam member 17, a spacer 12 is positioned so as to be rotatable around the central axis relative to the second cam member 17. A cylindrical portion 12b extending toward the rear is provided on the rear end surface of the spacer 12. A rod-shaped support portion 8a is provided inside the retaining member 8, facing the cylindrical portion 12b of the spacer 12. The rotation of the spacer 12 is supported by the front end of the support portion 8a of the retaining member 8 being surrounded by the cylindrical portion 12b of the spacer 12.

[0024] As shown in Figures 1 and 5, the sides of the barrel 2, namely the sides of the inner barrel 3 and outer barrel 4 and the corresponding sides of the rear barrel 16, are provided with window holes 21 that allow the inside of the writing instrument 1 to be viewed from outside the barrel 2. Specifically, through the window holes 21, the first cam member 11 connected to an adjacent refill 5, which is different from the refill 5 in the writing state, can be viewed.

[0025] Figure 6 is a side view showing the relationship between the first cam member 11 and the second cam member 17, and Figure 7 is another side view showing the relationship between the first cam member 11 and the second cam member 17. In Figures 6 and 7, the mouthpiece member 6, front shaft 14, and rear shaft 16 are further omitted from the state in Figure 5.

[0026] The first cam member 11 has an acute-angled locking projection 11a extending toward the rear. The front end surface of the second cam member 17 has a cam projection 18 that protrudes forward in a mountain shape. The front end surface of the second cam member 17, including the side surface of the cam projection 18, constitutes a cam surface 19. A concave locking recess 20 is provided at the tip of the cam projection 18. One of the three first cam members 11 has a locking projection 11a positioned within the locking recess 20 of the second cam member 17 by the biasing force of a spring. The locking projections 11a of the other first cam members 11 are positioned in contact with the cam surface 19 other than the cam projection 18, i.e., the annular surface perpendicular to the central axis of the writing instrument 1, by the biasing force of a spring. The refill 5 corresponding to the first cam member 11 positioned within the locking recess 20 is positioned further forward than the other refills 5, in the writing state.

[0027] If the user wants to change the refill 5, which is currently in writing mode, to another refill, the user performs an extension operation by rotating the tip member 6, which is the operating part, relative to the barrel 2. Specifically, the extension operation is performed by holding the barrel 2 with one hand and the tip member 6 with the other hand, and rotating it relative to the barrel 2. When the tip member 6 is rotated relative to the barrel 2, the front shaft 14, coupling member 13, and spacer 12, which are integrally formed with the tip member 6, rotate relative to the barrel 2, rear shaft 16, and second cam member 17.

[0028] As the spacer 12 rotates, the refill 5, guide member 10, and first cam member 11 also rotate. In response to the rotation of the spacer 12, each of the first cam member 11, specifically the locking projections 11a, which are biased backward by the spring, slides along the cam surface 19 of the second cam member 17. As the mouthpiece member 6 continues to rotate, the locking projections 11a of the first cam member 11 slide forward along the side surface of the cam projection 18, which is part of the cam surface 19, and are positioned in the locking recess 20 at the tip of the cam projection 18. When the locking projection 11a is positioned in the locking recess 20, the user can feel a click and recognize that the extension of the corresponding refill 5 is complete.

[0029] As described above, in the rotary-type writing instrument 1, the three refills 5 can be sequentially put into writing mode in accordance with the rotation of the tip member 6, which is the operating part. Furthermore, by stopping the rotation of the tip member 6 when one refill 5 is fully retracted, the rotary-type writing instrument 1 can be put into a non-writing state.

[0030] The surface of the first cam member 11, which is visible through the window 21, is colored or patterned so as to allow identification of the writing color or type of refill 5 produced by the refill 5 in the writing state. The user can identify the writing color or type of refill 5 produced by the refill 5 that has protruded in response to the extension operation by viewing the first cam member 11 through the window 21 of the barrel 2 while performing the extension operation. As described above, the first cam member 11 visible through the window 21 is the first cam member 11 connected to an adjacent refill 5 that is different from the refill 5 in the writing state. However, the position of the window 21 may be adjusted so that the first cam member 11 of the refill 5 in the writing state can be viewed. In short, the window 21 is configured so that the first cam member 11 associated with the refill 5 protruding through the window 21 can be viewed.

[0031] Furthermore, the refill 5 may be any type, such as a ballpoint pen, marking pen, stylus, or eraser. In addition, part or all of the end cap 7 may be used as an erasing section for erasing writing made by the retractable writing instrument 1.

[0032] Refill 5 may be a ballpoint pen containing thermochromic ink. Here, thermochromic ink refers to ink that maintains a predetermined color (first color) at room temperature (e.g., 25°C), changes to a different color (second color) when heated to a predetermined temperature (e.g., 60°C), and then returns to its original color (first color) when cooled to a predetermined temperature (e.g., -5°C). In thermochromic writing instruments using thermochromic ink, the second color is made colorless, and the process of heating the line written with the first color (e.g., red) to make it colorless is referred to here as "erasing." Therefore, friction heat is generated by rubbing the writing surface on which the line is written with the friction member, which is the erasing part, and thereby changing the line to colorless, i.e., erasing it. Of course, the second color may be a color other than colorless.

[0033] With the rotary-type retractable writing instrument 1, even if you want to change to a different refill 5 during writing, you can hold the barrel 2 with one hand and grip the tip member 6, which is the operating part, with the other hand to extend the refill. At this time, the arms do not cross, and the extension operation can be performed in a natural posture. Furthermore, because the operating part of the rotary-type retractable writing instrument 1 is located at the front or front end of the barrel 2, the extension operation can be easily performed regardless of the size of the hand, the length of the fingers, or the overall length of the writing instrument. Specifically, for example, in a writing instrument where the operating part is located at the rear or rear end of the barrel, a person with smaller hands will have to reposition the barrel more than a person with larger hands. The same applies to people with shorter fingers and those with longer fingers, and to writing instruments with longer overall lengths and those with shorter overall lengths. In all of these cases, because the operating part is located at the front or front end of the barrel 2, the extension operation can be easily performed with the same motion and feel.

[0034] As shown in Figure 3, the tip member 6 of the retractable writing instrument 1 described above consists of a tapered portion 61 connected to the front end opening and a cylindrical portion 62 on which an O-ring is arranged. However, the tip member, which is the operating part, may be configured to have only the tapered portion 61. The operating part may also be a member or part other than the tip member. In short, the operating part may be configured arbitrarily as long as it is provided at the front or front end of the barrel and the user can grip the operating part with one hand while holding the barrel with the other hand and rotating it. Therefore, the operating part may be configured arbitrarily as long as it is provided in front of the gripping part provided on the outer surface of the barrel for the user to grip. The gripping part may be a separate member or an integral part of the barrel, made of a material with a lower modulus of elasticity than the barrel. Therefore, for example, the tapered portion 61 of the tip member 6 may be configured integrally with the barrel 2, and the cylindrical portion 62 may be configured to be rotatable and serve as the operating part.

[0035] The first cam member 11 and the second cam member 17 constitute a rotary feeding mechanism that allows the refill 5 to extend and retract in accordance with the rotation of the tip member 6 relative to the barrel 2. That is, the rotary feeding mechanism is configured such that the second cam member 17 is fixed to the barrel 2 side, and the first cam member 11 rotates relative to the second cam member 17 in accordance with the rotation of the tip member 6 relative to the barrel 2, causing the first cam member 11 to move back and forth along the axial direction. However, the rotary feeding mechanism may also be configured such that the first cam member connected to the refill 5 is fixed to the barrel side, and the second cam member rotates. In short, the rotary feeding mechanism can be configured arbitrarily as long as, in accordance with the rotation of the operating part relative to the barrel, one of the first cam member or the second cam member rotates relative to the other cam member around the central axis of the barrel, causing the first cam member and the second cam member to cooperate and cause the first cam member to move back and forth along the axial direction. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 1. Retractable writing instrument 2 shaft cylinder 3 Inner shaft 4 Outer shaft 5 Refills 6. Nozzle Member 7. Tail plug 8 Retaining member 9 clips 10 Guide members 11. First cam member 12 Spacers 13 Joint members 14 Front axle 15 O-rings 16 rear axle 17. Second cam member 18 Cam projection 19 Cam surface 20 Locking recess 21 Window opening

Claims

1. The barrel and, At least one cursive writing element is arranged inside the barrel, An operating section provided at the front or front end of the shaft cylinder, A rotary retractable writing instrument comprising a rotary retraction mechanism that allows the writing body to extend and retract in accordance with the rotation of the operating part relative to the barrel.

2. The aforementioned rotary extension mechanism comprises a first cam member attached to the rear of the writing instrument and a second cam member disposed within the barrel. The rotary retractable writing instrument according to claim 1, wherein, in response to the rotation of the operating part relative to the barrel, one of the first cam member or the second cam member rotates relative to the other of the first cam member or the second cam member around the central axis of the barrel, causing the first cam member and the second cam member to cooperate and move the first cam member back and forth along the axial direction.

3. A window hole is provided on the side surface of the shaft cylinder. The rotary retractable writing instrument according to claim 2, wherein the first cam member rotates relative to the second cam member in accordance with the rotation of the operating part relative to the barrel, and the first cam member related to the protruding writing body is visible through the window hole.

4. It comprises at least two of the aforementioned cursive forms, The rotary retractable writing instrument according to claim 3, wherein the protruding writing element is different from the writing element to which the first cam member, visible from the window opening, is attached.

5. The rotary retractable writing instrument according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the operating part is a tip member provided at the front end of the barrel.

Images