Pen with locking mechanism for erasure

Abstract

To provide a click pen having a locking mechanism for stable erasing. [Solution] The present invention comprises a cylindrical case (10) having a conical portion, a main barrel (12), and a stop portion, wherein the main barrel (12) has a vertical groove at its upper end and two shallow holes (128a, 128b) on its inner surface facing the vertical groove; a pen core (50) having a writing tip (52) that can move through the conical portion; an erase head (30); and a locking mechanism comprising a slide block having a cavity, a clip (21) connected to the slide block, and a latch (40) that slides and protrudes within the cavity and can engage with either of the shallow holes (128a or 128b) corresponding to the writing and non-writing positions, respectively, wherein the cavity has a slope that allows the latch (40) to slide inside the cylindrical cavity under gravity.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of office stationery, and in particular to a retractable or click pen, which is a pen with a mechanism for moving its writing tip to protrude and / or retract from its body, and more particularly to a click pen having its erasing head and a mechanism for locking its writing tip. [Background technology]

[0002] Click or retractable pens known in the art include a writing tip at one end and an erasing head at the other end. Generally, the erasing head must be fixed relative to the pen body to ensure that erasure is stable, especially for pens that use thermochromic inks.

[0003] For click pens, fixing the eraser head during erasure requires a stop or locking mechanism to block the mechanism that controls the writing tip, thereby preventing the writing tip from extending in and out of the pen body, i.e., to fix the eraser head relative to the pen body. Many solutions exist to meet this requirement.

[0004] Japanese Patent No. 7209162B2 (Micro) discloses a click pen in which, when the pen body is tilted so that the erase head faces downward, a control latch and a blocking button arranged on the erase head holding member can be lowered by gravity along the slide groove of the pressing member. When the control latch moves into the locking groove provided continuously in the circumferential direction at the rear end of the slide groove, the blocking button blocks the movement of the control latch, and the erase head holding member cannot be retracted into the pressing member thereafter. At that time, the outer end of the control latch faces the rear surface of the pen case, and the retracted surface functions as a stop part, so that the pressing member is locked and the pen cannot be pressed. Thus, during erasing, the erase head is locked by the control latch and the stop button moving on the locking groove under the influence of gravity, i.e., the locking groove extends in the circumferential direction and at the same time tilts backward with respect to the central axis of the pressing member, and then the control latch moves down and moves into the locking groove.

[0005] Japanese Patent No. 6545039B2 (Mitsubishi) discloses a mechanical pen further comprising a knock lock member that presses an operating part forward, thereby extending a writing core, and is movable diagonally within a pen case under gravity, and in particular further comprising a hook disposed on an inner part of the pen case and capable of being engaged with the lock pressing member. When the extended end of the pen case is directed upward, the knock lock member moves rearward and engages with a stop portion, preventing the operating part from moving forward.

[0006] Japanese Patent No. 7106432B2 (Mitsubishi) discloses a mechanical pen further comprising a brake rod for locking the knock ring to the locking section, the brake rod being movable within the pen case by gravity, the knock ring being movable together with the operating part and rotatable about a central axis, and the locking section being lockable to the knock ring. When the front end of the pen case is turned upward, the brake rod moves rearward, restricting the rotation of the knock ring and locking the knock ring to the locking section, thereby preventing the operating part from moving forward.

[0007] US Patent No. 10576775B2 (Mitsubishi) discloses a knock-type writing instrument further comprising a knock locking member movable in the front-rear direction by gravity inside the barrel, and a locking portion provided on the side of the barrel and capable of being locked with the knock locking member. When the front end of the barrel is turned upward, the knock locking member moves rearward to lock with the locking portion, preventing the operation portion from moving forward. The knock lock member is a cylindrical member that is pierced by the refill and is movable in the front-rear direction between the operation portion and the locking portion of the barrel. A lock cam receiving surface having a shape complementary to the lock cam surface of the operation portion is formed on the rear end surface of the knock lock member. The lock cam receiving surface has six peaks and valleys, similar to the lock cam surface of the operation portion. That is, in the lock cam receiving surface of the knock lock member, the peaks and valleys are configured to have an inclined portion inclined in the circumferential direction with respect to a plane perpendicular to the front-rear direction, and a vertical wall portion extending along the front-rear direction.

[0008] Japanese Patent No. 6304958B2 (Mitsubishi) discloses a writing instrument having a barrel and an erasing member, in which when the barrel is tilted so that the erasing member faces downward, sliding of the erasing member into the barrel is restricted.

[0009] The patent discloses in detail a holder for a locking mechanism, and a movable pin as a locking part is attached to the holder so as to be able to swing, i.e., the movable pin has a pin body formed as a whole in a rod shape. One end of the pin body is formed with a mating ball part, which is formed in a spherical shape approximately complementary to the recess of the holder and fits into the recess, and the other end of the pin body is rounded. Since the entrance opening of the recess of the holder is narrow, the mating ball part of the movable pin is fitted by being strongly pressed into the recess of the holder, and the movable pin is attached to the holder.

[0010] U.S. Patent No. 9914322B2 (Zebra) discloses a locking mechanism that includes a rolling element supported rotatably without moving back and forth with respect to a writing instrument body, and the outer and outer circumferential surfaces of the rolling element contact the side of an advancing and retreating member. Specifically, each rolling element is a spherical member, and a plurality of rolling elements are arranged to sandwich the slide shaft of the advancing and retreating member radially inwardly of the shaft tube. Each rolling element is provided so as to rotate freely in a corresponding one of the through holes of the holder. A through hole is provided in a side wall portion near the front end of the slide support portion, penetrating the side wall portion in the thickness direction. Each through hole is a hole having an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the rolling element, and surrounds the rolling element so that the rolling element rotates freely without moving back and forth in the axial direction of the shaft tube.

[0011] Although all of the above solutions make full use of gravity to lock the writing tip and the erasing head during erasing, they share the common drawback of being complicated in structure.

[0012] Therefore, there is a certain demand for a click pen having a locking mechanism for fixing the erase head to the main body when the erase head is in use.

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

[0014] The present invention is a click pen, A case having a cone portion, a body, and a stop portion, the body having a longitudinal groove at an upper end thereof and two shallow holes on an inner surface facing the longitudinal groove; a pen core having a writing tip movable through a cone portion; An erase head; A locking mechanism comprising: a slide block having a cavity; A clip that connects to the slide block, a latch slidably projecting within the cavity and capable of engaging one or another shallow recess corresponding to the writing and non-writing positions, respectively; The above-mentioned demands are met by providing a click pen with a locking mechanism, in which the cavity has a slope for the latch to slide inside the cylindrical cavity under gravity.

[0015] The above and other features and advantages will become more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a side view of a click pen according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the click pen of FIG. 1 when used for erasing. [Diagram 3] 1 is a front view of a body of a click pen according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the main body of the click pen of FIG. 3. [Diagram 5] 1 is a perspective view of a locking mechanism of a click pen in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. [Figure 6] 1 is a partial cross-sectional front view showing a writing state of a click pen according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 7] 7 is a partial cross-sectional view of the click pen of FIG. 6 in a non-writing state. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of part I of FIG. [Figure 9] 7 is a partial cross-sectional view of the click pen of FIG. 6 in an erasing state. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of part II of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] In this specification, the terms "upper" and "lower" are used to refer to the positions of the pen when it is held in an upright position with the writing tip pointing downwards.

[0018] Also, in this specification, the "writing state" refers to the state of the pen when the writing tip extends from the case, and the "non-writing state" refers to the state of the pen when the writing tip is retracted into the case. The non-writing state may be the state of the pen when it is stowed, i.e. stored or clipped in a pocket or the like. The non-writing state may also be the state of the pen when a user holds the pen upside down to erase with the erase head.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the click pen of the present invention has the basic components of a conventional click pen, namely: a cylindrical casing 10 having a main cylinder 12 connected at its lower end to a conical portion 11 and at its upper end to a stop portion 13; Clip 20 and A pressing head 30 connected to the clip 20; and a pen core 50 having a pressing end, an ink reservoir, a pressing mechanism for controlling movement of the pen core, and a writing tip, all disposed within the barrel of the cylindrical case 10. For convenience, these components are not shown and / or labeled in the drawings, except for the writing tip 52, as these are components that help indicate the state of the click pen.

[0020] 1 and 2, the click pen is in a non-writing state, i.e., the writing tip 52 does not appear below the conical portion 11 of the barrel 10. Generally, as with a conventional click pen, the writing tip 52 (see FIG. 6) can be extended / retracted through the conical portion 11 of the cylindrical case 10 under the control of a pressing mechanism.

[0021] The pressing mechanism of the click pen according to the present invention is any pressing mechanism capable of controlling the protrusion / retraction of the writing tip through the conical portion of the cylindrical case, and may include a spring mechanism and a cam mechanism (not shown) known in the art.

[0022] 2 shows the click pen of the present invention when it is not used for writing but is instead used for erasing, i.e., in an inverted state with the pressure head 30 facing downwards. In this state, the writing tip can retract into the cylindrical case as shown in the figure. However, it is noteworthy that in this state, when the click pen of the present invention is used for erasing, the writing tip can also protrude from the cylindrical case.

[0023] The press head 30 may be an erase head if the click pen is used with thermochromic ink, an eraser if a pencil or other, and there may also be a cap to cover the erase head when not in use, and for simplicity of this specification, the erase head and cap (if present) are shown in the figures simply as the press head 30, which may also be referred to as the erase head 30.

[0024] Compared with the solutions known in the art, the click pen of the present invention has fundamental differences, including the structure of the main barrel 12 and the locking assembly.

[0025] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the main barrel 12 has a vertical groove 124 at its upper end, and two shallow holes 128a, 128b on the inner surface of the main barrel 12 at a position opposite the vertical groove 124. In Figure 3, the two shallow holes 128a, 128b are partially hidden behind the vertical groove 124, and the hidden parts are shown by dashed lines. In Figure 4, the two shallow holes 128a, 128b are also shown by dashed lines, since they are located opposite the vertical groove 124 on the inner surface of the main barrel 12.

[0026] 3 and 4, the vertical groove 124 is a short groove that starts at the top end of the main barrel 12 and is parallel to the central axis of the main barrel 12. To facilitate the assembly process, the top end of the vertical groove 124 may be extended to form a V-shaped groove V122.

[0027] Additionally, the main barrel 12 may have a second longitudinal groove to combine with the protrusion 26 (see FIG. 5) on the inner surface of the clip 21 and the pressing mechanism to form a locking mechanism for the pressing process.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 5, the locking assembly of the click pen according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a cylindrical slide block 20 having one end attached to the erase head 30 and the other end abutting the proximal end of the pen core 50, the slide block having a cylindrical cavity 220 within its body 22; a clip 21 connected to the cylindrical slide block 20 via a connecting bar 23, the connecting bar 23 being fitted through a vertical groove 124 of the main cylinder 12; a latch 40 that can slide inside the cylindrical cavity 220 and thereby protrude to engage one of two shallow holes 128a, 128b on the inner surface of the main barrel 12 when the cylindrical slide block 20 is in the writing and / or non-writing position, respectively; a lock assembly, the cylindrical cavity having a slope for the latch to slide inside the cylindrical cavity under the influence of the weight of the latch; Thereby, the click pen can be used for stable erasing.

[0029] In the figure, the cylindrical cavity 220 is a cylindrical hole that extends from the side of the body 22 into the interior of the body 22 , and this cylindrical hole is inclined with respect to the axis of the body 22 .

[0030] The cylindrical slide block 20 may further include at its upper end a larger cylindrical portion 25 for mounting the erase head 30 and a smaller cylindrical portion 24 for mounting an ink reservoir and / or a pen pressure or state transition mechanism as known in the art.

[0031] The latch 40 may be of any suitable shape, for example cylindrical or spherical, so long as it meets the requirements of friction with the cavity, size and weight of the latch. 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 lengthening it or by changing its construction material. If the latch is spherical, the only way to increase the weight of the latch is to change its construction material, due to the diameter limitation, i.e., its diameter must be smaller than the diameter of the cylindrical cavity.

[0032] The vertical groove 124 of the main cylinder 12 has a function of guiding the cylindrical slide block when the user presses the erasing head or the pressing head 30 or slides the clip 21 vertically. Furthermore, since the shallow holes 128a, 128b are arranged opposite the vertical groove 124, the cylindrical cavity 220 can be positioned so that its mouth can be accurately oriented relative to the shallow hole 128a or the shallow hole 128b, thereby facilitating the latch 40 to partially engage with the shallow hole 128a or the shallow hole 128b or to completely and easily come out of the shallow hole 128a or the shallow hole 128b under gravity (described in detail later).

[0033] The inclination of the cylindrical cavity with respect to the central axis of the click pen is also the inclination for the free fall and friction of the latch under gravity inside the cylindrical cavity. The greater this inclination, the easier it is for the latch to slide and vice versa.

[0034] Thus, depending on the nature of the materials used to construct the cylindrical block and the latch, particularly the coefficient of friction between the cylindrical block 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 may be 40 to 50°, preferably 42 to 48°, and more preferably about 45°.

[0035] The operation of the click pen of the present invention is illustrated in Figures 6 to 10, in which the click pen is shown in partial cross-section, i.e., parts of the cylindrical case 10 have been cut away to expose the internal components, and others have been cut longitudinally to show the cavities and latches located inside the cylindrical slide block 20.

[0036] 6 is a partially cutaway front view showing the writing state of the click pen, i.e., the state where the writing tip 52 protrudes from the cylindrical case 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 not engage with the shallow hole 128b. In other words, the writing tip 52 and the erase head 30 are not locked, and the user can press the click pen to change it to the non-writing state.

[0037] 7, i.e., the writing tip is retracted into the cylindrical case 10, the weight of the latch 40 and the inclination of the cylindrical cavity 20 also allow the latch 40 to slide freely, i.e., not engage with the shallow hole 128a. That is, the erasing head 30 as well as the writing tip 52 are not locked, and the user can press the click pen to return to the writing state.

[0038] Therefore, when the click pen is in a state where the writing tip 52 is facing down, as shown in FIG. 8, the latch 40 does not engage with either the shallow hole 128a or the shallow hole 128b, and the click pen, particularly the writing tip, is not locked and can be changed to any state at the user's discretion.

[0039] In the non-writing state shown in Fig. 9, i.e., in the state where the writing tip 52 protrudes from the cylindrical case 10, the latch 40 can freely slide downward due to its own weight and the inclination of the cylindrical cavity 20, i.e., engage with the shallow hole 128a, as shown in detail in Fig. 10. This means that the erase head 30 is therefore locked, i.e., fixed, to the cylindrical case 10, and the user can use the erase head 30 stably.

[0040] Similarly, although the writing tip 52 is protruding, in any state in which the writing tip 52 is pointing downward, the latch 40 does not descend into the shallow hole 128b, which means that the erasing head 30 is locked, i.e., fixed, to the cylindrical case 10, and the user can still use the erasing head 30 stably.

[0041] In this way, the mechanism for locking the erase head of the click pen of the present invention is capable of fixing the erase head to the pen case in either case where the writing tip 52 protrudes from the cylindrical case 10, or where the writing tip 52 retracts inside the cylindrical case 10.

[0042] In this way, when the click pen is changed to a writing upward orientation, the erase head is automatically locked.

[0043] Furthermore, only when the click pen is turned upside down again, the weight of the latch 40 and the static friction force acting when the latch 40 engages with either the shallow hole 128a or 128b always help the mechanism for locking the erase head of the click pen to function, helping the user to use the erase head stably.

[0044] This allows the user to use the erase head without worrying about the state of the writing tip, making the click pen of the present invention more convenient.

[0045] With its simple structure, the click pen of the present invention can help users to perform stable erasing operation with its erasing head.

Claims

1. A click pen, a cylindrical case (10) including a main barrel (12) attached at its lower end to a conical portion (11) and at its upper end to a stop portion (13), said main barrel (12) having a longitudinal groove (124) at said upper end and two shallow holes (128a, 128b) on the inner surface of said main barrel (12) facing said longitudinal groove (124); a pen core (50) including a pressing head, an ink reservoir, a pressing mechanism for controlling the movement of the pen core, and a writing tip (52) that can be extended and retracted through the conical portion (11) of the cylindrical case (10); an erasing head (30) attached through the stopper portion (13) of the cylindrical case (10); 1. A lock assembly comprising: a cylindrical slide block (20) having one end attached to the erase head (30) and the other end abutting the proximal end of the pen core (50), the slide block having a cylindrical cavity (220) within its body (22); a clip (21) connected to the cylindrical slide block (20) via a connecting bar (23), the connecting bar (23) being fitted through the longitudinal groove (124) of the main cylinder (12); a latch (40) that can slide inside the cylindrical cavity (220) and thereby protrude to engage one of the two shallow holes (128a, 128b) on the inner surface of the main barrel (12) when the cylindrical slide block (20) is in the writing or non-writing position, respectively; a lock assembly, the cylindrical cavity (220) having an inclination for the latch (40) to slide inside the cylindrical cavity (220) under the influence of the weight of the latch (40), Thereby, the pen can be used for stable erasing, a click pen.

2. The click pen of claim 1 , wherein the inclination of the cylindrical cavity (220) relative to the central axis of the pen is approximately 45°.

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