Notepad

Abstract

To provide a writing instrument having a barrel made of a plant fiber material, in which it is possible to make a surface of the barrel easy to grip without damaging the texture of the plant fiber material, specifically, without adding another material to the surface of the barrel.SOLUTION: The writing instrument includes a barrel made of a plant fiber material, a refill attached to the barrel, and a recess formed on the surface of the barrel.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a writing instrument such as a ballpoint pen having a refill attached to a barrel made of a plant fiber material such as wood. [Background technology]

[0002] The following Patent Document 1 discloses a pencil in which three-dimensional markings such as engravings or letters are applied to the shaft by laser light in order to enhance the decorativeness of the shaft. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 62-138072 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In recent years, writing instruments such as ballpoint pens have been provided in which the barrel is made of a plant fiber material, taking advantage of the natural texture and warm feel of plant fiber materials such as wood and bamboo. In such writing instruments, the wooden barrel is usually painted for the purpose of surface protection, reinforcement and / or decoration. The surface of the barrel that has been painted in this way becomes smooth, and it is expected that it may be difficult to hold when writing. Therefore, it is desired to give the surface of the barrel an easy-to-hold shape and decoration without adding other materials to the surface of the barrel. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, the writing instrument according to the first aspect of the present disclosure is characterized by comprising a barrel made of a plant fiber material, a refill attached to the barrel, and a recess formed on the surface of the barrel.

[0006] Furthermore, in addition to the features of the first aspect, a writing instrument according to a second aspect of the present disclosure is characterized in that a plurality of the recesses are formed.

[0007] Furthermore, a writing instrument according to a third aspect of the present disclosure is characterized in that, in addition to the features of the second aspect, the recessed portion serves to prevent slipping during use or operation.

[0008] Furthermore, a writing instrument according to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure is characterized in that, in addition to the features of any one of the first to third aspects, the bottom surface of the recess is carbonized.

[0009] Furthermore, a writing instrument according to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure is characterized in that, in addition to the characteristics of any one of the first to third aspects, a coating layer consisting of multiple layers is formed on the surface of the barrel, a portion of an upper layer of the coating layer is removed to form the recess, and a lower layer of the removed layer in the recess is exposed as the bottom surface of the recess.

[0010] Furthermore, in addition to the features of any one of the first to fifth aspects, a writing instrument according to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure is characterized in that the depth of the recess is equal to or greater than 0.1 mm and less than 2.0 mm.

[0011] Furthermore, a writing instrument according to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure is characterized in that, in addition to the characteristics of any one of the first to sixth aspects, the recess is formed over an area of ​​50% or more of the longitudinal length of the barrel. Effect of the Invention

[0012] Because the present invention is configured as described above, in a writing instrument having a barrel made of plant fiber material, it is possible to give the surface of the barrel a shape and decoration that makes it easy to grip without adding other materials to the surface of the barrel. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1A is a front view of a writing implement according to a first embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along line II of FIG. [Diagram 2] 2A is a front view of the barrel of FIG. 1, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II of FIG. [Diagram 3] 4A and 4B are enlarged views showing a schematic view of a surface portion of a barrel before and after forming recesses. [Figure 4] 5 is an enlarged view showing a schematic diagram of another example of the surface portion of a barrel, showing (A) a state before the recesses are formed and (B to D) various states in which the recesses are formed. FIG. [Diagram 5] 13A is a front view of a writing implement according to a second embodiment, FIG. 13B is a VV sectional view of FIG. 13A, and FIG. 13C is a sectional view showing a state in which the operating portion has been operated from the state shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0015] (1) First embodiment Fig. 1(A) is a front view of a writing instrument 10 according to a first embodiment of the present application, and Fig. 1(B) is a cross-sectional view taken along line II of Fig. 1(A).

[0016] The writing instrument 10 comprises a barrel 20 made of a plant fiber material, a refill 30 housed in the barrel 20, a generally conical front barrel 24 attached to the tip of the barrel 20, a tail plug 26 inserted for decorative purposes into the rear end of the barrel 20, and a recess 22 formed in a grip portion 11 on the surface of the barrel 20.

[0017] As the plant fiber material, in addition to wood and bamboo, plant-derived fiber molded products such as paper and pulp can also be used, but wood is most suitable in terms of the balance between ease of processing and durability. In this embodiment, the shaft cylinder 20 is made of wood.

[0018] The refill 30 has a structure in which a ballpoint pen tip 33 is attached to the tip of an ink containing tube 31 that contains ink (not shown). The recesses 22 in the grip portion 11 are formed by laser processing on the surface of the barrel 20. In a region of about the front two-thirds of the grip portion 11, the pitch between the recesses 22 is relatively wide and the depth is relatively small, whereas in a region of about the rear one-third, the pitch between the recesses 22 is relatively narrow and the depth is relatively large. The recesses 22 will be described in detail later.

[0019] Fig. 2(A) is a front view of barrel 20, and Fig. 2(B) is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II of Fig. 2(A). Inside barrel 20, storage space 23 is drilled through from the front to rear end, and refill 30 is stored therein. The front end portion of storage space 23 is formed as large diameter portion 23A with a slightly larger inner diameter. Meanwhile, the rear end portion of front barrel 24 is small diameter portion 24A with a smaller outer diameter (see Fig. 1(A)), and this small diameter portion 24A is press-fitted into large diameter portion 23A.

[0020] The surface of the barrel 20 is cauterized by laser processing to form recesses 22. Any laser that can provide sufficient power and precise control to cauterize wood, such as a YAG laser or a CO2 laser, can be used for this laser processing. The number of recesses 22 may be one or more, but by forming multiple recesses 22 as shown in Figure 2(A), they can function as anti-slip or decorative when using or manipulating the writing instrument.

[0021] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing a schematic view of the surface of the shaft tube 20. As shown in FIG. 3(A), the shaft tube 20 may have no particular coating applied to the surface, and the plant fiber material layer 21 as the wood material may be exposed to the surface as it is. By irradiating a laser at a desired position on the surface while adjusting the output and the number of irradiations, a recess 22 of a desired depth and width can be formed as shown in FIG. 3(B). The bottom surface 22A of the recess 22 is darker than the color of the wood due to carbonization of the wood, specifically, dark brown or black. As a result, as shown in FIG. 1(A) and FIG. 2(A), the shape of the recess 22 itself, or the design such as the overall pattern formed by a plurality of recesses 22, can be clearly recognized.

[0022] Also, a coating layer 25 consisting of multiple layers may be formed on the surface of the barrel 20 for the purpose of surface protection and / or decoration, as shown in Fig. 4(A) in a schematic manner. In the example shown in Fig. 4(A), the coating layer 25 is composed of, from the lower layer side, a bottommost filling layer 25D formed on the top of the plant fiber material layer 21 as the wood material, a laser resistance layer 25C above that, a colored layer 25B above that, and a topmost top coat layer 25A.

[0023] The filling layer 25D is formed by applying a filling material that is usually used for preparing a base for painting to the surface of the plant fiber material layer 21.

[0024] The laser resistance layer 25C is formed by applying a paint containing a component that reflects the laser light and does not absorb the laser light. Examples of such components include white pigments such as titanium oxide, metal foil pieces, and ceramic balloons or silica as heat-resistant materials with low thermal conductivity. In this embodiment, the laser resistance layer 25C is formed by a silver paint containing aluminum foil pieces.

[0025] The colored layer 25B is formed by applying a paint having a color that decorates the surface of the barrel 20 as a design. There are no particular limitations on the color of such paint, but it is desirable for it to be a deep or dark color that easily absorbs laser light.

[0026] The topcoat layer 25A is formed by applying a transparent paint for the purpose of strengthening and polishing the surface.

[0027] 4(A)-(D) are enlarged views showing another example of the surface portion of the barrel 20. In the example shown in FIG. 4(A), the bottom surface 22A of the recess 22 can be formed to a desired depth by adjusting the output of the laser and the number of irradiations. The topcoat layer 25A is easily transparent to the laser light, and the energy of the laser light is well absorbed by the colored layer 25B below it. Therefore, even with a relatively weak laser irradiation, as shown in FIG. 4(B), the topcoat layer 25A and a part of the colored layer 25B on the upper layer side are cauterized by the laser and removed, and the recess 22 is formed with the laser resistance layer 25C below it as the bottom surface 22A. The recess 22 shown in FIG. 4(B) exhibits the silver color of the laser resistance layer 25C on the bottom surface 22A, so that the recess 22 is visually recognized as a silver figure or pattern. Note that when a white pigment such as titanium oxide is added to the laser resistance layer 25C, the recess 22 is visually recognized as a white figure or pattern.

[0028] Since the laser-resistant layer 25C does not easily absorb the energy of the laser light, the state shown in Fig. 4(B) is maintained to some extent even if the laser irradiation is continued from the state shown in Fig. 4(B). However, if the laser output is further increased, the laser-resistant layer 25C is eventually cauterized, and the bottom surface 22A reaches the sealing layer 25D as shown in Fig. 4(C). However, the sealing layer 25D cannot resist the laser light that can cauterize the laser-resistant layer 25C, and the bottom surface 22A soon reaches the plant fiber material layer 21 below it as shown in Fig. 4(D), and is carbonized to a dark brown or black color.

[0029] That is, in a barrel 20 having a coating layer 25 formed as shown in FIG. 4(A), by adjusting the strength of the laser, it is possible to freely form a recess 22 having a silver (or white) bottom surface 22A as shown in FIG. 4(B), or a recess 22 having a carbonized bottom surface 22A as shown in FIG. 4(D).

[0030] Although there is no particular limitation on the depth of the recess 22, the step between the bottom surface 22A of the recess 22 and the edge 22B (see Fig. 3(B) and Figs. 4(B)-(D)) provides a catch for the fingers gripping the barrel 20, thereby providing an anti-slip effect. Therefore, it is desirable that the depth of the recess 22 is 0.1 mm or more and less than 2.0 mm.

[0031] In order to fully exert the anti-slip effect of the recess 22, it is desirable that the recess 22 is formed over an area including the part that is gripped when using the writing instrument 10 for its original purpose, specifically when writing, or the part that is gripped when performing an operation that enables or disables writing (for example, a knocking operation or a rotating operation) that is not the original purpose of using the writing instrument 10, specifically over an area of ​​50% or more, preferably over an area of ​​20% or more, in the longitudinal length of the barrel 20 shown in Figures 1(A) and 2(A). The upper limit of this area may be 100%.

[0032] In the first embodiment, a plurality of recesses 22 are formed in the grip portion 11 of the barrel 20. These recesses 22 provide an anti-slip effect when the grip portion 11 is held with the fingers during the intended use of the writing instrument 10, specifically, when writing.

[0033] (2) Second embodiment Fig. 5(A) is a front view of a writing instrument 10 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 5(B) is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV of Fig. 5(A). Fig. 5(C) is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the operating portion has been operated from the state shown in Fig. 5(B).

[0034] The writing instrument 10 comprises a barrel 20 made of a plant fiber material, a refill 30 housed in the barrel 20, a generally conical front barrel 24 attached to the tip of the barrel 20, an operating part 12 provided at the rear end of the barrel 20, a tail plug 26 inserted for decorative purposes into the rear end of the operating part 12, a drive part 13 also made of a plant fiber material that connects the refill 30 and the operating part 12, and a recess 22 formed on the surface of the operating part 12. The plant fiber material is the same as in the first embodiment.

[0035] The refill 30 has a structure in which a ballpoint pen tip 33 is attached to the tip of an ink containing tube 31 that contains ink (not shown). The operating unit 12 is a part that operates the projection and retraction of the ballpoint pen tip 33 from the tip of the front barrel 24. Specifically, by rotating the operating unit 12 in the circumferential direction, the ballpoint pen tip 33 can be projected as shown in Figures 5(A) and (B) or retracted as shown in Figure 5(C). The driving unit 13 converts the rotation of the operating unit 12 into the projection and retraction movement of the ballpoint pen tip 33, but details thereof will be omitted in this application.

[0036] The recesses 22 in this embodiment are formed by laser processing on the surface of the operating part 12. As shown in Fig. 5(B), the depth of the recesses 22 is relatively small in the front half of the operating part 12, whereas the depth of the recesses 22 is relatively large in the rear half. The recesses 22 are formed in the same manner as in the first embodiment. These recesses 22 provide a non-slip effect when performing operations that are not the original purpose of using the writing instrument 10, specifically, when the ballpoint pen tip 33 is extended and retracted, by gripping the operating part 12 with the fingers. [Industrial Applicability]

[0037] The present invention can be used in writing instruments such as ballpoint pens with wooden barrels. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 10 writing implement 11 grip portion 12 operation portion 13 Drive unit 20 shaft tube 21 plant fiber material layer 22 recess 22A Bottom surface 23 Storage space 23A Large diameter portion 24 Tip shaft 24A Small diameter part 25 Paint layer 25A Topcoat layer 25B Color layer 25C Laser resistance layer 25D Filler layer 26 End plug 30 Refill 31 Ink tube 33 Ballpoint tip

Claims

1. A shaft cylinder made of plant fiber material, A refill attached to the barrel; A recess formed on a surface of the barrel; Equipped with A coating layer consisting of a plurality of layers is formed on the surface of the barrel, A portion of the coating layer is removed to form the recess; A portion of the surface of the barrel that is located under the removed coating layer is exposed as a bottom surface of the recess, A writing implement characterized in that the bottom surface of the recess is carbonized.

2. 2. The writing implement according to claim 1, wherein the recess is formed over an area of ​​50% or more of the length of the barrel in the longitudinal direction.

Images