Writing instrument

Abstract

To prevent ink dripping and drying.SOLUTION: There is provided a writing instrument including: a barrel 10; a writing chip 30 that protrudes forward from the barrel 10 to discharge ink by being pressed against a written surface; and an ink supply unit 50 that supplies ink from the rear side to the writing chip 30. The writing chip 30 is located at a separation position that is away forward at a space with respect to the ink supply unit 50, and moves to a contact position in contact with the ink supply unit 50 from the front side by a predetermined operation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a writing instrument in which writing is performed by pressing a writing tip at the front end of a barrel against a surface to be written on. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventional writing instruments of this type, as described in Patent Document 1, for example, include a marker body, two ink cartridges contained within the marker body, and a single pen tip portion that contacts both ends of the two ink cartridges, and the two colors of ink from the two ink cartridges are mixed and protrude from the single pen tip portion. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 07-43846 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, according to the above-mentioned conventional technology, excessive ink may be supplied from the ink cartridge to the pen tip due to the impact of being dropped, etc., causing the ink to drip from the pen tip. Also, if the pen is left uncapped for a long period of time, both the ink cartridge and the pen tip may dry out, making it impossible to write with. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In view of these problems, the present invention One of The present invention has the following configuration. The pen includes a barrel, a writing tip that protrudes forward from the barrel so as to be pressed against a surface to be written on and eject ink, and an ink supply unit that supplies ink to the writing tip from a rear side, the ink supply portion has a protruding portion protruding forward from the barrel, The writing tip is connected to the ink supply unit. The protruding portion ofThe ink supply unit is located at a position spaced forward from the ink supply unit. The protruding portion of The writing implement is characterized in that it moves from the front side to a contact position where it comes into contact with the writing implement. Effect of the Invention

[0006] Since the present invention is configured as described above, it is possible to prevent ink dripping, drying, and the like. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing an example of a writing instrument according to the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] 1A and 1B are enlarged longitudinal cross-sectional views of the main part of the writing instrument, showing the states before and after the writing tip is pressed against the surface to be written on. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] This embodiment discloses the following features. The first feature is that it comprises a barrel, a writing tip that protrudes forward from the barrel so as to be pressed against a surface to be written on and eject ink, and an ink supply unit that supplies ink to the writing tip from the rear side, the writing tip being located at a spaced apart position forward from the ink supply unit and which can be moved by a specified operation to a contact position where it comes into contact with the ink supply unit from the front side (see Figures 1 to 3).

[0009] The second feature is that a plurality of ink supply units that supply different types of ink are provided on the rear side of the single writing tip (see FIGS. 1 to 3).

[0010] As a third feature, a biasing member is provided which biases the writing tip forward relative to the barrel, and the specified operation is an operation of pressing the writing tip against the surface to be written on, which operation causes the writing tip to retreat against the biasing force of the biasing member and reach the contact position (see Figure 3).

[0011] A fourth feature is that the biasing member is a compression coil spring provided between the writing tip and the barrel, and the ink supply portion is inserted through the compression coil spring (see FIGS. 1 to 3).

[0012] As a fifth feature, a tip holding member is provided on the barrel so as to protrude forward from the barrel and slide in the front-to-back direction relative to the barrel, and the writing tip is integrally provided on the tip holding member (see Figures 1 to 3).

[0013] As a sixth feature, the writing tip and the ink supply portion are fiber bundles.

[0014] <Specific embodiment> Next, specific embodiments having the above-mentioned features will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0015] In this specification, the barrel axis direction means the direction along the barrel centerline, and the barrel circumferential direction means the direction around the barrel centerline. In addition, "front" means one side of the barrel axis direction in the direction in which the writing tip protrudes, and "rear" means the opposite side to the one side. In addition, in this specification, the radial direction of the barrel means the diameter direction of the barrel perpendicular to the center line of the barrel, the outer radial direction of the barrel means the direction away from the center of the barrel along the radial direction of the barrel, and the inner radial direction of the barrel means the direction toward the center of the barrel along the radial direction of the barrel.

[0016] The writing instrument A comprises a barrel 10, a tip holding member 20 that protrudes forward from the barrel 10 and slides in the front-to-back direction relative to the barrel 10, a writing tip 30 that is integrally formed on the front end side of the tip holding member 20 so as to eject ink when pressed against a writing surface x, a biasing member 40 that biases the tip holding member 20 forward relative to the barrel 10, and a plurality of ink supply portions 50 that supply different types of ink to the single writing tip 30 from the rear side. With this writing instrument A, the writing tip 30 is held in a spaced-apart position (see FIG. 3(a)) away from the ink supply part 50 and forward, and when a specified operation is performed, it moves rearward to a contact position (see FIG. 3(b)) where it contacts the ink supply part 50 from the front side. Here, in the illustrated example, the predetermined operation is an operation of pressing the writing tip 30 against the writing surface x.

[0017] The shaft tube 10 is a long cylindrical member extending in the front-rear direction. The barrel 10 is formed in a long cylindrical shape with the ink supply unit 50 inside, and is integrally provided at its front end with a cap mounting section 11 for mounting a cap 70, a slide support section 12 for slidably supporting the tip holding member 20 forward of the cap mounting section 11, and a relay core holding section 13 for holding the relay core 52 of the ink supply unit 50 so as to protrude forward forward of the slide support section 12. The rear end opening of the barrel 10 is closed by a removable tail plug 60. Although the illustrated example of the barrel 10 is made up of a single cylindrical body, in other examples it is possible to use a configuration in which a plurality of cylindrical bodies are connected together.

[0018] The cap attachment portion 11 is a substantially cylindrical portion whose diameter is reduced relative to the rear cylindrical portion, and is formed so as to be inserted into the cap 70 . An annular projection 11a for fitting over the engagement / disengagement projection 71 of the cap 70 rearward is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the cap attachment portion 11. The annular projection 11a has a mountain-like shape in vertical cross section and is continuous around the entire circumference of the cap attachment portion 11. The portion of the cap attachment portion 11 in front of the cap attachment portion 11 is a cylindrical surface without any irregularities.

[0019] The slide support part 12 is a substantially cylindrical part whose diameter is reduced compared to the cap attachment part 11. A retaining protrusion 12a that prevents the tip holding member 20 from falling out is provided on the outer circumferential surface of this slide support part 12. In this slide support part 12, the part in front of the retaining protrusion 12a and the part behind the retaining protrusion 12a are cylindrical surfaces without any irregularities. The retaining projection 12 a has a mountain-like shape in vertical section with the rear side surface inclined more steeply than the front side surface, and is continuous along the entire circumference of the slide support portion 12 .

[0020] The intermediate core holding portion 13 is a substantially cylindrical portion whose diameter is reduced compared to the slide support portion 12 . The outer peripheral surface of this intermediate core holding part 13 is inserted into the urging member 40 and functions as a guide surface for the expanding and contracting urging member 40. In addition, a step portion 13b which is the boundary between the intermediate core holding part 13 and the slide support part 12 functions as a receiving surface for receiving the rear end of the urging member 40. This relay core holding portion 13 is provided with a plurality of relay core holding holes 14 (two in the illustrated example) spaced apart in the radial direction, through which the relay core 52 is inserted in a penetrating manner in the front-rear direction and held so as not to be able to retract. The relay core holding hole 14 is extended into the slide support portion 12, and at a midpoint in the extending direction, a step portion 13c is provided whose diameter is reduced toward the rear so as to hold the relay core 52 so as not to be able to retreat.

[0021] The tip holding member 20 is formed in a generally bottomed cylindrical shape with the front end wall as the bottom and the rear end open, and cylindrically covers the tip side of the intermediate core 52, the slide support portion 12, and the biasing member 40, and fits the writing tip 30 into the front end side so that it cannot be moved forward or backward (see Figures 1 and 3).

[0022] On the inner peripheral surface at the rear end side of this tip holding member 20, a plurality of locking projections 21 (three evenly spaced in one example of this embodiment) that lock onto the anti-slip projections 12a of the slide support portion 12 are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction. Each locking projection 21 is formed in a mountain-like shape in vertical cross section with the front side surface inclined more steeply than the rear side surface. When the tip holding member 20 is assembled to the slide support part 12, this locking projection 21 rides over the anti-pullout projection 12a of the slide support part 12 rearward and is positioned rearward of the anti-pullout projection 12a.

[0023] Further, an annular step 22 for receiving the front end of the biasing member 40 is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the front end side of the tip holding member 20 . A notch 23 is provided in the peripheral wall forward of the step 22 in the tip holding member 20 for inserting the writing tip 30 from the side, and a tip insertion hole 24 is provided in the frontmost wall of the tip holding member 20 to allow the writing tip 30 to protrude forward. The notch 23 and the tip insertion hole 24 communicate with each other in the radial direction of the barrel. The tip insertion hole 24 penetrates the front end wall portion of the tip holding member 20 in the front-rear direction.

[0024] The writing tip 30 is a fiber bundle made of numerous synthetic fibers, and is integrally provided with a base 31 located within the tip holding member 20 and a pen tip portion 32 that protrudes forward and has a smaller radial dimension than the base 31, and in the illustrated example is formed into a horizontal T-shaped piece (see Figures 1 and 2). As shown in FIG. 2, this writing tip 30 is fitted into the cutout portion 23 of the tip holding member 20 from the outside in the barrel diameter direction, with the pen tip portion 32 exposed forward and the base portion 31 inside the tip holding member 20. When no writing pressure is applied to the writing tip 30 (see FIG. 3(a)), the writing tip 30 is held in a spaced, forward, and separated position from the ink supply unit 50 so that no ink is supplied from the ink supply unit 50. In addition, when the writing tip 30 is pressed against the writing surface x, etc., and writing pressure is applied (see Figure 3 (b)), the writing tip 30 retreats relative to the barrel 10 and comes into contact with the intermediate core 52 of the ink supply section 50 from the front side. As other examples of the writing tip 30, it is possible to make the tip shape other than the illustrated examples, such as a bullet shape, a cylinder shape, or a wedge shape.

[0025] The biasing member 40 is a compression coil spring provided between the step 22 on the front side of the tip holding member 20 and the step 13b at the front end of the slide support portion 12 of the barrel 10. The rear end of this urging member 40 is fitted into the intermediate core holding portion 13 in an annular shape to cylindrically cover both intermediate cores 52, 52 and urge the tip holding member 20 forward relative to the barrel 10, thereby maintaining the writing tip 30 in the separated position.

[0026] A plurality of ink supply units 50 (two in the illustrated example, aligned in the radial direction of the barrel) are provided around the central axis of the barrel 10. Each ink supply section 50 includes a long cylindrical ink storage section 51 that extends over substantially the entire length of the barrel 10, and a relay core 52 that extends forward from the front end of the ink storage section 51.

[0027] The ink reservoir 51 is a thin synthetic resin cylinder that contains many synthetic fibers and is impregnated with ink, and is sometimes called batting. One of the two ink reservoirs 51 is impregnated with ink of a different color. Each ink reservoir 51 is located within the barrel 10 between a step 10a located at the rear end of the slide support portion 12 and the rear end face within the tail plug 60, and is held so as to barely move back and forth.

[0028] Each relay core 52 is a fiber bundle made of a large number of synthetic fibers, and is formed into a long cylindrical shape tapered toward the rear end. The rear end side of this relay core 52 is press-fitted from the front side into the ink storage section 51. Moreover, a middle portion in the longitudinal direction of the relay core 52 is held by the relay core holding hole 14 so that it cannot be retracted. The front end side of the relay core 52 protrudes forward from the relay core holding portion 13 and extends forward within the urging member 40 , with its frontmost end portion being located forward of the front end of the urging member 40 .

[0029] It should be noted that the porosity (void ratio) of the writing tip 30, the ink reservoir 51, and the intermediate core 52 increases in the order of the writing tip 30, the intermediate core 52, and the ink reservoir 51. According to a preferred example of this embodiment, the porosity of the writing tip 30 is about 65%, the porosity of the intermediate core 52 is about 76%, and the porosity of the ink reservoir 51 is 90%.

[0030] The tail plug 60 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape with the rear end being the bottom wall portion, and is detachably and hermetically press-fitted into the rear end side of the barrel 10. The tail plug 60 is detached when replacing the ink supply unit 50, etc.

[0031] The cap 70 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape with its front end being the bottom wall portion, and is detachably and hermetically fitted to the cap attachment portion 11 on the front end side of the barrel 10 . The cap 70 has an inner peripheral surface at the rear end thereof with an engaging / disengaging protrusion 71 which rides over the annular protrusion 11a of the cap mounting part 11 rearward to be engaged, and an annular protrusion 72 which is in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the cap mounting part 11 over the entire circumference forward of the engaging / disengaging protrusion 71. A clip is also provided on the outer peripheral side.

[0032] Next, the characteristic functions and effects of the writing instrument A having the above configuration will be described in detail. First, in an initial state where no writing pressure is applied, the writing tip 30 is in a separated position where it does not contact the ink supply portion 50 . In more detail, in this separated position, as shown in Figure 3(a), a gap s is secured between the rear end face of the tip holding member 20 and the step 11b on the front end side of the barrel 10, and a gap s' is secured between the rear end face of the writing tip 30 and the front end faces of the multiple ink supply portions 50 (more specifically, the intermediate cores 52). Therefore, in this separated position, the ink flows from the ink reservoir 51 to the relay core 52 due to capillary force, but does not reach the writing tip 30.

[0033] Next, when the front end side of the writing tip 30 is pressed against the writing surface x, such as the surface of paper (i.e., when writing pressure is applied to the writing tip 30), the writing pressure causes the writing tip 30 to retract, and it reaches a contact position where it comes into contact with the ink supply portion 50 from the front side. In more detail, when writing pressure is applied to the writing tip 30, the tip holding member 20 retreats against the biasing force of the biasing member 40, the gap s narrows, and the rear end surface of the writing tip 30 is pressed against the front ends of the multiple ink supply portions 50, 50. Therefore, at this contact position, the ink in the multiple ink supply sections 50 flows from the ink storage section 51 to the relay core 52 due to capillary force, and then flows into the single writing tip 30, and is ejected from the front end of the writing tip 30 to be applied to the writing surface x. The applied lines are either gradation lines made of multiple ink colors or lines made of a mixture of multiple ink colors.

[0034] Thereafter, when the writing tip 30 is separated from the written surface x, the writing tip 30 advances to the above-mentioned separated position due to the biasing force of the biasing member 40. As a result, ink stops flowing from the relay core 52 to the writing tip 30.

[0035] Therefore, according to the writing instrument A, ink can be supplied from the ink supply portion 50 to the writing tip 30 only when the writing instrument A is in a writing state in which writing pressure is applied. This can prevent an excessive supply of ink to the writing tip 30 and the occurrence of dripping from the writing tip 30.

[0036] Furthermore, even if the cap 70 is removed and no writing is performed for a long period of time, the gap s prevents the flow of ink between the intermediate core 52 and the writing tip 30, thereby preventing the amount of ink stored in the ink supply section 50 from decreasing due to the ink volatilizing from the writing tip 30.

[0037] Moreover, even if a state in which no writing pressure is applied continues for a long period of time, it is possible to prevent the ink in one of the ink supply units 50 from flowing to the other ink supply unit 50 via the writing tip 30. That is, if there were no gap s' at all times as in the illustrated example, there would be a risk that the ink in one ink supply unit 50 would pass through the writing tip 30 and flow in a substantially U-shaped manner to the other ink supply unit 50, but according to the writing instrument A of this embodiment, since the flow path between the writing tip 30 and the ink supply unit 50 can be cut off when not in use, it is possible to prevent the ink from flowing in a substantially U-shaped manner, and thus it is possible to prevent the writing line drawn by the writing instrument A from becoming an unintended writing line (for example, a writing line drawn only with one ink).

[0038] <Modification> In the above embodiment, as a particularly preferred example, multiple ink supply units 50 are provided for a single writing tip 30, but as another example, it is also possible to provide a single ink supply unit 50 for a single writing tip 30.

[0039] In addition, in the above embodiment, as a particularly preferred example, different types of ink are stored in the multiple ink supply units 50, but as another example, it is also possible to have the same type of ink stored in the multiple ink supply units 50.

[0040] In the above embodiment, a compression coil spring is used as the biasing member 40 as a particularly preferred example, but as another example, the biasing member 40 can be made of an elastic body such as rubber.

[0041] In addition, in the above embodiment, as a particularly preferred example, the writing tip 30 is indirectly urged forward via the tip holding member 20. However, as another example not shown, it is also possible to omit the tip holding member 20, engage the writing tip 30 with the barrel 10 so that it can slide back and forth, and urge the writing tip 30 directly forward by the urging member 40.

[0042] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the specified operation for moving the writing tip 30 from the separated position to the contact position is an operation of pressing the writing tip 30 against the surface x to be written on. However, as another example, the specified operation can be an operation other than the above, such as a sliding operation or a rotating operation of an operating unit not shown, and this operation can be configured to move the writing tip 30 from the separated position until it reaches the contact position.

[0043] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 10: Shaft tube 20: Chip holding member 30: Writing tip 40: Pressing member 50: Ink supply unit 51: Ink reservoir 52: Relay core A:Writing implements

Claims

1. The pen includes a barrel, a writing tip that protrudes forward from the barrel so as to be pressed against a surface to be written on and eject ink, and an ink supply unit that supplies ink to the writing tip from a rear side, the ink supply portion has a protruding portion protruding forward from the barrel, A writing instrument characterized in that the writing tip is located at a spaced apart position forward from the protruding portion of the ink supply portion and is moved by a specified operation to a contact position where it contacts the protruding portion of the ink supply portion from the front side.

2. A tip holding member is provided on the barrel so as to protrude forward from the barrel and slide in the front-rear direction relative to the barrel, and the writing tip is integrally provided on the tip holding member, 2. The writing implement according to claim 1, wherein the tip holding member is cylindrical and covers the protruding portion of the ink supply portion.

3. The ink supply unit includes an ink storage section that stores ink within the barrel, and a relay core that causes the ink in the ink storage section to flow forward; 3. The writing implement according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate core is held in the barrel so as not to be able to retract, and protrudes forward from the barrel to form the protruding portion.

4. A biasing member is provided to bias the writing tip forward relative to the barrel, A writing instrument as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the specified operation is an operation of pressing the writing tip against the surface to be written on, and this operation causes the writing tip to retreat against the biasing force of the biasing member and reach the contact position.

5. A writing instrument as described in claim 4, characterized in that the biasing member is a compression coil spring provided between the writing tip and the barrel, and the protruding portion is inserted into the compression coil spring.

6. A pen comprising a barrel, a writing tip protruding forward from the barrel so as to be pressed against a surface to be written on and eject ink, and an ink supply section supplying ink to the writing tip from the rear side; a writing instrument in which the writing tip is located at a spaced position forward from the ink supply unit and is moved by a predetermined operation to a contact position where the writing tip contacts the ink supply unit from the front side, A biasing member is provided to bias the writing tip forward relative to the barrel, the predetermined operation is an operation of pressing the writing tip against a surface to be written on, and this operation causes the writing tip to move back against the biasing force of the biasing member and reach the contact position; A writing instrument characterized in that the biasing member is a compression coil spring provided between the writing tip and the barrel, and the ink supply portion is inserted through the compression coil spring.

7. A writing instrument as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that a plurality of ink supply sections which supply different types of ink are provided on the rear side of the single writing tip.

8. A writing instrument as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the writing tip and the ink supply part are fiber bundles.

9. A writing instrument as described in claim 8, characterized in that the ink supply portion has a greater porosity than the writing tip.

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