Haunted Notebook

Abstract

To prevent a cover covering the inner surface of the tip from slipping.SOLUTION: A retractable writing instrument includes a barrel 10 having a tip 13 on the front end side, a cover 20 made of a material softer than the tip 13 and covering the inner surface of the tip 13, and refills 30, 40 housed in the barrel 10 so as to protrude from the tip 13. A protrusion 13b is provided on one of the inner surface of the tip 13 and the surface of the cover 20 facing the inner surface, and a recess 21 to fit the protrusion 13b is provided on the other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a retractable writing instrument in which a refill housed in a barrel is adapted to protrude and retract from a tip opening at the front end of the barrel. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventional inventions of this type include, for example, as described in Patent Document 1, a retractable writing instrument that has one or more refills inside a barrel, and allows the writing tip of the refill to protrude and retract from a tip attached to the front end of the barrel, and that has a resin coating that covers the inner surface of the tip and extends to a portion of the inner surface of the barrel near the front end. This retractable writing instrument can prevent the writing tip of the refill from interfering with the inner periphery of the tip opening when it retracts and is damaged, or from making unpleasant noises. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-126595 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, with the above-mentioned conventional technology, there is a risk that the resin coating may move and become misaligned relative to the tip due to vibrations during manufacturing or transportation, or due to contact with the refill. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In view of such problems, the present invention One of The system has the following configuration: The pen comprises a barrel having a tip at the front end, a cover covering the inner surface of the tip, and a refill housed in the barrel so as to protrude from the tip, and a convex portion is provided on one of the inner surface of the tip and the surface of the cover facing the inner surface, and a concave portion that fits into the convex portion is provided on the other. A front end inner edge covering portion that covers the inner edge portion of the front end of the tip opening is provided on the front end side of the covering body, and the refill in a protruding state is arranged to be close to or in contact with the front end inner edge covering portion, and the front end inner edge covering portion protrudes forward of the tip opening. A retractable writing instrument characterized by: [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] Since the present invention is configured as described above, it is possible to prevent the covering body that covers the inner surface of the tip from shifting. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a side view showing an example of a retractable writing instrument according to the present invention, with essential parts cut away to show the internal structure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of a main part of the retractable writing instrument. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the state before the cover is attached to the tip opening. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] This embodiment discloses the following features. The first feature is that it comprises a barrel having a tip at the front end, a cover that covers the inner surface of the tip, and a refill housed in the barrel so that it protrudes from and retracts from the tip, and a convex portion is provided on one of the inner surface of the tip and the surface of the cover facing the inner surface, and a concave portion that fits into the convex portion is provided on the other (see Figures 1 to 3).

[0009] As a second feature, a front end inner edge covering portion that covers the inner edge portion of the front end of the tip opening is provided on the front end side of the covering body, and the refill in a protruding state is made to be close to or in contact with the front end inner edge covering portion (see Figures 1 and 2).

[0010] As a third feature, the front end inner edge covering portion protrudes forward beyond the tip opening (see FIG. 2).

[0011] As a fourth feature, the covering body is formed from a material that is softer than the tip.

[0012] As a fifth feature, the tip is made of a metal material, and the covering body is made of a synthetic resin material.

[0013] As a sixth feature, the inner surface of the tip is provided with the convex portion and a stepped portion with a reduced diameter at a position spaced rearward from the convex portion, and the cover has the concave portion fitted into the convex portion and the rear end portion fitted into the stepped portion (see Figure 2).

[0014] As a seventh feature, the convex portion has a first surface extending rearward along the barrel axis direction from the tapered inner surface of the nose opening, and a second surface protruding inward in the barrel radial direction from the inner surface of the nose opening and connected to the rear end of the first surface (see FIG. 3).

[0015] As an eighth feature, the cover has a thin portion between the recess and the rear end portion, the thin portion being thinner than other portions (see FIG. 3).

[0016] As a ninth feature, the method includes a step of inserting the cover into the tip from the rear side, fitting the recess into the protrusion, and fitting the rear end portion of the cover into the step (see FIG. 3).

[0017] <Specific embodiment> Next, specific embodiments having the above-mentioned features will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In this specification, the barrel axis direction means the direction in which the center line of the barrel extends, and the barrel circumferential direction means the direction around the center line of the barrel. Also, "front" means one side of the barrel axis direction, in the direction in which the front end of the refill protrudes, and "rear" means the opposite side from the one side. In this specification, the term "diametric direction of the barrel" refers to the direction of the barrel diameter perpendicular to the centerline of the barrel, the term "outer side of the barrel diameter" refers to the direction away from the barrel center along the barrel diameter direction, and the term "inner side of the barrel diameter" refers to the direction toward the barrel center along the barrel diameter direction.

[0018] FIG. 1 shows an example of a retractable writing instrument according to the present invention. This retractable writing instrument 1 comprises a barrel 10 having a tip 13 at the front end, a covering body 20 formed from a material softer than the tip 13 and covering the inner surface of the tip 13, and a plurality of refills 30, 40 housed in the barrel 10 so as to protrude and retract from the tip 13; by selectively advancing a plurality of operating members 51, 52 exposed to the outside at the rear end side of the barrel 10, the refill 30 (or 40) corresponding to the selected operating member is advanced, causing the front end of the refill to protrude forward from the tip 13.

[0019] The barrel tube 10 is configured as an integral, approximately cylindrical unit consisting of a front barrel 11, a rear barrel 12 connected to the rear end of the front barrel 11 and extending rearward, a tapered nose opening 13 extending from the front end of the front barrel 11 and extending forward, and a long inner barrel 14 that supports and integrates the nose opening 13, front barrel 11, and rear barrel 12 from the inside.

[0020] As another example of barrel 10, some or all of front barrel 11, rear barrel 12, nosepiece 13, and inner barrel 14 may be integrated. As another example of barrel 10, inner barrel 14 may be omitted, and front barrel 11, rear barrel 12, and nosepiece 13 may be directly connected.

[0021] The tip 13 is made of a hard metal material (for example, brass) and has a tapered cylindrical shape. The inner peripheral surface of the tip 13 is formed as a concave curved surface that gradually reduces in diameter toward the front. This inner peripheral surface is provided with a convex portion 13b that protrudes radially inward and a step portion 13c that reduces in diameter behind the convex portion 13b. At the very tip of the tip opening 13, an opening 13a is provided for inserting and removing the refill 30 (or 40).

[0022] As shown in the longitudinal section of Figure 3, the convex portion 13b has a first surface 13b1 extending rearward from the inner surface of the tapered tip opening 13 along the axial direction of the barrel, and a second surface 13b2 protruding inward from the inner surface of the tip opening 13 in the radial direction of the barrel and connected to the rear end of the first surface 13b1, and is provided in a ring shape around the entire circumference of the tip opening 13.

[0023] The stepped portion 13c is provided in an annular shape around the entire circumference of the tip 13, at a position spaced a predetermined distance rearward from the protruding portion 13b, and has a diameter that decreases rearward. The inner circumferential surface of nose opening 13 rearward of step 13c is formed in a cylindrical shape that is continuous with the inner circumferential surface of rear barrel 12.

[0024] The cover 20 is a member having a generally truncated cone shape that fits along the inner peripheral surface of the tip 13 . The cover 20 is made of a material that is softer than the tip 13 (for example, a synthetic resin material such as polypropylene). The outer surface of the covering body 20 is formed into a convex curved surface that gradually narrows in diameter toward the front so as to fit along the inner surface of the tip opening 13 .

[0025] The outer surface of the covering body 20 facing the inner surface of the tip opening 13 is provided with a recess 21 that fits into the protrusion 13b of the tip opening 13, a front end inner edge covering portion 22, and a thin portion 23 that is thinner than other portions.

[0026] The recess 21 has a first surface 21a extending rearward along the axial direction of the barrel, and a second surface 21b extending radially outward from the rear end of the first surface 21a, and is formed in a ring shape around the entire circumference of the covering body 20. The recess 21 fits onto the protrusion 13b such that the first surface 21a and the second surface 21b are respectively superimposed on the first surface 13b1 and the second surface 13b2 of the protrusion 13b.

[0027] The front end inner edge covering portion 22 is formed in a small diameter cylindrical shape that covers the inner peripheral surface of the opening 13a at the front end of the tip opening 13. The front end of this front end inner edge covering portion 22 protrudes forward beyond the front end of the tip opening 13. When the refill 30 (or 40) projects forward from the tip opening 13, the inner peripheral surface of this front end inner edge covering portion 22 comes close to or comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the front end side of the refill 30 (40).

[0028] The thin-walled portion 23 is located behind the recess 21 and in front of the rearmost end of the covering body 20. The thin-walled portion 23 is formed by partially recessing the outer circumferential surface of the covering body 20 into a concave shape, making the thin-walled portion thinner than other portions of the covering body 20. This thin portion 23 facilitates deformation of the cover 20 during assembly of the retractable writing instrument 1, and also functions as a gate when the cover 20 is molded.

[0029] Of the multiple refills, the refill designated by reference numeral 30 is a refill for a ballpoint pen, in which a ballpoint pen tip is connected to the front end of an ink reservoir tube. The refill designated by the reference numeral 40 is a refill for a mechanical pencil in which a lead feed mechanism is connected to the front end side of the lead tank, and the front end side of the lead feed mechanism protrudes from the tip opening 13.

[0030] An operating member 51 is connected to the rear end of the ballpoint pen refill 30. An operating member 52 with a clip function is connected to the rear end of the mechanical pencil refill 40. These operating members 51, 52 are biased rearward by a biasing member (e.g., a compression coil spring) not shown, and when selectively pushed forward, they move forward, causing the corresponding refill 30 (or 40) to protrude from the front end of the tip 13, and in this protruding state, they are engaged with an engaging portion not shown inside the barrel 10. The structure of a well-known multi-function retractable writing instrument can be applied to these structures.

[0031] Next, the features of the manufacturing method of the retractable writing instrument 1 will be described. The manufacturing method of the retractable writing instrument 1 includes the steps of inserting the cover 20 into the tip 13 from the rear side, fitting the recess 21 on the outer surface of the cover 20 into the protrusion 13b on the inner surface of the tip 13, and fitting the rear end portion of the cover 20 into the step 13c. During this work process, the cover 20 is elastically flexed and deformed so that the recess 21 fits into the protrusion 13b and the rear end fits into the step 13c. In particular, according to a preferred example of this embodiment, the cover 20 has a thin-walled portion 23 on the peripheral wall, which makes the flexing deformation easy and improves workability.

[0032] Therefore, according to the retractable writing instrument 1 and its manufacturing method configured as described above, the recess 21 on the front end side of the cover 20 is fitted into the tip 13, and the rear end of the cover 20 is fitted into the step 13c, so it is possible to prevent the cover 20 from moving back and forth and becoming misaligned with respect to the tip 13 due to vibrations during manufacturing or transportation, or contact with the refills 30, 40. Moreover, the workability when assembling the cover 20 to the tip 13 is also good.

[0033] In addition, the area from the tapered inner peripheral surface of the tip opening 13 to the inner edge of the front end opening 13a is covered with a covering 20 that is softer than the tip opening 13, thereby preventing the front end side of the refills 30, 40 from directly contacting the inner surface of the tip opening 13 or the inner edge of the opening 13a, thereby reducing the occurrence of unpleasant noises, vibrations, etc. caused by such contact.

[0034] Furthermore, since the front end inner edge covering portion 22 of the covering body 20 is close to or in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the protruding refills 30, 40, the refills 30, 40 are prevented from flapping radially during writing, improving the writing feel.

[0035] <Modification> In the above embodiment, a convex portion 13b is provided on the inner surface of tip opening 13, and a concave portion 21 that fits into convex portion 13b is provided on the outer surface, which is the opposing surface, of sheath 20. However, as another example, it is also possible to reverse this convex-concave relationship and provide a concave portion on the inner surface of tip opening 13, and a convex portion that fits into the concave portion on the outer surface, which is the opposing surface, of sheath 20.

[0036] In addition, in the illustrated example, one thin-walled portion 23 is provided partially in the circumferential direction of the covering body 20, but other examples of the thin-walled portion 23 include a form in which it is provided around the entire circumference of the covering body 20, or a form in which multiple thin-walled portions are provided at appropriate intervals on the outer peripheral surface of the covering body 20.

[0037] As another example of the material of the cover 20, it is possible to form the cover 20 from a metal material or a rubber-based material that is softer than the cover 20.

[0038] In addition, in the above embodiment, as a particularly preferred aspect, the covering body 20 is formed from a material softer than the tip end 13, but as another example, it is also possible to form the covering body 20 from a material harder than the tip end 13. This configuration also makes it possible to prevent the cover 20 from shifting relative to the tip opening 13. It is also possible to change the quality of the interference sound that occurs when the refill 30 (or 40) appears and disappears.

[0039] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 1: Appearing writing instrument 10: Shaft tube 13: Sakiguchi 13a:Aperture 13b: Convex part 13c: Stepped section 20: Covering body 21: Recess 22: Front end inner edge covering part 23: Thin section 30,40: Refill

Claims

1. The pen comprises a barrel having a tip at the front end, a covering body that covers the inner surface of the tip, and a refill housed in the barrel so as to protrude from the tip, a convex portion is provided on one of the inner surface of the tip opening and the surface of the cover facing the inner surface, and a concave portion that fits into the convex portion is provided on the other of the two, A front end inner edge covering portion that covers an inner edge portion of the front end of the tip opening is provided on the front end side of the covering body, and the refill in a protruding state is brought into proximity with or into contact with the front end inner edge covering portion, The retractable writing implement is characterized in that the front end inner edge covering portion protrudes forward beyond the tip.

2. A barrel having a tip on the front end side, a covering body covering the inner surface of the tip, and a refill housed in the barrel so as to protrude from the tip, a convex portion is provided on one of the inner surface of the tip opening and the surface of the cover facing the inner surface, and a concave portion that fits into the convex portion is provided on the other of the two, The inner surface of the tip is provided with the convex portion and a stepped portion whose diameter is reduced at a position spaced rearward from the convex portion, The cover has the recessed portion fitted to the protruding portion, and the rear end portion fitted to the stepped portion.

3. A retractable writing instrument as described in Claim 2, characterized in that the convex portion has a first surface extending rearward from the inner surface of the tapered tip along the axial direction of the barrel, and a second surface protruding inward from the inner surface of the tip in the radial direction of the barrel and connected to the rear end of the first surface.

4. A retractable writing instrument as described in claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the covering body has a thin-walled portion between the recess and the rear end portion that is thinner than other portions.

5. A retractable writing instrument as described in any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that a front end inner edge covering portion that covers the inner edge portion of the front end of the tip is provided on the front end side of the covering body, and the refill in a protruding state is arranged to be close to or in contact with the front end inner edge covering portion.

6. A retractable writing instrument as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the covering body is formed from a material softer than the tip.

7. A retractable writing instrument as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the tip is formed from a metal material and the covering body is formed from a synthetic resin material.

8. A method for manufacturing a retractable writing instrument described in any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that it includes a step of inserting the cover from the rear side of the tip, fitting the concave portion into the convex portion, and fitting the rear end portion of the cover into the step portion.

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