Pen

(54) (56) (57)

APPLICANT INVENTOR'S OFFICE DESIGNATION

Emilio Ambasz New York Search

AWAPATENT AB

Flexible pen

CALLED PUBLICATIONS: FR A 1 253

FR A 2 103

SUMMARY:

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NY US

GB

384 (B43C),

492 (B43K 9/00

A 1 288 909 (B43K 7/12), // B29d 23/00)

Pen comprising shaped container (10) end portion and head end portion (12 and 14), interconnected by means of an intermediate, integrally formed, flexible portion (16), whereby the container can be bent at the flexible portion, and with a writing tip (19). at the distal end of the tip end portion (12). A substantially rigid tubular cap portion (46) is telescopically received over the tip end portion (12) of the container (10) in such a way that it can be moved along the container between (1) a retracted position in which it lies over a portion of the tip end portion and substantially all of the tip. the flexible portion, thus exposing the writing tip for use and making the pen substantially rigid, and (2) an accomplished position in which it covers the writing tip and leaving the flexible portion exposed; thus protecting the writing tip and making the pen flexible. Engaging coupling elements on the cap (46) and the tip end portion (12) of the container (10) releasably retain the cap portion in each of said retracted and executed positions.

an elongate, in with a substantially rigid tip, which has a piece

The numbers in brackets indicate international identification code, INID code. Letters in clamps indicate international document code.

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IN

FLEXIBLE PEN

Ballpoint pens are available in a variety of types, shapes and sizes and are cost-effective from as little as a few cents to several hundreds of dollars.

The present invention relates to a cheap ballpoint pen.

Relatively cheap ballpoint pens can be found both of the retractable type in which the write tip is ejected from and pulled into a container, for example, by pressing a push button at the head end of the container or by rotating one portion of the container relative to another portion, and the fixed type, in which the writing tip is permanently attached to the container and some of which has removable hats. Usually, the retractable type is slightly more expensive to manufacture and thus more expensive than the solid type. The retractable type is generally preferable in the sense that it is transportable in a pocket or purse, since the writing tip can be retracted and, therefore, will not destroy the pocket, purse, or objects in them. The removable hats on the fixed type of ballpoint pens have a tendency to disappear. In addition, the container of a pen with a detachable hat can be easily separated from the hat when the pen is carried in a pocket or in a purse, in which case a shirt may be destroyed or the objects in a purse or pocket ruined.

Ballpoint pens, and as far as all writing instruments are concerned, are not particularly handy to carry, but most people still like to carry a pen with them. When clipped to a shirt pocket or rock pocket, a pencil may bump or push against the wearer from time to time. Some pockets are not deep enough to fully occupy a pen. Often there is not enough room in small stock exchanges or in small coin wallets to accommodate a conventional ballpoint pen.

Pg 203

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In accordance with the present invention, a ballpoint pen, which in one respect is of the retractable type, is provided in that the writing tip is exposed in one form and covered and protected in another form. In another respect, it is not a retractable type, as there is no retraction mechanism for moving the write tip into and out of the container but the write tip is attached to the container. The invention further provides a pencil which is flexible when in the form in which the tip is covered and protected, but which is rigid when the tip is uncovered for use. The flexibility of the pen in the form when the tip is covered and protected allows the pen to bend when placed in a pocket or purse so that it can fit comfortably into small pockets and purses and so that it can yield and thereby be more comfortable when a person wears it.

In particular, the invention is a pen with an elongated, integrally formed container having a substantially rigid tip end portion and a substantially rigid head end portion, a writing tip attached to the distal end of the tip end portion, and a substantially rigid tubular cap portion which is telescopically received over the container. tip end portion and movable along the container between a retracted position, in which it lies over a portion of the tip end portion and thus leaves the writing tip exposed and in an executed position, in which it covers the writing tip and thus protects it.

The pen according to the invention is characterized in that the container comprises an integral, flexible part between the tip end portion and the main end portion, whereby the container can be bent at the flexible part, the cap in the retracted position being over substantially all of the flexible part and making the pen substantially rigid and in the executed position. covers the writing tip and leaves the flexible portion exposed and makes the pen flexible, and the cap and container tip end portion includes release means.

retaining the hat portion in each of said retracted and executed positions.

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The present invention may include the following additional features, alone or in combination:

1) The length of the cap portion is such that it covers most of the container when in the retracted position, the pen being adapted to be held for use by gripping the cap portion;

2) An outer, circumferentially extending surface of the tip end portion of the container, which surface is adjacent to the writing tip, engages a mating inner surface of the cap portion in its retracted position, thereby supporting the tip end portion of the cap portion when the pen is used;

3) The cap portion is retained in the performed and retracted position, respectively, by means of longitudinally spaced grooves either in the tip end portion of the container or in the cap portion, which groove occupies a ledge or projection on the other of either the container or cap portion;

4) The end of the cap portion which is closest to the head end portion of the container telescopically occupies a portion of the head end portion in the retracted position;

5) The main end portion of the container includes a pocket clip. In one embodiment, the pocket clamp is integral with the container and is joined to the head end portion by a one-piece flexible hinge rib at a distance from both ends of the clamp, whereby the hinge rib is a center of pivot. The distal end of the head end portion of the container accommodates a resilient insert having a portion engaging the pocket clamp and resiliently forcing the clamp to pivot around the pivot center, the insert being resilient to enable pivot of the pivot around the pivot center to an open position; and

6) The flexible portion of the container comprises at least one bending life extending longitudinally between and joined to the tip end and head end portions, and a plurality of longitudinally spaced apart flanges extending at least in each bending direction of life, next to

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465 adjoining pairs of flanges are interchangeable in flexion of life and limit the bending row for each segment of life between adjacent flanges.

The main advantages of a pen embodying the present invention are the possibility of bending, which facilitates a person to carry the pen or carry it in small exchanges, and the possibility of covering the top pen by means of a hat which is not removable and therefore cannot be lost when the pen is being transported. In a preferred embodiment with a one-piece pocket clip, the pocket clip can be opened manually as a clothespin, which limits the wear of a shirt or coat pocket that occurs with conventional pocket clips.

For a better understanding of the invention reference may be made to the following description of exemplary embodiments, together with the figures of the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of the container component in a first embodiment;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the container component of Fig. 1, a portion being cut away in longitudinal section:

Figure 3 is an axial sectional view of the hat portion of the first embodiment, a portion being shown in vertical projection;

Figures 4A and 4B are a side elevational view and a top view, respectively, of an insert that closes to the head end of the container in the first embodiment;

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the first embodiment when assembled, with the hat portion in the retracted position and the pocket clamp opened;

Fig. 6 is a side elevational view showing the first embodiment when assembled, the hat section in cross-section in the executed position, and how the container is bent;

Fig. 7 is a front elevational view of the container component in a second embodiment;

Figure 8 is a side elevational view of the container component of Figure 7, a portion broken away in longitudinal section;

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Fig. 9 is an axial sectional view of the hat portion of the second embodiment, parts being shown in longitudinal section;

Fig. 10 is a top view of the second embodiment;

Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view of the second embodiment taken along line 11-11 of Figure 8;

Fig. 12 is a front elevational view of the second embodiment showing the composite and with the hat portion in the retracted position; and

Fig. 13 is a front elevational view showing the second embodiment when assembled, the longitudinal section of the hat section in the executed position, and how the container is bent.

The container 10 in the first embodiment (see Figs. 1 and 2) is a one-piece, elongated portion made of a suitable plastic, such as a substantially rigid nylon, by injection molding. It comprises three main sections, a rigid tip end portion 12, a rigid head end portion 14, and an intermediate, integral, flexible portion 16 joining the tip end portion and the head end portion. The tip end portion 12 is rotationally symmetrical about its longitudinal axis and includes at its distal end a tapered outer surface 18 which substantially aligns with the taper of a write tip 19 on a ballpoint pen cartridge attached to the container. An inner hole 20 extends (see FIG. 5) coaxially with the geometric axis of the container along the entire length of the tip end portion 12 and has at its distal end an enlarged portion defining a ledge 22_r against the wick. shaft tip 19 shaft rests. Hole 20 occupies the ballpoint pen cartridge tubular ink reservoir 19a, which may be of any suitable construction but preferably has a flexible plastic housing extending along nearly the entire length of the container. A short, rigid ink reservoir that does not extend into the flexible portion 16 of the container is also suitable.

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The tip end portion 12 has a pair of longitudinally spaced, circumferentially extending grooves 24 and 26. A ledge 24a which forms that of the walls of the groove 24 which is closest to the distal end of the tip end portion 12 is slightly higher than the other wall, for reasons to be described. below. Over most of the area between the grooves 24 and 26, the outer surface of the tip end portion 12 has a diameter which is slightly smaller than the diameter of the respective joints with the grooves.

The flexible portion 16 includes a plurality of circular flanges 28, each having a central hole 30 of the same diameter as the hole 20 and therefore capable of accommodating the flexible ink reservoir of the print tip cartridge. The adjacent flanges are aligned with each other, and the outermost flanges are joined to respective portions 12 and 14, by diametrically opposed connection portions 32, which are aligned in two longitudinal rows and are adjacent to the circumference. The connection portions 32 form relatively thin, longitudinal rib or ribbon-like joints which join the tip end portion and the main end portion. These thin lives can be bent back and forth in a direction across the two rows, ie in the plane of the paper with respect to Fig. 2 and perpendicular to the plane of the paper with respect to Fig. 1.

The flanges 28 limit and control the flexibility of the flexible part by interfering with each other at extreme bending, each pair of flanges limiting the degree of bending that can occur in the connecting portion between them, except they serve an aesthetic purpose. they provide a visual mass to what would otherwise be a thin string or the string connecting two end portions. The rings also connect the two bodies with each other in the transverse direction and make them rigid so that they do not bend in the direction of the joint.

The main end portion 14 is tubular (to minimize material consumption) and has a circular cylindrical outer surface. A pocket clip 34 is integrally formed with

465 312 body and is joined thereto by a hinge rib 36 defining a pivot center around which the clamp 34 can pivot. The hollow distal end 38 of the main end portion 14 accommodates a resilient deformable insert 40 (see Figs. 4A and 4B) which is received in and occupies a region 42 at the interior of the head end of the pocket clip. A series of shallow recesses 44 at the head end of the pocket clamp 34 facilitates gripping of the head end, allowing the user to press the clamp into an open position (see Fig. 5) to open the tip end, whereby the pen can be inserted and clamped at a pocket. The resilient insert 40 forces the pocket clamp to the closed position (see Fig. 6).

The hat portion 46 (see Fig. 3) is rotationally symmetrical about a longitudinal, central, geometric axis. It is tubular and telescopically occupies the tip end portion 12 and the flexible portion 16 of the container in either of two positions, each of which is ingested and maintained at a selected level of axial force by accommodating an inner shoulder 48 in each of the grooves 24 and 26 in the tip end portion of the container. . When the shoulder 48 is located in the groove 24, the cap 46 is formed and covers and protects the pen tip (see Fig. 6). When the shoulder 48 is received in the groove 26, the cap portion is over most of the tip end portion 12 and the entire resilient portion of the container 16. In this retracted position (see Fig. 5), the pen tip of the pen is not covered and an inner surface 50 on the cap end tip engages with a portion of the cap portion. the tapered surface 18 of the tip end portion of the container, whereby the cap portion is firmly supported on the container, and the head portion d of the cap portion telescopically occupies a portion 52 of the head end portion 14 of the container. Therefore, in the retracted position, the cap engages the portion 52, a portion of the container adjacent the groove 26 and a portion of the tapered distal end 18 of the container, thereby making the pen substantially rigid (see Fig. 5).

As it moves between the executed and retracted position, the hat portion moves freely over most of its range of motion thanks to a sliding fit or movable

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465 fit between the shoulder 48 of the cap portion and the reduced diameter portion of the tip end portion of the container. In the position of the hat part (see Fig. 6), the shoulder 48 abuts the ledge 24a, which, because of its larger outer diameter (see Figs. 1 and 2), prevents the hat part from being completely removed from the container. In addition, in the executed position, the cap portion no longer covers the flexible portion 16, the pen being able to bend along the flexible portion, as described above and shown in Fig. 6. The pen can be bent significantly more than to the degree shown in Fig. 6. It can, in fact, be double bent so that the cap portion touches the head end portion 14 of the container.

The second embodiment shown in Figs. 7-13 is identical to the first embodiment (Figs. 1-6) in most respects, and the above description is largely applicable to the second embodiment. Corresponding parts in the second embodiment have reference numerals which are exactly 100 higher than those in the first embodiment. (For example, the tip end portion of the container is designated in the second embodiment 112, i.e. 100 more than the tip end portion 12 in the first embodiment. ) The parts of the second embodiment corresponding to those of the first embodiment need not therefore be described. The differences between the embodiments are as follows:

The elements locking the hat portion in the executed and retracted position respectively comprise a pair of narrow, shallow grooves LGQ in the salmon tip end portion L12, which_: two grooves are of identical shape and are located on diametrically opposed sides of the container. A portion 160a of each groove extends in the longitudinal direction of the container (e.g., parallel to its geometric axis). At each end of such a longitudinal portion 160a there is an inclined portion 160b and at the end of each groove 160 there is a locking portion 160c, 160d.

The hat portion 146 has a pair of inner projections 170, which

465 312 are received in respective grooves 160 in the tip end portion of the container. When the projections 170 are located in the lock portions 160c, the cap 146 is in the executed position and covers and protects the pen tip (see Fig. 13). When the projections 170 are received in the locking portions 160d of the grooves, the hat portion is over most of the tip end portion 112 and over the entire flexible portion 116 of the container. In this retracted position (see Fig. 12), the pen tip of the pen is not covered, an inner surface 146a on the tip end of the cap has a small clearance relative to the tapered portion 118a proximal portion 118a of the tip end portion of the container, and an inner surface 146b also has a cap. small clearance relative to a surface 112a of the container. The head end portion 146c of the hat portion telescopically occupies a portion 152 of the reduced diameter head end portion 114. Therefore, in the retracted position, the hat surfaces 146a, 146b and 146c support the tip end portion 112 and flexible portion 116 of the container 110 relative to the main end portion 114 and make the pen substantially rigid. The user grips the pen in the usual way so that the thumb and fingers grip the hat part. The hat's locked position can withstand the printing pressure applied by the user.

To move the hat part between the performed and retracted position, the user only rotates the hat part in one direction to move the projections 170 on the hat part 146 from the lock portions 160c or 160d. The locking portions of the grooves are in gripping or pressing fit with the projections 170 so that a small twisting force is required to move the projections out of the locking portions. as the projections move through the inclined portions 160b of each groove, and then slide longitudinally as the projections move along portions 160a. As the protrusions 170 reach the inclined portions at the other end of the grooves, further longitudinal movement of the hat part also causes rotation of the hat part in relation to

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465 to the container, which indicates to the user the direction of rotation required to lock the hat part in the new position. A user can quickly learn how to operate the hat and will then use the pen correctly out of habit. The switch from one locked position to another can easily be done with one hand.

A relatively small force is required to maintain the locked position against rotation, but the projections and grooves can be designed to provide a comparatively large force, which counteracts longitudinal movement from the hat's respective locked positions.

A pocket clip 162, which is bent by a thin metal band, is retained in the head end portion by a cup-like end member 164 and is appropriately received and secured, as by means of a binder, at the end of the head portion 114 and by accommodating an L-shaped retaining flange 166 in a slot 168 in the top of the container. The pocket clip 34 in the first embodiment may be used in place of the metal pocket clip 162 in the second embodiment.

The above-described embodiments of the invention are provided by way of example only and a variety of variations and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, the means by which the hat part is retained in the designed and retracted position can be modified, such as by having projections or abutments on the container and grooves in the inner surface of the hat. The length of the cap portion may be such that it is only sufficiently Longer than the container flexible portion.1 to provide a substantially rigid connection between the tip end portion and the head end portion, such that the pen is substantially rigid when the cap portion is in the retracted position for use. The writing tip is not necessarily limited to ballpoint cartridges, although the type of writing tips used in the pen should be chosen considering the storage time of a particular type of packaging (hermetically sealed packaging can make storage time largely unimportant)

465 312 and the useful life of the writing tip, since the pen cap portion does not fully cover the writing tip. In these circumstances, ball tip cartridges are preferred over the so-called felt tip cartridges, which dry out when not covered.

Thus, in accordance with the invention there is provided a pen which is inexpensive to manufacture and convenient to carry and use. The cap is securely retained on the container and is not removed when the pen is used, so it cannot be dropped. The cap covers the tip when the pen is stored or transported and the pen is flexible and can therefore be bent to fit better in pockets and small exchanges.

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