EP0572361A1

EP0572361A1 - Ink reservoir for a fountain pen, designed for use as a travelling accessory

Info

Publication number: EP0572361A1
Application number: EP93830222A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Dante Del Vecchio
Original assignee: OFFICE DREAM DI DEL VECCHIO E POLI SNC
Current assignee: OFFICE DREAM DI DEL VECCHIO E POLI SNC
Priority date: 1992-05-28
Filing date: 1993-05-25
Publication date: 1993-12-01
Also published as: IT228171Y1; ITFI920079V0; ITFI920079U1

Abstract

The accessory consists of: an ink reservoir (1) for filling the pen; a reserve reservoir (9) for the ink; and a container (16) for ink-coloring tablets; the reserve reservoir (9) can be leaktightly coupled onto the filling reservoir (1) in longitudinal alignment, and conmunicates with said reservoir (1) via a channel (14) which has a very small cross section; the reserve reservoir (9) can be leaktightly closed off by the container (16) which houses the coloring tablets and which is designed to form the ink as and when necessary.

Description

When using a fountain pen it is necessary to have available a reservoir containing the special ink needed for the pen to work properly. This is not always that easy when the pen is being used by someone who is frequently on the move for long periods of time.
The invention solves this problem and its subject is an accessory - specifically designed as a travelling accessory - for a fountain pen, which accessory basically consists of: an ink reservoir for filling the pen; a reserve reservoir for the ink; and a container for coloring tablets for forming the ink. The reserve reservoir can be leaktightly coupled onto the filling reservoir, in longitudinal alignment therewith, and communicates with said reservoir via a channel which has a very small cross section; in this way, when said reserve reservoir is open to allow the entry of air, ink can be transferred from it into the filling reservoir, whereas, when said reserve reservoir is leaktightly closed off, the ink cannot be transferred from the reserve to the filling reservoir.
Said reserve reservoir can be leaktightly closed off by placing the tablet container in longitudinal alignment thereon as a stopper.
Said channel having a very small cross section can consist of a narrow and relatively long axial hole hollowed out in the base of the reserve reservoir, which base may preferably form an axial projection which, when the reservoirs are coupled together, projects into the filling reservoir.
The tablet container can be used as a stopper for the reserve reservoir and can in turn be closed by a stopper in the form of a cap, which can be fitted with a flexible and absorbent extension for use in cleaning operations.
The filling reservoir can have a small well in its base for receiving the end of the pen and the nib; thus virtually all the ink can be taken up.
The drawing shows a possible embodiment of the invention, and specifically:

Fig. 1 shows, in axial alignment and in longitudinal section, the two components forming the filling reservoir and the reserve reservoir for the ink; and
Fig. 2 shows the two components forming the tablet container and the closure cap in axial alignment but not fitted together; and also partially shows the reserve reservoir.

In the attached drawing, the reference 1 indicates a component forming the reservoir for filling the fountain pen. This reservoir has a cavity 3 which forms the ink reservoir and extends into a small well 5 in its base; the transverse section and the axial depth of this well are such as to be able to receive the end of the fountain pen and the nib projecting therefrom. The reservoir formed by the cavity 3, 5 can be accessed through a threaded hole 7 which enables the pen to be inserted and which can even have a thread matching that on the pen body onto which the lid protecting the nib is screwed. By inserting the pen into the reservoir produced in this way it is possible to suck up the ink contained therein until nearly all the ink contained in the filling reservoir 1, 3, 5 is used up.
The reference 9 indicates a second component of the accessory in question, which forms a reserve reservoir for the ink and for this purpose forms a cavity 10 which extends longitudinally inside the body of the component 9 between a threaded hole 12 provided at the top and a bottom 9A which extends from the body of the accessory 9 forming a thread 9B which can be screwed into the threaded hole 7; in addition the bottom 9A characteristically has an axial channel 14 in the form of a relatively long and relatively narrow through hole passing through the bottom 9A and which, when the components 9 and 1 are coupled together by means of the threads 7 and 9B, enables communication between the two cavities 10 and 3 for the purposes indicated below.
The reference 16 indicates a third component which forms a container for coloring tablets used to form the ink by dissolving them in water, especially distilled water. The component 16 has a cavity 18 expressly for containing the tablets and it also has a threaded end 16B which can be screwed into the threaded hole 12 of the cavity 10 of the reserve reservoir 9.
The couplings between the threads 7 and 9B and between the threads 12 and 16B are leaktight couplings, with the optional interposition of suitable annular sealing elements. The cavity 18 has a thread 20 which can be screwed onto the threaded end 22A of a cap stopper 22 so as to close the container 16, 18 for the coloring tablets.
Once the two components 16 and 22 are coupled together, a recess 16C in the body 16, delimited by an edge formed by the cap 22, enables an attachment clip for the assembled accessory to be fixed. The cap 22 can also have an extension 24 made of absorbent material, such as compressed absorbent cotton or some other material, which is housed in a seat formed in said cap 22 and which projects out of the threaded end 22A. This absorbent extension can be used to clean drops or traces of ink as and when they form on the outside of the accessory after the pen has been filled or during operations to form the ink; when the cap 22 is coupled to the body 16, the absorbent extension 24 is housed in the cavity 18.
The set of components 1, 9, 16 and 22 is very compact and has an elongated shape so that the accessory can even be kept in the breast pocket of a suit as well as in a travel bag or the like.
The thread 7 can match that on the pen cap, so that the pen can be screwed onto the part 1, 3, 5.
The assembled accessory can contain one batch of ink in the cavity 3, 5 to be taken up by the fountain pen which is introduced into the cavity 3, 5 through the threaded hole 7 and which is optionally screwed onto it. The set can also be used to form batches of ink as and when necessary which are then contained in the cavity 10 of the reserve reservoir; the ink is prepared using pure water or rather distilled water which is introduced into the container 10 and using one or more tablets taken from the cavity 18 of the container 16, 18. The ink is easily prepared by shaking or stirring the water in order to help the coloring tablet dissolve in the water.
When the reserve reservoir 9 is closed off at its top part by the stopper formed by the threaded end 16B which is screwed into the thread 12 and by the leaktight coupling of the component 9 to the component 16, the ink cannot leak out from the cavity 10 through the constricted channel 14 and into the cavity 3, 5 of the component 1; the ink can only flow when air is allowed to penetrate into the top part of the cavity 10 through the hole 12 by opening it at least partially. It is thus possible to make a reserve batch of ink in the cavity 10 of the reserve reservoir formed by the component 9 and to allow the component 1 to be used to fill the pen, while the flow of ink from the component 9 to the component 1 can be controlled by manipulating the stopper formed by the component 16 placed in the threaded hole 12, and this can be done either with the components 1 and 9 not fitted together or in any case not leaktightly fitted, or with the components 1 and 9 leaktightly coupled.
At all events, using the accessory described, it is possible to ensure that ink is available for filling the pen time after time and that ink can easily be formed by means of the coloring tablets contained in the cavity 18 of the component 16.
Where the threads 12 and 16B are the same as those 7 and 9B, the user can remove the part 9 at will and use only the parts 1, 16 and 22, to form a single measure of ink in 3, 5. However, the container 9, 10 enables multiple measures to be prepared which can then be transferred into the container 3, 5 in several stages.

Claims

A travelling accessory for a fountain pen, consisting of: an ink reservoir (1, 3, 5) for filling the pen; a reserve reservoir (9, 10) for the ink; and a container (16, 18) for ink-coloring tablets; the reserve reservoir being able to be leaktightly coupled onto the filling reservoir in longitudinal alignment and being able to communicate with said reservoir via a channel (14) which has a very small cross section, and said reserve reservoir being able to be leaktightly closed off in order to prevent the ink from being transferred from it into the filling reservoir.
The accessory as claimed in claim 1, wherein said reserve reservoir (9, 10) can be leaktightly closed off by placing the tablet container (16, 18) on top of it.
The accessory as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein said channel (14) having a very small cross section consists of a narrow axial hole in the base of the reserve reservoir, preferably forming an axial projection (9A) which, when the reservoirs are coupled together, projects into the filling reservoir.
The accessory as claimed in claim 1 or 2 or 3, wherein the tablet container (16) forms a stopper for the reserve reservoir (9, 10) and is in turn closed by a stopper in the form of a cap (22) which is fitted with a flexible and absorbent extension (24) for use in cleaning operations.
The accessory as claimed in at least one of the preceding claims, wherein the leaktight closures are effected by screw means.
The accessory as claimed in at least one of the preceding claims, wherein the filling reservoir (3, 5) has a small well (5) in its base for receiving the end of the pen and the nib, thereby enabling virtually all the ink to be taken up.
The accessory as claimed in at least one of the preceding claims, wherein several coupling threads are mutually identical.
An ink reservoir for a fountain pen, designed for use as a travelling accessory; the whole as described above and shown for illustrative purposes in the attached drawing.