EP0869872B1 - Marking instruments - Google Patents

Marking instruments Download PDF

Info

Publication number
EP0869872B1
EP0869872B1 EP96943739A EP96943739A EP0869872B1 EP 0869872 B1 EP0869872 B1 EP 0869872B1 EP 96943739 A EP96943739 A EP 96943739A EP 96943739 A EP96943739 A EP 96943739A EP 0869872 B1 EP0869872 B1 EP 0869872B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
tip
tubular member
section
marking
instrument according
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP96943739A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0869872A1 (en
Inventor
Alan Robert Hill
Clive Barnes
Charles Christopher Packham
Mark Arthur Seddon
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Berol Corp
Original Assignee
Berol Corp
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from GBGB9525691.3A external-priority patent/GB9525691D0/en
Application filed by Berol Corp filed Critical Berol Corp
Publication of EP0869872A1 publication Critical patent/EP0869872A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0869872B1 publication Critical patent/EP0869872B1/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B43—WRITING OR DRAWING IMPLEMENTS; BUREAU ACCESSORIES
    • B43K—IMPLEMENTS FOR WRITING OR DRAWING
    • B43K23/00—Holders or connectors for writing implements; Means for protecting the writing-points
    • B43K23/004—Holders specially adapted for assisting handicapped or disabled persons to write
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B43—WRITING OR DRAWING IMPLEMENTS; BUREAU ACCESSORIES
    • B43K—IMPLEMENTS FOR WRITING OR DRAWING
    • B43K7/00—Ball-point pens
    • B43K7/005—Pen barrels

Definitions

  • This invention relates to the field of marking instruments, especially, but not necessarily exclusively, writing instruments, in which a marking fluid is delivered to a marking tip from a reservoir.
  • Typical of such prior constructions are the writing implements disclosed in French Patent Specifications FR-A-1032122 and FR-A-1458917 and also European Patent Application EP-A-0170426.
  • Each of these documents discloses a writing implement with an angled writing tip.
  • the present invention provides a simple and economic solution to the above problem.
  • the tubular member may be constant cross-section.
  • the tubular section of the tip is circular in cross-section, which simplifies the tip construction, particularly in the case of a ball point tip in which a spherical ball is retained.
  • the tubular member can be made from a hollow component initially formed, such as by deep drawing, with a part-spherical end. Removal of a section of the part spherical end along a plane inclined to the longitudinal axis leaves an edge of circular profile for attachment of the tip.
  • the hollow component can vary in cross-section along its length if desired.
  • the tip engages a surface is offset from the longitudinal axis of the tubular member, in use, forces can be experienced tending to rotate the tubular member. Conveniently rotation of the tubular member is resisted by engaging a non-circular portion of this member, e.g. an end of an elliptical tube or a flange with a non-circular periphery, in a socket of complementary cross-section formed in a body of the instrument.
  • the body could be the forward end of the pen barrel, or it could be the body or a refill which is fitted replaceably into the pen barrel.
  • the tip and tubular member can be fixedly joined by any suitable technique, but laser welding has been found particularly effective and efficient.
  • a tubular member of a marking instrument Illustrated in Figs. 1-3 is a tubular member of a marking instrument, this member being a tube 1, the transverse cross-section of which is a 30° ellipse.
  • the forward end of this tube is cut so that the end face lies in a plane at 60° to the tube axis and the profile of the end face is circular.
  • the marking tip 2, a ball point writing tip as shown in the exemplary embodiment at least a tubular rear section 3 which is cylindrical and has an end face with a circular profile complementary to that of the end of the tube 1.
  • the complementary circular profiles mean the tube and tip can be easily brought together with their respective end faces in abutment ready for welding, as no rotational alignment is required.
  • the tip and tube are fastened securely together in the assembled condition by laser welding, their abutting end faces defining a connection plane which is angled so that the tip 2 extends at 30° to the axis of the tube.
  • a connection plane which is angled so that the tip 2 extends at 30° to the axis of the tube.
  • the tube is inserted into a socket 10 of complementary elliptical cross-section formed in a body 12.
  • the body can cover the tube over most of its length down to the welded joint with the tip, or it could even extend beyond this joint if required.
  • a tip angle in the range of 25° to 35° is lively to be appropriate for most users.
  • there are other ways to bring the end face profiles of the tube and tip to match at the connection plane e.g. by making the rear end section of the tip elliptical and cutting it at an angle, but this is likely to complicate manufacture of the tip component, especially if it incorporates a spherical ball.
  • the tip rear section and tube could both be cylindrical and have their end faces cut at the same angles so that complementary elliptical end faces are obtained, but this would require the components to be accurately rotationally aligned before being welded.
  • tubular member to which the tip is joined is referred to as a tube, it can include additional features, such as an external flange which could key with the pen body to help resist rotation of the marking tip.
  • Figures 8 to 13 show an alternative embodiment not falling within the scope of the invention in which the ball point tip 2 is laser welded to a tubular member in the form of a hollow component 21 initially shaped by deep drawing.
  • the component 21 is deep drawn to include a cylindrical part 22 of circular cross-section closed at the forward end by a part-spherical, in particular substantially hemispherical, end wall 23.
  • An external flange 24 is provided at 'the open rear end of the component 21, and the flange has a non-circular periphery, due to a flat edge portion 25, for orientation of the component in the forward end of a pen body and for keying the component against rotation relative to the pen body.
  • the deep drawn component 21 has a section of the part-spherical end wall removed, such as by grinding along a plane at 60° to the component axis, as depicted in Figures 10 and 11, thereby to form an opening 26 surrounded by a circular edge of diameter substantially equal to that of the tubular rear section 3 of the tip 2.
  • the rear section of the tip is welded to this circular edge so that the tip 2 is fixed to the component 21 with its axis at 30° to the component axis as shown in Figs. 13 and 14.
  • Figures 14 to 20 illustrate an embodiment in which the component is tapered and shaped to replicate the appearance of a conventional fountain pen.
  • the component is shaped in the deep drawing process to have a flat upper surface portion extending along the part 22 of the component between the flanged rear end and the part-spherical wall 23 at the front end.
  • This part includes a short cylindrical section 27 adjacent the flange 24 followed by a tapering section 28 at which the cross-section is essentially circular, and a further tapering section 29 at which the cross-section has the shape of a triangle with rounded vertices.
  • the taper of the hollow member is asymetrical so that the front end portion of the component has a longitudinal axis offset from that of the rear end, and the flat surface has a smooth transition with the part-spherical end wall.
  • a section of the end wall is ground away in a plane at 60° to the longitudinal axis and a ball point tip 2 is laser welded to the circular edge provided by the grinding process, as described in relation to the embodiment of Figures 8 to 13, to provide a writing point of similar shape to a conventional fountain pen but having a ball point tip.
  • Figures 21 to 25 show another embodiment not falling within the scope of the invention in which a hollow component 30 is formed by deep drawing.
  • the component has a cross-section which reduces gradually along the axis of draw.
  • the rear end of the component is formed with an external peripheral flange 31 which lies in a plane inclined at an angle of 5 to 10°, e.g. around 8° to a plane perpendicular to the draw axis.
  • the flange includes a flat 32 for rotational orientation purposes.
  • the component 30 is formed at the leading end with a part spherical end wall and as in the previous embodiments a section of this end wall is removed by grinding to define a circular edge 33, in this case in a plane at an angle of about 50° to the longitudinal axis, for attachment of the ball point tip 2 by laser welding.
  • the completed marking tip is assembled in a pen body 35 as illustrated in Figure 25, with the flange 31 concentric with the axis of the body and in a plane perpendicular to that axis.
  • the axis of the deep drawn tip component 30 is inclined to the longitudinal axis of the pen body and the extreme point of the tip, i.e.
  • the surface of the ball which contacts the paper during writing is located a positioned space above the axis of the pen body, which has been found to be desirable in a writing instrument with an angled tip.
  • the flat section 32 of the flange 31 keys with the pen body to prevent rotation of the marking tip relative to the pen body.
  • the tip will be substantially perpendicular to the paper when in use.

Landscapes

  • Pens And Brushes (AREA)
EP96943739A 1995-12-15 1996-12-12 Marking instruments Expired - Lifetime EP0869872B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (5)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB9525691 1995-12-15
GBGB9525691.3A GB9525691D0 (en) 1995-12-15 1995-12-15 Marking instruments
GBGB9620986.1A GB9620986D0 (en) 1995-12-15 1996-10-08 Marking instruments
GB9620986 1996-10-08
PCT/US1996/019883 WO1997022482A1 (en) 1995-12-15 1996-12-12 Marking instruments

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0869872A1 EP0869872A1 (en) 1998-10-14
EP0869872B1 true EP0869872B1 (en) 2004-05-06

Family

ID=26308310

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP96943739A Expired - Lifetime EP0869872B1 (en) 1995-12-15 1996-12-12 Marking instruments

Country Status (7)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0869872B1 (pt)
JP (1) JP2000505011A (pt)
AU (1) AU1289997A (pt)
BR (1) BR9612031A (pt)
CA (1) CA2240176A1 (pt)
DE (1) DE69632409D1 (pt)
WO (1) WO1997022482A1 (pt)

Families Citing this family (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6039493A (en) * 1996-10-08 2000-03-21 The Gillette Company Ball point pen
GB9620985D0 (en) * 1996-10-08 1996-11-27 Gillette Co Ball point pen
JP2003525764A (ja) 1997-09-25 2003-09-02 ザ ジレット カンパニー 筆記用具
DE19901629A1 (de) * 1999-01-18 2000-07-20 Merz & Krell Schreibgerät mit neigungsvarianter Spitze (Concorde II)
AU4186499A (en) * 1999-06-01 2000-12-18 Huang, Alice Y. Improvement on offset pen structure
US6860667B2 (en) 2001-11-14 2005-03-01 William Dowst Writing instrument with biased rotatable assembly

Family Cites Families (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2592406A (en) * 1949-05-05 1952-04-08 William G Faltin Fountain pen of the ball point type
FR1032122A (fr) * 1951-02-06 1953-06-30 Perfectionnement apporté aux stylographes à bille
DE879811C (de) * 1951-02-17 1953-06-15 Uhu Werk H U M Fischer Schreibspitze fuer Kugelschreiber
US3192904A (en) * 1961-11-09 1965-07-06 Frank T Johmann Writing instrument
BE632934A (pt) * 1962-06-01 1900-01-01
FR1585676A (pt) * 1968-09-09 1970-01-30
DE2364217B2 (de) * 1973-12-22 1977-07-07 Rotring-Werke Riepe Kg, 2000 Hamburg Roehrchenschreiberspitze sowie verfahren zur herstellung von roehrchenschreiberspitzen
US4573820A (en) * 1984-07-02 1986-03-04 Minnesota Mining And Manufacturing Company Applicator tip assembly for a pen-like instrument
US5012663A (en) * 1990-03-28 1991-05-07 Gillette Company Method of bending a ball point pen tip
CA2014738A1 (en) * 1990-04-17 1991-10-17 Marjan Kolaric Pen

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
JP2000505011A (ja) 2000-04-25
WO1997022482A1 (en) 1997-06-26
EP0869872A1 (en) 1998-10-14
BR9612031A (pt) 1999-06-29
CA2240176A1 (en) 1997-06-26
DE69632409D1 (de) 2004-06-09
MX9804758A (es) 1998-10-31
AU1289997A (en) 1997-07-14

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