FR2687610A1 - Cap for writing instrument or the like - Google Patents

Abstract

The cap includes: an inner bore 10 which extends from the front end for insertion of the said instrument as far as the rear wall of the cap; an opening 8 in the said rear wall of the cap; a tubular inner cover 18 intended to receive the writing part of the instrument and housed inside the inner bore 10, it being possible for this cover to be displaced axially between an extreme front and an extreme rear position; a spring 24 acting between the body of the cap 6 and the inner cover 18 for stressing the latter towards its extreme front position; and an air passage between the surface of the bore 10 of the cap and the inner cover 18 in order to establish communication between the rear extreme opening 8 and the front opening for insertion of the instrument when the inner cover is in its extreme front position.

Description

The present invention relates to an improved cap.

  d intended to be placed on the front end of an instrument

  to write such as a pen, marker, ballpoint pen or similar

  to prevent the ink that is contained from evaporating

in the instrument.

  Conventional caps used for instru-

  writing utensils are made of a resin-based material which has an excellent ability to prevent ink from evaporating, and these caps are placed on the front end

  writing instruments, this front end being inserted

  te tightly in an inner bore of the cap or

  in an inner cover provided in the inner bore.

  With conventional caps used for ins-

  If you want to write, it is possible, even if it is very rare, that accidents may occur depending on the size and shape of the caps; these accidents consist of the fact that

  the inner bore of the cap is closed, or blind, except

  tion of its insertion side of the front end of the ins-

  to write, a young child can swallow the cap by

  error, by mistake or by play, which causes an obstruction

  tion of the throat, and especially of the trachea artery, with

  as a consequence a risk of suffocation.

  An object of the present invention is to prevent this risk.

  than asphyxiation or the like which may occur in the cir-

  above, making it possible to break down

  the child even if the child has swallowed the cap, as well as

  make sure that the user's hand or clothing is not stained by the ink which can flow from the writing end of the instrument and from the air space around the writing tip ( by the phenomenon known as pumping or capillarity),

  the internal pressure in the cap being reduced or increased

  t depending on whether the cap is removed or put in place The cap

  chon according to the present invention for a writing instrument

  is designed to achieve the above purpose.

  According to the invention, the cap has an internal bore which extends over the entire length of the

  cap from the front end of insertion of said insert

  grow to the rear wall of the cap; an opening in said rear wall of the cap; a lid

  tubular interior which is intended to receive the ex-

  before writing the instrument and which is housed inside the

  inner bore, this cover being able to move

  cer axially between an extreme forward position, when the cap is removed from the writing instrument, and a position

  extreme rear, when the front writing end of the ins-

  trument is fully inserted into the inner cover; a spring acting between the body of the cap and the inner cover to urge the latter towards its front position

  extreme; and an air passage between the peripheral surface

  that inner of the cap bore and the peripheral surface

  external risk of the internal cover to communicate

  the extreme rear opening and the front opening to introduce

  tion of the instrument, when the inner cover is in its extreme front position and the cap is released from the

body of the writing instrument.

  The cap according to the invention has advantageous-

  the following additional features

  the inner surface of the bore has a sharp projection

  mant stop to define the extreme front position of the cover

  interior key; for its extreme rear position, the interior cover comes substantially at the level of the extreme exterior rear surface of the cap, through the rear opening; the inner surface of the inner bore has ribs or grooves providing air passages between them, the inner surface of the inner bore and the outer peripheral surface of the inner cover, these ribs being provided at the rear end of the cap ; uo Tlu GAUTT op a Jga Jgd uo Tlesi Teoa ap apow un uolas T Tqea uoqondez un 9 aoe Td lsa lanba T ins ainl I Toa, p quawmnm -SUT un queiluow e A Tiladsiad ue an A aun Isa L - 'J: s Tanb -sa T suep la uo Td Tijosap e T ap a Tl Jed q U Oj Tnb sexauue su Tssap xne aouaelja J ua la aj A Tns e A Tnb uo T Id Tiosap p uawal Tdwoo Oç np ain Soa T e T iq Uo TJU Au TT ua Tq eipuaidwoo uo liossai np uo Ti 3 e T az 3 uo D 'sat G Ime s Wa @ Jxa u O Tq Tsod es sa A 9 aoe Tdap 3 sa inaii -alu T as Toa Anoo a T anb la aq Tgqouelap luaalg , T op puo J al TZ ailuoo Tndde ua Ise luawnllsu TT pa Tjap azn Twai Jp 9 zxa, l anb al Ta T Uo Tl Tsod aun 3 nod quawnilsui, T ap sdjoo np ai -Tel-uaswa Tdwoo a Tl Tes aun z S Au aiadooo s TJI Tes saja 'uoqondeo a T suep al Tnpo Jui T Ise quewnflsu T (, Tp que Ae awajqxa a TI -med el anbsioi sanb inod aeouabe Ise Tnb as Te Tnuue TITT Bes Oz

  aun aeuassid ina Tlaqu T a 6 es Tale, Tp saina Teau T ee Jlns es -

  la cuawn Wlsu TT Sp ojn I Tizap wam 4 lxa que Ae aetjed el I To A ^ oe I inod inf TJ Gqu T a T 3 JS Anoo np lna Ti Sau TT 1 W a STT Tqoww T la aoe Td Ise 'lae Woqse Tg asaeiew L

  aun ue an ITISU Oo 'Je T 1 S enb T Iawiaq 949 Lpquep, 9 p lu'u Ia T 9 un -

  uoqondeo al T suep le Txe 3 uawao -eidap uos Sp SUOT lna T Sau T e Tozi Sa Anoo np quawass TT 6 ap la a 6 -ep Tn 6 ap sua Xom sap q Uan ITIS Uoo sa T Jas xnap sap healthy A ^ eu salt L

  sainj Tuuea no sain A ^ eu ap sa'Tias xnep sap pie Bai ue squesa Tnede sae amlue asods Tp 3 se l Jossai a T -

  n T Jau T a Tjoje Al Anoz np ainf T Ja 3 Ix ç enb Tmaqd Tmad aoejlns e T le ina T Jalu T a 6 esa Te, T op aina Tzia -UT asoejlns e T 's ST Te e 3 ue Jm Tep sa 6 essed sap quess Tu Tjap sain Tauueo no sain A Sau sap '4 ue Ae ae Twai 4 xa uos e' & ajod

  in GTIIUT e S To Sa Anoo np aina Ta I 4 xe enb Tijaqd TJ 9 d aoejlns e T -

0 T 9 z 99 Z

  Fig 2 is a perspective view of the instru-

  ment to write Fig 1, with its cap, the cap being separated from the body of the instrument; Fig 3 is an exploded perspective view and

  partially torn off showing the writing body and the elements

constituent parts of the cap;

  Fig 4 shows in its upper half a cou-

  eg axial and in its lower half an external view of the cap mounted on the writing body, the front end of which is completely inserted into the cap; Fig 5 is a cross section along the line V-V of Fig 4; Fig 6 is a cross-sectional view along line VI-VI of Fig 4; and Fig 7 is a view identical to Fig 4, the writing body not being completely inserted this time

in the cap.

  We will now describe an embodiment

  preferred of the invention with reference to the drawings.

  The cap according to the invention, which is intended to be placed on the writing end of a writing instrument, for example a pen, a marker or a ball-point pen

  with liquid ink, so as to prevent the evaporation of the

  cre, is designed in such a way that, even if it is accidental-

  Lately swallowed by a young child, it does not suffocate it, thanks to an air passage which is provided in the cap,

  and that, in addition, the ink does not flow from the writing end

  ture or the air space provided around it during an increase or decrease in pressure in the case where the writing body is introduced or removed with respect to the

  cap, so that the operator’s hand or clothing

sator are not stained.

  As shown in Figs 3-7, a plurality of ribs or grooves 13 are provided at suitable locations on the far rear side wall of the bore or interior housing 10 of a cap 6 An opening 8, which defines a internal step or shoulder 14 is formed through the end rear wall of the cap 6, this wall having an external rear surface 15 First and second cooperation projections 11, 12 are formed on the internal surface of the cap 6 Inside the cap is housed a tubular inner cover 18 which has a

  bottom closed and the rear end of which is closed by a

  king 21 The inner cover 18 has an extreme front opening into which a sealing element 23 which has a closed bottom and which is made of an airtight material is introduced and firmly immobilized, for example

  an elastomeric material, and a plurality of ribs or cane-

  lures 19 are formed in suitable locations on the outer front outer periphery of the cover 18 The inner cover 18 is introduced into the inner bore of the cap 6, a compression spring 24 being interposed to act between the shoulders 16 of the ribs 13 and the

  extreme rear shoulders 20 ribs 19 in such a way

  re that the front end of the inner cover 18 can come

  cooperate elastically with the cooperation projection 12 pre-

  view in the inner bore 10 on the inner peripheral surface of the cap 6 to prevent the writing body 2 from moving towards the insertion side while allowing the inner cover 18 to move towards the rear of the

  cap 6 being guided by ribs 13 and 19 A plura-

  lity of spaces 17 and 22 are provided respectively between the outer periphery of the inner cover 18, the surface

  bore 10 and ribs 13 and between the peri-surface

  outer sphere of the inner cover 18, the surface of the bore 10 and the ribs 19 to define an air passage between the rear extreme opening 8 of the cap and the front end of the bore 10 to establish communication with the 'outside. At the front end of a tube 3 of the writing body 2 is formed an annular projection 4 of cooperation, and a writing point 5 or the like, for example of a ballpoint pen with liquid ink, is provided on the front end of the tube 3 The writing body 2 contains a liquid ink and,

  between the inside of this body and the writing tip is pre-

  seen a control device (not shown) for adjusting

  appropriately exit the ink and to reserve the ink

  created according to variations in the prevailing internal pressure

  in the ink tank The location of the canceling projection

  re 11 of cooperation provided inside the cap 6 is chosen so that, when this projection cooperates

  with an annular projection 4 of cooperation provided on the surface

  outer face of the tube 3 during the introduction of the body

  writing 2 in the inner bore 10 of the cap, the cover

  inner ring 18 retracts or moves back a distance S. as shown in FIG. 4, the front part of the tube 3 coming to bear on the extreme rear edge of the sealing element 23 and, at the same time, the wall 21 of the inner cover 18 coming substantially flush with the extreme outer surface

rear 15 of the cap.

  We will now describe the operation and use

  tion of the cap described above When the writing body 2 is fully inserted into the cap, as shown in Fig 4, the front part of the writing body is tightly

  introduced into the sealing element 23 and the writing tip

  re 5 is supported on the rear end wall of the sealing element 23 Consequently, this prevents both the

  drying of the writing tip and evaporation of the

  creates air space provided around In addition, the fact that this introduction is carried out simultaneously accompanied by a

  recoil of the inner cover 18, the interior spaces of the capu-

  chon and the sealing element are not pressurized.

  Furthermore, when the writing body 2 is removed from the capu-

  chon 6, the inner cover 18 returns forwards under the effect of the return force of the spring 24, following the movement of the writing body 2 relative to the cap,

  so that there is no decrease in pressure.

  Consequently, the ink does not flow from the writing tip and from the air space situated around it. Furthermore, because an air passage is formed and causes the internal bore to communicate. with the rear opening 8 of the cap, the latter thus constituting a tube open at its two ends when the body

  2 is removed from the cap 6, avoiding the risk of

  coincide such as asphyxiation or the like, if the cap is

  swallowed by a child by blocking the throat or windpipe.

  Thanks to the invention, even if a young child swallows the cap by mistake, by mistake or by play, and the latter gets stuck in the throat or in the windpipe, it

  there is no risk of suffocation due to the fact that the cap

  carries like an open tube at both ends and that air

  can pass through the cap right through thanks to the passa-

  air gap provided between the rear extreme opening and the inner bore of the cap Furthermore, the invention does not degrade

  the external appearance of the cap and, because it does not

  has no increase or decrease in pressure inside

  from the cap and at the front of the writing body,

  do the difficulties due to the flow of ink from the writing tip or the surrounding air space, this ink being

  likely to stain the user's hands or clothing

tor.

  Of course, the invention is not limited to the mo-

  of implementation, no more than in the mode of application which have been described; we could on the contrary conceive various

  variants without departing from its framework.

Claims (9)

  1 Cap for writing instrument or the like, no-   In particular, a pen, a marker or a ball-point pen, intended to be placed on the extreme writing part of the instrument to prevent in particular the evaporation of the ink, characterized in that it comprises: an internal bore (10 ) which extends over the entire length of the cap from the front insertion end of said instrument to the rear wall of the cap,   an opening (8) formed in said rear wall of the cap dear,   a tubular inner cover (18) which is intended to receive   see the extreme writing front part of the instrument and which is housed inside the internal bore (10), this cover being able to move axially between an extreme front position, when the cap is removed from the instrument   to write, and an extreme back position, when the extremi-   Tee before writing the instrument is fully inserted into the inner cover, a spring (24) acting between the body of the cap (6) and the inner cover (18) to urge the latter towards its extreme front position , and   an air passage between the internal peripheral surface   of the bore (10) of the cap and the peripheral surface   outside of the inner cover (18) to make common   insert the rear extreme opening (8) and the front opening for inserting the instrument, when the interior cover is in its extreme front position and the cap is   released from the body of the writing instrument.   2 cap according to claim 1, characterized   by the fact that the inner surface of the bore (10) pre-   feels a projection (12) forming a stop to define the position   front end of the inner cover (18).   3 cap according to one of claims 1 and 2,   characterized by the fact that for its extreme rear position   re, the inner cover (18) comes substantially at the extreme outer rear surface (15) of the cap (6), through the rear opening (8).   4 cap according to one of claims 1 to 3,   characterized by the fact that the inner surface of the bore   interior (10) has ribs or grooves (13) mena-   managing air passages (17) therebetween, the interior surface   of the inner bore (10) and the outer peripheral surface of the inner cover (18), these ribs (13)   being provided at the rear end of the cap.   5 Cap according to one of claims 1 to 4,   characterized in that the outer peripheral surface of the inner cover (18) carries, at its front end, ribs or grooves (19) defining air passages (22) between them, the inner surface of the inner bore   (10) and the outer peripheral surface of the inner cover laughing (18).   6 cap according to claims 4 and 5   considered in combination, characterized in that the res-   fate (24) is arranged between the shoulders opposite the ribs res or grooves (13,19).   7 Cap according to claims 4 and 5 considered   rees in combination, characterized by the fact that the ribs (13, 19) constitute means for guiding and sliding the inner cover (18) during its axial displacement in Hood.   8 Cap according to one of claims 1 to 7,   characterized in that a hermetic sealing element (23)   air tick, made of an elastomeric material, is   inside the inner cover (18) to receive   the extreme front writing part of the instrument.   9 Cap according to claim 8, characterized in that the inner surface of the inner bore (10) has an annular projection (11) which is arranged for   that when the front end of the instrument is   troduit in the cap, this projection cooperates with a sail-   complementary lie (4) of the instrument body for a posi-   tion such that the writing end (5) of the instrument bears against the bottom of the sealing element (23) and that   the inner cover (18) is moved to its former position   very rear, against the action of the spring (24).