FR2811611A1 - FOUNTAIN PEN - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention concerns a fountain pen (1) comprising a pen (1), a tubular body and an ink reservoir. The invention is characterised in that the tubular body is double-walled (10, 20) and the ink reservoir (24) is arranged between the outer wall (10) and the inner wall (20) of the pen body, the inner wall (20) of the pen body being fixed relative to the outer wall (10) and visible from outside the pen. The invention is useful for making a fountain pen with novel aesthetic appearance, having the shape of a tube open at one of its ends at least.

Description

If 2811611

FOUNTAIN PEN

  The present invention relates to a pen comprising

  a pen, a tubular body and an ink tank.

  Since the invention of the first nib holder which simply included a writing nib attached to the end of a handle, the most remarkable improvement brought to the writing instruments was the invention of the fountain pen comprising a hollow handle, or pen body, provided with an ink tank which eliminates the tedious operation of soaking the nib in an inkwell. Various other improvements were then devised to improve the structure of

  the pen and the ink supply system to the pen.

  In addition to these improvements, the fountain pen is also an aesthetic object and is the subject of various stylistic research relating to its two essential constituent elements that are the body and the nib,

  as well as the cap.

  These various aesthetic researches generally have no impact on the technical characteristics of the body of the pen and the nib and relate only to the non-functional aspects of these elements, namely the external shape of the body of the pen and the general shape or design of the pen. In practice, the degree of freedom in the search for a new aesthetic effect thus remains confined within the limits imposed by the function of these elements, the body having to be a hollow and closed object to receive the ink tank and the pen in front. be attached to the body in a way that allows it to be supplied with ink

contained in the tank.

  The present invention results from a different approach in the search for a new aesthetic effect, according to which it is proposed to modify the very structure of the constituent elements of a fountain pen to obtain a new, differentiating form.

  distinctly classic forms of fountain pens.

  More particularly, the present invention has for its object a fountain pen which is distinguished from a conventional fountain pen by a particular structure of its body.

  having a significant aesthetic impact.

  Another objective of the present invention is to provide a fountain pen which is distinguished from a conventional fountain pen by a particular structure of its nib,

  also having a significant aesthetic impact.

  An object of the present invention is achieved by providing a pen of the type described above, having a double-walled tubular body and an ink reservoir arranged between the outer wall and the wall

inside of the pen body.

  According to one embodiment, the body of the pen comprises two coaxial tubular parts, the external tubular part forming the external wall of the body of the pen, the internal tubular part forming the internal wall of the body of the pen, the ink tank being arranged between the inner face of the outer tubular part and the outer face of the tubular part

internal.

  According to one embodiment, the external face of the internal tubular part has a region of smaller diameter forming with the internal face of the external tubular part the ink reservoir, and comprises on a region of larger diameter at least one groove

of ink to pen.

  According to one embodiment, the external face of the internal tubular part comprises two longitudinal lateral channels opening into the reservoir, a longitudinal central channel arranged between the two lateral channels, and a plurality of transverse grooves connecting the central channel to the two lateral channels, the ink furrow originating in the

central channel.

  According to one embodiment, the internal tubular part comprises a first tubular part on which are fitted two tubular parts forming spacers for assembling the first tubular part and the external tubular part, the ink tank extending longitudinally between the edges of

two spacers.

  According to one embodiment, the external tubular part is in a first type of metal or alloy and the tubular parts forming spacers are in a second type of metal or alloy of less hardness than that

  of the first type of metal or alloy.

  Another object of the present invention is achieved by providing a fountain pen of the type described above, in which the nib is formed by a

  extension of the material enveloping the body of the pen.

  According to one embodiment, the feather is formed by a thinned end of the external tubular part, having a longitudinal slot revealing

two feather beaks.

  According to one embodiment, the ink supply groove ends under the slot separating the spouts of

feather.

  According to one embodiment, the body of the pen takes the form of a tube open at its two ends, the inner wall of the tube being visible from both

ends of the pen.

  According to one embodiment, the body of the pen comprises a vent opening at the rear end of the body of the pen, to regulate the pressure in the reservoir and allow the filling of the reservoir by suction. The present invention also relates to a pen case / cap according to the invention, comprising a longitudinal hollow part forming a case for

4 2811 611

  storage of the pen, a piece for receiving the feather forming a cap, rotatably mounted at one end of the case, the storage of the pen in the case comprising a step of inserting the feather into the receiving room and a step of tilting of the pen accompanied by a movement of rotation of the pen receiving part. The present invention also relates to a device for writing, comprising a pen according to the invention and a device for filling the ink tank of the pen, the filling device comprising a block for receiving the pen comprising a cavity for receiving the end. rear of the pen, the cavity comprising at least one seal intended to cooperate with the outer wall of the pen, a protrusion arranged in the receiving cavity, intended to be fitted into the pen, the protrusion comprising at least one seal intended to cooperate with the inner wall of the pen, and an air suction means comprising an orifice

  suction opening into the receiving cavity.

  These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be explained in more detail.

  detail in the following description of an example of

  realization of a fountain pen according to the invention, made without implied limitation in relation to the attached figures among which: - Figures 1A, lB, 1C are views from above, from below and from rear profile of a mode of embodiment of a fountain pen according to the invention, - Figures 2A and 2B are top and bottom views of an external tubular piece forming the envelope of the pen shown in Figures 1A and 1B, - Figures 3A, 3B are views from above and from below of an internal tubular part present in the pen shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, FIG. 4 represents an embodiment of the nib of a pen according to the invention, - FIGS. 5A and 5B are sectional views of a device for filling the ink tank with a fountain pen according to the invention, before and after filling the tank, and - Figures 6A and 6B represent a storage and transport case of a fountain pen according to the invention, and illustrate the steps of inserting pen ion in such a case. FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1C respectively represent a top view, a bottom view and a rear profile view of an exemplary embodiment of a pen 1 according to the invention. The pen 1 has the appearance of a tube having its two ends bevelled at a determined angle, here of the order of 12 relative to its longitudinal axis. By observing the bevelled edge of the pen 1, it appears that the latter comprises an external tube 10, which forms the external wall or envelope of the pen, and an internal tubular part 20 coaxial with the tube 10, which forms the internal wall of the tube. The internal part 20 itself seems constituted by two distinct tubular layers 21, 22, the layer 22 surrounding the layer 21 and having a greater thickness than the layer 21. These layers correspond to parts 21, 22-1 and 22- 2

  mentioned below in relation to the description

  of an embodiment of the internal part 20.

  At the front of the pen, the end of the outer tube 10 becomes thinner due to its bevel cut and forms a feather 11. The thinned end of the tube 10 has for this purpose a longitudinal slot 12 allowing the flow of the ink to the end of the nib 11 and showing two nibs 13, 14. The rear end of the pen is bevelled in the same way as the front end for reasons of aesthetics and of symmetry of the assembly, but could also, in an alternative embodiment, present a

cross section profile.

6 2811 611

  Such a fountain pen is surprising in that it looks completely hollow from the outside and

  seems to lack any ink supply system.

  According to the invention, the body of the pen actually comprises an ink reservoir concealed between its inner wall and its outer wall, as will be better understood in

  referring to Figures 2A, 2B, and 3A, 3B.

  FIGS. 2A, 2B represent the external tube 10 before it is assembled on the internal tubular part 20, respectively by a top view and a bottom view. The tube 10 is for example made of stainless steel

  and is force-fitted onto the tubular part 20.

  In FIGS. 3A, 3B, it appears that the internal tubular part 20 comprises a central tube 21 of the same length as the external tube 10 and two tube portions 22-1, 22-2 fitted on the two ends of the central tube 21. The tube portions 22-1, 22-2 have an outer diameter substantially equal to the inner diameter of the outer tube 10 and form spacers

  assembly of the outer tube 10 on the central tube 21.

  The central tube 21 is for example made of stainless steel and the spacers 22-1, 22-2 are for example made of a metal or an alloy of less hardness than steel, for example

example of brass.

  The spacers 22-1, 22-2 each extend substantially over a third of the length of the central tube 21 and reveal a region of length L o the outer face of the internal tubular part 20 has a smaller diameter, here the outer diameter of the tube 21. Thus, when the outer tube 10 is fitted onto the inner tubular part 20, this region of smaller diameter forms an ink reservoir 24 which is delimited in the radial direction by the outer face of the central tube 21 and the inner face of the outer tube 10 (Fig. 2A), and is delimited in the longitudinal direction by the edges of the spacers 22-1, 22-2 which lie opposite.

7 2811611

  The internal tubular part 20 also comprises an ink distribution system produced here by etching channels and grooves on the surface of the spacer 22-2. In FIG. 3A, we can thus see on the top of the spacer 22-2: - two longitudinal lateral channels 230, 231 opening into the reservoir 24, - a longitudinal central channel 232 arranged between the two lateral channels 230, 231, - a plurality of transverse grooves 233 connecting the central channel 232 to the lateral channels 230, 231, here thirty-two grooves engraved on each side of the channel 232, and - a central groove 234 having its source in the central channel 232, ensuring the flow ink up to the pen 11 and ending at the end of the spacer 22-2, under the slot 13 separating the two spouts 13, 14 of the pen 11 (which appears by superimposing the figures

2A and 3A).

  The internal tubular part 20 also comprises a channel 220 forming a vent, to maintain the reservoir 24 at atmospheric pressure and allow the flow of ink in the direction of the pen. The channel 220 is here etched on the surface of the spacer 22-1 and opens at the rear end of the pen. As will be seen later, this arrangement of the channel 220 makes it possible to fill the reservoir 24 by means of a device with

  depression that attaches to the back end of the pen.

  In an embodiment which is cited here only by way of example, the external tube 10 has an internal diameter of the order of 9.45 mm and an external diameter of the order of 10 mm. The spacers have an inside diameter of around 8.00 mm and an outside diameter of around 9.45 mm. The central tube 21 has an inside diameter of around 7.6 mm and an outside diameter of around 8 mm. The length of the tubes 10, 21 is of the order of 185 mm, and that of the spacers 22-1, 22-2 of the order of 65 mm. The reservoir 24 thus extends over a length of 55 mm and has a volume of the order of 0.9 cm3. Channels 230, 231, 232 are made over a length of around 37.5 mm and a depth of around 0.3 mm, the etching angle of channels 230, 231 being around 440 and the engraving angle of channel 232 of the order of 260. The width of the groove 232 is of the order of 0.1 mm and its depth of the order of 0.3 mm. The width of the grooves 233 is of the order of 0.1 mm and their depth is of the order of 0.6 mm. The width of the groove 220 is of the order of 0.025

  mm and its depth on the order of 0.4 mm.

  The pen 11, shown diagrammatically in FIGS. 1A to 3B, is capable in practice of various embodiments within the reach of those skilled in the art. By way of example, FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment in which the pen 11 has a narrowing zone obtained by machining the lateral edges of the nozzles 13, 14, the end of the pen 11 having a substantially constant width. The end of the spacer 22-2, which supports the groove 234, is not machined like the feather 11 and retains the shape

conferred by beveling.

  The present invention is of course susceptible of various other variants and embodiments, in particular as regards the dimensions and structure of the parts described above and the materials used to make them. In particular, the interior or exterior wall of the body of a pen according to the invention does not necessarily have a cylindrical profile and can have an oval or substantially square profile depending on the desired aesthetic effect. On the other hand, in an advantageous embodiment aimed at reducing the cost price of the pen according to the invention, the internal part 20 is produced in a single block by injection of a

plastic in a mold.

9 2811 611

  In general, it will be clear to a person skilled in the art that the fountain pen according to the invention has two characteristics which can be implemented each independently of the other. The first characteristic consists in providing a feather formed by an extension of the material forming the envelope of the body of the pen, here the outer tube 10. The second characteristic consists in providing a tubular pen body having a reservoir of 'ink

  housed between its outer wall and its inner wall.

  Thus, a conventional pen could be attached to a pen body according to the invention, and a conventional pen body could be coated with a metal envelope extending in the form of a feather. The combination of these two characteristics constitutes, however, the preferred embodiment of the invention in that it makes it possible to provide a tubular pen body open at its two ends, the pen not "blocking"

the front end of the pen.

  A device 30 for filling the ink tank of the pen according to the invention is shown in section in FIGS. 5A and 5B. In these figures, the pen 1 is shown respectively before and after filling of its reservoir, and has its rear end engaged in the device 30 and its front end dipped in an inkwell. The assembly formed by the pen 1 and the filling device 30 constitutes a

device for writing.

  The filling device 30 comprises a block 31 in which is formed a cavity 32 for receiving the rear end of the pen 1. The cavity 32 comprises a cylindrical protrusion 34 which fits into the hollow part of the rear end of the pen . The cavity 32 is sealed thanks to three annular seals 33 arranged on the inner wall of the cavity 32, at the mouth of the cavity 32, which cooperate with the outer wall of the pen, and thanks to three annular seals

2811611

  arranged around the cylindrical projection 34, which

  cooperate with the inner wall of the pen.

  The receiving cavity 32 is placed under vacuum by means of a conventional pumping system, integrated here in the block 31, comprising a piston 36 slidably mounted in a cylindrical cavity 37 thanks to a screw and knurled system 38. The cavity 37 communicates with the receiving cavity 32 by means of a suction orifice 39. When the piston 36 is pulled back by a rotation of the knob 38, the vacuum in the cavity 32 communicates with the reservoir d ink 24 through channel 220 forming

  vent, described above, which opens into the cavity 32.

  At the other end of the pen, ink is thus sucked into the reservoir 24 via the pen, the groove and the channels connecting the pen to the

tank 24.

  FIGS. 6A and 6B represent a case / cap intended for the pen 1 according to the invention, this case / cap comprising a case 40 of narrow and longitudinal shape adapted to the shape of the pen, for storing and transporting the pen, and a piece 41 for receiving the pen 11, integral with the case 40, forming a cap. The receiving part 41 comprises a recess to receive the end of the pen 11, and is rotatably mounted at one of the ends of the case 40. The receiving part 41 takes for example the shape of a ball mounted around an axis (not shown) passing through its center, and is held in the pen reception position by means of a ball 42 cooperating with a notch with rounded edges,

  the ball being pushed into the notch by a spring 43.

  In FIGS. 6A, 6B, the ball 42 and the spring 43 are arranged in a recess made in the case 40 and the notch is arranged on the surface of the receiving part 41. The ball 42 and the spring can also be arranged in a housing formed in the receiving part 41, the ball 42 then cooperating with a notch formed in the surface of the case 40. Thus, the pen 11 is first of all engaged in the receiving part 41 while maintaining the substantially straight pen. The pen is then tilted in the case 40 by a movement of rotation of the part 41 around its axis.

  A cover 44 is then folded over the case.

12 2811611

Claims (12)

  1. Pen (1) comprising a feather (11), a tubular body and an ink tank (24), characterized in that the tubular body is double-walled (10, 20) and in that the tank ink (24) is arranged between the outer wall (10) and the inner wall (20) of the body of the pen.   2. Pen according to claim 1, characterized in that the body of the pen comprises two coaxial tubular parts (10, 20), the external tubular part (10) forming the external wall of the body of the pen, the internal tubular part (20) forming the inner wall of the body of the pen, the ink reservoir being arranged between the inner face of the external tubular part (10) and   the outer face of the internal tubular part (20).   3. Pen according to claim 2, characterized in that the external face of the internal tubular part (20) has a region of smaller diameter (24) forming with the internal face of the external tubular part (10) the reservoir of ink, and comprises on a region of larger diameter at least one groove (234)   supplying ink to the pen (11).   4. Pen according to claim 3, characterized in that the external face of the internal tubular part (20) comprises two longitudinal lateral channels (230, 231) opening into the reservoir (24), a longitudinal central channel (232) arranged between the two lateral channels (230, 231) and a plurality of transverse grooves (233) connecting the central channel (232) to the two lateral channels (230, 231), the groove (234) for supplying the ink taking   its source in the central channel (232). 13 2811611   5. Pen according to one of claims 2 to 4,   characterized in that the internal tubular part (20) comprises a first tubular part (21) on which are fitted two tubular parts (22-1, 22-2) forming spacers for assembling the first tubular part (21) and of the outer tubular part (10), the ink tank (24) extending longitudinally between   the edges of the two spacers (22-1, 22-2).   6. Pen according to claim 5, characterized in that the external tubular part (10) is in a first type of metal or alloy and the tubular parts forming spacers (22-1, 22-2) are in a second type of metal or an alloy of less hardness than that of the first type of metal or alloy.   7. Pen according to one of claims 2 to 6,   characterized in that the feather (11) is formed by a tapered end of the external tubular part (10), having a longitudinal slot (12) making   appear two feather beaks (13, 14).   8. Pen according to claim 7, characterized in that the body of the pen takes the form of a tube open at its two ends, the inner wall (20, 21) of the   tube being visible from both ends of the pen.   9. Pen according to claim 7 and one of   claims 3 and 4, characterized in that the groove   (234) ink supply ends under the slot (12)   separating the feather tips (13, 14).   10. Pen according to one of claims 1 to 9,   characterized in that the pen body includes a vent (220) opening at the rear end of the pen body, to regulate the pressure in the reservoir and allow   filling the tank with suction. 14 2811611   11. Pen case / cap (1) according to one of   Claims 1 to 10, characterized in that it comprises   a longitudinal hollow piece (40) forming a pen storage case (1), a piece (41) for receiving the nib (11) forming a cap, rotatably mounted at one end of the case (40), storing the pen in the case (40) comprising a step of inserting the pen (11) into the receiving part (41) and a step of tilting the pen accompanied by a movement of   rotation of the pen receiving part (41).   12. Device for writing, comprising a pen   according to one of claims 1 to 10 and a device   (30) for filling the ink tank of the pen, characterized in that the filling device (30) comprises a block (31) for receiving the pen comprising: - a cavity (32) for receiving the rear end of the pen, comprising at least one seal (33) intended to cooperate with the outer wall of the pen, - a protrusion (34) arranged in the receiving cavity, intended to be fitted into the pen, comprising at least one seal (35) intended to cooperate with the interior wall of the pen, and - an air suction means (36, 37) comprising a suction orifice (39) opening into the cavity of reception (32).