FR3052962B1 - PACKAGING AND ASSEMBLY OF WRITING INSTRUMENTS - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a packaging (3) for writing instruments (2) comprising: - a gripping part (4) having a generally elongate shape, - at least two connectors (6), each connector (6) being attachable to a respective writing instrument (2), characterized in that the connectors (6) are respectively connected to the gripping portion (4) by an elastically deformable zone so as to be able to pivot a connector (6) individually with respect to a row position in line with the other connectors (6). The invention also relates to a set of writing instruments comprising writing instruments and such packaging.

Description

The invention relates to a package of writing instruments, especially for coloring purposes, such as those having a hair tip of the felt type, marker, but also ball points and colored pencils, The invention also relates to a set of writing instruments comprising writing instruments and a packaging.

Writing instruments with a capillary tip such as coloring pens are mainly intended for children and especially for young children who are in the learning phase. In their daily use, children encounter difficulties such as those presented below:

The loss of the cap: For a coloring job, children use several different colored pens and, for simplicity, remove the caps from all the pens in use. The caps are often placed on the worktable and can fall to the ground and roll under a piece of furniture. The child does not systematically refill the felt with the cap which then remains in the open air and finally dry.

The durability of the packaging: The majority of hair coloring writing instruments are sold in containers of twelve, eighteen or twenty-four different colors. The packages that are most often offered for sale, are either a carton-type packaging or a plastic bag type packaging. These packages are not strong enough for sustainable use and deteriorate quickly. The pens are no longer stored in their original packaging and may go astray. The child loses some of the felts and reduces his range of colors.

The selection of colors: In the cardboard pouches, the selection of felts is not obvious, because due to the constitution of the material of the package which is opaque, it is necessary to extract the felt to know the color.

In the pockets made of plastic, the material used is generally transparent and allows a good visualization of the colors but, for a good behavior of the pens in the pocket, this pouch is designed with the minimum of functional play, the felts are tight between them and are difficult to extract or store.

The document EP2711310 of the name of the Applicant proposes a package having a shell having a first face on which is fixed at least one cap of the writing instrument and a second face, the shell being configured so that the packaging passes. by the application of a predetermined constraint on a predetermined area of the second face, a storage position of the writing instruments in which the first face is concave to a use position in which the first face is convex . The caps are thus integral with each other, which prevents their loss; the packaging is durable and easy to store without risk of loss or overturning of the writing instruments; the selection of writing instruments is easy with immediate visibility of all colors; the conditions of the European standard EN 71-3, in particular on the ingestion of the cap and on the risk of injury in the event of a fall on the packaging, are perfectly fulfilled.

However, the storage position of the writing instruments, grouped in a package, may not be suitable for presentation for sale. Also, the radial projection positioning of the writing instruments fixed on the convex hull in the use position can make the device too bulky, especially for school use.

One of the aims of the present invention is to provide a package which at least partially solves the aforementioned drawbacks. For this purpose, the subject of the invention is a packaging for writing instruments comprising: a gripping part having a generally elongated shape, at least two connectors, each connector being able to be fixed to a respective writing instrument, characterized in that the connectors are respectively connected to the gripping portion by an elastically deformable zone so as to be able to pivot a connector individually with respect to a row position in line with the other connectors.

The deformable areas allow a user to pivot a writing instrument attached to a connector individually to other writing instruments. It is then easy to grasp the body of the writing instrument by hand to disengage it from the packaging. The writing instruments are therefore easily prehensile, which is quite advantageous for young children. The packaging allows easy viewing and therefore a quick selection of different colors of writing instruments. The caps are integral with each other, which prevents their loss. In addition, the packaging is durable and easy to store without risk of loss or overturning of the writing instruments.

According to one or more characteristics of the package, taken alone or in combination: the deformable zones have a tongue-like shape respectively, the tongues fit in the same plane when the writing instruments connected to the connectors are in the row position; in line, - the tongues have a thinned width, - the flanks of the tongues are concave, - the tongues extend in the gripping portion by a flat portion, - the gripping portion comprises a gripping bar provided with bulges, - the packaging is made in one piece, - the packaging is obtained by molding, - a suspension hole is formed in the gripping part, - the connectors are non-detachably fixed to the caps of the writing instruments, - The packaging overmould at least partially the caps of the writing instruments. The invention also relates to a set of writing instruments comprising writing instruments characterized in that it comprises a packaging as described above. The invention will be better understood from the description which follows, with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings showing, by way of example, an embodiment of this invention.

Figure 1 shows a front view of a set of writing instruments in row position in line.

Figure 2 shows a substantially side view of the set of writing instruments of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a bottom view of the package of the writing implement assembly of Figure 1.

Figure 4 shows a substantially side view of the package of Figure 3.

Figure 5 shows an enlarged front view of the set of writing implements of Figure 1, at deformable zones shaped tabs.

Figure 6 shows a perspective view of a writing instrument cap tip.

Figure 7 shows the packaging of writing instruments of Figure 1 in a position of use.

Figure 8 shows a view from another angle of the writing instrument package of Figure 7.

In these figures, the identical elements bear the same reference numbers.

The following achievements are examples. Although the description refers to one or more embodiments, this does not necessarily mean that each reference relates to the same embodiment or that the features apply only to a single embodiment. Simple features of different embodiments may also be combined or interchanged to provide other embodiments.

The main direction of a writing instrument is the longitudinal direction.

FIG. 1 shows a set of writing instruments 1 comprising writing instruments 2 and a packaging 3. The packaging 3 comprises a gripping portion 4 and at least two connectors 6.

The gripping portion 4 has a generally elongated shape, extending substantially in a transverse direction T, perpendicular to the longitudinal direction L of the writing instruments 2 when they are attached to the package 3 in row position in line.

The gripping portion 4 may comprise a gripping bar 5 for example provided with bulges 5a, 5b, 5c to facilitate the grip especially by children. The bulges 5a, 5b, 5c can be arranged symmetrically and extend over the entire length of the gripping portion 4. A bulge 5a of larger size is for example arranged in the center and bulges 5b, 5c of decreasing sizes can be arranged on either side of the central bulge 5a. The gripping bar 5 thus has a design cloud both aesthetic and functional, the bulges 5a, 5b, 5c allowing easy handling of the assembly 1 by a young child as well with his left hand with his right hand .

The gripping bar 5 is rigid, it does not deform under the effort exerted by a user. In this example, this rigidity is produced by the extra thicknesses of the bulges 5a, 5b, 5c.

A suspension hole 7, for example of triangular shape, can be formed in the gripping portion 4, and more precisely in the gripping bar 5, in the middle, for suspending the package 3 on a rack. The package 3 can then serve as both a pouch for sale and case for the end user.

Each connector 6 is configured to be attached to a respective writing instrument 2. The connectors 6 are for example fixed non-releasably to caps 8 of writing instruments 2, such as felts. The caps 8 are thus interconnected by the package 3 to form a single non-removable assembly. The packaging 3 comprises, for example, a series of writing instruments 2 of the felt type. The number of writing instruments 2 can be chosen to correspond to the number of different colors that constitute a color palette usually used for coloring. For example, the assembly 1 comprises six, twelve, eighteen, or twenty-four writing instruments 2, so many caps 8 being attached to as many connectors 6.

The connectors 6 are respectively connected to the gripping portion 4 by an elastically deformable zone so as to be able to pivot a connector 6 individually with respect to a position arranged in line with the other connectors 6.

In the row-in-line position, the axes of the connectors 6 are parallel to one another.

The deformable areas may respectively have a tab shape 9, thin and substantially flat. The elastic deformation is thus obtained thanks to the geometric characteristics of the deformable zone connecting each connector 6 to the gripping portion 4. The substantially thin and flat shape in tongue 9 allows a local curvature of the package 3 when a user lifts an instrument 2. This deformation allows the user to pivot a writing instrument 2 individually other writing instruments 2 (Figures 7 and 8). It is then easy to grasp the body of the writing instrument 2 to disengage it from the packaging 3.

The tabs 9 fit for example in the same plane when the writing instruments 2 connected to the connectors 6 are in row position in line, allowing the writing instruments 2 to be stored next to each other in parallel on a single and even plane (L, T). This plane of the tongues 9 can be arranged up to the middle of the connectors 6. This online layout limits the overall dimensions of the assembly 1 in thickness, which facilitates the shelving and storage.

As can be better seen in the example of Figure 4, the tabs 9 extend in the gripping portion 4 by a flat portion 10. This avoids a thickness break between the tongues 9 and the gripping bar 5 that could have weakened the tabs 9. The flat portion 10 and more generally, the gripping portion 4 may have an elongated shape of variable thickness so that the writing instruments 2 in row position in line are not strictly aligned from a straight line but from a curved line in an arc giving an effect suspended to the assembly 1.

To facilitate the deformation of the tongues 9 while giving them good mechanical strength, the tongues 9 may, in addition to being thin and flat, be narrower in the middle, that is to say have a width (or transverse dimension ) thinned, at least narrower than the width of the connectors 6.

In addition, the flanks of the tongues 9 may be concave, the gap between two adjacent tongues 9 having in row position in line (L, T) a substantially rounded shape such as droplet (Figures 1 and 5). The package 3 can be made in one piece, which limits production costs. It is for example made by molding at least one plastic material, such as a thermoplastic elastomer. The deformable zones in the form of tongues 9 are thus formed by thinning of the package 3.

Also, especially in the case of a package 3 made in one piece by molding and in the case of connectors 6 non-releasably fixed to the caps 8, it can be provided that the package 3 overmold at least partially the caps 8 Manufacturing costs can be limited by taking advantage of the ventilation holes 11 of the standard caps 8 (FIG. 6) to overmold the material of the package 3 in the orifices 11, the material filling the orifices 11 during overmolding. These ventilation holes 11 make it possible to avoid the risk of suffocation by ingestion of the caps 8 by the children to meet the requirements of the EN 71-3 toy standard. However, since here the caps 8 are fixed non-releasably to the package 3, these ventilation holes 11 are no longer necessary, the package 3 also having itself too large dimensions to be ingested . The connectors 6 thus formed by overmolding thus have shapes complementary to the ventilation holes 11 as can be seen in FIGS. 3 and 4.

To use one of the writing instruments 2, simply lift the writing instrument 2 chosen and pull the body of the writing instrument for example by holding the gripping bar 5 with the other hand to extract it from the cap 8 (FIGS. 7 and 8). The cap 8 remains secured to the connector 6 to which it is attached.

To return the body of the writing instrument 2 after use, it is sufficient to rengager it in the cap 8, for example by holding the gripping bar 5 with the other hand.

The caps 8 are thus integral with each other, which prevents their loss. The packaging 3 is durable and easy to store without the risk of losing or overturning the writing instruments 2. The use of the packaging position 3 allows easy viewing and therefore a quick selection of the different colors of the instruments. Writing 2. In addition, the writing instruments 2 are easily prehensile, which is quite advantageous for young children. Other embodiments are possible.

For example, the package 3 can be made in one piece with the caps 8 of the writing instruments 2. The package 3 and the caps 8 can be obtained by bi-injection using one or more materials , the caps 8 being for example made of a different material from that of the package 3. The package 3 can be made in one piece by molding at least two materials, a first material forming the connectors 6 and the part 4 while a second softer material forms the deformable areas connecting the connectors 6 to the gripping portion 4. The elastic deformation is thus obtained thanks to the characteristics of the material of the deformable zones connecting each connector 6 to the gripping portion 4 The package 3 is mainly intended for writing instruments 2 provided with a capillary tip, but it can be applied to any other instrument of writing. iture such as a writing instrument with a ball point, a colored pencil, etc. In the case of colored pencils, the connectors can be configured to be removably connected to the writing instruments. When a user wants to grab a colored pencil, he lifts the selected pencil by deforming the tab, which facilitates its entry to disengage the pen from the connector.

Claims (11)

1. Packaging (3) for writing instruments (2) comprising: - a gripping portion (4) having a generally elongate shape, - at least two connectors (6), each connector (6) being attachable to an instrument writing device (2), characterized in that the connectors (6) are respectively connected to its gripping portion (4) by an elastically deformable zone so as to be able to pivot a connector (6) individually with respect to a stowed position in line with the other connectors (6), the deformable zones respectively having a tongue shape (9). 2. Packaging (3) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the tongues (9) are inscribed in the same plane when the writing instruments (2) connected to the connectors (6) are in row position in line. 3. Packaging (3) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the tongues (9) have a thinned width. 4. Packaging (3) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the flanks of the tongues (9) are concave. 5. Packaging (3) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that Sa tongues (9) extend in the gripping portion (4) by a flat portion (10). 6. Packaging (3) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the gripping portion (4) comprises a gripping bar (5) provided with bulges (5a, 5b, 5c). 7. Packaging (3) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is made in one piece. 8. Packaging (3) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a suspension hole (7) is formed in the gripping portion (4). 9. Packaging (3) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the connectors (6) are fixed non-releasably to the caps (8) of the writing instruments (2). 10. Package (3) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it overmouies at least partially caps (8) of the writing instruments (2). 11. Set of writing instruments (1) comprising writing instruments (2) characterized in that it comprises a package (3) according to one of the preceding claims.