GB2173743A

GB2173743A - Instrument for writing and/or painting and the like

Info

Publication number: GB2173743A
Application number: GB08509861A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Norimasa Tsunoda; Yasuyuki Iwase; Kiyokazu Sakurai; Yoshiomi Kohnose
Original assignee: Mitsubishi Pencil Co Ltd
Current assignee: Mitsubishi Pencil Co Ltd
Priority date: 1985-04-17
Filing date: 1985-04-17
Publication date: 1986-10-22
Also published as: FR2580234B1; DE3514061A1; FR2580234A1; GB2173743B; GB8509861D0

Abstract

An instrument for discharge of a liquid via an application means 2' which comprises a cartridge 20 containing said liquid and a shaft sleeve member 1 provided with said application means into which shaft sleeve member the cartridge may be inserted, wherein valve means 11 are provided to control the flow of liquid from said cartridge to said application means, said valve means being openable and closable by reciprocal movement of said cartridge within said shaft sleeve member. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Instrument for writing and/or painting and the like The present invention relates to improvements in or relating to instruments for discharge of a liquid, for example for writing and/or painting and so on.

Such instruments may be used to apply liquid materials such as inks, paints, lubricants, adhesives, cosmetic liquids and the like. Examples of the liquid materials include inks and paints containing, as essential components, pigments having a large grain-size or a heavy grain-weight; inks and paints having high viscosity; quick-drying inks and paints; lubricants; adhesives; and cosmetic liquids.

Writing and/or painting instruments have been proposed in which an ink is fed to a pen nib under the effect of the internal pressure of ink reservoir portion of the pen after opening a valve by pressing down the pen nib to open the valve. However, since such an instrument requires the nib to be pressed against a surface to cause liquid discharge, it is not suitable for use as a writing brush or when the writing point must be kept in shape.

Further, it is also known to apply a continuous positive pressureto a liquid reservoir, such as of ink, with the use of, for example, compressed air or the vapour pressure of a volatile solvent. In this case, however, the above-mentioned specified liquids require a high positive pressure for feeding, since the amount ejected thereof is not proportional to the value of the positive pressure.

We have now found it possible to provide a novel instrument for discharge of a liquid, e.g. for writing and/or painting and the like, which avoids the above-mentioned disadvantages.

The invention provides an instrumentfordis- charge of a liquid via an application means which comprises a cartridge containing said liquid and a shaft sleeve member provided with said application means into which shaft sleeve member the cartridge may be inserted, wherein valve means are provided to control the flow of liquid from said cartridge to said application means, said valve means being openable and closable by reciprocai movement of said cartridge within said shaft sleeve member.

Various embodiments and preferred features of the invention are described below. Thus, in one embodiment a cartridge for a liquid, such as ink, is slidably inserted in a shaft sleeve provided with a portion such as writing brush point, a pen nib, a painting brush point or the like, which shaft sleeve is further internally provided with both a portion for fixedly holding a front end of a retractable valve stem toward the portion such as the writing brush point, the pen nib, the painting brush point and the like; and a portion of forcibly inserting an end of the cartridge directly or indirectly into a rear end of the shaft sleeve; wherein the cartridge comprises: a reservoir provided with in its inlet/outlet portion a valve chamber an inlet and an outlet of which open to the inside and the outside of the reservoir respectively; the valve stem which has a conduit or pipe-like shape in its outer portion and a solid rod-like shape in its inner portion, and slidably penetrates through the valve chamber to project its outer end from an inlet of the valve chamber and to project its inner end from a hole provided in a bottom portion of the valve chamber; a valve seat and a valve body provided inside the inlet of the valve chamber and in a middle portion of the valve stem respectively to be brought into contact with each other when the valve chamber is moved backward and to be separated from each other when the valve chamber is moved forward; a communication hole provided in a wall of the pipe-like portion of the valve stem so as to be placed outside the valve seat when the valve body is seated in the valve seat and inside the valve seat when the valve body is separated from the valve seat; resilient means, e.g. a spring, for urging the valve body toward its seating position; and a seal for sealing an opening edge of the inlet of the valve body.

In another embodiment, the invention provides an instrument for writing and/or painting and soon wherein a contained liquid material is an ink or a paint which mainly contain, as their main component, a pigment having a large grain-size or a heavy grain-weight; an ink or a paint which have a high viscosity; a quick-drying ink or paint; a lubricant; an adhesive; or a cosmetic liquid; and the instrument comprises a cartridge for the liquid material which is slidably inserted in a shaft sleeve provided with a portion such as a writing brush point, a pen nib, a painting brush point or the like, which shaft sleeve is further internally provided with both a portion for fixedly and retractably holding a valve stem/piston rod toward the portion such as the writing brush point, the pen nib, the painting brush point or the like; and a portion to forcibly receive an end of the cartridge directly or indirectly into a rear end of the shaft sleeve; wherein the cartridge comprises: a bottle provided in its inlet/outlet portion a valve chamber/cylinder an inlet and an outlet of which open to the inside and the outside of the bottle respectively; the valve stem/piston rod which has a solid rod-like shape in its outer half, and slidably penetrates through the valve chamber/cylinder to project its outer end from an inlet of the valve chamber/cylinder and to project its inner end from a hole provided in a bottom portion of the valve chamber/cylinder; a valve seat and a valve body/ piston provided inside the inlet of the valve chamber/cylinder and in a middle portion of the valve stem/piston rod respectively to be brought into contact with each other when the valve chamber/ cylinder is moved backward and to be separated from each other when the valve chamber/cylinder is moved forward, which valve body/piston is inscribed with the valve chamber/cylinder; a communication hole provided in a wall of the pipe-like portion of the valve stem/piston rod so as to be placed outside the valve seat when the valve body/piston is seated in the valve seat and inside the valve seat when the valve body/piston is separated from the valve seat; a spring for urging the valve body/piston toward its seating position; a seal for sealing an opening edge of the inlet of the valve chamber/cylinder.

Embodiments of the invention will be hereinafter described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of one embodiment of an instrument for writing and/or painting according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the instrument shown in Figure 1 in which the cartridge 20 is shown in its pressed-in condition; Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of a further embodiment of an instrument for writing and/or painting according to the present invention; and Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the instrument shown in Figure 3 in which the cartridge 20 is shown in its pressed-in condition.

In Figures 1 and 2, a writing brush point 2' is connected to an end of a shaft sleeve 1 through a member 2 in which an ink absorber 3 is fixed to a base end of the writing brush point 2' which base end extends into the member 2. The ink absorber 3 is retained by an intermediate plate 4 having an upside-down saucer-like shape and a central portion of the intermediate plate 4 is provided with a hole 5 communicating between an upper surface of the ink absorber 3 and the inside of the shaft sleeve 1.

An ink cartridge 20 is provided with valve means in which a sleeve-like element 8 has a portion with a frustoconical shape. An ink passage hole 7 communicating between the inside of the sleeve-like element 8 and the outside of the same is provided in thefrustoconical portion of the sleeve-iike element 8.

The element 8 is inserted in an opening of the ink reservoir or bottle 9 and fixed thereto by a flange 8' integrally provided in an opening edge ofthe sleeve-like element 8 so that the sleeve-like element 8 is prevented from dropping into the ink bottle 9.

The opening of the bottle 9 is threadably connected to a screw cap 10 for closing the openings of the ink bottle 9 and the sleeve-like element 8 to form a valve chamber 11 in which is provided a valve stem 12 an outer portion of which forms a conduit e.g. it has a pipe-like shape, and an inner portion of the valve stem 12 has a solid rod-like shape. The inner and outer ends of the valve stem 12 are slidably inserted in shaft holes 13 and 13' respectively, and an intermediate portion of the valve stem 12 is integrally provided with a valve body 14. A ring member 15 having a doughnut-like shape is clamped between the inside of the screw cap 10 and the flange 8'. A valve seat 16 is formed inside the shaft hole 13 provided in the screw cap 10.An ink-communication hole 17' is provided in a wall of the pipe-like portion 17 of the valve stem 12so as to allow the passage of ink through the pipe-like portion 17 when the valve body 14 is unseated from the valve seat 16. A coil spring 18 is interposed between the back surface of the valve body 14 and the sleeve-like element 8 to urge the valve body 14 toward its seating position. A seal 19 is provided inside the screw cap 10 to seal a clearance between the shaft hole 13 provided in the screw cap 10 and the valve stem 12.

In use, the cartridge 20 is retractably inserted into the shaft sleeve 1 so that the outer portion of the valve stem 12 is retractably inserted into the communication hole5 provided in the intermediate plate 4. The rear end surface of the cartridge 20 may then be pressed down by the user's finger so that the cartridge 20 is forced into the shaft sleeve 1 and thus the valve of the cartridge 20 opened, as shown in Figure 2.

It will be appreciated that the above-described construction will allow the application portion, such as a writing brush point, a pen nib, a painting brush point and the like, to be wetted with a liquid such as an ink as desired by repeatedly and alternately pressing-down and releasing the rear end surface of the cartridge 20. It will be noted especially that in feeding the liquid, such as an ink, it is not necessary to press down the application portion against a surface, so that there is no fear that such a portion will be damaged.

In the present invention, it is possible to employ an arrangement so that indirect pressing-down of the cartridge is effected, such as by use of a knock-pin and a push-button as a means for pressing down the end of the cartidge 20. Further, if desired a positive pressure may be applied to the liquid in feeding by using a cartridge containing a compressed gas or a volatile solvent with the liquid.

In Figures 3 and 4, a writing brush point 2' is connected to an end of the shaft sleeve 1 through the member 2 in which an ink absorber3 is fixed to a base end of the writing brush point 2' which base end extends into the member 2. The ink absorber 3 is retained by an intermediate plate 4 having an upside-down saucer shape and a central portion of the intermediate plate 4 is provided with a hole 5 communicating between an upper surface of the ink absorber 3 and the inside of the shaft sleeve 1.

An ink cartridge 20 is provided with valve means in which a sleeve-like element 8 is provided with an ink-passage hole 7 communicating between the inside of the sleeve-like element 8 and the outside of the same in its peripheral wall near the bottom thereof. The element 8 is inserted in an opening of the ink reservoir or bottle 9 and fixed thereto by a flange 8' integrally provided in an opening edge of the sleeve-like element 8 so thatthe sleeve-like element 8 is prevented from dropping into the ink bottle 9. The opening of the bottle 9 is threadably connected to a screw cap 10 for closing the openings of the ink bottle 9 and the sleeve-like element 8 to form a valve chamber/cylinder 11 in which is provided a valve stem/piston rod 12. An outer portion of the valve stem/piston rod 12 forms a conduit and has a pipe-like shape and an inner portion ofthe valve stem/piston rod 12 has a solid rod-like shape. The inner and outer ends of the valve stem/piston rod 12 are slidably inserted in shaft holes 13 and 13' respectively, and an intermediate portion of the valve stem/piston rod 12 is integrally provided with a valve body/piston 14. A ring member 15 having a doughnut-like shape is clamped between the inside of the screw cap 10 and the flange 8'. A valve seat 16 is formed inside the shaft hole 13 in the screw cap 10. An ink communication hole 17' is provided in a wall of the pipe-like portion 17 of the valve stem/ piston rod 12 so as to allow passage of ink through the portion 17 when the valve body/piston 14 is unseated from the valve seat 16.A coil spring 18 is interposed between the back surface of the valve body/piston 14 and the sleeve-like element 8 to urge the valve body/piston 14 toward its seating position.

A seal 19 is provided inside the screw cap 10 to seal a clearance between the shaft hole 13 provided in the screw cap 10 and the valve stem/piston rod 12.

In use, the cartridge 20 is inserted into the shaft sleeve 1 so that the front end of the valve stem/ piston rod 12 is retractably inserted into the communication hole 5 provided in the intermediate plate 4. The rear end surface of the cartridge 20 may be pressed down by the user's finger so that the cartridge 20 is forced into the shaft sleeve 1 and the valve of the cartridge 20 thereby opened. When the rear end surface to the cartridge 20 is released, the valve body/piston 14 applies a positive pressure to the ink remaining inside the valve chamber/cylinder 11 so that the ink is fed to the writing brush point 2'.

In Figure 4, the reference numeral 22 designates a portion of the liquid to be ejected by one stroke of the pressing-down operation of the cartridge 20.

The construction of the instrument described above makes it possible to wet the application portion such as the writing brush point, the pen nib, the painting brush point and the like with the liquid (such as ink) as desired by repeatedly and alternately pressing-down and releasing the rear end surface of the cartridge 20. Once again it will be noted that in feeding the liquid it is not necessary to press down the application portion against a surface so that there is no fear that such portion will be damaged.

In the present invention, it is possible to employ an indirect pressing-down construction such as a knock-pin and a push-button as a means for pressing down the rear end surface of the cartridge. Further, it is possible in working the present invention to inter alia provide separately the valve body and a piston in two-stage arrangement in the valve stem/piston rod.

Claims

1. An instrument for discharge of a liquid via an application means which comprises a cartridge containing said liquid and a shaft sleeve member provided with said application means into which shaft sleeve member the cartridge may be inserted, wherein valve means are provided to control the flow of liquid from said cartridge to said application means; said valve means being openable and closable by reciprocal movement of said cartridge within said shaft sleeve member.

2. An instrument according to claim 1 wherein the valve means is provided in the cartridge so that discharge of the liquid from the cartridge is prevented until the cartridge is inserted into the shaft sleeve member.

3. An instrument according to either of claims 1 and 2 wherein the valve means is provided with resilient means to urge the valve into a closed position.

4. An instrument according to claim 3 wherein the shaft sleeve member is provided with an open end to receive the cartridge so that in use an end of the cartridge extends beyond the open end of the shaft sleeve member and wherein the valve means is opened and closed by pressing and releasing re spectivelysaid end of the cartridge.

5. An instrument according to any one of the preceding claims comprising a cartridge for liquid which may be slidably inserted into a shaft sleeve member provided with a portion for application of the liquid to a surface, which shaft sleeve is further provided with a portion for retaining a front end of a retractable valve stem toward said application portion, and a portion for pressing an end of said cartridge directly or indirectly into a rear end of said shaft sleeve; and wherein said cartridge comprises a liquid reservoir provided with an inlet/outlet portion and valve means, an inlet and an outlet of which open to the inside and the outside of said reservoir respectively at the inlet/outlet portion thereof, said valve means comprising said valve stem having an outer conduit portion and an inner solid rod-like portion, and the valve stem slidably passing through a valve chamber to project its outer end from an inlet of said valve chamber and to project its inner end from a hole provided in a bottom portion of said valve chamber a valve seat and a valve body being provided inside the inlet of said valve chamber and in a middle portion of said valve stem respectively to be brought into contact with each other when said valve means is closed and to be separated from each other when said valve means is opened; a communication hole being provided in a wall of said conduit portion of said valve stem so as to be placed outside said valve seat when said valve body is seated in said valve seat and inside said valve seat when said valve body is separated from said valve seat a resilient means for urging said valve body toward its seating position; and a seal for sealing an opening edge of said inlet of said inlet of said valve box.

6. An instrument according to any one of claims 1 to 4 comprising a cartridge for liquid which may be slidably inserted into a shaft sleeve member provided at one end thereof with a portion for application of the liquid to a surface which shaft sleeve is further provided with a portion for retaining a front end of a retractable valve stem/piston rod toward said application portion, and a portion for pressing an end of said cartridge directly or indirectly into a rear end of said shaft sleeve; and wherein said cartridge comprises: a bottle provided with in its inlet/outlet portion a valve chamber/cylinder an inlet and an outlet of which open to the inside and the outside of said bottle respectively; said valve stem/ piston rod which has a pipe-like shape in its upper half and a solid rod-like shape in its inner half, and slidably penetrates through said valve chamber/ cylinder to project its outer end from an inlet of said valve chamber/cylinder and to project its inner end from a hole provided in a bottom portion of said valve chamber/cylinder; a valve seat and a valve body/piston provided inside the inlet of said valve chamber/cylinder and in a middle portion of said valve stem/piston rod respectively to be brought into contact with each other when said valve chamber/ cylinder is moved backward and to be separated from each other when said valve chamber/cylinder is moved forward; a communication hole provided in a wall of said pipe-like portion of said valve stem/ piston rod so as to be placed outside said valve seat when said valve body/piston is seated in said valve seat and inside said valve seat when said valve body/piston is separated from said valve seat; a spring for urging said valve body/piston toward its seating position; and a seal for sealing an opening edge of said inlet of said valve chamber/cylinder.

7. An instrument according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the liquid is an ink, paint, lubricant, adhesive, cosmetic, cream or ointment.

8. An instrument according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the application means or portion comprises a nib or brush.

9. An instrument according to any one of the preceding claims substantially as herein described with reference to any one of the preceding claims.

10. Each and every novel apparatus, method, product, process, feature or combination of features substantially as herein described.