GB2189689A

GB2189689A - Liquid applicator with improved liquid-feed means

Info

Publication number: GB2189689A
Application number: GB08708630A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Masaki Uchida
Original assignee: Mitsubishi Pencil Co Ltd
Current assignee: Mitsubishi Pencil Co Ltd
Priority date: 1986-04-10
Filing date: 1987-04-10
Publication date: 1987-11-04
Anticipated expiration: 2007-04-10
Also published as: JPS62166076U; IT8720052A0; JPH0435190Y2; GB2189689B; FR2597010A1; DE3712218A1; IT1216930B; GB8708630D0; FR2597010B1

Description

1 GB 2 189 689 A 1

SPECIFICATION tapered into a convergent shape.

The valve spring preferably comprises a coil spring.

Liquid applicator with improved liquid-feed means Embodiments of the invention will be hereinafter particularly described byway of non-limiting example This invention relates to a liquid applicator such as, 70 with reference to the accompanying drawings, in for example, a writing or painting instrument em- which:

ploying a liquid ink or paint, e.g. a marking pen and the Figure 1 is a partial longitudinal sectional view of a like; or a cosmetic applicatorfor a liquid cosmetic such front portion of a marking pen in accordance with the as nail polish and the like. invention when the valve stem of the valve unit is Liquid applicators often incorporate a valve unit 75 seated on the valve seat; between a liquid reservoir portion and a liquid Figure 2 is a viewsimilarto that of Figure 1 when the application member, such as a pen tip or nib, or a valve stem is moved to a transition point in which the brush-tip, atthe front end. spring component having the smaller spring constant Hitherto in this kind of liquid applicator, opening substantially completes its compression and before and closing of thevalve is conducted with a suitable 80 the spring component having the largerspring manual operation such as a pressing operation. In constant beginsto be compressed; liquid applicators of thistype,when the valve unit is Figure 3 is a viewsimilarto thatof Figure 1 when the opened,the area of the opening of the valve unit is valve stem has moved to itsfurthest position; and constant overthefull stroke of the pressing operation. Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the entire This results in a constantflow rate asthe displacement 85 marking pen when not being used.

airand application liquid passthrough the opening of In the drawings reference numeral 1 denotes a pen thevalve unit. Consequently, when it is desired to tip; 2 a shaft sleeve; 3 a valve-spring support; 4a valve increasethe amount of liquid fed tothefront-end seat; 5 a valve stem; and 6 a valve spring in theform of liquid application member of the applicator, itis a coil spring. The shaftsleeve 2 serves also as an necessaryto open the valve unitforan extended 90 application-liquid reservoir portion ora liquidtank& period of time by continuing the pressing operation. Atthe front end portion of the shaft sleeve 2 are As a result, the hitherto proposed liquid applicators mounted both a valve unit and a front shaft7, which sufferfrom a difficulty in controlling the feed rate of valve unit comprises the valve seat 4, valve stem 5, coil application liquid to obtain an optimum value thereof. spring 6 and the valve-spring support 3.

We have nowfound it possible to provide a liquid 95 The pen tip 1, which is axially slidable inside the applicatorwhich enables the userto easily control the front shaft 7, abuts a front end of the valve stem 5.

feed rate of liquid to the front-end application member When the pen tip 1 is pressed in bythe user, the pen tip so thatthe optimum value of the feed rate of the liquid 1 moves the valve stem 5 axially rearward to open the maybe readily obtained. valve unit.

According to the present invention, there is pro- 100 The valve stem 5 is movably disposed between the vided a liquid applicator having a valve unit between valve seat 4 and the valve-spring support3, and biased an application-liquid reservoir portion and a liquid- againstthe valve seat 4 bythe coil spring 6 which is application member, said valve unit being opened and disposed between the valve-spring support 3 and the closed by movement of a valve stem biased by a valve valve stem 5 and wound around the valve stem 5.

spring, wherein said valve spring comprises at least a 105 A rear end portion of the valve stem 5 is slidably pair of spring components having different spring inserted into a bore in the valve-spring support 3. A constants; and the valve-opening area defined be- front end portion of the valve stem 5. in a position in tween a valve seat and the valve stem produced when front of a tapered portion 10 of the stem 5, is shaped the valve stem is moved to a transition point at which with a tubular portion 16. The valve stem 5 seats on the one of said spring components having the smaller 110 the valve seat3 atthe above-mentioned tapered spring constant is substantially fully compressed and portion 10. The tubular portion 16 of the valve stem 5 is beforethe other of said spring components having the slightly smaller in diameterthan the open diameter of largerspring constant substantially begins to be the valve seat4 so thatthe tubular portion 16 extends compressed, is smallerthan the valve-opening area forward and passes through the valve seat4 and abuts defined between the valve seat and the valve stem 115 a rear end of the pen tip at itsfront end.

produced when the other of said spring components A pair of diametrically positioned slits 11 are having the larger spring constant is being comprovide atthe tubular portion 16 of the valve stem and pressed. these extend axiallyfrom the front end of the tubular One embodiment of the invention has means for portion 16 rearwardly so thatthe rear ends of the slits enlarging the valve-opening area between the valve 120 11 are in positions corresponding to the valve seat 4 seat and the valve stem when the spring component when the valve stem 5 reaches a transition point of the having the larger spring constant is being solely compression of the coil spring 6, which transition compressed after passing the transition pointwhich pointwill be described below in detail, comprises a slit in a predetermined portion of the The coil spring 6 comprises a pair of spring valve stem, which predetermined portion passes 125 components, e.g. in the embodiment shown, a through the valve seat when the transition point is larger-diameter portion 12 having a smaller spring passed. constant and a sm a] ler-dia meter portion 13 having a Instead of or in addition to a slit, a hole or groove larger spring constant. When an external compressive may be provided. Alternatively or additionally a force is applied to the coil spring 5, the larger-diameter predetermined portion of the valve stem maybe 130portion 12 is atfirst mainly compressed, and after 2 GB 2 189 689 A 2 completion of the compression of the larger-diameter When the pen tip 1 is subjected to an additional portion 12, the smaller-diameter portion 13 begins to pressure, as shown in Figure 3, the rear end edge be compressed whert an additional external corn- portions of the slits 11 enterthe liquid tank8, and both pressiveforce is applied to the coil spring 6. Thus, in theflow rate of the displacement air and of the ink compression of the coil spring 6, the larger-diameter 70 being fed to the pen tip 1 increase by amounts portion 12 and the smaller-diameter portion 13 are corresponding to a total cross-sectional area of the compressed under different loads which the user can opening portions of the slits 11 and the inner bore feel on his hand in use. portion of thetubular portion 16 overthe flow rates As shown in Figure 2,the above-mentioned rear produced before the valve stem 5 reaches the ends of the slits 11 are in positions corresponding to 75 transition point. Thus, in orderto increasethe flow thevalve seat4when the valve stem 5 reaches the rate of inkto the pen tip 1, it is necessaryto compress transition point of the compression of the coil spring 6, the smaller- diameter portion 13 with the use of atwhich transition pointthe compression of the pressure largerthan that required to compress the larger-diameter portion 12 is substantially completed larger-diameter portion 12. Since the pressure re while the smaller-diameter portion 13 is beginningto 80 quired varies atthe transition pointin asteplike be compressed. manner, the user can feel the transition pointofthe Theseslits 11 maybeequalto each otherin length, compression of the coil spring 6 in his hand. This and if desired mayfurther be axiallytapered to enables the userto adequately control pressure on the assume convergent shapes directed forward. In place pen tip 1 so as to give an optimum feed rate of the of the slits 11, it is also possible to employ suitable 85 application liquid or ink.

Claims

holes in the tubular portion 16 of the valve stem 5. CLAIMS

The coil spring 6 may be formed with integral 1. A liquid applicator having a valve unit between regions of different spring constant, or may comprise an application- iiquid reservoir portion and a liquid a pair of separate coil springs which are different in application member, said valve unit being opened and diameter and connected with each other. Further, the 90 closed by movement of a valve stem biased by a valve coil spring 6 may also be produced by combining a spring, wherein said valve spring comprises a pair of pair of separate coil springs which are differentfrom spring components having differentspring constants; each other in filament-diameter while equal to each and the valve-opening area defined between a valve other in coil-diameter. seat and the valve stem produced when the valve stem The valve spring 6 may comprise any other element 95 is moved to a transition point at which the one of said having differentspring constants, instead of a coil spring components having the smallerspring con spring. stant is substantiallyfuliy compressed and beforethe The above described embodimentof a marking pen other of said spring components having the larger in accordancewith the present invention has a spring constant substantially beginsto be compressconstruction in which the vaivestem 5 slidably moves 100 ed, is smallerthan the valve-opening area defined byaction of the pen tip 1 provided atthefront end between the valve seat and thevalve stem produced portion of the marking pen. However, it is also when the other of said spring components having the possibleto slidably move the valve stem 5 by use of a larger spring constant is being compressed.

suitable pushing memberwhich may be provided at a
2. An applicator according to claim 1 wherein a slit rear end portion of the shaft sleeve 2. Such a pushing 105 is provided in a portion of the valve stem, which member may, if desired, be replaced with any other portion passes through the valve seatwhen the spring suitable meansfor slidably moving the valve stem 5 in component having the largerspring constant begins the marking pen. to be compressed afterthe transition point is passed.

In the drawings, reference numeral 14 denotes a
3. An applicator according to either of claims land sponge elementfor absorbing excess application 110 2 wherein a hole is provided in a portion of the valve liquid or ink passing through the valve unit of the stem, which portion passes through the valve seat marking pen. when the spring component having the largerspring Operation of the marking pen will now be described constant begins to be compressed after the transition with referenceto Figures 1 to 3. point is passed.

Whenthe pentip 1 is notsubjected to pressure,the 115
4. An applicator according to anyone of the valve stem
5 seaiingly seats on the valve seat 4 at its preceding claims wherein a groove is provided in a tapered portion 10 to close the valve unit as shown in portion of an outer peripheral surface of the valve Figure 1. When the pen tip 1 is subjected to pressure to stem, which portion passes through the valve seat open the valve unit so that displacement air and the when the spri ng component having the larger spring ink being fed to the pen tip 1 pass th roug h the valve 120 constant begins to be compressed after the transition unit, the valve spring or coil spring
6 is at f irst point is passed.

compressed in its larger-diameter portion 12 having 5. An applicator according to anyone of the the smaller spring constant. Fig u re 2 shows the preceding claims wherein a portion of the valve stem arrangement when the compression of the larger- is tapered to a convergent shape directed toward the diameter portion 12 is completed while the smaller- 125 liquid application member, which portion passes diameter portion 13 having the larger spring constant through the valve seat when the spring component beginsto be compressed at the transition point of the having the larger spring constant begins to be compression of the coil spring 6. Thus, in the compressed after the transition point is passed.

arrangement shown in Figure 2,the valve stem 5 is in a 6. An applicator according to anyone of the position correspo-nding to the transition point. 130 preceding claims wherein the valve spring comprises 3 GB 2 189 689 A 3 a coil spring.
7. An applicator according to claim 6 wherein the oil spring comprises regions of different spring. constant.

L 5
8. An applicator according to anyone of the preceding claims substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

?
9. Each and every novel feature and combination of features substantially as herein described.

-Printed in the United Kingdom for Her Majesty's Stationery Office by the Tweeddale Press Group, 8991685, 11187 18996. Published at the Patent Office, 25 Southampton Buildings, London WC2A lAY, from which copies may be obtained.