GB2410007A

GB2410007A - Telescopic writing implement

Info

Publication number: GB2410007A
Application number: GB0400388A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Jacob Ezra
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-01-09
Filing date: 2004-01-09
Publication date: 2005-07-20
Also published as: GB0400388D0

Abstract

A telescopic pen comprising hollow nesting tubes 5, 6, 7, an ink refill 4, a separate cap 2 and a hole 1 for attaching it to a key ring. Preferably a push/pull grip 3 aids the telescoping function and may be screwed into the innermost tube 5. The grip 3 houses the ink refill 4 which may be straight and include a spring. Alternatively, the refill 4 may have a wave or spiral shape or may be formed from a spring. When the cap 2 is secured to the closed telescoping unit both parts are in alignment. The pen is compact when closed but may be extended to a conventional sized pen. The spiral or wave shaped ink refill may incorporate more ink thus extending usage.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a writing instrument and more specifically to a telescopic, compact writing instrument to which a keyring may be attached and which is, in its compact state, relatively short (50mm long), but which may be pulled out of the associated keyring lid attachment and transformed into an extended length writing instrument (approximately 1 20mm long) to provide the user a comfortably usable writing instrument separate and apart from the keyring attached component thereof and any keys supported on the associated keyring.

2. Description of Related Art

Various different forms of compact writing have been disclosed in U.S. as well as Great Britain Patents.

However, these previously known forms of compact writing instruments do not include features thereof which enable the writing instruments to be attached to keyrings and any keys supported therefrom in a telescopic compact stored state and yet be removable from a component of the writng instrument attached to the associated keyring and extendible via telescopic means into a writing instrument which may be used in a comfortable manner by a person accomplishing writing tasks. Furthermore the ink refills have all been of a straight nature affording only a limited performance and the component allowing the ball point nib to extend through has been of a basic nature allowing it to be no more than a device to retain the refill in place.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The writing instrument or Micro Expanding Pen, in this embodiment, consists of hollow telescopic tube sections approximately 30mm each in length one inside the other. The widest section has a further inner tube which, when the pen is closed, lines with the cap, securing the telescoping unit into the cap. The narrowest length is internally threaded to take a formed component which we will call the "push/pull grip" which is also threaded with like internal threads. An ink refill cartridge is housed within the grip.

A separate cap or lid which is open at one end but closed at the other end, has a hole allowing a key ring to be attached.

The cap is designed to remain attached to an associated keyring and the tubular barrel and telescoping pen with grip is unclipped from the cap, when a writing task is to be performed, and the telescoping barrel pulled by the push/pull grip and extended to the full length thereof.

The main object of this invention is to provide a writing instrument which may be carried in a longitudinally compact state upon a keyring, as a novel adornment and yet be a fully functioning full size pen always kept handy associated with a keyring. The cap and the tube sections may be disengaged from each other and upon pulling the tube sections our using the push/pull grip into the extended length condition will provide a writing instrument of sufficient length to be comfortable in use. Another object of this invention is to provide a writing instrument incorporating a ball point pen which by is very nature of being small and compact in a keyring form will only allow a limited usage if appointed with the usual straight ink refill. It is one object of this invention to show how one can improve the performance by using different shaped refills to give more use than the expected use of any standard writing pen.

Still another important object of this invention is to provide a dedicated push/pull grip allowing for easy telescoping in and out from a keyring to a pen.

Another object of this invention to be specifically enumerated herein is to provide a writing instrument in accordance with the preceding objects and which will conform to conventional forms of manufacture, be of simple construction and easy to use so as to provide a device that will be economically feasible, long-lasting and relatively trouble free in operation.

Further enhancements of certain aspects of the invention include a spring around the straight refill which will assist in the extending operation from a keyring to a pen, and a spiral refill which is itself a spring. These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig 1 a. shows diagrammatically, the pen in a compact state.

Fig 1 b. shows the pen still compact but in the correct orientation before any telescopic movement.

Fig tic. shows the cap removed and the pen sections partially in a telescopic arrangement.

Fig 1 d. shows the pen with the cap removed in a fully telescoped out position ready for use as a full size writing instrument.

Fig 2. shows an enlargement of the pen in a compact state with a simple straight ink refill housed within the push/pull grip which is in turn threaded to the thinnest section of tube.

Fig 3. shows an enlargement of the pen in a compact state with the grip and the ink refill. We see the spiral, long lasting ink refill housed Within the push/pull grip which is in turn threaded to the thinnest section of tube.

Fig 3a. show the parts numbered, particularly the tube sections, in relation to them being one inside the other.

Fig 4. shows the tube section lock in position with the Cap/Lid and many of the parts removed for clarity and Fig 4 a. which shows a slightly more detailed view of the lock and ridge which is rounded to aid engagement and disengagement.

Fig 5a. shows a simple yet small straight ink refill which allows the pen to be used from time to time, say in an emergency.

Fig 5b. shows an ink refill where the tube is bent into a wave pattern allowing for much more ink to be stored within the refill.

Fig c. shows an ink refill with a spiral configuration which allows for more ink capacity than the straight refill shown in Fig 5a. Though this configuration is still very compact offers more ink capacity generally found in a standard ball point pens.

Fig 6. shows the wave shaped ink refill within the closed and the open pen configurations.

Fig 7. shows the spiral shaped ink refill within the closed and the open pen configurations.

Fig 8. shows a spring, which would enhance the telescoping action, along with the straight ink refill in the closed and the open pen configurations.

Fig 9. shows a variation of the spiral ink refill which incorporates a spring around the refill. Parts

1 - Ring attachment hole 2 - Cap/Lid 3 - Push/pull Grip 4 - Ink refill straight - Tube Section 1 - internally threaded 6 - Tube Section 2 7 Tube Section 3 8 - Tube Section Lock 9 - Rounded End Section - Ink refill - Spiral 11 - spring 12 - sprung ink refill

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, Fig. 1 generally designates the writing instrument or keyring pocket pen in the various states of operation.

The drawings are all diagrammatic cut-through views which depict the parts within the pen. Fig.1 a) is a view of the pen not in use and let us say, hanging from a belt loop and part of a key ring shared with some keys.

Fig.1 b) Fig 1.c) Fig.1 d) all show the cap lid 2 being removed, the tube sections 5, 6 & 7 being pulled out by 3 the push/pull grip before the pen reaches its final state as shown in Fig 1 d) for ease of use as a fully functional writing instrument.

Each of the telescopic sections are made of metal tube but may be made in plastic just as easily. The tubes are made to slide one within the other but stop when fully extended as any common telescopic Ariel might do. Tube section 1, 5 is threaded on the inside to screw and unscrew the push/pull grip 3 into. The push/pull grip is shaped to allow ease by the thumb and index finger to grab the end and pull out or push in all the telescoping sections. The ink refill 4 can be any common straight ink refill found to be made by many manufacturers, however in this instance the refill is fixed into the push/pull grip 3 by glue or may even be moulded into place. By virtue of the fact that the push/pull grip 5 is pulled open from the closed telescopic position, the other tube sections namely Tube Sections, 6 and Tube Section 3, 7 and the rounded End Section 9 will all extend. Thus from the closed position found at Fig 1.b) we are extended to a full While Fig 2 shows an enlarged view of the sum of the parts, it also mainly features a common straight ink refill.

It is very much part of this invention to incorporate variations on the straight ink refill as seen in Fig 5a and introduce the idea of a wave shaped ink refill Fig 5b and the spiral ink refill as seen in Fig 5c. The reason for this is that what is seen to be a loss of capacity in the shortening of the straight ink refill to accommodate a small pen is overcome by introducing the different shapes spoken of in Figures 5b and 5c. It is even found that the simple wave pattern contains 58 millimetres of ink in comparison to the straight refill which contains 42 millimetres of ink. Fig 6 shows the wave shaped ink refill in the closed and the open pen positions. as

However, this invention prefers the spiral ink refill which contains 112 millimetres of ink in it small size, especially keeping in mind that the average ball point pen used world wide has an average of 100 millimetres of ink. Fig 7 shows the spiral shaped ink refill in the closed and the open pen positions. Thus one can conclude that it is actually preferable to use and keep this small pen on a handy key ring which "out writes" most conventional ball point pens.

Another embodiment of this invention relates to the introduction of a simple spring coiled around the straight ink refill. This enhances the "automatic" opening of the pen when the cap/lid 2 in disengaged. See Fig 8. This will undoubtedly add resistance to the closure of the pen which is a small hardship compared to the elegance of an automated opening.

The fusing of the spiral ink refill and the simple spring allowing automatic opening of the pen culminates in the embodiment of the spiral ink refill itself acting as the spring.

This can be achieved thus. An ink refill containing the ink as usual is surrounded and attached to a conventional spring or the material that the hollow tube that the ink itself resides in is itself a pre-stressed spring. See Fig 9. This combination of spring and ink refill has the advantage of holding more ink than the straight refill discussed earlier and the benefit of the elegance that comes with automatic opening Not mentioned so far is the Tube section lock 8 which is fixed to the rounded end section 9. This, like all the tube sections in the pen is of circular nature with the only distinction that it has an extending ridge which fits into a corresponding recess in the cap/lid 2. Fig 4 shows a clearer view of the three parts mentioned and Fig 4 a) shows a detail showing that a curved extension and curved recess is preferred for ease of operation. A'

Claims

Claims.

1.A telescopic pen, with an ink refill within sections of hollow tubes one inside the other which has a separate cap or lid which is open at one end but closed at the other end, and has a hole allowing a key ring to be attached.

2. A pen as in Claim 1 where a formed push/pull grip aids the telescoping function which is also threaded with like internal threads.

3. A pen as in Claim 1 which, when the pen is closed, lines with the cap, securing the telescoping unit into the cap.

4. A pen as in Claim 1 which has ink refill cartridge which is housed within the grip.

5. A pen as in Claim 1 whose ink refill cartridge has a wave shape.

6. A pen as in Claim 1 where a spring is positioned around a straight refill which will assist in the extending operation from a keyring to a pen

7. A pen as in Claim 1 where the ink refill is of a spiral nature.

8. A pen as in Claim 1 where the ink refill is of a spiral nature where the refill is itself a spring.