JP2001125723A - Input pen - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an input pen capable of easily exchanging a pen refill. SOLUTION: Concerning the input pen to be used for a portable information terminal, a front shaft 10 is detachably fitted to the front part of a barrel cylinder 1. An input chip 12 is built in this front shaft 10 and a reset pin 3 is attachably and detachably fitted to the barrel cylinder 1. A pen refill 5 is detachably loaded on this reset pin 3. Further, a cap 7 is detachably fitted so as to cover a writing part 5A of the pen refill 5.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a portable information terminal, in other words, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant).
The present invention relates to an input pen used for (1).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional input pen used for a portable information terminal, a ball-point pen refill is built in a barrel for writing a memo together with input work.

[0003]

However, replacement of the ballpoint pen refill built in the small-diameter barrel is very troublesome.

[0004] It is an object of the present invention to provide an input pen that solves the above problems.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides an input pen used in a portable information terminal by providing an input chip at a front portion thereof. A ballpoint pen refill is detachably attached to the reset pin, a writing portion of the ballpoint pen refill projects from the rear end of the barrel, and a cap is detachably attached so as to cover the writing portion of the ballpoint pen refill. It is a thing.

[0006]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An input pen according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The left side of the drawing is the front and the right side is the back. FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4 show a first embodiment of the present invention, in which a metal front inner shaft 2 is press-fitted and fixed to a front portion of a metal shaft cylinder 1. FIG. This front inner shaft 2 has a thin rod 3
A reset pin 3 having A is detachably screwed. In addition, the O-ring 4 is provided in the concave groove 3B of the reset pin 3 to prevent the front inner shaft 2 and the reset pin 3 from loosening.

Further, a hole 3C dug from the rear end is formed at a rear portion of the reset pin 3, and a rear portion of the ballpoint pen refill 5 is detachably fitted into the hole 3C.

The writing part 5A of the ballpoint pen refill 5
Although it protrudes from the rear end of the rear inner shaft 6 which is press-fitted and fixed to the rear portion of the barrel 1, it is covered with a synthetic resin cap 7 detachably fitted to the rear inner shaft 6. The means for fitting the cap 7 to the rear inner shaft 6 is configured by fitting the inward projection 7A of the cap 7 to the recess 6A of the rear inner shaft 6. An inner hole 7B formed in the top of the cap 7 has
The soft input member 8 is attached, and the soft input member 8 is formed with a substantially hemispherical input portion 8A. Further, a substantially rectangular hole 7C is formed in the cap 7, and the non-circular portion 3D of the reset pin 3 cannot rotate and can be inserted into the hole 7C.

Further, a rear portion of the clip 9 is removably inserted into the raised portion 7D of the cap 7, and a notch 9A formed at the rear end of the clip 9 as shown in FIG.
Fits into a protrusion 7F formed so as to protrude forward from the rear surface of the groove 7E of the cap 7, and the protrusion 7G formed on the inner surface on the upper side of the groove 7E of the cap 7 fits into the hole 9B of the clip 9. The clip 9 is attached without moving.

Therefore, the clip 9 of the input pen can be carried by inserting it into the pocket of the clothes. As shown in FIG. 6, even when the clip 9 is detached, the groove 7E of the cap 7 can be inserted into a pocket of the clothes and carried.

The raised portion 7D of the cap 7 is formed so as to be depressed in the form of a finger contact portion so that when the input pen is removed from the portable information terminal, it can be easily pressed and removed with a finger.

A rectangular hole 9C is formed in the clip 9, and a non-circular portion 3D of the reset pin 3 is formed in the rectangular hole 9C.
Are non-rotatable and insertable.

A receiving member 11 is screwed to the front shaft 10 made of synthetic resin so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction. Further, an input chip 12 made of synthetic resin is slidably built in the front shaft 10 in the longitudinal direction, and a return spring 13 is stretched between the input chip 12 and the receiving member 11. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, a notch 11A is formed at the rear of the receiving member 11. Therefore, if the front shaft 10 and the cap 7 are removed from the barrel 1, the tip 9D of the clip 9 attached to the cap 7 is inserted into the notch 11A of the receiving member 11, and the receiving member 11 is rotated together with the cap 7. The receiving member 11 moves in the longitudinal direction, and the pressing force of the return spring 13 can be arbitrarily adjusted to adjust the force for urging the input chip 12 forward. Tip 12A of the input chip 12
Project from the front end of the front shaft 10 as appropriate.

The above-mentioned input pen is used for pressure-sensitive input to a panel provided in a portable information terminal. When inputting fine characters or the like, an input chip provided at the front portion of the front shaft 10 is used. The use of 12 enables precise input. When a pointing input is performed, the input can be easily performed by using the soft input member 8.
In addition, two types of input operations can be performed only by inverting the input pen, which is very convenient.

When an excessive force is applied to the input chip 12, the input chip 12 retreats to prevent the panel from being damaged.

In addition, the force of pressing the return spring 13 forward can be adjusted according to the purpose of use.
The input chip 12 can be fixed, so that it can be used according to the user's preference.

Furthermore, if the cap 7 is removed, writing with the ballpoint pen refill 5 is also possible, so that it is possible to check and make notes. Moreover, since the cap 7 can be fitted to the front shaft 10, there is no danger that the cap 7 will be lost during writing with the ballpoint pen refill 5.

The locking projections 7H shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 are formed on both sides of the cap 7, so that the locking projections 7H can be engaged with the portable information terminal for mounting. Easy to use.

Further, since the reset pin 3 is built in the input pen, if an abnormality occurs in the portable information terminal, the reset pin 3 is exposed by removing the front shaft 10 from the barrel 1. It is very convenient because it can be reset with.

When replacing the ballpoint pen refill 5, first, the front shaft 10 is removed from the barrel 1, then the cap 7 is removed and the non-circular portion 3 D of the reset pin 3 is inserted into the hole 7 C of the cap 7. Then, the reset pin 3 can be removed by turning the cap 7. Since the ballpoint pen refill 5 is fitted into the hole 3C of the reset pin 3, it can be removed from the barrel 1 together with the reset pin 3.

The means for removing the reset pin 3 is as follows.
Remove the clip 9 from the cap 7, and
It is also possible to insert the non-circular portion 3D of the reset pin 3 into B and turn the clip 9 to remove it. Next, the ballpoint pen refill 5 is extracted from the hole 3C of the reset pin 3 and
The rear part of the new ballpoint pen refill 5 is fitted into the hole 3C of the reset pin 3 and the reset pin 3 is screwed into the front part of the front inner shaft 2, whereby the ballpoint pen refill 5 is attached.

The material of the input chip 12 is as follows.
Synthetic resins such as polyacetal, polyethylene and nylon are conceivable.

The material of the soft input member 8 may be a vulcanized rubber or a thermoplastic elastomer.

FIG. 8 shows a second embodiment of the present invention.
The same members as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. The screw piece 14 is press-fitted and fixed to the rear portion of the front shaft 110 made of synthetic resin, and the reset pin 3 is detachably screwed to the screw piece 14. Further, the receiving member 11 is screwed to the screw piece 14 so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction.

[0025]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, the ball-point pen refill is easily operated by removing the reset pin from the barrel, removing the ball-point pen refill mounted on the reset pin, and mounting a new ball-point pen refill. Is replaced

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an input pen according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the input pen according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a right side view showing the input pen according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the clip of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a front view of a main part of the input pen according to the first embodiment of the present invention, showing a state where a clip is removed.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the receiving member of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a main part showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Shaft cylinder 5 Ballpoint pen refill 5A Writing part of ballpoint pen refill 5 7 Cap 8 Soft input member 9 Clip 10 Front shaft 11 Receiving member 11A Notch of receiving member 11 12 Input chip 13 Return spring 14 Screw piece 110 Front shaft

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An input pen used in a portable information terminal by providing an input chip at a front portion, a reset pin is detachably attached to a front portion of a barrel, and a ballpoint pen refill is detachably attached to the reset pin. An input pen characterized in that a writing portion of the ballpoint pen refill projects from the rear end of the barrel, and a cap is detachably attached to cover the writing portion of the ballpoint pen refill.