JP4685566B2 - Writing instrument - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a writing instrument comprising a writing part and a resin ink storage cylinder.

A solvent is generally used for the ink. However, when the solvent volatilizes, the viscosity of the ink increases, and thus there is a high possibility that writing defects such as blurring of a drawn line will occur. There are several techniques for countermeasures against this volatilization. For example, there is one in which a holder impregnated with an anti-drying agent made of a liquid having a vapor pressure higher than the vapor pressure of ink is provided between the ink storage cylinder of the writing instrument and the tail plug (Patent Document 1).
However, the total length of the writing instrument must be made so that it fits in human hands from the viewpoint of ease of use, so the length is limited, and considering the amount of ink stored inside, the writing section is generally There is almost no storage space at the rear, and the amount of anti-drying agent that can be stored is limited. If a sufficient amount of anti-drying agent is to be secured, the entire length of the writing instrument may be elongated and the appearance may be deteriorated, or the amount of ink must be reduced and a sufficient writing distance cannot be secured. In addition, the holding body is impregnated with an anti-drying agent, so that the amount of the anti-drying agent required for the holding body is reduced, and the time during which drying can be prevented is shortened accordingly.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 62-2146 (Fig. 1 etc.)

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a writing instrument that can prevent deterioration in quality due to volatilization of ink over a long period of time and can stably write.

  The writing instrument according to the present invention comprises a writing portion and a resin-made ink storage cylinder that stores ink therein and supplies ink to the writing portion, and a liquid material is provided around the ink. Is. In addition, an antioxidant can also be mix | blended with the said liquid substance. In addition, a moisturizing agent can be added to the liquid substance. Furthermore, a movable body that can move according to the decrease in the liquid substance can be provided. Furthermore, an indicator portion can be formed in the moving direction of the movable body.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a writing instrument that can prevent deterioration in quality due to volatilization of ink over a long period of time and can write stably.

  FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a first embodiment of the present invention. The present embodiment includes a writing unit 30, a resin-made ink storage cylinder 20 that stores the ink 60 inside and supplies the ink 60 to the writing unit 30, a follower 70 provided at the rear of the ink 60, and an ink storage. An outer shaft 10 provided on the outer peripheral side of the cylinder 20, a tail plug 11 provided at the rear end of the outer shaft 10, a liquid material 40 provided between the outer shaft 10 and the ink storage cylinder 20, and a liquid It consists of a movable body 50 that is in contact with the substance and provided at the rear. In the present specification, “front” refers to the direction of the writing unit 30, and “rear” refers to the opposite direction, specifically, the direction of the tail plug 11.

The writing unit 30 is a ballpoint pen tip provided with a ball at the tip in the present embodiment. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a brush nib or a fiber nib may be used. In short, it may be any as long as it has a function of supplying ink to a writing portion such as a paper surface.
The ink storage cylinder 20 is formed of a resin joint 21 and a resin ink storage cylinder main body 22. In this embodiment, although formed by two parts, the joint 21 may be omitted and the ink storage tube 22 main body and the writing unit 30 may be directly connected.
Examples of the material of the joint 21 include polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), and modified polyphenylene ether (mPPE). Examples of the material of the ink storage cylinder main body 22 include polypropylene (PP), There are polyethylene (PE), polyolefin, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), and vinylidene chloride.

The ink 60 in this embodiment is a water-based gel ink. Other types of ink 60 include oily and aqueous types, but are not particularly limited.
The gel ink is not particularly limited in its components, but preferably contains at least a colorant, water (purified water, distilled water, pure water, etc.), a viscosity modifier, a surfactant, and the like. Furthermore, a dispersant, a volatilization inhibitor, a rust inhibitor, a pH adjuster, a preservative, an organic solvent and the like can be contained. Furthermore, an antioxidant that suppresses the growth of internal bubbles may be added to the ink. However, the antioxidant exhibits an effect in terms of suppressing bubbles, but also has an aspect of inhibiting writing performance.

As will be described later, since the antioxidant is added to the liquid material 40, the function of the antioxidant can be exhibited without impairing the writing performance. The addition of an antioxidant to the ink is not excluded, and in addition to adding an antioxidant to the liquid material 40, it can be added to the ink as long as the writing performance is not impaired. In this case, the effect of suppressing bubbles is enhanced.
For example, vitamin C, vitamin E, carotenoid, polyphenol, erythorbic acid, dilauryl thiodipropionate, sulfite, kojic acid, glutathione, cysteine, or N-acetylcysteine may be used as the anti-oxidant added to the liquid substance 40 or ink. it can. In addition, an antioxidant can also add said substance independently, and can also add it in combination of 2 or more type.
As the colorant, all dyes dissolved or dispersed in water, titanium oxide and conventionally known inorganic and organic pigments, pseudo-pigments obtained by coloring resin emulsions with dyes, and white plastic pigments can be used.
Specifically, the dyes include acid dyes such as eosin, Phloxine, Water Yellow # 6-C, Acid Red, Water Blue # 105, Brilliant Blue FCF, Nigrosine NB, Direct Black 154, Direct Sky Blue 5B, Direct dyes such as violet BB and basic dyes such as rhodamine and methyl violet can be used.

Examples of inorganic pigments include carbon black and metal powder. Examples of the organic pigment include azo lake, insoluble azo pigment, chelate azo pigment, phthalocyanine pigment, perylene and perinone pigment, anthraquinone pigment, quinacridone pigment, dye lake, nitro pigment, nitroso pigment and the like. Specifically, carbon black, titanium black, zinc white, red pepper, chromium oxide, iron black, cobalt blue, iron oxide yellow, viridian, zinc sulfide, lithopone, cadmium yellow, vermilion, cadmium red, yellow lead, molybdate orange Inorganic pigments such as zinc chromate, strontium chromate, white carbon, clay, talc, ultramarine, precipitated barium sulfate, barite powder, calcium carbonate, white lead, bitumen, manganese violet, aluminum powder, true wheel powder, C.I. I. Pigment blue 1, C.I. I. Pigment blue 15, C.I. I. Pigment blue 17, C.I. I. Pigment blue 27, C.I. I. Pigment red 5, C.I. I. Pigment red 22, C.I. I. Pigment red 38, C.I. I. Pigment red 48, C.I. I. Pigment red 49, C.I. I. Pigment red 53, C.I. I. Pigment red 57, C.I. I. Pigment red 81, C.I. I. Pigment red 104, C.I. I. Pigment red 146, C.I. I. Pigment red 245, C.I. I. Pigment yellow 1, C.I. I. Pigment yellow 3, C.I. I. Pigment yellow 12, C.I. I. Pigment yellow 13, C.I. I. Pigment yellow 14, C.I. I. Pigment yellow 17, C.I. I. Pigment yellow 34, C.I. I. Pigment yellow 55, C.I. I. Pigment yellow 74, C.I. I. Pigment yellow 83, C.I. I. Pigment yellow 95, C.I. I. Pigment yellow 166, C.I. I. Pigment yellow 167, C.I. I. Pigment orange 5, C.I. I. Pigment orange 13, C.I. I. Pigment orange 16, C.I. I. Pigment violet 1, C.I. I. Pigment violet 3, C.I. I. Pigment violet 19, C.I. I. Pigment violet 23, C.I. I. Pigment violet 50, C.I. I. And CI Pigment Green 7.
These colorants can be used alone or in admixture of two or more, and the amount used is preferably 0.1 to 40% by weight based on the total amount of the ink composition.

Examples of viscosity modifiers include polyacrylic acid, alkali salts of polymethacrylic acid, alkali salts of acrylic acid or methacrylic acid-containing copolymers, alkali salts of copolymers of styrene and maleic acid, vinyl acetate and crotonic acid. Polymer alkali salt, vinyl alcohol containing modified polyvinyl alcohol, copolymer of methyl vinyl ether and maleic acid, polyalkylene oxide derivative, methylcellulose, hydroxyethylcellulose, sodium salt of carboxymethylcellulose, gum arabic, alkali salt of shellac, Polyethylene oxide, sodium alginate tragacanth gum, guar gum, karaya gum and the like can be used.
Examples of surfactants include polyoxyethylene such as polyoxyethylene lauryl ether, polyoxypropylene or polyoxyethylene polyoxypropylene derivatives, glycerin diglycerin or polyglycerin derivatives such as tetraglyceryl distearate, tetraglyceryl di Polyethers such as glycerin diglycerin or polyglycerin derivatives such as stearate, saccharide derivatives such as sorbitan monooleate, surfactants having a fluorinated alkyl group such as perfluoroalkyl phosphate, and polyethylene glycol adducts of dimethylpolysiloxane Lubricants and wetting agents such as modified silicone, hydrogenated castor oil, phosphate ester type surfactants, fluorosurfactants, and caliken can be used.

As the dispersant, water-soluble polymers such as ammonium salt of styrene maleic acid and ammonium salt of styrene acrylic acid can be used.
As volatilization inhibitors, reducing sugars based on maltitol, reducing sugars based on sorbitol, reducing oligosaccharides, reducing maltooligosaccharides, reducing dextrins, reducing maltodextrins, α-cyclodextrins, β-cyclodextrins, malto Sil cyclodextrin can be used.
Benzotriazole, saponins, etc. can be used as rust inhibitors, potassium hydroxide, potassium phosphate, aminomethyl propanol, etc. can be used as pH adjusters, and sodium omadin, 1-2 benzoisothiazoline, etc. can be used as preservatives. .
As a pH adjuster, potassium hydroxide, potassium phosphate, aminomethyl propanol and the like can be used.
As a preservative, sodium omadin, 1-2 benzisothiazoline and the like can be used.
Examples of organic solvents include water-soluble polyhydric alcohols such as ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, and glycerin, cellsolves such as ethylene glycol monomethyl ether and ethylene glycol monoethyl ether, and carbitols such as diethylene glycol monomethyl ether and diethylene glycol monoethyl ether. Furthermore, glycol ether esters such as ethylene glycol monoethyl ether acetate can be used. The follower 70 is provided to prevent the backflow and volatilization of the ink 60. The follower 70 is in the form of a gel or a grease, and is composed of, for example, a base oil and a thickener. Examples of the base oil include liquid paraffin and mineral oil, and examples of the thickener include elastomers and fine silica.

  The outer shaft 10 is formed from a tip 10a and an outer shaft main body 10b. In addition, the tip 10a and the outer shaft main body 10b can be configured as a single unit. The mouth 10a is provided with a hole at its tip, and the writing part 30 is exposed from this hole. Further, a screw part is formed at the rear part, and it is fixed to the outer shaft body 10b having a screw part formed at the tip. The tip 10a and the outer shaft body 10b are made of metal such as stainless steel, polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polycarbonate (PC), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polyacetal (POM). ) And synthetic resins such as acrylic styrene (AS).

The outer shaft main body 10b stores the ink storage cylinder 20 therein. In the present embodiment, it is formed transparent so that the remaining amount of ink inside can be grasped.
An air hole 11 a is formed in the tail plug 11, and air is supplied from the outside so that the inside of the outer shaft 10 does not become negative pressure due to consumption of the ink 60.
Examples of the liquid substance 40 include water (purified water, distilled water, pure water, ion exchange water, etc.), a solvent, and a mixture of the solvent and water. Moreover, various additives can also be suitably mix | blended with these water, a solvent, and a mixture. The solvent preferably has a lower vapor pressure than water. This is because volatilization of the liquid substance 40 itself is suppressed by using a solvent having a vapor pressure lower than that of water. Examples of the solvent include propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, glycerin, triethylene glycol and the like.

Specifically, the liquid substance 40 in the present embodiment uses a solvent. The solvent is a mixture in which various additives are blended with the above water, solvent, mixture and the like. As this additive, a pH adjuster, a surfactant, a viscosity adjuster or the like is used.
The liquid substance 40 suppresses volatilization of the solvent in the ink that passes through the ink storage cylinder. For this reason, it is possible to obtain a stable drawn line without blurring over a long period of time. Furthermore, the intrusion of air from the outside to the ink is suppressed. For this reason, the problem of the bubble generation inside the ink by the air from the outside can be suppressed.

The liquid substance 40 is not limited to a low-viscosity substance, and may be a high-viscosity substance, and includes a gel-like or grease-like substance. A preferable viscosity of the liquid substance 40 is 10,000 mPa · s or less. This is because the defoaming treatment becomes difficult when the viscosity is higher than this. The liquid material 40 is preferably transparent or translucent. This is because a decorative member (for example, lame) or an inscription sheet can be added. Further, the ink 60 existing inside can be visually recognized from the outside, and the remaining ink amount and ink color can be easily grasped. The liquid material 40 may be colored.
Furthermore, the liquid substance 40 is preferably provided so as not to be in direct contact with air. Further, it is more preferable not to be in direct contact with air even in a situation where the cap is not applied. This is because by avoiding contact with air, volatilization and the like can be prevented and the function can be maintained over a long period of time. For this reason, it is preferable to provide the elastic member 90, the movable body 50, etc. in the edge part of the liquid substance 40 so that it may mention later.

The liquid substance 40 needs to be provided around the portion of the ink storage cylinder 20 that is filled with the ink 60, but it is not necessarily provided at all the portions that are filled with the ink 60. . The ink 60 may be provided only in a part, for example, a part where the volatility of the ink 60 is particularly intense due to material characteristics or thin wall. Further, when the ink storage cylinder 20 includes the ink storage cylinder main body 22 and the joint 21, the liquid material 40 can be provided only around the joint 21. When the joint 21 is not present and the writing part is provided directly on the ink storage cylinder, the liquid material 40 can be provided only around the writing part. Furthermore, when providing the liquid substance 40 only in a part, it is most preferable to provide it around the writing part. This is because the volatilization around the writing part has the greatest effect on writing.
Although the liquid substance 40 is provided, for example, the outer shaft 10 is provided around the ink storage cylinder 20 as in the present embodiment, and can be provided between the outer shaft 10 and the ink storage cylinder 20. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, which will be described later, for example, a space portion 22c may be formed between the outer wall portion 22a and the inner wall portion 22b of the ink storage cylinder 20, and the liquid material 40 may be provided in the space portion 22c.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, an antioxidant is added to the liquid material 40. The growth of bubbles in the ink can be suppressed or eliminated by the antioxidant. This technical background will be described.
In the writing instrument manufacturing method, after the ink is injected into the ink storage cylinder, a writing portion is provided at the tip thereof. In this state, air exists between the ink and the writing unit. Also, the ink itself contains air. In particular, since writing cannot be performed if air exists between the ink and the writing part, the centrifugal defoaming process is usually performed so that a force is applied in the direction of the writing part. By this centrifugal defoaming treatment, the ink moves in the direction of the writing portion and the air moves in the opposite direction. The air is finally discharged from the rear end of the ink storage cylinder, whereby the ink is filled up to the front end of the writing unit and writing is possible.

However, recent writing instruments tend to be complex in shape and the like, and even if centrifugal defoaming is performed, there is a problem that minute bubbles remain inside the ink without being discharged. The fine bubbles may expand due to the external temperature environment, etc., and the ink may be cut off and cannot be written, or if further expanded, the ink leaks from the rear end of the ink storage cylinder. is there.
In addition, most writing instruments in recent years are often formed of a resin such as polypropylene. However, since these resins allow air to pass through, the air sometimes enters the ink from the outside. In this case, the same problem as described above occurs.
Furthermore, an ink using a pigment having a relatively large particle diameter in the ink has been developed. When the centrifugal defoaming process is performed on the ink using such a pigment, there is a problem that the pigment settles. For this reason, the time of centrifugation must be shortened, and there exists a problem that deaeration cannot fully be performed. For this reason, the same problem as described above also occurs in this case.

The antioxidant passes through the ink storage cylinder 20 and acts on the ink 60 inside the ink storage cylinder 20. The amount of movement of the antioxidant into the ink per unit time is very small, and after moving into the ink, the bubbles are erased, so the antioxidation function is lost. Therefore, the concentration of the antioxidant in the ink is lower than that in which the antioxidant is added directly into the ink. Therefore, the adverse effects of the antioxidant can be reduced as compared with the case where the antioxidant is added directly to the ink.
Note that gel ink often employs a mechanism having a follower (backflow preventer), and therefore, air bubbles are more likely to occur than other types of ink. When the agent is applied, the bubble suppression effect is particularly exhibited.

  Further, a humectant is added to the liquid material 40. Volatilization of the liquid substance 40 is suppressed by this humectant. As the humectant, for example, reducing sugars mainly composed of maltitol, reducing sugars mainly composed of sorbitol, reducing oligosaccharides, reducing maltooligosaccharides, reducing dextrins, reducing maltodextrins, α-cyclodextrin, β-cyclodextrin, Examples include maltosyl cyclodextrin. In addition, a moisturizing agent can also add said substance independently, and can also add it combining 2 or more types. Further, it can be added together with a solvent.

The movable body 50 moves following the liquid material 40 as the liquid material 40 decreases. In the present embodiment, when the liquid substance 40 decreases, the movable body 50 moves in the direction of the writing unit 30 (left direction in the drawing).
The movable body 50 can be formed of the same component as the follower, for example. Further, for example, it may be composed of liquid paraffin dispersed with fine silica.
The movable body 50 first suppresses leakage of the liquid material 40 and the like. It also provides resistance to drop impact. Further, it is desirable that the liquid material 40 is not unnecessarily adhered to the outer shaft 10 or the ink storage cylinder 20 without affecting the performance of the liquid material 40.

Furthermore, the movable body 50 fulfills a function of clarifying when the writing instrument is in what environment. This point will be described in detail. When placed in a high-temperature environment, the volatilization amount of the liquid material 40 increases, so that the movable body 50 moves greatly to the left. On the other hand, when placed at a low temperature, the amount of volatilization is small, so the amount of movement is small. Therefore, if the movement amount of this movable body 50 is measured, the environment where the writing instrument was placed can be inferred. Conventionally, even if the remaining amount of consumed ink is known, it is unknown whether it is due to writing or volatilization, and it is impossible to grasp the environment where the writing instrument was placed It was. Since the liquid material 40 is not consumed by writing and the amount of decrease is determined by the ambient temperature environment, it is possible to infer the environment in which the writing instrument was placed by measuring the amount of decrease.
When the liquid material 40 is reduced, the liquid material 40 may be unevenly adhered to the inner wall surface of the outer shaft 10 and the amount of reduction may not be clear. Therefore, the movable body 50 is moved along with the decrease of the liquid material 40, and the position of the movable body 50 is grasped so that the amount of decrease of the liquid material 40 can be clearly grasped.

  Furthermore, it is possible to form the indicator 80 in the moving direction of the movable body 50 (in the present embodiment, forward). The indicator 80 can be provided on the outer shaft 10 or the ink storage cylinder 20. If the correlation between the surrounding environment, the amount of decrease in the liquid material 40, and the quality is investigated in advance and the position of the index portion 80 is determined based on the result of the survey, the movable body 50 reaches the index portion 80. Thus, for example, it can be shown that the period during which the quality can be sufficiently guaranteed has ended. As a result, new quality management can be provided. Conventionally, a certain period from the date of manufacture is generally a period of quality assurance, but with this, it has been difficult to ensure quality including the atmosphere in which the writing instrument is placed.

In the present embodiment, the front of the liquid material 40 is closed, and the liquid material 40 and the movable body 50 are moved from the rear to the front. However, the rear side may be closed, and the liquid substance 40 and the movable body 50 may be moved from the front to the rear. Alternatively, the front and the rear may be opened, the movable body 50 may be provided at both ends, and the center from both ends. It can also be moved in the direction. Further, when the purpose is simply to prevent volatilization of the ink 60 or to prevent air from entering from the outside, the movable body 50 and the blocking portion may be omitted. In this case, it is desirable that the liquid material be a component or material that does not easily volatilize.
The movable body 50 is preferably made of a color, transparency, material, etc. different from the liquid substance 40. This is because it is difficult to clearly move the movable body 50 with the same color, transparency, and material. The movable body 50 is not limited to a liquid substance, and can be made of, for example, a resin.

  FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the writing unit 30 of FIG. A protrusion 21b is formed on the outer periphery of the joint 21, and a ring-shaped elastic member 90 made of silicon or the like is provided between the protrusion 21b and the tip 10a. Prevents outflow and volatilization. That is, the elastic member is one of the closing means for suppressing the leakage of the liquid substance 40 from the front.

Although not shown, a check ball for preventing the backflow of the ink 60 due to upward writing or the like is provided inside the joint 21. When centrifugal defoaming is performed, air bubbles may remain because the ink flow path around the ball is narrow. Further, since the outer diameter of the writing portion 30 is smaller than the inner diameter of the ink storage cylinder main body 22, the joint 21 is interposed therebetween, and the diameter inside the joint inevitably becomes smaller toward the front. . Even in such a shape, bubbles tend to remain. Therefore, if the liquid material 40 is used in the case of a writing instrument using a check ball or a joint, the adverse effects can be effectively prevented. Further, as described above, the liquid substance 40 can be provided only around the joint. Note that volatilization and leakage of the liquid substance can be suppressed by providing the joint 21 and the tip 10a in close proximity or close to each other without providing the protrusion 21b and the elastic member.

  In FIG. 3, a space 22c is formed between the outer wall 22a and the inner wall 22b of the ink storage cylinder 20, and the liquid material 40 is provided in the space 22c. In addition to providing the liquid material 40 between the outer shaft 10 and the ink storage cylinder 20, the liquid material 40 can also be provided in the ink storage cylinder 20 itself. The main components shown in FIG. 3 are not greatly different from those in the embodiment shown in FIG.

It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the 1st Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the writing unit 30 in FIG. 1. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Outer shaft 10a Mouth part 10b Outer shaft main body 11 Tail plug 11a Air hole 20 Ink storage cylinder 21 Joint 21b Protrusion 22 Ink storage cylinder main body 22a Outer wall part 22b Inner wall part 22c Space part 30 Writing part 40 Liquid substance 50 Movable body 60 Ink 70 Follower 80 Index section 90 Elastic member

Claims (5)

A writing instrument comprising a writing unit and a resin-made ink storage cylinder that stores ink therein and supplies ink to the writing unit, wherein a liquid material is provided around the ink. The writing instrument according to claim 1, wherein an antioxidant is blended with the liquid substance. The writing instrument according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a moisturizing agent is blended in the liquid substance. The writing instrument according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a movable body movable according to a decrease in the liquid substance. The writing instrument according to claim 4, wherein an indicator portion is formed in a moving direction of the movable body.

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