JP6735170B2 - Writing instrument - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a writing instrument, and more particularly, to a writing instrument capable of changing a drawing line width during writing.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, it is known that a single writing tool can change the drawing line width when writing with a single writing tool (for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3).

JP, 2013-252654, A JP, 2013-252655, A JP, 2015-199302, A

The writing instruments described in Patent Documents 1 to 3 include a writing ball provided at the tip of the writing instrument, and an outer provided further on the outer periphery of a holder for holding the writing ball. When the user wants to draw a thin line, the writing tool is placed in a substantially vertical position and the line is drawn using only the writing ball. When the user wants to draw a thick line, the writing tool is tilted at a predetermined angle, and the writing ball and the tip of the outer are brought into contact with the writing surface at the same time. In this way, the writing tool is tilted at a predetermined angle and the writing ball and the tip of the outer are brought into contact with the writing surface at the same time, whereby the ink supplied to the writing ball is supplied between the writing ball and the tip of the outer. It Thereby, a line having a width corresponding to the width between the writing ball and the tip portion of the outer can be drawn.

However, as described above, the writing tools described in Patent Documents 1 to 3 can draw a line having a width corresponding to the width between the writing ball and the tip of the outer, but due to the structure of the writing tool, the writing ball and the outer. There is a limit to the size of the width between the tip and. In other words, when trying to increase the distance between the writing ball and the tip of the outer, it is necessary to separate the outer from the writing ball, but when the outer is placed away from the writing ball, the outer can protect the tip of the writing part. Disappear. Further, when a line is drawn using the writing ball and the tip of the outer, the gap is widened, the capillary force is weakened, and ink cannot be supplied, which is not preferable.

Then, this invention is made in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, and it aims at providing the writing instrument which can draw a thicker line in the writing instrument which can change a drawing line width.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides an ink containing portion for containing ink, an ink supply portion for supplying the ink contained in the ink containing portion toward the tip, and a tip of the writing portion. A writing instrument comprising a first writing unit capable of writing using ink supplied from the ink supply unit, wherein a capillary that sucks up the ink supplied to the first writing unit by a capillary force is provided outside the outer. A body is provided, and the first writing section and the writing instrument tip side of the capillary body configure a second writing section, and when only the capillary body is used, a third writing section is configured. ..

According to the present invention configured as described above, the third writing unit can draw a line using the ink supplied from the ink containing unit to the first writing unit via the ink supply unit. Since the third writing portion is provided outside the outer, the width is not substantially limited like the second writing portion. Therefore, it is possible to draw a thicker line than the second writing part by providing the third writing part further outside the outer. The capillary body may be any one having a capillary force, and examples thereof include a fiber bundle, a sintered body, a porous body such as felt and sponge, and a brush body such as a brush and bristles.

Further, according to the present invention configured as described above, the second writing part is formed on the writing surface by forming the capillary on the outer side of the outer and forming the second writing part by the first writing part and the capillary. When pressed against, the capillary body forming a part of the second writing section can be bent. This can reduce the load applied to the third writing unit during writing.

Further, in the present invention, preferably, the drawing line width of the writing by the third writing unit is thicker than the drawing line width of the writing by the second writing unit.

Further, in the present invention, preferably, the capillary body is a flocked body on which electrostatic flocking is performed.

According to the present invention thus configured, the bristles forming the flocked body can be vertically extended from the outer surface of the outer. This makes it possible to draw a blurred line using the third writing unit.

As described above, according to the present invention, a thicker line can be drawn with a writing instrument whose drawing line width can be changed.

It is a side view and a side sectional view of a writing instrument according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a principal part perspective view of the writing instrument by the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view of the collector of the writing instrument according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a side view and a side sectional view of a main part of the writing instrument according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a side view of the joint of the writing instrument according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a side sectional view of the outer of the writing instrument according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a side view and a side sectional view of a main part of the writing instrument according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a side view and a side sectional view of a main part of the writing instrument according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a principal part side view of the writing instrument by the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view and a side sectional view of a writing instrument according to a second embodiment of the present invention. It is a principal part perspective view of the writing instrument by the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a principal part side view and sectional drawing of the writing instrument by the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view and side sectional drawing of a writing instrument by a 3rd embodiment of the present invention. It is a principal part side sectional view of the writing instrument by the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a principal part perspective view of the writing instrument by the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view and a side sectional view of a writing instrument by a 4th embodiment of the present invention. It is a principal part side sectional drawing of the writing instrument by the 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a principal part perspective view of the writing instrument by the 4th Embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, the writing instrument according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the present specification, the “front” of the ballpoint pen and its components means the side on which the writing ball is provided in the axial direction of the ballpoint pen, and the “rear” means the opposite side.

FIG. 1 shows a ball-point pen according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a main part of the ball-point pen. More specifically, FIG. 1A shows a state in which the front of the ballpoint pen is covered with a cap, and FIG. 1B shows a state in which the cap is removed from the front of the ballpoint pen and attached to the rear. 1(c) is a sectional view of the state of FIG. 1(a), and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the front end portion of the ballpoint pen.

As shown in FIG. 1, the ball-point pen 1 includes a ball-point pen body 3 and a cap 5 attached to the body 3.

The main body 3 of the ball-point pen has a tubular shape as a whole so that a user can hold it when used, and includes a front-side barrel 7 and a rear-side barrel 9. Threads are provided on the rear end of the front-side barrel 7 and the front end of the rear-side barrel 9 respectively. By screwing the two together, the front-side barrel 7 and the rear-side barrel 9 are screwed together. And are fixed to each other. Then, the front-side barrel 7 and the rear-side barrel 9 are screwed and fixed to each other, whereby a space for accommodating each component for writing the ballpoint pen is formed inside. Further, the front side cylinder 7 and the rear side cylinder 9 may be fixed by press fitting instead of screwing. In that case, in order to prevent the outer 31 from being damaged by the impact of assembly, it is desirable that the pressure input is 300 N or less. In the following, the space formed inside the front-side barrel 7 and the rear-side barrel 9 will be simply referred to as "internal space" for detailed description.

An ink containing portion 11 for containing ink is arranged on the rear side of the internal space, and a writing portion 13 for writing with the ink in the ink containing portion 11 is provided on the front side of the internal space. Is provided, and an ink supply unit 15 for supplying the ink in the ink storage unit 11 to the writing unit 13 is provided between the ink storage unit 11 and the writing unit 13.

The ink containing section 11 contains a predetermined ink therein, and when the ink in the writing section 13 is insufficient, the ink can be appropriately supplied to the writing section 13 by a capillary force.

As the ink contained in the ink container 11, any of pigments or dyes may be used as a coloring material. The type of pigment is not particularly limited, and any of inorganic and organic pigments conventionally used for writing instruments such as water-based ballpoint pens can be used.

Examples of inorganic pigments include carbon black and metal powder. Examples of organic pigments include azo lakes, insoluble azo pigments, chelate azo pigments, phthalocyanine pigments, perylene and perinone pigments, anthraquinone pigments, quinacridone pigments, dye lakes, nitro pigments, and nitroso pigments. Specifically, phthalocyanine blue (CI.74160), phthalocyanine green (CI.74260), Hansa yellow 3G (CI.11670), disazo yellow GR (CI.21100), permanent red 4R. (C.I. 12335), brilliant carmine 6B (C.I. 15850), quinacridone red (C.I. 46500) and the like can be used.

Alternatively, a plastic pigment composed of particles of styrene or acrylic resin may be used. Further, as the hollow resin particles having voids inside the particles, a white pigment, or a pigment called a pseudo pigment obtained by dyeing resin particles with a dye can also be used. Specific product names of the pseudo pigment include Shin-Reihi Color SF series (Shin-Reihi Co., Ltd.), NKW and NKP series (Nippon Fluorescent Chemical Co., Ltd.) and the like.

As the water-soluble dye, any of direct dye, acid dye, food dye, and basic dye can be used. Examples of the direct dye include C.I. I. Direct Black 17, the same 19, the same 22, the same 32, the same 38, the same 51, the same 71, C.I. I. Direct Yellow 4, the same 26, the same 44, the same 50, C.I. I. Direct Red 1, the same 4, the same 23, the same 31, the same 37, the same 39, the same 75, the same 80, the same 81, the same 83, the same 225, the same 226, the same 227, C.I. I. Direct Blue 1, the same 15, the same 71, the same 86, the same 106, the same 119 and the like. Examples of acid dyes include C.I. I. Acid Black 1, 2, 2, 24, 26, 31, 31, 52, 107, 109, 110, 119, 154, C.I. I. Acid Yellow 7, Same 17, Same 19, Same 23, Same 25, Same 29, Same 38, Same 42, Same 49, Same 61, Same 72, Same 78, Same 110, Same 127, Same 135, Same 141, Same 142, C.I. I. Acid Red 8, the same 9, the same 14, the same 18, the same 26, the same 27, the same 35, the same 37, the same 51, the same 52, the same 57, the same 82, the same 87, the same 92, the same 94, the same 115, the same 129, 131, 186, 249, 254, 265, 276, C.I. I. Acid Violet 18, the same 17, C.I. I. Acid blue 1, same 7, same 9, same 22, same 23, same 25, same 40, same 41, same 43, same 62, same 78, same 83, same 90, same 93, same 103, same 112, same 113, 158, C.I. I. Acid Green 3, the same 9, the same 16, the same 25, the same 27 and the like.

Most of the food dyes are contained in the direct dyes or the acid dyes. I. Food Yellow 3 can be mentioned.

Examples of the basic dye include C.I. I. Basic Yellow 1, 2, 2, 21, C.I. I. Basic Orange 2, the same 14, the same 32, C.I. I. Basic Red 1, Same 2, Same 9, Same 14, C.I. I. Basic Brown 12, Basic Black 2, and 8 are mentioned.

These colorants may be used alone or in combination of two or more, and the content of the colorant in the ink is usually 0.5 to 30% by weight, preferably 1 to It is in the range of 15%.

If the content of this coloring agent is less than 0.5%, the coloring power becomes insufficient, which is not preferable. On the other hand, when the content of the colorant exceeds 30%, writing failure may occur, which is not preferable.

When a dye is used, it is preferable to use a pigment because the ink attached to the writing section 13 tends to remain as stains.

Further, the content of the water-soluble solvent in the ink is preferably 5% to 25% by weight in order to prevent writing defects due to drying and solidification of the ink at the pen tip. In this case, as the water-soluble solvent, for example, ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, propylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, 3-butylene glycol, thiodiethylene glycol, glycols such as glycerin, ethylene glycol monomethyl ether, diethylene glycol monomethyl ether. Etc. can be used alone or in a mixture.

Further, it is preferable to mix at least one selected from trimethylolpropane, trimethylolethane, and neopentyl glycol as a water-soluble solvent other than the above in a weight ratio of 0.1 to 5% with respect to the ink.

Generally, when the amount of the water-soluble solvent is increased, the penetrability of the ink into the paper is reduced, and the drying speed of the drawn line is slowed down. However, trimethylolpropane, trimethylolethane, and neopentyl glycol have little property of lowering such penetrability, and delay of the drying speed of the drawn line is extremely unlikely to occur. On the other hand, since it has the property of preventing drying and solidification at the pen tip, writing defects are unlikely to occur even when the pen tip is exposed for a long time.

A sugar may be added to the ink. Specifically, examples of the saccharides include monosaccharides, disaccharides, oligosaccharides, reducing sugars, non-reducing sugars, sugar alcohols, decomposed products of reduced starch, and mixtures thereof. Of these, it is preferable to use non-reducing sugars, especially sugar alcohols. The reducing sugar may cause discoloration of the ink or cause pH fluctuation.

The non-reducing saccharide is not particularly limited as long as it is a saccharide that does not exhibit reducing properties, and examples thereof include sucrose, trehalose, sugar alcohol and the like. Reducing sugars such as glucose (glucose) are sugars that show weak reduction by having a carbonyl group (reducing group) such as an aldehyde group or a ketone group in the molecule, whereas they are used in this embodiment. The non-reducing saccharide does not exhibit reducing properties because the reducing group of the monosaccharide is bound to another sugar by a glycosidic bond or the like.

Sugar alcohol is a general term for chain polyhydric alcohols obtained by reducing (hydrogenating) the carbonyl group of sugars. Examples of sugar alcohols include “sorbitol” obtained by reducing glucose, “maltitol” obtained by reducing maltose, and reduced starch hydrolyzate obtained by reducing starch syrup or dextrin having different degrees of saccharification (reduced starch syrup). ), reduced dextrin, erythritol, pentaerythritol and the like, and commercially available products can be used for these.

Among these non-reducing sugars, it is desirable to use at least one selected from sorbitol, erythritol, pentaerythritol, trehalose, and reduced starch decomposition products from the viewpoint of further stability over time.

Although saccharides act as a moisturizer in ink, they also have the property of forming a film and easily solidifying. In the present embodiment, when the ink remaining in the writing portion 13 forms a film and solidifies, a phenomenon occurs in which the ink is difficult to flow out at the time of the next writing (poor writing ability). In order to avoid such a problem, the sugar contained in the ink preferably has a degree of polymerization of monosaccharide to 20 sugars, and more preferably an average degree of polymerization of 3 to 10. As a result, it is possible to prevent the film strength from becoming too strong, and it is possible to ensure the initial writing property even when ink remains in the writing section 13.

Phosphate ester can be blended in the ink as a lubricant. Specific examples include phosphoric acid monoesters of polyoxyethylene alkyl ethers or polyoxyethylene alkylaryl ethers, phosphoric acid diesters of polyoxyethylene alkyl ethers or polyoxyethylene alkylaryl ethers, phosphoric acid triesters, or derivatives thereof. These phosphoric acid esters may be used alone or in admixture of two or more.

The content of these phosphoric acid esters is 0.05 to 5% by mass, preferably 0.1 to 1% by mass, based on the total amount of the ink used. If the content of the phosphoric acid ester is less than 0.05% by mass with respect to the total amount of the ink composition, the desired lubricity may not be obtained, while if it exceeds 5% by mass, the ink ages. Stability may decrease. Further, in order to prevent stains due to ink adhesion to the writing portion 13 and to prevent resin cracking when the writing portion 13 is made of resin, the content of the phosphoric acid ester may be 1% by mass or less. preferable.

Explaining in terms of the viscosity of the ink, the ink has a shear thinning index (n value) defined by the following formula of about 1, that is, a so-called Newtonian ink, and a shear thinning index n is <1. So-called gel inks as defined can be used. By using the Newtonian ink, it is possible to ensure the wettability of the ink during writing, and by using the gel ink, while ensuring the wettability of the ink, improve the sharpness of the ink during writing. You can
S=αD ⁿ (where 1>n>0) refers to n in the viscosity formula. In addition, S is a shear stress (dyn/cm ² ), D is a shear rate (s ⁻¹ ), and α is a non-Newtonian viscosity coefficient.

The Newtonian ink has a relatively low viscosity (less than 5 mPa·s 25° C.) type that does not substantially contain a substance having a thickening action, contains a substance having a substantially thickening action, and has a constant viscosity. It is roughly classified into application (5 mPa·s or more and 25°C). Of these, polyvinyl alcohol and a boric acid compound are preferably used as the substance having a thickening effect. By blending the above-mentioned substances, it is possible to obtain an ink having excellent fluidity, bleeding of drawn lines, and excellent responsiveness.

Polyvinyl alcohol (hereinafter abbreviated as "PVA") which can be used have the general formula - [CH ₂ -CH (OH)] _m - [CH ₂ -CH (OCOCH _{3] n} - with those represented The saponification degree {[m/(m+n)]×100} is preferably 50 mol% or more, more preferably 75 mol, from the viewpoints of stability of the ink over time and viscosity imparting property. % Or more is desirable.

Further, in the PVA having the above-mentioned saponification degree, when the degree of polymerization is high, the fluctuation range of the viscosity depending on the addition amount becomes large. Therefore, the degree of polymerization (m+n) is preferably low, preferably 50 or more, and more preferably 50. ˜2000, particularly preferably 50 to 1500 is desirable.

Specific examples of PVA that can be used include commercially available Nippon Synthetic Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. A type Gohsenol series, G type Gohsenol series, K type Gohsenol series (trade name of Nippon Gohsei Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. ), J Poval series manufactured by Japan Vinegar Poval Co., Ltd. (trade name manufactured by Japan Vineyard Poval Co., Ltd.), KURARAY Poval PVA series manufactured by Kuraray Co., Ltd. (trade name manufactured by Kuraray Co., Ltd.), etc. A suitable degree of polymerization is selected. The PVA having such a saponification degree and a polymerization degree may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

As the PVA to be used, modified PVA, preferably modified PVA having the above polymerization degree range and saponification degree can also be used. Examples of the modified PVA that can be used are those obtained by modifying the hydroxyl group and acetic acid group of PVA into a modifying group such as a carboxyl group, a sulfonic acid group, an acetyl group, and an ethylene oxide group, or the above-described modifying group on the side chain of PVA. The thing which has is mentioned. Also, a PVA/acrylic acid/methyl methacrylate copolymer obtained by copolymerizing partially saponified PVA with acrylic acid and methyl methacrylate can be used as the modified PVA of the present invention.

Specific examples of the modified PVA that can be used include commercially available Goseinex L series manufactured by Nippon Synthetic Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., Gosenex WO series (trade name manufactured by Nippon Synthetic Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.), and anion modification manufactured by Nippon Vine & Poval Co., Ltd. A suitable one having a saponification degree and a polymerization degree is selected from PVA (A series) (trade name of Japan Vinegar Poval Co., Ltd.), Exeval 1713 (trade name of Kuraray Co., Ltd.) manufactured by Kuraray Co., Ltd. .. As the PVA/acrylic acid/methyl methacrylate copolymer, a suitable one is selected from POVACOAT manufactured by Daido Kasei Kogyo Co., Ltd. (trade name of Daido Kasei Kogyo Co., Ltd.). These modified PVA may be used alone or in combination of two or more. The modified PVA does not directly affect the writing performance, but is effective for the temporal stability (viscosity) of the ink. Particularly, carboxyl group-modified, sulfonic acid group-modified, and acetyl group-modified types are preferable because they are excellent in stability.

The total content of such PVA and modified PVA is appropriately adjusted according to the desired ink viscosity value. For example, when PVA having a high degree of polymerization is used, the PVA content is small, and conversely, when PVA having a low degree of polymerization is used, the PVA content is high.

Examples of the boric acid compound that can be used include boric acid, boric acid alkali metal salts (lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium), boric acid ammonium salts, and the like. For example, boric acid (H ₃ BO ₃ ), Diboric trioxide (B ₂ O ₃ ), sodium metaborate (NaBO ₂ ), sodium diborate (Na ₄ B ₂ O ₅ ), sodium tetraborate (Na ₂ B ₄ O ₇ ), sodium pentaborate (NaB ₅ O _8), sodium hexaborate acid _{(Na 2 B 6 O 10)} , sodium eight borate (NaB ₈ O _13), ammonium borate _{[(NH 4) 2 O · 5} B 2 O 3 ], and , And hydrates thereof. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more. It is preferable to use sodium tetraborate, ammonium borate, and diborate trioxide from the viewpoint of solubility in ink components and versatility. The total content of these boric acid compounds is appropriately adjusted according to the properties and content of PVA so as to obtain the desired ink viscosity value.

The gel ink contains a substance also called a gelling agent or a shear thinning agent. For example, at least one selected from the group consisting of synthetic polymers, cellulose and polysaccharides is desirable. Specifically, gum arabic, tragacanth gum, guar gum, locust bean gum, alginic acid, carrageenan, gelatin, xanthan gum, welan gum, succinoglycan, diutan gum, dextran, methyl cellulose, ethyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose, oxidized cellulose, starch. Glycolic acid and its salts, propylene glycol alginate, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyvinylmethyl ether, polyacrylic acid and its salts, carboxyvinyl polymer, polyethylene oxide, copolymers of vinyl acetate and polyvinylpyrrolidone, crosslinked acrylic acid polymers and the like. Examples thereof include salts, non-crosslinked acrylic acid polymers and salts thereof, styrene-acrylic acid copolymers and salts thereof, and the like. Among them, it is particularly preferable to use oxidized cellulose in order to reduce the viscosity and the shear thinning index to secure the fluidity. By having such a property, the change in the writing angle and the writing load is small, and even if the change in the writing angle and the writing load is rapid, the response to the viscosity change can be expressed at a high level. it can.

Further, it is preferable to select, as the characteristics of the ink, one that causes the contact angle of the ink to be 70 degrees or less after 20 seconds in relation to the outer portion of the writing unit 13 described later. When it exceeds 70 degrees, the expandability of the ink with respect to the outer layer is insufficient, so that the responsiveness of the second writing portion is reduced and the drawn line is rubbed. The contact angle is measured by dropping the ink on a plate-shaped test body made of the same material as the outer in an environment of 25° C. and 65% RH.

Furthermore, it is preferable to use an ink having a surface tension of 48 mN/m or less. If the surface tension exceeds 48 mN/m, the expandability of the ink with respect to the outer layer will be insufficient, and the responsiveness of the second writing portion will decrease, and the same phenomenon as described above will easily occur.

The content of insoluble components such as pigments and resin particles contained in the ink is preferably 20% by weight or less. When the content of the insoluble component exceeds 20% by weight, the fluidity of the ink decreases, and the expandability of the ink with respect to the outer tends to be insufficient. Further, since the ink attached to the outer layer is likely to be dried and solidified, writing defects are likely to occur.

Further, the average particle size of the insoluble component contained in the ink is preferably 200 nm or less. If the average particle diameter exceeds 200 nm, the fluidity of the ink is reduced, and the expandability of the ink with respect to the outer layer is likely to be insufficient.

The ink supply unit 15 includes a substantially cylindrical collector 17 having a plurality of fins formed on the outer circumference. The tip of the collector 17 is formed to have a reduced diameter and forms a tip holding portion 19. The rear end of the collector 17 is in contact with the front end of the ink container 11. The tip holding portion 19 of the collector 17 is fitted inside the joint from the rear end portion of the joint 21.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the collector, and FIG. 3 shows the collector viewed from three directions. As shown in FIG. 3, the collector 17 includes a front storage part 17a, a rear dummy part 17b, and a partition part 17c between the storage part 17a and the dummy part 17b.

On the outer periphery of the storage portion 17a, an ink guide groove 17d extending along the axis of the storage portion 17a and having a predetermined width in the circumferential direction, and a main portion ink temporary holding groove formed between a plurality of fins 17e. 17f and are provided. Furthermore, the storage portion 17a is provided with a hole 17g that extends between the outer periphery of the storage portion 17a and the internal space so as to communicate with each other.

The ink guide groove 17d is formed by notching a plurality of fins 17e arranged in the axial direction in the same shape, and is recessed from the outer periphery of the storage portion 17a when the storage portion 17a is viewed in the axial direction. A groove having a shape is formed and communicates with the main portion ink temporary holding groove 17f. The width of the ink guide groove 17d is formed narrower than the width of the main portion ink temporary holding groove 17f. In this way, by making the width of the ink guiding groove 17d narrower than the width of the main portion ink temporary holding groove 17f, the interfacial tension with the ink in the ink guiding groove 17d is lower than the interfacial tension of the main portion ink temporary holding groove 17f. Become stronger. Therefore, while the ink is present in the ink guide groove 17d, the ink can be reliably flowed into or discharged from the main portion ink temporary holding groove 17f via the ink guide groove 17d.

The ease with which ink is ejected during writing depends on the width of the ink guide groove 17d and the distance between the fins 17e. Further, in the present embodiment, it is preferable that the width of the ink guide groove 17d is 0.1 to 0.2 mm. When the width of the ink guide groove 17d is smaller, the capillary force of the collector 17 is more likely to act, while it is 0.1 mm or less, and when the width is too small, the ink supply from the collector 17 becomes unstable. It becomes difficult to be discharged. The interval between the fins 17e is determined according to the width of the ink guide groove 17d, and is set to be larger than the width of the ink guide groove 17d in the range of 0.1 to 0.6 mm. When the width between the fins 17e is smaller than the ink guide groove 17d, the ink cannot be stored in the storage portion 17a, and when the width between the fins 17e is smaller than 0.1 mm, the ink supply becomes unstable.

An ink introducing groove 17h extending in the axial direction and an extending portion air groove 17j formed between a plurality of fins 17i are provided on the outer periphery of the dummy portion 17b. The dummy portion 17b prevents ink from flowing into the storage portion 17a of the collector 17 when the cap 5 is opened downward. More specifically, when the cap 5 is opened downward, the space inside the tip closed by the cap 5 is depressurized, so that the ink tends to flow into the reservoir 17a of the collector 17. By providing the dummy portion 17b on the rear side of the collector 17, the ink flows between the outer peripheral fins 17i of the dummy portion 17b, and the ink does not flow into the storage portion 17a of the collector 17.

Further, the hole 17g of the storage portion 17 is for preventing the writing ball 25 from being pushed out from the tip due to the increase in the volume of the ink when the ink is frozen and the volume of the ink is expanded. More specifically, by forming the hole 17g that communicates the inside and the outside of the reservoir 17, even if the ink in the reservoir 17 freezes and expands, the ink is discharged to the outside through the hole 17g. It is possible to prevent the pressure in 17b from increasing. If the area of the hole 17g is too large, the ink will be discharged from the reservoir 17 even if the ink is not frozen. Therefore, the opening area of the hole 17g should be 0.4 to 1.2 mm ^2. Is preferred.

Further, the collector 17 includes a rod-shaped collector core 23 made of polyester fiber. The collector core 23 extends in the axial direction, has a rear end portion slidably arranged inside the ink containing portion 11, and has a front end portion extending beyond the joint 21. The collector core 23 is arranged with a gap of 0.02 to 0.2 mm between the collector core 23 and the inner peripheral surface of the collector 17. By providing a gap of 0.02 to 0.2 mm between the collector 17 and the collector core 23, while ensuring slidability between the two, prevent a large amount of air from entering the gap during writing. You can Further, the rear end of the collector core 23 extends so as to protrude from the rear end of the collector 17. The collector core 23 is preferably made of a material having a porosity of 30 to 60%, and most preferably 45%, in order to achieve both ink supply stability and inhalability.

The joint 21 is a member for connecting the writing unit 13 and the ink supply unit 15. The configuration of the joint 21 will be described later.

The writing unit 13 includes a writing ball 25, a holder 27 that accommodates the writing ball 25 at a front end thereof, a rod-shaped core 29 that extends in the holder 27, and an outer 31 that covers the outer periphery of the holder 27. There is.

FIG. 4 is a side view and a side sectional view of a main part of the ballpoint pen, and more specifically, an enlarged view of the vicinity of the front end part.

As shown in FIG. 4, the holder 27 has a cylindrical shape with both ends in the axial direction opened, and the front end thereof has a substantially conical taper shape that tapers forward. The tapered portion forms a caulking portion 33 for holding the writing ball 25. The caulking portion 33 has a size and shape such that the front opening of the holder 27 is smaller than the diameter of the writing ball 25 and the writing ball 25 can freely rotate in the caulking portion 33. A part of the writing ball 25 held in the caulking portion 33 is exposed to the outside from the front opening of the holder 27 and can be visually recognized from the outside. The holder 27 can be formed by processing a pipe material made of metal such as stainless steel or resin such as polyacetal.

Further, it is preferable that the holder 27 has a shape that tapers forward in the vicinity of the front end thereof. More specifically, the outer peripheral surface near the front end of the holder 27 may be an inclined surface having a taper angle of about 10 to 20 degrees with respect to the axis of the ballpoint pen 1 over a distance of about 0.5 mm or more. preferable. By forming an inclined surface at the front end of the holder 27, it is possible to increase the thickness of the outer 31 arranged outside the holder 27 and increase the strength of the outer 31 without increasing the diameter of the front end of the ballpoint pen 1. You can When the length of the inclined surface in the axial direction is short, it becomes difficult to position the holder 27 when the holder 27 is placed inside the outer 31. Therefore, the axial length of the inclined surface is preferably 0.5 mm or more. .. Further, it is preferable that the outer surface of the caulking portion 33 of the holder 27, that is, the surface further forward than the inclined surface of the holder 27 has an angle of 35 to 50 degrees with respect to the axis of the ballpoint pen 1 or an R shape. .. By setting the inclination angle of the outer surface of the caulking portion 33 to be 35 to 50 degrees or the R shape, the distance between the outer and the ball is shortened, so that the ink shortage can be prevented, and thus "the continuity of the ink at the time of writing" is improved. Can be maintained. Further, the amount of protrusion of the holder 27 from the outer 31 is preferably 10 to 100% of the diameter of the writing ball 25 in consideration of the contactability of the outer 31 with the paper surface.

The center core 29 is arranged inside the holder 27, and is formed of polyester fiber like the collector core 23. The rear end of the center core 29 is fitted into the front end of the collector core 23, and the front end thereof is the writing ball 25. Has reached the rear side of. The core 29 is preferably made of a material having a porosity of 30 to 80%, and most preferably a material having a porosity of 50 to 70%, in order to ensure ink supply stability. It is configured. As a result, the ink supplied from the collector core 23 is supplied to the rear side of the writing ball 25 through the center core 25. The center core 29 is held by the joint 21 in a state where approximately ⅔ of the rear end is fitted in the tip of the joint 21.

The collector core 23 and the center core 29 are formed by selecting appropriate porosity and surface shape of the polyester fiber according to properties such as viscosity of the ink used. Further, as the core 29, a plastic rod core formed by extrusion molding or a rod core formed by sintering may be used instead of the polyester fiber.

Further, a flocked body 51, which is a capillary body capable of sucking up ink by a capillary force, is provided on the outer surface of the outer 31. The flocked body 51 functions as the third writing part of the present invention, and is formed by fixing innumerable bristles on the surface of the outer 31 by electrostatic flocking. As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 6, the outer 31 has a substantially spherical shape in which the diameter of the cone 31 is tapered toward the front of the ballpoint pen 1, the diameter of which is gradually increased toward the front, and then tapered again. It has an integrated shape. The flocked body 51 is formed along a substantially spherical outer surface over a predetermined length in the axial direction of the ball-point pen 1 and over the entire circumference of the outer 31 in the circumferential direction. Therefore, when focusing on only the flocked body 51, the flocked body 51 has a substantially spherical shape similar to the substantially spherical shape of the outer 31. The flocked body 51 is formed over a predetermined range (axial length L1) from the front end of the outer 31 toward the rear side, for example, about 0.1 to 2.0 mm. It is desirable that the direction of the flocked tip of the flocked body 51 is not parallel to the surface of the outer 31 and is more preferably vertical. The axial length of the flocked body 51 can be appropriately changed according to the thickness of the line desired to be drawn by the third writing unit.

Further, as described above, the front end of the flocked body 51 reaches the front end of the outer 31 and is close to the writing ball 25. Therefore, the flocked body 51 is configured to suck up the ink, which has reached the writing ball 25, from the front end portion thereof by the capillary force and spread it over the entire flocked body 51.

Further, as described above, the flocked body 51 is formed by fixing bristles having the same length to the surface of the substantially spherical shape portion of the outer 31. In this case, the inclination angle α of the front end of the flocked body 51 with respect to the central axis Y of the ballpoint pen 1 is preferably 30 to 150 degrees. By setting the inclination angle α to 30 to 150 degrees, it is possible to write at the tip of the third writing section, that is, the tip of the flocked body, even when lying down and writing, and it is possible to draw blurry lines and It is possible to write thicker strokes.

Although the flocked body 51 is given as an example of the third writing unit in the present embodiment, the ink that has reached the writing ball 25 can be sucked up by the capillary force as the third writing unit, in addition to the flocked body. Any material may be used as long as it can quantitatively discharge the ink when a predetermined writing pressure is applied. Therefore, as the third writing section, for example, a fiber bundle, a sintered body, a porous body such as a felt or a sponge may be used.

FIG. 5 is a drawing showing a joint, and specifically, FIG. 5 shows a perspective view, a side view, and a sectional view of the joint. As shown in FIG. 5, the joint 21 includes a cylindrical tubular portion 35, an anchor portion 37 arranged outside the tubular portion 35, and a holding portion 39 that holds the tubular portion 35 with respect to the anchor portion 37. It has and.

The tubular portion 35 has an internal shape capable of fixing the collector core 23 and the center core 29 therein. Specifically, the inner diameter of the tubular portion 35 is such that, on the rear side thereof, the relatively thick collector core 23 is received and fixed, and on the front side of the portion where the collector core 23 is fixed, a relatively thin core 29 is formed. Dimensioned to accept and secure. Further, the diameter of the tubular portion 35 in the front side of the fixed portion of the core 29 is slightly enlarged, and the holder 27 is fitted between the core 29 and the tubular portion 35.

The anchor portion 37 has a ring shape whose inner diameter is larger than the outer diameter of the tubular portion 35, and is arranged rearward of the longitudinal center of the tubular portion 35. More specifically, the inner diameter of the anchor portion 37 is larger than the outer diameter of the tubular portion 35, and a space is formed between the anchor portion 37 and the tubular portion 35, and the tip holding portion 19 is formed in the space. Is inserted. Then, when the tip holding portion 19 is inserted into the space, the outer circumference of the tip holding portion 19 and the inner circumference of the anchor portion 37 are fitted to each other, and the anchor portion 37 is fixed to the tip holding portion 19. A cylindrical space is formed in the tip holding portion 19, and the inner diameter of the cylindrical space is larger than the outer diameter of the tubular portion 35, and the tip holding portion 19 and the tubular portion 35 are The cylindrical portion 35 and the tip holding portion 19 do not come into contact with each other when they are coaxially arranged.

The holding portion 39 has a conical tubular shape that extends from the outer circumference of the anchor portion 37 to the outer circumference of the tubular portion 35 so as to taper forward. Then, the holding portion 39 is arranged between the anchor portion 37 fixed to the tip holding portion 19 and the cylindrical portion 35 not fixed to other members, and the holding portion 39 is tubular to the anchor portion 37. By suspending the portion 35, the cylindrical portion 35 and the writing ball 25 of the writing portion 13, which is fixed to the cylindrical portion 35, the holder 27, the center core 29, and the collector core 23 are attached to the front-side axial cylinder 7. It can be suspended axially movably with respect to the fixed outer 31. This makes it possible to absorb the pressure applied to the writing ball 25 during writing.

The tubular portion 35 and the anchor portion 37 forming the joint 21 are made of, for example, a thermoplastic resin. The holding portion 39 is formed of, for example, a thermoplastic elastomer. Specific examples thereof include styrene elastomers such as SBS, SEBS and SEPS, olefin elastomers such as EPDM, urethane elastomers and polyester elastomers. Among these, those having a Shore A hardness of 20 to 60 have a good balance between the writing pressure and the cushioning response. Furthermore, the cushioning property of the joint 21 can be adjusted by adjusting the strength of the holding portion 39. In addition, since the thermoplastic elastomer expands and contracts sensitively to changes in load until just before the inflection point at which elastic deformation starts, for example, the thickness or composition of the holding portion 39 is adjusted to adjust the displacement amount. By setting the inflection point of the load to about 1N, it is possible to form the joint 21 having excellent cushioning properties, which expands and contracts very sensitively to the load during writing. And, in order to prevent the tubular portion 35 and the holding portion 39 from peeling off during cushioning, a certain degree of adhesion is required between them. In order to realize this adhesion, it is preferable that the tubular portion 35 and the holding portion 39 are made of the same type of resin material. AS (styrene resin) is a selectable combination of materials. There are combinations with SEBS (styrene-based elastomer), polypropylene (polyolefin-based resin) and EPDM (polyolefin-based elastomer), and PBT (polyester-based resin) and polyester-based elastomer.

Among these, the holding portion 39 preferably has a Shore A hardness of 20 to 60 degrees, and most preferably 30 to 50 degrees. By setting the Shore A hardness of the holding portion 39 within this range, it is possible to properly operate even with a low writing pressure and absorb the pressure applied to the writing ball 25.

Then, by using the joint 21, it is preferable that the cushioning force of the entire ball-point pen is in the range of 0.1 to 10 N, more preferably 0.1 to 5 N. This is because if the cushioning force is made too low, the force applied to the outer 31 during writing cannot be absorbed and the outer 31 will be damaged. On the other hand, if the cushioning force is too high, it becomes impossible to write with the outer 31 in contact with the paper surface during writing.

7 to 9 are a side view and a side cross-sectional view of a main part of a writing instrument, specifically, a view showing a usage state of a ballpoint pen.

As shown in FIGS. 7(a) and 7(b), when the writing angle, that is, the angle of the axis of the ball-point pen 1 with respect to the paper surface W is, for example, 80 degrees, as shown in FIG. 7(b). Moreover, only the writing ball 25 contacts the paper surface W. When a writing weight of about 1 g is applied to the ballpoint pen 1 in this state, the ink in the ink containing portion 11 flows to the writing portion 13 through the collector 17 and the collector core 23 of the ink supply portion 15. Then, the ink that has reached the writing unit 13 reaches the rear side of the writing ball 25 through the center core 29. When the user moves the ballpoint pen 1 on the paper surface W, the writing ball 25 rotates in the caulking portion 33 along the moving direction. When the writing ball 25 rotates, the ink that has reached the rear side of the writing ball 25 exits from the inside of the holder 27 along the surface of the writing ball 25, moves to the paper surface W, and adheres to the paper surface W. When the writing angle is large and the writing weight is small, the amount of ink discharged from the holder is small, so that a relatively thin line can be drawn by the ballpoint pen 1. As described above, in the ballpoint pen 1, the writing ball 25 acts as the “first writing section” of the present invention. In this case, the flocked body 51 is not in contact with the paper surface W.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, when the writing angle is, for example, 50 degrees, the writing surface 25 comes into contact with the paper surface W and the front end of the flocked body 51. .. When a writing weight of about 200 g is applied to the ballpoint pen 1 in this state, a space having a closed cross section is formed by the writing ball 25, the front end of the flocked body 51 and the paper surface W, or the writing ball 25, the tip of the outer 31 and the paper surface W. Then, this space becomes an ink reservoir. Thereby, a relatively thick line having a width L2 corresponding to the distance between the contact point P1 between the writing ball 25 and the paper surface W and the contact point P2 between the front end of the flocked body 51 and the paper surface W can be drawn. As described above, in the ballpoint pen 1, the writing ball 25 and the flocked body 51 act as the “second writing section” of the present invention.

Since the thickness of the drawn line corresponds to the distance between the contact point between the writing ball 25 and the paper surface W and the contact point between the outer 31 and the paper surface W, the thickness of the line depends mainly on the diameter of the writing ball 25 and the holder 27. Depending on the position where the writing ball 25 is held and the inclination angle α of the flocked body 51, the distance L1 between the contact point between the writing ball 25 and the paper surface W and the contact point between the flocked body 51 and the paper surface W is increased. If an attempt is made to draw a very thick line, the ink may run short and the ink continuity may deteriorate. Therefore, the shape of the outer 31 is such that the distance L1 between the contact point between the writing ball 25 and the paper surface W and the contact point between the flocked body 51 and the paper surface W is 100% or less, preferably 50% or less, of the diameter of the writing ball 25. It is preferable to determine the shape of the flocked body 51 and the length of the bristled body 51.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, when the writing angle is, for example, 30 degrees, only the outer peripheral surface of the flocked body 51 contacts the paper surface W. If a writing weight of about 50 g is applied to the ballpoint pen 1 in this state, a line can be drawn only by the flocked body 51. The flocked body 51 sucks up ink on the surface of the writing ball 25 while drawing a line on the paper surface W by the first writing section or the second writing section, and stores ink inside. Then, when a line is drawn only by the flocked body 51, the ink stored inside is discharged and adhered to the paper surface W. The thickness of the line that can be drawn by the flocked body 51 is determined by the length of the flock that protrudes from the surface of the outer 31, and this thickness is thicker than the line that can be drawn by the second writing unit. Thus, in the ball-point pen 1, the flocked body 51 acts as the “third writing part” of the present invention.

As described above, according to the ballpoint pen of the first embodiment, a relatively thin line can be drawn by the writing ball 25 as the first writing section, and the writing ball 25 and the flocked body 51 as the second writing section. A relatively thick line can be drawn by, and a thicker line can be drawn by the flocked body 51 as the third writing unit.

Next, the second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. 10 is a side view and a side sectional view of the ball-point pen according to the second embodiment, FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a main part of the ball-point pen, and FIG. 12 is a side view and a cross-section of the main part of the ball-point pen. Since the ballpoint pen according to the second embodiment has a portion having the same configuration as the ballpoint pen according to the first embodiment, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the ball-point pen 101 according to the second embodiment includes an outer 103 instead of the outer 31. In addition to the configuration of the outer 31, the outer 103 is provided with a slit 105 extending in the circumferential direction in a conical portion where the flocked body 51 is not formed. In the present embodiment, the slit 105 extends 200 degrees around the central axis of the ball-point pen 101 over the circumferential direction of the outer 31. The slit 105 penetrates the outer 31 in the thickness direction from the outer surface to the inner surface of the outer 31. By forming such slits 105, flexibility can be imparted to the outer 103 in the direction orthogonal to the axial direction. Further, by imparting flexibility to the outer 103, the outer 103 can be bent even when a load is applied to the outer 103 during writing, and thus damage to the outer 103 can be prevented. Further, this makes it possible to reduce the load applied to the third writing section during writing.

The ballpoint pen 101 according to the second embodiment has two slits 105, but the number of slits 105 can be changed as appropriate. In this case, it is preferable that a plurality of slits are formed with a phase difference and are uniformly dispersed in the circumferential direction.

Next, the third embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. 13 is a side view and a side sectional view of a ballpoint pen according to a third embodiment, FIG. 14 is a side sectional view of a main part of a writing instrument according to the third embodiment, and FIG. 15 is a third embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a main part of a writing instrument according to the present invention.

The ball-point pen 201 according to the third embodiment is a so-called knock-type ball-point pen, and is formed so that the refill-type cartridge 203 can be housed in the main body 3 configured by the front-side barrel 7 and the rear-side barrel 9. Has been done. A hole 205 for exposing the front end of the cartridge 203 is formed at the front end of the front barrel 7.

A flocked body 51 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the outer 31 arranged in the front-side barrel 7 as in the other embodiments. In this example, the spring 207 is arranged between the outer 31 and the front-side barrel 7, and the outer 31 has the front end of the cartridge 203 exposed from the hole 205 by a locking means (not shown). The writing position is locked and the front end of the cartridge 203 is locked at the retracted position where the cartridge 203 is retracted into the front barrel 7.

The replaceable cartridge 203 is configured to be nested in the outer 31. Then, when the cartridge 203 is fitted into the outer 31, the writing ball 25 at the front end of the cartridge 203 is exposed from the tip of the outer 31.

In addition, in the third embodiment, the front end of the outer 31 has a conical shape, and the flocked body 51 is formed in the tapered portion. However, the conical shape and the substantially spherical shape described above are combined. It is also possible to apply an outer.

As described above, the present invention can be applied to a knock type ballpoint pen.

In the ballpoint pen 301 according to the fourth embodiment, the flocked body 51, which is flocked on the surface of the outer 31 shown in FIGS. It is characterized in that the ink is directly supplied to.

FIG. 17 is a partial cross-sectional view of the front view of the ball-point pen 301 according to the fourth embodiment, and is an enlarged view showing the structure on the front side of the ball-point pen 301.
As shown in FIG. 17, the front side of the ball-point pen 301 includes a front barrel 7, a joint 303 inserted at the tip of the front barrel 7, an outer 31 inserted at the tip of the joint 303, and a holder. 27, and a core 311 that passes through the front-side barrel 7 and the joint 303 and has its tip end portion inserted to the rear end of the writing ball 25. A characteristic point is that the flocked body 51 is flocked on the entire surface of the outer 31. Therefore, since the rear end of the flocked body 51 and the core 311 can be directly contacted with each other, it is easy to supply the ink to the front end of the flocked body 51 by the capillary phenomenon, and it is possible to obtain a stronger handwriting. In addition to what is possible, it is also possible to continue writing via the flocked body 51. Note that other configurations are similar to those of the other embodiments.

The joint 303 is a member that is inserted into the tip of the front-side barrel 7 and is formed so as to extend from the front of the tubular joint body portion 305 and the joint body portion 305 and decrease in diameter toward the tip thereof. And a conical joint outer surface portion 307. Further, as shown in FIG. 17, in the joint 303 according to the fourth embodiment, the insertion hole 309 penetrates the joint body portion 305 and the joint outer surface portion 307.

By crimping the tip portion of the outer surface inward, the holder 27 having the crimped portion for preventing the writing ball 25 from coming off is formed so as to expand in diameter from the tip to the rear end on the joint 303 side, and further It has a body. The outer 31 is arranged on the outer periphery of the holder 27 and is composed of a flocked body 51 in which flocking is performed on the entire outer peripheral surface. The rear end side of the holder 27 and the outer 31 is press-fitted into the insertion hole 309 of the joint 303.

As shown in FIG. 17, the center core 311 according to the fourth embodiment passes through the front-side barrel 7 and is inserted up to a position of about 2/3 from the rear end to the front end of the joint 303. A core barrel portion 313 and a core tip portion 315 that extends from the center of the core barrel portion 313 and is inserted to the tip of the holder 27 are provided. On the tip end surface of the center core body 313, there is formed a center core step 317 having a step that contacts the outer 31 approximately in the middle of the insertion hole 309. Then, when the center step 317 comes into contact with the rear end of the flocked body 51 in which flocking is performed on the outer circumference of the outer 31, ink can be supplied to the tip of the flocked body 51 by a capillary phenomenon.

In the first, second, third, and fourth embodiments, if the conductive path from the barrel 3 of the ballpoint pen to the flocked body 51 is secured, the flocked body 51 is formed of conductive fibers. It is also possible to perform writing with the writing ball 25 and to input coordinate information to the capacitance type input device with the flocked body 51, that is, to use the touch pen as a touch pen.

1, 101, 201, 301 Ballpoint pen 11 Ink storage unit 15 Ink supply unit 25 Writing ball 31 Outer 51 Flocked body

Claims (1)

An ink containing portion for containing ink,
An ink supply unit that supplies the ink stored in the ink storage unit toward the tip,
A writing unit provided on the front side of the ink supply unit,
Wherein provided at the tip of the writing portion, a writing instrument that has and a first writing unit capable writing with ink supplied from the ink supply unit, further,
An outer provided on the outer periphery of the first writing section ,
Wherein provided on the outside of the outer has a substantially spherical shape, comprising a capillary body to suck the ink supplied to the first writing unit by a capillary force, and
The first writing section and the writing tool tip side portion of the capillary body constitute a second writing section,
The third writing unit is configured when only the capillary body is used ,
The inclination angle of the front end of the capillary body is 30 to 150 degrees with respect to the central axis of the writing instrument,
A writing instrument characterized by that.

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