JP7195206B2 - writing instrument - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to writing instruments.

2. Description of the Related Art A writing instrument having an ink chamber and a writing part having no load-bearing capacity such as a brush tip is known to supply ink to the writing part via a valve mechanism (Patent Document 1). The valve mechanism has a valve body biased forwardly against a valve seat by a spring and provided with a pin-shaped pusher. When the pressing portion is pressed against the writing surface against the biasing force of the spring, the valve body retracts. As a result, the valve body is separated from the valve seat, the valve mechanism is opened, and the ink in the ink chamber is supplied to the writing section.

Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 60-62985

In the writing instrument described in Patent Document 1, the pressing portion that is biased forward is buried in the writing portion. Therefore, when writing, the pressing part may come into contact with the writing surface together with the writing part, and the pressing part may scrape the writing surface. In such a case, the pressing portion may interfere with writing, and the rubbing by the pressing portion may give the user an unpleasant feeling, and furthermore, the pressing portion may damage the writing surface.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a writing instrument having a valve mechanism that can be opened and closed without interfering with writing.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a valve mechanism having a barrel, a valve seat and a valve body biased forward toward the valve seat, and a sliding member protruding from a front end of the barrel and capable of moving back and forth and an engaging element movable between an engaging position and a non-engaging position with respect to the slider, and when the slider is retracted when the engaging element is in the engaging position, The engaging element engages the valve body to retract the valve body, and when the slider is retracted while the engaging element is in the non-engaging position, the valve body is not retracted. There is provided a writing instrument characterized by:

The movement of the engaging element between the engaging position and the non-engaging position may be performed by gravity depending on the attitude of the barrel. Further, when the writing instrument is arranged along the vertical direction, the engaging element moves to the engaging position, and when the writing instrument is tilted with respect to the vertical direction, the engaging element moves to the non-engaging position. can be The slider has a recess, the engaging element is arranged in the recess at the engaging position and a part of the engaging element protrudes outside the recess, and the engaging element is at the non-engaging position. may be arranged outside the recess. Further, the recess may be provided in an annular shape on the outer surface of the slider. The engaging element may be a sphere. Also, the writing part may be a brush tip.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to the aspect of this invention, there exists a common effect of providing the writing instrument provided with the valve mechanism which can be opened and closed without disturbing writing.

1 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of a writing instrument according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the writing instrument in a vertical state. FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the writing instrument in an inclined state. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a slider. FIG. 5 is a side view of the valve body. FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the writing instrument during ink supply. FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the writing instrument during writing.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Corresponding elements are provided with common reference numerals throughout the drawings.

1 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of a writing instrument 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the writing instrument 1 in a vertical state, and FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the writing instrument 1 in an inclined state. be. In addition, please refer mainly to FIG. 2 for the reference numerals.

A writing instrument 1 includes a tubular barrel 2 having a tubular front barrel 3 and a tubular rear barrel 4, a tubular holding member 5 fitted to the front end portion of the barrel 2, that is, the front barrel 3, and a holding member 5. It has a writing part 6 held by. In this specification, in the axial direction of the writing instrument 1, the side of the writing section 6 is defined as the "front" side, and the side opposite to the writing section 6 is defined as the "rear" side.

A fitting portion 31 is formed at the front end portion of the front shaft 3 . A small diameter portion 32 is formed behind the fitting portion 31 . A large-diameter portion 33 having a larger diameter is formed behind the small-diameter portion 32 . A tapered valve seat 34 whose diameter decreases forward is formed on the inner surface of the boundary between the small diameter portion 32 and the large diameter portion 33 . A circular projecting hole 35 is formed in the front end surface of the front shaft 3 , that is, in the front end surface of the fitting portion 31 . An inner surface of the front end portion of the small-diameter portion 32 is formed with a steep tapered inclined surface 36 whose diameter decreases forward. An annular locking projection 37 is formed on the outer surface of the fitting portion 31 .

A connecting portion 41 having a smaller diameter is formed at the front end portion of the rear axle 4 . An annular projection 42 that protrudes radially inward is formed on the inner surface of the rear axle 4 in the vicinity of the rear portion of the connecting portion 41 . The rear end surface of the annular protrusion 42 and the inner surface of the rear barrel 4 define an ink chamber 43 in which ink is stored inside the rear barrel 4 . The front shaft 3 and the rear shaft 4 are integrally connected by fitting the inner surface of the rear end portion of the front shaft 3 to the outer surface of the connecting portion 41 of the rear shaft 4 .

The holding member 5 is integrally connected to the front barrel 3 while holding the writing section 6 by snap fitting onto the locking projection 37 of the front barrel 3 . The writing part 6 in this embodiment is a brush tip that is very flexible and therefore does not have a load-bearing capacity.

The writing instrument 1 has a slider 7 , a valve body 8 , an engaging element 9 and a spring 10 inside the barrel 2 . The engaging element 9 is a sphere.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the slider 7. FIG. The slider 7 is arranged in the barrel 2 so that the lower side faces the front side in FIG. The slider 7 has a cylindrical body portion 71 and a rod-shaped pressing portion 72 extending forward from the front end surface of the body portion 71 . An annular concave portion 73 is formed on the outer surface of the body portion 71 over the entire circumference. The recess 73 has a U-shaped cross section, as shown in FIGS. Four vertical grooves 74 extending from the front end to the rear end are formed on the outer surface of the slider 7 at regular intervals along the circumferential direction.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the valve body 8. FIG. The valve body 8 is arranged in the barrel 2 so that the lower side faces the front side in FIG. The valve body 8 is formed in a cylindrical shape as a whole. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the valve body 8 is formed with an insertion hole 82 extending rearward from a front end surface 81 . The insertion hole 82 does not penetrate the valve body 8 . The front end face 81 is formed in a tapered shape with a sharply reduced diameter toward the front. A tapered abutment surface 83 whose diameter decreases forward is formed on the edge of the front end surface 81 of the valve body 8 . Behind the abutment surface 83, an annular support surface 84 facing rearward is formed. Six vertical grooves 85 extending from the rear end to the vicinity of the front end are formed on the outer surface of the valve body 8 at regular intervals along the circumferential direction.

As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the rear portion of the valve body 8 is positioned within the bore defined by the annular projection 42 of the rear axle 4 . A spring 10 is arranged to surround the valve body 8 . The rear end of the spring 10 is supported by the front end surface of the annular protrusion 42 of the rear shaft 4, and the front end of the spring 10 is supported by the support surface 84 (FIG. 5) of the valve body 8. As shown in FIG. Therefore, the valve body 8 is urged forward by the spring 10 . A contact surface 83 of the valve body 8 is arranged to face a valve seat 34 provided inside the barrel 2 , that is, inside the front shaft 3 . Therefore, the valve body 8 is biased forward toward the valve seat 34 .

While the body portion 71 of the slider 7 is inserted into the insertion hole 82 of the valve body 8, the slider 7 protrudes from the front end of the barrel 2 and can move back and forth. That is, the pressing portion 72 of the slider 7 protrudes from the protruding hole 35 of the front shaft 3 . The pressing portion 72 protruding forward from the projection hole 35 is buried inside the writing portion 6 held by the holding member 5 .

The valve seat 34 and the valve body 8 , particularly the contact surface 83 , constitute the valve mechanism 20 . 1 to 3 show the closed state of the valve mechanism 20, in which the contact surface 83 of the valve body 8 is in close contact with the valve seat 34 over the entire circumference. Moreover, in FIGS. 1 to 3, the upper side is vertically upward, and the downward side is vertically downward. That is, gravity acts downward in each figure. The engaging element 9 is movable within a space defined by the inner surface of the front shaft 3 , the recess 73 of the slider 7 and the front end surface 81 of the valve body 8 .

In FIGS. 1 and 2, since the writing instrument 1 is vertically arranged, the engaging element 9 moves radially inward within the barrel 2 along the inclination of the inclined surface 36 . Thereby, the engaging element 9 moves to be placed in the recess 73 of the slider 7 . Therefore, the cross-sectional shape of the concave portion 73 of the slider 7 is such that the movement of the engaging member 9 is not hindered at the boundary with the inclined surface 36 of the front shaft 3 and the boundary with the front end surface 81 of the valve body 8. It has a U-shape inclined with respect to the direction perpendicular to the central axis of the writing instrument 1 . Therefore, the concave portion 73, the inclined surface 36 and the front end surface 81 are flush with each other at their boundaries. Part of the engaging piece 9 protrudes outside the concave portion 73 while the engaging piece 9 is arranged in the concave portion 73 of the slider 7 .

In FIG. 3, since the writing instrument 1 is in a tilted state with respect to the vertical direction, the engaging element 9 moves radially outward within the barrel 2 . Thereby, the engaging element 9 moves so as to be arranged outside the recess 73 of the slider 7 .

Next, how to use the writing instrument 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG. FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of the writing instrument 1 during ink supply, and FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of the writing instrument 1 during writing.

In order to supply ink from the ink chamber 43 to the writing section 6, the writing section 6 is pressed vertically downward against the writing surface S while the writing instrument 1 is in a vertical state, as shown in FIG. As a result, when the pressing portion 72 buried in the writing portion 6 retreats, the engaging element 9 arranged in the concave portion 73 also retreats. At this time, the engaging element 9 engages with the valve body 8 . Specifically, a portion of the engaging element 9 protruding outside the concave portion 73 engages with the edge portion or the front end surface 81 of the insertion hole 82 of the valve body 8 . Therefore, as the slider 7 retreats, the valve body 8 retreats against the urging force of the spring 10 and is separated from the valve seat 34, and the valve mechanism 20 is opened.

When the valve mechanism 20 is opened, the ink stored in the ink chamber 43 flows into the vertical groove 85 of the valve body 8, the gap between the contact surface 83 of the valve body 8 and the valve seat 34, and the movement of the slider 7. It passes through the vertical groove 74 in order and is supplied to the writing section 6 . When a sufficient amount of ink is supplied to the writing portion 6, the pressure on the writing surface S of the writing portion 6 is released. As a result, the biasing force of the spring 10 moves the valve body 8 forward, and the contact surface 83 of the valve body 8 comes into close contact with the valve seat 34 over the entire circumference, and the valve mechanism 20 is closed again. .

When writing with the writing instrument 1, the writing instrument 1 is normally inclined as shown in FIG. At this time, as described above, the engaging element 9 moves radially outward within the barrel 2 . In this state, when a writing operation is performed as shown in FIG. 7, the pressing portion 72 receives a writing pressure component force from the writing surface S, and the slider 7 retreats. That is, since the engaging element 9 is arranged completely outside the concave portion 73 of the slider 7, it does not move together with the slider 7, and engages with the valve body 8 to retract the valve body 8. Nor do I let you. Therefore, since the slider 7 is retracted into the insertion hole 82 of the valve body 8 with almost no resistance, the pressing portion 72 does not scratch and damage the writing surface. Writing is not hindered by resistance to

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the engager 9 is movable between in and out of the recess 73 of the slider 7 , i.e. between engaged and disengaged positions with respect to the slider 7 . In the writing instrument 1, when the slider 7 is retracted while the engaging element 9 is in the engaging position, the engaging element 9 engages the valve body 8, the valve body 8 is retracted, and the engaging element 9 is disengaged. When the slider 7 is retracted when it is in the aligned position, the valve body 8 is not retracted. The movement of the engaging element 9 between the engaging position and the non-engaging position is performed by gravity according to the attitude of the writing instrument 1, that is, the attitude of the barrel 2. When the writing instrument 1 is arranged along the vertical direction, the engaging element 9 moves to the engaging position and tilts the writing instrument 1 with respect to the vertical direction, the engaging element 9 moves to the non-engaging position. Therefore, according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a writing instrument having a valve mechanism 20 that can be opened and closed without interfering with writing.

The slider 7 may be prismatic instead of cylindrical. In this embodiment, the concave portion 73 of the slider 7 is provided over the entire circumference, so that the engaging member 9 can be moved between the engaging position and the non-engaging position regardless of the posture of the writing instrument 1. be able to. That is, when the writing instrument 1 is in a vertical state, the spherical engaging element 9 is placed at an arbitrary position in the circumferential direction of the annular concave portion 73, or at an arbitrary position within the barrel 2 when the writing instrument 1 is in an inclined state. can be moved within the barrel 2 at the same time. However, for example, by providing a clip on the side surface of the shaft cylinder to keep the user's gripping position constant in the circumferential direction, the concave portion 73 of the slider 7 is provided only in half or part of the outer surface of the slider 7. You may do so. Therefore, the engaging element 9 may be configured to radially reciprocate between the engaging position and the non-engaging position.

The engaging element 9 may have a shape other than a sphere, such as a cube, as long as it can move between the engaging position and the non-engaging position. The shape of the recess 73 can be arbitrarily configured as long as the engaging element 9 is arranged therein and a part of the engaging element 9 protrudes outside the recess. The movement of the engaging element 9 between the engaging position and the disengaging position may be performed manually instead of by gravity. The writing part 6 may be a fiber bundle core of a marking pen, etc., and is not limited in material or form, but may be a brush tip that is flexible to the load in the embodiment, a thermoplastic elastomer, or a thermosetting rubber. A formed soft coating core is preferred.

1 writing instrument 2 barrel 3 front shaft 34 valve seat 35 projecting hole 36 inclined surface 4 rear shaft 42 annular projection 43 ink chamber 5 holding member 6 writing section 7 slider 72 pressing section 73 recess 74 longitudinal groove 8 valve body 81 front end surface 82 insertion hole 83 contact surface 85 vertical groove 9 engaging element 10 spring 20 valve mechanism

Claims (4)

an axle tube;
a valve mechanism having a valve seat and a valve body biased forwardly toward the valve seat;
a slider projecting from the front end of the barrel and movable back and forth;
an engaging element movable between an engaging position and a non-engaging position with respect to the slider,
When the slider is retracted while the engaging element is in the engaging position, the engaging element engages with the valve body to retract the valve body,
A writing instrument, wherein the valve body is not retracted when the slider is retracted while the engaging element is in the non-engaging position. The movement of the engaging element between the engaging position and the non-engaging position is performed by gravity according to the posture of the barrel, and when the writing instrument is arranged along the vertical direction, the engaging element moves to the engaging position. 2. The writing instrument according to claim 1, wherein said engaging element moves to said non-engaging position when said writing instrument is moved to a position and tilted with respect to the vertical direction. The slider has a recess, the engaging element is arranged in the recess at the engaging position and a part of the engaging element protrudes outside the recess, and the engaging element is at the non-engaging position. 3. The writing instrument according to claim 1 or 2, wherein is arranged outside the recess. 4. The writing instrument according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the engaging element is a sphere.

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