US2192644A - Fastening for fountain pen caps - Google Patents

Description

March 5, 1940. w, 5 LA Y 511 2,192,644

FASTENINQ FOR FOUNTAIN PEN CAPS Filed Feb. 21, 1938 2, m e M n mv 9 m X mw a m %m h M lllllllll. W W 5 e G I mix Patented Mar. 5, 1940 i p UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FASTENING FOR FOUNTAIN PEN CAPS Wallace E. La May and George W. Chance, Minneapolis, Minn..

Application February 21, 1938, Serial No. 191,663

5 Claims. (Cl. 12042) Our invention relates to fountain pens and is 1 showing a part on the same enlarged scale as directed to improved means for coupling the 010- in Fig. 6. 7 sure cap to the barrel of the pen. The barrel of the fountain pen is indicated by Generally stated, the invention consists of the the numeral l and the pen point applied therenovel devices, combinations of devices,,and arto in the customary way is indicated by the 8 rangement of parts hereinafter described and .denumeral II. This barrel and pen point may be fined in the claims. considered of the standard construction, except Hitherto it has been the common practice to that the barrel ill, at its pen-carrying end, is connect the caps to the barrels of fountain pens provided w th outstanding lock lugs or projec- W by screw-threaded engagement; and in certain' tions l2 the 1 may either be formed integral with of such pens there has been provided an axially the barrel 0 may be of metal or other material movable yieldingly pressed inner cap or sleeve rigidly applied to the barrel. For a reason herewhich, when the threaded outer cap is applied inafter noted, the barrel Ill, at its butt end is to the barrel, will enclose the pen point and be shown as provided with a disc-like pressure plate yieldingly pressed against the, end of the barrel. l3 swivelled thereto by a counter-sunk screw I4 r These older forms of caps, with the threaded or the like. engagement, are slow of application and slow The outer end of closure cap l5 here illustratof removal and will frequently become unscrewed ed and preferably employed is provided with an and removed, exposing the pen point to the vest inner cap or sleeve l6 that has limited axial or coat to which the pen is applied, with the removement therein and is yieldingly, pressed by 20 sult that ink will be dabbed on said garments a coiled spring l1 or other resilient member and sometimes the cap will be lost. which, in this instance, reacts against a plug .l8 Our invention is directed particularly to an imscrewed into the orter or closed end of .the cap proved form and application of bayonet joints, IS. The numeral l9 indicates a spring finger whereby the cap can be applied to the pen by such as usually employed in connection with the 25 direct axial pressure and can be detached from caps of fountain pens and which, as here illusthe pen barrel by simply slight rotary movement. trated, is clamped to the cap l5 by the flanged Our improvement above indicated can be and outer head of the plug l8. preferably is incorporated with the closure cap The important features of the invention are 80 having the above indicated yieldingly pressed axinvolved in a novel form of bayonet joint for ially movable inner cap. In this last indicated connecting the cap l5 to the barrel. The numcombination some highly important results are her of these bayonet joints may be varied but in obtained, all as will hereinafter more fully apthe drawing we htave illustrated the use of two pear in connection with the drawing which illusc yfl join 8. v trates a preferred form of the pen. For each lock lug I! on the barrel the cap I5 35 In the said drawing, wherein like characters 0 interior 0f its enlarged bore 20 5 ed indicate like parts throughout the several views, w h aco-operating ay ve that con- Fig. 1 shows the pen partly in plan i and sists of a flaring lower portion 20a, a neck 20b, partly in axial section; and a depressed or return lock pocket 200. It Fig. 2 shows the closure cap removed from the is important to note see Particularly Figs- 3 40 barrel, the same being chiefly in section on the d that the flaring portion of each same line as Fig. l, but with some parts in full; the two bayonet grooves extends through Fig 3 is an axial seamen the parts shown so that the walls of the grooves are brought to-. in detail in Fig 2 looking at the same at n ht gether in sharp points or edges 20d. Regardless 1 t th g, n i d i F1 g of whether there are two or more of the lock lugs 9 1d 8:52 b d l2 and two or more of the bayonet grooves, the 1 :1 s S e e e n 0 8 an pen expanded portions of the grooves will be brought P0 n together to form edges or points. This is impor- 5 is prspfictive on an enlarge? scale tant for in the structure illustrated when the i f g g gg iz s ggg g a portion of the cap forced ieridwise onilao the barrel from any 5 posi on of ro a ion, the ock lugs l2 will be di- Fla, 6 is a enlarged View P y in De D rected first upward through the channels 202) and tive and partly in section showing the closure then into the lock pockets or depressions 200; cap removed from the barrel; and and when this is accomplished and pressure on Fig. 7 is a section taken on the line l--l of Fig. the cap is relieved, the spring pressed in inner cap IE will be tightly pressed against the adjacent end of the barrel and the lock lugs will be held seated in the pockets 200. In this way, by the simplest kind of a movement, the cap can be applied and locked to the barrel so that it will not be accidentally displaced.

By reference to Fig. 6 it will be noted that the high point a: of the upper curve of channel 20b is circumferentially oflset toward pocket 20c, beyond high point 3; of the lower curve of said channel. When spring-pressed inner cap it is engaged with the pen barrel and reacts against the same, the lugs I2 will be forced downward beyond high point 1/ and into pocket Me. When pressure is relieved while pen barrel is still at the highest possible point in channel 20b, the construction of lock pockets 20c prevents the pen locks from returning back through channel 20b, thereby assuring absolute protection against pen barrel becoming separated from the cap. The relation of the points marked a: and 1 above noted is very important for the following reasons: Assuming that the cap is held against rotation and that the pen is forced axially into the cap, it is evident that the engagement of the lugs l2 with the upper curve of channel 20b will cause the pen to rotate in a clockwise direction until the lugs l2 are moved in that direction beyond the point y, thereby causing the lugs to move in the clockwise direction past the point 1 axially into the pocket 20c. Hence, when the tension on the pen is removed, the lugs l2 will be automatically dropped into the pockets Me. This rotary movement, which automatically locks the lugs in the pockets, is produced entirely by axial pressure between the cap and the pen and eliminates the necessity of a manual rotary operation in order to locate the lugs in the pockets.

To release the cap it is only necessary to turn the same slightly so as to cam the lugs l2 out of the pockets 20c, thereupon the cap will be free for the passage of the lugs l2 out through the necks 20b and expanded portions 20a.

With this structure the cap can be applied to the barrel simply by holding the cap between the fingers and pressing the thumb against the pressure plate or washer i3; and in this action the slight rotation of the barrel produced by the entrance of the lock lugs into the bayonet joints will be freely permitted by rotation of the said pressure plate l3.

In the drawing we have illustrated a cap formed with two flaring bayonet slots each extending circumferentially through 180, making a total flare of the two slots 360, so as to bring the flaring walls oi. the two slots to sharp or wedge-like edges. This is important because it causes the lug or lugs on the barrel to be directed through the narrow channels and into locked pockets. When the caps are pressed axially onto the barrel, the rotation of the cap will be due entirely to camming action. If, for example, the cap should be formed with three flaring bayonet slots, then each slot should flare through 120, making a total flare of 360. 1

What we claim is:

1. In a fountain pen, a barrel equipped at one end with a pen point and at the same end with a projecting lock lug, and a cap recessed to flt over the pen-equipped end of said barrel, said 1 recess being formed with a bayonet slot that flares toward the open end of the cap, in one direction, and in the other direction is contracted and formed with a circumferentially offset lock pocket to which the outer curve of said 2 slot extends circumferentially in the direction of the pocket to a point circumterentially beyond the high point of the inner curve of said contracted neck, so that when said cap is pressed axially on to the barrel, the lug of said barrel 2 will be moved circumferentially into said pocket.

2. The structure defined in claim 1 in further combination with a yielding pressure device mounted in said cap and adapted to be retracted by axial pressure and when released, to hold. 3

said lug in said pocket.

3. The structure defined in claim 1 in which said barrel at its opposite end has a swiveled pressure plate adapted to remain stationary in the finger pressing the same when said barrel 3 is rotated by the camming action oi. the slot of said cap. I

4. The structure deflned in claim 1 in-which said barrel at its opposite'end has a swiveled pressure plate adapted to remain stationary in 4 the flnger pressing the same when said barrel is rotated by the camming action of the slot of said cap, said cap further having a retractable springpressed element with which the pen-equipped end a of the barrel is engageable when forced into said cap.

5. The structure defined in claim 1 in which said cap is provided with a plurality of said slots, the walls of which join at sharp-edged points so that under axial pressure the lug of said barrel will be caused to move into one or the other of the said slots.

WALLACE E. LA MAY.

GEORGE w. CHANCE.

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