US2777422A - Ball point writing unit - Google Patents

Ball point writing unit Download PDF

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Publication number
US2777422A
US2777422A US534133A US53413355A US2777422A US 2777422 A US2777422 A US 2777422A US 534133 A US534133 A US 534133A US 53413355 A US53413355 A US 53413355A US 2777422 A US2777422 A US 2777422A
Authority
US
United States
Prior art keywords
ink
piston
tube
ball point
sealing
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US534133A
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Jr Eugene P Cofield
Herbert W Sams
Le Roy A Woodward
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Scripto Inc
Original Assignee
Scripto Inc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority to LU34558D priority Critical patent/LU34558A1/xx
Priority to BE546845D priority patent/BE546845A/xx
Priority to NL204165D priority patent/NL204165A/xx
Priority to NL92961D priority patent/NL92961C/xx
Application filed by Scripto Inc filed Critical Scripto Inc
Priority to US534133A priority patent/US2777422A/en
Priority to GB344/56A priority patent/GB841319A/en
Priority to FR1146790D priority patent/FR1146790A/fr
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US2777422A publication Critical patent/US2777422A/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B43—WRITING OR DRAWING IMPLEMENTS; BUREAU ACCESSORIES
    • B43K—IMPLEMENTS FOR WRITING OR DRAWING
    • B43K7/00—Ball-point pens
    • B43K7/02—Ink reservoirs; Ink cartridges
    • B43K7/08—Preventing leakage

Definitions

  • This invention relates to ball point pen ink tubes and more particularly to an improved ink tube which is leakpr'oof even under dry socket conditions at the ball point and yet recoverable for writing when the dry socket condition has been eliminated.
  • the heretofore non-obtaintable results above described have been made possible for the first time by utilizing in the ink tube at the top of the ink column a special piston system and fluid seal combination wherein a front or forward component of the piston system is in contact with the top of the ink column.
  • the fluid seal is located in back of this front piston component and extends partly therearound for sealing purposes to prevent escape of the ink around the piston, and finally a rear piston component, which is in contact with the fluid seal, and around which the fluid extends to effect a leak-proof seal between this rear piston component and the walls of the ink tube.
  • a dry socket condition as referred to herein is that condition which is oftentimes established at the ball point when thepen has been used in inverted position, causing the ink seal around the ball point to be broken.
  • a dry socket condition is also commonly established when the ball point comes in contact with an absorbent type of material, such as in the wearers pocket or purse, etc.
  • Adry socket occurring from either of the above reasons opens both ends of the writing unit to the atmosphere thereby permitting the ink column to move in the direction of gravity dependent on the position of the writing unit. This invention completely controls this condition and under failure from a dry socket provides cycling of the ink sup? ply assuring complete use of the ink supply in writing use.
  • Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of a writing unit embodying the present invention
  • Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the rear end portion of the writing unit shown in Fig. 1;
  • FIG. 3 is a similar enlarged fragmentary view of a modification of the piston system shown in Fig. 2;
  • Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section illustrating the normal action of the piston system upon inversion of the writing unit shown in Fig. 1;
  • Fig. 5 is a corresponding longitudinal section illustrating a dry socket condition.
  • the writing unit shown comprises a ball point insert assembly and an ink tube 11 having the usual restricted portion 12 at the front end thereof, and a rear end 13 which is open to atmospheric pressure through an aperture in a vent plug 14.
  • Contained in the ink tube 11 is a supply of ball pen ink 15 which substantially fills the ink tube except for the portion at the rear end thereof occupied by the piston system shown generally at 16.
  • the several component parts of the piston system are more clearly illustrated in Fig. 2 wherein it is shown that in this embodiment the piston system actually comprises two separate pistons 17 and 18 with the sealing fluid material 19 located between these two pistons.
  • the two pistons 17 and 18 are solid and generally cylindrical in shape and have conical points 20 and 21 which facilitate loading of the pistons in the ink tube and for preventing entrapment of air bubbles. With this construction it is not necessary to provide an air escape aperture in the piston elements.
  • the filling or loading operation for this ink tube comprises first injecting the ink into the tube from the ball point end, following which the ball point assembly 10 is inserted in position and the substantially filled ink tube is then ready for insertion or loading of the pistons 17 and 18 and the sealing fluid 19. This is accomplished by first dropping the forward piston 17 into the tube with the conical point 20 down so that it makes contact with the ink supply 15. Next the sealing fluid 19 is injected through the same rear end of the tube at which time the rear end vent plug 14 has not yet been inserted.
  • the second or rear piston 18 is dropped in on top of the sealing fluid 19 and following which the vent plug 14 is inserted to seal the rear end of the ink tube 15 except at the venting aperture therein which is arranged through a forward extension of the plug 14 within the reservoir tube as indicated at 22.
  • the ink cartridge is placed in a centrifuge, the operation of which causes the ink and the assembled parts to become stabilized in their respective positions and frees the ink and piston assembly from entrapped air.
  • the centrifuging operation may be carried out at any stage during the above described loading operation.
  • the modification shown in Fig. 3 functions similarly to the arrangement described above for Fig. 2 but utilizes a single or unitary form of piston instead of the separate piston components illustrated in Fig. 2.
  • the piston shown in Fig. 3 comprises an annular base section 23, an intermediate conical portion 24, and a leading flange element 25.
  • This form of piston also contains a longitudinal aperture or bore 26 and transverse bores 27 and 28, for introduction of the sealing fluid 29 therethrough. This sealing fluid 29 may be injected in the aperture 26 and will flow through the apertures 27 and 28 into the cavity between the surface of the conical piston section 24 and the wall of the ink tube 11.
  • the sealing fluid 29 is thus deposited between and around the annular or cylindrical section 23 and the leading flange element of the piston and functions in a similar manner to the sealing fluid 19 in Fig. 2, which is located between the corresponding parts 17 and 18 of the two component piston system shown.
  • the ink supply 15 will be progressively depleted by feeding from the ball point during writing, and as the ink column lowers in the ink tube the piston assembly 16 will follow the ink column down toward the ball point end of the tube and if no dry socket or other adverse conditions are encountered all of the ink in the larger diameter portion of the tube 11 will be used up, the relatively small part of the ink in the reduced section 12 remaining there and the piston system 16 at that stage will then come to rest on the shoulder 30 defining the entrance to the restricted portion of the ink tube.
  • the piston system 16 follows in contact with the ink column and serves for sweeping the entrained portions of the ink from the walls of the ink tube 11.
  • the ink tube 11 is composed of transparent material, such as, for example, polyethylene or similar transparent plastic, the ink level will be visible at all times and it can be easily determined when the ink supply has been used up.
  • the following action of the piston system 16 also assures removal and use of the ink contained in the large bore section of the ink tube. In this normal operation of the ball point pen and so long as the ink tube remains in the point down or writing position, there is no problem of sealing or leakage of the ink from the rear end of the tube.
  • the ink column and the piston assembly can move no further and subsequent admission of air through the aperture 22 in the end plug 14 is assured, as mentioned previously above, by virtue of the fact that the plug extension 22 extends inwardly beyond the inner wall of the end plug 14 and prevents a seal being formed between this surface and the fiat rear memes surface 31 of the piston l8, leaving a narrow annular air space 32 between these two surfaces.
  • the sealing fluid located between and around these piston components, as above described, for preventing leakage and permitting re-establishment of writing conditions in accordance with the present invention, it is also important to use the proper type and amount of sealing fluid.
  • One of the important characteristics of the sealing fluid for proper operation as above described in this invention is the yield value of this material.
  • the minimum yield value for this material must be such as to permit the material to function as above described for sweeping the walls of the ink tube as the piston system moves downward and also to provide an effective seal between the piston and tube surfaces such that the ink will not leak past these surfaces during normal operation as well as when the pen is inverted and in the presence or absence of a dry socket.
  • the maximum yield value for this material must be such that the seal around the piston will not be broken even when the piston system is moving at the relatively rapid rate encountered upon inversion of the pen and dry socket conditions above described. Under this condition the piston system moves at a substantially more rapid rate than it does in its downward movement during normal operation of the pen.
  • this fluid is' never theless relatively free to flow. Because of this characteristic it is important to use the two pistons or two piston components above described. If, for example, the front piston, that is, toward the ball point, were omitted, the sealing fluid being in the nature of a relatively thin. flowable liquid would tend to rise toward the ball point if the pen were inverted for prolonged periods. Similly, if the rearward piston, e. g., piston 18 shown in Fig. 2, were omitted the thin sealing fluid 19 would tend to move toward the rear of the tube when the pen was inverted.
  • the amount of the sealing fluid to be used is relatively small but suflicient to effect an ink tight seal between the annular sections of the piston system and the adjacent inner walls of the ink tube so as to prevent any leakage therethrough, and in addition to provide a small surplus of sealing fluid to compensate for the small losses in this material during normal operation by adhering of some of this material on the walls of the ink tube.
  • the thin fluid character of this sealing material minimizes the losses in the form of adhering material to the walls of the tube as it moves downward following the ink column, and the above described arrangement of the piston system provides a compensating adjustment for any such loss.
  • this same fluid character of the sealing material will adapt the piston system to the relatively fast movement which is involved when the pen is inverted and a dry socket is established, without breaking of the fluid seal around the piston elements.
  • a specific sealing fluid material which we have used with very good results is No. 0 Orange Solid oil, manufactured by Famous Lubricants, Inc., Chicago, Illinois. This product consists principally of a mineral oil bodied with a metallic soap, e. g., aluminum stearate.
  • Another suitable form of sealing fluid material for use in this invention is a thixotropic liquid comprising alkyl resin made from rice oil, pentaerythritol and phthalic anhydried, and containing 5% of polyamide resin No. 93 (General Mills Corporation), dissolved in a mixture of Arochlor 1248 (Monsanto Chemical Company) and mineral oil according to the following proportions:
  • This thixotropic liquid is of the same general type disclosed as a vehicle material in copending application Serial No. 527,987, filed August 12, 1955.
  • a ball point writing unit comprising an ink reservoir tube fitted at the forward end with a ball point and vented to the atmosphere at the opposite rearward closed end, and a supply of ink disposed in said tube for feeding therefrom under atmospheric pressure by said ball point
  • a three component, leak-proof sealing system located within said ink tube between said supply of ink and the rearward vented end of the tube, and movable as an integrated unit for following and sweeping the ink supply toward the ball point when used for writing and for preventing escape of ink from the vented rearward end of the ink tube when said ink' tube is inverted and even when a dry socket exists at the ball point
  • said sealing system consisting essentially of two spaced pistons and a sealing liquid located between and around said pistons and constituting at all times an eifective liquid seal between said pistons and the inner wall of the ink tube, each of said pistons having a smooth, continuous cylindrical portion with a diameter only slightly less than the inside diameter of the ink tube so as to accommodate a thin
  • a ball point writing unit comprising an ink reservoir tube fitted at the forward end with a ball point and vented to the atmosphere at the opposite rearward closed end, and a supply of ink disposed in said tube for feeding therefrom under atmospheric pressure by said ball point, the improvement of a three component, leakproof sealing system located within said ink tube between said supply of ink and the rearward vented end of the tube, said sealing system consisting essentially of two spaced pistons and a sealing liquid retained between and around said pistons, and movable as an integrated unit under all conditions of operation and use of said ink tube for following and sweeping the ink supply toward the ball point when used for writing and for preventing escape of ink from the vented rearward end of the ink tube when said ink tube is inverted and even when a dry socket exists at the ball point, said sealing liquid being a thin, flowable, nonevaporative, thixotropic liquid having a minimum yield value that permits the liquid to sweep clean the adhering ink from the inner wall of the ink tube as the sealing system

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  • Pens And Brushes (AREA)
US534133A 1955-09-13 1955-09-13 Ball point writing unit Expired - Lifetime US2777422A (en)

Priority Applications (7)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
LU34558D LU34558A1 (de) 1955-09-13
BE546845D BE546845A (de) 1955-09-13
NL204165D NL204165A (de) 1955-09-13
NL92961D NL92961C (de) 1955-09-13
US534133A US2777422A (en) 1955-09-13 1955-09-13 Ball point writing unit
GB344/56A GB841319A (en) 1955-09-13 1956-01-04 Improvements in and relating to ball point writing instruments
FR1146790D FR1146790A (fr) 1955-09-13 1956-02-11 élément de stylographe à bille

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US534133A US2777422A (en) 1955-09-13 1955-09-13 Ball point writing unit

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US2777422A true US2777422A (en) 1957-01-15

Family

ID=24128818

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US534133A Expired - Lifetime US2777422A (en) 1955-09-13 1955-09-13 Ball point writing unit

Country Status (6)

Country Link
US (1) US2777422A (de)
BE (1) BE546845A (de)
FR (1) FR1146790A (de)
GB (1) GB841319A (de)
LU (1) LU34558A1 (de)
NL (2) NL204165A (de)

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3082740A (en) * 1961-07-10 1963-03-26 Northern Ind Products Company Writing instrument
US3140695A (en) * 1960-07-30 1964-07-14 Irc Ltd Reservoir seal for writing instrument
EP1031437A1 (de) * 1998-06-17 2000-08-30 Kabushiki Kaisha Pilot Kugelschreibernachfüllpackung
US6203228B1 (en) * 1999-07-30 2001-03-20 Schwan-Stabilo Schwanhausser Gmbh & Co. Writing implement
US6361234B1 (en) 2000-03-08 2002-03-26 Bic Corporation Pressurized writing instrument employing a compressible piston member
US20030102334A1 (en) * 2000-04-25 2003-06-05 Hideyuki Usami Coating device

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
BE508048A (de) *
BE509365A (de) *
US2557409A (en) * 1945-11-07 1951-06-19 Scripto Inc Fountain pen
FR1009502A (fr) * 1950-01-28 1952-05-30 Perfectionnement aux instruments à écrire comportant un piston
FR1028325A (fr) * 1950-11-23 1953-05-21 Cartouche pour stylographes, crayons ou autres instruments à bille

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
BE508048A (de) *
BE509365A (de) *
US2557409A (en) * 1945-11-07 1951-06-19 Scripto Inc Fountain pen
FR1009502A (fr) * 1950-01-28 1952-05-30 Perfectionnement aux instruments à écrire comportant un piston
FR1028325A (fr) * 1950-11-23 1953-05-21 Cartouche pour stylographes, crayons ou autres instruments à bille

Cited By (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3140695A (en) * 1960-07-30 1964-07-14 Irc Ltd Reservoir seal for writing instrument
US3082740A (en) * 1961-07-10 1963-03-26 Northern Ind Products Company Writing instrument
EP1031437A1 (de) * 1998-06-17 2000-08-30 Kabushiki Kaisha Pilot Kugelschreibernachfüllpackung
EP1031437A4 (de) * 1998-06-17 2004-09-15 Pilot Kk Kugelschreibernachfüllpackung
US6203228B1 (en) * 1999-07-30 2001-03-20 Schwan-Stabilo Schwanhausser Gmbh & Co. Writing implement
US6361234B1 (en) 2000-03-08 2002-03-26 Bic Corporation Pressurized writing instrument employing a compressible piston member
US20030102334A1 (en) * 2000-04-25 2003-06-05 Hideyuki Usami Coating device
US6729787B2 (en) * 2000-04-25 2004-05-04 Pentel Kabushiki Kaisha Applicator using pressurized air to aid in dispensing liquid

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
BE546845A (de)
NL92961C (de)
LU34558A1 (de)
FR1146790A (fr) 1957-11-14
GB841319A (en) 1960-07-13
NL204165A (de)

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