US2796850A

US2796850A - Fountain pen

Info

Publication number: US2796850A
Application number: US506613A
Authority: US
Inventors: Emerson Alfred
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1955-05-06
Filing date: 1955-05-06
Publication date: 1957-06-25
Anticipated expiration: 1974-06-25

Description

A. EMERSON FOUNTAIN PEN June 25, 1957 Filed May 6, 1955 INVENTOR M45 ATTORNEY Ayhed Emersm BY -6% 2,796,850 FoUNTAIN PEN Alfred Emerson, New York, N. Y.

Application May 6, 1955, Serial No. 506,613

Claims. (Cl. 120-46) It is among the objects of this invention to provide an improved fountain pen in which the entire barrel of the pen can be filled with ink thus providing a pen which, as compared with the conventional sack-type pens of the same size, has a greater ink capacity.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a fountain pen which has no moving parts such as plungers, levers, etc. commonly employed in the sack-type pens.

Still another object of this invention is to provide such pen which can quickly, readily and cleanly be filled with ink.

Still another object of the invention is to provide such pen in which the barrel portion thereof containing the ink reservoir is readily removable from the end piece containing the pen point thus permitting the utilization of one and the same end piece, which represents the most expensive part of the pen, with a plurality of barrels so that the user can employ spare barrels providing auxiliary supplies of ink with little added expense.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed description thereof.

. In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification and showing, for purposes of exemplification, a preferred form of this invention, without limiting the claimed invention to such illustrative instance:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view showing in separated position the barrel and end piece; these two parts together form the fountain pen of this invention. The barrel is shown in vertical section and is broken away to permit illustration on a somewhat larger scale than would otherwise be possible. The end piece is shown partly in vertical section and partly in elevation.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view showing the barrel and end piece joined as they would be in use of the fountain pen; the end piece is shown partly in elevation and partly in vertical section, While the barrel portion is shown in vertical section.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view disclosing themanner of filling the ink reservoir in the barrel.

Figure 4 is a vertical section of a spare barrel and cap therefor which may be employed with the fountain pen of this invention. A

Referring to the drawing, indicates a fountain pen barrel preferably of generally cylindrical shape, having a rounded upper end 11 and a lower extension 12 of reduced diameter, as compared with the diameter of barrel 10. Desirably barrel 10 is of transparent plastic material, e. g., polystyrene, transparent methacrylate resins, etc., so that the volume of ink therein is apparent at a glance thus enabling the user to refill the ink reservoir 14 whenever it is necessary so to do.

Extension 12, as shown in Figure 1, is cylindrical and has the threads 13 on its periphery. This extension is dimensioned so that it snugly fits within chamber 15 in end piece 16. Chamber 15 is provided with threads 17 which engage the threads 13 when the barrel is in position on the end piece 16, as shown in Figure 2. When the barrel 10 is threaded on to the end piece 16, walls 18 of the barrel abut the top walls 19 of the end piece 16, as best shown in Figure 2. 1

A hollow needle 21 passes through extension 12 and has end 22 thereof positioned an appreciable distance from the interior wall 23 of the reservoir 14 for apurpose hereinafter explained. The opposite end 24 of the hollow needle 22 is pointed. This needle desirably is made of stainless steel or other non-corroding metal of sufficient strength so that the needle will puncture rubber or other plastic material employed in forming the washer 25 disposed in the base of chamber 15. Adjacent needle 21 a vent passageway or duct 26 is formed in extension 12 for venting reservoir 14- when it is filled with ink, as more fully explained hereinafter.

End piece 16 carries the pen 27 which maybe of any conventional type and communicates with theinkfeed duct 28 having an enlarged end 29 to receive the portion 38 of needle 21 extending beyond extension 12. When the barrel 10 is not in place on end piece 16, washer25 seals the ink feed duct 28 preventing entry of air thereinto which might cause leakage of residual ink in this duct. Washer 25 may be of rubber, synthetic or natural, or other flexible plastic material which has the property of sealing or closing any opening formed therein by the passage therethrough of a sharp or pointed tool, such as the end 24 of the hollow needle 22. Thus, when the hollow needle 24 is retracted, in the position shown in Figure 1, for example, washer 25 acts as a seal for any residual ink in duct 28, preventing the same from leaking.

In order to fill the reservoir 14, barrel 10 is removed by unthreading extension 12 and removing it from the chamber 15. A polythene or other bottle 31, preferably a transparent squeeze bottle, containing theink is then positioned so that the hollow needle 24 penetrates through a cap 32 formed with a projection 33 which serves to space the end of the barrel 10 relative to cap 32 to permit venting of the reservoir 14 through the vent duct 26, asthe reservoir is filled. Cap 32 may be of polythene, rubber or other plastic readily penetrated by the needle 21. Bottle 31 may be sealed with cap 32, the seal being broken by forcing needle 21 through cap 32 when it is desired to fill the reservoir 14. Once the pen is filled the bottle 31 is removed, simultaneously removing cap 32, and the barrel 10 is then threaded into the end piece 16. When in the threaded position shown in Figure 2 the vent opening 26 is sealed by the washer 25; Hence, the feed of ink can only take place through the ink feed duct 28 which is dimensioned to prevent leakage of ink but permit feed of ink as consumed by the writer.

An important feature of the invention is that end 22 ofthe hollow needle 21 extends beyond wall 23. This enables prompt, ready and clean filling of the reservoir 14 and prevents'flow of ink during the filling of the reservoir along wall 23; such fiow would take place if the end 22 of needle 24 were flush with this wall 23. .Such flow .alongwall 23 would result in the ink escaping through the lvent channel 26. By positioning the hollow needle 22 asshownsuch'escape or loss of ink is avoided.

The spare barrel shown in Figure 4 is of the same construction as the barrel shown in Figure l, and hence the parts thereof are identified by the same reference characters. The barrel of Figure 4 is provided with a cap '35 having a threaded cylindrical chamber 36 communitain pen which, as compared with a fountain pen of the sack type of the same dimensions, holds substantially more ink because the entire area of the barrel is available as an ink reservoir. The pen of this invention can be quickly, readily and cleanly refilled whenever necessary, as explained above. In the case of a transparent barrel it is always apparent to the user when refilling is necessary. It will be further noted, the pen of this invention involves no moving parts, such as plungers or levers.

I With the embodiment of this invention involving the use of a spare barrel, the resultant construction is economical because the end piece of the pen carrying the pen point represents the most expensive part of the pen; the barrel portion is relatively inexpensive. Hence, this invention, since it permits the ready replacement of the barrel, in efiect, provides the user with the equivalent of a number of pens at a material saving.

Since difler'ent embodiments of the fountain pen could be made without departing from the scope of this invention it is intended that all matter disclosed in the above specification and shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. Thus, While the construction shown in the drawing involving washer 25 is preferred, it will be understood that this washer may be omitted in embodiments involving a capillary ink feed duct 28. In this modification channel 26 is sealed, when the barrel is in place, by the base or inner transverse wall of chamber 15, i. e., the extension 12 and chamber 15 are so dimensioned that the end of extension 12 abuts the base of chamber 15.

What is claimed is:

1. A fountain pen comprising a barrel providing an ink reservoir and having at one end thereof a hollow needle passing through a wall of said reservoir, one end of said needle communicating with said reservoir and the other end being permanently open so that the needle forms a passageway through which ink may flow from the reservoir and through which ink from an external source may be introduced into the said reservoir, said barrel having a vent therein near the said hollow needle for venting the said reservoir during the filling thereof through the said hollow needle, an end piece formed with a chamber, a pen point on said end piece, said end piece being formed with an ink feed duct connecting said chamber with said pen point and a puncture-sealing member in said chamber sealing said feed duct when the end of said barrel carrying said needle is not positioned in said chamber, said chamber being adapted to receive the end of said barrel carrying said needle with the needle passing through said member and communicably connecting said reservoir with said ink feed duct and with said vent sealed by said puncture-sealing member.

2. A fountain pen as defined in claim 1 in which said hollow needle extends an appreciable distance beyond the wall of said reservoir in which the needle is positioned so that the end of said needle within said reservoir is spaced from said wall.

3. A fountain pen as defined in claim 1 in which said puncture-sealing member is a self-sealing rubber washer and in which said hollow needle extends through a wall of said reservoir with one end of said needle extending into said reservoir being positioned an appreciable distens rom th in sr a wall 9f a d rsscr air th ss which it extends and the opposite end of said needle is pointed so that it can readily puncture said rubber sealing washer when the barrel is positioned relative to said and piece with the pointed end of said needle in contact with said rubber washer.

4. A fountain pen comprising a longitudinally elongated barrel of generally cylindrical shape providing an ink reservoir and having an end of reduced diameter as compared with the diameter of said barrel, said end of reduced diameter having a vent passageway therein; a hollow needle extending through said reduced-diameter end with one end of said hollow needle disposed in said reservoir and positioned an appreciable distance from the inner wall of said reservoir through which it extends and the other end of said hollow needle being pointed; an end piece formed with a substantially cylindrical chamber adapted to receive the reduced-diameter end of said barrel, a pen point on said end piece, said end piece having an ink feed duct connecting said chamber with said pen point, the end of said feed duct communicating with said chamber being enlarged and dimensioned to snugly receive the end of said hollow needle; a puncturesealing washer in said chamber sealing the said enlarged end of the said feed duct when the barrel is not in position on said end piece and adapted to seal said vent passageway when the barrel is in position on said end piece.

5, A fountain pen Q KHPrising a longitudinally elongated barrel providing an ink reservoir of generally cylindrical shape having a threaded end of reduced diameter as compared with the diameter of said barrel and provided with a vent passageway extending therethrough to vent the reservoir when it is being filled; a hollow needle extending through said threaded end with one end of said hollow 1Q 1e disposed in said reservoir and positioned an appreciable distance from the inner wall of said reservoir through which it extends and the other end of said hollow needle being pointed and extending exteriorly of said threaded end; an end piece formed with a substantially cylindrical interiorly threaded chamber adapted to receive the threaded end of said barrel; a pen point on said end piece; said end piece having an ink feed duct connecting said chamber with said pen point, the end of said feed duct communicating with said chamber having a shape congruent with the said exteriorly extending portion of said needle to snugly receive the said esteriorly extending portion of said needle; and a puncture-sealing washer in said chamber sealing the said ink feed duct when the barrel is not in position on said end piece and adapted to seal said vent passageway when the barrel is in position on said end piece with the threaded nd h reo h a d nt sa d h mb I- References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,808,377 Reichenbach June 2, 1931 2,229,749 Little Jan. 28, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS 421,408 Italy May 22, 1947 1 ran .---.,------?-..--t,-- 1811- 1