US2800883A - Retractable ball pen latch means - Google Patents

Retractable ball pen latch means Download PDF

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Publication number
US2800883A
US2800883A US406159A US40615954A US2800883A US 2800883 A US2800883 A US 2800883A US 406159 A US406159 A US 406159A US 40615954 A US40615954 A US 40615954A US 2800883 A US2800883 A US 2800883A
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United States
Prior art keywords
barrel
plunger
plunger member
latch means
arm portion
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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
US406159A
Inventor
Herbert W Sams
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Scripto Inc
Original Assignee
Scripto Inc
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Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Scripto Inc filed Critical Scripto Inc
Priority to US406159A priority Critical patent/US2800883A/en
Priority claimed from GB3004356A external-priority patent/GB798533A/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US2800883A publication Critical patent/US2800883A/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B43—WRITING OR DRAWING IMPLEMENTS; BUREAU ACCESSORIES
    • B43K—IMPLEMENTS FOR WRITING OR DRAWING
    • B43K24/00—Mechanisms for selecting, projecting, retracting or locking writing units
    • B43K24/02—Mechanisms for selecting, projecting, retracting or locking writing units for locking a single writing unit in only fully projected or retracted positions
    • B43K24/08—Mechanisms for selecting, projecting, retracting or locking writing units for locking a single writing unit in only fully projected or retracted positions operated by push-buttons

Definitions

  • This invention relates generally to retractable ball pens in which a ball point and reservoir unit is retractably arranged so that it may alternatively be withdrawn within the pen barrel when not in use or projected from the barrel for writing, and more particularly, to an improved latch means for holding the ball point unit at projected position and releasing it for retraction as desired.
  • the latch means of the present invention comprises a plunger member arranged to project rearwardly from the pen barrel and slidably disposed. at the rear barrel end for depression inwardly United States Patent thereof, a pocket clip mounted on the pen barrel and having a rearwardly'projecting latch portion biased laterally for releasably engaging and holding the plunger member when depressed, and means within the pen barrel yieldably biasing the plunger member for movement rearwardly when not engaged by the pocket clip latch portion.
  • the latching action is accomplished exteriorly of the pen barrel so as to avoid obstruction of the pen barrel interiorly by the latch mechanism and thereby allow a ball point and reservoir unit extending throughout the barrel length to be housed therein with a resulting substantially greater capacity in the unit.
  • Fig. 1 is an elevation of a retractable ball pen incorporating a latch means arranged according to the present invention, with the latch means shown in retracted position;
  • Fig. 2 is a vertical section corresponding to Fig. 1, but showing the latch means latched forwardly to hold the ball point and reservoir unit at projected position;
  • Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan view corresponding to Fig. 1;
  • Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section of the upper portion of the retractable ball pen shown in Fig. 1.
  • the retractable ball pen illustrated comprises a barrel housing formed by a front barrel portion 10 and a rear barrel portion 12 assembled at a threaded connection 14 to house therein a ball point and reservoir unit constituted by an ink reservoir tube 16 fitted at its forward end with a ball point element 18.
  • the ink reservoir tube 16 may advantageously be formed of a compressible plastic material and the ball point element 18 arranged to bottom at projected position in the writing tip of the front barrel portion 12, comparably to the disclosure in copending application Serial No. 386,946, filed October 19, 1953, now Patent Number 2,778,337.
  • the use of a plastic ink tube 16 further facilitates its effective gripping by the latch means of the present invention in the manner noted further below.
  • plunger member 20 Projecting rearwardly from the rear barrel portion 12 is a plunger member 20 which is slidably disposed at the 2,800,883 Patented July 30, 1957 rear end of barrel portion 12 for depression inwardly thereof.
  • the forward end of plunger member 20 is formed with an outwardly extending flange 22 forming an abutment surface in opposed relation to an inwardly facing shoulder 24 provided in the rear barrel portion 20 to confine the plunger member 20 at the projected position shown in Fig. 1.
  • the plunger member flange 22 also serves to cooperate with a bias spring 26 bearing against the forward 'face thereof from a mounting in the rear barrel portion 12 at an internal ridge 28, and by which the plunger member 20 is biased to assume normally the fully projected Fig. 1 position.
  • a pocket clip 30 is also mounted on the rear barrel portion 12 intermediately of its length as indicated at 32 with a latch arm portion 34 extending rearwardly therefrom to overlie the rear end of rear barrel portion 12, with' a clearance aperture 36 provided therein so as to allow'projection of the plunger member 20 as seen in Fig. 1.
  • This pocket clip latch arm portion 34 is laterally biased (to the right as seen in the drawings), so that upon depression of the plunger member 20 it will shift .to engage the rear end of the depressed plunger member 20 and thereby latch plunger member 20 together with ink reservoir tube and ball point element 18 at projected position.
  • the plunger member 20 is advantageously shouldered inwardly adjacent its rear end as at 38, and formed beyond this shoulder 38 with a rounded tip extension of reduced diameter as at 40, to provide a latching seat at the shoulder 38 on the plunger member 20. Release of the plunger member 20 for return to retracted or fully projected position under the force of bias spring 26 is accomplished simply by pressing laterally (to the left as seen in the drawings) on the pocket clip latch arm portion 34 to align the aperture 36 with the longitudinal axis of the plunger member 20.
  • the plunger member 20 is engaged exteriorly by the pocket clip latch arm portion 34, it may be formed as a tubular cap, to receive therein and grip for movement therewith the rear end of ink reservoir tube 16, with the rear latching shoulder 38 of the plunger member 20 serving internally as a bottoming shoulder for the ink tube 16 and thereby permitting the entire extent of the forward and rear barrel portions 10 and 12 to be used as a hous' ing for the ink tube 16 so that the allowable extent of ink tube 16 is substantially increased over the usual arrangement in retractable ball pens.
  • a retractable ball pen the combination with a barrel housing of a pocket clip attached intermediately of its length to said barrel housing with a flexible clip por tion extending forwardly from said attachment and a flexible latch arm portion extending rearwardly therefrom, the extending end of said latch arm portion being formed laterally to overlie the rear end of said barrel housing and having an aperture therein alignable at the longitudinal axis of said barrel housing, and a plunger projecting rearwardly from said barrel housing through said latch arm portion aperture and slidably disposed within said barrel housing for depression inwardly along the longitudinal axis thereof, said plunger being yieldably biased rearwardly with respect to said barrel housing and having a shoulder at its rear end with a tip portion of reduced diameter extending rearwardly from said shoulder, and said latch arm portion being biased later- 2,800,888 a H I p allyfor; displacing said'aperture and thereby releasably engaging the plunger shoulderand retaining saidplunger when depressed.
  • a retractable ball pen comprising a barrel housing formed 1 with an inwardly ⁇ facing annular-shoulderadja+ cent the rear end thereoflZ-a rearwardlyprojecting plunger end with'an inwardly'stepped shoulderiandaa tipiportion of reduced diameter.extending'therebeyond; and a pocket clip mounted intermediately of its length exteriorly on said barrel housing with a fiexiblelatch arm portion extending rearwardly from said mounting, the extending end of said latch arm portion being formed laterally to overlie the rear end of'said barrel housing and having a clearance aperture therein allowing rearward projection of said plunger therethrough, and said latch arm portion being laterally biased for shifting againstsaid plunger shoulder on the side thereof that is opposite the mounting of said pocket clip and thereby releasably engaging said plunger shoulder upon depression of said plunger to dispose the tip portion thereof at said aperture.
  • a retractable ball pen the combination with a barrel housing of a clip attached intermediately of its length to said barrel housing with a flexible clip portion r. 4 V extending forwardly from said attachment and a flexible latch arm .portion extending rearwardly therefrom, .the extending end of said latch arm portion being formed laterally to overlie the rear end of said barrel housing and having an aperture therein alignable at the longitudinal axis of said barrel housing, and a plunger projecting rearwardly from said barrel housing through said latch arm portion aperture .and slidably disposed within said barrel housing for depression inwardly along the longitudinal axis thereof, said plunger being yieldably biased rearwardly with respect to said barrel.

Description

July 30, 1957 H. w. SAMS RETRACTABLE BALL PEN LATCH MEANS Filed Jan. 26, 1954 INVENTOR. HERBERT W SAM-S ATTOPNEKS This invention relates generally to retractable ball pens in which a ball point and reservoir unit is retractably arranged so that it may alternatively be withdrawn within the pen barrel when not in use or projected from the barrel for writing, and more particularly, to an improved latch means for holding the ball point unit at projected position and releasing it for retraction as desired.
Generally characterized, the latch means of the present invention comprises a plunger member arranged to project rearwardly from the pen barrel and slidably disposed. at the rear barrel end for depression inwardly United States Patent thereof, a pocket clip mounted on the pen barrel and having a rearwardly'projecting latch portion biased laterally for releasably engaging and holding the plunger member when depressed, and means within the pen barrel yieldably biasing the plunger member for movement rearwardly when not engaged by the pocket clip latch portion. By this arrangement, the latching action is accomplished exteriorly of the pen barrel so as to avoid obstruction of the pen barrel interiorly by the latch mechanism and thereby allow a ball point and reservoir unit extending throughout the barrel length to be housed therein with a resulting substantially greater capacity in the unit.
The present invention is described in further detail below in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 is an elevation of a retractable ball pen incorporating a latch means arranged according to the present invention, with the latch means shown in retracted position;
Fig. 2 is a vertical section corresponding to Fig. 1, but showing the latch means latched forwardly to hold the ball point and reservoir unit at projected position;
Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan view corresponding to Fig. 1; and
Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section of the upper portion of the retractable ball pen shown in Fig. 1.
In the embodiment of the present invention shown in the drawings, the retractable ball pen illustrated comprises a barrel housing formed by a front barrel portion 10 and a rear barrel portion 12 assembled at a threaded connection 14 to house therein a ball point and reservoir unit constituted by an ink reservoir tube 16 fitted at its forward end with a ball point element 18. The ink reservoir tube 16 may advantageously be formed of a compressible plastic material and the ball point element 18 arranged to bottom at projected position in the writing tip of the front barrel portion 12, comparably to the disclosure in copending application Serial No. 386,946, filed October 19, 1953, now Patent Number 2,778,337. The use of a plastic ink tube 16 further facilitates its effective gripping by the latch means of the present invention in the manner noted further below.
Projecting rearwardly from the rear barrel portion 12 is a plunger member 20 which is slidably disposed at the 2,800,883 Patented July 30, 1957 rear end of barrel portion 12 for depression inwardly thereof. The forward end of plunger member 20 is formed with an outwardly extending flange 22 forming an abutment surface in opposed relation to an inwardly facing shoulder 24 provided in the rear barrel portion 20 to confine the plunger member 20 at the projected position shown in Fig. 1. The plunger member flange 22 also serves to cooperate with a bias spring 26 bearing against the forward 'face thereof from a mounting in the rear barrel portion 12 at an internal ridge 28, and by which the plunger member 20 is biased to assume normally the fully projected Fig. 1 position.
A pocket clip 30 is also mounted on the rear barrel portion 12 intermediately of its length as indicated at 32 with a latch arm portion 34 extending rearwardly therefrom to overlie the rear end of rear barrel portion 12, with' a clearance aperture 36 provided therein so as to allow'projection of the plunger member 20 as seen in Fig. 1. This pocket clip latch arm portion 34 is laterally biased (to the right as seen in the drawings), so that upon depression of the plunger member 20 it will shift .to engage the rear end of the depressed plunger member 20 and thereby latch plunger member 20 together with ink reservoir tube and ball point element 18 at projected position.
In order to facilitate this latching engagement of the pocket clip latch arm portion 34 with the plunger member 20, the plunger member 20 is advantageously shouldered inwardly adjacent its rear end as at 38, and formed beyond this shoulder 38 with a rounded tip extension of reduced diameter as at 40, to provide a latching seat at the shoulder 38 on the plunger member 20. Release of the plunger member 20 for return to retracted or fully projected position under the force of bias spring 26 is accomplished simply by pressing laterally (to the left as seen in the drawings) on the pocket clip latch arm portion 34 to align the aperture 36 with the longitudinal axis of the plunger member 20.
Because the plunger member 20 is engaged exteriorly by the pocket clip latch arm portion 34, it may be formed as a tubular cap, to receive therein and grip for movement therewith the rear end of ink reservoir tube 16, with the rear latching shoulder 38 of the plunger member 20 serving internally as a bottoming shoulder for the ink tube 16 and thereby permitting the entire extent of the forward and rear barrel portions 10 and 12 to be used as a hous' ing for the ink tube 16 so that the allowable extent of ink tube 16 is substantially increased over the usual arrangement in retractable ball pens.
The present invention has been described in detail above for purposes of illustration only and is not intended to be limited by this description or otherwise except as defined in the appended claims.
I claim:
1. In a retractable ball pen, the combination with a barrel housing of a pocket clip attached intermediately of its length to said barrel housing with a flexible clip por tion extending forwardly from said attachment and a flexible latch arm portion extending rearwardly therefrom, the extending end of said latch arm portion being formed laterally to overlie the rear end of said barrel housing and having an aperture therein alignable at the longitudinal axis of said barrel housing, and a plunger projecting rearwardly from said barrel housing through said latch arm portion aperture and slidably disposed within said barrel housing for depression inwardly along the longitudinal axis thereof, said plunger being yieldably biased rearwardly with respect to said barrel housing and having a shoulder at its rear end with a tip portion of reduced diameter extending rearwardly from said shoulder, and said latch arm portion being biased later- 2,800,888 a H I p allyfor; displacing said'aperture and thereby releasably engaging the plunger shoulderand retaining saidplunger when depressed.
2. A retractable ball pen comprising a barrel housing formed 1 with an inwardly} facing annular-shoulderadja+ cent the rear end thereoflZ-a rearwardlyprojecting plunger end with'an inwardly'stepped shoulderiandaa tipiportion of reduced diameter.extending'therebeyond; and a pocket clip mounted intermediately of its length exteriorly on said barrel housing with a fiexiblelatch arm portion extending rearwardly from said mounting, the extending end of said latch arm portion being formed laterally to overlie the rear end of'said barrel housing and having a clearance aperture therein allowing rearward projection of said plunger therethrough, and said latch arm portion being laterally biased for shifting againstsaid plunger shoulder on the side thereof that is opposite the mounting of said pocket clip and thereby releasably engaging said plunger shoulder upon depression of said plunger to dispose the tip portion thereof at said aperture. 7 r a 3. In a retractable ball pen, the combination with a barrel housing of a clip attached intermediately of its length to said barrel housing with a flexible clip portion r. 4 V extending forwardly from said attachment and a flexible latch arm .portion extending rearwardly therefrom, .the extending end of said latch arm portion being formed laterally to overlie the rear end of said barrel housing and having an aperture therein alignable at the longitudinal axis of said barrel housing, and a plunger projecting rearwardly from said barrel housing through said latch arm portion aperture .and slidably disposed within said barrel housing for depression inwardly along the longitudinal axis thereof, said plunger being yieldably biased rearwardly with respect to said barrel. housing and having a rearwardly facing shoulder arranged thereon for engaging said latch arm portion on the side thereof opposite the mounting of .said pocket clip, and said latch arm portion being laterally biased 'for shifting against said plunger shoulder and releasably engaging said plunger when depressed.
References Cited in the'file of thislpatent v UNITED STATES PATENTS Switzerland 'Mar. '2, 1953
US406159A 1954-01-26 1954-01-26 Retractable ball pen latch means Expired - Lifetime US2800883A (en)

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Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US406159A US2800883A (en) 1954-01-26 1954-01-26 Retractable ball pen latch means

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Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US406159A US2800883A (en) 1954-01-26 1954-01-26 Retractable ball pen latch means
GB3004356A GB798533A (en) 1956-10-02 1956-10-02 Improvements in and relating to retractable ball-point pens

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Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3039436A (en) * 1956-09-19 1962-06-19 Exner Hellmuth Alfred Artur Fountain pen with retractable writing element
DE9319799U1 (en) * 1993-12-28 1994-06-16 Ganter & Co Kg Otto Spring loaded push pin
USD832348S1 (en) * 2016-04-01 2018-10-30 Kabushiki Kaisha Pilot Corporation Ballpoint pen
USD857799S1 (en) * 2018-01-25 2019-08-27 Amsterdam Printing & Litho, Inc. Writing instrument
USD879876S1 (en) * 2017-04-26 2020-03-31 Kemerburgaz Ofis ve Okul Gereçleri Sanayi Ticaret Anonim Sirketi Pen

Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1281223A (en) * 1918-05-03 1918-10-08 George Stepanchak Chalk-holder.
US1296900A (en) * 1915-06-23 1919-03-11 John B Zimdars Magazine-pencil.
FR934235A (en) * 1946-09-13 1948-05-14 Stylograph refinements
GB641595A (en) * 1946-12-12 1950-08-16 Cia Uruguaya De Fomento Ind S Improvements in reservoir writing instruments
FR996221A (en) * 1949-08-19 1951-12-17 Improvements to articles such as, in particular, ball-point pens and the like
CH286888A (en) * 1949-11-26 1952-11-15 Lang Frantisek Writing implement with a lock for the pen outlet.

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1296900A (en) * 1915-06-23 1919-03-11 John B Zimdars Magazine-pencil.
US1281223A (en) * 1918-05-03 1918-10-08 George Stepanchak Chalk-holder.
FR934235A (en) * 1946-09-13 1948-05-14 Stylograph refinements
GB641595A (en) * 1946-12-12 1950-08-16 Cia Uruguaya De Fomento Ind S Improvements in reservoir writing instruments
FR996221A (en) * 1949-08-19 1951-12-17 Improvements to articles such as, in particular, ball-point pens and the like
CH286888A (en) * 1949-11-26 1952-11-15 Lang Frantisek Writing implement with a lock for the pen outlet.

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3039436A (en) * 1956-09-19 1962-06-19 Exner Hellmuth Alfred Artur Fountain pen with retractable writing element
DE9319799U1 (en) * 1993-12-28 1994-06-16 Ganter & Co Kg Otto Spring loaded push pin
USD832348S1 (en) * 2016-04-01 2018-10-30 Kabushiki Kaisha Pilot Corporation Ballpoint pen
USD879876S1 (en) * 2017-04-26 2020-03-31 Kemerburgaz Ofis ve Okul Gereçleri Sanayi Ticaret Anonim Sirketi Pen
USD857799S1 (en) * 2018-01-25 2019-08-27 Amsterdam Printing & Litho, Inc. Writing instrument

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