US2911950A

US2911950A - Flexible writing instrument

Info

Publication number: US2911950A
Application number: US545393A
Authority: US
Inventors: Freeman Nell
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1955-11-07
Filing date: 1955-11-07
Publication date: 1959-11-10
Anticipated expiration: 1976-11-10

Description

Nov. l0, 1959 N. FREEMAN 2,911,950

FLEXIBLEl WRITING INSTRUMENT y Filed Nov. 7, 1955 7T-z ezzr'. eZZeemam.

United States Patent() FLEXIBLE WRITING lNs'rRU'MENT Nell Freeman, Chicago, lll. y

Application November 7, 1955, Serial No. 545,393

3 Claims. (ci. izo-42.4)

This invention relates to .a flexible writing instrument created especially for safe use by infants and Vsmall children, although it may well have other uses.

It has been known for many generations that writing instruments of the nature of ordinary pencils and pens have an especial fascination for very young children, and that their unskilled use and handling of such instruments is a very considerable source of 4danger to them and sometimesA is the cause of serious injuries. As a yconsequence, parents endeavor to prevent children from carrying these ordinary writing instruments as they walk or creep because of the grave danger that the children may fall on such rigid instruments and be injured thereby. So far as I know, no effective writing instrument has heretofore been available for small children, which is at the saine time safe for them to use.

My invention provides such a safe instrument by cornbining a ball point fluid applicator such as is commonly incorporated in the well known ball point pens, together with a holder or gripping member therefor which is extremely flexible and which will upon slight pressure endwise, be deflected at least 90 or more, so that the endwise pressure thereon cannot force either end of the instrument into the childs body, should the child fall thereon.

The general object of the invention therefore is to provide a flexible writing instrument which will serve the above described safety purpose.

Another object of the invention is to embody the above mentioned safety writing instrument in a structure which can be manufactured at such a low cost as to make it available for use by little children of even the lowest income groups.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be mentioned hereinafter or will become apparent from a perusal of the following specification in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is described.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section of la flexible writing instrument made in accordance with my invention;

Figure 2 is an elevational view of the same device shown deflected more than 90.

Referring now to the drawing, there is shown a hollow casing generally indicated as 11 which may be provided with

peripheral shoulders

12 and 13, and a ball applicator 14 mounted in 'any conventional or suitable manner in the outer end of the casing, as is customary for ball point pens, the applicator serving as the writing point for a conventional ball point ink or liquid graphite.

The holder or gripping member, generally designated as 15, is formed of some highly flexible material such as a relatively soft rubber, or any other suitable flexible material, which may be manufactured by a molding process, or otherwise, to frictionally engage and hold the ball point casing, for example, by interlocking engagement with

shoulders

12 and 13, and also to have provided therein .a longitudinal duct 16 which will serve as a reservoir for the writing fluid. If desired, and it is so preferred, both ends of the holder may be rounded to any desired and suitable curvature to enhance the safe use of the instrument. For example, the writing end at 17 may be shaped as shown, or somewhat similar thereto, leaving enough of Athe ball point exposed to facilitate its use at a convenient angle for Writing. The other end of the holder at 18 may likewise be provided with a curved shape, and if desired a plug 19 may lbe inserted into the enlarged open end of the passage 16 and sealed therein, adhesively or otherwise, to prevent the escape of the writing fluid through that end.

Preferably, when the pen is loaded a substantial amount of air space will be provided between the end of the Writing fluid column 20 and the plug 19 so that during flexing of the instrument the air therein may be compressed without forcing the writing fluid out through the ball point inadvertently.

` In the manufacture of the device, the holder 15 may bern'olded with the ball point casing in place. Or, if desired, by suitably shaping and proportioning of the casing and the space which it is to occupy, the casing may be inserted endwise into the instrument, for example, by first molding the Vholder 15 around a suitable core, and 'after the material of the holder 'has cooled and set, removing the core. Thereafter the .casing V11 carrying the ball 14 could be inserted into the bore provided .by the core. Upon molding in place or subsequent insertion, the hollow central passage of the casing would be placed in registration with the duct 16. y

The holder should be made of such suitable material that it will not only flex as described hereinafter but preferably returns substantially to its original shape after release from flexing pressure.

If desired, a flexible tube may be provided for attachment to or for registration with the casing for containing the writing fluid. If such tube is provided it preferably would be of such material and so proportioned and mounted in the passage 16 as not to interfere with the above mentioned desired flexibility of the holder. Such tube is not illustrated but with the labove explanation given it will now be obvious how it may be provided to fit in the passage 16, either loosely or snugly.

When the Writing instrument is thus made in accordance with this invention it may be exteriorly colored or decorated to simulate conventional pens or pencils so that it will be accepted as a substitute therefor by infants. For example, its exterior surface may be provided with the conventional octagonal shape of pencils and pens,

or other suitable shapes. Should a child fall while carrying a Writing instrument made in accordance with my invention, pressure exerted lengthwise of the instrument will cause it to deflect under moderate pressure to more than which will then leave but a small or negligible component of force tending to press either end of the instrument against the body of the child, while at the same time, the flexing of the instrument will tend to kick it out of the position `which it has occupied during flexing,

which should immediately relieve the danger.

As to the writing fluids which may be used in this invention, a number are already commercially available including various types of ink and liquid graphite suspensions and solutions.

The flexibility of the instrument should be such that it Will flex more than 90 under a pressure of less than two pounds, this top figure being selected as more than reasonable, but it is preferred and it is practical to make an instrument which will flex that much under pressure of one pound or less.

It should be understood that the embodiment shown herein has been selected for illustrative purposes Iand that the invention is susceptible of some modification and variation within the scope of the appended claims.

Having shown and described my invention, I claim:

1. A writing instrument comprising a short rigid casing having a Writing fluid ball point applicator protruding therefrom, a relatively long flexible soft rubber holder having a blunt rounded end portion secured to and wholly enclosing said casing except the protruding ball point and provided with a central relatively slender duct for containing ball point writing iluid in operative communication with said ball point, the main portion of the holder being primarily solid except for said duct, the end of the holder opposite the ball point end being blunt and rounded and having means sealing the adjoining end of the duct, the holder having a length and diameter suitable as a conventional writing grip, the m-ain body of the holder being resilient and self-restoring but sufficiently flexible as to be deectable by an endwise pressure on the order of about two pounds to an angle of less than 90 between its ends.

2. A writingv instrument comprising a short rigid casing having a writing fluid ball point applicator protruding therefrom, a relatively long exible soft rubber holder having a blunt rounded end portion secured to and wholly enclosing said casing except the protruding ball point and provided with a central relatively slender duct for containing ball point writing Huid in operative communication with said ball point, the main portion of the holder being of uniform composition and primarily solid except for said duct,the end of the holder opposite the ball point end being blunt and rounded and having means sealing the adjoining end of the duct, the holder having a length and diameter suitable as a conventional writing grip, the main body of the holder being sufciently flexible to be deectable more than 90 when subject to an endwise pressure on the order of about two pounds, and being sufciently resilient to be self-restoring.

3. A writing instrument comprising a short rigid casing having a Writing fluid ball point applicator protruding therefrom, a relatively long flexible soft molded holder having a tiexibility equivalent to that of soft rubber and having a blunt rounded end portion secured to and wholly enclosing said casing except the protruding ball point and provided with a central relatively slender duct for containing ball point writing uid in operative communication with said ball point, the main portion of the holder being primarily solid except for said duct, the end of the holder opposite the ball point end being blunt and rounded and having means sealing the adjoining end of the duct, the holder having a length and diameter suitable as a conventional writing grip, the main body of the holder being resilient and self-restoring but suiliciently ilexible as to be deectable by an endwise pressure on the order of about two pounds to an angle of less than 90 between its ends.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,647,536 Miller Nov. 1, 1927 1,950,960 Wisser Mar. 13, 1934 2,266,942 Wallace Dec. 23, 1941 2,449,939 Heyberger Sept. 21, 1948 2,487,461 McKinney Nov. 8, 1949 `2,644,613 Pepin July 7, 1953