Abstract:
A pen holder includes an upper housing for receiving and holding an upper end of a writing implement and a lower housing adapted to receive the writing end of the writing implement. The lower housing has a hole at its lower end that is sized to allow the writing tip of the writing implement to pass through, and the lower housing being removably coupled to the upper housing to form a chamber that at least partially encloses the writing implement. The length of the chamber, or the longitudinal position of the writing implement within the chamber, is variable to accommodate writing implements of different lengths.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Ball point pens are available in a wide variety of types and prices, from expensive pens with replaceable cartridges to low-cost stick pens. 
     A disadvantage of a stick pen is that its cap is easily misplaced. A further disadvantage is that its narrow width makes it less comfortable to write with than a wider pen. 
     A disadvantage of a pen with a replaceable cartridge is that the cartridges are relatively expensive to replace. Further, since each cartridge is designed for use with a specific type of pen, the cartridges may not be widely available. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
       The accompanying figures, in which like reference numerals refer to identical or functionally similar elements throughout the separate views and which together with the detailed description below are incorporated in and form part of the specification, serve to further illustrate various embodiments and to explain various principles and advantages all in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 1  is a sectional view of an exemplary pen holder in accordance with some embodiments of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a sectional view of an exemplary upper housing of a pen holder in accordance with some embodiments of the invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a sectional view of an exemplary lower housing of a pen holder in accordance with some embodiments of the invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a further sectional view of an exemplary pen holder in accordance with some embodiments of the invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a diagrammatic representation of a pen holder with an attached magnet, in accordance with certain embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a diagrammatic representation of a pen holder with a light generator and strap or loop, in accordance with certain embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  is a diagrammatic representation of a pen holder, in accordance with certain further embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  is a further sectional view of the pen holder shown in  FIG. 7 . 
         FIG. 9  is a diagrammatic representation of a pen holder with an attached magnet, in accordance with further embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 10  is a sectional view of the pen holder shown in  FIG. 9 . 
         FIG. 11  is a diagrammatic representation of a pen holder with an attached magnet, in accordance with still further embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 12  is a sectional view of the pen holder shown in  FIG. 11 . 
     
    
    
     Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Before describing in detail embodiments that are in accordance with the present invention, it should be observed that the embodiments reside primarily in combinations of apparatus components related to a pen holder. Accordingly, the apparatus components and method steps have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein. 
     In this document, relational terms such as first and second, top and bottom, and the like may be used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. An element preceded by the phrase “comprises . . . a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises the element. 
     The present invention relates to pen holder that is able to hold a low-cost stick pen or pencil. Further, in one mode of operation the writing end of the stick pen protrudes from the pen holder such that pen holder may be used as a pen for writing. In this way, the pen holder functions as a pen with the stick pen functioning as a cartridge. 
     In this way, the pen holder has many of the benefits of a conventional cartridge pen, but has the additional advantages that the cartridge is a stick pen or pencil that is both cheap and widely available. 
       FIG. 1  is a sectional view of an example pen holder  100  in accordance with some embodiments of the invention. Referring to  FIG. 1 , the pen holder  100  comprises lower housing  102  and an upper housing  104  that may be joined together to hold a stick pen  106 . In this embodiment, the stick pen  106  is held in place by a compliant material  108  that lines a portion of the upper housing  104 . The compliant material may be rubber or a rubber-like material. The cavity formed by the compliant material  108  is tapered so as to accommodate stick pens of various diameters. In a further embodiment the compliant material may be omitted. In this embodiment, the cavity formed by the upper housing  104  is tapered to accommodate stick pens of various diameters. 
     The writing-end of the stick pen  106  is held in a tapered hole  110  in the end of the lower housing  102 . The taper allows stick pens of various sizes to be held. The tapered hole  110  is sized such that the writing end of the stick pen  106  may extend beyond the lower housing  102  in one mode of operation. 
     In one embodiment, a spring  112  positioned at the end of the lower housing is oriented to apply a spring force to the stick pen  106 . The force tends to push the stick pen into the tapered cavity in the upper housing  104  and thus hold the pen securely. The spring may act directly onto the stick pen, or may act on a washer through which the stick pen passes. 
     The features described above enable stick pens of various diameters to be used. To accommodate stick pens of different lengths, the overall or internal length of the pen holder  100  may be varied. This may be achieved by a variety of means well known to those of ordinary skill in the art. In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , the upper and lower housings are joined by screw threads  114  and  116  on the lower and upper housings, respectively. The desired length may be maintained by a locking mechanism or simply by friction. The upper housing may screw over the lower housing, as shown in the figure, or the lower housing may screw over the upper housing. 
     A further advantage of a variable length pen holder is that the length may be increased to the extent that the stick pen is completely within the pen holder. This allows the pen holder to be placed in a pocket without marking clothing, and also protects the writing end of the stick pen. 
     A clip  118  may be attached to the upper housing  104  to allow the pen holder  100  to be securely carried in a pocket or clipped to a writing pad. 
       FIG. 2  is a sectional view of an example upper housing of a pen holder  100  in accordance with some embodiments of the invention. Optionally, a compliant material  108  lines a portion of the upper housing  104 . In a further embodiment the compliant material may be omitted, and the cavity formed by the upper housing  104  is tapered to accommodate stick pens of various diameters. 
       FIG. 3  is a sectional view of an example lower housing of a pen holder in accordance with some embodiments of the invention. In this example, the upper end  114  of the housing is threaded and the lower end includes a tapered hole  110  to accommodate a stick pen. A spring  112  may be used to hold the stick pen in place when the pen holder is lengthened. 
       FIG. 4  is a further sectional view of an example pen holder  100  in accordance with some embodiments of the invention. Referring to  FIG. 4 , the pen holder  100  comprises lower housing  102  and an upper housing  104  that may be joined together to hold a stick pen  106 . In this embodiment, the stick pen  106  is held in place in the upper housing by a compliant material  108  that lines a portion of the upper housing  104  and by a bias spring  112  that acts between the stick pen  106  and the lower end of the lower housing  102  and pushes the stick pen  106  towards the upper housing  104 . In the view shown in  FIG. 4 , the pen holder  100  has been lengthened so that the stick pen is retracted. That is, the stick pen is held entirely within the pen holder  100 . The interior of the pen holder  100  may be lengthened by various means known to those of ordinary skill in the art, including by use of retraction mechanisms such as those used in ‘click’ pens. Rotating the upper housing  104  relative to the lower housing  102  shortens the pen holder  100  and causes the writing end of the stick to be extended through the hole  110  in the lower housing  102 . 
       FIG. 5  is a diagrammatic representation of a pen holder  100  in accordance with certain embodiments of the present invention. Referring to  FIG. 5 , a magnet  502  is attached, either fixedly or removably, to the pen holder  100 . The magnet  502  enables the pen holder  100  to be attached to ferrous objects such as metal furniture, or wearable holders, for example. 
       FIG. 6  is a further diagrammatic representation of a pen holder  100  in accordance with certain embodiments of the present invention. Referring to  FIG. 6 , a light generator  602  is attached, either fixedly or removably, to the pen holder  100 . The light generator  602  emits light through element  604  towards to the writing end of the pen holder  100 . This enables the writing surface to be illuminated when the pen holder  100  is used for writing. Optionally, operation of the light generator  602  may be controlled by a switch  606 . The light generator may be powered by any of variety of means, including a battery or a device that converts motion to electricity or light. 
     In some embodiments, the pen holder  100  may include a strap or loop  608  that facilitates carrying or storage of the pen holder. The loop may be constructed of a flexible material, such as a cord or chain, or it may be constructed of a more rigid material such as plastic. 
     The pen holder may be partially or completely constructed of a fluorescent material to enable the pen holder to be found more easily in low lighting conditions. 
       FIG. 7  is a diagrammatic representation of a further pen holder  100 , in accordance with certain further embodiments of the present invention. In this embodiment, the thread connecting the lower housing  102  to the upper housing  104  is obscured by the upper housing. This is shown in more detail in  FIG. 8 , which is a sectional view through the section  8 - 8  of the pen holder  100  shown in  FIG. 7 . Referring to  FIG. 8 , the upper housing  104  includes an extended region  802  that extends beyond the threaded region  116  of the upper housing. The extended region  802  covers the threaded region  114  of the lower housing  102 , even when the stick pen  106  is retracted inside the pen holder  100 , as shown in the  FIG. 8 . As described above, the threaded regions of the upper and lower housings allow the length of the pen holder  100  to be varied. This allows stick pens  106  of different lengths to be accommodated and also allows the stick pen  106  to retracted for storage or extended for writing. 
       FIG. 9  is a diagrammatic representation of a pen holder  100  with an attached magnet  502 , in accordance with further embodiments of the present invention. In this embodiment the upper housing  104  includes a notched slot  902 . The notched slot  902  includes a number of notches. A view through the section  10 - 10  is shown in  FIG. 10 . Referring to  FIG. 10 , the upper end of stick pen  106  is held in inner housing  1002 . The inner housing is sized such that it can slide within the upper housing  104 , allowing the stick pen  106  to move longitudinally within the pen holder  100 . This, in turn, allows pens  106  of different lengths to be accommodated and also allows the pen  106  to retracted for storage or extended for writing. A post  1004  extends from the inner housing  1002 , through the notched slot  902  in the upper housing  104  and connects to positioning element  1006 , outside of the upper housing  104 . In this embodiment, a magnet  502  is attached to the positioning element  1006 . In operation, spring  112  biases the post  1004  into a notch of the notched slot  902 . The user may use the positioning element  1006  (and the optional attached magnet  502 ) to position the post  1004  in a selected notch of the notched slot  902 . This, in turn adjusts the position of the pen within the pen holder  100 . In this manner, pens  106  of different lengths may be accommodated. By selecting the appropriate notch of the notched slot  902 , the pen  106  may be retracted for storage or extended for writing. The bias spring  112  prevents the post  1004  from slipping from the selected notch. Further, the pressure of writing with the pen  106  holds the post  1004  in the selected notch. In this embodiment the bias spring  112  is in compression. 
     In one embodiment, the positioning element  1006  is simply the exterior end of the post  1004 . 
     A further embodiment is shown in  FIGS. 11 . Referring to  FIG. 11 , the shape of the notches is varied compared to  FIG. 9 , so as to illustrate that notches and slots of various geometries may be used without departing from the present invention. 
     In the description above, the use of the pen holder to hold a stick pen is described. However, the pen holder may also be used to hold other writing implements, such as pencils, for example. 
     A view through the section  12 - 12  in  FIG. 11  is shown in  FIG. 12 . Referring to  FIG. 12 , the upper end of stick pen  106  is held in inner housing  1002 . The inner housing is sized such that it can slide within the upper housing  104 , allowing the stick pen  106  to slide within the pen holder  100 . This, in turn, allows pens  106  of different lengths to be accommodated and also allows the pen  106  to retracted for storage or extended for writing. A post  1004  extends from the inner housing  1002 , through the notched slot  902  in the upper housing  104  and connects to positioning element  1006 , outside of the upper housing  104 . In this embodiment, a magnet  502  is attached to the positioning element  1006 . In operation, spring  112  biases the post  1004  into a notch of the notched slot  902 . The user may use the positioning element  1006  (and the optional attached magnet  502 ) to position the post  1004  in a selected notch of the notched slot  902 . This, in turn adjusts the position of the pen within the pen holder  100 . In this manner, pens  106  of different lengths may be accommodated. By selecting the appropriate notch of notched slot, the pen  106  may be retracted for storage or extended for writing. The bias spring  112  prevents the post  1004  from slipping from the selected notch. Further, the pressure of writing of writing with the pen  106  holds the post  1004  in the selected notch. In this embodiment the bias spring  112  is in tension and couples between the upper housing  104  and the inner housing  1002 . Movement of the inner housing  1002  allows the interior length of the pen holder  100  to be varied. 
     In the foregoing specification, specific embodiments of the present invention have been described. However, one of ordinary skill in the art appreciates that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention as set forth in the claims below. Accordingly, the specification and figures are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention. The benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any element(s) that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced are not to be construed as a critical, required, or essential features or elements of any or all the claims. The invention is defined solely by the appended claims including any amendments made during the pendency of this application and all equivalents of those claims as issued.