Abstract:
A pen with changeful penholder is comprised of multiple decoration rings disposed around the penholder and an elastic retaining mechanism inserted either at the front or the tail of the penholder. The decoration rings are held closely in series when subject to restriction by the elastic retaining mechanism, and released to turn around freely when the elastic retaining mechanism is compressed. The outer wall of each decoration ring is preset with any color, symbol, stripe or shape to change the form and appearance of the penholder when the decoration rings are turned around to achieve diversified combination of decoration styles as desired.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   (a) Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates generally to pens with changeful penholders and, more particularly, to pens with penholders having decoration rings that can be turned around to create different combinations of colors, shapes and patterns on the surface of the decoration rings. 
   (b) Description of the Prior Art 
   A ball pen, steel ball pen, automatic pen, marker, or color pen generally available in the market has its fixed style either in the construction, the appearance or the form of the penholder. The pen just looks dull and lacks variations. Therefore a pen cannot be identified easily among other pens of various users unless the individual user has particularly marked with a symbol or a sticker on the pen. However, it is impossible to change the appearance or to create personal style on the conventional pen. 
   This inventor filed a U.S. patent application titled with “Pen with Variable Penholder Styles” with application Ser. No. 10/671,627 on Sep. 29, 2003; wherein, it provided multiple decoration rings abutted to one another around the penholder and limited respectively at the front and the tail of the penholder to change the appearance of the penholder by turning those decoration rings as desired. However, a proper tightness is required for those decoration rings when abutted to one another to allow relative turning while staying flushed against one another; meanwhile a tolerance must be provided to avoid sliding of the decoration rings. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The primary purpose of the present invention is to provide a pen with changeful penholder to hold those multiple decoration rings together in normal status and to allow them to be released for free turning to create versatile recombination of colors, symbols, stripes or forms printed or engraved on the surface of those decoration rings. To achieve the purpose, an elastic retaining mechanism is provided either to the front or the tail of the penholder so that those multiple decoration rings when inserted onto the penholder are restricted in position by the elastic retaining mechanism; and if any change of the appearance of the penholder is desired, the elastic retaining mechanism is pushed to release those multiple decoration rings for free recombination. 
   Another purpose of the present invention is to provide a pen with changeful penholder that allows fast release of those decoration rings from the elastic retaining mechanism. To achieve the purpose, the elastic retaining mechanism disposed to the front or the tail of the penholder includes an outer ring, an elastic member, and an inner ring. The elastic member is sandwiched by both the outer and the inner ring that are coupled to each other. When the elastic retaining mechanism is pushed, a relative displacement is created between the inner ring and the outer ring, thus releasing the decoration rings from the elastic retaining mechanism. 
   Yet another purpose of the present invention is to provide a pen with changeful penholder that allows even more diversified recombination of those decoration rings. To achieve the purpose, the decoration ring may be made in circular, triangular, rectangular, square, polygonal, or any other regular or irregular forms; and the surface of the decoration ring is given any color, symbol, stripe or form as desired; or is provided with a recess to be inlaid with a matching decoration plate. 
   Yet another purpose of the present invention is to provide a pen with changeful penholder that allows fast separation among those decoration rings when released from the elastic retaining mechanism and to be secured in position when restricted by the elastic retaining mechanism. To achieve the purpose, multiple matching slots and recesses are provided respectively on the inner walls of the front and the tail of the decoration ring. 
   Yet another purpose of the present invention is to provide a pen with changeful penholder, wherein multiple ratchet slots are provided on the inner wall of the decoration rings and a circular gap is reserved between the top of the slot and the end of the decoration ring while one or more bits are reserved on the penholder at locations in relation to the circular gap. Accordingly, in its normal status of the penholder, those decoration rings are held in position by inserting the bits into the ratchet slot and when the elastic retaining mechanism is pushed, those multiple decoration rings are released since the circular gap is aligned with the bits of the penholder. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is an exploded view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view showing an appearance of a penholder of the preferred embodiment of the present invention after recombination of multiple decoration rings. 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a decoration ring of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the decoration ring of  FIG. 4  when placed upside down. 
       FIG. 6  is a sectional view showing an elastic retaining mechanism together with multiple decoration rings of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 7  is a sectional view showing multiple decoration rings of the preferred embodiment of the present invention when released from the elastic retaining mechanism. 
       FIG. 8  is an exploded view of a decoration ring of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 9  is an exploded view of another type of decoration ring of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 10  is a perspective view of yet another type of decoration ring of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 11  is a perspective view showing the decoration ring of  FIG. 10  when placed upside down. 
       FIG. 12  is a schematic view of a cutaway from another preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 13  is a schematic view showing a cutaway of those multiple decoration rings of the second preferred embodiment when released from the elastic retaining mechanism. 
       FIG. 14  is a sectional view showing a cutaway of the elastic retaining mechanism disposed at the front of the penholder. 
       FIG. 15  is an exploded view of an elastic retaining mechanism of yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 16  is a sectional view showing a cutaway of the preferred embodiment shown in  FIG. 15 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   Referring to  FIGS. 1 ,  2 , and  3 , a pen with changeful penholder of the present invention comprises a penholder  1 , multiple decoration rings  2  and an elastic retaining mechanism  3 . Therein, the penholder  1  is a hollow tube having disposed at its front end a graded conic sheath  11  to allow penetration by a refill  12 . Multiple decoration rings  2  fitted onto the penholder  1  in sequence may be each made in the form of a ring as illustrated, a triangle, a rectangle, polygon, or any other regular or irregular form as desired; and any color, symbol, stripe, pattern or form may be provided to the outer wall of each ring  2 . In the preferred embodiment, two colors  21 ,  22  are alternatively provided on the outer wall. Each ring  2  has on its end walls at the front and the tail provided with multiple matching bits  23  and recesses  24  as illustrated in  FIGS. 4 and 5  for those multiple rings  2  to be tightly abutted to one another in series. The elastic retaining mechanism  3  includes an outer ring  31 , an elastic member  32 , and an inner ring  33 . The outer ring  31  is internally provided with a graded hole  311  to accommodate in sequence insertion of the elastic member  32  and the inner ring  33 . Thus the outer ring  31  and the inner ring  33  are coupled to each other with the elastic member  32  being sandwiched between the outer ring  31  and the inner ring  33 . The elastic member  32  may be an extension coil or an elastic plate. Accordingly, when the outer and the inner rings  31 ,  33  are pushed and pressed together, a relative displacement is created due to the elastic member  32 . When required, an additional sleeve  34  may be provided to insert through the outer ring  31  to connect the refill  12 , a cap  13  of the pen may be disposed at the terminal of the penholder  1  or a rotation drive member  131  may be provided in the cap  13  of the pen. 
   As illustrated in  FIG. 6 , those multiple decoration rings  2  are inserted in sequence onto the penholder  1 ; the elastic retaining mechanism  3  is incorporated to the front or the tail of the penholder (to the tail of the penholder in the preferred embodiment) for those multiple decoration rings  2  to be abutted to one another as they are restricted by the elastic retaining mechanism  3 . For adjustment, a series of decoration rings  2  are pushed towards the elastic retaining mechanism  3  to further push the inner ring  33  into the graded hole  311  of the outer ring  31 , thus other decoration rings  2  are released from the elastic retaining mechanism  3  for fast separation from one another as illustrated in  FIG. 7 . As a result, a gap A is created to allow free rotation for those multiple decoration rings  2 . Whereas the outer wall of each of those multiple decoration rings  2  is designed with certain colors, symbols, stripes, patterns or forms, those decoration rings  2  can be recombined to give different appearance of the penholder  1  at the discretion of the user as respectively illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . The penholder  1  can obtain various appearances by fully taking advantage of diversified colors and patterns of those decoration rings  2 . 
   Now referring to  FIG. 8  or  9 , a recess  25   a  or  25   b  is further provided on the surface of each decoration ring  2  to receive matching decoration plate  26   a  or  26   b . The surface of the decoration plate  26   a  or  26   b  can be printed or engraved with any color, pattern, letter, symbol, or lines to give the decoration plate  26   a  or  26   b  even more diversified changes. Furthermore, the decoration plate  26   a  or  26   b  is replaceable to create even more personal styles and promote sense of self-identification. 
   As illustrated in  FIGS. 10 through 13 , another preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a penholder  1 , multiple decoration rings  2   a , and an elastic retaining mechanism  3 . Therein, the inner wall of each decoration ring  2   a  is provided with multiple ratchet slots  27   a  and a circular gap B is reserved between one end of the decoration ring  2   a  and the top of the ratchet slots  27   a . Meanwhile, one bit or multiple bits (or protruding ring)  14   a  is reserved on the penholder  1  at locations in relation with the circular gap B. When the elastic retaining mechanism  3  is pushed, the circular gap B is at locations corresponding to the bit  14   a  of the penholder so that those decoration rings  2   a  are released from the restriction by the elastic retaining mechanism  3  as illustrated in FIG.  13  while leaving a gap A. When those decoration rings  2   a  are in their normal status without being pushed, the bit  14   a  is inserted into and secured in the ratchet slot  27   a  as illustrated in  FIG. 12 . 
   Though the elastic retaining mechanism  3  is incorporated to the tail of the penholder  1  as illustrated in the aforesaid preferred embodiments, it can be provided to the front of the penholder  1  as illustrated in  FIG. 14  as long as the elastic member  32  and the inner ring  33  are inserted in sequence into the outer ring  31  for the outer ring  31  and the inner ring  33  to be coupled to each other before inserting the sleeve  34  through the coupled outer and inner rings  31 ,  33 . By having the sleeve  34  connected to the refill  12  and the conic sheath  11 , the elastic retaining mechanism  3  is incorporated to the front end of the penholder  1  to hold those multiple decoration rings abutted to one another in series when subject to the restriction by the elastic retaining mechanism  3 . 
   In yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention as illustrated in  FIGS. 15 and 16 , an outer ring  31   a  and an inner ring  33   a  of the elastic retaining mechanism  3  are coupled to each other in opposite direction to contain the elastic member  32  and receive insertion of the sleeve  34  for the outer ring  31   a  to hold against the decoration ring  2 , and further to create relative displacement when the elastic retaining mechanism  3  is pushed to release the decoration ring  2 . 
   Any of the preferred embodiments of the present invention disclosed herein relates to an automatically retractable pen. The rotation drive member  131  contained in the cap  13  of the pen is locked to the sleeve  34 , and a smaller coil  121  is inserted into the front of the refill  12 . However, it is to be noted that the present invention is also applicable to any type of penholder.