Patent Publication Number: US-6702499-B1

Title: Pen cap

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a pen cap for capping a pen and, more particularly, to such a pen cap, which has a show plate for showing a design, and a lighting circuit for producing a lighting effect to attract people&#39;s attention. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     A regular pen may be equipped with a cap that protects the writing element of the pen. The cap of a pen may have a clip for fastening. Further, a pen may be used as a gift in business. A pen for this purpose usually carries a logo or advertising matter. However, the still logo or advertising matter does not attract people&#39;s attention. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances in view. It is the main object of the present invention to provide a pen cap, which has means for showing a design. It is another object of the present invention to provide a pen cap, which has lighting means to attract people&#39;s attention. To achieve these and other objects of the present invention, the pen cap comprises a pen body, the pen body comprising a battery chamber, and a clip on the outside; a lighting circuit, the lighting circuit comprising a battery set mounted inside the battery chamber of the pen body, an IC chip fixedly mounted on the clip, a positive pole electrode and a negative pole electrode respectively extended from the IC chip and adapted to contact positive and negative terminals of the battery set respectively, and a plurality of LED (light emitting diode) chips respectively electrically connected to the IC chip and controlled by the IC chip to emit light; switch means mounted on the cap body and adapted to switch on/off the lighting circuit; and a show plate fixedly mounted on the IC chip and adapted to accommodate the LED chips, the show plate having a design. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a sectional assembly view of a pen cap according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a front view of the pen cap according to the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a pen cap is shown comprising a cap body  1 , a lighting circuit assembly  2 , and a show plate  3 . 
     The cap body  1  is to be capped on a pen (not shown) to protect the writing element of the pen, having a battery chamber  11 , two flexible annular cushions  13  mounted in the top and bottom sides of the battery chamber  11 , a top rotary switch  12  threaded into a top side of said cap body, and a clip  14  located on the outside for fastening. In one embodiment of the invention, the battery chamber is an independent member detachably fastened to said cap body. The lighting circuit assembly  2  comprises a battery set  21  mounted in the battery chamber  11  between the flexible annular cushions  13 , an IC chip  24  fixedly fastened to the clip  14 , a positive pole electrode  22  and a negative pole electrode  23  respectively extended from the IC (integrated circuit) chip  24  and adapted to contact the positive terminal and negative terminal of the battery set  21 , and a plurality of LED (light emitting diode) chips  25  respectively installed in the show plate  3  and electrically connected to the IC chip  24 . The LED chips  25  can be of different colors. The show plate  3  is fixedly mounted on the IC chip  24 , having a design  31  in it. The show plate  3  can be made having any of a variety of shapes. According to this embodiment, the show plate  3  is shaped like a rectangular frame. The design  31  can be a brand designation, a logo, a product label, or a statement. Further, the design  31  can be a sheet member, for example a sticker, which is adhered to the show plate  3 . Alternately, the design  31  can be directly printed on the show plate  3 . 
     Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 again, when rotating the rotary switch  12  in one direction, the circuit of the battery set  21 , the electrodes  22  and  23 , the IC chip  24  and the LED chips  25  are closed, thereby causing the LED chips  25  to emit light or to flash subject to the circuit design of the IC chip  24 . On the contrary, when rotating the rotary switch  12  in the reversed direction, the circuit is opened, and the LED chips  25  are off. 
     A prototype of pen cap has been constructed with the features of FIGS. 1 and 2. The pen cap functions smoothly to provide all of the features discussed earlier. 
     Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, an independent battery case can be provided and detachably fastened to the cap body to hold the battery set. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited except as by the appended claims.