Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US4461590?dq=patent:+7360079
Timestamp: 2017-05-29 08:04:53
Document Index: 20429084

Matched Legal Cases: ['art.\n2', 'art 13', 'art 21', 'art 27', 'arts 39', 'art 49', 'art 127', 'art 157']

Patent US4461590 - Inertia pen - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inPatentsInertia pens, or writing or marking devices wherein the writing or marking element is shifted into the operating position by axial impulse. The kinetic energy of the impulse is transmitted to a calibrated mass slide within the pen which slide transfers its energy to the writing or marking element. A...http://www.google.com/patents/US4461590?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US4461590 - Inertia penAdvanced Patent SearchTry the new Google Patents, with machine-classified Google Scholar results, and Japanese and South Korean patents.Publication numberUS4461590 APublication typeGrantApplication numberUS 06/315,220Publication dateJul 24, 1984Filing dateOct 26, 1981Priority dateNov 20, 1978Fee statusLapsedAlso published asDE2946653A1, DE2946653C2, US4315695Publication number06315220, 315220, US 4461590 A, US 4461590A, US-A-4461590, US4461590 A, US4461590AInventorsAntonio M. Alves dos Santos, Helena Maria B. Alves dos SantosOriginal AssigneeAlves Dos Santos Antonio M, Alves Dos Santos Helena MariaExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (9), Referenced by (2), Classifications (10), Legal Events (6) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetInertia pen
US 4461590 AAbstract
Inertia pens, or writing or marking devices wherein the writing or marking element is shifted into the operating position by axial impulse. The kinetic energy of the impulse is transmitted to a calibrated mass slide within the pen which slide transfers its energy to the writing or marking element. A return spring is provided and the pen may be simple, compound, binary or multifunctional. The mass slide obviates the need for a push button or other manual actuator, and therefore writing or marking elements may be provided at both ends. The pen is refillable and retractable.
This is a divisional of application Ser. No. 94,759, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,315,695, filed Nov. 16, 1979.
1. An inertia pen comprising a hollow tubular shaped pen housing tapered at both ends and open at both ends, a marking element at each end having at least one marking tip slidably mounted within said housing to move substantially parallel to the longitudinal central axis of said housing, and an axially movable inertia mechanism within said housing comprising two bodies of calibrated mass movable coaxially with respect to said housing and axially slidable therein, each said marking element being attached at its inner end to one of said slidable bodies of calibrated mass and having a marker on the outer end extendable through the respective tapered end of said housing, each body of calibrated mass being adapted to move the respective marking element by impulse with respect to said housing selectively into a marking position where said marking tip is exposed through the respective end, or a non-marking position where said marking tip is withdrawn within said housing, a buffer spring between the inner ends of said slidable bodies of calibrated mass to urge said bodies apart, and a bipolar recovering spring comprising a helical spring member connected at its ends to the inner ends of said bodies of calibrated mass to resist movement of said bodies apart.
2. An inertia pen according to claim 1 wherein said slidable bodies of calibrated mass have reduced axial extensions on their inner ends and said bipolar recovering spring is connected at its ends to respective ones of said axial extensions, and further comprising a tubular member coaxially surrounding said helical spring member and the inner ends of said extensions and being attached at one end to one of said inner ends of said extensions and slidably engaging through its other end the other of said extensions.
The fountain pens, markers, felt or nylon pens, fixed ball-points and some other pens, which represent the greater part of the world product market, continue to be manufactured with removable caps, which are necessarily less interesting than the corresponding mechanical ones, which require no caps.
The practical possibility of combining the binary mechanisms of ball-points with those of pencils has not been adopted so far. There are even various types of pencils, such as carbon, wax and chalk ones, which do not benefit from such combining of mechanisms.
Binary bipolar pens and inertia pens are not yet available in the marketplace, and, although four point selecting pens do exist, their economic effect on the market is meaningless, which fact contrasts obviously with their potential interest.
An important effort is to be made to develop general use of binary pens and mechanisms with both writing and non-writing points and for new technological fields, such as medico-chirurgic, pedagogic, industrial and others.
The inertia concept refers to the application of the inertia principle to the alternative mechanism, currently available, i.e., push, or rotating, button type pens.
The bipolarity concept evolves directly from the inertia concept and consists of providing pens with inertia bipolar mechanisms, with or without conventional push or rotating buttons.
The concept of multifunctionality consists of complementing the main binary function (alternation) with accessory assemblies, thus considerably diversifying the existing writing means.
The principal object of the present invention is to provide a binary inertia mechanism, which works by the axial impulsion process, in which the kinetic energy transmitted to a slide of calibrated mass is subsequently transferred, by the inertia principle, to a recovering spring of calibrated force.
Another object of the inertia pen is to provide an inertia bipolar mechanism in accordance with the main object of the invention, which mechanism insures the alternating function autonomously at each one of the poles.
Another object is to provide an alternating mechanism, in accordance with the previous object, in which the sliding sleeve of calibrated mass is replaced by a sliding point of calibrated mass.
Another object refers to binary mechanism, in accordance with the previous object, provided with optional buffer and/or traditional push button.
Another object is the above mechanism provided with obturator (ball, cone or hemisphere) to isolate rapid drying ink points (markers, felt or nylon points, fountain pens) from external air.
Another object is to provide the coexistence of pencil and ball-point binary mechanisms with each other and with the inertia ones, namely by the following accessory parts or assemblies: pencil slider, points gauge, collet, telescopic elongator (gravity oscillator bar or drum).
Another object is the inertia pen and mechanism provided with calibrated mass and universal socket slider, for interchangeable writing or non-writing points.
Still another object of the invention is to provide calibrated mass and universal socket points such as simple or multiple, oblique (prominent or short), with buffer, with socket.
Another object relates to refills or depots, also mass calibrated and of universal socket such as: simple or multiple (multipliers), coupling or assembling, selecting (by gravity or by rotating button).
FIG. 1 is a view in elevation of a complete inertia pen, of the bipolar and sliding sleeve type of configuration, in which the body of the fixed refill, axially coupled, is also the main body of the pen, the points are fixed and each pole has an independent binary inertia mechanism.
FIGS. 6a and 6b show in cross-section and partial bottom views a different type of point buffer.
FIGS. 7a 7b, 7c and 7d show in cross-section and elevation views various details of the mechanism guiding system and a conic spring point buffer.
FIG. 11c is an elevational end view of the drum member shown in FIG. 11a.
FIG. 11d is a left side elevational view of the drum member shown in FIG. 11a.
FIG. 12a shows in cross-section a monopolar inertia pen with optional push button and three level mechanism, 14 wherein its guiding system provides two positions of use of the point-normal and for stencil in an interative way.
FIGS. 17a and 17b and 18a and 18b show cut-away partial sectional views of the pen of FIG. 16, but with eccentric point FIGS. 17b and 18b taken along lines B--B respectively.
FIG. 19c, shows an enlarged detail of the point retaining spring.
FIGS. 20a, 20b, 20c and 20d are cut-away, partially cross-sectional and detailed views showing a conic obturator, in which one can see the sealing flexible sleeve.
FIGS. 21a, 21b, 21c, 21d, 21e and 21f are cut-away, partially cross-sectional and exploded views showing a hemispheric obturator.
FIGS. 22a, 22b, 22c, 22d and 22e are cross-section, detailed and schematic views showing an inertia pencil with gauge and moving collet.
FIGS. 23a, 23b, 23c, 23d, and 23e are cut-away, partly cross-sectional and separate detail views of an inertia pencil with gauge and casque with integrated fixed collet.
FIGS. 24a, 24b, 24c, 24d and 24e are cross-sectional and separate detail views of a telescopic inertia pencil, with gravity arm oscillator.
FIGS. 25a, 25b, 25c and 25d are cross-sectional and separate detail views of a telescopic inertia pencil, with gravity eccentric mass drum oscillator.
FIGS. 26a, 26b, 26c, 26d, 26e and 26f are several views partly schematic of point selecting depots which select one of two to four points, by oscillation, rotation and gravity.
FIGS. 27a and 27b schematically show a point selecting depot including a rotation button, which selects from more than four points, pencil leads, ball-points, or other types.
The design of my inertia pen and respective assemblies takes into consideration various requisites for writing instruments, such as manufacturing, assembling and working, as well as relative cost, utility, convenience and comfort. The following description will assist in understanding the invention and the manufacture thereof, the numbers referred to corresponding generally to the numbers on the drawings.
One of the preferred embodiments is the bipolar sliding sleeve inertia pen, shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, in which each polar body 1 is provided with a binary inertia mechanism 2. The polar refill bodies are coupled to one another by means of a screw connector 3, and constitute the principle bodies 1 of the pen, or are rigidly attached with them. The refill points 4 are fixed.
The binary (alternating) inertia mechanism, which is characteristic of the inertia pen, essentially comprises a mass calibrated slide (sleeve or point) 5, a helical recovering spring 6 of calibrated force and a guiding system 7 to 9 disposed internally in the pen polar body 1 and slide 5. The pen also includes pocket clip 10, a coupling sleeve 11, a polar joint 12, an additional reservoir or refill part 13, a tubular point column 14, guiding slopes 15 of the pen polar body 1 and the polar body cavity 16.
The operation of the mechanism, by the subjacent inertia principle, consists of an axial impulse, produced by an energetic and sudden flicking or whip action which transmits to the mass calibrated slide (sleeve) 5 the kinetic energy to be stored by the force calibrated recovering spring 6, so that it may ensure subsequent slide return. This energy is equivalent to that transmitted by a push button of a conventional pen. The guiding system is responsible for the necessary linear and rotating movements. With reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, letters A, C, B refer in that order to the positions successively occupied by the slide 5 during its movement and denote respectively its retracted position, fully extended position and partly extended position. Sequence BCA corresponds to the writing cycle where the point is uncovered and ACB corresponds to the storing cycle where the point is covered.
In calibrating the slide mass and recovering spring force, maximum and minimum, two factors must generally be taken into consideration: maximum axial, or vertical, speed developed by the pen carrier, which is a function of gravity acceleration and carrier jump height, and minimum axial speed sufficient to destroy the sealing effect of the obturator, for instance, as later described.
FIGS. 4 to 7 show an inertia pen embodiment of the bipolar sliding point configuration. The sleeve slide is replaced by a refill point 17 on the end of refill body 18. In other respects this embodiment is similar to the previous embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 3. The slide includes the writing point 17, the point column 19, the refill 20, the additional refill part 21, with turning slopes 22, spring cavity 23 and spring rest 24 for the polar return spring 25. Pen body 26 and its additional part 27 provide the required turning slopes 28, spring rest 29 and spring hole 30. Letters A, B, C show respectively the retracted, partly extended and fully extended positions of the point, B being the writing position. Moreover, the guiding system of FIG. 7, is not particularly different from that of conventional push button pens.
FIGS. 5 to 9 show various types of a point buffer applied to an inertia mechanism, either directly to it or to the refill body, comprising a buffering spring which may be helical 31, (FIG. 5) or conical 32 (FIG. 7), or laminar 33 (FIG. 6), duly calibrated, a mounting pin 34, and a refill body 35, a guiding system, and mounting hooks 37 which are biased to engage in the refill cavities 47. A buffered point permits a lighter and less marked handwriting.
FIG. 5 shows a pen body 26, pen body fixed additional parts 39 and 40, with convenient guides for a slide buffer, comprising the guiding system rear body 35, with dents 41 and dent slopes 42, the buffer cylinder spring 31 and the mounting pin 34, and a refill body 18 with reduced neck 44 and straight window 45.
FIGS. 7a, 7b, 7c and 7d show an embodiment using a conical spring 32 buffer and shows various details of the guiding system. The pen body part 49 with internal ribs 50, and the buffer moving body 51, with grooves or slide dents, 52 prevent buffer body rotation, and the rest ring 44 limits linear sliding movement of buffer body 51. Slide dents 52 and ventilating holes 53 may also be seen in the drawings. Fixed system guides 54 at bottom view show slope B and slope and cavities A, which correspond to positions A and B referred to above and shown in FIG. 4.
FIG. 8 shows an inertia binary mechanism with a bipolar recovering spring 55 replacing the two polar return springs 25, and with a buffer spring 56 common to both poles. The recovering spring is attached at its ends to the polar sliding rods 57 by fixing the ends in holes 58 of the rods. Holes 59 are provided for replacing refills. Buffer body 60, rest rings 61 and binary system slide dents 62 are also shown.
FIG. 9 shows in detail a way of installing a buffer-refill, provided with a conical buffer spring 63 and a laminar coupling spring 64, onto slide ball head 65, at its neck 66. Sliding rod 57 is stopped by the hole 59 so that the refill may be pressed into position. To extract the refill, it is merely necessary to reverse the process to withdraw the buffer-refill.
The bipolar recovering spring may be a compression type 68, as per FIG. 10, but in this case a rest disk 69 becomes necessary. In both embodiments, however, one of the sliding rods 57 is coupled to a tubular body 70, such as by a pin or key 71, which encloses the spring, and the other sliding rod extends through a hole 72 in the opposite end of the tubular body and through the spring 68 and is provided with a flange 73 at its end which engages the end of the spring.
The sliding refills (FIG. 11) may be coupled axially and directly, in which case the inertia bipolar mechanism may occupy the internal space 74 of the pen body. The drawing shows that every tooth 75 of the guiding system 76 is common to both poles and are mounted on a drum 77 rigidly connected to the coupled refills. Reference 230 denotes fitting joints. In this configuration the inertia pen exposes only one point at a time or hides both. The inertia pen may also comprise a guiding system with a convenient profile in order to have more than two levels, i.e., more than one elongation position for the exposed point, as shown in FIG. 12. Letter A corresponds to the retracted position, B1 and B2 to different writing positions, and C to maximum or fully extended position. This iterative inertia telescopic pen permits special applications, such as for stencils.
FIGS. 16 to 18 show an inertia pen provided with a sphere gravity selecting mechanism. When the pen is turned on its axis, the sphere 101 always occupies the lower receptacle 102, thus preventing the impulsion rod 103 from entering respective empty refill 104. Then, the turning slide 105 pushes forward, by inertia, the non-rotating sliding piece 106 and respective impulse rods 103 which penetrate the free refills and push forward the refill engaged by the sphere. Therefore, the sphere frees the refill, by pressing the spring hook 107 radially outwardly to disengage it from the flange 108 on the upper end of the refill 109. Due to recovering spring 110, the axial traction column 111 which has a flange 112 on its lower end engaging the radially inner part of the flange 108 on the refill travels with the refill and returns the refill back to the retracted position when desired. Guides 113 help the longitudinal positioning of points and respective refills.
The polar recovering springs may be a single bipolar spring 110 or a plurality of springs 114 as shown in FIG. 18 with the corresponding modifications in the binary inertia bipolar mechanism. The hook spring 107 may be a simple ring spring 107' as shown in FIG. 16c or a four hook spring ring as shown in FIG. 16b.
The sphere obturator comprises three spheres 117, one for sealing and two for transmission, a concave top piston 118, with receptacle 119 for the positioning helicoidal spring 120, a laminar retaining spring 121, the eccentric housing 122, the sealing hole 123, a removable part of the polar body 124 and felt points tubular stems 125 or other markers. When the pen is whipped or flicked forward and downward, spring 120 is compressed by the spheres, due to resting inertia. By stopping and/or inverting the pen movement, point 125 passes retaining spring 121 by slipping past the sloping end and blocking the spheres. The sealing device operates when the point is retracted for then the spring 120 urges the spheres unobstructed by the point towards the tip until the outer sphere seats in sealing hole 123. Also shown are the pen body 126, and additional part 127 with screw 128.
The embodiment using a hemispherical calotte obturator is more delicate. It comprises a hemispherical calotte 142 pivotally connected by pin 153 to the body part 157, a connecting rod crankhandle system 143 and 144, a sloped hammer 145 on the upper end of the connecting rod, a straight iron spring 146, and sealing members 147. When point stem 148 slides forward, it pushes the connecting rod 143 and hammer 145 via the enlarged section 149 on the stem 148 through bore 150 until it reaches the enlarged bore 151 in the pen internal body, where the stem 148 then slips past the beveled face 152 on hammer 145 and the connecting rod 143 has moved the calotte about its pivot 153 axis to the open position. The connecting rod is a laminar spring which presses the hammer lightly against the sliding stem so that when the stem retracts, the shoulder on the upper end of sleeve 154 engages the inner lower shoulder on the hammer and thereby retracts the hammer and connecting rod returning the calotte about its pivot axis to the closed position. Elastic rings 155 optimize and complement the sealing. The straight iron spring 146 releases the calotte before it starts closing, because the pivot pin 153 is then in the lower end of pivot slot 156 and engages the pin only in the closed position. Due to the way the connecting rod works, necessary tolerances must be taken into consideration in its manufacture, as regards slot 156 and the pivot axis. Letters A and B (FIG. 21b) show the connecting rod respectively at the retracted (sealing) position and the forward (open) position respectively. Channels 158 allow the hammer to pass when a refill enters the pen. Instead of the channels, a removable tube 159 may be used. The writing point 160 itself does not touch the calotte.
In FIG. 22, a collet 161 is provided in the alternating inertia mechanism, and the calibrator 162 either is integral with the collet stem 163 or with the pen body. It includes a spring feeler 164 and a calibrating collet 165, which pass through large slots 166 provided in the pen collet 161. FIG. 22a shows the calibrator with the lead 167 and slide 168 in position A, where the lead is retained in the retracted position with the slide returned backwards. FIG. 22a and FIG. 22b show position B of the slide and lead where the spring feeler slightly touches the lead and the calibrating collet does not. When the graphite or other lead is shortened by use, it is only necessary to withdraw it by inertia impulse and expose it again automatically calibrated, also by inertia.
The lead stand 169 comprises two hollow semi-cylinders, each one having an internal feed rack for ratchet 170 as shown in the embodiment of FIG. 23, and a longitudinal channel, parallel to it, for manual adjustment of the ratchet position of the rack, and with external supplementary guides 171. Guides 172 are required to mount the mechanism. This embodiment of the inertia pen is multifunctional: alternating, embracing, calibrating. When the slide and lead stand go forward, due to a sudden impulse, collet 161 frees the lead which runs with them because the ratchets stay on the rack position. On its movement backwards, by cooporative action of the recovering spring, the main guide system (not visible) and the supplementary guides 173, the lead is blocked by the collet at position B.
Lead adjustment may also be manual, i.e., without calibrator. If so ratchets may be replaced by rigid pieces. It is convenient to include one more level into the guiding system to facilitate operation.
FIG. 23 shows a second embodiment of calibrating pencil inertia pens. This one differs from the previous one of FIG. 23 because its collet 174 does not move with the slide but is actuated manually by a casque 175. The drawings show that the calibrator is fixed to the pen body, since the piece 176 in which its upper end 177 is embedded is manufactured by injected molding and is also fixed to that body. The ribs 178 correspond to casque position grooves 179. Socket 180 is described below. As for the main inertia mechanism, only the slide 181 is visible with the lead stand 182 fixed to it by a press fit into bore 183. Also shown are ratchet 183, feed rack 184, and a calibrator with its gauge 165' and feeler 164'.
The elongator or lead length regulator ensures controlled action in both senses and is applied to a binary inertia mechanism, comprising a gravity oscillator having two oscillating arms 185, a carrying collet 186 with two articulated arms, a piston 187 and ring 188, a curved lam 189, a tubular ring 190 with advanced arm 191, arms straightening spring 192, pivots 193 and lead positioning collet 194. If the gravity oscillator is as shown in the drawing, when the slide runs forward, the carrying collet 186 is forced against the lead and this is carried with it. When the slide returns, the carrying collet opens leaving the lead held by the positioning collet 194. If gravity oscillator 185 is in the opposite position (180° to that shown in the drawing), the carrying collet 186 runs forward opened and runs back closed, carrying the lead with it. In this case, spring 192 ensures final straightness of the articulated arms together with ring spring 188 when it reaches the respective groove, and so ensures free movement of gravity arm 185.
Its operation is as follows: eccentric mass 201 has two opposite angular positions, and this is also true of the guide ways and slope wings 202; consequently, the carrying collet holds the lead during its travel forward and releases it backwards, and vice versa. Ribbings 204 and 205 reduce friction. A screw thread 206 joins the main and pdlar bodies. The sliding reservoir 207 replacing points is connected to the collet 208 by a tubular column with joints 209 and 210.
The oblique point 91 and 92 is included in FIGS. 14 and 15 and is referred to in the eccentric selector description of FIG. 17, although not included in these last drawings. It may be simple or multiple, and may or may not exceed the point stem diameter on which it is mounted.
Consumable points or leads may be provided with a socket, FIG. 23 having two opposite positions, including an optional ratchet base 183. When the lead is too short to be sharpened and used, it is removed from the long section of the socket and introduced into the shorter one, thus allowing an additional length corresponding to the length difference between the two sections.
If the selecting depot is provided with a rotating button, as shown in FIG. 27, and not by mere gravity, that will not alter the selecting processes meaningfully. Nevertheless, one should notice that one of the cells 221 for the cylinder tubes 214 must be void, and one of the cells 222 of the external tube will be closed. Presentation on line of the selected point from among those available is ensured by the central cylinder, in which one can see a longitudinal feeding window 223, which must be kept in the lower rotation position during the selecting phase. FIG. 27 shows a schematic drawing of a rotation button 224 and pen body 225, as well as removable internal tubes 226, cover 227 and guide 228 which positions the central tube. It is evident that an external quadrant is required to give indications of the angular positions and this is true also of FIG. 26 inertia pen depots.
Patent CitationsCited PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleUS297041 *Jun 11, 1883Apr 15, 1884 PencilUS2334527 *Dec 9, 1942Nov 16, 1943Scott Althouse CharlesCamouflage pencilUS3079894 *Dec 14, 1959Mar 5, 1963Johmann Frank TInstruments having a retractable member at both ends of said instrumentUS3158138 *Nov 20, 1961Nov 24, 1964Frank T JohmannWriting instrumentUS3602600 *Sep 11, 1969Aug 31, 1971Merz & Krell FaWriting implementFR71231E * Title not availableFR1172246A * Title not availableGB1424164A * Title not availableIT545771A * Title not available* Cited by examinerReferenced byCiting PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleUS6921224 *Dec 3, 2004Jul 26, 2005Ming-Jen HsiehRetractile mechanism for refill of writing instrumentUS20080095568 *Jun 7, 2006Apr 24, 2008Ming-Jen HsienShakable push button pen* Cited by examinerClassifications U.S. Classification401/115, 401/29, 401/31International ClassificationB43K21/16, B43K24/02, B43K24/10Cooperative ClassificationB43K24/10, B43K21/16European ClassificationB43K24/10, B43K21/16Legal EventsDateCodeEventDescriptionFeb 23, 1988REMIMaintenance fee reminder mailedApr 7, 1988FPAYFee paymentYear of fee payment: 4Apr 7, 1988SULPSurcharge for late paymentFeb 25, 1992REMIMaintenance fee reminder mailedJul 26, 1992LAPSLapse for failure to pay maintenance feesSep 29, 1992FPExpired due to failure to pay maintenance feeEffective date: 19920726RotateOriginal ImageGoogle Home - Sitemap - USPTO Bulk Downloads - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - About Google Patents - Send FeedbackData provided by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services