Abstract:
A writing pen, including a first pen portion containing an ink cartridge, a ferro rod extending from the first pen portion, and a removable second pen portion removably positionable over the first pen portion. The second pen portion includes a whistle integrally formed therewith. A third pen portion is removably positionable over the first pen portion and overlys the ferro rod to substantially conceal the ferro rod. A removable striker having a first end configured for contacting the ferro rod is installable onto the third pen portion so that either the first end of the striker or the second end of the striker extends outwardly from the third pen portion.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a continuation-in-part of co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 12/833,376, filed Jul. 9, 2010, and entitled INK PEN WITH FIRESTARTER, incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     This disclosure relates to the field of survival tools. More particularly, this disclosure relates to a survival pen configured to enable the generation of sparks for the starting a fire and having a built in whistle. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Many people frequently enjoy participation in outdoor activities such as hiking, backpacking, hunting, and fishing. With an increasing number of people participating in outdoor activities, these people occasionally find themselves stranded or lost in the wilderness. In addition to those seeking outdoor activities, some people find themselves stranded in the wilderness unintentionally, such as those that get lost while driving or in other transportation accidents. When lost in the wilderness, people often find themselves lacking the necessities for survival. One of these necessities is fire. Starting a fire provides a person lost in the wilderness with a source of heat, a method of signaling for help, and a method for preparing food or boiling water. 
     A whistle is also desired when one is in the wilderness. Whistles are useful for signaling for help and can help locate a person who might not be visible due to overgrowth, terrain, and the like. 
     Various devices have been constructed to provide a source of fire in emergencies. These devices are typically stand-alone fire starters that a person must remember to carry with them in order for the device to be useful in the event a source of fire is needed. These previous devices also typically have only been useful for starting a fire and have not been combined with any other useful tool. Combining the fire starter with an additional useful tool increases the likelihood that a person will be carrying the device when an emergency situation arises. Accordingly, there is a need for a survival device that functions as a fire starter, a whistle, and a useful tool that a user is likely to be carrying on themselves in case of an emergency. 
     The present disclosure provides an ink pen with fire starter for functioning as a writing instrument and both a whistle and a survival fire starting device. 
     SUMMARY 
     The above and other needs are met by a wring pen according to the disclosure which has both a whistle and the ability to be used to start a fire. 
     In one aspect, the pen includes a first pen portion containing an ink cartridge; a ferro rod extending from the first pen portion. A removable second pen portion is removably positionable over the first pen portion. 
     The second pen portion includes a whistle integrally formed therewith and having a windway to enable air to flow from a mouthpiece defined on the second pen portion, the whistle being operable when the second pen portion is positioned over the first pen portion and also when the second pen portion is removed from the first pen portion; 
     A removable third pen portion is removably positionable over the first pen portion and overlying the ferro rod to substantially conceal the ferro rod. The pen also includes a removable striker having a first end configured for contacting the ferro rod to produce a spark and a second opposite end. The striker is reversibly installable onto the second portion so that either the first end of the striker or the second end of the striker extends outwardly from the third pen portion; 
     The striker may be installed onto the third pen portion and the third pen portion removed from the first pen portion to expose the ferro rod, and the user may install the striker on the third pen portion to position the first end of the striker to extend outwardly from the third pen portion and manipulate the striker to strike against the ferro rod to generate sparks for making a fire. 
     Pens according to the disclosure are well-suited for carrying as a survival tool on camping trips and other situations where it may become necessary to start a fire, or use a whistle to signal for help. However, the pens have substantially normal pen dimensions and function as a writing pen. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Further advantages of the disclosure are apparent by reference to the detailed description when considered in conjunction with the figures, which are not to scale so as to more clearly show the details, wherein like reference numbers indicate like elements throughout the several views, and wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a pen according to the disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the pen of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  shows installation of a striker component onto the cap for positioning the striker component for striking a ferro rod component. 
         FIG. 4  shows installation of the striker component onto the cap for positioning the striker component to be hidden. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the pen of  FIG. 1  having the ferro rod component exposed and the striker component shown engaging the ferro rod for use in starting a fire. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     With reference to the drawings, the disclosure relates to an ink pen  10  including an ink pen cartridge  12 , a ferro rod  14 , a striker  16 , and a whistle  18 . The pen  10  is well-suited for carrying as a survival tool on camping trips and other situations where it may become necessary to start a fire. The pen  10  is also devoid of any combustibles so as to not be subject to travel restrictions. 
     The pen  10  further includes a main writing pen body portion  20 , a removable pen body portion  22 , and a removable pen cap  24 . The body portion  20 , body portion  22 , and cap  24  are threadably joinable. The joinder of these components may be fluidly sealed if desired, as by incorporation of an o-ring at the threaded connections thereof. A clip  26  may be provided, such as on the cap  24 , to allow the pen  10  to be attached to a shirt pocket. The body portions  20  and  22  and the cap  24  are preferably of a hard material such as steel, titanium, or a hardened plastic, and include aesthetically pleasing exterior design features as shown. 
     The structure of the pen  10  enables a person to carry a writing utensil that may serve as a fire starter by striking structure associated with the striker portion  16  against the ferro rod  14  to create a spark. The pen  10  is also advantageously configured to have an aesthetically pleasing configuration which is suitable for everyday carry when the need for the fire starting function is not anticipated. 
     The ink pen cartridge  12  may preferably be a conventional ball point pen cartridge. The ferro rod  14  is preferably constructed from ferrocerium or other flint-like metallic materials used for creating a spark. The ferro rod  14  is also preferably configured in a cylindrical shape, however, it is also understood that the ferro rod  14  may be in a rectangular or other configuration compatible with the structure of the pen  10 . Threads are located on one end of the ferro rod  14  to permit the ferro rod  14  to be removably mounted on the main writing pen body portion  20 . 
     The striker  16  includes a flat and relatively thin elongate plate  30  made of a metal or other material such as tungsten carbide and suitable for contacting the ferro rod  14  to produce a spark. The end of the striker  16  opposite the flat elongate portion  16   a  is configured to include a pointed head  32  suitable for use in striking glass for breaking the glass. For example, in the event the user is trapped in a car or the like, the user may grasp the pen  10  and strike the pointed head  32  against the glass to break the glass. The striker  16  includes a thread set  34  adjacent the flat elongate plate  30  and a thread set  36  adjacent the pointed head  32 . A band  38  may be provided to separate the thread sets  34  and  36  and provide a stop. 
     The whistle  18  is preferably integrally formed with the cap  24  so as to not require a cap structure that is larger than a typical pen cap to aid in maintaining exterior dimensions substantially corresponding to those of an ordinary writing pen. The whistle  18  includes basic whistle structures including a windway represented by arrow  40  to enable air to flow from a mouthpiece  42  to a window  44  formed on a lip  46 . The whistle  18  may be used with the cap  24  assembled onto the remainder of the pen  10 , or removed from the pen  10 . 
     The main writing pen body portion  20  is configured as a cylinder having an interior bore for receiving the ink pen cartridge  12 , with a lowermost opening  50  that is sufficiently small to prevent a shoulder or other abutting structure of the cartridge  12  from passing therethrough but sufficiently large to permit a writing point of the ink cartridge  12  to extend therepast as shown. The opposite end of the main body portion  20  has an opening  52  large enough to permit installation of the ink cartridge  12 . The interior of the opening  32  is threaded to threadably receive a correspondingly threaded end of the ferro rod  14  so that the ferro road  14  may be installed to block and extend from the opening  32  in a direction generally aligned with the length axis of the body portion  20  and away from the opening  32 . Threads  54  are located on the exterior of the body portion  20  adjacent the opening  32  for threadably receiving corresponding interior threads of the removable pen body portion  22  so that the body portions  20  and  22  may be threadably joined. The exterior of the main body portion  20  below the opening  52  is configured for grasping by the user for writing and is tapered toward the lowermost opening  50 . Threads  56  are located on the exterior of the body portion  20  above the opening  52  for threadably receiving corresponding interior threads of the cap  24  so that the body portion  20  and the cap  24  may be threadably joined. 
     The removable pen body portion  22  is configured as a cylinder having opposite open ends  60  and  62  having threads interiorly thereof. The threads of the end  60  are configured for threadably engaging the threads  54  adjacent the opening  52  of the main writing pen body portion  20 . The interior threads of the opposite end  62  of the removable pen body portion  22  are configured for selectively threadably receiving the thread sets  34  and  36  of the striker  16 . For example, as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the striker  16  may be threadably installed on the body portion  22  to selectively expose the elongate plate  30  or the pointed head  32 . When the cap  24  is removed to use the pen  10  as a writing pen, it is desirable to install the cap  24  on the body portion  22 . Threads  64  are located on the exterior of the body portion  20  adjacent the end  62  for threadably receiving corresponding interior threads of the cap  24  so that the cap  24  may be threadably positioned on the body portion  22  so that the cap  24  is not lost when the cap  24  is removed to expose the pen cartridge  12 . 
     The cap  24  is configured to have the whistle  18  at one end and an opposite open end  70  having threads interiorly thereof. The threads of the end  70  are configured for threadably engaging the threads  56  of the main writing pen body portion  20  and the threads  64  of the body portion  22 . As explained above, the cap  24  may be installed onto the body portion  20  to cover the ink cartridge  12 , or onto the body portion  22  such as when the cap  24  is removed to expose the ink cartridge  12 . 
     When fully assembled, the pen  10  appears as a writing pen and no visual indication is given that it is has fire starting components. In use, the pen  10  functions as an ordinary writing pen. In a situation where a fire is desired, the pen  10  enables the creation of a spark for lighting flammable materials. With reference to  FIG. 5 , the body portion  22  is shown removed from the main body portion  20  and having the striker  16  oriented to expose the elongate portion  30 . As indicated by the arrow A, the body portion  22  may be manipulated by the user to vigorously strike the elongate plate  30  against the ferro rod  14  to result in generation of sparks for starting a fire. 
     Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the structure of the pen  10  provides an ink pen with fire starter for functioning as a writing instrument and both a whistle and a survival fire starting device. 
     The foregoing description of preferred embodiments for this disclosure has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise form disclosed. Obvious modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The embodiments are chosen and described in an effort to provide the best illustrations of the principles of the disclosure and its practical application, and to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the disclosure in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. All such modifications and variations are within the scope of the disclosure as determined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are fairly, legally, and equitably entitled.