Patent Grant
10232662
The present invention relates generally to writing instruments but more particularly to a bendable, gravity flow ink refill and pen.
Pens have evolved from ink dipped reeds and quills to modern day writing instruments made up of ball-point pens, fountain pens, roller-ball pens, felt-tip pens, stylus pens etc. They are used on a daily basis by people of varying ages around the world. With the advent of technology, people are increasingly writing on their mobile devices, computers and tablets. They do so while sitting, reclining and lying back. The medium they are using allows one to write on its surface at any angle. Writing downward is no longer a rule. Similarly, students, home makers, doctors, nurses, patients, handymen and many other individuals face the need to write while on the move, against a wall, while in bed, on a commuter train or bus, on the fridge or at work. Current pens stop writing when the pen is close to being horizontally inclined. The flow of ink stops due to gravitational reasons. There presently exist solutions such as pressurized and pump action refills which allow pens to write at multiple angles. These pens are made of multiple parts and cost a lot higher than an average disposable pen. Furthermore they are not of a disposable variety. A large proportion of pen users currently use affordable, disposable plastic pens which are easy to manufacture. There hence exists a need for an affordable, disposable pen and ink refill that can write at various angles.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known devices now present in the prior art, the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide objects and advantages which are:
To provide for an angle-adjustable pen and ink refill that can bend in any direction at one or more segments along its length and stay put at the angle it is bent to.
It is another advantage of this invention that the pen and refill contained within be bent at one bendable segment that is positioned between 3 cm and 7 cm up from the nib of the pen, approximately one-fourth the length of the pen above the writing tip, such that a user's fingers can grasp and write with the pen at one angle while the rest of the pen and refill above the bendable segment are angled upwards to the sky so as to allow effective flow of the ink to the nib via gravity.
It is further advantage of this invention that the ink refill permits uninterrupted flow of ink to the nib or writing tip when held at angles from 0° (zero degrees) where the tip is pointed downwards, (and perpendicular to a flat surface) up to an angle of 140° (one hundred and forty degrees) where the tip is pointed upwards and the rest of the body of the refill is also bent and pointed upwards toward the sky. This remains possible as long as the quantity of ink contained in the refill above the bendable segment is more than the quantity of the ink held below the flexible, bendable segment and the tip. This holds true assuming that the refill is of equal diameter along its entire length. In order to enhance ink delivery the top two third portion of the refill in one embodiment is of a larger diameter and the bottom, bendable one-third of the refill be of a smaller diameter. The volume of ink above the bendable segment would be greater thereby enhancing ink delivery and writing performance when the pen is writing at angles of 90 degrees and above.
In order to do so, the invention comprises a bendable, gravity flow writing tool which has a body, and an ink refill contained therein. The body has an open tip end, and a resiliently bendable section configured so as to maintain any given bend imparted to it. The ink refill is generally cylindrically elongated, and has a nib at one end, and a flexible, resiliently bendable segment located above the nib and aligned with the bendable section of the body.
In one embodiment, the ink refill is inserted inside a casing which has a nib opening for passing the ink refill nib, and an opening at its opposite end to insert the ink refill. Once in the casing, the ink refill is capable of resiliently bending while being able to maintain a bend imparted to it. The ink refill, ink cartridge or reservoir is made of an elongated cylinder of plastic, metal or choice of material having a nib at one end and a flexible, bendable segment of between 2 cm to 5 cm in length made up of crimped ridges and grooves situated approximately three to seven centimeters above the tip, nib or point and the pen casing having a similar bendable segment aligned with that of the refill. Alternatively, the refill is flexible in nature and the pen casing bends and stays put at a desired angle. Another embodiment consists of a flexible refill housed within a more rigid refill casing having at least one bendable segment where it is able to bend in order to deliver the ink while writing at various angles. The flexible refill in yet another embodiment is wrapped in an intertwining helical pattern of two or more metal wires allowing the refill to bend and stay put at the angle to which it is bent. The nib of the refill can be comprised of a ball point tip, fountain pen nib, roller-ball, felt-tip etc. The length of the corrugated or crimped segment of the refill can be varied depending on the material used and the bending ability of the pen. The refill cylinder continues beyond the corrugated segment till the top end of the refill which is left open or partially closed (if required). The refill is inserted into a pen made of one piece similar to the refill or made up of two, three or more segments depending on the design and manufacturing mandate. In a single piece embodiment, the pen is a cylinder with a tapering tip and a hole through which the refill is inserted and closed with a tapered cap having a circular hole for the refill tip. Alternatively the refill is inserted through the back end and is closed with a button cap. The pen housing in its basic form is a cylinder made of polypropylene or similar material which is crimped into bendable bellows at a segment along its body between 3 cm and 7 cm from the pen nib, allowing the pen body to be bent at an angle in any direction and maintain any angle imparted to it. The length of the bendable segment will correspond approximately to the length of the bendable segment on the refill but will also be determined based on the density of the material used and weight of the pen. Accordingly the number, thickness and height of ridges and grooves will vary.
In an alternate embodiment, the bendable segment is a flexible bellow structure or flexible tubing and the pen is held in various positions via the refill having intertwined helical metal wires as described above. Alternatively, the pen casing has a bendable segment comprised of intertwined helical metal wires and the refill is flexible.
In yet another embodiment having two, three or more stages or segments, the pen may comprise of a head or tapering section followed by a bendable section. This section is connected to the barrel section which is then connected to a push button or screw type head with pen clip similar to many other pens. Coupling rings may be provided between segments. The bendable segment in this embodiment can be in the form of a flexible gooseneck tubing which allows the pen to bend, support, and stay put in a selected position until it is repositioned again. The number of sections can be alternated based on manufacturing and design sentiment. The ink cartridge, refill or reservoir contained within is as per the various embodiments described above.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter which contains illustrated preferred embodiment of the invention.
An angle-adjustable, gravity flow refill and pen (10) having bendable corrugated portions (14) and (20) respectively. The ink refill (12) containing an ink fluid or gel (13) within is composed of a long cylindrical casing (15) with a writing nib (16) at one end, a bendable corrugated portion (14) positioned nearer the nib (16) and an open or partially open end (17) in one embodiment. In an alternate embodiment (see
The invention (10), in a preferred embodiment comprises of a hollow cylindrical casing (18) having a crimped bendable corrugated portion (20) and closed at the rear end (31) with a cap (not shown) after the ink refill (12, 12′ or 12″) is inserted into the hollow cylindrical casing (18).
Alternatively, the invention (10) in an alternate embodiment (see
The invention (10) can also exist as a fountain pen (42) embodiment (see
The bendable refills (12, 12′, 12″), inside cylindrical casings (18, 18′) and the ink pen (42) can be used much the same as any normal pen (not shown) when writing on a flat surface (not shown). When a user (36) wishes to use the invention (10) on an inclined writing surface (41) such as against a refrigerator (40) (see
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20170072735 A1 | Mar 2017 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62217080 | Sep 2015 | US |
