BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the mechanical pencil comprising a removable battery portion. In this Figure, the interior of the electric eraser assembly and battery housing are visible.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the same preferred embodiment of the mechanical pencil comprising a removable battery portion.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the mechanical pencil comprising a rechargeable, non-removable battery.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the same alternative embodiment of the mechanical pencil comprising a rechargeable, non-removable battery. The pencil is shown here with the charging input visible.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
Referring to FIG. 1, a preferred embodiment of the present invention is set forth. The mechanical pencil 10 broadly consists of an eraser mechanism housing 5 and a lead housing 4. The lead housing 4 is attached to the eraser mechanism housing 5 through a series of threads 24. In a preferred embodiment, the threads 24 are external to the lead housing 4 and internal to the eraser mechanism housing 5. To use the device, a battery 27 must be inserted into the battery housing 20. The battery chamber 20 is formed by two hollow recesses at the threaded ends of the eraser mechanism housing 5 and the lead housing 4. To insert a battery, either the lead housing 4 or the eraser mechanism housing 5 may be rotated and separated. A battery may then be inserted, preferably into the recess of the lead housing 4. The eraser mechanism housing is then placed over the lead housing and screwed on to secure the battery. A spring 22 secures the battery in place. A negative contact 25 is affixed to the spring 22 which provides pressure on the battery to so that it touches the opposite positive contact 26.
Upon connection to the contacts, the battery provides power to the motor 16, which rotates an eraser 8. In the preferred embodiment, the eraser 8 is conical in shape. However, the inventor contemplates that many differently shaped erasers could be employed to achieve the same effect. The eraser 8 is secured in an eraser housing 18. The eraser 8 is removable and replaceable so that when it has been completely worn down it may be replaced in order to increase the longevity of the device. The eraser housing is attached to an elongate shaft 2 which is attached to the motor 16. When the power button 14 is pressed, this activates the motor 16, which in turn causes the shaft 2 to spin. The spinning of the shaft 2 causes the attached eraser housing 18 to spin, thus causing the eraser to spin which enables the user to perform efficient erasures. In order to stop the spinning, the user need only press the power button 14 again.
The internal functionality of the lead housing will not be described in detail as such mechanisms are well known in the art, and the mechanism is not the primary subject of the present invention. Briefly, a lead button 12 is compressed. This causes lead (not shown) to emerge through the tip 6 of the pencil. Lead is stored in a hollow area of the lead housing 4. Lead may be inserted into the housing through the tip 6 when the lead button 12 is compressed.
Referring to FIG. 2, the preferred embodiment of FIG. 1 is again set forth, shown here without the internal mechanisms visible. An eraser mechanism housing 5 is attached to the lead housing 4 through a series of threads 24 (See FIG. 1). The writing implement additionally incorporates an attached clip 28 to enable the user to conveniently store and carry the device.
Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, an alternative embodiment of the mechanical pencil is set forth. In this embodiment, the device consists of only one housing 32, instead of two. The device employs the same functionality as the preferred embodiment of FIG. 1. However, in the alternative embodiment the device incorporates a rechargeable, non-removable battery (not shown) which is stored internally in proximally the same location as the removable battery is stored in FIGS. 1 and 2. Additionally, the alternative embodiment incorporates a charger 34 which is connected through a power cord (not shown) to a power outlet to charge the internal battery.
While the invention has been described in detail in its preferred embodiments, it should be readily understood to one skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Several alterations of the preferred embodiments shall still fall within the scope of the invention. For example, the eraser housing could also be integrated with a pen portion containing erasable ink. Additionally, the rechargeable embodiment could also incorporate a removable rechargeable battery. Accordingly, the invention is only limited by the scope of the appended claims.