Patent Application
20250153502
The present technology relates to a writing instrument such as a pen or stylus, that is capable of writing in different colors at once, and to an ink device for such a writing instrument, such as a multi-cartridge tip having multiple nibs. A multi-cartridge tip herein can provide for various nibs and writing instrument types, including soft tip, ball point, plastic nib, or other known pen types.
Writing instruments such as pens and styluses are typically configured to have an elongated main body having a proximal end (closer to a writing surface during use) and an opposite distal end. The main body generally can have one or more orifices for holding a nib at the proximal end that is joined to an ink cartridge.
A typical pen tip is generally frusto-conical, the diameter of which decreases as it extends toward the proximal end; and can provide for a single opening at the proximal end that a proximal end of a nib can extend through, to contact the writing surface. and a pen nib that is at least partially housed within the tip and protrudes out of the tip to contact the writing surface (in the case of a ball point pen, or felt or marker pen) or which may not be housed within a tip at all (in the case of a fountain pen, where the nib is mostly or entirely exposed).
A pen nib can be a ball point, soft tip, fountain, or other type of pen nib. A ball point pen nib commonly has a channel for ink to pass through from a cartridge of ink, although a soft point or felt or marker pen might not use a nib, or its soft point can be called a nib herein. A pen can have a cartridge, generally in the form of a capsule for holding ink; or the cartridge can be a soft filament material for holding ink. The cartridge allows the ink to pass into the nib or soft point and onto a writing surface. A soft tip type marker might not include a capsule-like cartridge; instead, it can use filament material to hold the ink. In such case, the filament material typically ends in the soft point at the proximal end, and such soft nib will extend through a tip that holds the proximal end of the soft material. A stylus can have a nib that is an end adapted for transferring a signal to a touch screen or surface.
A multicolor pen can include multiple cartridges of the same variety of pen nibs in different colors, e.g., blue, green, red, black, purple, or any color ball point pens. The pen tip allows for a single nib to protrude at any given time for writing in a single color. Typically, with such multicolor pens, and in particular with ball point pens, the barrel is configured to hold multiple ink cartridges with multiple nibs of different colors, such that the nib of the desired color cartridge may be pushed out of a housing and brought into writing position by suitable manipulation, while the previously used nib and cartridge is returned to a rest position in the housing. This can have an artistic, aesthetic or otherwise desirable result for the user.
However, known multicolor pen devices are generally limited in that a user can deploy only one cartridge (and consequently, only one tip having one color) for writing at a given time. Moreover, long-term manipulation of known pen devices eventually leads to mechanical failure.
An ongoing need exists for a device that permits a user to write with multiple nibs at the same time, without the need to change different nibs, but still providing a desirable aesthetic effect. Further, it is desirable for such configurations to be easy to use, reliable, provide a reliable flow of ink, affordable, and easy to carry.
In certain embodiments, the present technology is directed to an ink device for a writing instrument having a barrel, the ink device being configured to be enclosed within the barrel, the ink device comprising: (a) two or more ink cartridges, each of the ink cartridges containing ink; each of the ink cartridges having a proximal end and an opposite distal end; and (b) two or more nibs, each nib connected to the proximal end of an ink cartridge; wherein the ink device is configured such that, when placed within the barrel of the writing instrument, the plurality of nibs extend through the proximal end of the barrel and transfer the ink from the cartridges to a substrate contemporaneously, providing a discernible effect of two or more characteristics.
In certain embodiments, the present technology is directed to a writing instrument comprising: a tip, the tip tapering from a first diameter to a second, narrower diameter; two or more ink cartridges disposed within the tip, each of the ink cartridges comprising a proximal end connected to or integrated with a nib configured to transfer ink from within the two or more ink cartridges to a substrate, and each of the ink cartridges having a different physical characteristic from the at least one other ink cartridge; wherein the writing instrument is configured such that, when the two or more nibs are contacted with a substrate, the plurality of nibs extend through the proximal end of the tip and transfer the ink from the cartridges to a substrate contemporaneously, providing a discernible effect of two or more physical characteristics.
In certain embodiments, each nib comprises an axial opening that is angled such that the axial opening is substantially parallel to the surface of a substrate when the writing instrument is held at an angle of 30 to 150 degrees relative to the surface of the substrate.
In certain embodiments, the present technology is directed to a writing instrument comprising: (a) a barrel having a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end connected to or integrated with a tip, the tip tapering from a first, wide diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the proximal end of the barrel, to a tip end having a second, narrow diameter; (b) two or more ink cartridges disposed within the barrel, each of the ink cartridges comprising a proximal end connected to or integrated with a nib configured to transfer ink from within the two or more ink cartridges to a substrate; and (c) two or more nibs, each nib connected to the proximal end of an ink cartridge and extend through the proximal end of the barrel; wherein the writing instrument is configured such that, when the two or more nibs are contacted with a substrate, the plurality of nibs transfer the ink from the cartridges to a substrate contemporaneously, providing a discernible effect of two or more physical characteristics.
In certain embodiments the writing instrument is directed to a substantially triangular tip; and two or more ink cartridges comprising a proximal end and a distal portion, the proximal end disposed within the tip. The tip is configured to contemporaneously transfer ink from the two or more ink cartridges to a substrate, each of the ink cartridges having a different physical characteristic from the other ink cartridge. A further embodiment comprises the feature wherein the proximal ends of the ink cartridges are at a substantially perpendicular angle to the distal portions of the ink cartridges.
In certain embodiments the present technology is directed to a writing instrument comprising two or more styluses configured to contemporaneously transfer a signal to a signal receiving substrate. The signal receiving substrate can be a touch screen on a phone, laptop, computer, tablet, or other digital device. The stylus can comprise a rod with at least one end provided to transfer a signal to the substrate that a writing is taking place. The stylus can comprise two or more ends. A writing can comprise digital ink or digital paint or other known digital technologies used for writing or drawing on a digital device. A rod can be of various materials, e.g., paper, wood, glass, metal, fabric, polymer (such as plastic), or a combination of those.
In certain embodiments, a writing instrument herein, whether or not configured to use digital ink or a signal, comprises a barrel, and the two or more styluses are disposed within the barrel. In certain embodiments the present technology comprises a stylus with two or more ends.
In certain embodiments, the present technology is directed to methods for writing on a substrate, comprising contacting a plurality of nibs as described herein with the substrate for a period of time sufficient for ink to flow from a writing instrument herein through the nibs and onto the substrate.
As used herein, “writing instrument” means any instrument that is held in the hand and that can be used to write on a substrate. A writing instrument can mean, for example, a pen, a marker, a stylus, or any similar instrument that is configured to be used with ink.
As used herein, “cartridge” means any structure that is configured to hold ink, in the form of a reservoir that can be inserted into a writing instrument and used to write as the ink flows from the cartridge and through the nib onto the substrate.
As used herein, “substrate” or “writing substrate” means any material on which a writing instrument can write. This can mean, for example, a piece of paper or fabric, or a hard surface such as a wall or floor, and any material including wood, stone, concrete, cement, glass, metal, or any polymeric material including plastic or the like. A substrate can also mean a screen of a digital touch surface or a surface capable of transferring touch to a digital signal for purposes of writing or drawing, e.g., touchscreen of a tablet, phone, or laptop.
As used herein, “substantially” means within 25% of a value. “Substantially horizontal” means within 25% of perfectly horizontal, and “substantially vertical” means within 25% of perfectly vertical. “Substantially perpendicular” or “substantially orthogonal” are interchangeable, and mean within 25% of a 90 degree angle, i.e., 67.5 to 99 degrees.
As used herein, when referring to a material, “opaque” means not allowing light to pass through, such that items on the other side of the material cannot be seen by the naked eye, either in outline or in detail.
As used herein, “translucent” means allowing some light to pass through without significant scattering of light, such that items on the other side of a material can be seen by the naked eye, but not clearly—that is, can be seen in outline, but not in detail.
As used herein, “transparent” means allowing light to pass through with scattering of light, such that items on the other side of a material can be seen clearly by the naked eye—that is, both in outline and in detail.
As used herein, the terms “wide” or “wider” are used to denote relativity to the terms “narrow” or “narrower.” When referring to a “wide” or “wider” diameter” this is used to specify that a particular diameter is wider than a “narrow” or “narrower” diameter, without regard for specific dimensions, other than to the extent they compare to each other.
As used herein, all singular terms refer to both singular and plural values. That is, “a” or “an” or “the” all mean “one or more.” The term “or” as used herein means any one or more of the alternatives, including all of the alternatives.
Throughout the present disclosure, when described in sequential words (for example, using “then” or “next”), such description is not limiting to the described steps in the particular order set forth, but also includes embodiments wherein the steps are presented in any order. Throughout the present disclosure, the use of the word “user” not limited to a particular person or persons, but can indicate actions performed by a machine, computer, a robot, or artificial intelligence (A.I.)
Various embodiments herein refer to an “ink device.” As used herein, “ink device” can refer to any unit made up of multiple parts, for example, a bundle of ink cartridges or styluses held together (that can, in various embodiments, be configured together or otherwise associated generally as a bundle, but are not necessarily physically connected to each other). In certain embodiments, a device herein can comprise a plurality of ink cartridges disposed within a barrel of a writing instrument, and essentially fitted together by their nibs' being inserted into one or more holes in a tip of the writing instrument, as will be discussed in greater detail herein.
In certain embodiments, a writing instrument herein comprises a barrel, which is essentially a hollow tube that can encase one or more cartridges, and around which a user's hand can fit to use the writing instrument. For example, as shown in
In various embodiments, the tip can be integral with the barrel, or can be a separate element that is connected to the barrel, as can be assembled during manufacture of the writing instrument—for example, snapped on, glued on or screwed on. In various embodiments, for example as shown in
In certain embodiments, as shown, for example, in
In some embodiments, for example, as shown in
The technology herein is not limited to nibs having a ball, such as with a ball point pen. As shown in, for example,
As shown in the embodiments in
In certain embodiments, for example as shown in
In various embodiments, the nibs 5 are configured such that they can be moved around relatively easily—that is, the order and orientation of the colors can be switched as desired by the user—either by using ordinary manual force to remove them from the holes 6 and reconfigure them and then insert them into different holes; or by manual depression of a latch or lever that switches the configuration of the nibs; or merely by shifting them around (in the embodiments that do not include a flat surface with multiple holes but rather just a single hole through which all of the nibs protrude or extend to contact the substrate). In other embodiments, the tip comprises a hole corresponding to each of the nibs, through which each individual nib extends to contact the substrate.
In other embodiments, the nibs are substantially permanently fixed into holes as determined during manufacture of the writing instrument or ink device, and cannot easily be altered by the user; or in the embodiments that do not include a flat surface with multiple holes, the nibs are held together in some other way that makes it difficult to shift their position through ordinary manual force (e.g., by mechanically binding the plurality of nibs together, either near the proximal end of the writing instrument, or farther away toward the distal end; or by configuring them inside the barrel in a “tight” configuration that does not allow for much movement). As used herein, “ordinary manual force” means customary and typical force that can be exerted by an adult or child with just the use of hands, and with no external assistance.
In certain embodiments of an ink device or a writing instrument herein, each nib is connected to the proximal end of an ink cartridge, wherein the ink device is configured such that, when placed within the barrel of the writing instrument, the plurality of nibs extend through the proximal end of the barrel and transfer the ink from the cartridges to a substrate contemporaneously, providing a discernible effect of two or more physical characteristics.
As used herein, “contemporaneously” means in the same period of time, but not necessarily exactly simultaneously. Specifically, if a user uses a writing instrument herein by drawing the writing instrument along a substrate such as a piece of paper, if ink or signal flows from two or more nibs at any time during the stroke, this qualifies as “contemporaneously” transferring the ink or signal from the different nibs to the substrate.
In certain embodiments herein, an ink device or writing instrument herein can comprise nibs of different sizes, to provide inks or signals of different effect. In certain embodiments, the ink that is transferred to the substrate from two or more different nibs provides a discernible effect of two or more characteristics. As used herein, “characteristics” mean any features that are distinguishably discernible by a user. These can include physical characteristics. As used herein, “physical characteristics” means characteristics that are discernible by a user through the eye, ear, mouth, or touch—for example, color, brightness, fluorescence, reflectivity, smell, smoothness or roughness, viscosity, erasability, or permanence. Thus, in some exemplary embodiments, different cartridges can provide inks with different visual characteristics such as different appearances (e.g., different colors, brighter versus muted colors, glitter, thickness of line); or different olfactory characteristics such as different smells; or different tactile characteristics such as viscosity of ink; or any different characteristics such as erasable ink versus permanent ink or the like. Any feature that can discern at least two of the inks from each other can be desirable for a user. In certain embodiments the discernable effect can be a spatial separation and the physical characteristics transferred to the substrate from the nibs can be the space between the ink, created by the spatial relationship of the nibs.
As can be seen, for example, in
In other embodiments, a proximal end of one or more nibs is angled such that, when placed within the barrel (e.g., within the tip) of the writing instrument, the plane formed by the proximal ends of the nibs is substantially parallel to the surface of a substrate when the writing instrument is held at a particular angle relative to the surface of the substrate. This can be seen, for example, in
In various embodiments, the tip itself can include an axial opening that is angled—that is, one or more of a plurality of nibs in an ink device or writing instrument herein comprises an axial opening that is angled, such that the axial opening is substantially parallel to the surface of a substrate when the writing instrument is held at an angle. As can be seen from
In other embodiments, the tip itself is angled, i.e., the tip end can be angled, to facilitate ease of use. In various embodiments, one or more or all of the tip or any of the nibs may or may not be angled. For example, in certain embodiments, it may not be necessary to angle any of the nibs, but merely to configure one or more of them in at different lengths within the barrel, so that an array of nibs can overall create a flat plane where the individual nibs are still substantially straight along their lengths, for example, as seen in
As discussed above, in certain embodiments, a writing instrument herein is configured to include an ink device as described herein. In certain embodiments, a writing instrument can include a barrel that includes other items, e.g., a spring, a mechanical apparatus to facilitate switching of different features of an ink device herein, such as the cartridges, nibs, or ink colors. In certain embodiments, other features can be incorporated into a writing instrument herein, including, for example, an eraser, ink having special features (e.g., visual features such as fluorescence or glitter, ink that provides a particular smell, or disappearing ink).
In certain embodiments, a writing instrument herein comprises an electronic stylus having a retracted position and an extended position. In certain embodiments, a writing instrument herein can comprise one or more of: (a) an electronic stylus having a retracted position and an extended position; or (b) a ball point ink cartridge having a retracted position and an extended position; or (c) a housing, wherein the electronic stylus and the ball point ink cartridge are configured within a barrel of the writing instrument to be individually selectable to cause the electronic stylus and the ball point ink cartridge to move from a retracted position to an extended position and from an extended position to a retracted position.
Although the present technology has been described in relation to embodiments thereof, these embodiments and examples are merely exemplary and not intended to be limiting. Various modifications and alterations to the described embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The present technology should, therefore, not be limited by the specific disclosure herein, and can be embodied in other forms not explicitly described here, without departing from the spirit thereof.
