Patent Application
20220234381
The described embodiments relate generally to erasers for various writing surfaces, such as dry erase surfaces.
Erasers may be used to modify or substantially clear markings from a writable surface, e.g., dry erase surfaces, chalkboards, and the like. Erasers can often be misplaced or otherwise become inaccessible when needed, such as when a surface requires clearing during an instructional lesson. Chalk, markers, pens, and other types of writing implements that may be used with the surface are often also misplaced. As such, there is a need for systems and techniques to facilitate eraser and accessory association with a writable surface.
In one example, an eraser is disclosed. The eraser includes a body portion defining a plurality of passages configured to hold a plurality of writing implements. The eraser further include an eraser portion forming a side of the body portion.
An another example, an eraser is disclosed. The eraser includes a body portion configured to hold a writing implement. The eraser further includes an eraser portion forming a first side of the body portion. The eraser further includes an attachment portion forming a second side the body portion. The attachment portion may be configured to releasably secure the eraser to a writable surface.
In another example, an eraser kit is disclosed. The eraser kit includes a plurality of writing implements. The eraser kit further includes an eraser coupleable with the plurality of writing implements and including an attachment portion and an eraser portion. In a first configuration, the eraser is releasably secured to a writable surface using the attachment portion. In a second configuration, the eraser is engaged with the writable surface to modify markings using the eraser portion.
The description that follows includes sample systems, methods, and apparatuses that embody various elements of the present disclosure. However, it should be understood that the described disclosure may be practiced in a variety of forms in addition to those described herein.
The following disclosure relates to erasers configured to hold one or more writing implements. The erasers may be releasably securable to a writable surface, where the attachment mechanism may be varied to be couplable to various types surfaces, including those with magnetic elements, non-magnetic elements, and so on. An example eraser may include a body portion having a plurality of passages or other storage features configured to hold a plurality of writing implements. The writing implements may be restrained from moving within the body potion, e.g., the passages may be selected to have a diameter and/or shape that allows the implements to be secured in place while the eraser moves, but also to be easily removable by a user. Additionally, a writing implement may be selectively removable from the body portion without disturbing other writing implements held by the eraser.
The eraser may be configured to hold the writing implement while the eraser is releasably secured to the writable surface, which may be a vertically oriented surface. The writable surface, without limitation, may include a dry erase board, a chalkboard, a mirror, a glass surface, a metal surface, and so on. The eraser may include an attachment portion that forms a side, surface, and/portion of the body portion. The attachment portion may include a micro-suction foam, magnet, loop and hook, or other attachment mechanism configured to permit the releasable securement of the eraser to the writable surface. In some cases, the attachment portion may exert an attraction force sufficient to temporarily mount the eraser to the vertically oriented surface and maintain a position of the vertically oriented surface while the eraser holds the plurality of writing implements. The attachment portion may permit the temporary mounting of the eraser on the writable surface, allowing the eraser to be removed and repositioned and mounted on the surface as needed.
The eraser may also include an eraser portion forming another side, surface, and/or portion of the body portion and configured to modify marking on the vertically oriented surface. The eraser portion may be a felt, a foam, a rubber, or other material operable to brush or otherwise physically disrupt the markings from the writable surface. The eraser portion and the attachment portions may form different sides of the body portion. This allows the eraser portion to be separated from the writable surface when the eraser is mounted to the writable surface via the attachment portion and vice versa.
An eraser kit disclosed here may include the eraser and one or more writing implements. The writing elements may extend partially or fully through the body portion with opposing ends of individual writing elements arranged outside the body portion, which may allow a user to more easily grasp and remove the writing implements as desired. The writing implements may be held by the eraser and define a writing implement arrangement, such as the plurality of writing implements having a desired height, sequence, and so on relative to the body portion. As one example, the passages of the eraser body may be narrowed or tapered along a length of the passage to define a predetermined height of the writing implement relative to the body portion. In turn, the body portion may be configured to maintain the writing implements in the writing implement configuration during mounting to the writable surface with the attachment portion and erasure of the writable surface with the eraser portion, and/or while transitioning between the mounting and erasure.
Turning to the drawings,
The eraser is shown associated with a writable surface 102. The writable surface 102 may include a variety of magnetic and non-magnetic surfaces, including a dry erase board, a chalkboard, a mirror, a glass surface, a metal surface, and so on. The writable surface 102 may have a smooth surface 104 which may maximize an surface area of the writable surface 102 that is capable of contact with the eraser 110. The writable surface 102 may define a substantially vertically oriented surface, e.g., the writable surface 102 may be mounted on a wall, but in other configurations, the writable surface 102 may be positioned in other configurations and/or not mounted on a wall or other surface.
The eraser 110 may be configured for removable attachment with the writable surface 102. For example, the eraser 110 may be releasably secured to the writable surface at a first position A, as shown in
The eraser 110 is also adapted to modify or remove markings from the writable surface 102. For example, the eraser 110 is shown in
With reference to the exploded view of
The body portion 130 may define one or more passages 133. In the example shown in
The passages 133 may define interior channels 136 extending through an entire height, width, or length of body portion 130, such as entirely through the body width 132b, as shown in
In some cases, the implement engagement surface 137 may include a taper or otherwise be varied in size or shape along their length. In some cases, the implement engagement surface 137 may include or at least partially define a storage feature that is imbedded in the eraser body 130 to engage a writing implement within the body. Additionally or alternatively, the implement engagement surface 137 may be at least partially compressible or deformable, such as being partially compressible or deformable upon engagement with a writing implement. For example, the eraser body portion 130 may be formed partially or fully from flexible foam. In this regard, the implement engagement surface 137 may be a surface of the flexible foam that is sized to define the respective interior channel as having a size that matches or is slightly less than a size of a target one of the plurality of writing implement 180. The flexible foam may exert a retaining force on the writing implement when the writing implement is received within the interior channel. The retaining force may be overcome by sliding or otherwise selectively removing the writing implement from the eraser body 130. This may allow the implement engagement surface 137 to retain the writing implement using a friction or interference fit.
With reference to
The attachment portion 140 may include, or be formed partially or full from substantially any material that is configured to releasably secure the eraser to a writable surface. As one example, the attachment portion 140 may exert an attraction force sufficient to temporarily mount the eraser 110 to the writable surface 102. The attraction force may retain the eraser 110 and the plurality of writing implements 180 mounted to the writable surface 102 in the substantially vertical orientation. For example, the attraction force may be sufficient to retain the eraser 110 and the plurality of writing implements 180 on a surface that is oriented substantially perpendicularly to a grade or other elevationally level surface. In some cases, the attachment portion 140 may be formed at least partially from a micro-suction foam that generates a suction force. Additionally or alternatively, the attachment portion 140 may include an embedded magnetic material that generates a magnetic force. Additionally or alternatively, the attachment portion 140 may be formed partially or fully from other materials broadly configured to generate an attraction force, including but not limited to, tacky materials, adhesive, hook and loop, fasteners, or the like, where the attachment allows the eraser to be attached and detached multiple times, i.e., is not single use. In this regard, the attachment portion 140 may interact or couple with a complementary attachment feature of the writable surface 102, including a complementary magnetic feature, hook feature, fastener feature, and so on.
With reference to
The eraser 110 may be coupled such that the eraser portion 120 and the attachment portion 140 are secured to the body portion 130. The eraser portion 120 may be secured to body portion 130 such that the eraser portion 120 is separated from the writable surface 102 when the eraser 110 is mounted to writable surface 102 via the attachment portion 140. Additionally, the attachment portion 140 may be secured to the body portion 130 such that the attachment portion 140 is separated from the writable surface 102 when the eraser is engaging the writable surface 102 with the eraser portion 120.
For example and as shown with reference to
For example and as shown in
In addition to the various functional considerations, the shape and the appearance of the eraser 110 may be selected to have an aesthetically pleasing appearance. For example, the passages 133 may be selected to have a size, shape and arrangement relative to the eraser body portion 130 to enhance the aesthetic appearance of the eraser 110. Additionally or alternatively, the body height 132a, the body width 132b, and/or a body length 132c may be defined relative to one another to enhance the aesthetic appearance of the eraser 110. In other cases, other features may be configured to enhance the aesthetic appearance of the eraser 110.
The eraser portion 120 and the attachment portion 140 may be coupled to the body portion 130 such that one or both of the eraser portion 120 or the attachment portion 140 is inset from a footprint or outer perimeter of the body portion 130. For example and with reference to
In operation, the eraser 110 is coupleable with the plurality of writing implements 180 in an eraser kit 100. The passages 133 may be configured to receive the plurality of writing implements 180 and hold the plurality of writing implements 180 in the eraser 110, such as the first passage 133a receiving a first writing implement 180a, the second passage 133b receiving a second writing implement 180b, the third passage 133c receiving a third writing implement 180c, the fourth passage 133d receiving a fourth writing implement 180d, and so on an appropriate based on the number of writing implements.
For purposes of illustration, the operation of the first passage 133a and the first writing implement 181a is described below. It will be appreciated that the passages 133b-133d and writing implements 181b-181d may be substantially similar. The first writing implement 181a may be received by the first passage 133a and inserted fully through the first interior channel 136a. For example, a first end 185 of the first writing implement 181a may be inserted through the first opening 134a, passed or slid through the first interior channel 136a, and through the first opening 135a. A middle 186 of the first writing implement 181a may remain within the body portion 130. The middle 186 may remain within the first interior channel 136a such that the body portion 130 completely surrounds or encircles the middle 186. The first implement engagement surface 137a may contact or engage the middle 186. In some cases, the first implement engagement surface 137 may compress or otherwise exert a force on the middle 186 in order to restrain movement of the first writing implement 181a. The first writing implement 181a may include a second end 187 opposite the first end 186. The first and second ends 185, 187 may be positioned away from the body portion 130 with the middle 186 surrounded by the body portion 130.
With reference to the cross-sectional view of
In operation, the eraser kit 100 may be manipulateable between a first configuration in which the eraser kit 100 is mounted to the writable surface 102 and a second configuration in which the eraser kit 100 is engaged with the writable surface 102 to modify markings on the writable surface 102. The plurality of writing implements 180 may have or define a writing implement orientation in the eraser 110, such as being arranged having a certain height, sequence, spacing and/or other characteristic. The writing implement orientation may be maintained in the first and second configurations, and manipulations therebetween. Any of the plurality of writing implement may be selectively removed from the eraser 110, such as being removing for marking the writable surface 102. The writing implement can be returned to the eraser 110 accordingly. The remaining writing implements, e.g., writing implements not removed, may remain substantially undisturbed during the selective removal and replacement of the desired writing implement.
Other examples and implementations are within the scope and spirit of the disclosure and appended claims. Thus, the foregoing descriptions of the specific examples described herein are presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not targeted to be exhaustive or to limit the examples to the precise forms disclosed. It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings.
