Applicator

Details Applicator Applicator

2000-09-12

2003-04-29

Huson, Gregory (Department: 3751)

Coating implements with material supply

Material flows through porous tool

With flow-regulator

C401S214000, C401S141000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06554521

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an applicator usable as a writing tool or as a cosmetic tool, and particularly relates to an applicator that comprises a reservoir of cylindrical or any other shape for holding therein an amount of an ink or a cosmetic liquid such that an applying tip may be soaked with the ink or liquid to apply same to any desired surface.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present applicant has disclosed in the Patent Laying-Open Gazette No. 9-323495 a free-inking applicator (viz., a writing tool) improved such that ink can smoothly be supplied enabling a continuous writing. This applicator for a writing use comprises a cylindrical ink reservoir and a fiber bundle tip, wherein the ink effluent from the reservoir flows through said tip due to capillary action. The applicator further comprises a valve assembly disposed in a distal region of the ink reservoir. Characteristically, this valve assembly is composed of a spherical valve body and a valve chamber that has a valve seat for supporting the valve body normally resting thereon. The valve seat has a forward opening and the valve body is movable fore and aft within the valve chamber. A spring urges the valve body towards the seat so that the tip disposed ahead the valve assembly has its rear end kept in contact with a forward portion of the valve body.
In the prior art applicator of the described structure, the spring disposed in the valve chamber forces the valve body to stop the forward opening lest any amount of ink should flow out of the applicator not being used. If however the tip is pressed against a paper sheet or the like to apply the ink thereto, then such a pressure to the tip will automatically push the valve body rearwards. As a result, the tip will be soaked with the ink continuously and at a moderate flow rate. Thus, the ink is prevented from trickling down in drops from the tip, but never causing the user to discontinue his or her writing motion for intermittent feed of the ink to the applying tip. There is no fear of any excessive amount of ink that will disable smooth and fine writings.
FIGS. 2
to
5
in the Gazette 9-323495 show the prior art examples wherein the applying tip has its proximal end of a diameter larger than that of the forward opening of the valve chamber. The valve body has a distal portion protruding forwards through the opening so as to contact the proximal end of the tip. The ink effluent through this opening is thus surely absorbed by and into this applying tip, thereby avoiding any dripping of the ink off said tip.
On the other hand, some of the known applicators comprise each an ink reservoir whose proximal or rear end is opened. A back-flow inhibitor such as a polybutene gel inserted in the rear region of the reservoir is capable of sliding therein in an axial direction. This inhibitor stopping the back-flow of ink does prevent ambient air from entering the reservoir's deep region in which the ink is retained. As the amount of the ink held in said reservoir decreases, the inhibitor will gradually move forwards ensuring smooth feed of ink.
In such a prior art structure, it may be necessary to suppress the flow ate of ink. For this purpose, the valve body may have to be of a diameter slightly less than the inner diameter of the valve chamber in order to reduce clearance between said body and the inner periphery of said chamber. In spite of those diameters nearly equal to each other, the valve body must surely seal the valve seat with the forward portion of said body sufficiently protruding from the forward opening out of the valve chamber when the applicator is not in use. To meet this requirement, it may be necessary for the valve seat to be of a concave shape precisely commensurate with the outer periphery of the valve body. However, such a machining of a material for the valve chamber is extremely difficult.
The valve body may, for convenience' sake, be a so small ball that the ordinary caulking process is feasible to form such a valve seat as providing a sufficient forward protrusion of the valve body and a reliable sealing effect thereof An enlarged clearance around this body will raise the ink flow rate to an undesirable extent to cause the ink dripping. If viscosity of the ink and back-flow inhibitor is considerably low, then this drawback will become severer.
Therefore, a primary object of the present invention is to provide an applicator as well as an ink- or liquid-feeding mechanism incorporated therein, wherein its valve assembly is easy to manufacture and assemble, with the ink or liquid being capable of application to a foreign article at a moderately suppressed flow rate.
As discussed hereinbefore, the prior art writing tool is constructed such that a writing pressure causes a valve body to be retracted a little distance to open the valve assembly to thereby provide a small clearance through which an ink is dispensed. For ensuring a smooth flow-out of the ink, it is of a viscosity of about 100 mPa·s (viz., centipoise) or less. In order to prevent a superfluous discharge of the ink having such a low viscosity of 100 mPa·s or less, a highly viscous follower is disposed in the reservoir behind and in contact with a column of the ink. The follower will exert a viscosity resistance for the ink column so that the ink flows out through the opened valve at an appropriate rate.
Usually, the prior art followers are blocks of a polybutene gel. The present inventors have confirmed through their experiments that the polybutene gel would drastically change its viscosity in response to ambient temperature. In an atmosphere of a temperature of 5° C. corresponding to the winter room temperature, the polybutene gel will show a viscosity of about 100,000 mPa·s. In another atmosphere of a temperature of 35° C. corresponding to the summer room temperature, that gel will show a considerably lowered viscosity of about 35,000 mPa·s or less. If the follower must merely serve as a back-flow inhibitor, then such a polybutene will suffice. However the follower has to serve also as a flow regulator for controlling the flow rate of an ink or the like liquid commencing to flow out in response to small distance displacement of the valve body. Thus, there has been observed a problem that a drastic change in viscosity due to change in temperature would undesirably result in variation of flow rate of the ink or liquid to be applied, to such a degree as causing the ink dripping or scratchy writings.
Therefore, a second object of the present invention is to provide a liquid applicator whose valve body is movable a small distance to open the valve to smoothly flow out the liquid having a viscosity of 100 mPa·s or less at a moderate rate, without being adversely affected by any actual temperature change in living atmospheres. Reliable performance free from any liquid dripping or scratchy application has to be afforded herein.
Further in the described prior art applicators, an idle long elapse of time after used once has caused the applying tip to dry up. This is because the valve in the applicator not being used is closed to seal up the ink in the reservoir not to flow towards the tip. Even if the valve is opened again, the ink effluent from the reservoir will advance forwards merely at a limited and considerably low-rate, failing to dissolve the dried ink and thus making it impossible to use the applicator any longer.
Therefore, a third object of the invention is to provide an applicator of the type that a liquid slowly exudes from a reservoir into an applying tip and improved such that even a long-term non-use might not dry up the said tip.
In the prior art writing tools, the spring has a sufficient biasing force so as to urge the valve body to firmly close the opening in the valve chamber, regardless of structure and/or size of the valve opening and the valve body. It is a matter of course that even such as strong biasing force is weaker than a writing pressure, because the valve body should be retracted a small distance when the tools are used. If the spring

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