Typewriting machines – Pocket typewriter
Patent
1994-12-27
1996-03-26
Bennett, Christopher A.
Typewriting machines
Pocket typewriter
347109, B41J 339
Patent
active
055015352
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a hand-held electronically-controlled drawing and writing instrument which provides electronic control of the width and pattern of the marks made by the device. More particularly it relates to such a device using ink jet technology to provide a writing instrument.
There exist various writing instruments including ballpoint pens, fibre tip pens, pencils, fountain pens, etc., which allow lines to be drawn to form letters and images. If a different width of line is required, a different pen must be used. If the darkness of the line must be changed, a different pen or ink must be used. The user needs manual dexterity to create patterns, letters, or textures. In addition, conventional instruments rely on contact between the ink delivery device and the substrate for the transfer of ink to the substrate. Constraining the ink delivery device to touch the substrate compromises the number of features and level of performance that can be achieved.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,746,936 describes a pen using an ink jet nozzle to allow completely non-contact marking of surfaces, where the roughness or softness of the surface makes conventional contact marking difficult. The delivery of ink is controlled by a finger-operated switch mounted on the side of the pen. This tackles the problem of writing on difficult surfaces, but does not provide a means of producing high quality writing and drawings with the natural action of sliding a writing instrument over a surface.
The present invention has been devised to overcome the drawbacks of existing marking instruments and to provide features and benefits that have not been possible using conventional techniques.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention there is provided a hand-held marking device comprising
an electrically actuated writing head for making marks on a writing surface;
a sensor for detecting when the writing head is moving in any direction in a plane parallel to the surface; and
means for causing the head to be actuated when the sensor detects relative movement of the writing head and the surface.
Preferably, the writing head is arranged to be able to make a plurality of different types or sizes of marks on a writing surface; and the device further includes means for selecting which of the different mark types or sizes is to be made.
Preferably, the marks are made by a multi-nozzle ink jet writing head which can be arranged to produce different patterns of marks, density of marks, marks of different width, etc., but in a device incorporating a single nozzle in particular, the size of droplet produced may be adjusted by the selecting means, for example to vary the width of a line being drawn.
The device will preferably include a battery (which may be re-chargeable) to supply electrical power to an electronic circuit to monitor the switches and the sensor and to generate the appropriate signals to control the writing head and to an electronic power supply circuit to drive the head and electronics with the necessary electrical supplies.
A supply of marking fluid may be provided in a replaceable cartridge.
A preferred embodiment of the invention includes a multi-nozzle ink-jet cartridge, as the marking mechanism, which is controlled by a microprocessor, ASIC, discrete electronic components or a combination of these, to write lines of variable width, density, and pattern, as selected by the user. The preferred sensor, the subject of a copending patent application, is a piezo-electric vibration sensor, which detects the vibration of a stylus as it travels across the writing surface.
The user is thus allowed to vary the width of the written line, by selecting different numbers of nozzles; to draw and shade with a range of electrically generated, selectable patterns; and to vary the density of the marks by selecting different ink delivery rates.
The device may incorporate a pressure sensing means for determining the pressure being applied to the writing instrument by the user, signals from the pressure
REFERENCES:
patent: 4168533 (1979-09-01), Schwartz
patent: 4746936 (1988-05-01), Takahashi
patent: 4748460 (1988-05-01), Piatt et al.
patent: 4758849 (1988-07-01), Piatt et al.
IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, vol. 14, No. 12, May 1972.
Gutsell Graham S.
Hastings Nicholas J.
Taylor Peter J.
Bennett Christopher A.
The Technology Partnership Ltd.
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