Coating implements with material supply – Material flows through porous tool – Wick feed from within reservoir to tool
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-26
2001-05-08
Huson, Gregory L. (Department: 3751)
Coating implements with material supply
Material flows through porous tool
Wick feed from within reservoir to tool
C401S198000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06227741
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to writing instruments having a writing tip supplied with fluid ink, such as felt pens and the like.
More specifically, the invention relates to a felt pen or like writing instrument comprising an elongate hollow body in which there is defined a first chamber for housing a plug of hydrophilic material associated with a writing tip one end of which projects externally from the body, and a second chamber separated from the first chamber, which defines a liquid ink reservoir for supplying the writing tip.
A writing instrument of the type defined above is the subject of European Patent Application EP-516538. The writing tip of the writing instrument described in this document is long so that it passes through a significant portion of the body, having a writing end which projects externally from the body and an opposite end which extends into the second chamber, which constitutes the liquid ink reservoir. As a result of this construction of the writing tip, the liquid ink is supplied directly to the writing tip from the reservoir. A tubular plug is also associated with the writing tip, arranged in the first chamber, in an intermediate position between the writing end of the tip and the second chamber, which the tip passes through from one end to the other. The function of the plug is to absorb any excess ink from the reservoir, should the air in the reservoir heat up, causing excess pressure to build up, and to pass on this stored ink to the writing tip once normal operating conditions are restored. In practice, this tubular plug acts as a temporary ink store only when the main reservoir causes excess ink to flow to the writing tip.
However, the structure of the writing instrument described in this earlier document has several disadvantages. Firstly, since in the most common arrangement the writing tip is made up of a bundle of parallel fibres extending axially with respect to the writing tip itself, these fibres act to allow ink to flow in a predominately axial direction, whereby the arrangement of a plug which surrounds radially the writing fibre is found to hamper the exchange of ink between the fibre and the plug. In practice, the ink tends preferably to flow along the writing tip even if excess pressure has built up in the liquid-ink reservoir, with the result that under such circumstances ink tends to drip from the end of the writing tip rather than accumulating temporarily in the plug. In addition, the manufacture of a rectilinear writing tip which is sufficiently long to project from the body at one end and extend into the ink reservoir at the other, and that of a tubular plug, as well as the operation involved in axially inserting the writing tip into the plug, pose technological problems which cannot be solved both reliably and inexpensively at the same time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to resolve the disadvantages described above, the object of the present invention is a pen or similar writing instrument of the type defined at the beginning of this description, characterised in that the writing tip is spaced from the second chamber and is intended to be supplied with ink directly from the plug, ink having been fed to the plug from the reservoir by means of capillary supply means independent of the writing tip and interposed between the first and second chambers.
As a result of this arrangement, the writing instrument of the invention is entirely reliable in operation and is simple and relatively inexpensive to manufacture. In particular, the working of the instrument is based on a different principle from that described in the aforesaid document with reference to the prior art, since the writing tip of the instrument of the present invention is always supplied with ink directly from the plug. In turn, the plug receives ink by capillary action from the reservoir constituted by the second chamber, as the ink absorbed by it is reduced through use of the writing instrument.
A further object of the invention is to provide a process for manufacturing a felt pen or similar writing instrument, as indicated in the appended claim
13
.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3397939 (1968-08-01), Berry
patent: 4531853 (1985-07-01), Hirabayashi et al.
patent: 5865553 (1999-02-01), Flye Sainte et al.
patent: 5906446 (1999-05-01), McCullock et al.
patent: 1250302 (1967-09-01), None
patent: 4231978A (1994-03-01), None
patent: 0 516 538 (1992-05-01), None
patent: 1039667 (1966-07-01), None
patent: WO 98/21052 (1998-05-01), None
Huson Gregory L.
Le Huyen
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
Universal S.p.A.
LandOfFree
Felt pen or like writing instrument and manufacturing... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Felt pen or like writing instrument and manufacturing..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Felt pen or like writing instrument and manufacturing... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2568125