Coating implements with material supply – With means to attach or conform to body of user
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-09
2001-10-02
Walczak, David J. (Department: 3751)
Coating implements with material supply
With means to attach or conform to body of user
C401S194000, C016S430000, CD19S047000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06296409
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to handheld articles and, more particularly, to devices for grasping handheld devices.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The use of promotional items has proliferated in today's increasingly competitive marketplace, where companies are constantly seeking more effective and new ways to market their products. In the healthcare industry, physicians and other healthcare providers often receive promotional articles from vendors of healthcare-related products, such as pharmaceutical products. These promotional articles often include “everyday” items, such as writing pads, calendars, and pens that have promotional information (indicia) printed thereon. For example, pharmaceutical companies often provide physicians with writing pens having the name of a particular pharmaceutical product printed thereon with the hopes that the pens will help remind the physicians to prescribe the particular pharmaceutical product.
Unfortunately, because of lack of distinctiveness, many promotional articles provided to healthcare providers often become “lost-in-the-shuffle” with other promotional articles. Thus, there is a need for distinctive, more effective promotional products directed to healthcare providers as well as to others.
Promotional items, such as writing instruments (e.g., pens and pencils) generally include a barrel which is held in the hand of a user for writing, and include a writing tip which communicates with a source of ink. Often the barrels of pens and pencils are formed of wood or are molded of a synthetic material that has a smooth finish that can inhibit a user's ability to grip the barrel and to write effectively. Attempts have been made to enhance the grip of writing instruments by surrounding a portion of the barrel with rubber-like covering material. In addition, separate attachment devices have been made and marketed to be attached to a standard writing instrument to improve a user's grip.
Grips which may be attached to the barrels of writing instruments are well known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,604 to Rusk describes a writing aid designed to aid a user in holding a writing instrument properly. Other known grips are designed to facilitate a user's grasp of a writing instrument without instructional or corrective functions. U.S. Pat. No. 4,932,800 to Lin et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,926,901 to Tseng et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,056,945 to Klodt each describe compressible finger gripping devices that can be slidably secured around the surface portion of a writing instrument.
Unfortunately, conventional writing instruments and devices for improving a user's grasp thereof often have limited marketing and promotional appeal.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above discussion, a novel finger grip having tactile, promotional indicia extending outwardly therefrom that can facilitate the grasping of various handheld devices including, but not limited to, writing instruments, hand tools, and the like, is provided. A finger grip according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an elongated tube of resilient, deformable material that is configured to fit snugly around an elongated portion (e.g., a barrel or handle) of a handheld article. Tactile promotional indicia is displayed on an outer surface of the finger grip.
Promotional indicia is preferably in the form of raised lettering that extends outwardly from the outer surface and that is integrally formed with the tube. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the raised lettering may be arranged in one or more circumferentially extending rows. Multiple rows may be spaced apart along a longitudinal direction and in a circumferentially staggered configuration. According to another embodiment of the present invention, raised lettering (e.g., alphabetical characters) may be arranged in one or more longitudinally extending columns. Multiple columns may be spaced apart circumferentially in a staggered configuration.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, promotional indicia, such as lettering, may extend inwardly into the outer surface of a finger grip. As with outwardly extending lettering, inwardly extending promotional indicia may be arranged in rows, or columns, or a combination of rows and columns, and may have various configurations.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, a finger grip having tactile raised lettering integrally formed therewith surrounds a portion of an elongated barrel of a writing instrument, such as a pen. The tube and tactile raised lettering are formed from resilient, deformable material.
Finger grips according to the present invention can facilitate grasping handheld articles and can provide a distinctive promotional effect for various handheld articles.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, a writing instrument includes an elongated barrel of resilient, deformable material. Tactile promotional indicia in the form of raised lettering is integrally formed with an outer surface of the barrel. The lettering may be arranged in a plurality of circumferentially extending rows that are spaced apart along the longitudinal direction and/or a plurality of longitudinally extending columns that are circumferentially spaced apart around the barrel.
REFERENCES:
patent: D. 341622 (1993-11-01), Poisson
patent: 4526547 (1985-07-01), Rusk
patent: 5794767 (1998-08-01), Wilson
patent: 6062753 (2000-05-01), Hadtke et al.
Cherry Paul
Jones Robert A.
Adstracts Inc.
Myers Bigel & Sibley & Sajovec
Walczak David J.
LandOfFree
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