Coating implements with material supply – Brush – broom – or mop – With flow-regulator
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-27
2001-04-03
Huson, Gregory L. (Department: 3751)
Coating implements with material supply
Brush, broom, or mop
With flow-regulator
C401S270000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06210063
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to a knock type applicator or a coating device which contains a suitable coating liquid such as, a writing and painting liquid such as India ink, paint and ink, a cosmetic liquid such as eye liner and lip color, a writing correction liquid, and adhesives, and serves to move a prescribed member by knocking it so that a valve mechanism disposed in the applicator is opened to discharge the liquid.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Heretofore, there has been known an applicator (a coating device) which comprises a cylindrical shell with a coating liquid storage chamber defined therein, a coating body such as a pen point and a writing tip secured to an opening portion formed in a distal end of the cylindrical shell, and a valve mechanism disposed between the coating body and the coating liquid storage chamber.
In a coating device of the type as described, a knock portion disposed on the cylindrical shell is knocked or pushed to move a movable member disposed in the coating liquid storage chamber and the movable member, in turn, moves a valve element to open the valve mechanism so that the coating liquid is ready to be discharged from the storage chamber to an object to be coated.
However, the conventional device has such problems that when the device is not used for a long period of time or when the cover member is left removed, the coating liquid stored in the coating body and between the coating body and an inner wall of the opening portion of the distal end of the cylindrical shell is prone to create a hardened substance, a gelled substance and a viscous substance due to evaporation of moisture and solvent thereby choking the flow passage for the coating liquid, and therefore, a smooth flow of the coating liquid is interrupted.
Various attempts and proposals have been made in order to solve the above problems.
For example, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 2-309 of 1989 discloses a writing device with a side knock valve having a writing body with a valve element fixed thereto and capable of containing therein a liquid, and the writing body is slidably inserted in a cavity formed in a distal end of a cylindrical shell, and a pigment ink flow passage formed between an outer surface of the writing body and an inner surface of the distal end of the cylindrical shell, and at least a part of the resilient cylindrical shell is defined as a resilient body, the resilient body being displaced by knocking the cylindrical shell so that the valve element and writing body will be slidingly moved simultaneously.
With respect to this utility model publication, the coating body is slidingly moved simultaneously with the opening operation of the valve element which is made by knocking the cylindrical shell, for the purpose of flowing ink smoothly by recovering the ink flow passage, just in case the flow passage is choked with ink composition which has been hardened by drying, in such a manner as to peel off and/or crush the lumps of ink.
Although the writing device of the above utility model publication can recover a region of the coating liquid flow passage between the coating body and the inner wall of the distal end portion of the cylindrical shell, it is impossible for this device to recover a region of the coating liquid flow passage in the coating body which passage is choked with the hardened substance, gelled substance and viscous substance of the coating liquid.
This is especially true when the coating body is a writing/painting brush because when the coating liquid stored in the writing tip is hardened or gelled or becomes viscous, fibers constituting the writing tip are mutually adhered, thereby making it impossible to feed and coat the coating liquid smoothly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above, it is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a knock type applicator or a coating device in which when it occurs that a coating liquid can not be discharged smoothly due to adhesion of fibers of a writing tip caused by a hardened substance, a gelled substance and a viscous substance created by the coating liquid in the writing tip, the hardened substance, etc. are peeled off or crushed by a sliding movement of the writing tip so that the coating liquid can be discharged again in a smooth manner.
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention employs a construction in which ribs are formed in an inner wall of an opening portion formed in a distal end of a cylindrical shell in a lengthwise direction of the cylindrical shell, and the diameter of an inscribed circle connecting apexes of the ribs is dimensioned smaller than the maximum diameter of the writing tip.
The employment of this construction makes it possible to discharge the coating liquid smoothly again by loosening the mutually adhered fibers which constitutes the writing tip, by peeling off and/or crushing the hardened substance, gelled substance and viscous substance created by the coating liquid.
In the knock type applicator according to the present invention, the ribs formed on the inner wall of an opening portion of a distal end of the cylindrical shell bite or project into the writing tip which advances in operative connection with a valve element during a knocking operation. As a consequence, the writing tip is cracked by the ribs projected therein. At that time, the hardened substance, gelled substance and viscous substance which are created from the coating liquid in the writing tip are peeled off successfully from the fibers of the writing tip. Thus, an ink flow passage in the writing tip can be recovered.
Since an end face of the opening portion formed in the distal end of the cylindrical shell serves as a fulcrum for the writing tip to make a flexible bowing movement, the ribs bite or project deep into the writing tip to crack it so that the hardened substance, gelled substance and the viscous substance in the writing tip are peeled off and/or are crushed from the fibers of the writing tip and discharged outside the writing tip together with the coating liquid. Therefore, the writing tip is hardly adhered after the coating liquid is discharged.
In the case where the flow passage in the writing tip can not be completely recovered in spite of a sliding movement of the writing tip and biting of the ribs during a coating operation, it can be contemplated that the adhered writing tip is loosened by rubbing it to the surface of a sheet of paper or loosened by fingers or other similar means, in order to remove the hardened substance, gelled substance and viscous substance. At that time, the above-mentioned means is carried out while slidingly moving the writing tip. By doing so, even that part of the writing tip received in the interior of the cylindrical shell can be loosened during a coating operation, i.e., discharging operation. In this way, the adhered writing tip can be loosened over a comparatively large range of area and the hardened substance, etc. can be removed.
The present invention has such other additive structural features as described hereinafter, in addition to the above-mentioned construction as a basic feature. The other additive structural features are: a force for connecting the writing tip and valve element together is smaller than a biasing force exerted to the valve element, and a joining distance between the writing tip and the valve element is longer than a moving distance of the valve element during a knocking operation of a knock portion.
Employment of these additive structural features makes it possible to prevent escape and breakage of the writing tip liable to occur during a removing operation of the hardened substance, gelled substance and viscous substance in the writing tip after peeling off and/or crushing of the hardened substance, etc. by a knocking operation.
For removing the hardened substance, etc., it is an ordinary practice that the writing tip is projected from the cylindrical shell as far as possible by a knocking operation and then the writing tip is picked up with fingers. If the knocking force exerted to t
Isobe Toshihiro
Yamada Norio
Adams & Wilks
Huson Gregory L.
Le Huyen
Pentel Kabushiki Kaisha
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