Coating implements with material supply – Material flows through porous tool – With flow-regulator
Patent
1997-07-30
1999-03-30
Fetsuga, Robert M.
Coating implements with material supply
Material flows through porous tool
With flow-regulator
401148, 401151, B43K 508
Patent
active
058880070
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to marking instruments such as writing instruments of the highlighter pen, felt tip pen, fiber tip pen, ballpoint pen and other types wherein a marking fluid is delivered to a marking tip from a reservoir chamber. The invention is particularly concerned with such marking instruments wherein means are provided to pressurize the marking fluid in the reservoir chamber to cause the fluid to flow to the marking tip when it is required. In WO 93/05966 for example there is described a marking instrument wherein the reservoir chamber is partially delimited by a diaphragm, and a member carrying the marking tip is adapted to retract into the barrel of the instrument when the tip is applied against a surface so that the diaphragm is deflected to pressurize the contents of the fluid reservoir. The diaphragm also serves as a valve member to isolate the interior of the reservoir chamber from a duct through which the fluid is supplied to the tip when the force against the tip is removed and it returns to a forward most position. It has been found that under some circumstances, the marking fluid can continue to flow or ooze to the marking tip, especially if the fluid is of a more viscous formulation, when the forces against the tip due to it being pressed against a surface are released, and this has been observed even where a valve is included to close the communication between the reservoir chamber and the marking tip.
The present invention has for its aim to provide a solution to the problem explained above and accordingly the invention provides a marking instrument comprising a reservoir chamber for holding a supply of marking fluid, a marking tip for applying the marking fluid to a surface, a fluid supply channel for conducting fluid to the tip, normally closed valve means controlling communication between the reservoir chamber and the supply channel, the marking tip being retractable to open the valve by pressing the tip against the surface, and means arranged to draw fluid through the supply channel from the tip during forward displacement of the tip after the valve means has closed.
Conveniently a subchaser of variable. volume is connected to the supply channel, the volume of the chamber being arranged to increase during forward displacement of the tip after the valve means has closed. In a preferred construction the subchamber is an auxiliary reservoir for the marking fluid and is partially confined by a resiliently deformable member which also acts to urge the marking tip to its forwardmost position. The fluid supply channel is formed in a feed member axially slidable in a barrel of the instrument in which the reservoir chamber is enclosed, and the resiliently deformable member is annular and sealingly connected between the feed member and the barrel. By this construction the resilient member is operable, upon opening of the valve means to pressurize the fluid in the main reservoir chamber to effect positive delivery of the fluid to the marking tip. Furthermore, to simplify further the construction and assembly, the resilient member can define a valve seat of the valve means. Thus, in the preferred embodiment, which is described in-greater detail below with reference to the drawings, the resiliently deformable member comprises a first collar sealingly attached to the feed member, a second collar sealingly connected to the barrel and forming a valve seat, and an annular deformable diaphragm section interconnecting the first and second collars. The precise form of the valve means is not crucial and it may be of any convenient type, such as a flap valve, or ball valve, having a valve member arranged to be lifted from its seat by retraction of the feed member and possibly urged to a closing position by spring means. The volume of the subchamber or auxiliary chamber need not be very large as fluid is supplied from the main reservoir chamber to satisfy the demand at the marking tip when the valve is opened. However, because the volume of the subchamber increases after the valve is closed, a negat
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Nicoll Roy
Seddon Mark Arthur
Cekala Chester
Fetsuga Robert M.
Howley David A.
Prunner Kathleen J.
The Gillette Company
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