Coating implements with material supply – Including ball – roller or endless-belt tool – Ball
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-08
2001-12-11
Walczak, David J. (Department: 3751)
Coating implements with material supply
Including ball, roller or endless-belt tool
Ball
C401S216000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06328496
ABSTRACT:
This invention relates to the field of marking instruments, especially, but not necessarily exclusively, writing instruments, in which a marking fluid is delivered to a marking tip from a reservoir.
Many writing instruments have marking tips which project axially out of the barrel of the instrument in which the reservoir chamber is housed and by means of which the writing instrument is held in the hand in use. Furthermore, many marking tips, such as ball point pens, have tips which function most effectively if the tip is held substantially perpendicular to the surface being written on, but the majority of writers hold writing instruments inclined at an angle to the paper, typically at about 30° away from perpendicular. It has been proposed to angle the marking tip to the main axis of the writing instrument in order to obtain a better orientation of the tip to the paper, but a satisfactory tip construction suitable for manufacture on a production scale has so far eluded those who have attempted to produce such writing tips.
The present invention provides a simple and economic solution to the above problem and in accordance with the invention there is provided a marking instrument comprising a marking tip carried at the end of a tubular member surrounding a channel for conducting marking fluid to the tip, wherein the tip has a tubular rear end section joined to the tubular member, so that the tip is fixed at an angle to a longitudinal axis of the tubular member, and at a connection plane where the tip and tubular member are joined, the tubular member and tubular section have complementary profiles of substantially the same shape.
Preferably the complementary profiles are circular in shape at the connection plane, which precludes the necessity to rotationally orientate the components when bringing them together to be joined. The tubular member may be tube of constant cross-section. In one preferred construction a tube of elliptical cross-section in used. The tubular section of the tip in preferably circular in cross-section, which simplifies the tip construction, particularly in the case of a ball point tip in which a spherical ball is retained. The tubular member can be made from a hollow component initially formed, such as by deep drawing, with a part-spherical end. Removal of a section of the part spherical end along a plane inclined to the longitudinal axis leaves an edge of circular profile for attachment of the tip. The hollow component may have a substantially cylindrical shape, or can vary in cross-section along its length if desired.
As the point at which the tip engages a surface is offset from the longitudinal axis of the tubular member, in use, forces can be experienced tending to rotate the tubular member. Conveniently rotation of the tubular member is resisted by engaging a non-circular portion of this member, e.g. an end of an elliptical tube or a flange with a non-circular periphery, in a socket of complementary cross-section formed in a body of the instrument. In the case of a ball point pen, for example, the body could be the forward end of the pen barrel, or it could be the body of a refill which is fitted replaceably into the pen barrel.
The tip and tubular member can be fixedly joined by any suitable technique, but laser welding has been found particularly effective and efficient.
A full understanding will be gained from the following detailed description of some preferred embodiments, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1
is a transverse cross-section through a tube component utilised in a marking tip according to the invention;
FIG. 2
is an axial section through the tube component taken on the line
2
—
2
in
FIG. 1
;
FIG. 3
is a perspective view of the tube component, showing the tube profile at the forward end face;
FIG. 4
shows the tube component and a ball point tip being assembled together;
FIG. 5
is a forward end view of the tip;
FIG. 6
is an axial cross section through the joined tip and tube and illustrating assembly with a body part;
FIG. 7
is a side elevation of the tip and tube joined and welded together;
FIG. 8
is an axial section through a deep drawn hollow component, taken on the line
8
—
8
of
FIG. 9
, used in the manufacture of a marking tip in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 9
is a rear end elevation of the component shown in
FIG. 8
;
FIGS. 10 and 11
are views corresponding to
FIGS. 8 and 9
, respectively, showing the hollow component after removal of a section from the closed end thereof,
FIG. 10
being an axial cross-section through the hollow component taken on the line
10
—
10
in FIG.
11
.
FIGS. 12 and 13
are an axial section and rear elevation, respectively, of a complete marking tip assembly with a ball point tip attached to the hollow component,
FIG. 12
being an axial cross-section through the complete marking tip assembly taken on the line
12
—
12
in FIG.
13
.
FIG. 14
is a side elevation of an alternative deep drawn hollow component;
FIG. 15
is a plan of the component of
FIG. 14
;
FIG. 16
is a front elevation of the hollow component;
FIG. 17
is a cross-section taken along the line
17
—
17
of
FIG. 14
;
FIG. 18
is a side elevation of the component of
FIG. 14
after removal of a section from the closed end thereof;
FIG. 19
is a longitudinal section through the component of
FIG. 18
, taken along the line
19
—
19
of
FIG. 20
, with a ball point tip fixed thereto;
FIG. 20
is a front elevation of the tip assembly of
FIG. 19
;
FIG. 21
is a front end elevation of another deep drawn component;
FIG. 22
is an axial section taken along the line
22
—
22
of
FIG. 21
;
FIG. 23
shows in front elevation the component of
FIGS. 21 and 22
after removal of the end section ready for attachment of the ball point tip;
FIG. 24
is an axial section taken along the line
24
—
24
of
FIG. 23
, after attachment of the ball point tip; and
FIG. 25
shows the finished marking tip assembled with a pen body.
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Barnes Clive
Hill Alan Robert
Packham Charles Christopher
Seddon Mark Arthur
Marshall Gerstein & Borun
The Gillette Company
Walczak David J.
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