Coating implements with material supply – Bifurcate pointed nib tool
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-30
2001-08-07
Eloshway, Charles R. (Department: 3751)
Coating implements with material supply
Bifurcate pointed nib tool
C401S181000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06270276
ABSTRACT:
This invention relates to refillable reservoirs for marking instruments, especially but not necessarily exclusively for fountain pens. The invention is particularly concerned with so-called fountain pen converters which can be fitted into fountain pens adapted to receive disposable ink cartridges which are replaced when the cartridges are depleted of ink. Converters can be refilled with ink from a bottle of ink.
Different forms of fountain pen converters are known. Most consist of a cylinder enclosing a chamber for holding the ink, and a piston movable to-and-fro along the cylinder for displacing air from the empty chamber and drawing ink into the chamber. The piston can be actuated by pushing and pulling a piston rod which is fixedly attached to the piston and protrudes through the rear end of the cylinder. This construction allows refilling operations to be completed quickly, but has the disadvantage that when the reservoir chamber is filled the piston rod projects a substantial axial distance beyond the end of the cylinder. As a consequence the piston rod takes up a relatively large portion of the length of the space available within the pen barrel and therefore restricts the maximum length of the cylinder and hence the volume of the ink chamber within it. In an attempt to alleviate this drawback it has been proposed to couple the piston rod to a rotatable sleeve through a screw thread arrangement so that rotation of the sleeve causes axial displacement of the piston rod and piston. A disadvantage of this construction is that the sleeve must be rotated through several revolutions to complete a full axial stroke of the piston, and refilling the reservoir takes a comparatively long time to perform. Furthermore, the sleeve, into which the piston extends when the piston is in its rearmost position, still extends a significant distance from the rear end of the cylinder. Another proposal has been to drive a piston by means of an annular magnet surrounding the cylinder, but this would require a large magnet which in turn would limit the diameter of the cylinder and restrict the volume of the ink chamber if the pen barrel is not to become unduly larger.
In GB-A-770090 there is disclosed a fountain pen with a barrel enclosing an ink chamber in which a piston is slidable, and a compartment for storing a detachable piston rod which can be inserted through a hole in the end of the barrel and be connected to the piston by a screw-thread when the chamber is to be refilled with ink. A detachable piston rod is inconvenient and carries with it the risk that it will become misplaced or lost.
The present invention addresses the above problem and as a solution is provides a refillable reservoir for a marking instrument comprising a cylinder enclosing a reservoir chamber, a piston axially slidable in the cylinder to expel air out of and draw fluid in through the forward end of the cylinder, and a device for actuating the piston having a part extending through a rear part of the cylinder for connection to the piston, the device being movable axially of the cylinder for directly driving the piston and, without becoming detached from the piston, being positionable substantially within the length of the cylinder when the chamber is filled.
In accordance with one embodiment there is provided a refillable reservoir comprising a cylinder enclosing a reservoir chamber, a piston axially slidable in the cylinder to expel air from and draw fluid into the cylinder through the forward end, and a piston rod protruding through the rear end of the cylinder for displacing the piston, the piston being annular and the piston rod being disengageable from the piston and movable through the piston to allow the piston rod to be disposed in an advanced position in the cylinder while the piston remains retracted.
It will be understood that the ability to uncouple the piston rod from the piston means that its projection from the cylinder may be minimal, even with the chamber filled with liquid, and thereby the cylinder can occupy more space within a barrel of the marking instrument and the chamber can have a larger volume for liquid storage.
In accordance with another embodiment there is provided a refillable reservoir comprising a cylinder enclosing a reservoir chamber, a piston axially slidable in the cylinder to expel air from and draw fluid into the chamber, an actuating member movable parallel with the cylinder and alongside the cylinder, and an elongate strip interconnecting the piston and actuating member for the piston to be driven by displacement of the actuating member.
As the actuating member is alongside the cylinder it doe not impose any restriction on the length of the cylinder within any particular pen barrel and it need not demand substantial radial space so that a large chamber volume is again permitted.
The actuating member may be slidingly guided by the cylinder and conveniently it takes the form of a sleeve or collar extending about the cylinder. The strip, is suitably a metal or plastic ribbon which can be guided in a longitudinal channel provided on the exterior of the cylinder. The strip is sufficiently flexible to enable it to be bent through 180° between sections of the strip located inside and outside the chamber, but is also sufficiently strong in tension and longitudinal compression to drive the piston oppositely to the actuating member when the latter is displaced for refilling the reservoir.
Although described specifically herein in relation to fountain pen converters it will be appreciated that the embodiments of the invention are suitable for other applications, e.g. in fountain pens with permanent refillable reservoirs, and in other types of marking instrument equipped with refillable reservoirs.
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Cekala Chester
Eloshway Charles R.
Parker Pen Products
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