Writing Instrument With Transversely Movable Clip

Abstract

A pen or pencil has a clip that slides transversely to the axis of the writing instrument for extending or retracting the writing tip. The attachment end of the clip engages a reciprocable writing cartridge with a cam action to effect this extension or retraction. Outward movement of the attachment end of the clip is obtained by pressing the clip ball against a body aperture to retract the tip, and manually pressing in the attachment end of the clip effects extension of the tip. A flange and hook connection between clip and cartridge holds the assembly together.

Description

This invention relates to writing instruments of the type having a reciprocating writing cartridge which is normally retracted inside the body of the instrument, and the writing tip is extended for use by manually moving the clip which is also used in its normal fashion to hold the instrument in the user's pocket.

More particularly, the invention has reference to a clip structure for actuating writing tips wherein the attachment end of the clip is movable transversely to the longitudinal axis of the writing instrument. The structure permits maximum simplicity of design and a minimum number of parts, resulting in low cost production and great reliability and durability during use.

Most of the presently known tip extending mechanisms actuated by the clip are complicated in design, consisting of many parts that are hard to manufacture and hard to assemble. Usually they are of the pivoted or rocking type of clip wherein the ball end is pushed into the pen body. Usually the cartridge must be short enough so that the upper end of the cartridge does not extend past the ball of the clip. This requires a short cartridge of limited life, or an extra long body on the writing instrument to accept a standard cartridge. In many of the presently known devices an inner spring blade is also required for holding the clip in assembly and giving it spring action.

The present invention utilizes the spring action of the normal cartridge spring to not only retract the cartridge, but to give spring action to the clip. By giving a dual function to the cartridge spring, a separate biasing spring for the clip is eliminated. The present invention employs a sleeve riding on the top end of the writing cartridge to interact with the clip, permitting the use of standard cartridges. The sleeve serves not only to hold the cartridge in position and to lock the clip to the cap, but acts also to push both ends of the clip outwardly for the retracted position of the writing tip. The sleeve transfers the spring action of the cartridge spring to the pocket clip for biasing the clip to grip pocket material of the user.

Various advantages and features of the invention will be apparent in the following description and claims considered with the accompanying drawing forming an integral part of this specification, in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevation view in full section through an assembled pen with the writing point in extended position and the clip in the flush or retracted position.

FIG. 2 is an elevation in full section of the upper end of the pen of FIG. 1, showing the clip in laterally extended position and showing the upper end of the cartridge and its sleeve, which corresponds to a point retracted position for the writing point.

FIG. 3 is a three-dimensional view on an enlarged scale of the upper end of the sleeve of FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view along the line 4--4 of FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is a sectional view along the line 5--5 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view along the line 6--6 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary view, partly in section, of a modified form of clip usable in the invention, wherein the clip is formed of plastic material.

FIG. 8 is a partial elevation view, partly in section, of a modified form of pen incorporating the invention, wherein the pen body is made of metal, and also showing a modified form of clip.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a pen 10 has a body 11 open at one end, as at 13, to permit a writing tip 22 to be extended to the exterior of the pen body 11. The pen also includes a cartridge 20 on which the tip 22 is formed, a sleeve 30 riding on the top end of the cartridge 20 and a clip 40 which acts upon the sleeve 30 to extend the writing tip 22. A compression spring 24 in the lower part of the body 11 normally urges the writing cartridge 20 upwardly so that the tip 22 is normally retracted inside of the pen body 11.

The pen body 11 may be formed of a lower body section 15, generally referred to in the trade as a barrel, and an upper body member 12, generally referred to in the trade as a cap. These two members may be held together in any convenient fashion, and there is illustrated threads 14 and 16 for fastening these two parts together.

The construction of the sleeve 30 is illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4. The lower end of the sleeve has a bore 26 to receive the upper end of the cartridge 20 and the lower end of this bore may be chamfered as at 27 to permit easy insertion of the cartridge into the bore. The cartridge 20 may fit loosely in the bore 26 to permit air to reach the upper end of the cartridge for venting as the ink of the cartridge is consumed. The upper end of the sleeve 30 is flatted to form an upwardly extending shank 34 which has an upper flange 36 on each side and a vertical flange 38 on each side. The flange 38 is notched at a point intermediate its ends at 54. The flat top of the shank 34 meets the vertical face on which the flanges 38 are formed to create a bearing edge 39 which bears against a cam surface on the clip which will be presently described. The lower part of the sleeve 30 is recessed at 62 to receive the ball 66 of the clip 40, and the lower end of the recess is preferably chamfered as at 63 to move the clip ball outwardly as shown in FIG. 2.

The construction of the clip 40 is shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 4 and 5. The upper end of the clip 40 is known as the attachment end by which it is secured to the pen body, and this is designated by the numeral 64. Extending downwardly from the attachment end 64 is an arm 65 which terminates in the ball 66 previously referred to. The ball 66 grips the fabric or other material of a pocket into which the pen is placed for carrying. The clip 40 is preferably formed of sheet material and at the upper end two parallel sides 46 and 48 project inwardly into the pen body and terminate in inwardly bent hooks 50 and 52, which grip the inside of the vertical flanges 38 of the sleeve 30. The hooks pass through the notch 54 in this flange and do not exit through this notch during normal operation. The parallel side members 46 and 48 pass on each side of the sleeve shank 34. Formed between these parallel plates is a diagonal member 42 which is at a diagonal to the longitudinal axis of the entire pen 10. This diagonal member 42 bears against the shank bearing edge 39 to create a camming action when the upper end 64 of the clip is pushed inwardly or to the left in FIGS. 1 and 2. The diagonal 42 may terminate in a generally transverse portion 44 which maintains the tip in extended position, as shown in FIG. 1.

Referring now to the cap 12, this cap is apertured at 58 to receive the attachment end 64 of the clip 40. The aperture 58 has an upper edge 59 against which the attachment end 64 is pushed by the compression of spring 24 (FIG. 1). As shown best in FIG. 2, a torque is created by the upper bearing edge 39 of the sleeve 30, hook 52 and this upper edge 59 to cause a clockwise bias of this clip 40. During this torquing action the outward movement of the attachment end 64 is limited by the hooks 52 and 50 engaging the vertical flange 38. The cap 12 may also be apertured at a second place opposite the ball 66 of the clip, namely at the aperture 60. This aperture, in conjunction with the sleeve recess 62 (FIG. 1) permits the ball to be recessed when the tip is extended as shown in FIG. 1. When, however, the tip is retracted, as is the condition illustrated by FIG. 2, then a solid portion of the sleeve 30 is opposite this aperture 60 and the ball 66 is forced outwardly or to the right in FIG. 2. This permits the ball 66 to easily ride over the fabric of the pocket by which the pen is retained.

As shown most clearly in FIGS. 2 and 6, the cap 12 may have a thin wall just below this aperture 60 to form a keyway 56 into which may fit a projection or key 57 on the sleeve 30. Such a key and keyway structure, while not essential, is of some assistance in assembly of the pen.

The assembly of the pen or writing instrument of FIGS. 1 through 6 is as follows:

The cap 12 before its assembly to the barrel 15 first receives the sleeve 30. This sleeve is manually moved to a point intermediate the positions as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, whereupon the attachment end 64 of the clip 40 is moved inwardly into the cap with the hooks 50 and 52 passing through the notch 54 in the vertical flanges 38. Thereafter, the sleeve 30 is pushed upwardly to the position shown in FIG. 2. The cartridge 30 with its spring 24 attached is next inserted in the sleeve and the barrel 15 is threaded to the cap 12 to complete the assembly. The horizontal flange 36 prevents the sleeve from sliding out of the cap 12, both during assembly and while changing cartridges.

The operation of the device of FIGS. 1 through 6 is as follows:

Assuming that the clip 40 is in its retracted position shown in FIG. 2 and the user desires to extend the writing point 22, the user manually pushes the attachment end 64 inwardly. This causes the diagonal 42 to bear against the bearing edge 39 to move the sleeve 30 downwardly because of this cam action.

This, in turn, extends the cartridge 20 to the extended position shown in FIG. 1. When the bottom of the cam surface 42 reaches the top of the sleeve 30, the horizontal portion 44 rests against the top of the sleeve 30 to keep the point 22 extended and the pressure of spring 24 keeps these parts 44 and 30 in engagement.

It will be noted from FIG. 1 that the ball 66 of the clip is also recessed inside of the pen body, and when it is desired to retract the tip 22, the user presses on the ball 66 and the upper edge of the aperture 60 acts as a fulcrum point about which the clip pivots to move the proximal or attachment end 64 to the right. This pivoting action of the clip is shown in broken outline in FIG. 1.

Once the flatted portion 44 of the clip is removed from the top of the sleeve, the cartridge spring 24 urges the sleeve upwardly, causing further movement of the clip to the right until the hooks 50 and 52 engage the vertical flanges 38, as shown in FIG. 2. Also shown in FIG. 2 is the movement of the sleeve recess 62 upwardly so that the clip ball bears against the body of the sleeve, thus making the ball accessible for gripping fabric of a pocket. As shown in FIG. 2, the bearing edge 39 bears against the inclined surface 42 to move the clip against the upper edge 59 of the cap opening and the retaining hooks 50 and 52 to thereby create a torque on the clip 40 in a clockwise direction to cause it to grip the fabric of a pocket.

In summary, therefore, extension of the writing point is obtained by pressing inwardly on the attachment end 64 of the clip, and retraction of the writing point is obtained by pressing on the lower end of the ball 66.

Referring to FIG. 7, there is illustrated a modified form of the invention wherein the clip is formed of plastic, but nevertheless fits the structure of the pen body and the sleeve of FIGS. 1 and 2. A clip attachment or proximal end 70 has a pair of spaced sidewalls 72 and projecting inwardly from the lower left-hand corner of each sidewall is a projection 74 which serves as a hook in the same fashion as the projections 50 and 52 of FIG. 4. The rest of the attachment end 70 is solid, including a diagonal surface 76 and a flatted portion 78. Connected to the attachment portion 70 is a clip arm 80 having a ball 82 formed on the lower or distal end thereof. The operation of the device of FIG. 7 is identical to that of FIGS. 1 and 2, and the mode of attachment is the same.

Illustrated in FIG. 8 is a modified form of the invention wherein the pen body is formed of metal, preferably drawn sheetmetal or formed tubular stock. A cap 84 has an aperture 86 formed thereon to receive the attachment end 88 of a clip having a shank 90 with a ball (not shown) formed on the lower end thereof, and which ball may fit into the interior of the pen body in the same fashion as in FIGS. 2 and 5. The clip may have spaced sidewalls 92 and formed at the lower left-hand corner of these sidewalls may be a hook 94. Disposed between the sidewalls 92 may be a curved bearing surface 96.

Referring still to FIG. 8, the diagonal surface in that structure is formed on the sleeve. Accordingly, a sleeve 98 may have an upwardly projecting flatted stem 100 having a horizontal flange 102 formed on the top, an inclined or diagonal flange 104 formed on the upper right-hand part thereof, and a vertical flange 106 formed on the right-hand side thereof. One or more of these flanges may be apertured, or the sidewalls 92 may be elastically bent outwardly to go around these flanges and thereby create the hook and flange retainer described in connection with FIGS. 1 and 2. The operation of the writing instrument of FIG. 8 is identical to that of FIGS. 1 and 2, except that the bearing surface is now the curved member 96 and the diagonal surface 104 is now located on the sleeve 98.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications could be made in the structure disclosed. For example, the aperture in the cap opposite the ball of the clip could be eliminated along with the corresponding recess in the sleeve. Further, the recess of the sleeve could be a cut through hole, rather than a mere recess. The sleeve structure could be formed directly on the upper end of a non-standard cartridge. The diagonal camming surfaces could be made double-acting so as to retract the writing point without the need of any spring for this purpose. The writing tip may be a pencil tip, felt point, ball point or any other type of writing tip. The ball end of the clip could have a projection toward the cap to assist in the lever action of pressing the ball to retract the point, alternatively the cap could have a projection toward the clip arm. Accordingly, the attached claims are not limited to the disclosure made, but include all variations and modifications that come within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A writing instrument having a retractable and extendible writing tip comprising:

a. a hollow elongated body open on one end;

b. a writing cartridge in said body having a writing tip and an inner end and reciprocable therein to extend the tip through the opening for writing and to retract the tip when not used for writing;

c. a sleeve engaging the inner end of the cartridge and reciprocable within the hollow body;

d. a clip for holding the instrument in a pocket, and having an attachment end connected to said sleeve for limited movement in directions transverse to said body, and having a distal end toward the writing tip;

e. cam means interengaging the attachment end of the clip and the sleeve whereby movement of the attachment end of the clip inwardly of the body extends the writing tip and movement away from the body causes the tip to retract;

f. spring means normally urging the tip to a retracted position and maintaining the contact of the cam means with the sleeve and the clip;

g. and clip retaining means interengaging the sleeve and the attachment end of the clip and longitudinally disposed between the cam means and the writing tip;

whereby said spring means not only retracts the cartridge but creates a torque to force the distal end of the clip against the instrument body to

2. A writing instrument as set forth in claim 1 wherein the clip retaining

3. A writing instrument as set forth in claim 1 wherein the cam means includes surfaces transverse to the instrument body and a fulcrum is provided adjacent the distal end of the clip so that manual pressure on the distal end of the clip will move the attachment end outwardly of the body to release the transverse surfaces and allow retraction of the tip by

4. A writing instrument as set forth in claim 1 wherein a longitudinal flange is formed on the sleeve and a hook is formed on the clip, and the

5. A writing instrument as set forth in claim 1 wherein the clip retaining means includes a flange longitudinal of the body formed on the sleeve, a hook formed on the attachment end of the clip engaging the flange, and the flange has a notch to admit the hook and the notch is located between the limits of movement of the flange section past the hook as the writing tip

6. A writing instrument having a retractable and extendible writing tip comprising:

a. a hollow elongated body open on one end;

b. a writing cartridge in said body having a writing tip and an inner end and reciprocable therein to extend the tip through the opening for writing and to retract the tip when not used for writing;

c. a sleeve engaging the inner end of the cartridge and reciprocable within the body;

d. a clip having an attachment end connected to said sleeve for limited movement in directions transverse to said body and having a distal end;

e. cam means interengaging the attachment end of the clip and the sleeve whereby movement of the attachment end of the clip inwardly of the body extends the writing tip and movement away from the body permits the tip to retract.

f. and fulcrum means disposed near the distal end of the clip, between it and the attachment end of the clip, whereby manual pressure on the distal end of the clip causes rotation of the clip about the fulcrum and extension of the attachment end of the clip for retraction of the writing

7. A writing instrument as set forth in claim 6 wherein the fulcrum means includes an aperture in the body at the distal end of the clip and a side

8. A writing instrument as set forth in claim 6 wherein the body is apertured at the distal end of the clip, the sleeve is recessed in registry with the body aperture when the cartridge is extended and the clip has a ball at its distal end that occupies the body aperture and the recess when the tip is extended, and the sleeve acts to move the clip ball out of the sleeve recess when the tip is retracted to make the ball more

9. A writing instrument as set forth in claim 8 wherein the body wall is longitudinally thinned in the area toward the tip from the distal end of the clip and the sleeve has a projection riding therein as a key and the projection also acts to extend the clip ball a maximum distance out of the body aperture, when the sleeve moves upwardly as the writing tip is retracted.