JP3474875B2 - writing implements - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a writing instrument that supplies writing instrument ink, such as water-based ink or oil-based ink, impregnated in an ink reservoir inside a barrel to the pen tip, which serves as the writing part, and more particularly to a writing instrument with this structure that allows for easy detection of the ink end sign.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, writing instruments that allow you to know the remaining amount of ink or when the ink is running out include, for example, direct-liquid writing instruments with a collector structure in which liquid ink is stored directly inside the barrel, writing instruments in which ink is stored in a cartridge-type ink reservoir, and ballpoint pens in which ballpoint pen ink is filled in a transparent refill.

However, in the case of writing instruments that supply ink for writing instruments, such as water-based ink or oil-based ink, which is impregnated in an ink reservoir inside a barrel, to the pen tip that serves as the writing part, that is, so-called cotton-filled writing instruments, there are currently no writing instruments equipped with a mechanism that can detect the ink end sign.
With a writing instrument of this structure, you can only tell that the ink is finished when you use it until the ink starts to fade while writing, and then you can either discard it or refill it and reuse it. However, fading can also occur when the nib of the pen smudges, so if the nib smudges due to drying out even though there is still enough ink impregnated in the ink reservoir, this is not a sign that the ink is actually finished, and there is an issue with usability, etc.

On the other hand, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-270585 discloses a writing instrument in which a spool that serves as an ink storage body is housed in a transparent barrel, the ink impregnated in the spool is supplied to the pen tip that serves as the writing part, and the contents of the writing instrument from the spool to the pen tip can be seen. However, with a writing instrument of this structure, although it is possible to check to some extent the amount of ink remaining by the degree of ink color stored when the amount of ink stored in the spool becomes low, it is not possible to reliably detect the end of the ink, and even with this writing instrument, there are problems with usability, etc.

[0005]

[Problem to be Solved by the Invention] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems and current state of the prior art, and aims to solve these problems, and to provide a writing instrument that supplies writing instrument ink, such as water-based ink or oil-based ink, impregnated in an ink reservoir inside the barrel to the pen tip, which serves as the writing part, and that can easily and reliably detect the end of ink.

[0006]

[Means for solving the problem] After extensive research into the problems of the above-mentioned prior art, the inventors discovered that a writing instrument that satisfies the above-mentioned objectives can be obtained by configuring the barrel of a writing instrument that supplies ink impregnated in the ink reservoir inside the barrel to the pen tip, which is the writing part, in a specific manner, and by configuring the mechanism that supplies ink from the ink reservoir to the pen tip in a specific manner, and thus completed the present invention.

That is, the writing implement of the present invention comprises the following (1) to (3):
(14) (1) A writing instrument that supplies ink impregnated in an ink reservoir in a barrel to a nib that serves as a writing part, characterized in that the ink impregnated in the ink reservoir is supplied to the nib through a visible ink guide tube, and an ink-out sign from the ink reservoir is detected by visually checking the ink guide tube through a visual check portion formed on the barrel. (2) A twin-type writing instrument that supplies ink impregnated in an ink reservoir in a barrel to each nib that serves as a writing part provided on both sides of the barrel, characterized in that the ink supplied to either nib is supplied to the nib through a visible ink guide tube, and an ink-out sign from the ink reservoir is detected by visually checking the ink guide tube through a visual check portion formed on the barrel. (3) A writing instrument as set forth in (1) or (2) above, characterized in that the surface tension of the ink-contacting surface of the visible ink guide tube or the material of the ink guide tube itself is lower than the surface tension of the ink. (4) A writing instrument as set forth in any one of (1) to (3) above, characterized in that the end face of the ink occluder where the ink guide tube and the ink occluder are joined is closed to the outside air. (5) A writing instrument as set forth in any one of (1) to (4) above, characterized in that the distribution of capillary force in the ink occluder becomes greater toward the pen tip side. (6) A writing instrument as set forth in any one of (1) to (5) above, characterized in that the inner diameter of the barrel becomes narrower toward the pen tip side. (7) A writing instrument as set forth in any one of (1) to (6) above, characterized in that a plurality of ribs are formed axially on the inside of the barrel on the pen tip side. (8) A writing instrument as set forth in any one of (1) to (7) above, characterized in that a plurality of visible ink guide tubes are provided. (9) A writing instrument as set forth in any one of (1) to (8) above, in which the ink impregnated in the ink occlusion body is supplied to the pen tip by an ink supply wick in addition to the visible ink guide tubes. (10) A writing instrument as set forth in any one of (1) to (9) above, in which the ink guide tubes with ink visibility are filled with a fiber bundle or a porous resin particle body having a lower surface tension than the ink and a different color from the ink, thereby making it possible to control the cross-sectional area of the ink flow path through the ink guide tube and the flow resistance of the ink while maintaining the apparent cross-sectional area of the ink guide tube. (11) A writing instrument as set forth in any one of (1) to (10) above, characterized in that the length of the visible part of the barrel is 1 mm or more and not more than the entire length of the writing instrument. (12) A writing instrument in which the ink flow path cross-sectional area of the ink guide tube is 8 × 10 ^-2 to
(13) A writing instrument according to any one of ( ¹ ) to (12) above, characterized in that the ink has a surface tension of 18 mN/m or more at 25°C. (14) A writing instrument according to any one of (1) to (12) above, characterized in that the ink has a viscosity coefficient of 500 mPa·s at 25°C.
A writing instrument according to any one of (1) to (13) above, characterized in that:

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
A writing instrument that supplies ink impregnated in an ink absorbing body inside a barrel to the nib that serves as the writing part, characterized in that the ink impregnated in the ink absorbing body is supplied to the nib through a visible ink guide tube, and the ink-out sign from the ink absorbing body is detected by visually checking the ink guide tube through a visual inspection part formed on the barrel; also a twin-type writing instrument that supplies ink impregnated in an ink absorbing body inside a barrel to each of the nibs that serve as writing parts provided on both sides of the barrel, characterized in that the ink supplied to either nib is supplied to the nib through a visible ink guide tube, and the ink-out sign from the ink absorbing body is detected by visually checking the ink guide tube through a visual inspection part formed on the barrel.

1 to 3 show a first embodiment of the present invention, which can be suitably applied to a felt-tip pen, a marker, a whiteboard marker, etc. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the writing implement A of this first embodiment comprises a barrel 10 which is the main body of the writing implement, an ink occlusion body 2,
The barrel 10 is made of, for example, synthetic resin, and has a small diameter portion 10 with a tapered tip.
The small diameter portion 10a is integrated with the large diameter portion 10b, and the small diameter portion 10a has a fitting portion 11 into which the pen tip 20 is fitted, while the large diameter portion 10b is structured to accommodate an ink absorbing body 20 impregnated with ink for the writing instrument and an ink guide tube 30.

[0010] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 1 and 3, the tip side of the large diameter portion 10b of the barrel 10 has a visible portion 12 made of a transparent or semi-transparent material so that the inside of the barrel can be seen, and the rest of the barrel is a non-visible portion made of a separate material, etc.
The entire barrel 10 may be made of a transparent or semi-transparent material that allows visibility, and the entire barrel 10 may be made of a transparent or semi-transparent material that allows visibility, and the area other than the visible portion 12 may be a non-visible area that is a colored or decorative portion. The total length of the visible portion 12 may be any length that allows the ink guide tube 30 held within the barrel 10 to be visible from the visible portion 12, and is preferably 1 mm or more and less than the total length of the writing instrument body (the barrel in this embodiment), and more preferably 5 mm or more.
If the total length of the visible portion 12 is less than 1 mm, it will be difficult to visually detect the ink end sign, and the detection function will not be fulfilled.

The ink occlusion body 20 is impregnated with ink for writing instruments, such as water-based ink or oil-based ink, and may be made of, for example, natural fibers, animal hair fibers, polyacetal resins, acrylic resins, polyester resins, polyamide resins,
It includes fiber bundles made of one or a combination of two or more types of resins such as polyurethane resin, polyolefin resin, polyvinyl resin, polycarbonate resin, polyether resin, polyphenylene resin, etc., processed fiber bundles such as felt, and porous bodies such as sponge, resin particles, and sintered bodies, and is housed in the barrel 20 by a rear retainer 21 that seals the front part of the barrel 10 and a tail plug 50.

As shown in FIG. 1, the ink guide tube 30 is
The ink flow path member is a cylindrical (tubular) member having visibility, and is made of a transparent or semi-transparent material such as resin, rubber, or glass. Specifically, examples of the transparent or semi-transparent resin include polypropylene, polyethylene, cyclic polyolefin, poly(1-
polyolefin resins such as methyl-4-pentene;
Examples of the material include polycarbonate, polystyrene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, and polybutylene terephthalate, as well as fluoroplastics such as fluororesins and vinylidene fluoride. Examples of transparent or translucent rubber include fluororubber and silicone rubber. In this embodiment, the material is polypropylene. Furthermore, the above resins, rubbers, or
At least the wall surface of the transparent or semi-transparent member made of glass or the like that comes into contact with the ink may be subjected to a surface treatment that reduces the surface energy to a level lower than that of the ink. Specifically, fluorine coating, fluorine resin coating, or silicone resin coating with a dimethyl silicone skeleton may be used. The rear end portion 30a of this ink guide tube 30 is attached to the rear holder 2.
1 and is fitted into the ink occlusion body 20, and the front end portion 30b passes through the front holder 22 that seals the small diameter portion 10a of the barrel 10 and is fitted into the rear end portion of the pen tip 40. As a result, the ink guide tube 30 is held in the center of the viewing space 13 by the rear holder 21 and front holder 22 that seal the barrel 10, forming the viewing space 13 inside the barrel 10.

With this configuration, the visible portion 12 of the barrel 10
If the ink guide tube 30 is visually recognized, it can be easily seen through the visual recognition portion 12.
In addition, the ink contained in the ink occlusion body 20 is
The soaked ink flows into the ink guide tube 30 by capillary force.
The ink is supplied to the pen tip 40 through the ink guide tube 30.
The total length of the ink guide tube 30 is
It is set appropriately depending on the type of tip 40, and usually,
The total length of the ink guide tube is determined by the capillary force of the ink occlusion body 20.
The length from the front end of the ink occlusion body 20 to the pen tip 40 is
The length is specified within the range of the length.
The ink flow path cross-sectional area of the ink guide tube 30 is
To allow ink to pass through the nozzle 30 more smoothly
2, 8 x 10^-2~80mm ², more preferably 0.5
~20mm²It is desirable to do so.
The product is 8 x 10^-2mm²If it is less than this, the ink flow rate will be low.
On the other hand, the ink adherence during writing is poor.
mm²When the ink guide tube 30 exceeds the
It becomes difficult to visually detect when the ink is finished.
²If the cross-sectional area exceeds the ink guide tube length,
It is easy to visually detect when the ink has run out.
When writing with the pen pointing downwards, excess ink is released from the pen tip.
will be leaked.

[0014] Furthermore, in order to supply ink from the ink occlusion body 20 to the pen tip 40 more smoothly and easily, it is preferable that the surface tension of the surface of the visible ink guide tube 30 that comes into contact with the ink or the material of the ink guide tube 30 itself is smaller than the surface tension of the ink. If the surface tension of the ink guide tube 30 that comes into contact with the ink is greater than the surface tension of the ink, the surface of the ink guide tube 30 that comes into contact with the ink can be made smaller than the surface tension of the ink by subjecting it to fluorine treatment, silicone treatment, or the like. Furthermore, the cross-sectional shape of the ink guide tube 30 can be, for example, a circular shape (Fig. 2(a)), a triangular shape (Fig. 2(b)), or a rectangular shape (Fig. 2(c)), as shown in Figs. 2(a) to 2(h).
Square shape (Fig. 2(c)), pentagonal shape (Fig. 2(d)),
Examples of shapes include polygonal shapes such as a hexagonal shape (Fig. 2(e)), a diamond shape (Fig. 2(g)), an elliptical shape (Fig. 2(f)), and a star shape (Fig. 2(h)), and are not particularly limited as long as they allow smooth supply of ink from the ink occlusion body 20 to the pen tip 40 and do not impede visibility. The ink guide tube 30 of this embodiment has a circular cross-sectional shape.

The pen tip 40 may be made of, for example, natural fiber, animal hair fiber, polyacetal resin, acrylic resin, polyester resin, polyamide resin, polyurethane resin,
The pen tip is made of a parallel fiber bundle made of one or a combination of two or more types of resins such as polyolefin resin, polyvinyl resin, polycarbonate resin, polyether resin, polyphenylene resin, etc., a fiber core made by processing a fiber bundle such as felt or processing such a fiber bundle with resin, or a porous body made by fusing various types of plastic powder, etc., and the shape of the pen tip is selected according to the type of writing instrument, for example, a marking pen, a felt-tip pen, etc.

The ink to be impregnated into the ink occlusion body 20 may be any ink for writing instruments, such as water-based ink or oil-based ink, having a commonly used composition.
There are no particular limitations, and examples include water-based or oil-based liquid inks suitable for use in felt-tip pens, marking pens, ballpoint pens, whiteboards, etc. Preferably, in order to better detect the end sign in the ink guide tube 30, the surface tension of the ink is 18 mN/m or more at 25°C.
It is more preferable that the viscosity is 20 to 50 mN/m. The surface tension of the ink can be adjusted by blending a surfactant or the like into the ink composition as needed. Furthermore, in order to more smoothly and smoothly supply the ink to the ink occlusion body 20, the ink guide tube 30, and the pen tip 40, the viscosity coefficient of the ink is preferably 500 mPa·s or less at 25°C, more preferably 200 mPa·s or less, and particularly preferably 1
It is desirable that the viscosity coefficient of the ink is in the range of 100 mPa·s to 500 mPa·s. If the viscosity coefficient of the ink exceeds 500 mPa·s, the fluidity of the ink will be poor, and the ink will not flow out in sufficient volume, which may result in blurred lines or inability to write quickly due to insufficient flow rate. The viscosity coefficient of the ink can be adjusted by adding a thickener or the like to the ink composition as needed.

1 and 3, in the writing instrument A of the first embodiment configured as described above, the ink impregnated in the ink occlusion body 20 passes through the ink guide tube 30 and penetrates into the pen tip 40 by capillary action, enabling writing. In the writing instrument A of the first embodiment, the ink impregnated in the ink occlusion body 20 is constantly supplied to the pen tip 40 through the ink guide tube 30, so that when the ink impregnated in the ink occlusion body 20 decreases due to writing and reaches its end, this can be detected by the fact that no more ink passes through the ink guide tube 30. In other words, in the writing instrument A of this embodiment, the ink end sign from the ink occlusion body 20 can be detected by visually checking the ink guide tube 30 through the visual check portion 12 formed on the barrel 10. Therefore, it becomes possible to clearly and easily determine visually whether the fading of ink at the pen tip 40 is due to drying at the pen tip 40 or due to the actual end of ink consumption.

In this embodiment, the tail plug 50 is attached to the barrel 1.
The tail plug 50 is fixed to the rear end of the barrel 10, but the tail plug 50 is detachably attached to the rear end of the barrel 10, and after the end of the ink is detected by visual confirmation of the ink guide tube 30, the tail plug 5
The ink guide pipe 30 may be removed and refilled with replenisher ink.
The ink is supplied to the pen tip 40 excessively from the
In order to prevent ink from leaking from the small diameter portion 10a, an ink absorber may be provided on the outer periphery of the rear end portion of the pen tip 40. This ink absorber is provided around the pen tip 40 in the small diameter portion 10a.
The ink guide tube 30 and the ink occlusion body 20 are disposed in a space 14 formed on the outer periphery of the rear end portion of the ink guide tube 30.
In this embodiment, since the end face of the ink absorbing body 20 on the side where the ink guide tube 30 and the ink absorbing body 20 are joined is closed to the outside air by the front holder 22 and the tail plug 50, no outside air flows in, and it is possible to prevent air from flowing into the ink guide tube 30.

4(a) to 4(c) show modified examples of the first embodiment. Fig. 4(a) shows a configuration in which the distribution of capillary force in the ink occlusion body is made larger toward the pen tip side, for example, a structure in which the gaps between the fiber bundles constituting the ink occlusion body 20 become narrower toward the pen tip side, i.e., a structure in which the gaps between the fiber bundles constituting the ink occlusion body 20 become narrower toward the pen tip side, i.e., a structure in which the gaps between the fiber bundles
The pore size is 20a and the dense portion 20b.
(b) shows a structure in which the inner diameter of the barrel 10 becomes narrower toward the pen tip side (tapered shape), and the ink occlusion body 2
The 0 also has a structure that narrows as it moves towards the pen tip.
4(c) shows a structure in which a plurality of ribs 15, 15... are formed in the axial direction on the inside of the inner wall of the barrel 10 that houses the ink occlusion body 20. By further employing each of the structures shown in Figs. 4(a) to 4(c) or a combination thereof in the writing instrument A of the first embodiment, the ink impregnated in the ink occlusion body 20 flows more smoothly into the ink guide tube 30,
The ink is supplied to the pen tip 40 in a satisfactory manner.

5(a) and (b) show a second embodiment of the present invention. Writing implement B of this second embodiment
a plurality of visible ink guide tubes 31, 32;
In this embodiment, the ink guide tubes 31 and 32 are made of transparent or semi-transparent members of different lengths and have visibility.
5(a) and 5(b), the same components as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. In the second embodiment, the ink guide tube 31 having a long overall length and the ink guide tube 32 having a short overall length are provided in the same manner as in FIG.
As shown in (b), both rear end portions 31a and 32a are
The ink occlusion body 20 is inserted into the ink occlusion body 20 with a difference in length X through the rear support body 21, and the front end portions 31b and 31c are
The ink guide tubes 31, 32 pass through the front holder 22 that seals the small diameter portion 10a of the barrel 10 and are fitted into the rear end portion of the pen tip 40 with their ends aligned.
2 is held in the center of the visible space portion 13.

In the writing implement B of this second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the ink impregnated in the ink occlusion body 20 passes through the ink guide tubes 31 and 32 and reaches the pen tip 40.
In addition, in this writing instrument B, the ends 31a and 32a of the ink guide tube are inserted into the ink occlusion body 20 with a difference in length of X.
When the ink absorption rate of the ink occluder 20 is gradually consumed from its maximum by writing, the ink in the long ink guide tube 31 stops flowing and breaks, and it can be detected through the visual confirmation unit 12 that, for example, about 90% of the ink remains in the ink occluder 20. Next, when ink is consumed by further writing and the ink in the short ink guide tube 32 stops flowing and breaks, that is, it can be detected through the visual confirmation unit 12 that the ink in the ink occluder 20 has run out. Therefore, in the writing instrument B of the second embodiment, each end 31 of the ink guide tube inserted into the ink occluder 20
By arranging the lengths of the ink cartridges 32a and 32b with a difference, the remaining amount of ink in the ink occlusion body 20 and the end sign can be displayed on the barrel 10.
The ink guide pipe 31,
This can be detected by visually checking 32.

In the second embodiment, the ink guide tubes 31 and 32 are different in length, but the ink guide tubes may be of the same length. In this case, the ink can be supplied to the pen tip 40 more smoothly and smoothly.
Although the number of ink guide tubes is two, three or more ink guide tubes of different lengths or the same length may be provided as appropriate depending on the application of the writing instrument, etc. Furthermore, the modified examples shown in Figures 4(a) to 4(c) may be applied to the writing instrument B of the second embodiment (the same applies to the following embodiments).

[0023] Figures 6(a) and (b) show a third embodiment of the present invention. The writing instrument C of this third embodiment differs from the writing instrument A of the first embodiment only in that the ink impregnated in the ink occlusion body 20 is supplied to the pen tip 40 by an ink supply wick 34 in addition to a visible ink guide tube 33. In Figures 6(a) and (b), the same components as those of the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals and their description will be omitted. In this third embodiment, the ink guide tube 33 and ink supply wick 34 are provided by the same means as in Figure 6.
As shown in (b), both of them penetrate the rear holding body 21 and are fitted into the ink occlusion body 20, and their front end portions are in the front holding body 22 which seals the small diameter portion 10a of the barrel 10.
The ink guide tube 33 and the ink supply wick 34 are inserted into the rear end of the pen tip 40 with their ends aligned, so that the ink guide tube 33 and the ink supply wick 34 are held in the center of the visible space 13.

In the writing implement C of this third embodiment, the ink impregnated in the ink occlusion body 20 passes through the ink guide tube 33 having the same structure as the first embodiment, and the ink supply core 34 made of a fiber bundle or the like, and reaches the pen tip 40.
With this writing instrument C, ink can be supplied to the pen tip 40 not only by the ink guide tube 33 but also by the ink supply wick 40, which makes it possible to supply ink to the pen tip 40 more smoothly. Note that, in order to reliably detect the ink end sign by visually checking the ink guide tube 34 via the visual check unit 12, it is preferable to set the ink supply force of the ink supply wick 34 to the pen tip to be weaker than the ink supply force of the ink guide tube 33.

7(a) to 7(c) show a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In the writing implement D of the fourth embodiment, a fiber bundle or a porous resin particle body 36 made of, for example, tetrafluoroethylene, which has a lower surface tension than the ink impregnated in the ink occlusion body 20 and is different in color from the ink, is placed in a visible ink guide tube 35.
7(b) or a fiber bundle such as vinylidene fluoride or a porous resin particle body 37 (FIG. 7(c)) is inserted into the ink guide tube 35.
The only difference from the writing instrument A of the first embodiment is that the ink guide tube 35 is filled with ink, thereby substantially controlling the cross-sectional area of the ink flow path through the ink guide tube 35 and the flow resistance of the ink while maintaining the apparent cross-sectional area of the ink guide tube 35.
7(a) and 7(b), the same components as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. Furthermore, the fiber bundle or porous resin particle body used must have a surface energy lower than that of the ink, or must be surface-treated to have a surface energy lower than that of the ink. The fiber bundle or porous resin particle body 36 of the fourth embodiment
The hue of the ink occluding material 20 or 37 is different from the color of the ink impregnated in the ink occluder 20, and preferably is a color that can be concealed by the ink color used. For example, the hue of the ink occluding material 20 or 37 can be white when the ink is black, blue when the ink is red, or black when the ink is yellow. However, the ink occluding material 20 or 37 may be transparent or translucent and does not necessarily have to be colored.

In the writing implement D of the fourth embodiment, the ink impregnated in the ink occlusion body 20 is inserted into the ink guide tube 35 through the rod-shaped fiber bundle or resin particle porous body 36 or 37 without contacting the inner wall of the ink guide tube 35, and the ink is visible.
The ink then passes through the ink guide tube 35 and is supplied to the pen tip 40, enabling writing. In this writing instrument D, fiber bundles or porous resin particles 36 or 37, which have a surface tension lower than that of the ink and a different color from the ink, are placed inside the ink guide tube 35 without coming into contact with the inner wall of the ink guide tube 35, i.e., by ensuring a gap through which the ink can flow, the cross-sectional area of the ink flow path through the ink guide tube 35 can be reduced, and the cross-sectional area can be substantially reduced while keeping the apparent cross-sectional area of the ink guide tube the same, and the volume of ink flowing through the ink guide tube 35 can also be reduced, thereby simultaneously solving the problem of the ink end detection function and the problem of excessive ink flow when the ink has run out. Furthermore, in the writing instrument D of the fourth embodiment, the above-mentioned first
Unlike the writing instruments of the third to fourth embodiments, in which the ink-running sign is detected by visually checking for ink runout in the ink guide tube, when the ink runs out (ink runout), the ink guide tube 35 is visible as a color of the fiber bundle or resin particle porous body 36 or 37 that is different from the ink color, so the ink-running sign is more clearly visually appealing.

8 shows a fifth embodiment of the present invention. The writing implement E of this fifth embodiment has the following features: the pen tip 40 is for underlining, the tip barrel 41 that holds the pen tip is made of a separate member and is fixed to the tip of the barrel 10, the rear holder 21 and the front holder 22 are omitted, and
It differs from the writing instrument A of the first embodiment described above in that it has a circumferential holding step 23 that holds the ink absorbing body 20 instead of the rear holding body 21, and like the writing instrument A, the ink supply and ink end sign are detected by visually observing the ink guide tube 30 through the visual observation section 12.

9 shows a sixth embodiment of the present invention. The writing implement F of this sixth embodiment is different in that the pen tip 40 is for a ballpoint pen equipped with an ink guide core, the tip barrel 42 that holds the pen tip is made of a separate member and fixed to the tip of the barrel 10, and the front holder 22 is omitted.
This differs from the writing instrument A of the first embodiment described above, and like the writing instrument A, the ink supply and ink end sign are detected by visually checking the ink guide tube 30 via the visual check section 12.

[0029] Figure 10 shows a seventh embodiment of the present invention, a twin-type writing implement G in which ink impregnated in an ink occlusion body 20 in a barrel 10 is supplied to an underlining nib 40 and a felt-tip nib 45, which are writing parts provided on both sides of the barrel 10. Ink is supplied from the ink occlusion body 20 to the nib 40 side through a visible ink guide tube 30, as in the fifth embodiment of Figure 8, and to the nib 45 side, the rear end of the nib 45 fits into and comes into contact with the ink occlusion body 20, so that ink is supplied directly from the ink occlusion body 20. Reference numeral 46 in the figure denotes a tip portion formed integrally with the barrel 10. In this twin-type writing implement G, ink is consumed by each nib 40, 45, and the fifth
As in the embodiment, the ink end sign of the ink occluder 20 is detected by visually checking the ink guide tube 30 through the visual checking unit 12. Contrary to the above embodiment, the visual checking unit 12, the ink guide tube 30, etc. are provided on the pen tip 40 side, but the visual checking unit 12 and the ink guide tube 30 are provided on the pen tip 45 side.
0, etc., and the rear end portion of the pen tip 40 is connected to the ink occlusion body 20
It is also possible to directly supply ink from the ink occlusion body 20 by fitting it into the ink occlusion body 20 and bringing it into contact with the ink occlusion body 20 .

The writing implement of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and it goes without saying that it can be modified in various forms without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example,
The first embodiment (including the modified example of FIG. 4) to the seventh embodiment may be suitably combined, for example, the third embodiment.
Alternatively, the fourth embodiment may be applied to the writing implement of the fifth or sixth embodiment, and each of the second to fourth embodiments may be applied to the writing implement of the seventh embodiment.
This may be applied to the writing instrument of the embodiment.
The writing implement of the present invention has a structure in which ink impregnated in the ink occlusion body 20 is supplied to the pen tip through a visible ink guide tube 30, and an ink end sign from the ink occlusion body 20 can be detected by visually checking the ink guide tube 30 through a visual check section 12 formed on the barrel 10, so that the configuration that does not change this gist is not particularly limited, and various known writing implement structures can be adopted, and the pen tip and ink type can be changed depending on the application, such as a ballpoint pen, a felt-tip pen, a marking pen, a brush pen, etc., so that the writing implement can be suitably applied to writing implements for various applications. Furthermore, the ink for the writing implement can be used with correction fluid, coating fluid,
The present invention may also be applied to applicators for liquid cosmetics and other cosmetic materials.

[0031]

EXAMPLES Next, the present invention will be described in more detail based on specific examples, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples. The surface tension of ink, etc. was measured by the Wilhelmy method (Kyowa Interface Science Co., Ltd., CBVP-Z model), and the viscosity coefficient of ink was measured with a rotational viscometer (Tokimec Co., Ltd., TV-20L).

[Example 1, Sign Pen] A sign pen conforming to Figures 1 and 3 was produced using the barrel, ink occlusion body, ink guide tube, pen tip, and ink composition as follows: Barrel: Made of polypropylene, large diameter part diameter 10 mm, visible part length 15 mm (parts other than the visible part are invisible due to a colored layer), total length 120 mm Ink occlusion body: Made of polyethylene terephthalate padding (porosity 80%), diameter 9 mm, length 60 mm Ink guide tube: Made of PFA (tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer), inner diameter 3 mm, length 2
0 mm, ink flow path cross-sectional area approximately 7 mm ² , surface tension of the material of the ink guide tube itself (25°C) 20 mN/m, length of the rear end portion inserted into the ink occlusion body 20 3 mm, pen tip made of acrylic fiber sliver core (porosity 55
%), length 15 mm Ink composition (total 100% by weight) Water-soluble dye (CI Direct Black-154) 4.5 Water-soluble dye (CI Direct Black-19) 1.5 Ethylene glycol 10.0 Glycerin 10.0 pH adjuster 0.3 Preservative (Proxel GXL) 0.5 Fixing resin (styrene acrylic acid resin, ammonia neutralized) 3.0 Surfactant (Ingen P, Daiichi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.) 0.2 Purified water Remainder Ink surface tension (25°C) 37 mN/m, ink viscosity coefficient (25°C) 8 mPa·s, amount impregnated into ink occluder 2.5 g

The sign pen A obtained by the above construction has the following features:
After assembly, it was possible to visually confirm through the visual confirmation portion 12 that the ink was passing through the ink guide tube 30, and then it permeated into the pen tip 40. As with a sign pen, the amount of ink flowing out remained almost constant until the ink was exhausted, just like a direct ink writing instrument, and it was found that good lines could be drawn.
When writing was continued until the ink impregnated in the ink guide tube 30 was exhausted,
That is, the ink end sign from the ink occlusion body 20 could be easily and reliably detected by visually checking the ink guide tube 30 through the visual checking portion 12 formed on the barrel 10. Furthermore, after the end was detected by the ink guide tube 30, the amount of ink flowing out suddenly decreased, making it impossible to write.

[0034] [Example 2, felt-tip pen] A felt-tip pen conforming to Figure 5 was produced using the barrel, ink occlusion body, ink guide tube, pen tip and ink composition of the following configuration: 1) barrel made of polypropylene, diameter of large diameter part 10 mm, length of visible part 15 mm (parts other than the visible part are non-visible due to a colored layer), total length 120 mm 2) ink occlusion body composed of polyethylene terephthalate padding (porosity 80%), diameter 9 mm, length 60 mm 3) two ink guide tubes of different lengths i) made of polypropylene, inner diameter 3 mm, length 20 mm, ink flow path cross-sectional area approximately 7 ^mm2 , surface tension (25°C) of the ink guide tube material itself 31 mN/m, length by which the rear end part fits into the ink occlusion body 20 3 mm ii) made of polypropylene, inner diameter 3 mm, length 30 mm
3) X: 10 mm ⁴ ) Pen tip: composed of a sliver core of polyethylene terephthalate fiber (porosity 55%), length 15 mm 5) Ink composition (total amount 100% by weight): Water-soluble dye (C.I. Direct Black-154) 5.0 Thiodiethanol 10.0 Glycerin 5.0 Urea 4.0 Surfactant (Dovanox 25N, Lion Corporation) 0.05 Purified water Remainder: Surface tension of ink (25°C): 55 mN/m, viscosity coefficient of ink (25°C): 2 mPa·s, amount impregnated into ink occluder: 2.5 g

The sign pen B obtained by the above construction has the following features:
After assembly, it is possible to visually confirm through the visual confirmation portion 12 that the ink passes through the ink guide tubes 31 and 32.
It was found that the ink penetrated into the pen tip 40 and that the pen could draw good lines as a felt-tip pen. When writing was continued until the ink that had soaked into the ink occlusion body 20 was exhausted, the ink guide tube 31 was found to have run out at first, and
That is, the remaining ink amount sign (90% in this embodiment) from the ink occlusion body 20 is formed on the barrel 10 by the visual confirmation part 1.
By visually checking the ink guide tube 30 through the visual check portion 12 formed on the barrel 10, it was possible to easily and reliably detect the remaining amount of ink, and when writing was continued, it was found that the ink had run out in the ink guide tube 32, i.e., the end of the ink from the ink occlusion body 20 could be easily and reliably detected by visually checking the ink guide tube 32 through the visual check portion 12 formed on the barrel 10. In other respects, the same evaluation as in Example 1 was obtained.

Example 3, Sign Pen A sign pen conforming to Figure 6 was produced using the following barrel, ink occlusion body, ink guide tube, pen tip, and ink composition: barrel: polypropylene, large diameter 10 mm, visible portion length 15 mm (portions other than the visible portion are non-visible due to a colored layer), total length 120 mm; ink occlusion body: polyethylene terephthalate batting (porosity 80%), diameter 9 mm, length 60 mm; ink guide tube: polypropylene, inner diameter 3 mm, length 20 mm, ink flow path cross-sectional area approximately 7 ^mm2 , surface tension (25°C) of the ink guide tube material itself 31 mN/m, length 3 mm for the rear end portion to fit into the ink occlusion body 20; ink supply wick: polyethylene terephthalate sliver (porosity 50%), diameter 3 mm, length 20 mm; pen tip: acrylic fiber sliver core (porosity 55
%), length 15 mm Ink composition (total 100% by weight): Carbon black 6.0, Thiodiethanol 15.0, Glycerin 5.0, Urea 5.0, Surfactant (Pluronic PE3100, manufactured by BASF) 0.03, Purified water, balance Ink surface tension (25°C): 54 mN/m, ink viscosity coefficient (25°C): 2.5 mPa·s, amount impregnated into ink occlusion body: 2.5 g

The sign pen C obtained by the above construction has the following features:
After assembly, it was possible to visually confirm through the visual confirmation portion 12 that the ink was passing through the ink guide tube 33, and then it penetrated into the pen tip 40, and it was found that the ink could be used as a felt-tip pen to draw good lines. When writing was continued until the ink impregnated in the ink occlusion body 20 was used up, it was found that the ink had run out in the ink guide tube 33, that is, the ink end sign from the ink occlusion body 20 could be easily and reliably detected by visually confirming the ink guide tube 33 through the visual confirmation portion 12 formed on the barrel 10.
Other than that, the same evaluations as in Example 1 were obtained.

[Example 4, Sign Pen] A sign pen conforming to Figure 7 was produced using the barrel, ink occlusion body, ink guide tube, pen tip, and ink composition as follows: Barrel: Made of polypropylene, large diameter part diameter 10 mm, visible part length 15 mm (parts other than the visible part are invisible due to a colored layer), total length 120 mm Ink occlusion body: Made of polyethylene terephthalate padding (porosity 80%), diameter 8 mm, length 60 mm Ink guide tube: Made of PFA (tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer), inner diameter 3 mm, length 2
0 mm, ink flow path cross-sectional area approximately 7 mm ² , surface tension of the material of the ink guide tube itself (25°C) 20 mN/m, length of the rear end portion inserted into the ink occlusion body 20 3 mm rod-shaped body made of Teflon (registered trademark), diameter 1 mm, length 25 mm,
White nib made of acrylic fiber sliver core (porosity 50
%), length 15 mm Ink composition (total 100% by weight): Color pigment (CI Pigment Blue 15:3) 4.0, Thiodiethanol 5.0, Diethylene glycol 5.0, Isopropyl alcohol 3.0, Urea 3.0, Surfactant (Pluronic PE3100, manufactured by BASF) 0.03, Purified water, balance Ink surface tension (25°C): 55 mN/m, ink viscosity coefficient (25°C): 2 mPa·s, amount impregnated into ink occluder: 2.5 g

The sign pen D obtained by the above construction has the following features:
After assembly, it was possible to visually confirm through the visual confirmation portion 12 that the ink was passing through the ink guide tube 35, and it was then found that the ink was penetrating into the pen tip 40, enabling the pen to draw good lines as a felt-tip pen. Writing was continued until the ink impregnated in the ink occlusion body 20 was exhausted, and it was possible to easily and reliably detect that the ink had run out in the ink guide tube 30, i.e., the ink-out sign from the ink occlusion body 20, by visually confirming through the visual confirmation portion 12 formed on the barrel 10 the white color of the rod-shaped body inserted into the ink guide tube 35. Otherwise, the results were similar to those of Example 1.

Example 5, Ballpoint Pen A ballpoint pen conforming to Figure 9 was produced using the barrel, ink occlusion body, ink guide tube, pen tip, and ink composition described below. Barrel: Made of polypropylene, large diameter part 8 mm, visible part length 15 mm (parts other than the visible part are invisible due to a colored layer), total length 120 mm. Ink occlusion body: Made of polyethylene terephthalate padding (porosity 80%), diameter 6 mm, length 60 mm. Ink guide tube: Made of polypropylene, inner diameter 3 mm, length 20 mm, ink flow path cross-sectional area approximately ⁷ mm2, surface tension (25°C) of the ink guide tube material itself 31 mN/m, length 3 mm where rear end fits into ink occlusion body 20. Pen tip: Made of acrylic fiber sliver core (porosity 50%).
%), length 15 mm, ball diameter 0.5 mm, Ink composition (total 100% by weight): Water-soluble dye (CI Direct Black-154) 5.0, Thiodiethanol 10.0, Glycerin 5.0, Urea 4.0, Surfactant (Dovanox 25N, Lion Corporation) 0.05, Purified water, balance. Ink surface tension (25°C): 55 mN/m, ink viscosity coefficient (25°C): 2 mPa·s, amount of ink absorbent: 2.5 g

The ballpoint pen E obtained by the above construction has the following characteristics:
After assembly, it was possible to visually confirm via the visual confirmation portion 12 that the ink was passing through the ink guide tube 30, and it was then found that the ink was seeping into the pen tip 40, enabling the pen to draw good lines as a felt-tip pen. Writing was continued until the ink impregnated in the ink occlusion body 20 was used up, and it was found that the ink had run out in the ink guide tube 30, i.e., the ink end sign from the ink occlusion body 20 could be easily and reliably detected by visually confirming the ink guide tube 30 via the visual confirmation portion 12 formed on the barrel 10.
Other than that, the same evaluations as in Example 1 were obtained.

Example 6: Sign-Tip Pen In Example 1 above, the ink occlusion body and the ink composition were replaced with the ink occlusion body and ink composition (oil-based ink) of the following configurations, and a sign-tip pen conforming to Figures 1 and 3 was produced. (Ink occlusion body) Composed of polypropylene batting (porosity 80%), diameter 9 mm, length 60 mm [Ink composition (total amount 100% by weight)] n-propyl alcohol 75.0 Laropearl A-101 (condensate of aldehyde and urea, manufactured by BASF) 7.5 Alresat KM400 (maleic acid resin, manufactured by Hoechst) 10.0 Victoria Blue BSA (dye, manufactured by Zeneca) 2.5 Rhodamine 6JHSA (dye, manufactured by Zeneca) 2.5 Flex YELLOW 105 (dye, manufactured by Zeneca) 2.5 Ink surface tension (25°C) approx. 25mN/m, ink viscosity coefficient (25°C) approx. 4mPa·s, amount of ink absorbent 2.5g

The sign pen A obtained by the above construction has the following features:
After assembly, it was possible to visually confirm through the visual confirmation portion 12 that the ink was passing through the ink guide tube 30, and then it permeated into the pen tip 40. As with a sign pen, the amount of ink flowing out remained almost constant until the ink was exhausted, just like a direct ink writing instrument, and it was found that good lines could be drawn.
Writing was continued until the oil-based ink impregnated in the ink guide tube 30 was exhausted, and it was possible to easily and reliably detect that the oil-based ink had run out in the ink guide tube 30, that is, the ink end sign from the ink occlusion body 20, by visually checking the ink guide tube 30 through the visual confirmation portion 12 formed on the barrel 10. Furthermore, after the end was detected in the ink guide tube 30, the amount of ink flowing out suddenly decreased and writing became impossible.

[0044]

According to the present invention, even though the writing instrument supplies ink impregnated in an ink reservoir inside the barrel to the pen tip, which is the writing part, the simple structure allows the user to easily and reliably detect the ink end sign visually, and the amount of ink flow is almost constant until the ink runs out, just like in a direct ink writing instrument, so a writing instrument is provided that can draw good lines.

[Brief explanation of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a writing instrument showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

2A to 2H are cross-sectional views of various configurations of the ink guide tube 30. FIG.

FIG. 3 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view of a writing instrument showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

4A is a partial vertical cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the ink occlusion body 20, and FIG. 4B is a partial vertical cross-sectional view showing the barrel 10 and the ink occlusion body 2
10A is a partial vertical cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the shaft cylinder 10; FIG.

5A is a partial vertical cross-sectional view of a writing implement showing a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5B is a partial vertical cross-sectional view showing the main part thereof.

6A is a partial vertical cross-sectional view of a writing implement showing a third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6B is a partial vertical cross-sectional view showing the main part thereof.

7A is a partial vertical cross-sectional view of a writing implement showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 7B is a perspective view showing the ink guide tube thereof, and FIG. 7C is a perspective view showing an ink guide tube showing another embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view of a writing implement showing a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view of a writing implement showing a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view of a writing implement showing a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

A. Writing implement 10. Barrel 12. Visible portion 20. Ink reservoir 30. Visible ink guide tube 40. Pen tip

───────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Continued from the front page (58) Researched fields (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B43K 5/00 - 8/24 B43K 27/00 - 27/12

Claims (14)

(57) [Claims] [Claim 1] A writing instrument that supplies ink impregnated in an ink absorbing body inside a barrel to the pen tip, which is the writing part, characterized in that the ink impregnated in the ink absorbing body is supplied to the pen tip through a visible ink guide tube, and the ink end sign from the ink absorbing body is detected by visually observing the ink guide tube through a visible part formed on the barrel. [Claim 2] A twin-type writing instrument that supplies ink impregnated in an ink absorbing body inside a barrel to each nib, which serves as the writing part, located on both sides of the barrel, wherein the ink supplied to either nib is supplied to the nib through a visible ink guide tube, and the ink end sign from the ink absorbing body is detected by visually observing the ink guide tube through a visible part formed on the barrel. 3. A writing implement according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the surface tension of the surface of the visible ink guide tube that comes into contact with the ink or the material of the ink guide tube itself is smaller than the surface tension of the ink. 4. A writing implement according to claim 1, wherein the end face of the ink occlusion body where the ink guide tube and the ink occlusion body are joined is closed to the outside air. 5. The ink absorbing material according to claim 1, wherein the distribution of capillary force of the ink absorbing material increases toward the pen tip side.
5. A writing instrument according to any one of claims 1 to 4. 6. A writing implement according to claim 1, wherein the inner diameter of the barrel is structured to become narrower as it approaches the pen tip. 7. A writing implement according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of ribs are formed in the axial direction on the inner side of the barrel on the side of the pen tip. 8. The writing implement according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of visible ink guide tubes. 9. A writing implement according to claim 1, wherein the ink impregnated in the ink occlusion body is supplied to the pen tip by an ink supply wick in addition to the visible ink guide tube. 10. An ink guide tube having ink visibility is filled with fiber bundles or porous resin particles having a surface tension lower than that of the ink and a different color from that of the ink,
10. The writing implement according to claim 1, wherein the cross-sectional area of the ink flow path through the ink guide tube and the flow resistance of the ink can be substantially controlled while maintaining the apparent cross-sectional area of the ink guide tube. 11. A writing implement according to claim 1, wherein the length of the visible portion of the barrel is at least 1 mm and not more than the overall length of the writing implement. 12. The ink guide pipe has an ink flow passage cross-sectional area of 8.
x10^-2~80mm ²10. The method of claim 1, wherein
12. A writing instrument according to any one of claims 1 to 11. 13. The ink has a surface tension of 18 m at 25°C.
13. The writing implement according to claim 1, wherein the writing implement has a linearity of at least N/m. 14. The ink has a viscosity coefficient of 500 at 25°C.
14. The viscosity of the composition of claim 1, wherein the viscosity is 0.05 mPa·s or less.
1. A writing instrument according to any one of the preceding items.