JP7828633B2 - Applicator - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to an applicator that supplies a built-in coating liquid to an applicator such as a pen tip.

Applicators with pen tips made of felt or synthetic resin, similar to so-called marking pens, are widely known. Among these, there are applicators that can draw a double line with a single stroke.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a marking pen having two separately molded pen tip sections. This marking pen has a pen tip section for drawing wide lines (hereinafter referred to as the wide pen tip section) and a pen tip section for drawing narrow lines (hereinafter referred to as the narrow pen tip section). The two pen tip sections are arranged side-by-side so that their tip positions are flush with each other.

This marking pen has a gap between the tip of the wide pen tip and the tip of the narrow pen tip (see Figure 1 of Patent Document 1, etc.). Therefore, when drawing a line on paper, the drawn line appears as two parallel lines separated by a gap.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 01-258999

Incidentally, in the market, there was a demand for a marking pen that could draw double lines with a large gap between them in a single stroke, like conventional marking pens, as well as a pen that could draw double lines with no gap between them, or with a very small and inconspicuous gap between them, in a single stroke.
Therefore, the inventor considered making the narrow pen tip section thinner and bringing it closer to the wide pen tip section, thereby enabling the drawing of double lines with a fine, inconspicuous gap between the two lines. However, when the narrow pen tip section is made thinner, problems arise such as the narrow pen tip section breaking or the narrow pen tip section becoming misaligned with continued use of the marking pen. In other words, making the entire narrow pen tip section thinner leads to problems such as insufficient strength of the narrow pen tip section and increased susceptibility to misalignment. This problem becomes more pronounced when the marking pen is used for a certain period of time or longer.

Therefore, the objective of this invention is to provide an applicator that can draw double lines in a single stroke without forming a large gap between the two lines, and that can stably draw double lines over a long period of time.

One aspect of the present invention for solving the above problems is an applicator having an applicator portion, which applies an applicator liquid by bringing the applicator portion into contact with an object to be coated, wherein at least one of the applicator portions is formed including a first applicator portion and a second applicator portion arranged side by side, the second applicator portion has a thin shaft portion and a thick shaft portion formed to be thicker than the thin shaft portion, the thin shaft portion is the tip side portion of the second applicator portion and is formed adjacent to the tip side of the thick shaft portion, and the first applicator portion and the second applicator portion are in contact with the object to be coated in a multiple contact state, and while maintaining the multiple contact state, the applicator is slid in one of the horizontal directions, which is the coating direction, thereby forming multiple lines The coating tool is characterized in that the multi-line comprises a first line formed by applying a coating liquid with the first coating body and a second line formed by applying a coating liquid with the second coating body, wherein the first line is thicker than the second line, the second coating body has a first stepped portion which is a step formed at the boundary between the thin shaft portion and the thick shaft portion, the first coating body has a housing groove portion which is capable of housing at least a part of the second coating body, the housing groove portion has a groove-side stepped portion which is a step formed inside, and the groove-side stepped portion and the first stepped portion are arranged in this order from the tip side of the second coating body inside the housing groove portion.

According to this method, it is possible to draw a double line in a single stroke by bringing the leading edges of the first and second coating portions close together, without creating a large gap between the two lines, and also to ensure that the second coating portion exhibits sufficient strength.

In the above-described configuration, the second coated portion has a first stepped portion, which is a step formed at the boundary between the thin shaft portion and the thick shaft portion.

Under these circumstances, by bringing the first stepped portion into contact with another component, the occurrence of misalignment of the second coated portion can be more reliably suppressed.

In the above-described configuration, the first coated portion has a receiving groove capable of accommodating at least a portion of the second coated portion, and the receiving groove has a groove-side stepped portion, which is a step formed inside, and it is preferable that the first stepped portion and the groove-side stepped portion are in contact with each other.

Under these circumstances, the occurrence of misalignment of the second coated portion can be more reliably suppressed.

The preferred configuration described above is further characterized in that the second coating portion has a base-end shaft portion, which is formed adjacent to the thick shaft portion, and the thick shaft portion and the base-end shaft portion are arranged in that order from the tip side, the second coating portion has a second stepped portion which is a step formed at the boundary between the thick shaft portion and the base-end shaft portion, and further comprises a tip plug member that accommodates a part of the first coating portion and a part of the second coating portion, and it is even more preferable that the second stepped portion is in contact with a stepped portion formed on the tip plug member.

Under these circumstances, a structure can be created in which the second coated portion is less prone to misalignment.

The above-described configuration includes a tip plug member, the tip plug member having a tip-side housing portion that accommodates a part of the first coating portion and a part of the second coating portion, both of which are located further forward than the tip-side housing portion, the tip plug member having a first projection and a second projection further forward than the tip-side housing portion, both of which are portions that protrude toward the tip, the first projection being located laterally to the tip-side portion of the first coating portion, and the second projection being located laterally to the tip-side portion of the second coating portion.

Under these circumstances, the occurrence of positional misalignment between the first and second coating layers, caused by force applied to the pen tip when drawing lines, can be more reliably suppressed.

In the above-described configuration, it is preferable that by changing the writing angle in the multiple contact state, it is possible to switch between a state in which a double line with a gap between the first line and the second line can be written and a state in which a double line without a gap between the first line and the second line can be written.
In the above-described configuration, the first coated body portion has a curved tip portion that extends from a part of one side portion through the tip portion to a part of the other side portion, and it is preferable that the distance from the curved tip portion to the tip portion of the second coated body portion is 0.5 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less.

According to the present invention, it is possible to draw a double line in a single stroke without forming a large gap between the two lines, and to provide an applicator that can stably draw double lines over a long period of time.

This is a perspective view showing an applicator according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is a cross-sectional view showing the applicator in Figure 1. Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the first pen tip component. Figure 3 is a perspective view of the first pen tip component from a different direction. Figure 3 is a side view of the first pen tip component, with (a) to (c) showing views from different directions. Figure 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the first pen tip member. Figure 3 shows the first pen tip component, where (a) is a front view seen from the front and (b) is a rear view seen from the rear. Figure 2 shows the second pen tip component, where (a) is a perspective view and (b) is a side view. This is a cross-sectional view showing an enlarged view of the area around the first pen tip in Figure 2. Figure 2 shows the tip plug member, where (a) is a perspective view from the front and (b) is a perspective view from the rear. This is a cross-sectional view showing the tip plug member in Figure 2. Figure 10(a) shows the first support projection of the tip plug member and its surrounding area, where (a) is a perspective view, (b) is a side view, and (c) is a cross-sectional view. (a) is a cross-sectional perspective view of the tip plug member in Figure 2, viewed from the rear, and (b) is a cross-sectional perspective view of the tip plug member in Figure 2, viewed from the front. (a) is a front view of the tip plug member in Figure 2, viewed from the front, and (b) is a rear view of the tip plug member in Figure 9, viewed from the rear. Figure 2 shows the tip plug member and a cross-sectional view of the first ink absorber and the second ink absorber. Figure 2 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing the application tool as viewed from the front. Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the area around the first pen tip of the applicator. Figure 2 is a side view showing the area around the first pen tip of the applicator. Figure 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the first pen tip of the applicator in contact with the object to be coated. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating how the applicator draws a double line on an object to be coated. The left diagram is an explanatory diagram showing the part where the coating liquid is applied to the object to be coated when drawing a double line with the first pen tip, and the right diagram schematically shows the multiple lines drawn by applying the coating liquid in the part shown in the left diagram, where (a) and (b) show the applicator in an upright position and the applicator in a horizontal position. Figure 2 is a side view showing the area around the first pen tip of the applicator when it is in contact with the object to be coated and the applicator is in an upright position.

The embodiments of the present invention will be described below. Note that the applicators described herein include writing instruments such as felt-tip pens, highlighters, and whiteboard markers, as well as tools for applying liquid substances such as ink to any object, such as paper or a whiteboard.

As shown in Figure 1, the applicator 1 of this embodiment has a main body cylinder 2 (shaft cylinder), a first pen tip portion 3 (applicator portion), and a second pen tip portion 4 (applicator portion). In other words, this applicator 1 has pen tip portions (first pen tip portion 3, second pen tip portion 4) at each end of the main body cylinder 2 in the longitudinal direction, and the applicator 1 is usable on both sides of the main body cylinder 2. That is, the coating liquid can be applied using either of the pen tip portions provided on both sides in the longitudinal direction.
In the following explanation, unless otherwise specified, the relationship between "front" and "back" will be described with the first pen tip section 3 being the front and the second pen tip section 4 being the rear.

One end (front end) of the main cylinder 2 in the longitudinal direction is an open end, and a stopper member 5 is attached to it. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, the applicator 1 contains two ink absorbers, consisting of a first ink absorber 6 (coating liquid absorber) and a second ink absorber 7 (coating liquid absorber).

The main body cylinder 2, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, is a hollow member with a roughly cylindrical shape, forming the shaft of the pen (main body shaft). As shown in Figure 2, an internal space (storage space) is formed along its entire length. The length of the main body cylinder 2 is the same as the length and front-to-back direction of the applicator 1.

The first pen tip section 3 is composed of multiple pen tip members, each consisting of a first pen tip member 16 (first coating section) and a second pen tip member 17 (second coating section). Therefore, the first pen tip section 3 can draw two parallel lines (details will be described later).

The first pen tip component 16 is a sintered core (porous body) formed by heating a powder such as plastic powder, and is a porous body with continuous pores. That is, it is a component capable of drawing in ink (coating liquid) through capillary action and moving it toward the pen tip side (front side).

As shown in Figure 3, the first pen tip member 16 of this embodiment has a pen tip forming portion 20 (tip side portion) that forms the pen tip and a base end portion 21 (base end portion) located behind it. The pen tip forming portion 20 is elastically deformable and is more easily deformed than the base end portion 21, which is the rear portion.
Specifically, when the sintering powder used as the raw material for the pen tip forming portion 20 is designated as the first sintering powder, and the sintering powder used as the raw material for the base end portion 21 is designated as the second sintering powder, the first sintering powder has a smaller particle size than the second sintering powder. Here, "smaller particle size" means that the average particle size of particles randomly selected in equal numbers (a predetermined number N) from each is small.
Furthermore, the density of the sintering powder used as raw material differs between the pen tip forming section 20 and the base end section 21. Here, "density" refers to the state of density of particles; for example, if the particles are densely packed, it is dense, and if the particles are sparsely distributed, it is sparse. Comparing the pen tip forming section 20 and the base end section 21, the pen tip forming section 20 is denser than the base end section 21, and the maximum distance between the centers of the particles is smaller.
Based on the above, the first pen tip member 16 of this embodiment has a pen tip forming portion 20 that is more easily deformed than the base end portion 21, resulting in a softer writing feel.

In this embodiment, the first sintering powder is a mixture of several types (2 to 3 types) of powders made from the same material but with different particle sizes. The second sintering powder is also a mixture of several types of powders made from the same material but separated by particle size.
Here, the first sintering powder and the second sintering powder may be powders of the same material. For example, the first sintering powder may be a mixture of powder α1 and powder α2, where both powder α1 and powder α2 are powders of material α but with different particle sizes. In this case, the second sintering powder may also be a mixture of powder α1 and powder α2. By making the ratio of powder α1 to powder α2 in the first sintering powder different from the ratio of powder α1 to powder α2 in the second sintering powder, the overall powders can be different.
In other words, the sintering powder may be one type of powder or a mixture of two or more types of powders. When two or more types of powders are mixed, each powder may be made of the same material but with different particle sizes. Also, the number of powders that make up the first sintering powder and the second sintering powder may be the same or different. For example, as described above, each may be composed of two types of powder (powder α1, powder α2), or one may be composed of one type of powder and the other of three types of powder.

Furthermore, focusing on the overall shape of the first pen tip member 16, as shown in Figure 3, it is divided into a pen tip side portion 22 (tip side portion), an intermediate portion 23, and a rear thin shaft portion 24 (base end portion). The pen tip side portion 22 is the part formed including the pen tip forming portion 20 described above, and is a relatively easily deformable portion.

As shown in Figures 3 and 5(a), the pen tip side portion 22 has a tip surface portion 28 (which is the tip surface portion and the tip-side curved surface portion), two inclined surface portions 29, a lateral curved surface portion 30 (the first coating body side curved portion), a first connecting portion 31, and a second connecting portion 32.
The first connecting portion 31 is located between the tip surface portion 28, the two inclined surface portions 29, and the lateral curved surface portion 30. The second connecting portion 32 is located between the tip surface portion 28, the two inclined surface portions 29, and the housing groove portion 35 (details will be described later).
The pen tip side portion 22 is formed such that the length in the application direction X (left-right direction in Figure 7(a)) decreases as it moves towards the front (pen tip side) (see Figures 5(b) and 5(c)). This application direction X is one of the horizontal directions and is the direction in which the applicator 1 is moved when drawing the desired line (multiple lines, and in this embodiment, a double line) (see Figure 20, etc.).

The tip surface portion 28 is a curved surface portion located at the tip, as shown in Figure 3, etc. That is, it extends from one side in the coating direction X (see Figure 7(a), etc.) through the tip portion to the opposite side, with a portion of it curving. In other words, this tip surface portion 28 has a shape that is rounded and convex towards the front.
Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, the end of the tip surface portion 28 on the side of the lateral curved surface portion 30 is located in front of (above in Figure 3) the end on the side of the receiving groove portion 35. In other words, the tip surface portion 28 is also a portion that extends diagonally, so as it approaches the side of the lateral curved surface portion 30, it moves forward.

As shown in Figures 3 and 5(c), the inclined surfaces 29 are formed one at a time at positions separated in the coating direction X, and in each case, the front end portion is continuous with the tip surface 28.
As shown in Figures 3 and 5(c), this inclined surface portion 29 is an inclined surface portion that slopes outward in the coating direction X as it moves towards the rear. In addition, this inclined surface portion 29 is also an inclined surface portion that slopes inward in the coating direction X as it moves from the lateral curved surface portion 30 side towards the housing groove portion 35 side.

The lateral curved surface portion 30, as shown in Figures 3 and 5(a), is located on the opposite side from the housing groove portion 35 and forms a curved surface portion that is part of the side surface of the pen tip side portion 22. Specifically, as shown in Figure 7(a), it is a curved surface portion that is convex outward in a plan view from the front (pen tip side) and forms a curved surface portion that extends in the circumferential direction of the first pen tip member 16.
As shown in Figure 5(b), this lateral curved surface portion 30 is a curved surface portion that is approximately triangular in shape when viewed from the opposite side of the receiving groove portion 35 in a plan view. That is, the length in the width direction (circumferential direction of the first pen tip member 16) increases towards the rear side (right side in Figure 5(b)).
Note that the "plan view seen from the opposite side of the housing groove 35" is a plan view with the line of sight perpendicular to the front-to-back direction and the coating direction X. This "direction perpendicular to the front-to-back direction and the coating direction X" is the front-to-back direction in Figure 5(b), and will hereafter be referred to as the orthogonal direction. This orthogonal direction is also the parallel direction of the first pen tip member 16 and the second pen tip member 17.

In other words, the lateral curved surface portion 30 extends from one side in the coating direction X, through the side portion opposite to the side where the receiving groove portion 35 is formed, to the other side in the coating direction X.
As shown in Figure 5(a), this lateral curved surface portion 30 is also a portion that extends while gently curving toward the receiving groove portion 35 (the lower side in Figure 5(a)) as it moves toward the front. In other words, it is also a portion that extends inward in a direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction (orthogonal direction).

The first connecting portion 31 is a portion that extends while forming a rounded corner. That is, it is a portion that extends while forming a curved surface (R surface). As shown in Figures 5(a) and 5(b), this first connecting portion 31 extends from the rear to the front on one side of the coating direction X, then folds back at the front and extends in a curved shape to the rear on the other side of the coating direction X. At this time, it is formed so that its width increases towards the front end.

As shown in Figures 3 and 5(a), the front portion of the second connecting portion 32 (left side in Figure 5(a)) is located closer to the lateral curved surface portion 30 than the rear portion. The front portion of the second connecting portion 32 extends while forming a rounded corner, as shown in Figure 3, etc. That is, it extends while forming a curved surface (R surface), and extends in a mountain-like shape so as to be convex toward the front (see Figure 5(c), etc.).
Furthermore, the rear portion of the second connecting portion 32 also has portions that extend while forming rounded corners in the portion adjacent to the inclined surface portion 29 and the portion adjacent to the receiving groove portion 35.

The intermediate section 23, as shown in Figure 3, is a portion with a roughly cylindrical shape. The majority (more than 50 percent) of the side surface of the intermediate section 23 is an intermediate curved surface portion 23a (first coating body side curved portion), which is a curved surface portion continuous in the circumferential direction of the first pen tip member 16. More specifically, the majority of the side surface, excluding the portion where the housing groove 35 is formed and the adjacent portion, is the intermediate curved surface portion 23a.

In this embodiment, the first pen tip member 16 has a recessed groove portion 35, as shown in Figure 3, etc. This recessed groove portion 35 is a groove formed across the pen tip side portion 22 and the intermediate portion 23, and extends in the front-rear direction.
In detail, the accommodating groove 35 is a groove that is recessed inward in the orthogonal direction (front-to-back direction, direction perpendicular to the coating direction X), and has an accommodating groove tip side portion 35a formed on the pen tip side portion 22 and an accommodating groove base end side portion 35b formed on the intermediate portion 23.

The leading edge portion 35a and the base edge portion 35b of the accommodating groove are arranged in this order from the front in the front-to-back direction (up-to-down direction in Figure 3), as shown in Figure 3, forming a series of grooves called the accommodating groove portion 35. The accommodating groove portion 35 is a groove that extends linearly from near the front end of the pen tip portion 22 to near the rear end of the intermediate portion 23.

As shown in Figure 3, the groove width narrows towards the front of the tip portion 35a of the groove. Furthermore, as shown in Figures 3 and 6, the length of the groove wall decreases towards the front of the groove. In other words, the cross-sectional shape of the tip portion 35a is arc-shaped, and the length of the arc decreases towards the front of the cross-section (detailed illustration omitted).

Furthermore, as shown in Figures 3, 4, and 7, the base end portion (rear portion) of the tip side portion 35a of the receiving groove and the base end side portion 35b of the receiving groove are both grooves with an arc shape (approximately semicircular) in their cross-section, and the groove wall portion and groove bottom portion form a curved surface.
More specifically, as shown in Figure 7(b), the groove width at the base end of the tip side portion 35a of the accommodating groove is shorter than the groove width at the base end side portion 35b of the accommodating groove, and the groove at the base end of the tip side portion 35a is shallower than that at the base end side portion 35b of the accommodating groove. In other words, the groove bottom portion at the base end of the tip side portion 35a of the accommodating groove is located outward in a direction perpendicular to the groove bottom portion of the base end side portion 35b (vertical direction in Figure 7(b)).

Here, in the middle portion of the accommodating groove 35, at the boundary between the accommodating groove tip side portion 35a and the accommodating groove base side portion 35b, a stepped portion, known as the accommodating groove internal step portion 37 (groove-side step portion), is formed, as shown in Figures 4 and 6.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the rear slender shaft portion 24 is a rod-shaped body extending rearward from the rear end surface (base end portion) of the intermediate portion 23, and becomes thinner towards the rear end. That is, the area of the cross-section decreases towards the rear end, and the area of the rear end surface is smaller than the area of the cross-section of each portion.
As shown in Figure 7(b), this rear slender shaft portion 24 is formed at a position away from the inside of any part of the peripheral edge of the intermediate portion 23. That is, it is formed at a position away from the inside of both the intermediate curved surface portion 23a and the receiving groove portion 35.

The second pen tip member 17 is a rod-shaped pen tip, as shown in Figure 8, etc. Specifically, the tip portion 53, the thick shaft portion 54, and the base portion 55 (base shaft portion) are arranged in parallel from the front end (pen tip side), and these are formed as a single unit.

The tip side portion 53 has a substantially hemispherical tip contact portion 53a located on the front end side, a tapered portion 53b adjacent to the rear side, and a tip side slender shaft portion 53c (slender shaft portion) further adjacent to the rear side.
The tapered portion 53b is a part that is roughly frustoconical in shape and widens in diameter towards the rear. In other words, it becomes thicker (the area of the cross-section increases) towards the rear. The slender tip portion 53c is a thin, rod-shaped part that is roughly cylindrical in shape and extends in the front-rear direction.

The thick shaft portion 54 is a thick, rod-shaped section, generally cylindrical in shape, and extending in the front-to-back direction. This thick shaft portion 54 is the thickest part of the second pen tip member 17.

The base end portion 55 has a tip-side extension portion 55a and a base end insertion portion 55b, which are formed side by side in the front-rear direction. The tip-side extension portion 55a is a thin, rod-shaped section, generally cylindrical in shape and extending in the front-rear direction. The base end insertion portion 55b is an elongated, rod-shaped section that becomes thinner towards the rear. In other words, the base end portion 55 is an elongated, rod-shaped section overall, with a tapered portion at the rear end where the diameter decreases towards the rear end.

Here, the tip side portion 53 is the part that protrudes forward (towards the tip) from the front end surface (the end surface on the tip side) of the thick shaft portion 54. More specifically, it protrudes forward from a position away from the inside from any part of the peripheral edge of the front end surface of the thick shaft portion 54.
Similarly, the base end portion 55 is the part that protrudes rearward (towards the base end) from the rear end surface (base end surface) of the thick shaft portion 54. More specifically, it protrudes forward from a position that is inwardly distant from any part of the peripheral edge of the rear end surface of the thick shaft portion 54.

In other words, the thick shaft portion 54 is formed to be thicker than both the tip portion 53 (tip-side thin shaft portion 53c) adjacent to the front and the base portion 55 (tip-side extended portion 55a) adjacent to the rear. A first stepped portion 57 is formed at the boundary between the thick shaft portion 54 and the tip portion 53, and a second stepped portion 58 is formed at the boundary between the thick shaft portion 54 and the base portion 55. Both the first stepped portion 57 and the second stepped portion 58 are formed to be continuous in an annular shape in the circumferential direction of the second pen tip member 17.
In other words, the outer circumferential surface of the tip side portion 53 (tip side thin shaft portion 53c) and the outer circumferential surface of the thick shaft portion 54 are continuous via a step, and the outer circumferential surface of the base side portion 55 (tip side extended portion 55a) and the outer circumferential surface of the thick shaft portion 54 are also continuous via a step.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the entire tip portion 53 is formed to be thinner than the thick shaft portion 54. That is, every part of the tip portion 53 has a smaller cross-sectional area than the thick shaft portion 54. Similarly, the entire base portion 55 is also formed to be thinner than the thick shaft portion 54.

In this embodiment, the thickness of each section of the thick shaft portion 54 is the same from the front end to the rear end. In other words, the cross-sectional area of the thick shaft portion 54 is the same in each section, and the cross-sectional area of any one part of the thick shaft portion 54 is both the maximum and minimum cross-sectional area of the thick shaft portion 54.
However, the thicker portion of the second pen tip member 17 may have a portion of a different thickness (a portion with a different cross-sectional area). In this case, when the entire tip side portion 53 is made thinner than the thicker portion 54, the maximum cross-sectional area of the tip side portion 53 may be formed to be smaller than the minimum cross-sectional area of the thicker portion 54. Similarly, when the entire base end portion 55, which has portions of different thicknesses in each part, is made thinner than the thicker portion 54, the maximum cross-sectional area of the base end portion 55 may be formed to be smaller than the minimum cross-sectional area of the thicker portion 54.

The second pen tip member 17 in this embodiment is formed by extruding and stretching a synthetic resin having fine pores inside, leaving these pores intact. In this embodiment, engineering plastic (polyacetal resin) is used as the synthetic resin. In other words, the second pen tip member 17 in this embodiment is a plastic tip.
From the above, the second pen tip member 17 is elastic and has higher wear resistance than the first pen tip member 16. The second pen tip member 17, although not shown in the figures, has a slit (opening) at the tip contact portion 53a that serves as an ink outlet, and a slit at the rear end of the base end portion 55 (base end insertion portion 55b) that serves as an ink inlet. It also has an ink passage inside that connects these front and rear slits. This ink passage is a fine pore that carries the ink by capillary action. In other words, the second pen tip member 17 is also a member that can move the ink (coating liquid) toward the pen tip side (front side).

As shown in Figures 2 and 9, the end cap member 5 is installed with its front portion exposed to the outside of the main body cylinder 2 and its rear portion housed inside the main body cylinder 2.
As shown in Figure 10, the tip plug member 5 has a front opening 60 and a rear opening 61. As shown in Figure 11, an internal space 62 is formed between the front opening 60 and the rear opening 61, extending over the entire length (front-to-back direction). In other words, the tip plug member 5 is a cylindrical member in which the inside and outside are in communication at the front and rear ends.
As shown in Figures 10 and 11, the tip cap member 5 is provided with a first support projection 64 (first projection) and a second support projection 65 (second projection) at its front end (the tip end of the first pen tip portion 3). Furthermore, a first notch 66 (missing portion) and a second notch 67 (missing portion) are provided at its rear end. Additionally, a tip cap side engaging portion 68 is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the tip cap member 5, which engages with the inner circumferential surface of the main body cylinder 2 described above. The first notch 66 and the second notch 67 are located further rearward than the tip cap side engaging portion 68.

Here, as shown in Figure 11, the internal space 62 of the tip plug member 5 is divided into a front housing section 70, a first rear housing section 71 (first housing section), and a second rear housing section 72 (second housing section). More specifically, the tip plug member 5 has a partition wall 73 inside, and this partition wall 73 divides the rear portion (partitioned space) that is part of the internal space 62 into the first rear housing section 71 and the second rear housing section 72. In other words, the partition wall 73 is positioned at the boundary between the first rear housing section 71 and the second rear housing section 72.
The rear opening 61 is also divided into a first rear opening 61a and a second rear opening 61b by a partition wall 73. The first rear opening 61a is the opening that connects the first rear storage section 71 to the outside, and the second rear opening 61b is the opening that connects the second rear storage section 72 to the outside.

Furthermore, a vertical wall-like portion 75 is provided inside the tip plug member 5, adjacent to the rear of the front housing portion 70. This vertical wall-like portion 75 is a vertical wall-like part that separates the front housing portion 70 from the rear space (first rear housing portion 71, second rear housing portion 72). A first communication hole portion 79 and a second communication hole portion 80 are provided in this vertical wall-like portion 75.
The first communication hole 79 is a hole that connects the front housing section 70 and the first rear housing section 71, and penetrates a part of the vertical wall-like section 75 in the thickness direction.
The second communication hole 80 is a hole that connects the front housing section 70 and the second rear housing section 72, and penetrates a part of the vertical wall-like section 75 in the thickness direction.
Although not particularly limited, in this embodiment, the length of the first rear storage section 71 in the front-rear direction is longer than the length of the second rear storage section 72 in the front-rear direction, and the front end portion of the first rear storage section 71 is located in front of the front end portion of the second rear storage section 72.

The second communication hole 80 has a pen tip side portion 80a (widened diameter portion), an intermediate portion 80b, and a rear portion 80c (narrowed diameter portion). The intermediate portion 80b is located between the pen tip side portion 80a and the rear portion 80c, and becomes narrower (the cross-sectional area decreases) towards the rear portion 80c. The pen tip side portion 80a is a portion with a wider diameter (a portion with a larger cross-sectional area) than the rear portion 80c.

The first support projection 64, as shown in Figure 10(a) and other figures, is a projection that protrudes forward from the front end surface of the main body portion of the tip cap member 5, at a position adjacent to the front opening 60. This first support projection 64 is also a projection that extends in an arc shape in a plan view from the front (pen tip side), as shown in Figure 12(a) and other figures. In other words, it is a portion that extends along the circumferential direction of the applicator 1 (main body cylinder 2).

As shown in Figure 12, the first support projection 64 has an outer surface portion 130, an inner surface portion 131 (the curved portion on the first projection side), and a tip-side cutout portion 132.
The outer surface portion 130 is located on the outside in a direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction (orthogonal direction), and in a plan view from the front, it forms a curved surface that extends in an arc shape. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 12(b), the outer surface portion 130 is also a portion that extends while gently curving inward (inward in the orthogonal direction, and downward in Figure 12(b)) as it moves forward.

The inner surface portion 131 is located inward in a direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction (orthogonal direction), and forms a curved surface that extends in an arc shape when viewed from the front. This inner surface portion 131 is formed at a position that is spaced apart from the second support projection 65 in an orthogonal direction (see Figure 10, etc.).
The tip-side cutout portion 132, as shown in Figure 12(a), is formed adjacent to the front side of the inner surface portion 131 and extends in an arc shape when viewed from the front in a plan view. As shown in Figure 12(c), etc., this tip-side cutout portion 132 forms a surface that extends outward (upward in Figure 12(c)) as it moves forward.

The second support projection 65, as shown in Figure 10(a), is a projection that protrudes forward from the front end surface of the main body of the tip plug member 5, at a position adjacent to the front opening 60. A support groove 83 is formed in the portion of this second support projection 65 where the inward-facing surface is located. The support groove 83 is a groove that is recessed outward.

As shown in Figures 11 and 13, the front housing portion 70 is provided with a support groove forming portion 85. The support groove forming portion 85 is a groove formed on the inner circumferential surface of the front housing portion 70 and is recessed outwards. The support groove forming portion 85 is located behind the support groove portion 83 and together with the support groove portion 83 forms a series of groove portions (hereinafter also referred to as the tip plug side groove portion 87). That is, the inner surface of the support groove portion 83 (the surface that forms the groove bottom and groove wall) and the inner surface of the support groove forming portion 85 form a series of surfaces to form the tip plug side groove portion 87.
Furthermore, the groove wall portion of the tip plug side groove 87 is provided with multiple (two) support protrusions 88 (see Figure 10, etc.). The support protrusions 88 are raised portions compared to the surrounding area, and their protruding ends have a rounded shape (see Figure 16, etc.). These support protrusions 88 extend in the front-rear direction from the front end to the rear end of the tip plug side groove 87. In other words, they extend over the entire area of the tip plug side groove 87.

As shown in Figure 13(b), the rear end portion of the tip plug groove 87 and the vertical wall portion 75 are parallel in the front-to-back direction. Furthermore, the inner surface of the tip plug groove 87 and the inner circumferential surface of the second communication hole 80 are continuous via a step. That is, the tip plug member 5 has a tip plug side step portion 89 (step portion) at the rear end of the tip plug groove 87.

Furthermore, as shown in Figures 11 and 14(a), the front housing portion 70 is provided with multiple support rib portions 90. The support rib portions 90 are projections that protrude inward from the inner circumferential surface of the front housing portion 70 and extend in the front-rear direction. As shown in Figure 14(a), the multiple support rib portions 90 are formed at separate locations in the circumferential direction of the front housing portion 70. Specifically, support rib portions 90 are provided on three of the four sides of the inner circumferential surface of the front housing portion 70. That is, support rib portions 90 are provided on the side opposite to the portion where the tip plug groove portion 87 is formed (the upper portion in Figure 14(a)), and on two portions that are spaced apart and facing each other in the application direction X (left-right direction in Figure 14(a)).

Furthermore, the first rear housing section 71 is provided with a first positioning projection 93, as shown in Figures 11, 13, and 14(b). The first positioning projection 93 is located behind the portion of the vertical wall-like section 75 where the first communication hole 79 is formed.
Furthermore, the second rear housing section 72 is provided with a second positioning projection 94. The second positioning projection 94 is located behind the portion of the vertical wall-like section 75 where the second communication hole 80 is formed.

Specifically, as shown in Figure 14(b), the first rear housing section 71 is provided with three first positioning protrusions 93. Two of the first positioning protrusions 93a are provided so as to surround the flow path forming section 98 (which will be described in detail later), and are protrusions that form a roughly U-shape when viewed from the rear (plan view from the rear). More specifically, one of the two first positioning protrusions 93a has a shape that is the inverse of the other in the coating direction X (left-right direction in Figure 14(b)). A part of this first positioning protrusion 93a is positioned adjacent to the partition wall section 73 and is integrated with the partition wall section 73.
The other first positioning projection 93b is a roughly rectangular parallelepiped projection.
These three first positioning protrusions 93 are all protrusions that extend in the front-rear direction (see Figure 13, etc.), and extend rearward from the rear surface of the vertical wall-like portion 75. At this time, the front end portions of each of the three first positioning protrusions 93 are at the same position (approximately the same position) in the front-rear direction. And the rear end portions of each are also at the same position (approximately the same position) in the front-rear direction.

Furthermore, as shown in Figure 14(b), the second rear housing section 72 is provided with a second positioning projection 94. The second positioning projection 94 is formed adjacent to the rear of the vertical wall section 75. The aforementioned second communication hole 80 is a hole that extends through the vertical wall section 75 and the second positioning projection 94.

Specifically, the second positioning projection 94 is a projection portion in which the partition wall side portion 94a, the connecting portion 94b, and the outer wall side portion 94c are integrally formed.
The partition wall side portion 94a is formed integrally with the partition wall portion 73 at a position adjacent to the partition wall portion 73. This partition wall side portion 94a is also a continuous ring-shaped portion when viewed from the rear in a plan view (rear view). In other words, the partition wall side portion 94a surrounds the rear portion of the second communication hole portion 80.
The connecting portion 94b is a roughly rectangular parallelepiped-shaped section that connects the partition wall side portion 94a and the outer wall side portion 94c.
The outer wall side portion 94c is a portion that extends while gently curving along the inner circumferential surface of the second rear storage section 72, on the side opposite to the partition wall portion 73 (the side opposite the second rear storage section 72).

The second positioning projection 94 is also a projection extending in the front-rear direction (see Figure 13(a), etc.), extending rearward from the rear surface of the vertical wall-like portion 75. As shown in Figure 11, etc., the rear end portion of the second positioning projection 94 is located further rearward than the rear end portion of the first positioning projection 93 described above.

The first notch 66 and the second notch 67 are notched portions formed on the rear side of the tip plug member 5, as shown in Figures 10 and 11, etc. More specifically, they are formed near the rear end of the side surface of the tip plug member 5 and extend forward from the rear end. In other words, the first notch 66 and the second notch 67 are missing portions formed by the absence of a part of the side surface.
These first notch 66 and second notch 67 are provided on the side surface of the tip plug member 5, on opposite sides (opposite sides) of the partition wall 73.

Both the first notch 66 and the second notch 67 are continuous with the rear opening 61 (first rear opening 61a and second rear opening 61b). That is, the rear end portion of the first notch 66, the rear end portion of the second notch 67, and the rear opening 61 are all formed on the rear end surface of the tip plug member 5 and are located on the same plane. The first notch 66 is connected to the first rear opening 61a, and the second notch 67 is connected to the second rear opening 61b.
In this embodiment, the length of the first cutout 66 in the front-to-back direction is slightly longer than the length of the second cutout 67 in the front-to-back direction. In other words, in this embodiment, the lengths of the first cutout 66 and the second cutout 67 are approximately the same.

Here, the first notch 66 and the second notch 67, although not shown in detail, are notches with different opening shapes. Specifically, as shown in Figure 10, both the first notch 66 and the second notch 67 are notches that are approximately rectangular in shape when viewed from above with the line of sight perpendicular to the first notch (up and down in Figure 10). On the other hand, the corner portion at the front end of the first notch 66 is more rounded than the corner portion at the front end of the second notch 67 (detailed illustration omitted). By making parts of the shapes of the first notch 66 and the second notch 67 different in this way, they can be easily distinguished when viewed from the outside.

The tip plug member 5 is provided with two flow path forming sections 98, as shown in Figure 10(a), etc. (one of them is not shown in Figure 10(a); see Figure 14, etc.). The flow path forming sections 98 form air passages that connect the inside and outside of the applicator 1. More specifically, as shown in Figure 11, the flow path forming recess 98a formed on the inner circumferential surface of the front housing section 70, the flow path forming hole 98b formed in the vertical wall-like section 75, and the space behind the flow path forming hole 98b are continuous in the front-rear direction, forming the flow path forming section 98. The "space behind the flow path forming hole 98b" here refers to the space adjacent to the first positioning projection 93 and surrounded on three sides by the first positioning projection 93. The flow path forming hole 98b is a hole integrally formed adjacent to the first communication hole 79, as shown in Figure 14(a), etc., and penetrates the vertical wall-like section 75 in the thickness direction, similar to the first communication hole 79.

As shown in Figure 14(b), the partition wall 73 in this embodiment is positioned away from the center of the rear portion of the internal space 62 (hereinafter also referred to as the partitioned space) (the position indicated by the symbol P in the figure). In other words, the partition wall 73 is positioned offset from the center of the space it partitions (the partitioned space). It then divides the partitioned space into two spaces (the first rear storage section 71 and the second rear storage section 72).

Here, the "compartmented space" consists of the first rear storage section 71, the second rear storage section 72, and the area between them (the area where the partition wall section 73 is located). In this embodiment, the compartmented space has a roughly circular cross-section and extends in the front-rear direction; in Figure 14(b), it is the area enclosed by the dotted line indicated by the symbol S. Therefore, the "center of the compartmented space" in this embodiment is also the area where the midpoint of the diameter is located in the cross-section of each part of the compartmented space.

In other words, the "center of the partitioned space" is the position through which the centers of the cross-sectional shapes of each part of the partitioned space pass. Therefore, it is the center in the application direction X (left-right direction in Figure 14(b)) and also the center in the orthogonal direction (up-down direction in Figure 14(b)). The orthogonal direction is also the parallel direction of the first pen tip member 16 and the second pen tip member 17. This "center of the partitioned space" can also be said to be the position furthest from the outer periphery of the partitioned space, or its vicinity.
Furthermore, in this embodiment, the "center of the partitioned space" is also the portion located on the central axis of the applicator 1 (main cylinder 2) (the portion through which the central axis passes). In other words, in the tip plug member 5 of this embodiment, when the portion on the central axis of the applicator 1 (main cylinder 2) is taken as the center position, the partition wall portion 73 is formed at a position away from the center position of the applicator 1 (main cylinder 2). To put it another way, the partition wall portion 73 is formed so that its entirety does not overlap with the central axis of the applicator 1 (main cylinder 2).

From the above, the first rear housing section 71 and the second rear housing section 72 have the same maximum length Lα in the coating direction X, but their maximum lengths Lβ and Lγ in the orthogonal direction are different. The maximum length Lβ of the first rear housing section 71 in the orthogonal direction is longer than the maximum length Lγ of the second rear housing section 72 in the same direction.
More specifically, the length Lβ described above is more than half the maximum length LΔ in the orthogonal direction of the partitioned space, and in this embodiment, it is approximately 55.5 percent of the length LΔ described above. On the other hand, the length Lγ described above is shorter than half the length LΔ described above, and is approximately 40 percent of the length LΔ described above.

Therefore, the area of the cross-section of each part of the first rear storage section 71 is larger than the area of the cross-section of the second rear storage section 72 at the same position (a position where the front-rear direction is the same). And the volume of the first rear storage section 71 is larger than the volume of the second rear storage section 72.
Furthermore, the cross-sectional shape (shape when viewed from the rear) of the first rear storage section 71 and the second rear storage section 72 is roughly dome-shaped, with the partition wall section 73 side being flattened. That is, the length of the first rear storage section 71 and the second rear storage section 72 in the orthogonal direction (vertical direction in Figure 14(b)) is longest at the center of the coating direction X (horizontal direction in Figure 14(b)). Then, up to the vicinity of the end in the coating direction X, the length in the orthogonal direction decreases as you move towards the end in that direction.

As shown in Figure 9, the first ink-absorbing body 6 has a substantially cylindrical outer casing member 6a and a cotton core 6b (a fiber bundle and means for impregnating with the coating liquid). The cotton core 6b is packed inside the outer casing member 6a, and the packed cotton core 6b is impregnated with ink to form the first ink-absorbing body 6.
The second ink-absorbing body 7 also has an outer shell member 7a and a cotton core 7b. The cotton core 7b packed inside the outer shell member 7a is impregnated with ink.
Although not particularly limited, the outer members 6a and 7a are resin tubes formed from a suitable material such as PP (polypropylene), and their outer shape before assembly is approximately cylindrical. The padding 6b and 7b are fiber bundles having continuous pores that can be impregnated with ink. This padding 6b and 7b is composed of suitable fibers, and may be synthetic fibers such as polyester fibers, plant fibers such as cotton and pulp, or animal fibers such as wool and raw silk.

In this embodiment, the first ink-absorbing body 6 and the second ink-absorbing body 7 are each impregnated with different inks. That is, the first ink (coating liquid) impregnated in the first ink-absorbing body 6 and the second ink (coating liquid) impregnated in the second ink-absorbing body 7 differ in at least one of their hue, saturation, and lightness.
Furthermore, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 2 and other figures, the total length of the first ink absorber 6 is shorter than the total length of the second ink absorber 7. Also, the thickness of the first ink absorber 6 in its natural state (a state in which no external force is applied and before assembly) is greater than the thickness of the second ink absorber 7 in its natural state.
To explain in detail, both the first ink-absorbing body 6 and the second ink-absorbing body 7 are components whose cross-sections are approximately circular in their natural state. Furthermore, the radial length (diameter) of the cross-section of the first ink-absorbing body 6 in its natural state is longer than the radial length of the cross-section of the second ink-absorbing body 7 in its natural state.

As shown in Figure 2, the second pen tip portion 4 has a pen tip member 100 (the coating portion on the opposite side). Unlike the first pen tip portion 3 on the opposite side, this second pen tip portion 4 is not intended for drawing multiple lines (double lines) in a single stroke.
The pen tip member 100 is a rod-shaped plastic tip. In other words, the pen tip member 100 is a member that can draw in ink by capillary action and move it toward the pen tip side (rear side). In this embodiment, the front end portion (base end portion) of the pen tip member 100 is inserted into the second ink storage body 7 from the rear side. In other words, the second ink storage body 7 is a member that supplies ink to the two pen tip members.

Next, the structure of the applicator 1 of this embodiment will be described.
In the applicator 1 of this embodiment, as shown in Figure 9 and the like, the rear portions of the first pen tip member 16 and the second pen tip member 17, and the front portions of the first ink absorber 6 and the second ink absorber 7, are held by the tip stopper member 5.

In other words, when assembling the applicator 1, the first ink absorber 6 and the second ink absorber 7 are inserted through the first rear opening 61a and the second rear opening 61b (see Figure 11) of the tip stopper member 5, respectively.
In this embodiment, as described above, it is easy to identify whether the first cutout 66 and the second cutout 67 (see Figure 10, etc.) are connected to the first rear storage section 71 or the second rear storage section 72. Therefore, workers performing assembly work can easily identify whether the first rear opening 61a and the second rear opening 61b are connected to the first rear storage section 71 or the second rear storage section 72, thus facilitating the assembly process.

At this time, as the inserted first ink-absorbing body 6 is moved forward (relatively to the second support projection 65), the front end portion (the tip portion in the insertion direction) of the first ink-absorbing body 6 comes into contact with the first positioning projection 93 from the rear, as shown in Figure 9. Similarly, as the inserted second ink-absorbing body 7 is moved forward, the front end portion (the tip portion in the insertion direction) of the second ink-absorbing body 7 comes into contact with the second positioning projection 94 from the rear. Therefore, the first ink-absorbing body 6 and the second ink-absorbing body 7 are positioned appropriately within the tip stopper member 5.

When a portion (front portion) of the first ink-absorbing body 6 and a portion (front portion) of the second ink-absorbing body 7 are housed in the first rear housing section 71 and the second rear housing section 72, respectively, they become compressed (deformed from their natural shape), as shown in Figure 15. That is, the front portions of the first ink-absorbing body 6 and the second ink-absorbing body 7 become deformed within the first rear housing section 71 and the second rear housing section 72.

In other words, the first ink storage body 6 is a component whose cross-sectional shape in its natural state is circular (approximately circular) (not shown). Furthermore, the radial length of the cross-section of the first ink storage body 6 in its natural state (the cross-section before deformation, not shown) is longer than the maximum length Lβ (see Figure 15) in the direction perpendicular to the first rear storage section 71.
Then, when the first ink absorber 6 is housed in the first rear storage section 71 as described above, the worker presses the first ink absorber 6 against the partition wall 73, causing the first ink absorber 6 to deform. This makes it possible to move the first ink absorber 6 forward. The tip plug member 5 of this embodiment is provided with a first cutout 66 (see Figure 10, etc.), which makes it easy for the worker to press the first ink absorber 6. When the first ink absorber 6 is moved forward and the front part of the first ink absorber 6 is housed in the first rear storage section 71, the first ink absorber 6 is sandwiched between the partition wall 73 and the inner wall portion on the opposite side (part of the wall portion that forms the inner circumferential surface of the first rear storage section 71). As a result, the front part of the first ink absorber 6 is housed in the first rear storage section 71 while remaining deformed. In detail, the front portion of the first ink storage body 6 is housed in a deformed state, as shown in Figure 15, such that its cross-section is elliptical (approximately elliptical), or in other words, in a deformed state as if it were slightly crushed.

As shown in Figure 15, the length of the deformed cross-section in the direction perpendicular to the original (the vertical length in Figure 15, which is the length of the minor axis of the ellipse) is approximately the same as Lβ. Therefore, the first ink-absorbing body 6 is in strong contact with parts of the inner surfaces of the first rear storage section 71, which are located at a distance in the perpendicular direction (the vertical direction in Figure 15) (one side is in strong contact with a part of the main surface of the partition wall section 73). This prevents unintended displacement of the first ink-absorbing body 6.

In this embodiment, the first ink-absorbing body 6 has different cross-sectional shapes in its front portion housed in the tip stopper member 5, its middle portion located behind it, and its rear portion positioned closer to the second pen tip portion 4 (see Figure 2, etc.).
In detail, the front portion of the first ink-absorbing body 6 has a roughly elliptical cross-sectional shape, as described above, while the majority of the middle portion has a roughly circular cross-sectional shape. The rear portion is pressed by the second ink-absorbing body 7, which extends from the radially outer side of the main body cylinder 2 towards the center, causing one side (the side facing the second ink-absorbing body 7) to be deformed by being pulled. In other words, the first ink-absorbing body 6 has portions with different cross-sectional shapes in each part along its longitudinal direction.

The second ink-absorbing body 7 also has a circular (approximately circular) cross-sectional shape in its natural state (not shown), and is housed in a deformed state as if slightly compressed, as shown in Figure 15. The radial length of the cross-section of the second ink-absorbing body 7 in its natural state is longer than the maximum length Lγ in the direction perpendicular to the second rear housing section 72.
Then, similar to the case of the first ink-absorbing body 6 described above, when the second ink-absorbing body 7 is housed in the second rear housing section 72, the worker can press the second ink-absorbing body 7 against the partition wall section 73, causing the second ink-absorbing body 7 to deform and move forward. In this embodiment, the tip plug member 5 is provided with a second notch 67 (see Figure 10, etc.), which facilitates the worker's pressing of the second ink-absorbing body 7. Once the second ink-absorbing body 7 is housed in the second rear housing section 72, it is sandwiched between the partition wall section 73 and the inner wall section on the opposite side, remaining in its deformed state.
At this time, the second ink-absorbing body 7 has an elliptical (approximately elliptical) cross-sectional shape after deformation, and its length in the orthogonal direction (the length in the vertical direction in Figure 15, which is the length of the minor axis of the ellipse) is approximately the same as Lγ.
Furthermore, the second ink-absorbing body 7 also strongly contacts parts of the inner surfaces of the second rear storage section 72, which are located at a distance from each other in the orthogonal direction (the vertical direction in Figure 15) (one side is in contact with a part of the main surface of the partition wall section 73). This prevents unintended displacement of the second ink-absorbing body 7.

Furthermore, the second ink-absorbing body 7 in this embodiment also has different cross-sectional shapes in the front portion housed in the tip stopper member 5 and the portion located behind it (see Figure 2, etc.). Specifically, the front portion of the second ink-absorbing body 7 has a roughly elliptical cross-sectional shape, as described above, while the majority of the rear portion has a roughly circular cross-sectional shape. Therefore, the second ink-absorbing body 7 also has portions with different cross-sectional shapes in each part located at different positions along its longitudinal direction.

Furthermore, when comparing the cross-section of the front portion of the first ink-absorbing body 6 before and after deformation, approximately 20 percent of the entire cross-section is deformed (deformation rate is approximately 20 percent). In contrast, when comparing the cross-section of the front portion of the second ink-absorbing body 7 before and after deformation, approximately 17 percent of the entire cross-section is deformed (deformation rate is approximately 17 percent).
In other words, the first ink absorber 6 is housed in the tip stopper member 5 in a state that is more deformed than the second ink absorber 7 (a state with a higher deformation rate).

As in this embodiment, by using a structure in which the front portion of the ink absorbent is deformed and housed (held) in the tip stopper member 5, a relatively thick ink absorbent can be used without making the entire applicator 1 or its pen tip portion unnecessarily thick.
Furthermore, as described above, the tip stopper member 5 of this embodiment accommodates the first ink-absorbing body 6 and the second ink-absorbing body 7, which have different thicknesses in their natural state, by deforming them. In this case, the tip stopper member 5 of this embodiment has the partition wall portion 73 formed at a position offset from the center of the partitioned space, allowing each ink-absorbing body to be accommodated in an appropriately deformed state. That is, each ink-absorbing body can be accommodated without being deformed too much, nor with too little deformation.

If the ink absorbent material is deformed too much, the cotton filling will be compressed too much, making it impossible to stably supply ink to the coating unit. In this embodiment, by setting the deformation rate of each ink absorbent material within a desirable range, the ink absorbent material is held firmly to prevent displacement, and a stable supply of ink to the coating unit is made possible.
Furthermore, by forming the partition wall portion 73 at a position further away from the center of the partitioned space, or at a position closer to the center of the partitioned space, the deformation rate of each ink-absorbing material can be changed. In other words, the position where the partition wall portion 73 is provided is not limited to the position in this embodiment; it may be at a position further away from the center of the partitioned space, or at a position closer to the center of the partitioned space. Thus, it is conceivable to change (adjust) the deformation rate of each ink-absorbing material by changing the position where the partition wall portion 73 is provided.

Furthermore, after temporarily attaching the first pen tip member 16 and the second pen tip member 17 to the tip stopper member 5, they are pressed in using a jig (not shown), thereby attaching the first pen tip member 16 and the second pen tip member 17 to the tip stopper member 5, and the tip stopper member 5 is then attached to the main body cylinder 2.

As shown in Figure 9, the first pen tip member 16 has its rear portion of the intermediate section 23 located within the front housing section 70, and a portion of the rear thin shaft section 24 is inserted through the first communication hole section 79. The rear portion is then inserted from the front into the first ink-absorbing body 6 within the first rear housing section 71. That is, the rear thin shaft section 24 of the first pen tip member 16 has its rear side surface and rear end surface in contact with the cotton core 6b.

Within the front housing section 70, as shown in Figure 16, the side portion of the second pen tip member 17 is in close contact with the bottom of the housing groove 35 of the first pen tip member 16. Furthermore, multiple points on the intermediate curved surface 23a are in contact with the support rib portion 90 formed in the front housing section 70. Therefore, the first pen tip member 16 remains in a state where it does not shift position in the direction intersecting the front-rear direction.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 9, the inner surface portion 131 of the first support projection 64 and a part of the lateral curved surface portion 30 and a part of the intermediate curved surface portion 23a of the first pen tip member 16 are spaced apart and facing each other. In other words, the curved surface portion formed on the inside of the first support projection 64 is spaced apart and facing the curved surface portion of the outer circumferential surface of the first pen tip member 16. Here, the curvature of the inner surface portion 131 and the curvature of the curved surface portion facing the inner surface portion 131 (a part of the lateral curved surface portion 30 and a part of the intermediate curved surface portion 23a) are the same or approximately the same.
Therefore, when a force is applied to the first pen tip member 16 toward the first support projection 64 during writing, the first support projection 64 comes into contact with the first pen tip member 16. In other words, a part of the first pen tip member 16 fits almost perfectly into the groove-shaped part on the inside of the first support projection 64, and the curved surface portion of the first pen tip member 16 and the curved surface portion of the first support projection 64 come into surface contact. This prevents displacement or damage to the first pen tip member 16.
In this embodiment, the inner surface portion 131 and a portion of the lateral curved surface portion 30 and a portion of the intermediate curved surface portion 23a are spaced apart and facing each other in their natural state. However, it is also conceivable that they be formed so that they are in surface contact in their natural state.

Here, as described above, the first support projection 64 extends in the circumferential direction of the applicator 1 in a plan view from the front. To explain in more detail, as shown in Figure 16, in a plan view from the pen tip side (front side) of the first pen tip portion 3, point Pα is the center point of the main body cylinder 2 (applicator 1). Point Pα is the part where the central axis of the main body cylinder 2 is located (the part through which the central axis passes). In the same plan view, point PA is located at one end of the arc-shaped first support projection 64 in the direction of extension, and point PB is located at the other end. At this time, the first support projection 64 is formed such that the angle θA between the imaginary line connecting point Pα and point PA and the imaginary line connecting point Pα and point PB is 60 degrees or more.
In other words, the first support projection 64 is formed to extend over a range of 60 degrees or more in the circumferential direction surrounding the first support projection 64. To put it another way, the first support projection 64 extends over a range of one-sixth or more of the area surrounding the first support projection 64 (a range of one-sixth or more of the entire circumference). Although not particularly limited, in this embodiment, the first support projection 64 is formed such that this angle θA is 86 degrees.

Based on the above, the first support projection 64 is formed to surround the portion of the first pen tip member 16 from the outside, from one side in the application direction X, through the side opposite to the side where the receiving groove 35 is formed, to the other side in the application direction X.
By forming the first support projection 64 in this manner, even if force is applied to the first pen tip member 16 from various directions during writing, the first pen tip member 16 will remain in contact with the first support projection 64 as described above. This prevents displacement or damage to the first pen tip member 16.

Furthermore, by housing the first pen tip member 16 in this manner, it is positioned away from the flow path forming section 98, and the pen tip members (first pen tip member 16, second pen tip member 17) are not located inside the flow path forming section 98. As a result, an airflow channel is formed from the tip of the applicator 1, through the front housing section 70 and the first rear housing section 71 (see Figure 9, etc.), to the internal space of the main body cylinder 2.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, the first support projection 64 and the second support projection 65 are formed at separate positions in one direction (orthogonal direction) perpendicular to the front-rear direction. As shown in Figure 16, the first pen tip member 16 and the second pen tip member 17 are positioned between the first support projection 64 and the second support projection 65.
Furthermore, the side surface portion of the first pen tip member 16 and the inner surface portion of the second support projection 65 that is adjacent to the tip plug side groove portion 87 are in surface contact.

Therefore, even when a force is applied to the first pen tip member 16 toward the second support projection 65 during writing, the second support projection 65 rests against the first pen tip member 16, and the first pen tip member 16 is supported by the second support projection 65. This prevents displacement or damage to the first pen tip member 16.
In this embodiment, a portion of the side surface of the first pen tip member 16 and a portion of the inner surface of the second support projection 65 are in surface contact in a natural state. However, it is also conceivable that they be spaced apart and facing each other. That is, it is conceivable that they be formed so that surface contact occurs when a force is applied to the first pen tip member 16 toward the second support projection 65.

Furthermore, as shown in Figures 17 and 18, the applicator 1 has a tip-side cutout 99 located between the first support projection 64 and the second support projection 65 in the circumferential direction of the applicator 1. These tip-side cutouts 99 are formed one at a time at separate locations in the applicator direction X (one of which is not shown in Figures 17 and 18). This tip-side cutout 99 is located in front of the front housing portion 70 (in front of the front end opening of the front housing portion 70), on the outside of the side surface of the first pen tip member 16, and is a void portion where no member is placed. As a result, the applicator 1 of this embodiment can suppress displacement and damage to the first pen tip member 16, as described above, and ensure the visibility of the first pen tip member 16. In other words, the structure makes the area around the first pen tip member 16 easily visible during use.

As shown in Figure 16, part of the second pen tip member 17 is located inside the housing groove 35 of the first pen tip member 16, and the other part is located inside the tip plug side groove 87. Of the portion located inside the housing groove 35, a part of the side surface is in contact with the bottom of the housing groove 35. Also, of the portion located inside the tip plug side groove 87, a part of the side surface and another part are in contact with separate support protrusions 88. In other words, three circumferentially separated locations on the side surface of the second pen tip member 17 are in contact with the bottom of the housing groove 35, the tip of one support protrusion 88, and the tip of the other support protrusion 88, respectively.
Furthermore, a gap is formed between the inner portion of the tip plug groove 87 where the support projection 88 is not formed (the portion that becomes the groove bottom or groove wall) and the side surface of the second pen tip member 17.
In other words, the accommodating groove 35 and the tip plug side groove 87 are positioned facing each other, creating a space that extends in the front-to-back direction, as shown in Figures 9 and 16. The majority of the second pen tip member 17 is then positioned within this space.

More specifically, as shown in Figures 9 and 17, the front end portion of the second pen tip member 17 protrudes forward of the second support projection 65 (tip plug side groove portion 87). That is, as shown in Figure 9, etc., a portion of the front part (tip side thin shaft portion 53c) of the second pen tip member 17 is such that one side is housed inside the housing groove portion 35, while the other side is not housed in the tip plug side groove portion 87. The rear portion is then surrounded on all sides (four sides) by the housing groove portion 35 and the tip plug side groove portion 87.
Thus, in this embodiment, at least a portion of the second pen tip member 17 is positioned inside the housing groove 35. Furthermore, the portion of the second pen tip member 17 that is housed inside the housing groove 35 has a portion that is partially covered on one side by the housing groove 35 and left open on the other side, and a portion that is held from both sides by both the housing groove 35 and the tip plug side groove 87.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 9 and other figures, the tip side 53 of the second pen tip member 17 is housed in the tip side 35a of the housing groove 35. The thick shaft portion 54 of the second pen tip member 17 is housed in the base end side 35b of the housing groove 35.
Furthermore, the stepped portion 37 inside the housing groove 35 and the first stepped portion 57 of the second pen tip member 17 are engaged (in contact) with each other, and the second stepped portion 58 and the tip-side stepped portion 89 of the tip-plug member 5 are engaged (in contact) with each other. From these, the applicator 1 of this embodiment has a structure that makes it difficult for the second pen tip member 17 to shift position.

Furthermore, as shown in Figure 18, the second pen tip member 17 of this embodiment is formed such that the distance LE from the front end portion of the second pen tip member 17 to the tip surface portion 28 of the first pen tip member 16 is 0.5 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less, and in this embodiment, it is 0.71 mm. The front end portion of the second pen tip member 17 is also the part located furthest forward in the central portion (the portion through which the central axis passes) of the second pen tip member 17.
As described above, the second pen tip member 17 is formed with a slender front portion, which shortens the distance L. On the other hand, a thick shaft portion 54 is provided at a position continuous with the tip side portion 53, which allows for high strength.

In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 18, the front end portion of the second pen tip member 17 is positioned slightly behind the rear end of the tip surface portion 28 of the first pen tip member 16 in its natural state. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 16, in a plan view from the pen tip side (front side) of the first pen tip portion 3, the tip surface portion 28 and the second pen tip member 17 are aligned in a perpendicular direction (vertical direction in Figure 16). At this time, the entire tip surface portion 28 is positioned to one side (upper side in Figure 16) of the second pen tip member 17 in a perpendicular direction.

As shown in Figure 9, the base end portion 55 of the second pen tip member 17 is inserted through the second communication hole 80 at its front, and its rear portion is inserted into the second ink storage body 7 from the front within the second rear storage portion 72. That is, the rear portion (base end insertion portion 55b) of the second pen tip member 17 is in contact with the cotton wick 7b at both its side and rear end surfaces.

Here, as shown in Figure 9, the front portion (front end) of the first ink-absorbing body 6 and the front portion (front end) of the second ink-absorbing body 7 are located on either side of the partition wall 73. That is, they are housed in separate spaces (first rear storage section 71 and second rear storage section 72) separated by the partition wall 73.

At this time, the front end of the first ink-absorbing body 6 becomes the connecting portion between the first pen tip member 16 and the first ink-absorbing body 6. Also, the front end of the second ink-absorbing body 7 becomes the connecting portion between the second pen tip member 17 and the second ink-absorbing body 7.
In this context, the connecting portion refers to the part where the front end of the coating body (pen tip component) is located when the coating body is inserted into the ink-absorbing body (the front end of the cotton wick that is to be inserted).
Thus, with a structure in which a partition wall 73 is positioned (interposed) between the connecting portion on the first pen tip member 16 side and the connecting portion on the second pen tip member 17 side, it is possible to prevent unintended mixing of the first ink and the second ink.

Furthermore, as described above, the applicator 1 of this embodiment allows for drawing double lines (multiple lines) in a single stroke using the first pen tip portion 3, and drawing lines using the second pen tip portion 4.

When drawing the desired double line on the object A, such as a piece of paper, using the first pen tip 3, the first pen tip member 16 and the second pen tip member 17 are brought into contact with the object A, as shown in Figure 19 (multiple contact state). That is, with the tip surface 28 facing the object A, the first pen tip 3 is brought close to the object A, and the tip portion (pen tip side portion) of the first pen tip 3 is brought into contact with the object A. This results in the application tool 1 being in a multiple contact state.

Then, with both the first pen tip member 16 and the second pen tip member 17 in contact with the object A to be coated, as shown in Figure 20, the applicator 1 (main cylinder 2) is moved horizontally (sliding) in the direction of application X, thereby drawing the desired double line.
The desired double line is formed by, for example, a first line 210 formed by ink being applied from the first pen tip member 16, and a second line 211 formed by ink being applied from the second pen tip member 17, as shown in Figure 21. Specifically, the first line 210 is a wider line that is thicker than the second line 211, and the second line 211 is a narrower line that is thinner than the first line 210.

In this embodiment, the applicator 1 can draw both double lines with a gap between the first line 210 and the second line 211 (see Figure 20(a)) and double lines without a gap between them (see Figure 20(b)) by changing the writing angle. Furthermore, when drawing double lines with a gap between the first line 210 and the second line 211, the size of the gap can be changed by changing the writing angle. This will be explained in detail below.

In other words, in the multiple contact state described above (see Figure 19), as shown in Figure 22, in a plan view from the side of the lateral curved surface 30, the angle between the central axis of the applicator 1 (an imaginary line extending in the longitudinal direction of the applicator 1) and the surface of the object to be coated A is a predetermined angle θB. This angle is also the angle between the central axis of the applicator 1 and an imaginary line extending in the coating direction X.
This predetermined angle θB becomes the writing angle. In other words, the writing angle is changed by varying the predetermined angle θB. For example, setting the predetermined angle θB to 90 degrees results in a writing angle of 90 degrees, and setting the predetermined angle θB to 45 degrees results in a writing angle of 45 degrees.

Therefore, when the applicator 1 is tilted towards the direction of application (see Figure 20) from a position where the predetermined angle θB is 90 degrees, the predetermined angle θB decreases. This causes the writing angle to decrease. The maximum value of the writing angle is 90 degrees.

In this embodiment, by setting the predetermined angle θB to 90 degrees, the applicator 1 makes it possible to draw a double line with a gap between the first line 210a and the second line 211a in a single stroke, as shown in Figure 21(a).
In contrast, by setting the predetermined angle θB to 45 degrees, it becomes possible to draw a double line with no gap between the first line 210b and the second line 211b in a single stroke, as shown in Figure 21(b).

In other words, by reducing the predetermined angle θB (writing angle) and positioning the applicator 1 at a more reclined position, the area of the part of the first pen tip member 16 that comes into contact with the object to be coated A increases, as shown in Figure 21.
In this embodiment, the applicator 1 undergoes a fine deformation of a portion of the first pen tip member 16 (the tip portion that contacts the object A to be coated) when used due to pen pressure. That is, by pressing the applicator 1 toward the object A to be coated, a portion of the first pen tip member 16 undergoes a fine deformation, as if it were temporarily crushed and expanded.
Therefore, in the first pen tip member 16, as the area of the part that contacts the object to be coated A increases, the area of the temporarily deformed part, that is, the part that temporarily deforms when the applicator 1 is pressed, also increases. As a result, a part of the first pen tip member 16 deforms so that it spreads further towards the second pen tip member 17. From the above, by decreasing the predetermined angle θB, the line width of the first line 210 changes, making it possible to draw different double lines.
It should be added that by tilting the applicator 1 to a more reclined position, the portion of the second pen tip member 17 (tip contact portion 53a) that contacts the object A to be coated also changes. However, the second pen tip member 17 has an ink outlet (slit) formed around the tip of the tip contact portion 53a, but no ink outlet formed on the side. Therefore, even when the applicator 1 is tilted to a more reclined position, and the tip portion and the side portion of the tip contact portion 53a come into contact with the object A to be coated, the line width of the second line 211 does not change (or does not change significantly).

More specifically, when the predetermined angle θB is greater than a certain angle (50 degrees in this embodiment), as the applicator 1 is tilted further back and the predetermined angle θB is reduced, the gap formed between the first line 210a and the second line 211a becomes smaller.
While not particularly limited, in this embodiment, when the predetermined angle θB is 90 degrees, the width of the gap formed between the first line 210a and the second line 211a is 0.41 mm, and when the predetermined angle θB is 70 degrees, the width of this gap is 0.32 mm. Furthermore, when the predetermined angle θB is 60 degrees, the width of this gap is 0.23 mm, and when the predetermined angle θB is 55 degrees, the width of this gap is 0.14 mm, and so on.
When the predetermined angle θB is less than or equal to a certain angle, the drawn double line will be a double line with no gap between the first line 210b and the second line 211b.
In other words, the applicator 1 of this embodiment is capable of drawing both double lines with a gap between the first line 210 and the second line 211, and double lines without a gap. When drawing double lines with a gap, it is possible to draw multiple types of double lines with different gap widths.

In the embodiment described above, the first ink impregnated in the first ink-absorbing body 6 and the second ink impregnated in the second ink-absorbing body 7 were different inks. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it is also conceivable that the first ink and the second ink be the same ink.

The applicator 1 of the above embodiment is designed to draw a double line in a single stroke using the first pen tip portion 3, which is one of the two pen tip portions. However, the desired line (multiple line) formed by the applicator of the present invention is not limited to a double line; it may also consist of two or more lines, such as a triple line or a quadruple line. For example, it is conceivable to create triple lines, quadruple lines, etc., by forming one or more grooves on the pen tip side of the first pen tip member 16.

The applicator 1 of the above-described embodiment has the tip stopper member 5 described above. That is, the applicator 1 has a shaft and an applicator body, and is an applicator for applying an applicator liquid by bringing the applicator body into contact with an object to be coated. At least one of the applicator body parts is formed including a first applicator body part and a second applicator body part arranged side by side, and includes a first applicator liquid absorbent body that absorbs the applicator liquid applied by the first applicator body part, a second applicator liquid absorbent body that absorbs the applicator liquid applied by the second applicator body part, and a tip stopper member. The tip stopper member has a partition wall part that demarcates at least a portion of the internal space, and the partition wall part divides the demarcated space, which is a portion of the internal space, into a first housing part that houses at least a portion of the first applicator liquid absorbent body, and a second housing part that houses at least a portion of the second applicator liquid absorbent body, and the partition wall part is formed at a position away from the center of the demarcated space.

1. Applicator 2. Main body cylinder (shaft cylinder)
3. First pen tip section (coating section)
4. Second pen tip section (coating section)
5. Tip cap member 16. First pen tip member (first coating body part)
17. Second pen tip component (second coating body portion)
23a Intermediate curved surface section (first application body side curved section)
28 Tip surface section (tip side curved surface section)
30 Lateral curved surface portion (first coated body side curved portion)
35. Retaining groove section 37. Step section inside the retaining groove (groove-side step section)
53c Tip side thin shaft part (thin shaft part)
54 Thick shaft portion 55 Base end portion (base end shaft portion)
57 First step portion 58 Second step portion 64 First support protrusion (first protrusion)
65 Second support protrusion (second protrusion)
70 Front housing section 89 Stepped section on the tip end (stepped portion)
131 Inner side part (first protrusion side curved part)
A. Object to be coated

Claims (5)

An applicator having an applicator portion, which applies an applicator liquid by bringing the applicator portion into contact with the object to be coated,
At least one of the coating portions is formed including a first coating portion and a second coating portion arranged side by side,
The second coating portion has a thin shaft portion and a thick shaft portion which is formed to be thicker than the thin shaft portion.
The aforementioned thin shaft portion is the tip-side portion of the second coating body portion and is formed adjacent to the tip-side of the thick shaft portion.
The first coating body and the second coating body are brought into contact with the object to be coated, creating a multi-contact state. While maintaining this multi-contact state, they are slid in one of the horizontal directions, which is the coating direction, to form multiple lines.
The multi-line comprises a first line formed by applying the coating liquid with the first coating body and a second line formed by applying the coating liquid with the second coating body, wherein the first line is thicker than the second line.
The second coated portion has a first stepped portion which is a step formed at the boundary between the thin shaft portion and the thick shaft portion.
The first coating portion is formed with a receiving groove capable of accommodating at least a part of the second coating portion.
The aforementioned receiving groove portion has a groove-side step portion which is a step formed inside,
An applicator characterized in that, within the receiving groove, the groove-side stepped portion and the first stepped portion are arranged in this order from the tip side of the second applicator portion. The applicator according to claim 1, characterized in that the first stepped portion and the groove-side stepped portion are in contact with each other. The second coating portion has a base end shaft portion, which is formed adjacent to the thick shaft portion, and the thick shaft portion and the base end shaft portion are arranged in that order from the tip side.
The second coating portion has a second stepped portion which is a step formed at the boundary between the thick shaft portion and the base end shaft portion.
The present invention further comprises a stopper member that accommodates a portion of the first coating portion and a portion of the second coating portion,
The applicator according to claim 2, characterized in that the second stepped portion is in contact with the stepped portion formed on the tip plug member. Having a tip plug member,
The aforementioned end cap member has a tip-side housing portion that accommodates a part of the first coating portion and a part of the second coating portion, and both the tip-side portion of the first coating portion and the tip-side portion of the second coating portion are located closer to the tip than the tip-side housing portion.
The aforementioned tip plug member has a first projection and a second projection on the tip side of the tip side housing portion,
The first projection and the second projection are both parts that protrude toward the tip,
The coating tool according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the first projection is located on the side of the tip portion of the first coating body, and the second projection is located on the side of the tip portion of the second coating body. The applicator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that by changing the writing angle in the multiple contact states, it is possible to switch between a state in which a double line with a gap between the first line and the second line can be written, and a state in which a double line without a gap between the first line and the second line can be written.