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US 4,221,490 AGranted
Two ended retractable writing instrument
AssigneeThe Gillette Company
InventorCurtis L. Malm
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A writing instrument includes a cam member and first and second cam follower members arranged to simultaneously project or retract upper and lower members from opposite open ends of a barrel when one barrel section is rotated about a writing instrument longitudinal axis relative to a stationary second barrel section.
Claims18
A retractable writing instrument comprising:
- barrel means having an open ended lower section coaxially assembled end-to-end with an open ended upper section so as to be rotatable about a longitudinal axis of said writing instrument;
- a lower retractable member coaxially mounted within said lower barrel section to telescopically move in and out of said open end of said lower barrel section;
- an upper retractable member coaxially mounted within said upper barrel section to telescopically move in and out of said open end of said upper barrel section;
- tubular cam means coaxially mounted within said upper barrel section between said upper and lower retractable members, said cam means having a spiral shaped first end and a spiral shaped second end providing first and second spiral paths;
- a tubular first cam follower member having a key and a bearing surface at one end, said first cam follower member being disposed within said upper barrel section with an opposite end of said first cam follower member bearing against said upper retractable member and said bearing surface touching said spiral shaped first cam end;
- and
- a tubular second cam follower member having a keyway and a bearing surface at one end, said second cam follower member being disposed within said upper barrel section with an opposite end of said second cam follower member bearing against said lower retractable member, said opposite end of said second cam follower member being connected to said lower barrel section to rotate together with said second cam follower member bearing surface touching said spiral shaped second cam end and said key slidingly engaged in said keyway, whereby rotation of said lower barrel section about said writing instrument longitudinal axis relative to a stationary upper barrel section causes said first and second cam follower member to simultaneously rotate about said axis following said first and second spiral paths and said upper and lower retractable members to telescopically move in and out of said open ends of said upper and lower sections of said barrel means without rotating.
4 more elements
A retractable writing instrument comprising:
- barrel means having an open ended upper section coaxially assembled end-to-end with an open ended lower section so as to be independently rotatable about a longitudinal axis of said writing instrument;
- a lower retractable member coaxially mounted within said lower barrel section to telescopically move in and out of said open end of said lower barrel section;
- an upper retractable member coaxially mounted within said upper barrel section to telescopically move in and out of said open end of said upper barrel section;
- tubular cam means coaxially mounted within said upper barrel section between said upper and lower retractable members, said cam means having a spiral shaped first end and a spiral shaped second end providing first and second paths;
- a tubular first cam follower member having a key and a bearing surface at one end, said first cam follower member being disposed within said upper barrel section with an opposite end of said first cam follower member bearing against said upper retractable member and said bearing surface touching said spiral shaped first cam end;
- a tubular second cam follower member having a keyway and a bearing surface at one end, said second cam follower member being disposed within said upper barrel section with an opposite end of said second cam follower member bearing against said lower retractable member, said opposite end of said second cam follower member being connected to said lower barrel section with said second cam follower member bearing surface touching said spiral shaped second cam end and said key slidingly engaged in said keyway;
- and
- means for connecting said cam means to said upper barrel section and said lower barrel section to enable said cam means and said upper barrel section to rotate together about a longitudinal axis of said writing instrument independent of said lower barrel section, whereby rotation of said upper barrel section about said writing instrument longitudinal axis relative to a stationary lower barrel section causes said cam means to rotate about said axis and only a simultaneous longitudinal displacement of said first and second cam follower memebers, and said upper and lower retractable members.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.