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US 5,888,008 AGranted
Writing instrument with refillable reservoir
AssigneePelikan Aktiengesellschaft
InventorsUdo Obersteller, Bruno Kunzler
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A writing instrument has a supply chamber connected to reserve chamber by a refilling valve actuated by a plunger which is controlled by a push button formed with a self-closing membrane type valve through which the reserve chamber can be filled from a receptacle by a hollow needle. A separating valve at the end of the plunger closes before the refilling valve is opened to ensure that no ink under pressure will be forced into the ink flow regulator and point of the instrument during the refilling process.
Claims13
A writing instrument, comprising:
- a shaft formed at one end with a writing tip, and an ink flow regulator connected to said tip;
- means forming a supply chamber in said shaft communicating with said flow regulator, and a reserve chamber in said shaft communicating with said supply chamber for replenishing ink in said supply chamber from said reserve chamber;
- a normally open separating valve between said supply chamber and said flow regulator for blocking passage of ink from said supply chamber to said flow regulator and said tip during replenishing of ink in said supply chamber;
- a normally closed refilling valve between said reserve chamber and said supply chamber openable to enable replenishing of ink in said supply chamber from said reserve chamber;
- a common actuating plunger in said shaft for both said valves and constructed and arranged upon displacement of said actuating plunger in one direction to close said separating valve prior to opening of said refilling valve and upon displacement of said actuating plunger in an opposite direction, to close said refilling valve prior to opening of said separating valve;
- and
- a self-closing valve communicating with said reserve chamber and opening for driving out the air from and filling of said reserve chamber from a supply vessel and automatically closing upon termination of filling of said reserve chamber at superatmospheric pressure in said reserve chamber, said refilling valve being closed upon filling of said reserve chamber;
- and
- means mounted on said plunger and movable therewith for changing a volume of and thus a pressure in said supply chamber by:
- (a) decreasing said volume upon closing of the separating valve and thereafter opening of the refilling valve to increase the pressure in the supply chamber receiving ink from the reserve chamber, and
- (b) gradually increasing said volume of the supply chamber to decrease the pressure generated therein upon receiving ink while closing said refilling valve but before opening of said separating valve after termination of filling of said supply chamber, so that ink is not driven out through said flow regulator upon opening of said separating valve.
8 more elements
A writing instrument, comprising:
- an elongated shaft extending along a longitudinal axis and formed at one end with a writing tip, and an ink flow regulator connected to said tip;
- means forming a supply chamber in said shaft communicating with said flow regulator, and a reserve chamber in said shaft communicating with said supply chamber for replenishing ink in said supply chamber from said reserve chamber;
- a normally open separating valve between said supply chamber and said flow regulator for blocking passage of ink from said supply chamber to said flow regulator and said tip during replenishing of ink in said supply chamber;
- a normally closed refilling valve between said reserve chamber and said supply chamber openable to enable replenishing of ink in said supply chamber from said reserve chamber;
- a common actuating plunger in said shaft and coaxial therewith for said refilling and separating valves and constructed and arranged to close said separating valve prior to filling of said supply chamber;
- a push button operatively connected to said actuating plunger and closing an end of said shaft and said reserve chamber opposite said one end and being formed with a central passage, said push button having an external screwthread and being spaced radially inwardly from said shaft to form a groove therebetween;
- a sleeve-shaped rotary button mounted axially fixed on said end of the shaft in said groove and threadedly on said push button and coaxial therewith, said rotary button being formed with a rearwardly open end portion spaced radially outwardly from said push button to form a guide channel therebetween for receiving a supply vessel and with an annular flange extending axially toward one end of the shaft on said groove;
- and
- a self-closing valve received in said central passage of said push button and communicating with said reserve chamber and being opened for filling of said reserve chamber from said supply vessel after the push button is in an outer position thereof, said self-closing valve automatically closing upon termination of filling of said chamber, said push button being movable axially upon rotation of said axially fixed rotary button between an inner position in which said separating valve is closed and said outer position of the push button in which the refilling valve is closed and the separating valve is open for refilling said reserve chamber from the supply vessel.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.